Archives: Podcast

Vacation Frustration Inspires Seven-Figure Cleaning Product

What It’s About

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

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Looking to sell over a million of the product you invented? Lisa has some important advice to consider, “Do market research and be able to answer this question: How many people could potentially use my product? For example: If you have a product for horse enthusiasts, how big is that market? If you are selling something that only appeals to a small group of people, you are not going to sell millions of units.”

Fun Fact

In Lisa’s past life as a pharma sales rep, she had a side hustle writing books about how to break into pharma sales. Those books are still available on Amazon!

Notes from Chris

Episode 1758
Lisa Lane is cleaning obsessed. After a summer trip to the Jersey shore with extended family tested her patience, she came up with a new idea and turned it into a bestselling Amazon product.

It started with those fifteen people and four dogs on the Jersey shore. All of the grimy showers, visitors with sandy feet, and dirty dogs threatened to ruin their vacation. Lisa filled a bucket over and over to bathe the dogs and clean the showers. Then she made a rule that everyone had to use the outdoor shower—but again, we’re talking about fifteen people. There was always a line, and the hot water quickly ran out.

That frustration sparked an “aha!” moment and inspired Rinseroo, a long hose with a flexible attachment that slips onto a shower or faucet, making it easier to rinse people, pets, and objects without constantly refilling a bucket. You can also use it to fill up a watercooler or aquarium and hose down shower walls.

Since the product was relatively simple, she was able to make her own working prototype and then found a manufacturer who could build it at scale. She invested a couple of thousand dollars on molds and also a few hundred dollars to trademark her brand. Once she determined that the product actually worked, she placed an order and had it built. This wasn’t a thirty-day startup: from idea to launch took about two years.

Lisa’s first sale was to the owner of a large fitness chain. That solidified her belief in the product. She felt giddy for a whole week knowing that someone actually thought that it could be useful.

The Grommet, a website and marketplace that curates useful products, featured Rinseroo on their platform and blasted an email to all of their followers. That exposure and a Buzzfeed article helped Rinseroo rank well on Amazon.

Lisa says the beauty of selling on Amazon is that they already have the customers (hundreds of millions), so if you do your homework and come up with something unique, you can tap into that. She started with a product that solved a problem, make a detailed listing and then, once she got some sales, invested in Amazon ads. In addition to Amazon, the product is sold on Chewy.com, Walmart.com, and the Rinseroo website. In its first year, Rinseroo did about a million dollars in sales. This year, they will exceed $2 million.

As the business has grown, Lisa hired her son to help. Her five-year plan is to scale the brand with him so he can make a career out of it. They’re doing that by adding line extensions in the cleaning and bath space. She jokes that eventually maybe he can do all the work and pay her to go away.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Learn more about Lisa and her product invention at her website, Rinseroo.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

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
"Do market research and be able to answer this question: How many people could potentially use my product? For example: If you have a product for horse enthusiasts, how big is that market? If you are selling something that only appeals to a small group of people, you are not going to sell millions of units."
—Lisa Lane #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: Buying “virtual loot bags” for resale

What It’s About

Today’s listener wants to cash in on the idea of “virtual loot bags.” WTF is this?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1757

The latest in the world of “what in the world is happening with money?”

You can now buy—and resell—“virtual loot bags” that consist of digital in-game items … for a game that doesn’t exist. Did you catch all that? Listen to this episode to learn more.

Here’s how it works…

First, NFTs are digital artworks. We’ve looked at that a bit. We’ve also had people selling in-game digital items for games like World of Warcraft. Well, this applies both of those concepts to a game that doesn’t actually exist. It’s in-game currency but no game.

Loot bags are the creation of a guy who minted 8,000 of these loot bags and offered 97% to the public for free (or close to free, you had to pay transaction costs).

Now there’s an environment of people trading them, including a market for buying and reselling. Some people are holding onto theirs for a while in hopes the value increases, and there’s also a number of knockoffs coming on the market as well. And because the world is crazy, some people are now making a game for this game that didn’t exist.

Wow! Try to keep up … or don’t, because it’s exhausting.

“Hi Chris this is Craig and I’ve been following the NFT space closely. Recently you had an episode about “Idiot Coins” that I enjoyed. In recent weeks, someone has made “virtual loot bags” that resemble video game tools and accessories, but they exist completely on their own—there’s no actual game that the virtual items in the loot bags go with. Have you heard of this? What do you think of being a broker or reseller of these or other virtual items? Looking forward to hearing from you.”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

SEE ALSO:

  • Q&A: How does “yield farming” work?: Did you know you can earn interest (sometimes at very high rates) for “staking” digital currencies? It’s a wild world …. this episode explains how it works.
  • Q&A: How do I actually sell an NFT??: WFT is an NFT? It’s a non-fungible token, also known as digital art that’s for sale to the highest bidder. You might have heard of how wild these markets are, but how can an artist actually participate and benefit from them?
  • Q&A: What’s the deal with NFTs?: A very timely question! Everyone is talking about non-fungible tokens (NFTs), digital art that is selling for millions of dollars. Is this a bubble? What do you need to know? In short: WTF is up with NFTs?

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: Live Theater Rebrand Meets Global Pandemic

What It’s About

When the pandemic curtain threatens live theater, does the show go on?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1756

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 Matt from Chicago. We told the successful story of his business Caption Point on Episode #543: Marriage Inspires Theatre Captioning App & Service. In the early part of 2020 they were beginning a new phase of operations that would be bigger and better and … not at all compatible with a global pandemic.

Matt can tell the story better than me…

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Thanks to Matthew for sharing this transparent and truthful story. Check out his website at CaptionPoint.com. Live theater is returning in some places already—not all, of course—but hopefully they’ll be up and running in some fashion soon. I also admire the work smarter, not harder mindset.

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: Fighter Jet Jewelry from New Zealand

What It’s About

An update from a photographer-turned-maker in New Zealand. How has the pandemic affected his business?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1755

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 MomBox. She’s gone from frustrated new mom to CEO of a growing startup!

Today, in our latest feature, we’ll hear 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.

Let’s hear more of that story and a few other updates from Martin. I’ll be back at the end to wrap us up.

Listen to today’s episode to hear Martin’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: What’s the 80/20 rule of side hustling?

What It’s About

Today’s caller wants to apply timeless wisdom from an Italian economist to side hustling.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1754

The 80/20 rule is also known as the rule of outsized impact. It originated from an Italian economist named Vilfredo Pareto, who observed that 20% of pea pods in his garden produced 80% of the peas.

This principle suggests that a small number of actions make up the majority of outcomes. You can see examples of it in action everywhere:

  • 20% of a company’s products typically represent 80% of sales
  • 20% of posts generate 80% of traffic
  • 80% of complaints are by 20% of customers.

And many more. Today’s listener is wondering about applying this principle to the world of side hustles. What can we learn—and what can we do differently as a result of this knowledge?

“Hi Chris this is Deja and I’ve been listening to the show for a couple of years —thanks for all the helpful advice and great stories. We’ve all heard of the 80/20 rule: how a minority of actions contribute to the majority of outcomes. But how do you figure out what the actions are that really move the needle? I’ve been thinking about this ever since I started side hustling. So far I’ve tried five projects. One was a bust, two have done “okay,” and I’m still waiting to see what happens with the other two. I’m pretty sure that I should be putting my attention squarely on one of them, but I don’t know which—and even if I could decide, how do I know what strategies to use as I try to grow it? Thanks for your help.”

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

Oil Field Mechanic Becomes Handyman to Realtors

What It’s About

A soon-to-be father of twins takes matters into his own hands to generate much-needed income.

Words of Wisdom

Gregory has some important words for those of you waiting to start a side hustle, don’t! “The biggest thing that I would have done differently is to start a side hustle much sooner. By much sooner I mean like 20 years ago. I guess I needed the responsibility of having so many people depend on me to give me that push, but if I had started earlier, I would have been able to spend more time with my family from the beginning and enjoying more financial freedom.”

Fun Fact

Even as a bustling handyman, Gregory hates ladders and climbing onto high places with a fiery passion. He has to put on his “handyman mode” each time he takes on such a task, which involves staying calm and collected on the outside while screaming at himself internally.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1753
Lots of people talk about having a DIY mentality, but Gregory Gladden is has actually lived it. Born in a farming part of the country, he grew up helping his dad’s business doing construction and masonry. He loved working with his hands, so it wasn’t a surprise to anybody that he later began a career as an oil field mechanic.

When January 2020 rolled around, Gregory got big news: his wife was expecting again, and this time, she was having twins. With a seven-year-old daughter already, he realised that he would soon have to support three kids, and the cost of childcare for all of them would be almost his entire paycheck.

That seemed absurd, and Gregory knew that he needed to do something about it. He and his wife had long wanted to start a side hustle, but never got around to it. With the twins on the way, it was now or never.

While brainstorming ideas, Gregory recalled the time when he paid for someone to inspect their house. It was a simple process. The inspector only had a few basic tools, and finished his work within the hour. This made Gregory wonder if he could do the same, and he immediately picked up the phone to ask his real estate agent about it.

Having had experience working with his hands since young, Gregory knew that he was equipped with the skills required for various types of repairs, especially since this line of work wasn’t more complicated than what he did on a daily basis at the oil field. And if he didn’t know what to do in a particular situation, he could just be honest and recommend another expert.

With that in mind, he put down $50 for a business license and another $40 for insurance in February 2020. But he soon hit a rough patch as pandemic restrictions and lockdowns started the next month. All he could do was lay low for a while to see if things would blow over. A month later, he got a job from his sister’s landlord. Working on that project gave him the confidence, and also a stellar online review.

The next few months were slow, but Gregory began to find his way. Further chats with his real estate agent made him realise that working more closely with the real estate community could be a smart start, and that he could create a YouTube video as a commercial of sorts.

With the help of his daughter as the camera, he fumbled around the house hammering and tweaking different things with the tools that he had. He added a voiceover when he edited the video to explain who he was and what he was offering. He then uploaded it to YouTube as a private link and shared it with 250-300 realtors through email.

This was when the magic happened. Gregory’s phone would just not stop ringing, as realtors called him with projects for him to take on. He remembers being overwhelmed as he didn’t feel comfortable turning away work as a new company owner, but at the same time he couldn’t meet all the demand.

The rest as they say is history. Gregory is now investing in the business, most recently spending $2,000 to restore an old van as his official work vehicle. He has more than replaced his original income from his day job, and now has full control of his schedule, his life, and his future.

 

 

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

Q&A: What’s the business model for empathetic listening skills?

What It’s About

Today’s caller has a unique skillset and a sensitivity to language. How can he monetize this?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1752

Just because you see a problem doesn’t mean other people will. This can lead to frustration—you think, I’ve identified a real problem, I have the solution, but no one is buying it. There are all kinds of reasons why this could be the case, but one of the simplest is that they don’t see the problem as clear as you do.

We might have an example of that with today’s caller, who has an idea for a proofreading service. Listen to his message—it’s clear he feels passionate about this. I don’t doubt his commitment to the cause or his qualifications. But … do other people see the problem the way he does? Let’s discuss.

“Hi, Chris, my name is Ryan Hammond from Salina, Ohio, and I’ve been listening to the show since 2017. Ever since I was a kid, I have known the mental and emotional impact that words have. I’m very sensitive to them and have learned how best to use them effectively and kindly. I’m thinking about starting a side hustle involving my skills and interpersonal communication, speech and letter writing and training and empathetic listening. I’ve had numerous friends over the years asked for my help proofreading letters or papers, and I’ve helped many friends and acquaintances see their communication problems, whether at work or in their marriage, even as solvable problems through empathetic listening and careful word usage. I love doing this and think there’s real potential to help average people solve everyday problems. My question is, how do I begin? How do I offer my skill sets on the Internet in an attractive way that will make people want to pay to get relational problem solved or advice on how to improve a certain area of speech? Further, how would I go about charging appropriate and worthwhile but fair prices for the services rendered? I would love to do this, but I already feel kind of defeated on how to begin and get rolling.”

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

Nomadic Couple Starts Vintage Camper Rental Biz

What It’s About

A couple takes vintage campers and rents them for new profit.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Thinking about renting your space out? Online platforms are valuable as Brittain points out, “We’ve got to give 100% credit to Airbnb and Outdoorsy for ‘finding’ our customers. Without their platforms, we may not have this hustle or business. Once they bring us the customer, it’s up to us to keep them, earn their trust and keep them coming back.”

Fun Fact

Haven’t heard about Outdoorsy?! Check them out, especially if you own an RV you’d like to rent out. Outdoorsy has over 256,000 users, and says it’s growing by 21,000 users a month!

Notes from Chris

Episode 1751
The spark for Brittain Kovač and Josh Schukman’s side hustle was a Pepto Bismol pink camper van in the backyard of a tiny home outside Nashville. Brittain had taken her mom to a taping of the Dave Ramsey show and was sleeping in the van as part of the Airbnb she’d booked. After getting to know the host who ran the accommodation as a side hustle, was inspired to do the same.

Brittain had always dreamed of owning her own hostel, and the Airbnb business model showed her she was sitting on a golden opportunity to start one. She had a 900-square-foot loft apartment in Kansas City that could sleep up to five people. She bought some more beds and linens and posted her new listing online. The first booking came within a week, and running the place was manageable around her job as a Marketing Event Manager for Harley Davidson.

For the next four years, Brittain ran the hostel together with Josh, who also became her husband. They welcomed over 900 guests and earned more than $40,000. They then set the hostel up to be self-sufficient and went to live out on the road in a 1988 Airstream camper. It was a great experience, but it presented a problem. They missed the community of hostel living, but also weren’t ready to give up their new nomadic lifestyle. That’s when a fortuitous trip to Germany gave them a new idea.

Attending a conference in Bonn, the pair stayed at a hostel in a warehouse filled with trains and camper vans and cars that you could rent out to stay in. It reminded Britt of the Pepto Bismol camper in Nashville years earlier … and it gave her an idea. What if they could combine their love of campers and the open road with their dream of owning and letting out accommodation? She even had a name: they’d call it Out Of Normal Properties.

Brittain and Josh started by renting out a single Airstream trailer on a plot of Brittain’s parents’ land to see if the model would work. They listed it on Airbnb. Once again, in the space of a week they had their first booking. Then another. And another. Until they’d earned $1,400 from these rentals.

They sold the Kansas City apartment-turned-hostel and looked for new opportunities in Montana, where they became managing partners of Flathead Lake Resort, based on the experience they’d been building up since 2014. They also purchased two more Airstream camper vans—an investment of around $37,000 all in—to use on the property.

Brittain and Josh measure the success of their side hustles and businesses based on the ROI. They aim to make a consistent 30% every year. For example, that first Airstream rental brought in $11,000 in one summer. They also recently bought a 2005 Honda Pilot and started renting it out. It brought in more than $5,000 over the past few months.

Looking to the future, the pair have just closed on a half-acre of land with access to the Flathead Lake Resort for tents and camper vans. Their plan is to own a full-on, full-service camper hostel!

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Learn more about Brittain and Josh and their out of normal properties at their website, OutofNorm.al.

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
"We’ve got to give 100% credit to Airbnb and Outdoorsy for ‘finding’ our customers. Without their platforms, we may not have this hustle or business. Once they bring us the customer, it’s up to us to keep them, earn their trust and keep them coming back."
—Brittain Kovač #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: How to create a “hype coin”?

What It’s About

Today’s caller wants to understand the hype behind hype coins.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1750

Welcome to a new week … and introducing the Side Hustle School alt coin! Come get one million coins for just $10 … just kidding, there is no such thing. I haven’t even made an NFT yet.

Today’s caller says, if you can’t understand ‘em, join ‘em! He wants to get in on the hype coin craze while it lasts.

By the way, the story he references about a NYT reporter creating something called “Idiot Coin” is a true story. I’ll say more about that in my answer.

“Welcome to a new week … and introducing the Side Hustle School alt coin! Come get one million coins for just $10 … just kidding, there is no such thing. I haven’t even made an NFT yet. Today’s caller says, if you can’t understand ‘em, join ‘em! He wants to get in on the hype coin craze while it lasts. By the way, the story he references about a NYT reporter creating something called “Idiot Coin” is a true story. I’ll say more about that in my answer.”

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: “I was exhausted and doing the bare minimum for my business…”

What It’s About

An owner burns out trying to maintain their side hustle.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1749

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 Julia from Breckenridge, Colorado. We told the successful story of her adventure-themed brand of totes, mugs, and more on Episode #1042. But when she levels-up the adventure side of her adventure-themed brand, she discovers that nomad life is not all it’s claimed to be.

It’s tiring, folks! It’s not how it always looks on Instagram.

Let’s hear how she tells it…

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Thanks to Julia for sharing this honest story. Check out her website at alignedadventure.com or follow her on Instagram at @aligned_adventure. She also has a new coaching business—that Instagram account is @juliabaldwintaylor.

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