Archives: Podcast

Failure Friday: “If I had done any research, I would have picked a different country…”

What It’s About

It seemed like a good plan—but something got lost in translation.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1854

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 Kassandra Marsh from Brisbane, Australia. We told the story of her design business on Episode #1443.

That business was rolling along, but when she decided to pursue a new business idea—an expansion of sorts—she felt confident… perhaps too confident. She’ll tell us the story, and I’ll be back at the end to wrap us up.

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

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

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: “Not Your Mother’s Resumé” Service Doubles Business

What It’s About

An update so good, even your mother would approve.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1853

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.

The 2022 series is off to a strong start. Last week, we heard from the co-founder of Australia’s leading dental blog. Brace yourself! Recently, their dental empire has expanded beyond e-commerce to include blogging and affiliate income.

Today, in our latest feature, we’ll hear from Chelsey Opare-Addo, founder of Not Your Mother’s Resume. We first featured her in December 2020.

What’s happened since?

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

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Thanks to Chelsey for sharing her updates with us. Check out Not Your Mother’s Resumé at NotYourMothersResume.com.
  • Let me know what you think and who you’d like to see featured from our archives of more than 1,000 stories.

 

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 buy a McDonald’s franchise?

What It’s About

Today’s caller wants to know if we McLovin’ their idea to invest in a franchise.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1852

Should you buy a franchise? That’s what our caller is wondering about—they’re looking at investing in a Subway or McDonalds. Is this a $5 foot-long idea?

This takes me back. Long, long ago I wanted to be a franchise owner. I did not see that dream come true, and I’m really glad!

I didn’t want to have a Subway; in my case I was looking for a MailBoxes Etc. which is now known as the UPS store.

Why didn’t I buy? Mostly because I didn’t have the money! Why wouldn’t I buy now? I’ll tell you exactly why along with my advice to our caller in this episode.

“I was thinking…. Instead of trying to have a brilliant side hustle idea, I would find a way to buy an existing franchise. Everyone knows McDonald’s or Subway, right? It feels much safer than taking a risk on an unproven process—but I also assume the startup costs are much higher, because if it was easier then everyone would do it, right? What do you think? Looking forward to hearing your thoughts about this.”

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

Conservation Scientist Designs & Sells Nonbinary Stickers

What It’s About

These nonbinary stickers are the bee’s knees.

Words of Wisdom

Sam shares some important advice, “Time and money are interchangeable. There comes a point when you’ll need to trade some money to free up some time for your business. If you can afford it, do it. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck in the slow lane.” 

Fun Fact

Some of Sam’s best-selling art is of their cats.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1851
Today’s side hustler has made their nonbinary identity into part of their business.

In 2019, conservation scientist Sam Davis started making machine-generated art with a now-defunct program. When you make machine-generated art (or when you tell the machine to make it!), it tends to be cool … but not perfect.

Naturally, that art needed some improvements by a real person, so Sam veered off into learning how to make their own cartoon characters. From their, the process evolved into designing and selling stickers of their nerdy, queer, and wild art—as they call it.

For instance, there’s a magnet of a praying mantis that says “strong female role models” and a sticker of a raccoon in front of a rainbow that says “no gender, only trash.” Sam calls these animals “trash creatures.” They figured it’s a small enough niche that they could get some sales even without much marketing.

To get started, Sam spent about $200 on paper, ink, and a machine for cutting out stickers. Then, they headed out for their first foray into sales, a local Pride event. The tent was in an awful location, Sam felt unprepared, and admits to being TERRIBLE at face-to-face customer service.

The first event was not a moneymaker, but it inspired Sam to keep going and start selling online. Nonbeenary Designs (a play on the word nonbinary) launched as an Etsy shop in December 2019. The shop sells stickers, pins, and magnets.

During 2020, Sam grossed about $4,000 from all sales channels: their website, Etsy, Facebook, and other social media platforms; custom orders; friends, etc. The business was on hold a bit as they moved twice during that time. However, extra money from the side hustle also made it possible to move two adults and all their animals—Sam has 10 cats and 3 dogs—during the pandemic.

For 2021, the income doubled, with a quarter of that coming from Etsy.

They look forward to growing the business more in 2022. As we’ve seen in other stories, one way Sam is doing that is by building up their own direct customer base to circumvent Etsy fees. You get a free sticker offer with every Etsy order if the customers sign up for emails on their website (the email is appropriately called the Bee’s Knees).

Sam is deep into this journey right now, but plans to stick with (get it?) both their day job and the side hustle. The more they can automate, the more time they can focus on doing what they really love: creating new art.

 

 

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
"Don’t get distracted from creating if you’ve got a business built on creation. Creating new designs is the single most important thing you can do. Uploading them is second."
—Sam Davis #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: “I succeeded by following contradictory advice…”

What It’s About

Place a bookmark in this pretty great story.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1850

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.

Last week we heard from Frank Mortimer, also known as the Bee Man of New Jersey. Frank has a business he describes as turning $5 bills into $20 bills—also known as selling jars of honey.

Today’s first $1,000 feature comes from Jess Dollar in Athens, Alabama. We first featured her project back on Episode #1368: Mother Of Five Sells Pretty Old Books.

Let’s hear about Jess’s 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 Jess for telling us about their first $1,000. I hope you found it encouraging. Check out their website at PrettyOldBooks.com, where she offers “Vintage Books For Everyone.” or follow her on Instagram @prettyoldbooks.

SEE ALSO:

  • Mother Of Five Sells Pretty Old Books: When a stay at home mom hopes to avoid returning to full-time work outside the home, she starts selling vintage books packaged by color—and her dream becomes more than a pigment of her imagination.
  • Avid Reader Sells Used Books On Instagram: An IT analyst makes page-turning profits after building a dedicated audience of book enthusiasts. You can make money without a large following!
  • Newlyweds Operate Campground Booking Biz From RV: When a young couple embarks on a journey by RV across the United States, they spot an opportunity in campgrounds that don’t have a convenient way to reserve spots.

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: Should I sell this valuable domain name?

What It’s About

www.howvalueablearedomains.com

Notes from Chris

Episode 1849

If you’re like me, you have way too many domains you’ve registered but never put to use.

Unlike me, however, this listener has a highly valuable one on their hands. Should they cash out to the highest bidder or hold out for a better offer?

“I have a domain name that’s only five letters long. I don’t want to say what it is, but it’s pretty good—not amazing, but pretty good. I’ve never turned it into a website, but I also haven’t let it go. Every year I happily pay that $12 renewal fee! Now I’m thinking it’s time to cash in. Through a broker, I’m pretty sure I can earn at least $5,000 for the domain, and maybe more. But am I selling myself short? What if Facebook decides to rename themselves again and they use my domain for just $5,000?? Okay, that probably won’t happen, but the question remains. Should I hold or fold??”

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: “Square refunded my customer’s payment!”

What It’s About

Today’s listener wants to know what to do when a payment processor refunds their customer.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1848

Well, this is frustrating—one of our listeners has a tour guide business, and recently encountered a negative situation. Unfortunately, it’s a somewhat common negative situation, or at least it isn’t rare in the world of small business. I’m talking about a chargeback, where you’ve sold a product and been paid, but a few weeks or few months later, you get a notice from the bank that they have taken back the money.

Is that fair? Well, if you’re running a fraudulent business or pyramid scheme, probably. But assuming you’re running a perfectly legitimate business and had fulfilled your end of the bargain, it’s not fair at all!

Still, what do you do and how should our listener handle this frustrating situation?

“I’ve been selling unofficial Disneyland tours, where I tell the secrets of Disney that are lesser known or that (in some cases) the company doesn’t want visitors to know about. After I was featured in a local alt weekly newspaper, I’m now getting several new clients a week. I love doing the tours, but I recently had a problem. One of my customers requested a chargeback through their credit card company! I never heard any complaints from them, and as far as I know, they were satisfied. But Square, my payment processor, already refunded the payment and the money is gone from my account. This feels unfair. How can I appeal? And why would someone do this in the first place?”

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: “If I could do it over again, I’m not sure I would…”

What It’s About

A British expat living in Central America cycles back on an early investment choice.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1847

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 Richard Bexon, originally from the UK but has spent a lot of time in Costa Rica and other parts of Central America. We told the successful story of his bicycle transport business on Episode #1438: Cyclist Puts Wheels in Motion on Bike Box Biz.

This is a business that has a lot of built-in complexity, which is part of what turned out to be difficult. He’ll tell the story better than me, so let’s hear from Richard.

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Thanks to Richard for sharing this transparent and truthful story. Check out his website at biciboxcr.com.Check out his website at namutravel.com. They are Central America Travel Experts, offering custom-built itineraries to Costa Rica, Belize, Colombia, Guatemala, Nicaragua & Panama.

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: Aussie Dental Blog Turns Brushheads

What It’s About

A squeaky clean update from two toothbrush importers who turned into bloggers.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1846

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.

We are planning to continue this segment throughout 2022. At more than 1,800 episodes in, we have lots of people to feature.

Today, in our latest feature, we’ll hear from Dean Roller from Sydney, Australia. Together with his friend Andrew Adams, Dean sells toothbrushes—a lot of them. We first featured him in Ep. 612: in search of a side hustle, two Australian friends learn to import toothbrushes from the U.S., earning $30,000 in profit. Recently, their dental empire has expanded beyond e-commerce to include blogging and affiliate income.

What’s happened since?

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

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Thanks to Dean for sharing his updates with us. Check out the website at dentalaware.com.au “Helping 1000’s of Australians Make Better Dental Choices.” I was even able to visit his website from outside Australia!

 

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 do songs get licensed for background music?

What It’s About

This musician wants to know how to monetize their music.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1845

An independent musician seeks advice on skipping out on Spotify. Royalties for most artists are dismal on streaming services—is corporate licensing for background music a better option?

Short version is yes, at least on a comparative basis. What I mean is that if you can get your music licensed with the right agency and if a business chooses to use it and then actually does use it frequently, then you’ll definitely make a lot more money than you would for the same number of people listening on Spotify.

However, those are a lot of conditions that need to be met, so I don’t want to suggest it’s easy.

We’ll look at some details in this episode…

“I’m an independent musician, and have been learning about uploading my songs to Spotify and other platforms. So far I have five of them up, and while it’s cool to see them there—no one is listening, so I’m not earning any royalties. To make money on Spotify you need a lot of streams, and I’m not sure that will happen anytime soon. However, I have another idea: store background music. Some grocery stores or home improvement stores or really any kind of retail locations have music that plays overhead. Sometimes it’s top 40 tunes, but often it’s instrumental tracks or other music they’ve somehow licensed. I feel like this is a much more lucrative opportunity than Spotify for me, and my music is perfect for playing overhead while shoppers browse the aisles. How can I get my big break?”

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,

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Resources

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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

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To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau