This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
There are side hustles that make sense on paper. And then there are side hustles that just sound too weird to be real until you realize someone out there is actually making money doing this thing. And today's question falls into the second category. We're going to hear from Marcus. He actually recently heard about a guy who gets paid to stand in line for people. We featured at least one of these professional line standards before
on the podcast, whether it is a hot sneaker release, a new iPhone model, a buzzy restaurant with no reservations, this person essentially rents the spot in line and makes money doing it. So Marcus is wondering, you know, this seems kind of like a random thing, but could this be my next side hustle? Maybe we could also look at the question, is it actually worth doing? Or might there be a better way to spend that time? Because there's all kinds of things you could do for your side hustle. So part of the big decision you need to make
is how to narrow down, filter your choices that you make the best possible choice for you. But I'll talk about that in my answer. The question is standing in line for cash, a legit side hustle, detailed version from Marcus and my answer coming right up. Hey, I'm Marcus currently in North County, San Diego. I recently heard a story about a guy who gets paid to stand in line for other people, like for sneaker drops, iPhone launches or limited edition merch. Honestly, I kind of love that vibe. I've camped out for events
before and I enjoy the whole experience, chatting with people, bringing snacks, even documenting the line on social. It got me wondering, could this be a real side hustle? Are people actually paying for this? And if so, how would I get started? Or is this one of those ideas that sounds fun, but isn't actually worth doing?
Marcus, yes, it is a real thing. There are people who've been paid hundreds of dollars to hold a place in line, especially in cities like New York or LA. A few years ago, there was a guy named Robert who became known, kind of virally famous in that weird internet way for doing exactly this. He started by holding a spot for someone at an iPhone launch and eventually turned it into a business called Same Old Line Dudes. Same Old Line Dudes charging I think $25 an hour with a two hour minimum, even hired subcontractors to take on overflow demand. The price is probably higher by now at some point. So yes, people do pay for it.
But let's talk about you. So I think, is this your life calling? Probably not. It might be a fun experiment, nothing wrong with fun short-term experiments. But are you really building a sustainable side hustle? Not everything has to be sustainable, I realize. But still,
you're just kind of selling time and not really in a leveraged way. It might be cold outside. It might be rainy. It's long. You're just standing there. You have to kind of work on
somebody else's schedule. So it's not even like DoorDash or Uber Eats or something where you could turn off the app if you don't feel like doing it. You have to like be there at certain times. So I would encourage you to think of it as a stepping stone, not your main business. I would also think, okay, if you like this, if there's something about this that you like, what else could you build around that interest? Could you perhaps resell
items that you wait in line for? As opposed to just waiting for other people, could you wait in line for those popular sneakers or new iPhone models and then sell them? Usually it's more profitable than the line holding fee. Could you create content around product launches or live events? Could you offer concierge services to people who want limited items but don't want the hassle of finding them? I just feel like there's something better
you can do than becoming a professional line sitter. It's trading hours for dollars often in less than glamorous conditions. So if you're doing it for the experience, no problem with that whatsoever. But if you're looking for something long-term, I think you should maybe leverage the skill or think about how you can leverage a skill into something bigger and better. That's my two cents, of course. Take it or leave it. Listeners, let me know
if you have a question or a comment, sidehustleschool.com. We'll continue to feature listener content throughout the year, along with updates from other listeners as they launch and grow their projects. Thank you for being out there. New episodes coming out every single day, seven days a week. My name is Chris Guillebeau. You're listening to Side Hustle School.
From the Onward Project.
