This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
What if the shape of your home state or province could become your signature product? When I say the shape, I mean just that, like the geographic shape, how it looks when it's drawn on a map. That's exactly what Andrew Church discovered when he transformed his industrial engineering precision into a business creating Pennsylvania shaped slate carvings that capture the hearts of homesick residents and proud locals alike. What's up, friends? Welcome to Side Hustle School.
This is a segment known as Weekend Workshop. We're gonna use the book Side Hustle from idea to income in 27 days. It's available wherever books are sold. I'm taking you through the key steps along with listener stories and examples throughout the year. And for the first half of this year, we went through the 27 steps in the book, conveniently in 27 episodes.
Now in the second half, we're looking at more detailed case studies, some of those examples in detail, so you can hear how people apply this framework and not just how they apply it, but how you might apply it yourself. That's the whole point. So today let's look at the concept of emotional products and how they can command premium prices, kind of by playing on nostalgia like Andrew did. And just to kind of set up the story, Andrew Church was working as an industrial engineer. He spent his days optimizing manufacturing, solving technical problems.
His job required precision, attention to detail, and systematic thinking. And these skills served him well professionally, but they also left him looking for creative outlets outside his day job. Meanwhile, Andrew had always been drawn to woodworking and craftsmanship. He enjoyed the meditative aspects of working with natural materials and the results that came from manual craftsmanship. And so this breakthrough idea he had came from an unexpected source, Andrew's own sense of pride in his state, Pennsylvania.
As he traveled for work and met people from other places, he noticed how often conversations turned to regional identity and the unique characteristics that made each place special. Pennsylvanians like people in other states or provinces or areas, they seem to have strong emotional connections to their state. And Andrew wondered if he could create products that captured and celebrated this regional pride. He was also interested in working with slate, the material, because Pennsylvania has a rich history of slate quarrying, quarrying, like where slate comes from, making the material both locally significant and readily available. So he's like, I'm going to make Pennsylvania shaped slate carvings, combines my engineering skills with artistic craftsmanship, which I also like.
And he started by researching, like looking at the exact geographic outline of Pennsylvania, making templates that would ensure accuracy and consistency. And also it helps that Pennsylvania has one of the most recognizable outlines in the US. That's got this rectangular Western border, unique Eastern boundaries that make it instantly identifiable. Andrew experimented with different sizes and finishing techniques. He also developed variations on the basic concept, pieces that incorporated major cities, rivers, landmarks, and so on.
And these customizations allowed for higher pricing. He's creating premium products here and also made each piece feel more personal. In making these products, his initial sales efforts revealed a market much larger than he had anticipated. His products appealed to Pennsylvania natives living in other States. You know, they wanted to have something that reminded them of home.
The products appealed to current Pennsylvania residents. You know, they just wanted to put this up in their home. They often purchased multiple pieces as gifts for friends and family members. Then there were also tourists and visitors to the state. They appreciated the distinctive souvenirs and kind of took something home with them.
Lastly, he had business customers, including hotels, restaurants, corporate offices with Pennsylvania connections who purchased larger pieces or custom variations for displays. So he's got all of these different customers interested in this material. He's created, fashioned from his skill and his interest, kind of putting all that together, creating this product, which has emotional resonance and a premium price. So good for Andrew. That's pretty cool.
Let's take a quick break. When we return the results, how he was able to scale this then and what you might be able to do, like how you can take this concept and apply it to an idea of your own. Stay with us. [Music]
Within two years, Andrew's Pennsylvania slate carving business had grown from a weekend hobby into a significant income stream that supplemented his engineering salary quite a bit. His products commanded premium prices because of this unique combination, local significance, natural materials, skilled craftsmanship.
The geographic focus provided natural marketing advantages. Pennsylvania themed groups, websites, publications were eager to feature his work. This organic marketing exposure reduced his customer acquisition costs significantly. The business provided creative fulfillment that balanced his technical day job while generating income that justified the time investment. So it was a win-win for him.
Again, that engineering background also provided competitive advantages. So if you're out there and you're like, cool, I don't live in Pennsylvania. I'm not a slate crafter or this is not the business for me. Well, to apply Andrew's geographic niche approach to your own handcrafted business, basically you identify a region or a location that inspires strong emotional connections. Could be a place that you live now.
It could be a place you are from or have some other connection to. Consider states, cities, even neighborhoods with distinctive characteristics. Next, research materials that have historical or cultural significance to your chosen area. It really helps if there can be some connection like Andrew found with the slate. I'm sure it's probably possible otherwise as well.
Next, develop products that clearly represent this geographic identity while showcasing your craftsmanship skills. So again, it could be a totally different medium, totally different product, but basically you try to put these things together and come out with something that people want. And then of course, step four, build marketing around regional pride and identity. Geographic communities often have existing networks and publications eager to support locally relevant businesses, just like Andrew found. So you could be somebody else doing something different, but basically applying the same concept and who knows, might be your next side hustle or your business.
Might be hiding in the intersection of place materials and the skills you already possess. Thanks for joining us today. As always, it's better to have a simple idea. You can start right away than a brilliant idea that never launches. I'll bring you another episode in this series seven days from now.
Of course, new episodes drop every single day, seven days a week, always completely free. My name is Chris Guillebeau. This is "Side Hustle School." [Music]
from the Onward Project.
