Archives: Podcast

Q&A: Videographer hopes to provide remote filming services

What It’s About

Today’s listener seeks to capitalize on the changing lens of content creation.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1768

As you’re no doubt well aware, remote work is here to stay, at least for many people in many fields. Even as some companies have encouraged or mandated their employees to return to the office, plenty of others have found resistance with employees saying “No thanks, I think I’d like to keep up this remote gig.”

The trend has even made it to industries where you might imagine that working from a distance would be impossible. For example, today’s caller is a videographer who hopes to go fully virtual with his filming services. It’s not as crazy as you might think, because LinkedIn and other companies have done this recently—what does he need to know?

“I’m a videographer in a medium-sized city, and before the pandemic I was building my portfolio and getting ready to possibly go full-time. But for the past year I’ve just been working my day job, which is now remote. I’d like to get back into video work, and I’m wondering about the possibility of doing it remotely as well. It might seem a little crazy, but I know several other studios that are doing exactly this. Basically, they send out a kit to the people who are filming a course or commercial, and then guide the person through the filming remotely by Zoom. It does require some investment, since I’ll need to buy extra gear to ship to people. But on the upside, if it worked, I could serve clients wherever they were instead of just in my area. How can I show potential clients the benefits of this method, as well as overcome any objections they might have?”

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

Solitaire Game App Earns $10,000/Month

What It’s About

A web developer creates his own online version of a classic game.

Words of Wisdom

When it comes to starting a side hustle of your own, Holger says to launch it quickly. “Don’t spend too long working on your initial project. Get it out there as soon as humanly possible, so you can see if people like it and you’re able to make money off of it somehow. I’ve had several projects I’ve spent a long time working on that were flukes in the sense that people didn’t really like the product or I weren’t able to make some money off of it.”

Fun Fact

In the United Kingdom, Solitaire is typically called “Patience” instead.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1767
Back in the early 2010s, some of us were reading The Hunger Games, some people were doing the Harlem Shake, “Call Me Maybe” was playing on the radio, and Holger Sindbaek [hold-ger sind-beck] was really getting into bingo.

Holger wanted to make an app or website of some sort, and he started to analyze several gaming apps. He used a popular analytics service called AppAnnie. With that, he could see how many downloads that apps had, as well as their ratings and estimated income.

That research led him to notice something strange: there were a bunch of apps that were getting a lot of downloads and making money, but also had really bad reviews. If he could make a better version of one of those apps, he thought, he’d get even more downloads and make even more money than they were.

Holger ended up settling on making a solitaire app, which he called Freecell. He knew that he could make a better version of the game than what was currently out there, plus it just seemed like fun.

It took him about two weeks of work to get the first version to launch, and it was a moderate success. People were downloading it, and a few of them were even willing to make some of the in-app purchases he offered. He even made two other versions: Klondike and Spider Solitaire.

For a few years, these three apps were garnering about $1,000-$1,500 each month.

Since then, Holger has also implemented the opportunities for video ads. He has also increased the size of the ads and how frequently they change. Besides that, Holger says that he generally tries to continue making improvements on the website to get people to stick around longer or download the desktop app.

He also continued to improve his SEO, which has ended up being his trump card. All this work brought in a lot more people, and in turn a lot more money, to his website.

In the last few years, with introducing those ads and continuing to optimize, the website slowly began to rank for different keywords related to solitaire, which a lot of people search for. Now, the website makes more than $10,000 every single month.

Holger is using that money to play his cards well. He’s going back to school to study mechanical engineering, and even starting a new side hustle. For this one, he’s focusing on making jewelry boxes with precision cuts from one solid piece of European oak.

He doesn’t plan on stopping his solitaire game any time soon, and he also likes it the way it is right now: something to do on the side, bringing in real money every month, with no pressure to scale.

 

 

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 spend too long working on your initial project. Get it out there as soon as humanly possible, so you can see if people like it and you’re able to make money off of it somehow. I’ve had several projects I’ve spent a long time working on that were flukes in the sense that people didn’t really like the product or I weren’t able to make some money off of it."
—Holger Sindbaek #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

Q&A: Which business models are evergreen?

What It’s About

Today’s listener wants to know if there are any business ideas that always work.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1766

Opportunities come and go, but some business models stay around forever. Aside from reselling—which we cover from time to time—what are they?

That’s what our listener is asking, and I’m glad she is. It’s a simple but important question especially as the world continues to evolve rapidly.

I don’t want to miss the forest for the trees, or chase too many rabbits, or whatever your preferred metaphor is.

A business is just a product or service, someone who wants to pay for it, and a means of making a transaction. If you’re selling cookies on my street, I will buy them and pay you by Venmo or CashApp.

“Lately you’ve had a number of episodes on trends including NFTs, cryptocurrencies, and businesses related to the pandemic. I’m wondering if there are any business models that are tried-and-true in the sense that it doesn’t really matter what’s happening in the world, they are still in demand and there’s still a market for them. Maybe I should clarify and say, “What kind of business model is evergreen __that isn’t selling a commodity?__”—since I know it’s hard to make money doing that. Aside from reselling, which I know you also take about, does anything fit that description?”

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

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

Nighttime Marathoner Has Bright Idea

What It’s About

A product invention so fresh and so clean it makes over seven-figures on Amazon.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Allison shares some important words of encouragement for fellow side hustlers, “There will be good days and there will be tough days but don’t give up; remind yourself why you’re doing this and let it motivate you. When I get kicked down, I remind myself that I’m trying to work to determine my own future and be my own boss. That future vision keeps me motivated and my head held high.”

Fun Fact

Allison’s R&D pups are named Hauser von Schnauzer and Bandit von Schnauzer. The vet thought she was pranking when she first made an appointment for Hauser von Schnauzer.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1765
Allison Tully is a competitive runner—she does a 3:15 marathon—who’s often up before the sun with her training partners. They all wear multiple pieces of equipment such as headlamps, safety vests, and red blinkers to light the path ahead of them, but the gear is clunky, heavy, and a pain to wear. And it doesn’t always work. Despite wearing all that gear, Allison has been hit by cars twice while running. (Not to worry. Since I’m telling you this story, she’s okay.)

One morning in the summer of 2018, the group was getting ready to run when Allison’s friend Christy was struggling with her LED vest. It had become a tangled mess, so Christy finally gave up in frustration and said “I’ll just run with you all lighting the way.”

Allison hated to see her friend, a mother of three, wearing all black in the dead of the night without a single piece of gear to keep her lit up. Admittedly, she doesn’t like wearing a bulky headlamp either, since it led to all kinds of issues like headaches and neck issues from skewed running form.

This was her lightbulb moment, literally: could there a way to combine all of the pieces into one comfortable unit that wasn’t a bother to wear? She went home and asked her husband if that concept could work. He’s a rocket scientist and a straight-shooter, so she knew he’d be honest with her. Fortunately, he liked the idea of taking on a big challenge.

Allison wanted to make her product in the U.S. but didn’t have much luck with domestic manufacturers, so she looked overseas instead. They imported samples from China and sent multiple versions of the light to testers, ultimately landing on two products and producing their proof of concept.

By now they also had a name: the InfinitiLoop. To launch it, Allison made a few Instagram posts on her personal page but, in hindsight, she wishes they’d done a more focused pre-launch campaign.

The InfinitiLoop now averages around $2,000 in sales per week. The biggest contributor to growth has been word of mouth from the local running community. Her running club relationships led to a big deal with an elite triathlon team who agreed to an annual team order! Several of those athletes have a large social media following, which has also helped.

Going forward, Allison is working on new packaging to encourage more influencers to post unboxing videos. She says they have a second InfinitiLoop that is nearing prototype completion, and they’re also doing a limited-edition InfinitiLoop for dog walkers.

This unexpected market—dog walkers—have turned into a huge customer base so that they can keep their hands free to hold the leash without having to fumble around with a flashlight or phone. Because Allison’s company is called PeakPerformance, that branding leaves them open to launching other projects beyond the InfinitiLoop.

For example, she and her husband are also working to release an LED dog harness that a dog can’t wiggle its way out of, something they’ve experienced with their own pups. All that to say, the path is well-lit and the future is bright.

 

 

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

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

Quote of the Day
"There will be good days and there will be tough days but don’t give up; remind yourself why you’re doing this and let it motivate you. When I get kicked down, I remind myself that I’m trying to work to determine my own future and be my own boss. That future vision keeps me motivated and my head held high."
—Allison Tully #SideHustleSchool

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 Halloween Special: How to market spooky savory pastries?

What It’s About

Today’s caller has a scary treat for sale. How can she scare people into buying it?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1764

It’s always good to find that thing you enjoy that you’d do for free just because it’s fun to you—and it doesn’t matter if it’s fun to anyone else!

Sometimes I feel like a lot of my work is like that, but of course it’s even better that I have listeners and readers who care. Sometimes I even get paid!

Well, today’s question comes to us in that spirit: a listener who enjoys doing something for free, but would also like to sell it. Speaking of that spirit, it’s also Halloween tomorrow! And in fact, our listener in Canada is making a spooky treat for sale. She’ll describe it more in her question … let’s see if we can help her out.

“This is Carolina from Ottawa in Canada. And I’ve been listening to the show since 2018. I’m thinking about starting a side hustle that, to be honest, I would do it for free. And as a matter of fact, I have been doing it for free as a hobby but butter is expensive, and I would love to see if this passion would help me pay for more than just butter. I would love to sell people pot pies for the spooky season ahead of us. People pot pies are cherry or blueberry pies with a crust made to look like a dead person. I know it’s a bit jarring. That’s why I must wait for Halloween season to do this. My question is how would you recommend that a market this be a social media like charcuterie board do or coffee shops, restaurants to sell like wholesale?”

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: “We failed to account for the ingredients to success…”

What It’s About

“Hello operator, can I get my $300k back please?”

Notes from Chris

Episode 1763

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.

Pride goes before a fall—or before a major business expansion.

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 Sam Davidson from Nashville, Tennessee. We told the successful story of his business with two friends and co-founders on Episode #1083: Boxing Up the Best of Handmade Nashville. But their early success led to hubris and a lot of wasted money… in fact, we could call this episode “How to lose the better part of $300,000.”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Thanks to Sam for sharing this transparent and truthful story. Check out their website at BatchUSA.com or follow them on Instagram at @batchnashville.

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: Kindle Books Produce Passive Income for Aussie Novelist

What It’s About

A down-under update from a writer who cracks the code of nonfiction (and now fiction!) publishing on Amazon.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1762

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 Martin de Ruyter in New Zealand. During lockdown, his handmade jewelry was worn by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern as part of her encouragement to the nation.

Today, in our latest feature, we’ll hear from Kyla Gardner, originally from Chicago but now living with her partner in Melbourne, Australia. She’s created passive income from a series of self-published nonfiction books (more like guides or handbooks). As you’ll hear, this is a lifestyle business that allows her to do other things like write fiction.

Let’s hear directly from Kyla. I’ll be back at the end to wrap us up.

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

 

 

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

Q&A: Should I use an emergency savings fund for my side hustle?

What It’s About

Today’s listener wonders if she should break the golden rule of personal finance.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1761

Let’s get real! Today’s topic can be expressed in a single sentence: Should I use an emergency savings fund for my side hustle?

I feel like everyone who hears that question already has an opinion. In this ongoing dialogue I try to provide my answer as well as pose any further questions that might be helpful.

“Hi Chris this is Jess from Arcadia and I recently found your show through Spotify. A few years ago, I began to take my finances more seriously and work on a plan to get out of debt. That led me to you and the goal of increasing my income rather than just trying to cut expenses and save more. But I have a dilemma: a business project I’d like to invest in will require some real capital—it’s not a hundred-dollar startup. I have an emergency savings fund that I could tap, but this isn’t an emergency. I’ve thought a lot about it and I don’t think it’s a gamble; I think it’s a true investment in an idea I believe in. But I’m also pretty sure most financial advisers would say “Don’t touch your emergency fund.” What do you say?”

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

Scented Santa Letters Become Sold-Out Seasonal Business

What It’s About

A listener success story that ends this hustler on the nice list.

Words of Wisdom

A good business idea doesn’t have to take a long time to get started. North Pole Postal was up and running in less than 2 weeks and it’s on track to change Alejandra’s entire career and life.

Fun Fact

Leaving a treat out for Santa began during the Great Depression in the 1930s as a way to teach children about giving. It was also a sign of appreciation for the gifts children received while America was struggling economically. (Source)

Notes from Chris

Episode 1760
Sometimes you don’t need a completely original idea…you just need to put your own spin on something that works.

Alejandra Gomez was listening to Side Hustle School when she came across an episode about a woman who sold letters from Santa. Alejandra had been looking for a way to raise money to buy Christmas gifts for underprivileged children—and she thought a Santa letter business was a great way to do this.

As any good side hustler knows… research is essential. Alejandra dug in and found a huge gap in the market…nobody was doing scented Santa letters. (Right??) Since memory is closely tied to our sense of smell, Alejandra wondered how she could connect her letters with a scent to create positive memories that would last a lifetime. She devised a storyline that made it all work: Santa writes his letters in the kitchen while Mrs. Claus bakes. (I know it’s a little patriarchal, but just consider the era when they grew up.)

Anyway, Alejandra came up with a secret way to make her letters smell like cookies. But now it was early November. She knew if she wanted to sell Christmas letters that year, she’d need to do it before Thanksgiving. The power of a deadline! She went to the craft store and bought envelopes, paper, wax for the seals, and of course some Christmas stamps.

Her creativity didn’t stop there. She added in a bit of fake snow to each letter. Then she added prints of reindeer hooves on the envelope, which Alejandra addressed by hand in modern calligraphy. She typed up the first letter and created her prototype.

She also knew the importance of having an effective website. Alejandra hunkered down and created a complete Squarespace website in only two days. She took all the photos in her living room with her iPhone using red poster board as the background. And she wrote the copy herself.

North Pole Postal was up and running in less than two weeks for under a hundred dollars.

That was year one, 2018. North Pole Postal has grown significantly every year since then. The business has gone from selling 32 letters that first year to selling one thousand letters in 2020. Although the season is only about six weeks long, in 2020 the business brought in $17,000 in three weeks!

In fact, she’s sold out of letters the past two years because she reached capacity. One Santa’s helper can only do so much! She’s considering adding more paid elves soon so that she can offer more letters.

But the growing pains are worth it. This side hustle is on its way to becoming Alejandra’s full-time job within the next year. And she wants to grow the business into a full brand that includes a children’s book based on her North Pole Postal storyline. She’d love to work as an elf all year round!

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Don’t wait and land yourself on the naughty list. Purchase your custom Santa letter asap before they sell out at NorthPolePostal.com. They launch every November 1st!

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

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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

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Q&A: How to use Instagram to market my voiceover services?

What It’s About

Can you market your vocal talents with a visual medium?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1759

Today’s listener question comes with a special guest answer!

A listener wonders about using Instagram to market to companies that cast voiceover artists. When this question came in, I knew exactly what to do. I have a friend who does this very successfully—she’s a pro voiceover artist who’s done campaigns for Target and many other companies. And she uses Instagram very well!

Her name is Tania Possick (@topsick on Instagram), so here’s what you’ll hear: sponsor message, the listener’s question, and a response from Tania that gives specific, actionable advice.

“Hey, this is Erin from Park Rapids. I’ve been listening to the show for a few years now. I listened right away in the morning, so I’m already thinking about business and ideas and stuff. I already have my side hustle rolling and it’s voice over. I’ve got my brand Web site demos, business cards I post on LinkedIn and I’ve gotten some jobs on the pay to and I even have an agent. So my question is, what should I do on Instagram to market to companies that cast voiceovers? There are about a billion of them. And I’ve heard from voice artists that people do get cast on Instagram. I have a link to my demos and my profile, of course, just not sure what else to do with it. Do I just look like I’m there or network with them or what? Thanks. And keep on hustling.”

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

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