This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
Well, hello there. Thank you so much for tuning in today. This is Chris Guillebeau. Listen, wherever you are in the world, whatever you're up to today, I just want to say I respect and admire you taking some time to invest in yourself. That's the point through these daily, less than 10 minute long episodes, all about thinking through how to make more money.
Not just money, of course, but money's good. And also security, creative inspiration, being able to do more of what matters to you. That's how I've tried to fashion my entire life, doing more of what matters to me. And so I salute you in your quest to do that as well. And now let's just jump in.
A caller today has an idea to offer a series of online home improvement classes. So she's wondering if it's a good idea. What do I think of the idea? But also how might she market it? Now I love this question and it reminded me, I was actually thinking a bit about it on my run this morning.
It reminded me that we need to spend more time on the second part of the question. So I'll explain a bit more about that in my answer. Starting home improvement classes with a twist, it's coming up in just 30 seconds. [Music]
Hi, this is Jenna calling in from Atlanta. I've been enjoying the show and your books.
My idea is to offer a series of home improvement classes, all taught online. I've thought this through a lot. There are a bunch of famous YouTubers or at least YouTubers with big followings in the space. There are also platforms like Udemy that have similar courses. So my twist is to start very niche, like how to install a towel bar in the bathroom and make sure it's level or how to upgrade your toilet to one of those fancy Japanese ones.
Do you think I'm on the right track? If so, how can I connect with potential subscribers and paying customers? I'm excited to hear your advice and jump in. - All right, so let's get into something here. As I said, I was thinking about this on my run.
Like, do I think she's on the right track? Yes, possibly. Like it does sound like a good idea. You know, nothing's guaranteed, but this is proven to be a viable model for other people. You know, so that's a good sign.
Like there are some existing businesses and there are some people who are building social profiles, getting lots of followers, and in some cases they've been able to monetize that. So that's good. However, the second question is equally important. How can she connect with potential subscribers and paying customers? You know, it's not enough to have a good idea.
And this is so key. I feel like I don't talk about this enough. Lots of good ideas, even great ideas, just don't go anywhere. They kind of die on the vine due to lack of interest, lack of customer demand, we might say. So you've got the idea, but before you go too far, take the time to develop a strategy for acquiring those customers.
And for something like this project, you have a couple of options. I'm gonna give you three of them, three big ones here, three obvious ones. Number one is the influencer route, where you're trying to build authority, attract followers, whether it's on YouTube, through a podcast, through a blog, on TikTok, Instagram, whatever it is. You're trying to build a network of people who are interested in your work, likely through some free content that then kind of draws them towards the paid content, or those courses. That's the influencer route.
Number two is SEO. That's where you're like, okay, I'm gonna focus a lot on web. I'm going to target these keywords that people are searching when they're like, how do I install my fancy Japanese toilet? How do I install that towel bar? Or whatever it is, how do I make sure it's level?
You go all in on SEO targeting those terms, hoping to bring people to your website. And that can be very effective as well. Just take some time. Then the third option, the third obvious one at least, is a third party platform. So using something like Udemy, or could be another platform like that, where you can create a course, then they sell it to their audience, right?
If you don't have an audience of your own, if you don't want to figure out SEO. So each of these options has pros and cons. They all have strengths and weaknesses. Which one is best for you depends on your situation. But I think very important to think about that.
Not just, is it a good idea at the outset of any project? You could save yourself a lot of time, but making sure you have a clear answer before proceeding. So that's what I think about that, but good luck. Let us know how it goes. Listeners, if you've got a question, some feedback, update for us, whatever it is, sidehustleschool.com/questions.
We'll continue to feature them throughout the year, along with updates from listeners as they launch their projects. I'm so glad you're out there. Thanks for subscribing. You can do so wherever you get your podcasts. And of course, come back tomorrow.
My name's Chris Guillebeau. This is "Side Hustle School." [Music]
From the Onward Project.
