402
8 min 1 sec

Hometown Bracelets Support Local Marine Life

A marketer for the financial industry regains touch with his upbringing and starts a jewelry business that benefits the marine wildlife of his home region.
Arts & Crafts Jewelry Product Social Entrepreneurship

Subscribe Now For A Free Five Step Tutorial

What It's About

A marketer fishes for profits after being inspired by the natural beauty of his hometown.

Business Model
Product
Skills Required
Jewelry Making & Design
Complexity
Medium
Profit Potential
Medium

Words of Wisdom

When you encounter struggles of all kinds, there’s an important question you must ask yourself: “Can I do anything about this?”

If yes, great! If not... maybe you should let it go, or use it as inspiration for something else (I’m talking to myself here too, by the way). Use it as an opportunity to focus on the future or on doing something better.

And if you're moving on, another good question to ask yourself is: “What’s next?”

Fun Fact

Since his side hustle was inspired by the beauty of the Cape, Patrick figured that it only made sense that he give back and help preserve it.

For 2017, Patrick donated over $10,000 to ocean and marine life causes. The company is profitable and growing, and it brought in approximately $60,000 (pre-donation) in the last calendar year.

Notes from Chris

Episode 402

When Patrick Clarke moved from Falmouth, Massachusetts to Boston to become a marketer for the financial industry, he didn’t realize how much he would miss home. The sand dunes, the expansive beaches of Cape Cod, the passion for marine life—he wanted to stay connected to it all.

He had tried a few side hustles in the past, but he never really felt passionate about them. When it was time to put himself out there to sell whatever he had made, he would realize he didn’t fully believe in it.

Something changed when he sketched the coastline of Cape Cod in a notebook one early January day.

He looked at the L-shape of the Cape and had what first felt like a random idea. He could loop a band through an attached ring on one side of the Cape, then hook the band around the ‘L’ side to make a bracelet. It was a simple concept, but it felt right.

He took to Craigslist to find someone who could turn his sketch into a digital 3D model. A few revisions and a couple weeks later, Patrick sent his complete CAD file to an online 3D printer.

But he didn’t open up an online store right away.

Instead, he spent a couple months playing a game of “finders keepers” with friends and Cape Cod locals on Instagram by placing what he now called Cape Clasps in geocaches around the area. This generated excitement and a sense of exclusivity for those early-finders. It also just felt fun.

At one point during those months of experiments, Patrick was walking down Main St. in his hometown, just doing his normal thing. A local shop owner walked up to him and asked where he got the bracelet he was wearing, and Patrick told him he was the bracelet’s creator.

By the end of the day, he had a $700 check in his hands for a few dozen Cape Clasps. This spontaneous display of desire from a shop owner pushed Patrick from geocaching to cash-making, and he started taking his design to shops all around the Cape.

By July 3rd that year, Cape Clasp was being sold in a handful of boutique stores in the area. On July 4th, Patrick launched his Shopify store, Cape Clasp.

2017 was Cape Clasps best year. Patrick went full-time as the business owner and moved back to Falmouth, Massachusetts. As a result, Cape Clasp netted $60,000 in sales and donated over $10,000 to marine life organizations.



MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Cape Clasp: Ride the surf over to Patrick's website and pick up a bracelet of your own! And it's a purchase you can feel good about because 15% of all sales go towards supporting ocean and marine life causes
  • Shopify: Patrick used Shopify to set up his store for Cape Clasp, and they're offering a 21-day trial and exclusive discount for all Side Hustle School listeners!

SEE ALSO:


Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter


Download Episodes By Months:

Season 6 (2022): JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC |

Season 5 (2021): JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC |

Season 4 (2020): JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC |

Season 3 (2019): JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC |

Season 2 (2018): JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC |

Season 1 (2017): JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC |

Resources

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

Earn 50,000 travel rewards points (enough for 2 round-trip plane tickets or $625 in travel credit). You'll also earn 2x points on all travel and dining spend, with zero foreign transaction fees.

I use this card every day all over the world! ✈️


Learn More

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

Create your online store with Shopify using an exclusive discount for Side Hustle School listeners. For a limited time, get a free 21-day trial and a 10% discount for a whole year.

Many Side Hustle School listeners are building sites using Shopify's easy-to-learn platform. Try it free today!

Learn More

Quote of the Day
"With Cape Clasp, I believed in my product and was truly passionate about the cause. I remember changing my Instagram handle to @capeclasp, and saying to myself, ‘there is no going back now!’"
—Patrick Clarke #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Get Connected Today!

Supporting the sponsors keeps the show free. Today’s episode of Side Hustle School is brought to you by LinkedIn. 💼

Whether you're looking for a new job or looking to hire, you can find the right match at LinkedIn. Visit LinkedIn.com/HUSTLE today to get a $50 credit to post your first job.


Get Connected!

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.




Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!





To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau