This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
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A course to help parents learn sign language. That's what we're talking about today. Welcome to Side Hustle School, Chris Guillebeau here. In this episode, we're gonna look at an intersection of language, childhood development, and online education, all through the lens of starting a side hustle, an income generating project, something that's gonna help you and hopefully help other people as well, but specifically help you to increase your income. We're gonna hear from Lakshmi.
She is from Rochester, New York. She's bringing us an idea that not only utilizes her proficiency in American Sign Language, also known as ASL, but also addresses an evergreen challenge for parents. All right, this is interesting. Love these ideas that are all about developing skills. And again, with that lens of, okay, how can it help you?
How can it increase your economic independence? That's what we're about. Let's see what Lakshmi is pondering and how we can guide her on this journey. Her question's coming up in just 30 seconds after this quick message from our sponsor. Stay tuned.
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Hello, my name is Lakshmi, and I'm reaching out from Rochester, New York. A colleague who turned her hobby into a side business, thanks to your advice, introduced me to Side Hustle School. I'm proficient in American Sign Language, and I've read about parents using basic sign language to communicate with their infants before they can speak. I'm considering creating an online course tailored for parents and caregivers. Do you think there's a niche market for this?
And how best could I promote such a course? - Hey, Lakshmi, I love this question. And do I think there's a niche market for it? - I do, like I'll just say that right up front here. A lot of parents are looking for ways to communicate with their infants and to develop their aptitude, their intelligence, their curiosity, all those kinds of things.
I think it actually begins prenatal, right? And then of course, once the baby is born and as the baby is growing up, infant to toddler and so on. So I definitely think there is a market. So let's think about what to do next. Okay, how best to promote such a course.
But before we think about promoting it, let's think about how to design the course. Like what's going to make your course stand out? Why is it going to be interesting and compelling? So maybe you can develop a program that progresses with the child's age. So you're actually catering to more than just parents of infants, starting with some basic needs, moving to more complex interactions from there.
As for course creation platforms, assuming you're aiming for an online course here, platforms like Thinkific, Teachable, those are both great. I have used Thinkific. Lots of my friends have used Teachable. They're both really great options. There are many others as well.
I always just kind of start with those two, just 'cause I'm most familiar with them. Very user friendly, lots of features, but they also don't feel overwhelming. It's like you can just jump in and get started. So I would design a course and then I would start thinking about, okay, how do I promote? I might offer a free webinar or workshop using a platform like Zoom.
Maybe some of these platforms like Thinkific or Teachable even have it integrated now. Hosting some sessions where you introduce the benefits of ASL for infants. Social media could be great at this. TikTok, Instagram videos, if you're good at that, or if you're willing to invest some time in learning, that can definitely act as a teaser, drawing parents into a more comprehensive course. We've looked at people who have built some really, really big businesses, and even if that's not your goal, the point is there is a market for this kind of education.
So as you're drawing people in through the webinar or the workshop, you want to get some testimonials. I guess you start to get your first few clients, maybe give away the course for free, maybe do a beta group. But real world testimonials about benefits can be a major selling point for potential customers. So that's kind of what you do. And honestly, I think it's a great market, as I said.
So Lakshmi, I'm wishing you the best with your unique skill set and the tools available today that really is an opportunity here. Best wishes on this new side hustle. I'm excited. Listeners, I'm always excited about what you're doing too. So please just be encouraged.
Don't be afraid to start new ideas, new projects. Let me know if I can help in some way, sidehustleschool.com/questions. We'll continue to feature them throughout the year, along with updates from listeners as they launch and grow their projects. That's all for today. But of course, seven days a week, new episode of Side Hustle School.
My name's Chris Guillebeau. Thank you so much for being out there. You're amazing. [Music]
From the Onward Project.
