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.
Notes from Chris
Episode 456
THEMES & TAKEAWAYS: So, last week, we talked about profit margins, and this week, I'd like to offer some tips on launching crowdfunding campaigns and how to keep clutter at bay. Crowdfunding With Kickstarter In Ep. 444 from last week, we featured Travis Hancock, the founder of Façade Games (a link to his site can be found on the episode page!). This case study is going phenomenally well! He's generated over a million dollars with three board games, and he gave us some fantastic tips for anyone looking to start a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter. Listen to today's recap to learn more about these seven Kickstarter launching tips and which two are my favorites of the bunch! Clutter Clearing Tips From Gretchen Rubin As you may know, the Side Hustle School podcast is part of The Onward Project, a collection of podcasts curated and overseen by my good friend and mentor, Gretchen Rubin. She has a podcast of her own called The Happiness Project, and she's the author of many bestselling books. Gretchen and her sister, Elizabeth, have a beloved, if somewhat odd, sisterly ritual: every time Gretchen visits Elizabeth, they clear her clutter. This is tremendously satisfying for Gretchen, and Elizabeth graciously cooperates. In one of Gretchen's favorite Happier episodes, Ep. 10, the duo recorded themselves as they courageously cleared clutter in Elizabeth's home office. So, why is clearing clutter important to you as a Side Hustle School listener? Well, I think it's about more than just cleaning up—it's about being intentional with your life and making sure that everything is there for a reason. And when you do this, I think it's actually going to help you do better work, be more intentional, and in fact, it probably will help you to be happier. In the recap, I share a few of my favorite tips, but you should also listen to the full episode on Gretchen's website! LISTENER UPDATES + QUESTIONS: Today I'm sharing a letter we received from Jane, a listener in Toronto, and a listener voicemail from Houston:- Jane is "hell-bent" on starting a side hustle, and she wrote in to tell us that she's already gotten started on a promising, new project! A lot of the people that she's informally mentored over the years have been promoted and gone on to be very successful in their careers, and she also really enjoys doing this. In many cases, long after they work together, Jane is still helping them and giving them guidance on career decisions. She also volunteers to mentor a new graduate as part of a rotational program that they have at the bank.From her most recent mentee, she learned that many of her colleagues were not getting as much out of their mentor relationships, and naturally, this got the gears turning! She thought that the mentors could use a little help, so she came up with the idea to create a mentoring deck of cards meant to help trigger conversations between mentors and mentees and help them with career discussions and decisions. She's already printed out 20 decks (Check out the image of her cards below!) So far, she's had 20 decks printed, and if they're well received, she's planning on building a website so that she can start selling them.
- Houston is interested in starting his own project on student loan debt. He's still chiseling his own student loan debt down by doing odd jobs here and there, but he'd like to build something that is more sustainable and (ideally) centered around getting rid of student loan debts. This way, he can help others in a similar situation while also getting rid of his own student loan debt.Listen to the recap to hear more about my response to Houston!
EPISODES FROM THIS WEEK: Here's what we heard this week on Side Hustle School! Listen to this week's recap for a more comprehensive highlight reel.
- Ep. 450 - After being laid off, a Denver man turns his hobby into a full-time gig that earns $8,000/month
- Ep. 451 - A new dad’s random acts of kindness kit sparks a movement of positivity while bringing in an extra $500/month
- Ep. 452 - It’s a bird, it’s a plane… or actually, it’s an acrobatic performance troupe that started as one mom’s side hustle, and now employs 14 people
- Ep. 453 - A director of operations at a senior center comes up with a way to improve training services—while building a sustainable side income
- Ep. 454 - The daughter of Ukrainian immigrants turns a love of shopping into an e-commerce shop selling one-of-a-kind vintage clothing
- Ep. 455 - After learning to design and screen print sweatshirts in college, a Canadian skateboarder starts an Etsy shop that produces consistent, passive income
