This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
Let's talk today about a parking lot striper. Do you know what a parking lot striper is? Not to be confused with a parking lot stripper. Sorry, it's just kind of obvious. Like every time I look at this word here on my notes, I'm like a parking lot stripper, no striper.
Okay, they are basically the person that puts down the lines in a parking lot. Okay, you go to the grocery store, there's all those parking spaces. There might be some directional lines, some wayfinding points. Well, somebody actually has to do that, right? And it's not a public good.
Like obviously if you're on a road, like a public road, then your city or your state or province or some form of local government is responsible for that. They've got full-time strippers or maybe they contract with some as well. But for private commercial spaces like at the mall or the grocery store and so on, you need somebody who does that. This is an industry. In fact, we featured a couple of people over the years, including one guy I think who's built this into a business of teaching other people to be parking lot strippers.
This is a different guy. This guy for less than five hours a week on average, he's earning an extra $2,500 a month. So welcome, first of all, to Side Hustle School. Welcome to Throwback Thursday as well, our weekly segment, where we take a look at someone whose story has evolved since we first featured them. Last week we heard from a print-on-demand seller who uses Jungle Scout and other tools to find competitive and profitable items.
He's doing super well, really built up a lot of passive income, which is great. But today in our latest feature, we're gonna hear from that parking lot striper. Key word, just one P, stripe, striper. Okay, for less than five hours a week, as mentioned, he's earning $2,500 a month. Let's hear directly from him.
His name is Adam. So Adam's got a story. I'll come back at the end with a quick wrap-up. [Music]
Everyone looked at a parking lot and thought, I could make this place more organized. No?
Well, I did. I'm Adam, and I earn an extra $5,000 a month in the summer by painting parking lot stripes. Took a while to build up to that level, but it's been well worth it. My journey started a couple of years ago when I painted a parking lot for a family friend's business. The positive feedback and visual transformation got me thinking, could this be a scalable side hustle?
A little bit of market research on LinkedIn made it clear that many businesses didn't even know who to reach out to for this service. Bingo. So I optimized my profile to showcase my new venture. Key words like parking lot striping, line painting, and parking lot maintenance became the linchpin of my strategy. It worked wonders.
Many businesses are on LinkedIn, and through networking and word of mouth, I found myself in conversations with potential clients. Getting the first few clients wasn't easy though. To demonstrate the value of a well-striped parking lot, which enhances safety and maximizes space, I offered to stripe a section of their lot for free. And if they liked it, we'd negotiate a price for the rest. This freemium approach got my foot in the door.
But here's a lesson I learned. My first job took twice as long as it should have because I didn't have the right tools. I quickly invested in a professional striping machine and high-quality quick drying paint. This cut my time on site in half, allowing me to take on more projects. Based on my experience, if you're considering starting this type of a business, here's what you need to know.
Market research, this is crucial. Not all regions have the same demand for this service. Use LinkedIn or other networking tools to gauge the need in your area. Invest in tools. A high-quality striping machine and paint are essential.
Just like I found, the faster you can complete a project, the more projects you can take on. Regulations. Make sure to familiarize yourself with the local and federal regulations surrounding parking lots. This could include everything from the width of the stripes to ADA compliance for handicapped spaces. Pricing.
Make sure to consider all the costs, including paint, machinery, transportation, and your time while setting a price. I started with a low base rate and added on depending on the complexity and the size of the job. Seasonality. Demand is much higher in the summer months as businesses wanna look their best. Plan for this influx as you plan your overall schedule.
Summers are when I hit figures way above $5,000 a month. It's labor intensive, sure, but there's something incredibly satisfying about turning chaotic parking lots into models of efficiency. And hey, it pays the bills and then some. So the next time that you park in a neatly striped lot, you might just think of me, or better yet, see a business opportunity for yourself. - Well, when you think about a practical need, this is something that is pretty basic.
And I have no problem with basic practical needs. If you're trying to figure out what your side hustle is or your next business, thinking about basic practical needs is a great way to start because oftentimes people are thinking about higher level needs and that's fine, but you often have to have a greater persuasion process for selling a higher level need. Whereas with this kind of thing, it's like pretty basic. It's like, okay, we know what that is. And every commercial space, retail space, as mentioned, the grocery stores, the malls, everything else up the world, they need this, okay?
So it's just a matter of who's gonna do it. And once you kind of capture the market, then it's yours. As long as you're doing a good job and not charging an extravagant price, you're probably not gonna be replaced. So you can build up recurring income as Adam has done. Anyway, thank you, Adam, for sharing your updates.
Listeners, let me know what you think and who you'd like to see featured from our archives of more than a thousand stories coming up on 2,500 total episodes soon. If you have a question or an update for us about your hustle, sidehustleschool.com/questions. This has been episode 2,462. Really appreciate you being out there. I am cheering you on, whatever you're up to in the world.
And I hope you'll continue to listen. It's always free. My name is Chris Guillebeau. This is "Side Hustle School." [Music]
From the "Onward Project."
