This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
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Well, hello and welcome. My name is Chris Guillebeau. This is Side Hustle School, and guess what? Here we are at the weekly recap. We have just finished week number 19 of season two, and this is actually the final weekly recap before we hit 500 episodes.
That is coming up in just two days. This is episode 498. Man, I'm really excited about that. And not just the number 500, but I'm really excited about the chance to make this show every day for you. I often say that the best is yet to come.
I often say, you know, stay tuned because so much more is on the way. Both of those statements represent how I feel about all the stories that are coming in, as well as all the different interaction and engagement that has come out of Side Hustle School since we started approximately 498 days ago. And speaking of that, we recently did a very quick little listener survey. This survey has just a few questions. If you have a chance and you haven't done this already, just hop on over to sidehustleschool.com/report and let us know how you listen to the show, what your greatest struggle is, that kind of stuff.
And then we use that to essentially make a better product for you. So once again, that's sidehustleschool.com/report. And we're not selling anything there. We really just wanna know what's going on with you and how can we make the best possible show for you. Okay, several things in today's recap.
Now, last week's recap, I promised you an update on Kayla. Kayla, we talked about all the way in episode 485. I guess that's just 13 days ago, but it feels like a long time ago. Kayla was the graphic designer who started a side hustle doing graphic design. And normally we wouldn't do a story on that just because it's somewhat common, but Kayla kind of stood out to us because she focused her design side hustle all around dogs and pet stores.
And she basically said, "I'm gonna be a graphic designer in the pet industry only." So definitely were some interesting lessons that came out of that. But one thing I also wondered, and I think I mentioned that I wondered it and said I'm gonna follow up, was how does she do graphic design during the day and then graphic design at night? Because usually I don't recommend that people do that. I recommend that you do something a little bit different for your side hustle than you do for your main gig, like whatever that is. But still, it seems to work for her.
So we wrote to her and she sent us back an update. She said, "Yes, it is hard sometimes to be doing design all day every day and to try to keep the motivation going. However, I feel like I'm one of the lucky ones where my job is my passion and hobby. If I have a night off where I'm not designing for a client, I will often find myself designing for myself." So for most normal people, I'm sure having a full-time job in side hustle that is the same is nearly impossible. But if you really, really, really love what you're doing, you can make it work.
So that's the final word from Kayla. I just wanted to provide that update since I told you I would and I mistakenly did not last week. And good for Kayla. I mean, if you really, really, really love what you're doing, you can make it work. I totally agree.
I just also wanna be mindful of not encouraging people to do things that cause them to burn out. And so a lot of people in that situation would eventually burn out. But it doesn't necessarily mean that she will or that you will. This is just kind of a general principle. Now I've also got a listener success story I wanna share with you.
I got a great email that came in. I think I showed one with you last week of somebody doing something and they had a big success. Well, this is a listener who has started four different side hustles since listening to the show. And the latest one is bringing in $10,000 a month. Always love hearing stuff like that.
So I'll bring you his full email in just a moment. But I also wanted to share something today around this topic of choose your choices. I'm gonna explain what that means. I had a conversation recently with Kathleen Shannon. And Kathleen, some of you may recall or some of you may actually follow Kathleen's work.
We talked about Kathleen in episode 404. Kathleen is one half of the duo that produces the Being Boss podcast. And it's not just a podcast. It's a podcast community in-person event series and now a new book. They do a lot of different things, but the centerpiece of that brand is their weekly podcast, which they've been going strong on for three years, haven't missed a week, very consistent.
And that episode was particularly popular. So I went back to talk to Kathleen in preparation for recording an extended cut all about their business and some more details of how they built this too. I think a multi six figure, $400,000 last year. So very, very successful. And I'm still writing up the notes for the extended cut.
So you'll get that, I don't know. It's probably be another month or so. But I just wanted to come back and share this thing because this phrase that she used, I've been thinking about it all week. She used this phrase, choose your choices. And first I should say when I talked with her, I felt simultaneously like I was having an inspirational coaching session, like where I was the one being coached, like not the other way around, like she was showing me all this stuff that I thought was really interesting.
And I also felt like I was talking to myself because a lot of the things she said resonated so much. I was like, oh, those are exactly my values. And she talked about different choices that she'd made in her life. And I was like, oh yeah, like I say that to people myself. So that was a fun experience and I really appreciated her time.
And one of the things we talked about, this is kind of what I'm coming to. For Kathleen, she works really hard, but she doesn't overwork. So she's got a day job of running an agency. I think it's a brand agency or design agency. I'm probably screwing that up, but she's got this thing she does.
And then being boss is her side hustle, as successful as it is, it is a side hustle. And she works really hard on not working too hard. She works really hard on like, I'm gonna do 30 hours a week or something. I mean, she's also a mom, she's got a family, she's got other stuff she's doing. She wants to spend a lot of time in the gym.
So she's very busy, but also very efficient. And she says, you know, for her, the last thing in the world I'd want to do is start another business. Like I'm really careful about the commitments I take on, she said. Now, meanwhile, her colleague Emily has a third business that she started up. So Emily also owns an unrelated business than they do being boss together.
But in her abundant spare time, Emily has actually started this third business. And so I thought it was interesting because Kathleen's like absolutely would not want that. And it's not like, you know, either choice is right for everyone because for Emily, her colleague, the third business does sound like it's the right thing to do. You know, I feel like I'm gonna start another business at some point. I have to kind of restrain myself because I hear all these stories and I'm like, oh, I want to do that.
And I'm like, okay, I'm kind of, you know, full up at the moment. So this really is about figuring out what's best for you. And I think this also relates to the concept of seasonality, which I try to stress every now and then as well. You know, sometimes in life you want to emphasize one area or focus more than another and then you switch. So when people talk about looking for balance, I actually think it's more important to think about it over the course of an extended period of time, not in a day, not like how can I be balanced today, but how can I be balanced over the course of a year?
And that may mean that at different points or different seasons, I am focusing more on one thing than another. And I'm also gonna be okay with the things I give up or the things I let go of for now. So I could be misinterpreting this phrase from Kathleen, but I really liked it anyway. So, you know, hopefully this interpretation is okay. But when she said, choose your choices, basically what she says, if you think about something that you want to do or you might want to do, don't wait too long to decide, like do it or don't do it, because we all carry so much emotion around with us about things that we don't do, guilt, regret, et cetera.
And the last thing she said, which was kind of like as a way of framing all of this, she's like, by the way, don't forget that you're gonna die one day. Like remember that one day you're going to die. And you may think, okay, what's that have to do with the side hustle and so on? But I thought it's just a great way of thinking about all kinds of things in life. Like what is it that you want to do?
With the myriad of opportunities that are out there, which ones are best for you? Like how are you going to live intentionally? So choose your choices, do it or don't do it. And thanks again so much, Kathleen, for talking with me. Of course, we'll link up Being Boss in the show notes and we'll continue to promote the show because it is wonderful.
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All right, so in the mailbox this week or the mailbag, or I guess just my inbox, but that sounds better to say mailbox. Anyway, I got this note from Anthony that I want to share with you. I've been getting a lot of emails from listeners doing all kinds of stuff. Thank you for sending those stories. You can always write to podcast@sidehustleschool.com.
I'll tell you more about how to get in touch in just a moment. But first, here's this email. And there's a first one and a second one because the first one came from him and he said, "Hey, Chris, just wanted to say thank you. Since listening, we have started four side hustles based on ones that individuals have done on the podcast. And the latest one is on the way to bringing in $10,000 a month.
So we submitted our story and can't wait to hear from you. Thanks in advance and hope to hear from you soon." So I was like, dude, that's awesome, man. Congratulations, you know, tell me more. Like, well, I'll take a look at the survey data, but I don't always see that right away. So since he sent me an email, I just wrote back.
And he said, "Our latest and greatest is a residential cleaning business in Dallas, Texas. And then we stole this idea from one of your featured guests, Chris Schwab. This is the college student who makes $10,000 a month as well cleaning houses and who hasn't actually cleaned a single house." Oh, and so by the way, just a quick little interjection from me. In that episode, this guy, the college student, figured out how to start a cleaning business without actually cleaning houses himself, went to Japan and managed the whole business remotely. And he's making five figures a month.
So anyway, back to this note from Anthony. He says, "I stalked Chris on Facebook." This is the other Chris, Chris Schwab. "I picked his brain and he introduced me to a whole community of people who are using software to do this kind of thing with lawn care, pool cleaning, moving business, dog walking, and real estate. Currently we are in month five, as mentioned on track for $10,000 a month. We've also done Turo, Rover, and a few others." So good work, Anthony.
We will look at that survey and see if we can turn this into a whole episode. But for now, anyway, I wanted to share that with our community to say, "Look, you know, this works. Like if you put these experiments into action, it's not just a fantasy. Like I'm not trying to sell some kind of get-rich-quick thing. I'm not saying it's gonna happen overnight.
I talk about how sometimes there are false starts. In fact, most of the time there are false starts. Not everything is gonna work out. And not everything is gonna work out right away. But that said, you can find your way.
And that's what all these different people are doing. Like all the way up to episode 500 now. And we've got a lot more to go, as I said. I share these stories as kind of a spotlight to say, "Look, here are regular people. They're not social media celebrity influencers.
They don't have some special advantage. If they have an advantage, it is curiosity. And it's a willingness to follow up on that curiosity. And those are two skills that anyone can acquire or develop or nurture." So let that story along with my commentary be your encouragement for the week. This is possible.
Choose your choices, like we said. But there is something out there for you as well. Now speaking of that, what are you working on this week? What is your number one goal? I would love to know and we'll feature some of those responses on the show.
You can give me a call on the Hustle hotline. That number is 8449 Hustle, 8449487853. Or if you prefer, like a lot of people prefer these days just to send an email. It's so funny, I feel like everybody who listens is an introvert like me. I actually hate talking on the phone.
Okay, but if you can overcome your phone fears and just leave a voicemail, I promise if you mess up, you can do it again. I mess up on pretty much every phone call I ever make. But if you prefer to just email, you can do that too, podcast@sidehustleschool.com. Or write in from the website. Or hit me up on Instagram or wherever else.
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Okay, looking ahead to the week, we got another set of strong stories coming up. As I mentioned, episode 500 and beyond. It's not just 500 that's coming up, it's 501. 502, 503, 504, and it goes on from there. You kind of get the idea.
There's a pattern there, basically. Anyway, episode 500 I'm really excited about, of course. This is gonna feature a married couple who goes from crashing a drone into a parked car in New York City to a soaring six figure, multiple six figure, in fact, side hustle. So how does one go from crashing a drone into a car to making lots of money, creating a very sustainable business that they're actually doing full time now, which wasn't their intent when they started it, just kind of blew up. You will have all the answers to that very soon, as well as something about a six figure piano school, as well as something about strap savers, two women who invent a very helpful fashion item for themselves and other women, as well as, of course, so much more.
Now, before I sign off for the final weekly recap before 500, don't worry, it's gonna be over soon, I do wanna say thank you to a number of people. We do our weekly recap credits. First person on the list of credits is you, the listener. I said in our very first episode that if you make the commitment to make this part of your routine, I too commit to supporting you in your quest to create that new source of income, that side hustle that you have thought about for a while, but perhaps haven't turned into reality until now. Or maybe you're like some of our other listeners, many of our listeners who have started side hustles and are going strong, focused on going from $500 a month to $1,000 a month, or to $2,000 a month, or to $5,000 a month or more.
As you may know, every story on the show makes at least $500 a month, that's our minimum, but of course, many people make a lot more than that. All that to say, thank you for being part of our community, we couldn't do it without you, we wouldn't want to do it without you. I also greatly appreciate our senior producer, AC Valdez, kind of steering the ship in Washington, DC, and then steering another side of the ship in Portland, Oregon, and kind of working with people all over the world. That would be my assistant/content manager/amazing person, Whitney Karinek. Those two consistently go above and beyond, I really appreciate them.
I also appreciate our assistant producer, Sarah Barrett, who puts together many of the episodes, and of course my cat Libby Liberia-Gillibow, who works the night shift and really doesn't care about episode 500. That's the thing about cats, you know, authenticity, they've got that. Diligence in their work lives, not so much, okay, but we're working on it. Citusle School, of course, is part of the Onward Project, started by Gretchen Rubin, best-selling author, as well as a personal friend of mine, somebody I look up to. You can check out her show, Happier with Gretchen Rubin, you can also check out theonwardproject.com for other shows about making your life happier, healthier, more productive, and more creative.
Hey, if you like this show, do us a quick little favor, give us a rating and review in iTunes, preferably a good one, you know, just to be specific here. iTunes is also known as Apple Podcast now, it's confusing, but, you know, wherever you listen to podcasts, if you listen somewhere else, if you have an Android device, there are all kinds of ways to leave reviews and spread the word. Whatever you can do, I greatly appreciate it, our whole team appreciates it. And once again, you have our commitment that we're gonna be here tomorrow and every day after that. Don't forget, inspiration is good, but action is better.
I look forward to hearing about you taking action. I hope you'll join me tomorrow and each day next week with more stories and actionable ideas. Our episodes go online at 601 a.m. Eastern time every day. My name is Chris Guillebeau, this is Side Hustle School.
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