Notes from Chris

Episode 2095

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 Michelle in central Florida. As you’ll hear, she was working as a personal trainer but decided to make a big change and become a life coach. How does that work? Let’s hear from her…

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

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 2094

If you invested in cryptocurrency ten years ago … you’re probably not listening to this podcast, because you’re a mega-millionaire. Good work.

If you began investing in cryptocurrency (Bitcoin of course, but also others) in the spring of 2022, you might be less than a mega-millionaire. In fact, you might be sitting on some pretty significant losses.

Some of my investments are down 90%, which isn’t fun. Fortunately I try to diversify, but still, it’s definitely a hit for a lot of us.

Today’s caller is wondering if there’s a bright side: can these losses be deducted from your taxes?

“Like many people, I bought Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies last year. Everyone was doing it and the price kept going higher! Just once problem: I bought at the top and then the market crashed. It seems like we’re in a slow recovery now (what do you think?) but in the meantime I’m sitting on a big loss, at least on paper.

Can I deduct this on my taxes or otherwise see some kind of benefit? I know, you don’t usually think of losing a lot of money as a benefit, but I’m looking for any silver linings. ”

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 2093

A caller has an idea to offer a series of online home improvement classes. She’s wondering if it’s a good idea, and how she might market it?

I love this question and it reminded me that we need to spend more time on the second part. I’ll explain more in my answer!

“My idea is to offer a series of home improvement classes, all taught online. I’ve thought this through a lot. There are a bunch of famous YouTubers (or at least YouTubers with big followings) in this space. There are also platforms like Udemy that have similar courses.

So my twist is to start very niche, like how to install a towel bar in the bathroom and make sure it’s level, or how to upgrade your toilet to one of those fancy Japanese ones. Do you think I’m on the right track? How can I connect with potential subscribers and paying 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 2092

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 MacKenzie from Vancouver, Canada. As you’ll hear, she has a successful Shopify store selling party favors and a few other things. Most of the time, the business operates quite nicely. But one day … well, you’ll hear it from her.

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 2091

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 Trevor Rappley, the founder of FranchiseFilming.com. Since we first featured him, he’s increased his team and his business 10x!

Today, in our latest feature, we’ll hear from a Toronto yoga teacher who offers classes to people with chronic illnesses. Her name is Kayla Kurin and we first featured her long, long ago in episode 828.

What’s happened since? Let’s hear directly from Kayla.

Listen to today’s episode to hear more…

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Thanks to Kayla for sharing her updates with us. Check out her website at KaylaKurin.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 2090

It’s good to reinvest in your business, but not at any cost—in fact, I think it’s important to invest in yourself and pay yourself.

Today’s caller wants to know how much you pay yourself vs. reinvesting to grow the business. Great question!

“I’m starting to make real money in my fabrication business, and now I have a dilemma. This is a good problem, of course, but it’s still a problem: how much money (percentage-wise) should I reinvest back into my business?

I like the idea of putting a good bit back in, especially if I can use it to make even more money in the future. But I’ve also heard that it’s good to take some profits. How would you advise me? Is there a certain percentage I should aim for?”

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 2088

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 Amanda Peterson in Kansas City. She signed up for the Amazon Merch on Demand program and got to work. Within a few months, she’d earned more than $1,000 and continues to earn income passively each month.

But what about those early days—how did she make that happen, what did it feel like, and what did she learn?

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

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 2087

A listener is trying to grow his Instagram following. Seems easy enough, right? Actually, no—lots of people struggle with this! It’s a crowded space with lots of people trying to attract attention.

Rather than talk about tactics, let’s look at the bigger picture: why does someone attract followers? What is the crucial characteristic? We’ll look at two characteristics, in fact: knowledge (authority) and relatability.

“I’m wondering if you can settle a discussion between a friend and me. We’re both trying to grow our Instagram followings and eventually monetize through affiliate programs and maybe coaching.

Our discussion is about what people want the most when they choose to follow and listen to an expert: is it the knowledge they have (and how they share it) or is it their relatability and approachability?

Presumably you have to have some of both qualities—but if you had to choose, where would you put the emphasis?”

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 2086

I believe that just about every skill can be monetized, you just have to think creatively and learn to adapt the skill to something people will pay for.

Today’s caller is skilled at gaming—how can he apply this principle? He also has a caveat: no eSports. He doesn’t want to play games competitively, he wants to take this knowledge and earn from it.

“I’m good at video games … like really good. I’ve been playing at least five hours a day for twenty years. Games have changed a lot during that time, but I’ve kept up. From the Atari 2600 to the PS5, I can hang.

So since you say that every talent can be monetized … how can I monetize this? I don’t want to compete in eSports, but I’m open to any other ideas.”

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,