This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
California real estate office rinse out podcast studio. Welcome friends. Welcome to Side Hustle School. My name is Chris Guillebeau your host. Today's episode is part of a feature we call your first thousand dollars. It is in fact all about how somebody gets an idea, takes the steps
to convert that idea into an offer, and then actually goes on to make a thousand dollars. Now they often go on to make much more than a thousand dollars of course, just to be fair, they often go on to make 10,000, $100,000 or more. But we want to focus on the first steps, just that first iteration of how do you actually get going. Because in my experience, more people struggle with getting going, you know, making that first paycheck or that first income that's outside of your day job paycheck, let's say more people struggle with that than in taking that initial success and increasing it to make a lot more money. So I want to help you if you haven't had this experience before, get to your first thousand dollars and beyond. So with that in
mind, today's feature comes from Drew in Delmar, California. What about his first thousand dollars? Kind of a creative idea. Basically this small real estate office transforms an underused room into a podcast studio. Well, a room that is for rent to podcasters and it brings in steady income with minimal effort. Those are two good things, right? Okay, stay tuned. We're going to pass the
mic to Drew. I'll be back at the end with a quick wrap up. I'm Drew, one of the partners at a small real estate brokerage in Delmar, California. We've occupied the same cozy office suite for a few years. And until recently, our main conference room sat empty most of the day. We used it for
the occasional team huddle or client meeting, but it felt like wasted space. I'd heard about PureSpace, an online platform where people ran out venues for shoots, small events or creative projects and wondered if our underutilized room could earn a bit of side income. The idea clicked when a friend mentioned the rising demand for podcast studios. With social media content booming, local creators often need a quiet spot with decent acoustics and maybe some basic equipment. So my partner and I decided to invest in a couple of decent microphones, a small audio mixer and some soundproofing foam panels. It cost us less than $700 total. Then we listed the space on PureSpace,
marketing it as a podcast ready private room in Delmar. I'll be honest, we didn't expect a huge response. Our primary business is real estate. We spend our days listing properties, meeting clients and negotiating deals. But to our surprise, within a few weeks, small production teams started booking the space. Sometimes it was YouTubers filming a talk show. Other times,
a therapist hosting a self-help podcast. The scheduling was easy. We blocked off any times we needed the room ourselves and the rest stayed open for bookings. Before we knew it, we were bringing in an extra $500 to $1000 each month, all without really lifting a finger beyond letting people in. We arranged a simple check in process. Someone from our front desk greets
the guests, shows them the room and hands over the key if they're staying late. They sign a quick usage agreement and that's it. If they need any help with the mics or mixer, we have a short instruction sheet taped on the wall plus a contact number in case of tech emergencies. The best part? Our overhead is minimal. We already pay rent and utilities for the space
as part of our real estate business. The mics and foam panels were a one-time cost and we cleaned out a small closet to store them securely when not in use. We also set a buffer time between bookings so there's no overlap or confusion for our front desk. It's funny how a side hustle can evolve from something as simple as an underused conference room. We don't advertise it heavily.
Peer space listings do most of the work. Every now and then, a local influencer will repost a snippet of their podcast recorded in our space, adding a little marketing boost. While this business will never overshadow our main real estate income, it's a welcome bonus each month. It covers office snacks, maintenance costs, or a team lunch here and there. Who knew that all it took to earn free money was opening our doors to a creative community in need of a professional space to record. We're just happy our little room, once overlooked, has found a second life as a cozy
podcast studio in the heart of our community. Thanks, Drew. I appreciate you sharing the story of your first $1,000 and now it's an extra $500 to $1,000 a month as noted with minimal effort. That's pretty cool. Listener's Peer Space is the name of the company that allows you to basically rent out a space like Airbnb, but for studios, events, meetings, and so on. Check it out,
peer space. I hope you found it encouraging. I hope it gave you an idea or nudged you along in a positive way. That's what we're all about. Daily positivity, positive vibes, and practical steps here on the podcast. Of course, you can subscribe or follow for more. Complete archives
available for free at www.sidehustleschool.com. That's all for now, but I hope you'll continue to listen. My name is Chris Guillebeau. This is Side Hustle School.
