This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
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Today's question is a simple one. What products are good to sell as a subscription? And we're talking here specifically about physical products, physical goods, non-digital. What are some good products to sell as a subscription? Now recently, we have looked at why there are so many subscriptions in the first place.
Short version there is because it's a good way to make money. Another caller had an idea for a subscription to cancel all of your unused subscriptions because even though it's a good way to make money, a lot of us are tired of spending so much money on subscriptions. So, also I should mention at this point, so welcome to Sidus Will School, of course. My name's Chris Guillebeau. Sidus Will School itself is going to a subscription model.
Yeah, I forgot to tell you. So instead of a flat rate of $0, it's gonna soon cost $0 a month. So now you have to pay every month, but the cost is still $0. So it's kind of like the Netflix model except without the actual money. Isn't that nice?
All right, on with the episode, what products are good to sell as a subscription? Shout out to our sponsor who does allow the show to be $0 a month and then the detailed question. [Music]
Hi there, this is Alison Cohen from Orlando. I love your show. I'm also in the hunt for some side hustle ideas.
Aside from digital subscriptions, what are some good products to sell in subscription form? I like the idea of predictable income instead of like, I don't know, having to spend on new product launch every few months. And I've been thinking about it more ever since I signed up for a weekly fruits and vegetable subscription from a local co-op here. I don't wanna sell food, so what else might be possible? Thanks in advance for any insight you might have.
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All right, so you don't wanna sell food, understood. There are a lot of subscription boxes for, you know, healthy meals, snacks, ingredients and so on, but totally understand why that's complicated. So let's see, we've got a whole list here. Beauty and grooming. You know, anything to do with beauty, grooming, or fashion in general, subscriptions for beauty products like makeup, skincare, shaving supplies.
I mean, there are multiple companies. Harry's is one, that's like the big name everyone thinks of, but there's other companies. You know, Dollar Shave Club, I just thought of that as well. Probably three or four others that are, I don't know, $100 million businesses, sometimes billion dollar businesses. It's just crazy, right?
There's just so many people out there that are buying subscriptions for things like that. Clothing, in addition to, you know, general beauty and fashion, subscriptions for clothing like personalized styling or clothing rental services, you know, that's a big thing. Also kind of expensive to get into, so maybe not the best at first, but you know, it's an option. Children's products, subscriptions for kids stuff like educational toys, books, anything else that can be a good way for parents to keep their kids engaged and stimulated. It's also a great gift item for everybody who's got nephews and nieces and grandkids, anybody else that they're buying for, any parents that they're buying for.
And here's a really big category, entertainment and media, which of course you tend to think digital, right? Like the first thing you think of is like Netflix or Disney Plus or Spotify, Apple Music, but our caller wants to know about physical. So, you know, media can also include magazines, you know, like the old school ones that arrive in the mail or zines in general or newsletters, you know, that still arrive in the mail, any kind of content that is a physical product, you know, there's just so many options for physical products sold by subscription. So it doesn't have to be digital first. There are plenty of things you can do.
Definitely look at Crate Joy, you know, they've got all kinds of subscription boxes, might give you an idea, or you might look at it and say, this is actually pretty complicated. Maybe I want to do something else. So that's also okay. I'm all about helping people find their most feasible idea and move forward quickly so that you can begin seeing results. I think that's more important than designing the perfect product.
So I wish you luck. Thanks for the question. Listeners, sidehustleschool.com/questions. You can also follow me on social, Chris Guillebeau, or on Instagram, 193 countries. I'll continue to feature questions throughout the year, along with updates from listeners as they launch their projects.
Hey, thanks for being out there. Take care of yourself. My name's Chris Guillebeau. This is Side Hustle School. [Music]
From the Onward Project.
