Subscribe Now For A Free Five Step Tutorial
Get a free five-part email course that shows you how to find, validate, and launch your side hustle idea — no experience required.
“You do not need to have the experience to get started. The only thing you need is to be able to figure out how to solve a problem and do it well.”
In this week's Throwback Thursday segment, we hear from Jennifer Thomé, a multilingual insurance agent in Los Angeles who created an online course called Turnkey Translator.
Jennifer started by helping Chinese immigrants in LA navigate complicated English — insurance bills, college applications, disputes — things that are hard even for native speakers. What began as favors turned into a paid service when a friend suggested charging for her time. Her business boomed until 2016, when immigration patterns shifted and competition increased. So she pivoted: she created an online course teaching people how to monetize their second language.
Her key insight: having a second language is incredibly common, but most people don't realize how much you can do with it. Translation, transcription, social media marketing, virtual assistant work, negotiations — all of it can be done without a degree or formal expertise. You figure it out as you go.
"You do not need to have the experience to get started. If you speak a second language, you can do it. Create your own examples — translate something that exists, show it to a potential client, and say: I can do one for you too."
