This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
Career transition guides quickly earn $25,000. Hey friends, hey, Side Hustle School listeners, what's up, welcome back. In this week's first $1,000 segment, we're gonna meet a former HR professional who built a Side Hustle creating career transition guides. And she shares how these niche guides and live workshops helped her hit $1,000 and then go far beyond that. She, in fact, scaled the business pretty quickly.
We just talked recently about whether you should have a niche blog or a broad blog. And the same question could be applied to an online product or to a YouTube channel or lots of other formats. Well, here you're gonna see how being specific and kind of targeting that niche was much more successful. And so that's why we use this model of first $1,000. How do they get to that point?
And how do they then usually go beyond that point? Today's story comes to us from Emma. She is a career coach. Gonna let her share her story. I'll be back at the end with a few words of wrap up.
[Music]
I'm Emma, a career coach based in San Diego. And my focus is helping people make big career shifts. I started my own career in corporate HR, but over the years I realized I enjoyed the transitions more than anything. Helping people who were trying to move from one industry to another and weren't sure where to begin. That's what gave me the idea to create career transition guides tailored to specific professions.
Each guide would focus on a specific transition, like teachers moving into tech or corporate workers becoming freelancers. It would include a skills checklist, industry resources and actionable steps. I decided my initial goal was to make about $1,000 from these guides and to grow from there. I chose my first guide based on conversations with former clients and personal contacts, teachers transitioning into tech. Many teachers were feeling burned out and wanted a new path and tech was an appealing option because of the flexible hours, potential salary increase and growing opportunities.
I outlined a simple guide that included things like transferable skills for teachers, the most common entry-level roles in tech, a list of free or low-cost online resources and job search tips specific to tech. For pricing, I aimed to strike a balance between affordability and value. After researching similar resources, I set my guide at $25. My goal was to sell 40 guides to hit $1,000. So I knew I needed a solid marketing to approach and to expand my offerings if I wanted to reach my target quickly.
I started by mentioning the guides on LinkedIn where I knew I could reach network of teachers, HR professionals and career changers. I posted career tips and relevant articles about teachers moving into tech, using hashtags and engaging with related content. I also reached out to a few teacher-focused Facebook groups offering free advice to group members and linking to the guide. My first few sales came from LinkedIn and it wasn't long before I'd sold 10 copies, bringing in $250. The feedback was positive and a few buyers even reached out for extra guidance, which led me to consider additional revenue streams.
To increase my earnings and offer more support, I decided to create a 90-minute virtual workshop, Tech for Teachers 101, where I'd walk participants through key steps from the guide and answer questions live. I charged $50 for attendee and marketed it through the same networks. My first network had 15 attendees, netting $750 in one session. This was a huge boost towards my $1,000 goal and encouraged me to think about adding even more options. I also added one-on-one consultation packages for teachers who wanted customized advice.
For a hundred bucks, they'd get a 45-minute session with me, plus the guide as part of the package. Three clients booked sessions within the first month, adding another $300. Between guide sales, the workshop and the consultation sessions, I exceeded my $1,000 target. In total, I'd earned $1,300 from 20 guide sales, one virtual workshop, and three consultations in month one. This experience made it clear that people wanted both the resources and personal guidance, so I've since expanded with additional guides for other transitions, like nurses moving into project management and corporate professionals moving into consulting.
Today, I'm consistently earning from guide sales, virtual workshops, and one-on-one sessions. I've even started developing a bundle option where clients can buy multiple guides at a discount. Creating these niche career guides has allowed me to build a side hustle that fills a real gap for people. I want targeted support in making career changes, and I love that I'm creating financial independence for myself as well. [Music]
Emma, thanks so much for sharing that story of the first $1,000.
In fact, the first $25,000. We have upgraded the segment, apparently, 25 exit. Listeners, I hope you found it encouraging. As always, there is something you can do as well, and my hope in sharing all our stories is that it inspires you or kind of nudges you forward gently to take action on a goal that's important to you, so you can ultimately do more of what is important to you. We got new episodes coming out every day.
If you've got a question or an update, there's resources pages for every episode at the website, sidehustleschool.com. 2950 is coming to you tomorrow, episode 2,950. My name is Chris Guillebeau. You're listening to Side Hustle School. [Music]
- From the Onward Project.
