This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
Hello, hello, welcome. This is Side Hustle School. I'm Chris Guillebeau. Got something really cool for you today. You know, I used to worry about being able to find unusual side hustles to feature on the show.
'Cause I don't wanna just tell you the same stuff all the time. I wanna blow your mind and show you things that you've never heard of before. Stuff that you're like, "I can't believe that person makes money doing that." Well, after 300 plus episodes, I worry a lot less because I continue every day to hear all kinds of crazy stuff. Today's story is definitely in that crazy stuff category. It's about a high school science teacher who earns thousands of dollars a month on the side, helping people remove poisonous frogs and toads from their houses.
Naturally, this takes place in Florida because Florida. And before I tell you the story, let's review our previous stories from this same genre. Episode 46, the live cricket drop ship hustle. You wanna go check that one out. It's about this guy who sends crickets in the mail to people all across the country to reptile owners.
And there was episode 79, the worm composting empire that brings in $400 a month. Basically a guy who teaches people all over the world through information products, how to do composting with worms. Then if we skip ahead a bit, episode 248, the crickets return. This one's about a protein shake lover who chomps crickets for a six figure side hustle. Basically he's created a cricket protein powder, which is surprisingly popular.
And lest we forget episode 291, flesh eating beetles work for free, earn Oregon woman $2,500 a month. Like I said, some crazy stuff out there. By the way, if you ever want to listen to an episode that I mentioned by number, you can just go to sidehustleschool.com/thatnumber, right? So 46 is sidehustleschool.com/46. I also mentioned 79, 248, and 291 just now.
Anyway, let's focus on today's story, which as I said, is about a woman who is a frog hunter. And this story is truly riveting. Like I really think you're gonna like it. And I'll bring it to you in just a moment. Quick little shout out to our sponsor.
[Music]
If something rivets in your neighborhood, who are you gonna call? Toadbusters, or more specifically, you're gonna call Janine Tilford, the owner of today's side hustle. After spotting a dangerous shift in her local environment, this high school science teacher decided to take matters in her own hands and now earns an extra $3,000 a month because of it. As a science teacher, Janine specialized in herpetology. And she had noticed a long, slow change in the native ecosystem of her local Florida area.
The diversity of the local reptiles, animals she loved to collect and study, had begun to dwindle. And the rate of dogs dying from eating poisonous toads was on the rise. This was all thanks, or no thanks, to one particular species, the Bufo Toad. I'm not sure if I'm saying Bufo Toad correctly, but I'm thinking they're gonna be okay with it. There was an effective pesticide system to get rid of these toads, but that was expensive and also damaging to the flora and fauna that was subjected to the pesticides.
Basically, there was no way to get rid of the toads without making the rest of the area sterile unless, well, unless somebody went out each night to collect the toads and remove them one by one. And that's where Janine found her side hustle calling. She felt that if she could be the one to go out and collect the toads, it could be the perfect part-time evening job. It would boost her low salary as a teacher and also give her a chance to contribute to the environment. Her initial startup cost for toad busters, yes, that's what it's called, came in at around $2,100.
It was a little pricey because technically it's considered a pest removal company and you need to have a specific license for that as well as insurance to operate. Still, she didn't have to invest in an untested, unlicensed nuclear accelerator to carry on her back. Ghostbusters reference number two. Instead, she spent the rest of her hustle money on an affordable website, a high visibility jacket, work shirts, as well as gloves, headlamps, and carriers. Now, as you might imagine, the job itself comes with a lot of perils.
It's active work. It requires climbing into areas where there are plenty of mosquitoes, spiders, venomous snakes, and even poltergeists, of course. There's also a lot of explaining to be done to the police about why you're walking around somebody's property at night with just a flashlight and a big stick. And listen, folks, at this point, I'm gonna have to break some news to some people. These toads that she removes, they don't actually go on to a better life.
Hopefully by that point, they have some fond memories of hopping around people's houses causing trouble because after Janine collects them, they do in fact enter the toad afterlife. This involves putting them to sleep, like a long sleep, a really long sleep, by rubbing a 10% benzocaine solution onto their belly while singing them a good night song, of course. Last but not least, while she's doing all this work, Janine has to remember, don't cross the streams. That's another Ghostbusters reference. If you haven't seen the movie, I'm sorry.
By overcoming these challenges and doing something that nobody else wants to do, Toadbusters is averaging around $3,000 a month in net income. This is, of course, on the side in addition to her job as a teacher. And unlike many side hustles we feature, Janine's marketing is mostly done offline. She has been to every veterinary office in her local area to ask if she could feature her business card there. She's even been featured in the local news and on TV for the work she's been doing.
And now, of course, on side hustle school. So she's basically famous at this point. Looking ahead, Janine would like to expand into new areas and regions of Florida. She's also putting together a pitch for a TV series called "What's in My Yard?" which she hopes will help educate people about the native and invasive species in their backyard. If you live in Florida and there's something strange in your neighborhood and it hops, give Janine a call and get ready for a visit from Toadbusters.
[Music]
Well, I'm not sure what to add to this one except, you know, that old question, what kind of shoes do frogs wear? Open tote sandals. You are welcome as always. I might mention as well that this is the kind of project I have zero interest in doing myself. Lots of things come across my desk here at World Domination Headquarters.
And I'm like, man, I wish I could do that. This is not one of them for sure. But I do respect what Janine is doing in terms of her respect for the environment as well as the sheer creativity of this money-making side hustle, which is what I try to feature every day on the show. I hope you enjoyed this one. As always, inspiration is good, but inspiration with action is so much better.
Even if you don't want to become a frog exterminator, there's something you can do. And to find the show notes for today's episode, hop on over to sidehustleschool.com/332. I am Chris Guillebeau. This is Side Hustle School. [Music]
