This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
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Welcome, welcome, thanks for tuning in. You have arrived at a new episode of Side Hustle School, the daily podcast about making extra money without quitting your job. We've been going strong 2,351 days in a row, all with that goal of economic empowerment, helping you do more of what's important to you, right? Now, a couple of years ago, we started adding this new segment, which comes out every Friday. It is called, in fact, failure Friday.
We weren't sure what day of the week to put it out, but then we thought, well, it actually sounds better to put it out on Friday. So let's do that. And basically the idea is let's tell the stories of all the things that don't go well, like all of the bad business ideas, because there is such a thing as a bad business idea. You might in fact hear about one very shortly, or just some sort of major challenge that comes in the direction of a side hustler, a small business owner, an entrepreneur, and how do they respond to that? What do they do?
Lots of variations of these stories, but typically there is an idea or an assumption, and then that idea or assumption meets reality. I always enjoy working on the show, and I especially enjoy this segment. Today, we're gonna hear about a potential business of writing fortunes for fortune cookies. You know, fortune cookies, you get them sometimes at a Chinese restaurant, or sometimes in some other situation. And this side hustler, Amy, had the idea of like turning it into a business, right?
Let me write some personalized fortunes. Well, let's just let her tell the story. She's gonna do a better job than me, but I'll just tell you right now, it's not the story of the next Tesla or Amazon. You probably don't wanna invest in Amy's business. But let's hear from the fortune cookie writer, I predict a good story.
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The idea struck me like a lightning bolt as I cracked open a fortune cookie at my favorite Chinese restaurant. What if I could create personalized fortune cookies for use as corporate gifts? The world of corporate gifting was in dire need of a creative twist, and I was just the person to bring it to life. With a heart full of hope and a head full of dreams, I set out to revolutionize the world of corporate gift giving. I began by researching the art of fortune cookie making, determined to create the perfect cookie to hold my customized witty fortunes.
I crafted a business plan, complete with a set of promotional materials showcasing the endless possibilities for personalized fortune cookies, from company slogans to inside jokes and words of wisdom. My first big break came when I secured a meeting with the CEO of a local tech company. They were intrigued by my innovative idea and wanted a batch of personalized cookies for their upcoming annual conference. I was ecstatic. My fortune cookie side hustle was about to take flight.
I feverishly scribbled down their specifications, which included the company's motto and a selection of tech-related jokes. With the deadline looming, I raced against the clock to bake, fold, and package hundreds of cookies. In my haste, I accidentally mixed up the order of the fortunes. Instead of matching the company motto with the corresponding cookie batch, I paired it with the batch of tech-related jokes. Oblivious to my blunder, I proudly delivered the cookies to the client, confident that they would be a hit at the conference.
The day after the event, I received a call from the CEO. The guests had opened their cookies expecting to find the company's motto or an amusing tech-related joke. Instead, they were met with a mashup of the two, turning the intended words of wisdom into bizarre, nonsensical phrases. One memorable fortune read, "Innovate, iterate, and never forget to reboot your refrigerator." Mortified, I apologized profusely. The damage, however, was done.
My dreams of dominating the corporate gifting world crumbled like overbaked cookies. Despite my disastrous first foray into the world of personalized fortune cookies, I can't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. My failure taught me the importance of attention to detail and the perils of rushing to meet deadlines. It also gave me a newfound appreciation for the art of cookie making and the challenges of entrepreneurship. In the end, this fortune cookie fiasco became a source of humor and a lesson in humility.
I may not have revolutionized corporate gifting, but I certainly gained an unforgettable story and a valuable learning experience. And who knows, maybe my next side hustle will be a smashing success. Thanks in part to the wisdom I gained from this unfortunate folly. [Music]
Well, if you've been around for a while, you know the theme of failure Friday. It is never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat.
You gotta try different stuff. You gotta try different ideas. Even if they sound kind of random, sometimes some of the most profitable side hustles, the most amazing stories that we've shared come from an idea that seems kind of random. It's just, in this case, not this one, all right? It's just not the fortune cookie, Tesla business, fortune cookies on Amazon.
Not gonna be the huge success that Amy hoped. But Amy, I really appreciate you sharing this story. I'm sure our listeners enjoyed it. I enjoyed working on it. And listeners, if you have a question or an update for us about your hustle, sidehustleschool.com/questions.
Today's notes, sidehustleschool.com/2351. We've got a new episode tomorrow. It's all completely free. Listen wherever you like. My name's Chris Guillebeau.
This is "Side Hustle School." [Music]
From the "Onward Project."
