Notes from Chris

Episode 2216

Longtime listeners know that I got my start in the world of entrepreneurship when I was 19 and learned to sell on eBay. This was 100 years ago or close to it. Electricity had just been invented and commercial air travel was still in the early days.

It was a different world. Of course, ebay is still around. Lots of people still buy and sell on the platform. But as our caller notes, the vibe is different than those olden days when we would ride our horses to the post office to drop off all the shipments.

What does this mean for sellers?

“I got into eBay selling a long time ago, then stopped for many years. I was thinking of getting back to it, so I logged on and took a look around. Overall, the platform seems … less personal now, if that makes sense.

What I mean is that it seems more auctions are set to a “buy it now” price, so there’s not really a bidding process for those, and overall it just has more of a commercial, bigger-business vibe than it used to.

Since you used to sell on eBay, have you noticed a difference? What do I need to know before jumping back in? It seemed like a logical idea since I used to do it before, but now I’m not sure if I should find something more modern. Is it just me, or has eBay changed?”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

SEE ALSO:

• Catholic Designer Creates Stylish Apparel Line: What shall it profit a man to gain the whole world but not sell any t-shirts? This designer cast his bread upon the waters and ended up with a profitable fashion line.
• Seattle Couple Creates New “Income LiveStream”: When a married couple runs into logistical problems at their wedding, it leads to an innovative service that other engaged couples need during the pandemic.
• Role-Playing Pastor Rolls The Dice On $2800/Month Hustle: Listener success story! This Presbyterian minister turns to his lifelong interest in role-playing games to set up a sustainable second income source.

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

Yours in the revolution,

Notes from Chris

Episode 2215

What’s the latest in online education? That’s what one of our listeners who’s also a course creator wants to know.

I’m going to focus my answer around a concept known as transformation. I assume you know what that word means, generally, but it has a specific meaning in education that I think is increasingly important to pay attention to for anyone who wants to offer any type of online course going forward.

So that’s what we’ll look at, but first let’s hear more about their idea!

“You’ve talked a couple of times about how online education has shifted over the years. It used to be easy to teach something online, or at least to sell something you’d be teaching. Now, there’s much more competition, so it’s harder to thrive.

It makes me wonder: what makes for a strong online course these days? I’m working on my second course right now, so I’ve been paying close attention to what seems to be working (and not working) with other courses.”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

SEE ALSO:

• Catholic Designer Creates Stylish Apparel Line: What shall it profit a man to gain the whole world but not sell any t-shirts? This designer cast his bread upon the waters and ended up with a profitable fashion line.
• Seattle Couple Creates New “Income LiveStream”: When a married couple runs into logistical problems at their wedding, it leads to an innovative service that other engaged couples need during the pandemic.
• Role-Playing Pastor Rolls The Dice On $2800/Month Hustle: Listener success story! This Presbyterian minister turns to his lifelong interest in role-playing games to set up a sustainable second income source.

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

Yours in the revolution,

Notes from Chris

Episode 2214

Today’s episode is part of a new feature we’re doing in 2022 called ‘Your First $1,000.’ As you might surmise from the title, this is all about how someone made their first $1,000.

How did they get to that point? Not their first $100,000—that’s cool, but it would probably be a long story.

With that in mind, today’s feature comes from Ben in the U.K. He’s a walking tour guide based in London. He leads tours only on weekends and brings in an extra £2,500 ($3,000) per month.

But what about his first $1,000—how did he make that happen, what did it feel like, and what did he learn?

Let’s hear it from Ben. I’ll be back at the end to wrap us up.

SEE ALSO:

• Military Spouse Starts Subscription Box Mission:When an HR Director’s husband is away on military deployment, she uses the alone time to march toward a subscription box.
• Think Inside the Subscription Box:Looking for more community, a North Carolina web agency owner starts a subscription box for female entrepreneurs. It’s supposed to be a referral tool for her agency, but it ends up becoming a full-time business of its own.
• Nature-Loving Neighbors Create Kids Subscription Box: When two couples can’t figure out how to get their kids outdoors and away from electronics in the winter, a personal challenge blossoms into an unbeLEAFable side hustle.

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

Yours in the revolution,

Notes from Chris

Episode 2213

Some business ideas are better suited for certain seasons—as we heard recently from a caller who referenced an episode about letters from Santa. That’s been a great side hustle for multiple listeners in our archives, including one woman who makes $6,000 from it every year. Thing is, she doesn’t earn that money in July … if you know what I mean.

It’s not quite Santa letters level, but what about a calendar? Think about when you buy a new wall or desk calendar, either for yourself or for a friend. Most likely you bought it towards the end of one year or the beginning of another, right?

This leads to a challenge for today’s caller, who has a brilliant idea … at an inopportune time.

“Last month I had a great idea: a calendar for a specific niche market. I don’t want to say exactly what the market is, but it’s not something that anyone else is doing. I’ll be the first calendar in the market!

There’s just one problem: it’s now January and it will take at least two months for me to put it together, which feels like exactly … three months too late. Right? Don’t most people buy calendars for the next year at the end of the current year, or at the latest in January?

I’m not sure if the best answer is to just wait another 10 months. I’m really excited about the idea, but I also want to be realistic. What do you think?”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

SEE ALSO:

• Catholic Designer Creates Stylish Apparel Line: What shall it profit a man to gain the whole world but not sell any t-shirts? This designer cast his bread upon the waters and ended up with a profitable fashion line.
• Seattle Couple Creates New “Income LiveStream”: When a married couple runs into logistical problems at their wedding, it leads to an innovative service that other engaged couples need during the pandemic.
• Role-Playing Pastor Rolls The Dice On $2800/Month Hustle: Listener success story! This Presbyterian minister turns to his lifelong interest in role-playing games to set up a sustainable second income source.

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

Yours in the revolution,

Notes from Chris

Episode 2212

Let’s go to adult summer camp! Okay, not in January unless we’re going in South Africa or Australia, but … north American summer.

That’s what today’s caller wants us to do, or at least they have an idea about summer camp for side hustlers.

One of the reasons we have this segment is to look at different business ideas and consider how feasible they might be. What are the pros/cons and, accordingly, the reasons for moving forward vs. moving on to another idea.

“What do you think about summer camp for side hustlers? I imagine a lot of different sessions from teachers who are entrepreneurs, then some workshop time every day for attendees to prepare for a product launch, and maybe some kind of inspirational talk around the campfire in the evenings. Oh, and s’mores too, of course.

I don’t know that I’m the best person to put this together, but let’s say that I was: how would I do it? Also, if you end up starting this camp, can I come for free in exchange for giving you the idea?”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

SEE ALSO:

• Catholic Designer Creates Stylish Apparel Line: What shall it profit a man to gain the whole world but not sell any t-shirts? This designer cast his bread upon the waters and ended up with a profitable fashion line.
• Seattle Couple Creates New “Income LiveStream”: When a married couple runs into logistical problems at their wedding, it leads to an innovative service that other engaged couples need during the pandemic.
• Role-Playing Pastor Rolls The Dice On $2800/Month Hustle: Listener success story! This Presbyterian minister turns to his lifelong interest in role-playing games to set up a sustainable second income source.

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

Yours in the revolution,

Notes from Chris

Episode 2211

I believe we can learn as much from failure as we can from success, if not more. It’s with this principle in mind that I offer you a weekly segment called Failure Friday: a collection of short stories all about mistakes, missteps, disasters, and of course, failure.

Just like our Throwback Thursday segment, you’ll hear directly from side hustlers who have struggled to get something off the ground. They’ll tell you a short story of something that went very wrong.

Today’s short story features Sherry, a new bookkeeper who makes a big mistake: she overstates the income on a client’s return. Yikes!

Let’s hear the story from Sherry … I’ll be back at the end to wrap us up.

SEE ALSO:

• Marketer Creates Six-Figure Subscription Box Success: He looked for a simple solution for a client, and didn’t find one—so he spent the next year building it.
• Comic Book Curator Creates Custom Crate Subscription: A Sacramento-based comic and collectibles owner sparks an interest in reading with a monthly comic book subscription box service.
• A Packed Closet Leads to Secondhand Subscription Boxes: A professional organizer finds a way to stitch her passion for thrift shopping into profits.

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

Yours in the revolution,

Notes from Chris

Episode 2210

Welcome to Throwback Thursday / “Where are they now?” where we take an in-depth look at someone who’s story has evolved considerably since we first featured them.

Last week, we heard from a Florida pole dance instructor. She’s hooked on pole! Today, in our latest feature, we’ll hear from a seller of planners and journals.

What’s happened since? Let’s hear directly from them. I’ll be back at the end to wrap us up.

Listen to today’s episode to hear more…

SEE ALSO:

• Raver Turns LED-Powered Gloves Into Bright Future: When a raver-turned-salesperson falls in love with an underground artform, he turns it into a successful side business.
• Bright Idea Leads Chicago Woman to Million-Dollar Hustle: A Chicago-based plastic recycling sales rep overcomes her fears and doubts to transform her love for DIY lamp shades and $10 in supplies into a multi-million dollar business.
• 3D Printing Brings Cosplay Into 21st Century: With a 3D printer and sense of imagination, a California natural gas industry worker takes superhero DIY cosplay to a whole new level.

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

Yours in the revolution,

Notes from Chris

Episode 2209

Can you deduct clothing costs and haircuts from your taxes? Well, I’m no tax advisor—let’s be clear—but it’s absolutely true that there are some creative but perfectly legal deductions for small business owners. If you have a side hustle or even if you’re starting one and it doesn’t have revenue yet, you might be able to save a lot of money on your tax deductions.

Let’s listen to this caller’s question!

“Is it true that I can deduct my wardrobe from my taxes? This is my dream! I’m making a course that requires me to present in professional attire, and I’ll start filming many more videos if it allows me to do more shopping. What about haircuts, or a blowout if I do it right before filming?

Also, while we’re on the subject, are there any other common tax deductions for side hustlers?”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

SEE ALSO:

• Catholic Designer Creates Stylish Apparel Line: What shall it profit a man to gain the whole world but not sell any t-shirts? This designer cast his bread upon the waters and ended up with a profitable fashion line.
• Seattle Couple Creates New “Income LiveStream”: When a married couple runs into logistical problems at their wedding, it leads to an innovative service that other engaged couples need during the pandemic.
• Role-Playing Pastor Rolls The Dice On $2800/Month Hustle: Listener success story! This Presbyterian minister turns to his lifelong interest in role-playing games to set up a sustainable second income source.

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

Yours in the revolution,

Notes from Chris

Episode 2208

You could spend an unlimited amount of money on services and resources these days. What is essential—and what can you not worry about?

Knowing the answer to this question helps in a lot of life situations. We’re going to apply it to side hustling, of course, but you can also think about it for other things.

What is essential—and what can you not worry about? What can you let go of?

Letting go is powerful. It allows you to avoid FOMO and helps you focus on what matters.

I believe that one of the challenges of the so-called information age is that there is so much information out there that it’s a real struggle to navigate. So anyway—let’s look at the question!

“I’ve been learning so much lately and am ready to jump in! I don’t mind paying for helpful resources, but I don’t want to spend money that isn’t essential. I know I’ll have various monthly costs, as well as one-off purchases, and I need to be frugal.

My question is how do I figure out what information and resources are actually helpful and necessary? Also, how do I find the best resources in the first place? There’s just so much information out there, and it seems every tool wants a monthly fee.”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

SEE ALSO:

• Catholic Designer Creates Stylish Apparel Line: What shall it profit a man to gain the whole world but not sell any t-shirts? This designer cast his bread upon the waters and ended up with a profitable fashion line.
• Seattle Couple Creates New “Income LiveStream”: When a married couple runs into logistical problems at their wedding, it leads to an innovative service that other engaged couples need during the pandemic.
• Role-Playing Pastor Rolls The Dice On $2800/Month Hustle: Listener success story! This Presbyterian minister turns to his lifelong interest in role-playing games to set up a sustainable second income source.

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

Yours in the revolution,

Notes from Chris

Episode 2207

Today’s episode is part of a new feature we’re doing in 2022 called ‘Your First $1,000.’ As you might surmise from the title, this is all about how someone made their first $1,000.

How did they get to that point? Not their first $100,000—that’s cool, but it would probably be a long story.

With that in mind, today’s feature comes from Jenny in Florida. She’s got her own Etsy shop, which has sold to more than 1,500 customers and counting.

But what about her first $1,000—how did she make that happen, what did it feel like, and what did she learn?

Let’s hear it from Jenny. I’ll be back at the end to wrap us up.

SEE ALSO:

• Military Spouse Starts Subscription Box Mission:When an HR Director’s husband is away on military deployment, she uses the alone time to march toward a subscription box.
• Think Inside the Subscription Box:Looking for more community, a North Carolina web agency owner starts a subscription box for female entrepreneurs. It’s supposed to be a referral tool for her agency, but it ends up becoming a full-time business of its own.
• Nature-Loving Neighbors Create Kids Subscription Box: When two couples can’t figure out how to get their kids outdoors and away from electronics in the winter, a personal challenge blossoms into an unbeLEAFable side hustle.

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

Yours in the revolution,