Archives: Podcast

TBT: NYC Pet Sitter Saves $200,000

What It’s About

A barking great update from a NYC pet sitter.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1923

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.

Recently, we’ve featured a guy in Chicago who leads pizza tours as well as an actress in Los Angeles who left a career in soap opera to become a professional organizer. Last week, we heard from one-half of the Auctionisters, two sisters who work as professional auctioneers to help charities raise money.

Today, in our latest feature, we’ll hear from Jen Tserng. We first featured her in Ep. 726: Medical Examiner Discovers New Paws-ibilities With Pet Sitting Hustle.

What’s happened since? Let’s hear directly from Jen, who has an update and also some tips for potential pet sitters.

Note that Jen lived in NYC for a number of years, but is now based in Colorado.

Listen to today’s episode to hear Jen’s updates…

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Thanks to Jen for sharing her updates with us. Check out her Rover account at Rover | Jen Tserng or follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @DrJenT.

 

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

Create your online store with Shopify using an exclusive discount for Side Hustle School listeners. For a limited time, get a free 21-day trial and a 10% discount for a whole year.

Many Side Hustle School listeners are building sites using Shopify's easy-to-learn platform. Try it free today! Learn More

GET YOUR FIRST 1,000 EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS

Social media is nice, but building an email list is still the single best way to get customers and clients for your hustle. It's not hard to get started—sign up for a 30-day trial and join the list-building challenge! You’ll be up and running in no time. Learn More

Sponsors & Gratitude

Don't Do Business Without It

Side Hustle School is brought to you by American Express.

No matter what you do in business, from working nine-to-five to working five-to-nine, it’s easier when you don’t go it alone. Get the powerful backing of American Express—don't do business without it! 💳 Visit American Express

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.
Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Q&A: How can I sell my delicious hot chocolate recipe?

What It’s About

Today’s caller has an idea to sell their special recipe. Possible?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1922

Today’s caller wants to sell her delicious and nutritious hot chocolate!

Sounds great, right?

But there’s a twist. She doesn’t want to create a big company—instead, she’d love to sell the recipe.

Is this a feasible goal? What does she need to know and do next?

“Hi, this is Mary from Louisville, Kentucky. And I’ve been listening to the show for a few months now. I really enjoy hearing all the different creative ways others have started to side hustle for themselves. My question is about large scale production of a food product. I’m a registered dietitian in my day job. I also really enjoy warm drinks, including hot chocolate for personal use. I have developed an instant hot chocolate mix out of ingredients that are more nutritious than what is sold in the typical store-bought mixes from working with my clients. I think others would like this product as well. However, I’m not really interested in the time and effort it would take to produce this on a large scale myself. I’m wondering, is selling this recipe to a larger company a viable option? And if so, how can I get in contact with the right person.”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

Create your online store with Shopify using an exclusive discount for Side Hustle School listeners. For a limited time, get a free 21-day trial and a 10% discount for a whole year.

Many Side Hustle School listeners are building sites using Shopify's easy-to-learn platform. Try it free today! Learn More

GET YOUR FIRST 1,000 EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS

Social media is nice, but building an email list is still the single best way to get customers and clients for your hustle. It's not hard to get started—sign up for a 30-day trial and join the list-building challenge! You’ll be up and running in no time. Learn More

Sponsors & Gratitude

Don't Do Business Without It

Side Hustle School is brought to you by American Express.

No matter what you do in business, from working nine-to-five to working five-to-nine, it’s easier when you don’t go it alone. Get the powerful backing of American Express—don't do business without it! 💳 Visit American Express

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.
Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Intelligence Officer Cracks Code with 7-Figure Course

What It’s About

A former intelligence officer helps women learn how to code from her RV.

Words of Wisdom

Julia suggests finding a community of like minded, supportive people where you feel comfortable enough to ask any question. Julia also believes in changing your title to web developer right away and telling people that’s what you do. You’ll be surprised how quickly you step into that role and find clients when people know what you do.

Fun Fact

WordPress is the world’s most popular website builder. It powers over 31% of all websites.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1921
Julia Taylor’s face burned with embarrassment. She had just asked for help in an online forum for web developers and had been mocked for her “silly question.” And it wasn’t the first time. From these negative experiences, she vowed to create a more supportive and inclusive community.

But let’s go back a bit. A former U.S. Intelligence Officer, Julia had left her previous career where she had been stationed in Afghanistan to follow her heart to the U.K. and be with her boyfriend, a member of the British Special Forces. The couple married and her husband remained in the military, which meant they had to move every two years. This halted any career growth for Julia, leaving her in an unfulfilling day job.

One day, her boss came in and told Julia to figure out how to make the company website do a particular thing. Julia managed to complete the task with a bit of Google research. She had never touched a line of code before in her life, but she figured it out and it worked! From that moment on, Julia was hooked on coding.

She had a feeling that this could be her ticket to location independence and a career she could do anywhere.

Julia developed her online course, WP Rockstar…along with a community she called GeekPack, that same year. Through the community she began teaching women—and a few men now and then—how to code.

This project has been a tremendous success.

She’s now taught more than 2,500 students and has six team members to help manage the GeekPack online community. The purpose of GeekPack is to empower women to change their lives for the better through the power of code.

Learning to code didn’t cost Julia anything upfront because she already had a laptop, so her startup costs were low. The business now brings in—get this—seven-figures annually.

The eighteen months spent living in an RV was a fun and challenging time that showed her anything is possible. For Julia, the best thing about her business is showing other women that code doesn’t have to be techy or bro-ish…it’s just problem solving and troubleshooting—skills that anyone can learn.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

WEB HOSTING @ $2.49/MONTH

Want to build any kind of website for your hustle? If so, you'll need somewhere to host it! This is the reliable company I've used for many websites. It's cheap, flexible, and offers support 24-7.

Get your own hosting plan for just $2.49 a month!
Learn More

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

Earn 50,000 travel rewards points (enough for 2 round-trip plane tickets or $625 in travel credit). You'll also earn 2x points on all travel and dining spend, with zero foreign transaction fees.

I use this card every day all over the world! ✈️ Learn More

Quote of the Day
"Venture out, learn what makes you uncomfortable and repeat. What I learned about myself in 15 years I could never have learned just from reading books or hearing others tell their stories."
—Eva Rosales #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Try ShipStation for 60 Days FREE!

Today’s episode of Side Hustle School is brought to you by ShipStation, the #1 choice of online sellers. 📦

To get a 30-day trial AND an additional month free, click the microphone at the top of their page and enter the word HUSTLE.
Get it Here

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.
Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

First $1,000: “It doesn’t sound like much, but it meant the world to me…”

What It’s About

A real-life fairy tale of a blogger who turned graying hair into gold.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1920

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 Katie Emery. We first featured her story back on Episode #1732: “Going Gray” Blog Brings in $6,000/Month. I believe she has surpassed that now and is climbing toward six-figures—pretty amazing for such a niche topic.

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

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Thanks to Katie for telling us about their first $1,000. I hope you found it encouraging. Check out KatieGoesPlatinum.com or follow her anywhere: Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram, Friendster, Metaverse …. Katie is there or will be.

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

WEB HOSTING @ $2.49/MONTH

Want to build any kind of website for your hustle? If so, you'll need somewhere to host it! This is the reliable company I've used for many websites. It's cheap, flexible, and offers support 24-7.

Get your own hosting plan for just $2.49 a month!
Learn More

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

Earn 50,000 travel rewards points (enough for 2 round-trip plane tickets or $625 in travel credit). You'll also earn 2x points on all travel and dining spend, with zero foreign transaction fees.

I use this card every day all over the world! ✈️ Learn More

Sponsors & Gratitude

Don't Do Business Without It

Side Hustle School is brought to you by American Express.

No matter what you do in business, from working nine-to-five to working five-to-nine, it’s easier when you don’t go it alone. Get the powerful backing of American Express—don't do business without it! 💳 Visit American Express

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.
Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Q&A: Which is better: direct or indirect income?

What It’s About

Today’s listener seeks advice on two different revenue models. What should they know?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1919

There are many, many different ways to get paid. Today, one of our listeners is going to help me make a distinction between direct and indirect income. These terms aren’t always used, so I’ll define them for you more specifically in my answer.

Basically, the business model our caller is developing is either a B2B or B2C operation, depending on whether he/she chooses to get paid mostly through affiliate and advertising revenue, or through selling to consumers themselves.

Note: these aren’t two different business ideas! They’re just two different revenue models. So if you’ve settled on your idea, depending on your project you might have one more big choice to make. Let’s see how we can help with this situation….

“I’m deciding between different business models and have come across something I don’t think you’ve talked about. In the SIDE HUSTLE book, you drew a distinction between a product business and a service business. But here’s what I’m wondering: for both of those categories, there are also different ways to get paid. I want to start a website that publishes information on sports betting. In this business, I could get paid through affiliate commissions and advertising, or by selling a guide or some other kind of product directly to my visitors. I suppose I could technically do both, but let’s imagine it was one or the other. Both options are services, but is it better to get paid by an advertising network or directly by customers for something you sell? Let’s also assume the money is the same in this situation.”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

Earn 50,000 travel rewards points (enough for 2 round-trip plane tickets or $625 in travel credit). You'll also earn 2x points on all travel and dining spend, with zero foreign transaction fees.

I use this card every day all over the world! ✈️ Learn More

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

Create your online store with Shopify using an exclusive discount for Side Hustle School listeners. For a limited time, get a free 21-day trial and a 10% discount for a whole year.

Many Side Hustle School listeners are building sites using Shopify's easy-to-learn platform. Try it free today! Learn More

Sponsors & Gratitude

Learn More With Skillshare!

Supporting the sponsors keeps the show free. Today’s episode of Side Hustle School is brought to you by Skillshare. 📷

Skillshare is giving Side Hustle School listeners 2 months of unlimited access—for $0.99! Join the 2 million students learning everything from street photography to SEO on Skillshare today!
Get Started Here!

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.


Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Q&A: Is my business idea a pyramid scheme?

What It’s About

Today’s listener has an idea. Hopefully, it isn’t fraudulent.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1918

It’s not often that someone calls in and says, “Am I running a pyramid scheme?” … but that’s basically what we’ve got here. Hey, it’s a safe space! Better to know up front if your idea might not pass muster.

So what exactly is our brave caller trying to do? Let’s see if we can figure it out based on the information they provide. Good times!

“I have an idea: I want to create a fashion review network that gives out points to people who post in an app. The points can convert to real money, and the more people use the app or refer their friends, the more points they’ll receive … which of course can eventually turn into money. My friend, however, told me that this is basically a pyramid scheme. I’ve always liked Egypt … but I don’t want to do anything shady or unethical. So I thought I’d ask you: is this idea actually a pyramid scheme? If so, what are the characteristics that cause you to think that?”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

Create your online store with Shopify using an exclusive discount for Side Hustle School listeners. For a limited time, get a free 21-day trial and a 10% discount for a whole year.

Many Side Hustle School listeners are building sites using Shopify's easy-to-learn platform. Try it free today! Learn More

GET YOUR FIRST 1,000 EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS

Social media is nice, but building an email list is still the single best way to get customers and clients for your hustle. It's not hard to get started—sign up for a 30-day trial and join the list-building challenge! You’ll be up and running in no time. Learn More

Sponsors & Gratitude

Don't Do Business Without It

Side Hustle School is brought to you by American Express.

No matter what you do in business, from working nine-to-five to working five-to-nine, it’s easier when you don’t go it alone. Get the powerful backing of American Express—don't do business without it! 💳 Visit American Express

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.
Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Failure Friday: “They said it was a wonderful opportunity…”

What It’s About

A private chef wonders why he took that boat job.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1917

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 Chris Spear from Frederick, Maryland. We told the successful story of his culinary adventures on Episode #1557.

As you’ll hear in this story, “When you’re starting out, you think you have to do whatever it takes to get in front of customers…”

But that’s not always a good idea; sometimes you just end up giving things away with no return at all.

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Thanks to Chris for sharing this transparent and truthful story. Check out his website at PerfectLittleBites.com.

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

Create your online store with Shopify using an exclusive discount for Side Hustle School listeners. For a limited time, get a free 21-day trial and a 10% discount for a whole year.

Many Side Hustle School listeners are building sites using Shopify's easy-to-learn platform. Try it free today! Learn More

GET YOUR FIRST 1,000 EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS

Social media is nice, but building an email list is still the single best way to get customers and clients for your hustle. It's not hard to get started—sign up for a 30-day trial and join the list-building challenge! You’ll be up and running in no time. Learn More

Sponsors & Gratitude

Don't Do Business Without It

Side Hustle School is brought to you by American Express.

No matter what you do in business, from working nine-to-five to working five-to-nine, it’s easier when you don’t go it alone. Get the powerful backing of American Express—don't do business without it! 💳 Visit American Express

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.
Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

TBT: “Auction Sisters” Raise Millions for Charities

What It’s About

A bid-raising update from one-half of a sisterly auctioneering team. Sold!

Notes from Chris

Episode 1916

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 the founder of Pizza City USA, which offers walking tours (and an upcoming festival!) from its home base in Chicago.

Today, in our latest feature, we’ll hear from Katie Cashman Fitzsimmons from Bismark, North Dakota. She is one-half of the Cashman auctioneer sisters known as Auctionisters. They facilitate charity auctions that raise millions of dollars for good causes across the United States.

What’s happened since? Well, there was a pandemic you might have heard about … But they also continued raising lots of money, getting paid themselves, and navigating the world of childcare and other parts of life.

What’s happened since?

Listen to today’s episode to hear Katie’s updates…

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Thanks to Katie for sharing their updates with us. Check out their website at theauctionisters.com. They have live events coming up in North Dakota and Montana.

 

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

Create your online store with Shopify using an exclusive discount for Side Hustle School listeners. For a limited time, get a free 21-day trial and a 10% discount for a whole year.

Many Side Hustle School listeners are building sites using Shopify's easy-to-learn platform. Try it free today! Learn More

GET YOUR FIRST 1,000 EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS

Social media is nice, but building an email list is still the single best way to get customers and clients for your hustle. It's not hard to get started—sign up for a 30-day trial and join the list-building challenge! You’ll be up and running in no time. Learn More

Sponsors & Gratitude

Don't Do Business Without It

Side Hustle School is brought to you by American Express.

No matter what you do in business, from working nine-to-five to working five-to-nine, it’s easier when you don’t go it alone. Get the powerful backing of American Express—don't do business without it! 💳 Visit American Express

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.
Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Q&A: Should I pursue three ideas or just one?

What It’s About

Today’s listener has a lot of ideas. Where should they put their focus?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1915

It’s a classic case of focus vs. diversification: how many projects can you work on at once? Should you go deep or go wide?

Over the years I’ve noticed that most side hustlers struggle with this in one way or another, or even if they don’t struggle, they still face decisions about choosing between different ideas or just where to put their attention.

I tend to disagree with most hard-and-fast advice over this question. I’d never say “You must choose only one business idea at a time”—but I also understand the real risks and costs associated with not focusing at all.

Today’s caller has a dilemma around this topic. They have three independent ideas and aren’t sure whether they should eliminate any of them. What should they do—or how can they make the best decision?

“I’ve made this my year of the hustle, and I’m working on three independent ideas. These ideas don’t compete with each other for the most part, and they can each by done according to whatever schedule I set. That said, even though I’m excited about each idea and they don’t really conflict, I’m worried I won’t be able to give my all to each of them. My question is: should I drop two of them to focus more intensely on one? Or maybe split the difference and drop one, so that there’s just two? It’s tricky because I’m not relying on these projects for income right now, but I want to be able to do that in the near future. That’s why I had three ideas and thought it would be good to spread the risk and potential profit around.”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

Create your online store with Shopify using an exclusive discount for Side Hustle School listeners. For a limited time, get a free 21-day trial and a 10% discount for a whole year.

Many Side Hustle School listeners are building sites using Shopify's easy-to-learn platform. Try it free today! Learn More

GET YOUR FIRST 1,000 EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS

Social media is nice, but building an email list is still the single best way to get customers and clients for your hustle. It's not hard to get started—sign up for a 30-day trial and join the list-building challenge! You’ll be up and running in no time. Learn More

Sponsors & Gratitude

Don't Do Business Without It

Side Hustle School is brought to you by American Express.

No matter what you do in business, from working nine-to-five to working five-to-nine, it’s easier when you don’t go it alone. Get the powerful backing of American Express—don't do business without it! 💳 Visit American Express

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.
Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Las Vegas Wedding Officiant Bets on Red

What It’s About

A car rental executive says “I do” to a new career officiating weddings.

Words of Wisdom

For those looking to follow in her footsteps Maria suggests, “Practice your ceremony just like a professional public speaker and be well versed in different types of traditions so you can create a personalized ceremony that suits your couple.”

Fun Fact

Did you know…. global rapper/superstar Cardi B is also a wedding officiant?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1914
Life takes everyone on a different journey. And sometimes something monumental happens and we suddenly veer off to a whole new life. That’s what happened to today’s side hustler, Maria Romano. Several months after the death of her husband, Maria was looking to start over. She wanted to do something she enjoyed that had an impact on others. After she saw a friend perform a wedding ceremony, she knew she’d found a calling. She wanted to become a wedding officiant.

A wedding officiant is someone who performs wedding ceremonies and can branch out to perform funerals, end of life ceremonies, and naming ceremonies for infants. You must be an ordained minister to perform weddings but receiving your ordination can be done fairly simply. It doesn’t mean going to divinity schools for years … in most cases, it’s much, much easier.

When she started, her cost of licensing with the county and ordination was about $150 and her website was about $500 to get up and running. Being a wedding officiant began as a side hustle for Maria, but it eventually grew into one of her main sources of income.

As a part-timer doing weddings 50% of her time, she made between $15,000 to $20,000 a year. Now she earns over six figures a year.

Maria wishes she had a mentor all those years ago to help get her business started. So to help others just starting out, she’s created a training course that teaches budding officiants everything they need to know about licensing requirements, how to perform the perfect ceremony, and how to create a competitive fee structure.

For her, all of these elements have combined into a rewarding second act.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

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Quote of the Day
"Your reputation and your integrity say everything about you."
—Maria Romano #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

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To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau