This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
Millions of people are playing Pokemon Go. Have you tried it? A few years ago, I tried it out myself. I thought it was really cool. I didn't totally get into it, at least not long-term, but I really admired how well done it was.
Now, there was a dip in the user base after the initial craze wore off, but now there's actually more people playing than ever before. Now, there's also a new game called Pikmin Bloom, and I've just started playing this myself. By the way, this is not an ad. This all relates to today's episode. I've just been enjoying this game.
I like to keep up with the culture. So you download this game, and as you walk around, you're earning Pikmin, which are little creatures, and they put flowers down. You can go and pick up oranges. It can be a lot of fun if you're into that sort of thing. So today's caller is all about both of these games, really into Pikmin and really into Pokemon, perhaps some others as well.
What is the connection to Side Hustle School with all this? Well, he wants to make money from it. Yeah, now we're talking. I admire the vision, but how, of course, does it work? Is there a chance to strike it rich as a poker coach?
I just made up that phrase myself, but it sounds pretty cool. Poker coach. Let's talk about it. Detailed question and my answer coming right up. [Music]
Hi Chris, this is Derek from San Fran, and I've been listening to the show for a couple of years.
I'm not sure if you know, but more than 150 million people play Pokemon Go every month. There's also a new game, Pikmin Bloom, that's trying to do something similar in terms of real world interaction with a digital app. As you walk around in real life, you collect digital Pikmin in the game. I'm really good at this and I've become the go-to expert for both games among my friends. That's great, but is there some way I can get paid for this?
I can't really charge my friends, and I think most people would laugh at me if I said I was selling a service that helps people collect in-game characters. But you always say that there are all kinds of markets, so do you think there's any potential here? If so, how would I set it up? Thanks, and I can't wait to hear from you. [Music]
Hey Derek, what's up man?
Thanks for the question. As for people laughing at your business idea, listen to this podcast, go through the archives. We've got all kinds of crazy stories, lots of ways that people have made money through something that might sound totally absurd or ludicrous to somebody else. But where there is a market, where there is a user base of interested people, then there's usually some way to make money from it. And that's a big part of what Side Hustle School is about.
So absolutely respect that. I do respect the hustle also. And Pikmin Bloom is a cool new game. Like I said, I've been enjoying it myself. I tend to think, so a few thoughts here.
I tend to think you should focus on Pokemon Go just because that user base is so massive. You know, and as you probably know, there's also a massive online community of fans. So that's also important. What can you offer them? A few ways to do this.
Even though I think poker coaching is a pretty cool term, I mean, not just 'cause I made it up myself, but you know, poker coaching probably is not the best approach. Like coaching is usually best at a high level, you know, an expensive level, let's say. Maybe there are some high performing Pokemon Go players out there who would pay, you know, a hundred dollars an hour to improve their game. But you know, that's a much, much smaller market than the average person who's just really into it, you know? And so the best way I think is to sell a low price to guide and you know, strategy guides for video games, that's not a new industry.
You know, when I was a kid, many hundreds of years ago, I was playing video games and there were strategy guides. You could buy them in the magazine section at the bookstore or you could order them and they would show up at your house, you know? So this is just a modern version of that. Are there lots of people out there who would pay five or $10, you know, maybe $15 or something to, you know, become a better player, catch better Pokemon, you know, et cetera, absolutely. So I think that's the path.
Figure out where those fan-based communities are and start being a resource there. Just start posting, post some fan comments, post some tips, answer questions, you know? Be a helpful resource and then, you know, if it's a forum, there's a place for a signature and you can put a link to your guide in the signature. You know, very, very soft promotion, but I think that's how you start. And then, depending on the network of the platform, there's some other strategies there, but I think selling a low-priced guide is better than being a high-priced Pokemon coach, even though poker coaching is a cool term.
Good luck, Derek, and listeners. If you have a question, if you're trying to catch Pokemon or something totally different, sidehustleschool.com/questions. We'll continue to feature them, along with updates from other listeners as they launch and grow their projects. That's it for today. Gotta go play some Pikmin Bloom.
My name is Chris Guillebeau. This is "Side Hustle School." [Music]
- From the Onward Project.
