Archives: Podcast

“Big Dinosaur Podcast” Generates Dino-mite Profits

What It’s About

A couple shares their prehistoric love of dinosaurs through a roaring good podcast.

Words of Wisdom

When it comes to succeeding in the competitive world of podcasting, Sabrina and Garrett have two top pieces of advice. “1. Be consistent. Releasing episodes on a regular basis gives your listeners something to look forward to, and they trust you to deliver and 2. Build a community. You want to build your community, so your listeners tell their friends and family to listen, and so you build relationships with people who want to support you and your show.

Fun Fact

Sir Richard Owen first named these ancient reptiles in 1842, calling them “Dinosauria.” He was inspired by the Greek words deinos meaning “fearfully great” and sauros meaning “lizard.” [Source]

Notes from Chris

Episode 1725
Years before Sabrina and Garrett Ricci had ever met, they spent separate childhoods being completely enamored by dinosaurs. When they fell in love, and moved to the east coast, their passion project traveled with them.

Exploring their new area, they took field trips to museums and historic sites. They especially loved the American Museum of Natural History. Time and time again, they found themselves drawn to the dinosaur halls. Now as adults, their love for the ancient reptiles was anything but prehistoric.

Soon after, the newlyweds realized that they wished there was a podcast on dinosaur news, but couldn’t find one. So, Sabrina and Garrett decided to start it. Sometimes Jurassic times call for Jurassic measures!

They had no experience with creating podcasts before. However, they were avid podcast listeners. They knew what they liked and disliked about other people’s shows, and made sure to use that knowledge when outlining theirs.

Six months after their initial idea, the couple officially launched I Know Dino the podcast in January of 2015. Ironically, this was just six months before the movie Jurassic World was set to be released. Which, although not planned, was a perfect marketing technique for their new business. They got about 500 downloads that first month and it grew from there.

With their consistent posting schedule and star-class interviewees, I Know Dino was off to a great start. A few months later, Sabrina and Garrett got their very first listener donation on Patreon, where they’d set up a supporter campaign. In the next episode, they gave that listener a shoutout, and told them that the contribution made them feel “all warm and fuzzy.”

Six years in, Sabrina and Garrett have grown I Know Dino to 50,000 downloads every month. They have interviewed all kinds of fellow dino-enthusiasts from paleontologists to paleoartists (some who worked on Jurassic Park and Jurassic World) to writers and even dinosaur dancers over the course of 350 episodes.

They make about $5,000 a month from advertisements, in addition to selling merchandise, donations and books. The overall income fluctuates but Sabrina was able to quit her job as a product marketing manager in February of this year and commit to I Know Dino full-time.

The couple has also added another side hustle to the mix: an online class called the Complete Podcasting Course. They want to teach others how to create, grow, launch and monetize their own podcast, and they are planning on launching soon.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Learn more about Sabrina and Garret and check out their website, IKnowDino.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

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
"Be consistent. Releasing episodes on a regular basis gives your listeners something to look forward to, and they trust you to deliver. Build a community. You want to build your community, so your listeners tell their friends and family to listen, and so you build relationships with people who want to support you and your show."
—Sabrina and Garrett #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: Can I use OnlyFans for PG-rated content?

What It’s About

Today’s caller seeks a less provocative way to capitalize on socially-funded fan content.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1724

A timely episode! OnlyFans has been in the news a lot recently. The platform had tremendous growth at the beginning of the pandemic, largely due to amateur online sex workers who solicited supporters through the platform. Some of them have done very well, earning tens of thousands of dollars a month, though of course many others have not done so well.

Today’s caller does not want to do that kind of work—she’s wondering about using the platform for something much more PG-rated. OnlyFans was not originally set up to be primarily for adult entertainment, it’s just kind of turned out that way.

Also, one note: in the time since this question has come in, the rules have changed once again. The OnlyFans ban on adult content was lifted—so that factors a bit into the answer.

“Hi Chris this is Stacey and I recently started listening to the show. I’d like to start a fan club and am wondering about the best way to do it. Now that OnlyFans has announced that they are removing sexually explicit content, I’m giving it more serious consideration. However, I worry about the stigma of being an OnlyFans creator even though it no longer has that adult content. I think some people will still think “porn” when they think OnlyFans, and that has nothing to do with my fan club. Should I be worried? Are there any good alternatives?”

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

Utah Dad Makes a Splash with Paddle board Rentals

What It’s About

A product marketer uses his stand-up paddle board rentals to make waves of profit.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

We’ve said it before but JJ says it better, “Niche, niche, niche. Profitable side hustles are all about finding the right niche for your location.”

Fun Fact

JJ’s oldest daughter is 9 and earns money working for the business. She saved up enough to buy herself a mini moped. Way to go!

Notes from Chris

Episode 1723
Afew years ago, JJ Haglund searched for stand-up paddle board (SUP) rentals and found a tech executive renting them out of his garage. It was a side business for him, and JJ thought it was also a brilliant way to expense all his toys! Eventually, the guy built it into a full-fledged rental shop.

Fast forward to 2020. JJ was living in Utah and working as a product marketer for a Fortune 500 tech company. He and his wife were brainstorming ideas for a side hustle that wouldn’t cost a lot of money to start.

Then they remembered their experience renting paddleboards a few years earlier and thought, “Why couldn’t we do that?” The couple lives close to a number of popular lakes, so maybe it would be a great way to help people get outside, make memories with their families, and put aside any pandemic stress.

To launch JJ’s Paddleboards, he spent less than $2,000 on the initial rental inventory of inflatable standup paddleboards and life jackets, plus lawyer fees on drafting up a good liability waiver. His digital marketing background came in handy. He built the website using Wix.com, optimized it for Google search, and created a Google My Business profile for Google Maps.

It was all fairly simple—and when they landed their first customer, JJ breathed a sigh of relief that it actually worked! However, it took a few weeks for it to pick up because it was an unusually cold June last year. But once the summer heated up, everything was smooth sailing … mostly. He was constantly selling out and getting more requests than he could handle. He celebrated by buying more and more paddleboards every time he made enough money to reinvest back into the business.

In the summer of 2020, he made around $7,000 but put all the profits into more boards. (Now he has a fleet of fifteen.) So far in the 2021 season, he’s brought in around $10,000—and most of it is straight profit.

The business has benefited the family in several ways. First, they get to meet all kinds of people, who tell them about new places in their home state. They’ve enjoyed exploring more of Utah because of awesome places renters tell him about.

JJ hires help when the family goes out of town. He can still coordinate everything remotely, including all the customer communications, but his part-time employee can be there for the customer to pick up the gear and then clean it when they drop it off.

Speaking of cleaning, it’s also been a great opportunity for him to employ his kids to wash the boards between rentals. (Really his oldest daughter, as the others aren’t interested yet.) This teaches them hard work and helps them earn some money. Never too early to learn the joys of working for yourself!

 

 

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
"Niche, niche, niche. Profitable side hustles are all about finding the right niche for your location."
—JJ Haglund #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: Can I sell travel insurance packages as an affiliate?

What It’s About

Today’s caller wonders how to earn affiliate commissions from travel insurance packages.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1722

I got in some trouble when I recently said that TSA ID checks are just security theatre … but it’s absolutely true!

Guess what else is a scam? Travel insurance! Why do you think airlines push it so much? Because it’s a big moneymaker for them. Insurance companies have all sorts of restrictions on what kinds of claims they pay out, and this is even more true with travel insurance.

Furthermore, ever since COVID, it’s been even less necessary (or more useless?) than it was before, because so many tickets are refundable or changeable without penalty now.

On the one hand, I was amazed when airlines kept selling these policies even though they were begging people to buy tickets—but on the other hand, why wouldn’t they want free money?

Of course, this is Side Hustle School, so let’s look at this topic from another angle: how can you get in on it??

“Every time you buy a plane ticket, the airline encourages you to buy insurance. Sometimes the upsell is really aggressive, so that makes me think it’s highly profitable for them—but the insurance packages are provided by third parties, so the airlines must be getting some kind of revenue share. Can individuals get in on this and sell insurance packages as an affiliate? What about other forms of insurance, like car or homeowner’s insurance? I don’t want to become an insurance agent or join a company—I just think for someone with good SEO skills, there would be at least one way to profit from so many people buying these policies. Am I right or wrong?”

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: “A bad hire will set you back six months…”

What It’s About

Hiring the right person is invaluable—but a bad hire can be a costly mistake.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1721

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 we’re starting 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 Davis Nguyen who owns a consulting training business called My Consulting Offer. We told the successful story of this project on Episode #1033. But as he was ramping up, he had some struggles. Let’s hear from them about one of those struggles…

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: Local Comic Book Store Expands to National Subscription Box

What It’s About

An update from the creator of a parent-selected, kid-approved comic book subscription box.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1720

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 owner of Heathen Wines. After hosting tours all over Europe, he changed his business model during the pandemic to offer virtual tours and sell private label wine.

Today, in our latest feature, we’ll hear from Pam Farley, the co-owner of Comic Crate, a monthly comic book subscription box service.

I want you to pay attention to something in particular from her update—she knows her audience, and that audience is not in fact the kids who are reading the comics. She says something like “My advice relates to comics, but you can expand it to other industries…”

Let’s hear directly from her.

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

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Great to hear Pam’s updates and advice. Check out her website at ComicCrate.org/ or find them on Facebook/comiccrate. Comic Crate is the only parent-selected, kid-approved comic book subscription box..

 

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: Our listener won a contest to live in Airbnbs for a year!

What It’s About

Today’s listener hit the Airbnb lottery. How can he capitalize on this once-in-a-lifetime experience?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1719

Have you ever won anything? I’m not sure if I have, which probably means that I haven’t—or at least I haven’t won anything substantial.

True story: one of our listeners in the UK won a contest (with 315,000 entrants) to live anywhere with Airbnb for a whole year. Pretty cool, right? He’s now wondering how to maximize the publicity his family is getting.

I have several comments and suggestions for him—and I also solicited additional feedback online—so let’s go quickly to get to his question and then see if we can be helpful.

I’ll also let you know how you can follow his journey over the next year if you’d like.

“Hi, Chris. James Glasby here from the West Midlands in the UK, I’m a doctor, surgeon and a researcher, and I discovered your podcast probably about twelve months ago now. But during that time, I’ve listened to all of your back catalog, including all your books. And thank you so much for this community is the perfect listening. On my way to and from work. I’m writing to you because we have a very unique opportunity, I think, with my fiance and our six month old son. And we’ve been selected from three hundred and fifteen thousand people to live anywhere with Airbnb for a year, traveling around the world and experiencing what it’s like to do remote work from lots of different locations. We share your love of travel and are really excited for this. But we also wonder whether there might be some commercial opportunities perhaps to create and market new products or perhaps just in terms of a travel blog and Instagram for young children. But with your background and expertise we wouldn’t if you had any thoughts of where we may be best to focus our attention during this COVID travel recovery period.”

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

The $30,000/Month Women’s Fitness Website

What It’s About

An office administrator experiences a huge return on her fitness blog.

Words of Wisdom

Tami offers an important insight to starting a successful affiliate blog, “I created A LOT of content. There was a time that I was writing and posting one article per day to my blog. It was a lot of work, but I think it helped me to build my site up and get traffic. I also tried to cover brand reviews from all angles, writing a lot of comparison style posts that were made to help the searcher make an informed decision.”

Fun Fact

Home gym equipment has been around for years, but 2020 saw the rise of the smart home gym equipment. This niche turned into a billion dollar industry seemingly overnight. What upcoming industries might you be able to capitalize on?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1718
Tami Smith spent seven years working as the office administrator for a physical therapy company. Around half that time was spent working from home, which was a great perk. But even the time saved from commuting wasn’t enough for her to achieve true work life satisfaction. This became clear after the birth of her second child in late 2018.

Tami soon realized that to keep her full time job, she’d have to put both her kids into daycare full-time. It was that, or figure out a way to make money at home while also being a full-time mom.

Around the same time, Tami started writing for a women’s fitness site. The client soon became Tami’s favorite, since she loved the topic and found the writing flowed effortlessly. That’s when an idea came along that gave her a run for her money.

Tami had been writing articles for the site, and earning a one-off fee. They’d take those articles, and continue to make affiliate commissions month after month. She realized she could build her own site, and produce her own content and probably earn a lot more. So without hesitation, on November 2019 she registered the domain FitHealthyMomma.com to do just that.

Tami didn’t take things too seriously in the beginning, posting a few articles over the next few months. However, in April 2020 she really started to sprint. The COVID-19 pandemic hit and a lot of her clients could no longer afford her. With writing skills and a lot of time on her hands, it was time to get to work.

And it worked, her first commission came through … for five dollars. Small, yet meaningful. Tami was ecstatic, and hooked on the concept of using her own blog for affiliate marketing.

She also started a YouTube channel and began cross posting all of her content there in video form. All this output took the site from humble beginnings and five dollar commissions, to over one hundred thousand visits per month and thirty thousand dollars in revenue today. Quite the transformation in one year’s time.

Not surprisingly, Tami wants to focus on growing Fit Healthy Momma even more. She’s since created a private Facebook Group and worked to build a community of like minded people who value her reviews and opinion. Down the line, she may introduce a course or program to help others achieve what she has: one word, one article and one affiliate commission at a time.

 

 

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
"I created A LOT of content. There was a time that I was writing and posting one article per day to my blog. It was a lot of work, but I think it helped me to build my site up and get traffic."
—Tami Smith #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: “I want to write the German immigrant’s guide to the U.S…”

What It’s About

Today’s caller wants to help others immigrants using his own experience.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1717

Welcome to a new week!

When it comes to the basic business model of “get paid to solve a urgent problem,” it’s hard to get more basic or urgent than immigration. If someone is trying to move from one country to another, it’s rarely a simple process, there are usually lots of things that can go wrong—but for the person trying to do it, they are usually very motivated.

This episode features a listener from Germany who immigrated to the U.S. several years ago. He found the legal process to be confusing (shocking, right?) and now wants to help guide other German-speakers through the experience.

“I immigrated to the U.S. from Germany several years ago. Along the way, I learned a lot about the process. There are some things you can do in advance that make it much easier later on. There is a lot of online information about immigration, but not all of it is accurate and most of it is in English. I’d like to publish a guide specifically for German-speakers. What do you think is the best format for this, and how could I market it?”

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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To infinity and beyond,

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Houseplant Biz Blossoms for Hong Kong Transplant

What It’s About

A government employee finds harmony selling houseplants through Facebook.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

“When dealing with customers, don’t take it personally and don’t let your emotions cloud your judgment. Always remember that each customer has their own challenges in their own daily lives, so they may come off as a bit rude or unhappy.”

Fun Fact

Clara sometimes set up a booth at Washington, D.C.’s Eastern Market and she counts well-known politicians and others among her customers there. One actress even drove all the way from New York City for Clara’s houseplant sets!

Notes from Chris

Episode 1716
Clara Leung works as an accountant for the U.S. Department of Justice. She’s lived in Washington, D.C. for twenty years—but she was born and raised in Hong Kong. There, she learned ancient Chinese Feng Shui from her mother. For those who don’t know, Feng Shui is an ancient practice to help energy flow in and out within the home to improve people’s lives. Having houseplants helps promote more positive energy around the house.

In February 2018, Clara bought a huge plant from Facebook Marketplace for $50 and the baby stem fell off. She put it in a modern planter she had in storage and posted it on Facebook Marketplace, purely for fun because she didn’t have the space for it herself. She heard from a buyer within five minutes and sold the plant for $25: effectively a 50% savings on her own purchase.

Clara’s second customer bought a houseplant for her dying mother after hearing about the benefits of Feng Shui. That customer contacted her after a year with thanks and the news that her mother was living longer than expected. Was it the plant? Maybe, maybe not, but the point was that it made the customer feel better … and that matters.

Those positive selling experiences planted the seed of a new side hustle idea. Clara decided to combine her mother’s teachings of Feng Shui with houseplants. The money earned from those first sales went to buy more planters, so she didn’t have to spend any of her own money on startup costs.

In the beginning, she marketed the business entirely through Facebook Marketplace. It’s a popular platform for local buying and selling. Plus, she doesn’t have to pay fees on adding a shopping cart to her website.

Most of Clara’s plants sell for between $25 and $50. In the past several months, her side hustle generated around $4,000 in gross monthly income.

Going forward, Clara is exploring different ways of creating an online platform to share her passion for Feng Shui houseplants and add another income stream. She’s also considering a mobile shop that she can set up at farmers markets. She’s done farmer’s markets with a tent and a table but she’d love to have a mobile trailer or even a Volkswagen bus bursting with plants for sale.

 

 

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
"When dealing with customers, don’t take it personally and don’t let your emotions cloud your judgment. Always remember that each customer has their own challenges in their own daily lives, so they may come off as a bit rude or unhappy."
—Clara Leung #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

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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