Notes from Chris

Episode 1604

When website designer Kyle Battis got his French bulldog three years ago, he didn’t expect that it would be the start of a business. His family had long been used to having a furry animal in the house, and so after their beloved pet Noble passed away, they decided to get a new one.

His three kids spent a great deal of time reading up on different dog breeds and watching YouTube videos, eventually deciding on a French bulldog they named Augie.

As you might expect, this was exciting for the family—but also expensive. With food, toys, and pet insurance, the bills quickly add up. Kyle thought that perhaps there was a way they could earn a small income that would cover the costs.

As a designer, it struck him that this would also be a good opportunity to show his kids that it was possible to make money online. How? By creating a website and writing about the family’s experience with the new dog. His kids, then aged 13, 11, and 9, agreed to help out with this new project. That weekend, Kyle built the site on Wordpress and got a local photographer friend to come over to shoot some photos of Augie and the kids. Before Monday arrived, their site Frenchie Journey was online.

The site has now grown significantly since it was started in December 2019. With over 130 posts, it currently sees over 32,000 visitors a month, and brings in approximately $750/month in income through a mix of affiliate commissions and advertisements. Beyond paying $13 for the domain name and $7 a month for website hosting, there have been no other costs except for the time it takes to write each article.

This, however, has not been difficult for Kyle since it’s time that he is able to spend with his kids. In fact as he says, the revenue potential on the site isn’t that high so he really focuses on the shared family project and the lessons that he can pass on.

For those who wish to start a lifestyle blog, Kyle warns that growing a site like this can be painfully slow. But if anything, Kyle has learned that success generally depends on knowing how long it takes to succeed, and he thinks that it is doubly true when it comes to a side hustle like this.

 

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  MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Check out Kyle and his family’s barking good blog, FrenchieJourney.com.

SEE ALSO:

• Every Dog Has Its Side Hustling Day: Two sisters team up to create a side business with a social good component. It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there… are you working on your hustle?
• That’s the Spot! Dog Lover’s Hustle Becomes Fur-ever Biz: A customer service agent engineers a side hustle trans-fur-mation to full-time dog training business.
• Teenpreneur Skips College to Build Pet Care Company: A young animal lover goes from walking dogs to owning a multi-city pet care company.

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work! Yours in the revolution,

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