This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
Throughout the years, we have featured several stories of side hustles related to local tours of one kind or another. And I was trying to think like, we have had Washington DC monument tours, urban hiking in San Francisco, beer tours, several different cities, pizza tours in Chicago, that business has actually taken off, pizza city USA, biking in wine in Prince Edward Island. And those are just the ones I thought of off the top of my head. Like I didn't even go back and look in the archives because I know there've been so many. And I think that touring or facilitating some kind of tours can be a good model for lots of people because it's a relatively simple project to start.
You know, I don't mean to say it's easy, it definitely takes a lot of work, but it's not complicated work. Like if you are a people person, if you have some knowledge of your area, and if you live in a city or town that sees a good number of visitors, this might be a model to consider, or at least think about. And I tell you that because of course, in today's story, a newly retired teacher capitalizes on the unique spots around Canada's capital city. That would be Ottawa, just in case you're not familiar. And key point to this business, which I'm gonna talk about a good bit in the story, she is not actually taking people on these tours.
She has designed the tours for people to take themselves on, which of course is, well, I don't wanna say it's better than doing it the other way where you're actually leading tours all the time, but it's definitely more efficient, for sure. And it definitely allows for the possibility of passive income, which is something that I like to focus on. I want you to be able to make some money in the form of an actual asset, as opposed to just trading time for money. So we're gonna look at how she's done it. Welcome to Side Hustle School.
Story is called "Ottawa Teacher Finds Unexpected Journey After Retirement." [Music]
Jennifer Sloan wasn't meant for retirement. A former school teacher, she'd only been retired for a week when her husband convinced her to turn her love of planning into a thriving side hustle. You see, Jennifer had always loved planning vacations, but found the most memorable trips were the ones that left her surprised and full of awe. You know, those little side trips where you discovered the most amazing restaurant that only locals know about, or the perfect hidden park nestled behind the shopping district. The one you never would have found if you hadn't taken that wrong turn.
Since far away travel was limited during the pandemic, Jennifer wanted to inspire people to investigate the many amazing places close by. Some of those ones we often take for granted. Even though she had just left her 28-year teaching career and had no intention of opening a business, that desire to inspire was too hard to resist. Her new business, "Unexpected Journeys," takes people on surprise one-day adventures around Ottawa, Ontario. But here's the twist.
Customers choose from several options listed on Jennifer's website, and she mails them a package with all the details. Each itinerary comes wrapped in vellum with a wax seal, similar to a wedding invitation. Inside, there are five notes, and customers open each note one by one along the way, with each stop leading to the next destination. The notes are filled with interesting information. They include secret locations, good spots for photo ops, and unique destinations that aren't typical Ottawa tourist stops, but should be.
Each journey is a chance to get out with someone you love and spend an amazing day together creating lasting memories. Or I suppose you could just do it by yourself, right? I mean, I'm just adding that in, but you don't have to necessarily do everything with someone else. Side note. Okay, the beauty of this business is that once Jennifer has created an unexpected journey and listed it on her website, it can be sold over and over again.
She does the work once and gets paid multiple times. Right now, it's a one-woman show. Jennifer personally visits each spot along each journey she creates to make sure it's special enough to be included. She also does all the planning, research, mailing, and social media herself. Startup costs were about $5,000, and it really could have been less.
The biggest chunk there was a new laptop to replace the one that she returned to her school board when she retired. She also bought a high-end printer and paper supplies, as well as hiring a designer to make her business look its best. In the early days, she posted a photo every day of a place that might be included on one of the journeys she offers. She also shared info about herself and tagged other businesses. Finally, she sent out a few journey packages to local influencers in hopes that they would share her idea.
Sales started off slowly, but picked up, and she made over $35,000 in her first year. All right, let's talk about challenges. Jennifer's biggest has been on the technology side. According to her, she was never great at anything computer-related, but she learned how to manage her own website and use Instagram to effectively promote. Now that she knows how to use those tools properly, she spends less time on the tech stuff, which used to take up a lot of time each week.
This business uses all of Jennifer's strongest skills, planning, research, and writing. Right now, the itineraries from unexpected journeys are pretty outdoorsy and rural, but Jennifer's in the process of making some that are more urban, so people can navigate the journey via public transit or by bicycle or on foot. The best part, she says, is when someone emails her to say they had an incredible time and discovered places they never knew existed. [Music]
Well, I love the twist of the self-guided tours 'cause it turns the whole business model on its head, makes it much more of a passive income source, and nothing wrong, of course, with leading people on tours. There's great value in that as well.
Personal connection, it's a service to others. In some cases, it might be a more profitable business. You could eventually hire other guides. We've seen people do that, but I just think as a really simple project, making these self-guided tours, which are not cheap, by the way. I looked at the website, and they're selling for about $50 each.
So there's a lot of personal tours you might take with a guide, at least with a bigger group, that might cost $50 a person. But Jennifer's found a way to make this totally turnkey. It's also very easy to gift a journey on the website, which I liked. And there's lots of info on what's included for each particular trip without giving too much away, which is just the right balance. For example, she's got, here's the best time to go on this tour.
Is it pet friendly? This trip is perfect for couples, for friends, for those looking for a mix of activity and relaxation. And here's all the different things that you might experience on this trip. So again, lots of interesting information, but not too much, right? To have all the details, you have to purchase the tour.
Anyway, cool project. Congratulations, Jennifer. Thanks for letting us share this with our listeners. Listener's inspiration is good, but inspiration with action is so much better. If you'd like to see the show notes for today's episode, including links to unexpected journeys, anything else I mentioned, just go to sidehustleschool.com/1942.
If you've got a comment or question for us, you can leave it there as well. I hope you will subscribe or follow wherever you like to get your podcasts. You can find us anywhere, and I'll have a new episode for you tomorrow. That's all for now. My name is Chris Guillebeau.
This is "Side Hustle School." [Music]
from the Onward Project.
