This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
Side hustle school community, welcome back. My name's Chris Guillebeau, here with you on another Throwback Thursday segment. Every week, every Thursday, in fact, we take an in-depth look at someone whose story has evolved since we first featured them. Last week, we heard from a digital marketer in Vancouver, British Columbia, who turned her love for Asian flavors into a popular side hustle. In that episode, we heard about how she makes and sells gourmet popcorn.
Well, today in our latest feature, we're gonna go to a seller of productivity guides who has evolved his business over the years. In fact, he started with a single popular guide that sold, I think, $30,000 in maybe the first year or so. We had a story on him long ago. Now, he has transitioned from that singular guide to a number of guides, earns over $100,000 a year from selling these digital guides. He also tried doing physical products for a while.
That didn't go as well. And so he kind of settled into focusing on what works. I love that. His name is Ryan. Let's hear the story directly from Ryan.
I'll come back at the end with a few words of wrap up. [Music]
Hello, everyone. This is Ryan. When I was last featured on the show, I was known for my productivity guide that earned $30,000. It's been a few years, and my business has evolved significantly.
Here's how I transitioned from selling a single guide to offering a range of user-friendly productivity products. It started with that one guide I created to help people manage their time better. The guide included practical tips, a custom daily planner, and goal-setting techniques. It gained popularity after a nice post on Reddit, and I was thrilled by the positive feedback and sales. Seeing the success of my first product, I suspected there was a demand for more comprehensive tools.
I began expanding to cover different aspects of productivity. Each new guide was developed based on feedback from my customers, focusing on areas they found most challenging. I created specialized guides for topics like time management, focus techniques, and goal-setting. Each guide was designed to be practical, easy to use, and visually appealing. I also developed printable planners and journals that complemented the guides, allowing users to integrate productivity techniques into their daily routines.
Some of these sold better than others. For example, I tried making physical products instead of just digital guides, thinking that they might prove popular. People who saw them liked them, but very few people bought them. So I abandoned that idea and stuck with digital. I also tried social media for a while, but found that email marketing worked much better for what I was selling.
Engaging with my audience through the email list helped me build a customer base that drove repeat sales. With the expansion of my product line and newsletter growth, my business grew steadily. While it wasn't a massive enterprise, it now brings in a comfortable income of over $100,000 a year, which I'm very happy with. I've settled into a routine that allows me to manage my product line without overwhelming myself. I've learned to prioritize quality over quantity, ensuring that each product truly helps people improve their productivity.
In short, I'm grateful for the evolution of my business. Starting with a simple guide and growing into a range of productivity tools has been incredibly rewarding. The key to my success has been listening to my audience, adapting to their needs, and continuously improving my products, as well as giving up on stuff that doesn't work like my physical planners. [Music]
All right, Vic, thanks to Ryan for sharing those updates with us. Listeners, let me know what you think, who you'd like to see featured from our archives of more than 1,000 stories, 2,800 plus total episodes.
If you have a question or an update about your hustle, sidehustleschool.com/questions. Today's notes, sidehustleschool.com/2819. We are going strong. I look forward to bringing you many more stories and tips, questions, and answers, so much more in the weeks and months to come. That's it for now, though.
My name's Chris Guillebeau. This is "Side Hustle School." [Music]
From the Onward Project.
