Notes from Chris

Episode 2122

Outsourcing is a mythological concept in some circles. It can solve everything! In other circles it’s a disaster in the making. Lots of people hire contractors and virtual assistants and end up with all sorts of bad experiences. I’m somewhere in the middle there—I’ve worked with lots of contractors, some good and some not-so-good.

Today our caller is starting a second side hustle (apparently the first is going well enough to give him some profits to work with) and he wants to know where to find the best virtual assistants and other contractors.

“What’s up, Chris and team! I’ve been enjoying the show and am making steps towards my second side hustle. My question today is about hiring contractors: where’s the best place to do that? I think you’ve mentioned Fiverr and at least one other one, but I’m not sure of the ideal starting point. ”

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 2121

When it comes to money recommendations, I recommend you do a couple things. Don’t forget to set aside money for taxes, for example. What else? Oh, keep your business finances separate from your personal accounts!

So how do you do that? Well, ideally you need a separate bank account. This isn’t usually that hard and it should be free or close to free. There also isn’t usually much red tape or hoop-jumping you need to do to open this account at most banks or credit unions. But a listener has encountered a problem—their bank won’t let them!

“I thought it would be a good idea to have a separate business account for my side hustle, but I ran into a problem when I went to the bank. After waiting nearly an hour to talk to someone, they said that I didn’t qualify because my business wasn’t registered properly.

I thought you don’t need a license for most simple businesses like mine! Now I’m annoyed at the bank but also a little worried that I’ve been doing something wrong. Have you heard of this happening before? ”

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 2120

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 Thomas from Maryland. He started a membership site that was going very well, but unfortunately he took his eye off the ball.

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 2119

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 Brian Sonia-Wallace in West Hollywood, California. He’s the founder of Rent Poet, offering Typewriter Poetry for Events & Custom Commissions.

Today, in our latest feature, we’ll hear from Justin 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.”

What’s happened since we first heard from him long ago and pre-pandemic? Let’s hear directly from Justin. 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 Justin for sharing his updates with us. Check out his website at LazyJar.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 2118

Shoutout to all firefighters and other first responders out there! Today we’ll hear from one of them—a firefighter, that is. He wants the same thing that everyone who listens to this podcast wants: extra income on the side, preferably passive and stress-free income. Might as well ask for what you want, you know?

As Joe notes, firefighters have an unusual schedule that consists of peak action when they’re out on a job, and a lot of time to chill when they’re sitting around the station. He’s got an idea to put some of that time to use. Let’s hear from him and see if we can offer anything helpful.

“Hey Chris, it’s Robert from Cincinnati. I’m a firefighter, and we’re always looking at ways to raise money for the station. I’m also looking for ways to make extra money on the side (don’t tell my chief!). The thing is that we have a lot of down time when no calls are coming in. Lots of guys play Xbox or lift weights; I spend the time reading about side hustles and studying for my real estate license.

This brings me to my question: I’d like to develop some print-on-demand “support your local firefighter” merch. It looks like I can do this with Amazon and a few other platforms, though of course Amazon is the biggest. What’s the best way to make this more targeted, and how do I find customers?”

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 2117

You can make all kinds of things using AI art tools like Midjourney and DALL-E. If you haven’t seen this yet, it’s pretty cool. You just type in a sentence and the AI engine creates an original image—not just searching a database, but creating something new. I’ve been playing around for it as I work on my next book and it’s fun and scary.

Today’s caller wants to know about the business usage of AI-generated art. Can you just sell it? If so, let’s get selling because it’s really easy to make…

“Hi, this is Roger from Maine and I’ve been enjoying the show for several years. I hope to have a story to contribute at some point.

In the meantime, I’ve been using DALL-E to make AI art. It’s a lot of fun and it’s also made me wonder about the business usages of it. Can artists sell the work they produce with AI? Do they have to tell people it was made with AI, or does that even matter?

It feels like a whole new world, and I’m curious what you think of the commercial aspect of these things. Thanks a lot and best wishes to everyone else out there.”

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 2116

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 Alli. Together with her sister, she’s making a combination board game and app that teaches people about the stars.

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

Let’s hear it from Alli. 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 2115

Today’s caller has just come from an airline lounge—one of the better ones, it sounds like. He has an idea to take the concept and introduce it in his local shopping mall. Is this a winning idea or should it be retired like Radioshack, Pier One, Sam Goody’s, Toys R Us, and Sharper Image?

(Those are just a few of the stores I found on a list of failed retailers that are no longer in business.)

“I got to visit my first airline lounge recently, and I thought it was really cool. They had free drinks, and even some food that wasn’t terrible. They even had a Peloton you could use for a quick workout between flights—awesome!

I get why airports are an ideal location for these kinds of spaces, but might they work elsewhere?”

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 2114

Today’s caller has a detailed technical problem … no, wait—they have imposter syndrome, which they describe as a limiting belief of low self-confidence. Have you heard of that? Do you have that?

Let’s hear from them and consider what can be done.

“I have a problem that has nothing to do with making a website or asking for a sale. I’m actually pretty good at logistics and can figure things out along the way.

My problem is one that most of your stories don’t seem to experience: a lack of self-confidence. I just don’t feel that I’m good enough to take action on following my dreams, even if the dream is fairly simple. This is a limiting belief but I don’t know how to move past it.

Have you ever heard of anyone in this situation? I’m really hoping you have some advice to help me get over my insecurities!”

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 2113

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 Jordan from Virginia. She learned a hard and awkward lesson: no one wants to come to your network marketing party. Don’t do it!

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,