This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
Greetings and welcome back. You're listening to Side Hustle School. I'm Chris Guillebeau. Now for this week's extended cut, which you should have received either yesterday or the day before, I focused on starter platforms. It was all about nine different starter platforms, actually 10, I believe, that you can get going on right away.
I made that episode in response to feedback from a lot of folks who were really interested in some of the services that I talked about briefly, but hadn't really got into a lot of details about. So if you're interested in learning about one of those or even better, experimenting with one of those, be sure you check out that special episode. Now the ones I talked about in that episode were pretty broad. There are many, many, many starter platforms, including some that are a bit more niche. To give you just a couple of examples, you can borrow someone's dog on dogvacay.com.
If you've ever spent a lot of time driving around looking for a parking space, you might wanna check out parkatmyhouse.com. There is now an app called Oleo, which connects people who are getting rid of food with people who want it. And really the list goes on and on. There is a sharing economy service or an app or a peer-to-peer service for just about everything these days. And a lot of them include the possibilities for income generation.
So today I'll tell you a story about how a busy mom in Chicago uses one of these niche platforms to help visiting parents get all the baby gear they need for their trip. [Music]
Today's story comes from Lindsay Meyer in Chicago, Illinois. By day, Lindsay works for a family-owned business that provides realtors and mortgage lenders with marketing solutions to help home buyers. But in her spare time, she rents out baby gear and equipment to traveling families. If you've ever dared to travel with small children, you know that it can be borderline impossible to navigate a busy airport with the endless amount of baby gear you need to provide those kids with the comforts of home as well as just all the random stuff that they need.
All of that equipment can take up a lot of space and the airlines often charge hefty checked baggage fees, which can add up leaving you with a really expensive round-trip flight. In response to these problems, a mom founded startup called BabyErge, baby plus concierge, is looking to revolutionize the way that families travel and offer them a sustainable solution that doesn't require to sacrifice their comfort or that of their children. As Lindsay describes it, BabyErge is like Airbnb, but instead of renting out their homes, they offer clean quality baby gear to travelers and anyone else who finds himself with that need but doesn't have access to the equipment. Lindsay got started with BabyErge when her family friend, Christina, who is also an independent rep for the company, reached out to see if she'd be interested in covering the Chicago suburban area, which was too far away from her location. Lindsay has always enjoyed being around families, and after she read up on the idea, she decided it would provide her with an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of other families like her own.
Being the mother of a two-year-old girl and having taken a few trips with way too much equipment, she realized the need for alternatives like this, so she signed up to give it a try. BabyErge has a networking platform made up of other partners across the nation that new partners can interact with and bounce ideas and questions off. And this was really helpful when she was getting started. Paired with the guidance of Christina, that friend who helped her get going, Lindsay purchased two full-size portable cribs with mattresses and sheets, a convertible car seat, and a double stroller for about $1,000. Since Lindsay was the second partner in the Chicago area, she was able to use Christina's website and templates to set up her own webpage, which was really great because she'd never done anything like that before.
However, Lindsay is able to set her own rental prices and delivery charges depending on the item or location of delivery. So she does have some freedom of choice. Within the first couple of hours of her site being online, Lindsay received a rental request from a local radio DJ seeking a convertible car seat for his grandson. He was scheduled to pick his grandson up in just an hour. And he was so grateful that Lindsay was able to get him that car seat that he gave her a free shout out on the radio.
She couldn't have asked for a more perfect start. With that webpage launched and her first set of products purchased, Lindsay set about learning more about the Chicagoland suburbs so that she could tailor her rentals to meet their needs. And she noticed that her renters differed a bit from Christina's 'cause she was a bit further away from the airport. So she still has families visiting the area, but a large part of her rental requests have come from grandparents who were looking for temporary equipment when their grandchildren came to visit. Before long, her gear increased to include a selection of strollers, car seats, swings and high chairs, as well as toys, books, art easels and even stools for toddlers who need to reach the sink to brush their teeth.
Within the first couple of months, Lindsay broke even with that initial investment of $1,000 and she continues to earn at least $500 each month in profit after all her expenses. Baby Erich has provided Lindsay with an opportunity to earn extra money outside of her day job that allows her to make her schedule on her own time. She has always wanted to explore the waters of entrepreneurship, but so far in her experience, participating in this platform has been even better because while she does have the freedom to make her own decisions, set her own prices, et cetera, she also has a support system that she can turn to for guidance when she needs advice. More than anything, this side hustle has helped Lindsay feel empowered. The fact that she could have a full-time job, be a busy mom and also start her own business in a matter of days was incredible to her.
She's surprised by how much she loves this new side hustle and she sees herself as a road warrior out there delivering baby and toddler gear that makes a huge difference in the quality of a family's vacation or a visit with the grandparents. It may seem simple, but to Lindsay, showing up with just the right baby gear or educating a grandparent about choices and car seats for the most important little people in their lives feels important and meaningful to her. [Music]
So I really think the highlight here is this part about how she was able to start quickly in a matter of days. There wasn't much risk. She was able to earn back that $1,000 investment in a short period of time and she now makes $500 a month while she does everything else she does.
I mean, that kind of says it all. She probably didn't have the time to start something completely new. So by attaching herself to this platform, being able to work with families, which is something she enjoyed, it really was perfect for her. Now, as I said, this is a niche starter platform, Baby Urge, and platforms like these tend to share similar pros and cons. The awesome thing is just what we saw in this story.
It's really easy to get started. And if you're wondering, okay, what's the other side? Well, the not awesome thing is probably that your income is gonna be fairly limited. Maybe there are some people out there that are doing much better with this platform, but even if so, there's probably a cap for it somewhere. And that's okay, because as I said for Lindsay, this is really great.
And that's why as you make decisions about your projects, you need to relate them to your goals. Some people want extra income. Some people want long-term, reliable, sustainable income. Others want to make as much money as they do from their day job, or maybe even more, and possibly even quit that day job. So if your goal is one of those second things, then you probably shouldn't stay on starter platforms too long.
Now, I know based on all the feedback I get that we have some people who are attracted to quick, easy income, and others who want to focus more on building assets. So that's why I try to feature stories that relate to each of these goals, to show you the advantages and disadvantages of each one, and to get you thinking about what's best for you. Now, whatever you decide, remember, if you listen to these stories, and you think about how you can apply this to your own life, the skills you have, the time available to you, what those long-term goals are for you, you will see results. Remember, inspiration is good, but inspiration combined with action is so much better. If you want to see the show notes for today's episode, just go to sidehustleschool.com/6161.
I'll be back tomorrow with another story. I'm Chris Guillebeau. This is "Side Hustle School." [Music]
