This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
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So I received kind of an unusual message on the Hustle hotline the other day. I got all kinds of calls about all kinds of stuff, people asking for advice about things, people wanting to sell something, people who have a wrong number. Some days the phone is just ringing off the hook, and other days I'm looking at it, hoping that somebody will remember that I exist. But to the point, a listener, I guess he's a listener, I'm not sure, someone from Finland called in and had a question about his long-standing seasonal side hustle. He's very busy one month of the year.
I wasn't sure if he wanted to remain anonymous or not, but he's got a problem to solve. So I thought I'd just present you with this lightly edited version, and we'll see what we can do for him. So I want to say thanks to our sponsor, got a message from them, always appreciate them allowing us to bring all of this content to you, our listeners, completely free. And then here's the special episode, caller from Finland requests help with global present delivery. We'll have to see what this is all about, so do stay tuned.
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Hi Chris, my name is Chris Aswell, and I'm calling from my warehouse in the Northern part of Finland. For the past several hundred years, I've been going around the world every December to deliver gifts to children, but this year has presented some serious challenges. Unfortunately, kids just aren't excited about getting hand sanitizer for their stockings. And the adults aren't comfortable with having strange men in their homes, especially since I tend to spend a lot of time with a lot of people. Not only that, but logistics are tough too.
Many parts of the world have mandatory quarantine periods, which makes it difficult to get to every house in one evening. New Zealand won't even let me in at all. I think I need a new side hustle, or at least a better distribution plan. Chris, what should I do? And how can we save Christmas?
- Well, of all the challenges I faced, you know, this is a tough one. I get callers, you know, we ask all kinds of things, but Chris, thank you for your call. So let's see what's possible here. You know, I agree, kids really don't want hand sanitizer bottles or Clorox wipes in their stockings. You know, if you could have given that to them in March or April, they could have turned around and resold them, right?
So that could have been very valuable, but we're late for that. I'm also not sure everybody wants to have a Zoom call with the North Pole, you know, like a virtual Christmas morning just seems a little depressing, even though of course many of us will be making some Zoom calls today. So here's what it comes down to. I think, you know, we are all embracing change this year, right? So even iconic figures from Finland perhaps have to acknowledge that some things are outside our control.
You know, maybe the best way to save Christmas is for all of us to show up however we can for those we love, as well as those who might be less fortunate. Okay, so that's what I'm trying to do. Trying to show up for people I love as well as help out however I can. And as for New Zealand, you know, man, and I guess they'll just have to wait for Christmas since they won't let anyone in, but maybe that's okay because it's summertime there. So, you know, it's always confusing anyway.
So 2021, we're gonna fix all kinds of things, you know, from Christmas to like, you know, seasonal differences between hemispheres and you know, whatever else is going on in your life. But for now, let's just all do what we can to save Christmas together for those we love as well as anybody else out there who might be less fortunate. Thank you to our caller from Finland and thank you listeners. I am so grateful for you. Hope you have a wonderful day and wonderful rest of the holiday season.
My name is Chris Guillebeau, not the one from Finland, but the one who produces this podcast, Side Hustle School. [Music]
- From the Onward Project.
