This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
TikTok's Makeup By Stro Conures viral tutorials. Hey friends, what's up? Welcome to Side Hustle School. Chris Guillebeau, your host here. Today's episode is part of a feature we call your first $1,000.
Your first $1,000, to be precise. As you might guess, or as you might know, if you've been around for a while, it's all about how somebody got going, how they made their first $1,000. How did they get to that point? How did they go from idea to income? And very often they go far beyond $1,000 to 2,000, 5,000, 10,000, $100,000 and more.
But when you're trying to get going, you need to understand how you create an offer, how you have an idea and monetize that idea, how you create products and services, how you reach your target market, how you understand who that target market or your ideal customer is in the first place. So that's what we try to do with this series, pull out little lessons, little tips, points of inspiration that can help you no matter what your idea or your industry or your niche is. We've got lots of different ideas, industries and niches that we've featured in this series. Today, as noted, we're gonna hear from a makeup artist who conjured a spellbinding side hustle by sharing their SFX secrets with a captivated TikTok audience. What is SFX?
It is special effects, that's all it means. It's an industry term, special effects makeup specifically. So let's look at how this person did it. In their words, it all started with one of their Halloween makeup videos. But let's let them tell the story.
Their name is Lex, story coming from Lex. I'll be back at the end with a quick wrap up. [Music]
Hey there, my name is Lex and I'm a professional makeup artist who turned my passion for special effects makeup into a side hustle using TikTok. It all started when one of my Halloween makeup videos went viral, garnering over 100,000 views overnight. Encouraged by the positive response, I started posting more special effects makeup content, focusing on tutorials and breakdowns of my techniques.
As my follower and view counts grew, I began exploring ways to monetize my account. TikTok's creator fun was an option, but the payouts were inconsistent and often low despite my high view counts. I knew I needed to diversify my income if I wanted to turn this into a sustainable project. One of the first things I did was create a link in my bio to my other social media accounts and my personal website. This allowed me to drive traffic to platforms like Instagram and YouTube, where I could earn money through sponsored content, affiliate links and ad revenue.
Critically, I'd also be adding followers on those accounts too. I started offering personalized special effects makeup tutorials and one-on-one virtual coaching sessions through my website. By leveraging my TikTok following, I was able to attract clients who were willing to pay for my expertise and guidance. Another way I monetized was through brand partnerships and sponsored content. As my profile grew, I started getting offers from makeup brands to create content featuring their products.
However, I was selective about the brands I worked with, only partnering with those that align with my values and whose products I genuinely believed in. To maximize my earnings from these partnerships, I negotiated for a combination of upfront payments and commission on sales generated through my unique affiliate links. This allowed me to benefit from both the initial collaboration and the long-term success of the products I promoted. I also tried launching my own line of special effects makeup brushes. By directing my followers to my website and offering exclusive discounts, I thought I'd be able to generate a significant amount of sales and establish a passive income stream.
This was more difficult than I first imagined though, and earning money on TikTok hasn't been without its challenges. The platform's algorithm can be unpredictable and even popular accounts can experience sudden drops in views and engagement. I had to consistently create high quality content and engage with my audience to maintain my reach and growth. Additionally, as my account grew, so did the pressure to constantly innovate and outdo myself. I had to find ways to balance my content creation with my other responsibilities and avoid burnout.
Despite these challenges, I've been able to turn my TikTok account into a real moneymaker. By diversifying my income streams and being strategic about my content and partnerships, I've been able to earn a significant income while doing something I love. Looking back, I realized that success online requires more than just creating great content. It's about building a brand, engaging with your audience and being adaptable in your approach. Thanks for letting me share my story.
[Music]
All right, Lex, thanks so much for telling us about how you got going, listeners. I hope you found it encouraging. And listeners, thank you for being out there. Thanks for being awesome. If you have a question and update about your hustle, sidehustleschool.com.
We've got notes for every episode. This has been episode 2,704, 2,700 plus episodes, all thanks to our amazing community out there. I'm so thankful to be able to make this podcast. Much more is coming up. There's a new episode every single day, seven days a week, always completely free.
My name is Chris Guillebeau. This is Side Hustle School. [Music]
- From the Onward Project.
