This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
An electrical engineer installs smart home tech. Welcome to side hustle school. Welcome as well to throwback Thursday. This is our weekly segment where we take a look at someone whose story has evolved since we first featured them. And we've been building out this podcast for 2,868 days, approximately.
By approximately, I mean exactly. Every single day since January 1, 2017. And we have a global community of interesting people out there doing remarkable things. Last week in this segment, we heard from an architect who turned his skills in 3D modeling and rendering into a successful small business. He helps real estate agents bring their listings to life.
Today in this feature, we're going to go to that electrical engineer. He turns his expertise into a side gig, installing and maintaining smart home systems. What is a smart home system? Well, you know, smart homes have got all kinds of voice technology, connecting lights, music, security cameras, probably could be some other stuff, some other automation, especially in nicer homes. And obviously you can just go out and buy cue lights and some simple things, an Amazon device or an Apple device or a Google home, there's probably others as well.
But to network a home in a more sophisticated manner, you might want to hire an expert such as this person. So this is what he does. And he's been able to do pretty well with it. Let's hear this update from him. I'll come back at the end with a few words of wrap up.
[Music]
Hi, I'm Peter. I'm an electrical engineer working on complex circuitry and electrical systems. In my spare time, I found a way to apply my technical skills to a project that's not only profitable, but also incredibly satisfying. A few years ago, I started installing and maintaining smart home systems and it's turned into a successful business on the side. The idea came about when I helped a friend set up a smart thermostat in his home.
I'd always been interested in the growing field of home automation and the project was both fun and straightforward for me, you know, given my background. My friend was thrilled with the results and he suggested that I could offer this service to others. That got me thinking, why not just turn this into something people could pay for? I started small. I offered my services to family and friends, you know, helping them install everything from smart lights to security systems and voice controlled systems.
Soon I was getting calls from people outside of my immediate circle asking for help with their smart home setups. Given my experience as an electrical engineer, I was able to handle more complex installations that required integrating multiple devices and ensuring that they all worked seamlessly together. And customers appreciated the precision and care that I brought to each job, especially when it came to troubleshooting and optimizing their systems. I also expanded my offerings to include ongoing maintenance and support for clients who wanted to keep their systems running smoothly without having to worry about updates or technical issues. One of the things I love about this work is how it allows me to stay on the cutting edge of technology.
The smart home industry is evolving rapidly and I'm constantly learning about new devices and features that can make homes more efficient, secure and convenient. This keeps the work interesting and it allows me to provide my clients with the latest and greatest in home automation. While I'm still committed to my day job as an electrical engineer, the smart home business brings in around 20,000 or 30,000 a year. It's a great way to supplement my salary and because I enjoy the work, it never feels like a chore. For anyone with technical skills, I recommend looking into opportunities like this.
There's a growing demand for smart home installations and with the right expertise, it's possible to build a profitable business on the side. It's all about finding the right niche and leveraging your skills to meet a need in the market. [Music]
All right, all right. Big thanks to our side hustler for sharing his updates with us. I so appreciate our community.
Thank you as well, our listeners. Let me know what you think, who you'd like to see featured from our archives of well over 1,000 plus stories. If you have a question or an update for us about your hustle, you know where to go, sidehustleschool.com. This was episode 2,868. I'm excited to bring you new episodes every day, seven days a week, always completely free.
My name's Chris Guillebeau. This is "Side Hustle School." [Music]
From the Onward Project.
