This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
Hey, listeners, what's going on? Chris Guillebeau here. Tomorrow is a very big day. My brand new book, Gonzo Capitalism, comes out. I'm excited to go on the road, actually flying to Phoenix here today to begin everything tomorrow night.
I will take you along with me throughout the tour, at least virtually, just in case you don't happen to be nearby. Of course, if you might be nearby, I'd love to see you. chrisguillebeau.com/tour. Gonzo Capitalism available wherever books are sold starting tomorrow. I'll say more about that as we go.
But of course, the podcast continues. Absolutely committed to delivering an episode every single day. Today, we've got a listener question from Bangalore, all the way in Bangalore, not Phoenix, Arizona, Bangalore, India. Raj has been in the IT industry for over a decade, handling network infrastructure and, I don't know, some other stuff, IT. Inspired by Side Hustle School, that's us.
He has his site set on the rapidly expanding field of cloud computing. Raj is interested in starting a hustle that helps small to medium businesses transition to cloud services. Despite being wary of competition from larger IT firms, he's eager to leverage his expertise, carve out a niche in this dynamic sector. So let's see what he has to say. Thanks for tuning in.
Thanks for being out there. Quick little message from our sponsor, and then we'll hear from Raj. [Music]
Hi, I am Raj from Bangalore. I've been in the IT industry for over a decade, primarily managing network infrastructure. I came across your podcast through a LinkedIn post from a friend, and it has inspired me to explore other income avenues.
With the rise of cloud computing, I'm now considering a side hustle helping small to medium businesses transition to cloud services. What advice would you give for getting started, and how can I effectively position myself, given the competition from larger IT consulting firms? [Music]
Raj, thanks for listening all the way in India. So glad that we have inspired you. And what I always say when I hear that, I'm like, okay, thank you.
I am honored, but also you're the one who does the work. So let's honor that as well. Let's honor yourself. You wanna go from idea to actually making this happen, to having an offer out there, having a service. And I do think, of course, more and more businesses are recognizing the need for cloud-based solutions.
It's a big field. I don't know all the details and dynamics in that field, but I know it's a big market. So speaking of market, the number one thing you can do in this situation is to identify your specific target market, which is not every business in India or every global tech company that's embracing cloud computing. You wanna get really specific, maybe a particular industry, maybe a type of business that you're familiar with or have contacts in. I think that is by far the most important thing you can do.
And in fact, I would encourage you to go more specific than you think. If it's like healthcare, okay, you're like, that's great, healthcare, cloud computing, let's see how I can narrow that down considerably. Because there are a lot of healthcare companies out there, what type of healthcare, what type of company perhaps, or if it's geographic, what is the geographic region? Even then, I think hyper-local is better than just regional or local. Next, build your credentials, okay?
So establish yourself as a subject matter expert. Testimonials go a long way here, just some quotes on your website. Write some articles, write blog posts, give some talks, webinars, do it for free. Just try to get your name out there and try to build up that authority. Everybody starts somewhere, so just start where you are.
And then develop a strong value proposition. That's the last thing, the last starting step at least. Because there are those larger IT consulting firms, you're not gonna try to be all things to all people, as noted, so you want to communicate why a business should work with you instead. So perhaps it's your personalized approach, your focus on that certain type of business, like we talked about. Maybe your extensive hands-on experience in network infrastructure.
Whatever it is, Raj, highlight those strengths in your marketing materials. And I think the last thing is on that point of like, oh, there's so much competition from these large IT firms, think of that as an advantage for you. You have an advantage in understanding the needs and limitations of a smaller-sized business that's going to be your client. So you have an advantage, you have a strength, focus on that. Listeners, if you have a question, sidehustleschool.com/questions, or come see me in person starting tomorrow.
I'll be in about 16 cities to start, chrisguillebeau.com/tour. And of course, the podcast will continue every single day. Thank you so much for being out there. Thank you for being a huge part of things. And I wish you well, more to come tomorrow.
My name's Chris Guillebeau, this is Side Hustle School. [Music]
