Notes from Chris

Episode 2132

Today is confession time on Side Hustle School! We’re going to hear from someone who has committed a terrible crime. They’ve been on the run for many years and were recently featured on America’s Most Wanted. But having had a change of heart, they came to me and said, I want to come clean … to which I said, well, true crime is a very popular podcast genre. Maybe we can move into that and get more downloads!

Actually, I’m now realizing that I have some of these notes wrong. What they’re confessing to is not a terrible crime—it’s that they have a Patreon account with lots of loyal backers and they (our caller) has stopped delivering for those listeners.

So maybe it’s not quite America’s Most Wanted level, but it is nonetheless a dilemma.

“This is awkward, so please don’t use my name. I’m an independent musician with a Patreon that a bunch of my fans signed up for. The money is around $1,500-2,000 a month—not huge but it pays most of my rent.

I started it during the pandemic when I wasn’t able to tour. It was great at first! I loved offering livestreams, Q&As, and special bonus content for my supporters. Some people stopped paying after a few months, but a core group has been steady month after month.

So what’s the problem? The problem is I’ve stopped delivering. 🙁 After a while I couldn’t think of anything else to say during Q&A sessions, and I’m a musician, not a writer, so I never really loved writing a bunch of posts. But now it’s been three months with nothing delivered, and I feel guilty.

Part of me thinks the answer is that I either need to suck it up and get back to work, or just close down the whole Patreon. But I’ll be totally honest: I need the money. What would you suggest??”

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 2131

Today’s caller seeks the holy grail of Instagram influencers: a check mark designating her account as extra special, also known as verified. This allows her to, well, it doesn’t actually come with any extra privileges but some people think it matters.

She’s also found a service that promises to make this happen for her—just because she’s so nice. Just kidding, they actually want $2,000 for it.

Is this an amazing deal or a terrible idea?

“Hey, this is Susan from Tampa, Florida. I’ve been listening for a while and am excited to grow my business as a nutritionist. Here’s what I’m wondering: should I pay to get verified on Instagram? I found a service that costs $2,000, which is a lot of money, but I think this could be valuable for someone like me.

The way it works is you pay a deposit and begin a 3-6 month application process, where they establish credibility for you according to Instagram’s verified account criteria. Then you pay the rest once the verification actually happens.

If I do this, I think I’d get more followers, and my existing followers would also trust me more. But I worry that something could go wrong—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 2130

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.

One thing I’ve learned is that once you begin to earn real money, the steps required to go to the next level—whether it’s $1,000 to $2,000, or even to $5,000 or $10,000 are often easier than that first real paycheck.

With that in mind, today’s feature comes from Jacob the college MacBook reseller. He’s actually earning more than a thousand dollars each week doing this activity.

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

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 2129

I’m always excited when someone in our community goes from side hustle to small business. That’s not always the goal, of course—people start income-generating projects for all sorts of reasons. Nevertheless, it’s definitely a big success when someone who wants to grow their business is able to move into hiring.

Today a listener from Salt Lake City is ready to hire her first employee after growing her stationery brand slowly and steadily. What does she need to know?

“Hi, this is Clarice from East Jordan, just outside of Salt Lake City in Utah. My stationery brand has grown a lot over the past year, and I’m ready to bring on someone else. I’ve done some small contracting through Upwork in the past and didn’t have the greatest experience, but that may have had something to do with me since I wasn’t entirely sure what I was looking for.

Now, I know what I want: someone who’s mostly full-time and has some key skills that I lack, but who’s also willing to jump in anywhere. After all, right now it’s just a business of one person, so there’s not a lot of specialization going on. So … how do I find this person? Most people I know aren’t looking for work, or if they are, I don’t necessarily want to hire them. I look forward to your advice!”

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 2128

Lots of projects don’t work out. Many things I’ve tried have failed or just turned into something else along the way. I’ve learned to just keep going, come what may, but of course this is a learned skill.

Today we’re going to hear from a caller who’s previous side hustle venture didn’t work out. This one was a partnership with a friend and sometimes that doesn’t end well. It sounds like this one ended amicably, and now our listener is ready to make another attempt of her own.

“My friend and I tried to start a fashion line. We had a lot of fun brainstorming. We went to meetings, we read up, we had a logo designed and website outlined. But in the end, it didn’t work out. I might have been the problem, to be honest. While my friend was really into the idea, I have a different design aesthetic than her.

Thankfully, we stopped before we spent much money, and we remain friends. I know that’s not always the case!

Now I want to move forward with my idea, and for some reason I feel hesitant. This fear of taking a concrete action step may have been part of what hindered the previous project, in addition to a different stylistic preference. What can I do to proceed with confidence?”

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 2127

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.

The stories will vary, but often it starts with an idea, what they thought would happen and what really happened—and of course, what they learned.

Today’s short story features Matt from western Massachusetts. He’s going to tell us about an ambitious idea he had for an indie mobile game. Because this is Failure Friday, you might suspect it doesn’t turn out that well… and you’d be right. But of course, the magic (or at least the lesson) lies in the details.

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

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 2126

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 Justin Anyanwu in Raleigh, North Carolina. He’s the founder of Lazy Jar, an app that makes fitness pay—at least for the developer! The tagline is “It’s like a gym where you only pay if you don’t go.”

Today, in our latest feature, we’ll hear from Dave Simpson in Calgary, Canada. He’s the founder of Honolua Ukuleles.

What’s happened since we first heard from him long ago and pre-pandemic? Let’s hear directly from Dave. I’ll be back at the end to wrap us up.

Listen to today’s episode to hear more…

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Thanks to Dave for sharing his updates with us. Check out his website at HonoluaUkuleles.com.

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 2125

A young caller is taking inspiration from their older brother and is learning about side hustles. Awesome! Naturally, they also have a question. Video games, like from Nintendo or Sony, used to be sold in cartridge or disc form. You’d go to the store to pick it up, or you’d order it online if that was an option. But over the past decade, more and more games are delivered digitally. There’s no packaging and no waiting.

Sounds good except for one thing: there’s also no resale market, because the game companies control their downloaded content.

Can anything be done?

“I heard that you used to resell video games, and I have a question. While you can still buy physical copies of many games, the industry is increasingly moving to digital formats.

This is cool for when you want to buy a new game—you can get it right away—but you usually aren’t allowed to transfer the games you own for any reason. Doesn’t this cut off the resale market? I’m wondering if you know a way around this challenge.”

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 2124

Today’s caller wants to offer dog training services by Zoom! How else can you describe it—it’s a pretty simple idea.

These days, of course, all sorts of things happen by Zoom. Even as the pandemic has winded down in lots of ways, many people are reluctant to return to work. In some cases they’re going back to work to have Zoom meetings. In other cases they’ve just moved away from their primary city and are working remotely.

So we’re all used to Zoom and other videoconferencing, but will it work for dog training? I actually think it’s pretty interesting, but let’s hear first from our caller.

“Hi there, this is Sophia from Madison, Wisconsin. As more and more services went virtual during the pandemic, I started thinking about my skills as an animal trainer. In some ways, the idea of Zoom meetings came about due to the need of physical distancing, but I think the greater part of it is the chance to be less limited by distance from clients who are far away.

I keep thinking there has to be a way I can use this skill to work with people anywhere. My day job keeps me tied down, so I can’t travel that much, and I also have to work normal hours. But I have plenty of time in the evenings and weekends to see a different dog owner every day by Zoom.

Do you think people would go for this? Thanks in advance for any tips or advice you might have.”

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 2123

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.

One thing I’ve learned is that once you begin to earn real money, the steps required to go to the next level—whether it’s $1,000 to $2,000, or even to $5,000 or $10,000 are often easier than that first real paycheck.

With that in mind, today’s feature comes from Rachel the Social Media Manager from Toronto. She has a day job she enjoys but—naturally—also has a side hustle that’s bringing in $4,000 a month.

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

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,