This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
Welcome listeners, welcome to Sinus School. My name is Chris Guillebeau, welcome as well to episode 2,200, 2200. We've been going for, well, I guess it's pretty obvious, right, 2,200 days, ever since January 1, 2017. So honored, so grateful to be able to bring you to this podcast every day. Let's just jump in here because, hey, what's it all about?
It's about helping you make extra money without quitting your job, or perhaps establish some kind of project that you could eventually use to quit your job. I mean, that sounds good, right? And in that fashion, this episode today, it's part of a feature we've been doing called Your First Thousand Dollars. We started it out last year. It's been very popular, so we've continued it, along with Failure Friday, Throwback Thursday, some other segments.
And as you might guess, of course, it's all about how someone made their first thousand dollars. How did they get to that point? How did they go from idea to income? And with that in mind, today's feature comes from Tasha in New Mexico. She makes and sells her own line of essential oils, bringing in at least $2,000 a month on the side.
That's in addition to her day job. She's trying to build it up as an even bigger business, so we'll see how that goes. But what about that first thousand dollars? How did she make it happen? What did it feel like?
And what did she learn? Let's hear the story from Tasha. [Music]
Hi, this is Tasha calling in with my story. As a young woman who had always been passionate about natural remedies, I'd been eager to start my own business selling essential oils. I spent years experimenting with different blends and perfecting my recipes, and finally felt ready to share my creations with the world.
I started by setting up a small booth at the local farmer's market where I offered samples of my oils to passing customers. It was a bit nerve wracking at first, as I wasn't sure how people would react to my products. But as I saw people sniffing the samples and nodding in approval, I began to feel more confident. One of the first customers to stop by my booth was a woman who was looking for a natural remedy for her son's eczema. She was impressed by the quality of the oils and asked if I had a blend that could help with his condition.
I quickly mixed up a custom blend of lavender, chamomile, and tea tree oil, and she was thrilled with the results. She ended up buying several bottles and even gave me a nice tip. As the day went on, I continued to make sales and even had a few repeat customers. By the end of the two-day market, I had earned my first $1,000 in sales. It felt amazing to know that my passion was not only something I enjoyed, but also something that could provide me with a livelihood.
One of the key lessons I learned from this experience was the importance of being able to adapt to customer needs. I had come to the market with a set of pre-made blends, but I quickly realized that many customers were looking for something specific. By being open to customizing my products, I was able to offer solutions that met their individual needs and ultimately increased my sales. As I packed in my booth at the end of the day, I couldn't help but feel grateful and excited for the future. I knew that this was just the beginning of my journey as a small business owner, and I was determined to continue learning and growing.
[Music]
All right, thanks so much, Tasha. Really appreciate you telling us about that first $1,000. And as mentioned, listeners, Tasha's earning a couple thousand dollars a month. She hopes to go even further, so we certainly wish her every success. Maybe we can do a full case study at some point.
And I hope you found it encouraging. All right, if you have a question or an update for us about your hustle, if there's something you're planning for this year, you want us to know about, or you have some question or query, I guess those are the same thing, right? Basically, come to sidehustleschool.com/questions, not queries, slash questions. Today's show notes, of course, sidehustleschool.com/22002200. Can't believe how far we've come, but of course the best is yet to come.
So stay tuned, subscribe, follow, it's all free. My name's Chris Guillebeau, you're listening to "Side Hustle School." [Music]
- From the Onward Project.
