This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
All right, all right. Welcome to Side Hustle School. This is your host, Chris Guillebeau. Welcome as well to Throwback Thursday. This is a weekly segment every Thursday, conveniently, where we take an in-depth look at someone whose story has evolved since we first featured them.
And I've had a lot of fun over the years going back through the archives, pulling out different episodes, connecting with people or reconnecting with people to hear what their update is. There's always some interesting surprises or at least a lesson that can be learned. Now, that is the point of the whole show, to help people make extra money without quitting their job, understand not just the inspiration, but the specific practical details of what that looks like and how you can take the next step for your own personal freedom. So with that in mind, last week we heard from a Florida pole dance instructor. She's hooked on pole.
What can you say? She's really into pole dancing. Today in our latest feature, we'll hear from a seller of planners and journals. Her business is thriving, at least after expanding her product line and listening to customers. She'll tell us a little bit about that.
Her name is Joy Caitlin. So let's hear directly from Joy Caitlin. I'll come back at the end with a quick wrap up. [Music]
Hey, it's Joy Caitlin with my Throwback Thursday story. First, let me say a big thank you to everybody involved in the project.
I'm a huge fan and I listen every day. And now for my story. It's been a wild ride, but I can confidently say that this past year of selling planners and journals has been a total success. When I first started this little side hustle of mine, I had no idea what to expect. I just knew that I loved organizing my own life with pretty functional planners and journals and thought that maybe other people would feel the same way.
Turns out I was right. It didn't take long for me to start getting a steady stream of orders. And before I knew it, I was juggling multiple wholesale accounts, a thriving Etsy shop, and even a small storefront in my local downtown area. At least for a while, the storefront proved to be too much for me to handle on my own, but everything else continued to thrive. One lesson I learned early on was the importance of diversity in my product line.
At first, I only offered a few different styles of planners and journals, thinking that would be enough. But as I started getting more and more customers, I realized that people have all kinds of different needs and preferences when it comes to planning and note-taking. Some people want a super minimalistic design, while others prefer something more decorative. Some people need a planner that's focused on productivity, while others just want a place to jot down their thoughts and ideas. I learned that the key to keeping my customers happy was to offer a wide variety of options.
So I started expanding my product line, and it paid off in a big way. I now offer everything from simple, undated planners to colorful, creative journals with prompts and exercises. And the more I diversify, the more I see my sales and customer satisfaction going up. One big highlight of the past year has definitely been when I was approached by a major retailer to carry my products in their stores. I was over the moon with excitement when I got the offer.
And while I'm not allowed to say who it is yet, it's been an absolute dream come true to know that my planners and journals will be on the shelves of a big chain store. It's definitely a validation of all the hard work I've put in over the past year. If someone else wanted to start a business selling planners and journals, the main thing I would tell them is to be open to trying new things and listening to your customers. It's so important to stay flexible and adaptable in this kind of business because you never know what's going to work and what isn't until you try. And above all, make sure you're passionate about what you're selling.
When you love what you do, it shows in the quality of your product and the enthusiasm you have for your business. Thanks all for this update, but I'm always happy to share if anything else comes up. Thanks again for featuring me. [Music]
Thanks so much, Joy Caitlin. I really appreciate the update and thanks listeners as well.
Let me know what you think and who you'd like to see featured from our archives of well over a thousand stories, well over 2,200 episodes in total so far. If you've got a question, an update or feedback, sidehustleschool.com/questions. My encouragement for you today is to do something to get closer to a goal you believe in. If you set some resolutions for this year, how's it going? Hey, listen, you know, it's the 19th of January, at least when this episode's going out.
If you got off track, that's okay. You have an opportunity today to get back on track or to set some new goals or, you know, whatever is important to you, as I said. You make the decision, but I encourage you to get closer to that thing. And of course, tomorrow, new episode coming up. My name is Chris Guillebeau.
You're listening to "Side Hustle School." [Music]
From the "Onward Project."
