This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
Best Buy Employee builds custom PCs at night. Hey, friends, welcome to Side Hustle School. Chris Guillebeau here, your host. I'm so honored to make this podcast for you every single day. I've been doing it every day for 2,672 days in a row, and so many of our community have been around for years now.
So thank you, especially for anybody who's been around from the beginning, but even if you just showed up last week, if you just heard about this podcast, I am grateful for you. The reason we make this show is to bring you different ideas, and to show you different case studies, stories of people out there who have found ways to make extra money, often substantial amounts of extra money without quitting their job, or while they still have their job, and they often go on to quit their job. Sometimes they start a whole business, sometimes they don't. Sometimes they just continue in their job, but they also have this extra income, and that's wonderful as well. I love making this show for you, so of course let us know how we can continue to improve, and without further ado, let's jump in.
Last week we heard from a New York City book editor who leaves her publishing job after having a child, and she now works freelance. This is our Throwback Thursday segment, I should say that. It's where we take a look at someone whose story has evolved since we first featured them. So last week was that editor. Today, as noted, the Best Buy employee who side hustles as a custom PC builder.
Let's hear the story, or perhaps an update from him. I'll come back at the end with a few brief comments. How does somebody build gaming computers and maybe other PCs, I'm not sure, on the side, and find a way to monetize that? Let's hear the story. [Music]
I started building custom PCs as a side hustle while working full-time at Best Buy.
My goal was to supplement my income and pay off some loans while also putting my hardware skills to work for myself. Balancing the two wasn't easy, but I was determined to make it happen. At Best Buy, I learned a lot about what customers were looking for in their computers and what common issues they faced. I used this knowledge to inform my side hustle, focusing on creating custom PCs that address these needs and wants. I started by building PCs for friends and family, charging just enough to cover the cost of parts.
As I shared my builds on Discord, I started getting more requests. I realized I needed to price my services based on the time and effort I was putting in, not just the cost of components. I developed a pricing structure that accounted for the complexity of each build and the level of customization required. For a basic gaming PC, I might charge around 500 plus dollars for parts while a high-end workstation with custom water cooling and unique aesthetics, it could go for $1,500 or more. One of the biggest challenges was managing my time effectively.
I was working 35 hours a week at the store, so I had to be strategic about when I worked on my side hustle. I set aside a few evenings each week and some time on the weekends to work on builds and communicate with clients. As my side hustle grew, I had to get better at project management. I created a spreadsheet to track each build status, components, costs, and deadlines. I also made sure to communicate regularly with clients, providing updates and answering questions promptly.
While I'm not ready to quit my day job just yet, my custom PC building side hustle has become a significant source of extra income. It's also given me valuable experience in running a business, managing clients, and honing my craft. For anyone looking to start a similar project, my advice is to leverage your existing skills and knowledge. Be strategic about your pricing and time management, and always, always prioritize communication with your clients. All right, listeners, thanks again for being out there.
As mentioned, we make the show for you. So let me know what you think, what you'd like to see, who you'd like to see featured from our archives of more than a thousand stories. If you have a question and update, www.sidehustleschool.com/questions. I'm also on social media most days, maybe not every day, but just about under my name, Chris Gallipo, or 193 countries on Instagram. I also have a newsletter on mental health and purposeful productivity, where I'm sharing three times a week.
You can find that at EuropeMentalHealth.com. Of course, new episodes for the podcast coming out every day. Today's notes, www.sidehustleschool.com/2672. I'm gonna sign off for now, but I'll be back tomorrow, and I hope you'll continue to listen. My name is Chris Guillebeau, this is "Side Hustle School." [Music]
from The Onward Project.
