This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
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Hey, sight also school listeners. Welcome back. I'm Chris Guillebeau and guess what? We have just finished week 14 and this is episode number 99. By my calculations, 99 is followed by 100.
So we have almost completed our first 100 days. I hope you have enjoyed the journey. I am very excited about where we're going next. I have so much to tell you, so many things we've been working on behind the scenes that we'll be rolling out as we go along. This weekend, I'm in Austin, Texas, but wherever I go, I'm working on the show every single day.
And by the way, we have an all new Hustle hotline. So if you'd like to leave a comment or a question for the show, you can still do that on the website, but if you're on the go, it's super simple. Now you can just use your phone, pick it up and call 8449 Hustle. That's 844-948-7853. That will go to a voicemail box.
And just as we feature listener questions in the weekly recap, going forward, we plan to feature them even more. If you are new to the show, welcome. I encourage you to go back and download the first batch of episodes. We'll help you catch up. You can listen whenever you want.
It will give you a foundation for the rest of the year. And on our agenda for today, listener questions, recap of the past few days, and a look ahead to next week. - Hi, Chris, this is Dion from Houston, Texas, and I'm obsessed with Side Hustle School. I've been listening since January 1st and tell everyone about it. One friend has already launched a jewelry shop on Etsy and has had their first sale.
Another is working on a cookbook. I have my own idea that I plan to launch in May. It's getting pretty real. Here's my question. I'm definitely a numbers person.
I like to have all my ducks in a row. Can you please address the business end of starting a Side Hustle? Should you create a separate business only email for a service at Gumroad, a separate checking account with the payments, LLC? How can you set yourself up for success from the very beginning? Just simple first steps.
Thanks so much. See you in July at World Domination Summit. - Dion, thank you. You are a rock star. So glad you're enjoying the show.
So how do you get your ducks in a row and set yourself up for success? Well, I think Dion is on the right track here because she mentioned getting a business bank account. I do think that's important. It's usually very simple to do. It's not much different than opening a personal account.
Some banks will let you do it online. And that way you have clear separation from your personal finances. Aside from that, whatever ducks you need to have in a row kind of relate to the specific project. So I would encourage you to make a list of ducks. That might include your basic sales page or offer page.
It might include your email list signup, whether it's with ConvertKit or Mailchimp or some other service. And as you start going through the exploratory process, which it sounds like you're pretty good at, some other necessary tools and resources might emerge. So then you can put them on the list, add them to your setup, and be prepared for success, as you said. But of course, as always, kind of encourage people not to focus too much on the logistics. Dion, I know you're a numbers person.
I respect that. We just encourage you to keep the majority of your attention on the actual project you're developing. What is the product? What is the service? How is it gonna help people or make someone's life better?
And then how are you gonna get paid? So thanks again, Dion. If I don't see you in Houston, I will look forward to seeing you in Portland. - Hi, Chris, love the show. I have a quick question.
I'm just trying to figure out how to license intellectual property, to use portions of images that are owned by big companies in designs I'm creating to sell on Etsy. And I am not sure how to do that. I've done some searching and I feel like I'm too small efficient, a big pawn. But so far, I can't figure out how any clarity you can give me on this would be great. Thanks.
- That question was from Matt. Matt, thank you for listening. And this can be kind of tough because it sounds like you have some specific use in mind. If not, I guess I would say, why do you have to use corporate images or somebody else's brand in your endeavor? Because they do own that intellectual property.
They do have people out there monitoring Etsy and other sites. And when they see people using their assets, they'll send a request to Etsy for a takedown notice. And then you'll essentially be out of business, at least with that project. So I know that's not what you intend, but just for anybody listening. Now, as for licensing specific intellectual property, I don't think there is one blanket organization that can do that for every corporate brand or even a lot of corporate brands.
So I think I'd have to know a little bit more about what you intend to try to figure out what the best strategy is of how to proceed. So if there's any other way to do it, do that. If not, let us know more about what your plan is and we'll see if we can help you. [Music]
So when we look back on this week, a few things stand out. For me by far, my favorite episode was about the woman who helps immigrants prepare for the U.S. citizenship test through YouTube videos.
That was episode 94, if you missed it. I just think it's pretty awesome that she's doing this public service. She started as a volunteer, was happily doing it for free, but then made it virtual, uploaded these videos, which became very popular. And through the Google advertising partnership with YouTube, she's earning a couple of thousand dollars a month for this thing that she would have done for free. And the people who benefit from these videos don't pay for it at all because the whole revenue model is about that sponsorship, that advertising.
It's kind of like judicial school in that way. So I really love that. I think it's given several of our listeners some ideas as well. We also heard the story of the clothing store salesman who invents a baby harness, earns more than $100,000 a year, the craftsman or actually two craftsmen who created a multiple six-figure hustle from handcrafted leather products. And these stories were followed by three others, Caddy Jureka, the Instagram calligrapher, Samantha, the host of the Essential Oils podcast.
That's the first time we've talked about podcasting as a hustle. I know a lot of people have asked about that, so we'll do some more going forward. And then Leif who converted his unfinished basement into a Pilates studio for his wife. Now, all of those projects, those last three, are profitable in the $1,000 to $3,000 a month range. And I try to demonstrate a variety of stories on the show, wide range of incomes.
I don't want you to think that everyone who starts a side hustle makes six figures. That's really not how it works. And if you listen to the stories of the people who make six figures or more, you know that it's not usually an overnight success. In fact, it almost never is. So I actually think it's wonderful when someone makes $100 for the first time on their own and they've been unemployed, they've never had income coming from anywhere other than their paycheck.
Well, it's really awesome when it happens. So your side hustle doesn't have to make six figures, but at the same time, I don't want you to think that side hustles are only about a relatively small amount of money. That's why I have both kinds of episodes on the show. Now, coming up next week, speaking of stories that go really big, gonna kick things off tomorrow with a Renegade Museum tour guide whose side hustle grows to $2 million. It was not an overnight success, but it is legit and awesome.
You'll also hear about the Candy Japan subscription box that sends hundreds of people in the US, all sorts of different kinds of Japanese candy. This is also a high earning project. I think it's something like $15,000 a month. You'll also hear from someone who uses her iPhone photography skills to build a new source of income, a DIY magazine publisher, and of course, so much more. A new story every day, a special extended episode once a month where we dive into a deeper topic, and probably some fun surprises as we go along.
You never know, maybe you'll get some candy from Japan. All right, so before I sign off, I am not the only person working on this show. I'm the voice you hear, but I want to give credit where credit is due. Side hustle school is recorded on location at world domination headquarters in Portland, Oregon. We then take it across the country by covered wagon to be produced in Brooklyn, New York at the Panoply Studios.
My production team is Jason de Leon, A.C. Valdez, and Laura Mayer. In Portland, I'm assisted by Whitney Karinek, who makes the show notes and fixes things when they break, which is pretty much every day. The side hustle school website was built by Nikki Hajal, who's actually with me here in Austin this weekend, along with Whitney, we're having a party. My cat Liberia Gilibow is in charge of the Department of Underachievement.
Google is our search engine, coffee is our beverage of choice, and we, Side Hustle School, are part of the onward imprint founded by Gretchen Rubin, who apparently made a coloring book this week in her spare time. I don't know how Gretchen does it, but you should check out the Happiness Project mini posters at your local bookstore, or a preferred online retailer. Last but absolutely not least, I wanna thank you, the listener, wherever you are in your car, while you're exercising, at work when you're supposed to be doing something else, this is a free listener supported show. If you're enjoying it, please let me know, tell your friends, and also take a moment to leave a quick rating or review in iTunes. That would be amazing.
In episode number one, I said, if you make the commitment to make this part of your routine, I commit to supporting you fully in your quest to create that new source of income. I hope you agree I've kept my 100 day campaign promise, and I assure you, much more is on the way. Be sure you're subscribed in iTunes or every listen to podcasts. My email address is chris@sidehustleschool.com. You can also call the new Hustle Hotline at 8449-HUSTLE.
I hope you're enjoying the show. I hope it leads you to take action on what you hear and the ideas that you come up with as you learn to think more creatively, which is a big part of the whole concept of the show. I'll be back every morning, starting at 601 a.m. Eastern time. If you're not up to then, it's okay.
I'm probably not either. That's 3 a.m. where I live. You are a rockstar 100 days and counting. I'm Chris Guillebeau First Side Hustle School.
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