This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
Hey friends, hey listeners, community, what's up? Welcome to Side Hustle School. Thanks for being out there. Welcome as well to Throwback Thursday, segment that takes place every Thursday. This is episode 2,504 of the show.
We like to take an in-depth look at someone whose story has evolved since we first featured them. What's happened? What has been good? What's been challenging? How has their business grown or evolved or just changed in whatever way?
So last week we heard from a longtime event planner who transitions to the world of helping authors and experts get paid speaking gigs. Today in our latest feature, we'll hear from a Vegas local, that would be Las Vegas, who helps tourists save on their visits to Sin City, also Las Vegas. This is a profitable business for her, bringing in up to $5,000 a month part-time. That sounds pretty good to me. We heard from Maria long ago, but what's happened since that first feature?
So let's hear an update from Maria. She's got a little story for us. I'll come back at the end with some quick comments. Las Vegas concierge sells subscriptions and savings. That's today's episode, and I'm glad you're here for it.
[Music]
Hey there, it's María Rodrigo. Back to update you on how my business has evolved over the last couple of years. If you recall, I started off by offering budget guides and DIY walking tours for Las Vegas tourists. Let's jump right into what's been happening recently. The COVID-19 pandemic took a massive toll on tourism, but Vegas also bounced back hard.
The gap in timing led me to diversify my offerings. Instead of only targeting out-of-town visitors, I pivoted to serve locals looking for staycation experiences. I crafted city experiences tailored to different themes like romantic Vegas and outdoor Vegas, each at a $50 price point with a number of add-ons. The strategy worked, and I was able to stay afloat. I've also gotten a lot smarter about how I gather and utilize customer data.
I started using Google Analytics and survey tools to track customer behaviors, both on my digital platforms, and during their actual visits. This data-driven approach helped me identify the most popular attractions and services. Using this information, I reach out to these venues for exclusive discounts, which I pass on to my clients and take a small commission. This not only increased my profit margin, but also added more value to my offerings. Payment structures have undergone a change too.
Initially, I had a single payment model, but that didn't encourage long-term engagement. Now, I've implemented a subscription model for locals and frequent visitors. This offers ongoing value such as monthly updates on deals, a chat service for real-time advice, and customized itineraries. Another business pivot was my shift from social media advertising to SEO and content marketing. Social ads are expensive and don't always work.
Besides, I realized that people planning trips to Las Vegas often start with Google searches, so I invested in SEO to be their first point of contact, creating blog posts to tackle specific questions like, how to do Vegas on a $100 budget, or best-known spots in Vegas. Not only improve my Google ranking, but also establish me as a local expert. Since the pandemic, there's been an uptick in remote work and extended stays, so I added a new service focusing on long stays in Vegas. This package covers everything from cheap long-term parking to recommendations for co-working spaces and cost around $100. Finally, networking has been invaluable.
I've built relationships with small businesses around the city, and we refer clients to each other. For instance, a local boutique hotel now includes a 10% discount coupon for my services in their welcome package, and in return, they are the first recommendation in my boutique stays guide. Revenue has increased about 60% since the changes, and I'm now thinking about creating an app that will automate much of the advice and itinerary planning, allowing me to scale even further. I love my side hustle, and I also love that I don't have to depend on it for full-time income. It's given me a buffer, extra money, and also helped me learn a lot of new skills.
I'll let you know how it continues to evolve. [Music]
Big thanks to Maria for sharing those updates with us. I gotta check out some of those deals next time I go to Las Vegas. I don't actually get there very often, but once in a while. It's definitely a big market.
Obviously, you think about tourists. You think about convention goers, everybody visiting a particular city. Vegas is gonna be at the top of those cities, if you think about at least the United States, New York City, Orlando, Las Vegas, could be other cities too. We've had other features of people doing similar projects. A friend of mine in Alaska, actually, now that I think about it, Scott McMurren, he's had a longtime business, Alaska Travel Saver, doing something somewhat similar at least.
We should catch up with him at some point. Anyway, listeners, let me know what you think, who you'd like to see featured from our archives of more than 1,000 stories, more than 2,500 episodes in total now. So excited to make this podcast for you every day. If you have a question, feedback, updates about your hustle, sidehustleschool.com/questions. As mentioned, this has been episode 2,504.
New episodes out every day. You can always listen. Wherever you get your podcast, it's completely free. My name is Chris Guillebeau. This is "Side Hustle School." [Music]
From the Onward Project.
