This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
He's a software engineer by day. He crafts some balloon sculptures by night, and he gets paid for it. Yep, that's right. That's what we do here on Sadistel School. We look at all kinds of fun stuff people do to make extra money without quitting their jobs, sometimes eventually going full time.
But, you know, whatever the case may be, this episode is part of a feature we call your first thousand dollars. So how does somebody who works as an engineer, you know, start making money creating balloon sculptures or whatever the case is. Today it's balloons, you know, who knows what tomorrow could be. One thing I've learned is that once you begin to earn real money, the steps required to go to the next level, whether it's a thousand to $2,000 or to $10,000, whatever it is, those steps are often easier than that first real paycheck. So that's why I want to help all of our listeners be able to make at least $1,000 extra a month or, you know, whatever your goal is.
But let's start with something that's achievable and realistic and I really believe everybody can do. So with that in mind, today we're gonna hear from Steve Chandler in, I believe it is St. Paul, Minnesota. By day, Steve works as a software engineer. By night, as I already mentioned, he blows up balloons.
I just love saying that, but you don't listen to the podcast to hear me talk about balloons. Let's hear the story from Steve. [Music]
Hi there, this is Steve. I'm a software engineer by day and a balloon artist by night. Or you could say I bring a whole new level of creativity to my nine to five.
It all started when I was asked to create some decorations for a friend's birthday party. Always been a bit of a DIYer, so I figured I can give it a shot. I started by watching some tutorials online and before I knew it, I was creating all sorts of balloon creatures, dogs, cats, even a balloon Darth Vader. My friends were impressed and that's when I realized I could turn this into a side hustle. To be honest, I was a bit of a balloon addict about pricing at first, but then I thought, why not let the balloons do the talking?
I did some research, checked out what other balloon artists were charging and came up with a price that I felt was fair. It was a bit of a floater sink moment, but I was ready to inflate my prices and see what happened. My first paid gig was at a kid's birthday party and I was a bit nervous. I mean, who wants to be the dead air when it comes to a child's birthday? But I took a deep breath, twisted my way into the party and got to work.
The kids were so excited to see me making all sorts of balloon animals and before I knew it, I had made my first $200, I was over the moon. At the party, one of the moms asked me if I could make a special creation for her husband's 40th birthday. I agreed and that's when the real fun began. I spent the next few days practicing and perfecting the creation and on the day of the party, I showed up with a life-size replica of a classic muscle car made entirely out of balloons. That job paid $400.
And I did two other events and before I knew it, I had earned my first $1,000 from my side hustle as a balloon artist. It was a fun and creative outlet and it was a great way to supplement my income as a software engineer. The key to my success was that I took my time and perfected my craft. I practice every day and I make sure to deliver the highest quality work. I also made sure to invest in the best equipment and materials so I could create the best balloon creations possible.
So if you're thinking about starting a side hustle as a balloon artist, my advice is to go for it. Just make sure to do your research and let the balloons do the talking. And of course, always be ready with a good pun or two. Thanks for letting me share my story. This has been fun.
All right, Steve, thanks so much for sharing that story. Definitely does sound like a fun and creative side hustle. I don't think I'm gonna go into balloon art myself, but who knows, maybe somebody else out there will. And also just an idea of like, you know, how do you take an idea and turn it into, here's this project that actually pays me money. That's what we're always trying to do with these little case studies and stories.
So listeners, I hope you enjoyed it. If you've got a question or a story, an update, whatever it is, sidehustleschool.com/questions. This has been episode 2277, 2277. And of course, I'll be back again tomorrow with another episode. Thanks for being out there.
Thanks for joining me. My name's Chris Guillebeau. This is Side Hustle School. [Music]
- From the Onward Project.
