Archives: Podcast

Emergency Room PA Creates Medical Spanish Course

What It’s About

A Physician’s Assistant combines his Spanish speaking and medical experience to fill a need. Que bueno!

Words of Wisdom

Ben, who used his areas of expertise to launch a side hustle, says, “explore your own strengths and find something unique that combines two or more of them.”

Fun Fact

Ben is fluent in Spanish. He learned the language in high school and college, as well as when he lived in Guatemala for two years. He’s also traveled throughout Latin America, including on two medical missions.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1578
Ben Tanner attended podiatric medical school before deciding that he wanted to become a physician assistant instead. These years of schooling resulted in his entry to an in-demand profession, but also a heavy burden of student loan debt. That’s what prompted him to start some sort of side business to pay it down.

He brainstormed different ideas before it dawned on him: he works as a PA in an emergency room and speaks fluent Spanish – why not combine his two areas of expertise and create a Spanish course for medical professionals? It seemed like a logical match.

Ben ultimately decided that the course would teach Spanish phrases that medical providers would need to know to learn a patient’s medical history and conduct a physical on them in the emergency room. Setting up materials required him to create a combination of audio and video modules with accompanying text to go through each step of the lesson.

The course is called Essential Emergency Medicine Spanish. His startup costs of $5,000 included creating a mobile-friendly website, hiring a native Spanish speaker as the voice talent, and purchasing audio equipment like a high-quality microphone. There was also an application fee of about $1,800 for the accreditation, but instead of paying for it upfront, the accreditation company subtracted it from Ben’s earnings later on.

Speaking of which, Ben doesn’t sell his course directly, but through that accrediting organization, the Center for Emergency Medical Education. This is the result of a negotiation between the two since the company wanted to advertise the course on their own website, attracting attention to other courses as well.

The course debuted in 2018. Leading up to launch day, the employee Ben was working with at the accrediting company had low expectations of how well the course would sell. Then on the first day of being publicly available, the company sent a promotional email out to their listserv. Lo and behold, 41 people registered for the course that day – more than the employee had seen before with the company’s own home study courses.

Ben’s total earnings from Essential Emergency Medicine Spanish so far are around $150,000. After expenses, that’s a profit of about $55,000 per year.

For Ben, one of the best benefits is that the additional income has enabled him to switch to part-time at his hospital job. He sees himself becoming financially independent and free from student loan debt in the next couple years.

In the future, Ben plans to create more content on his own website, Learn Medical Spanish, and attract more followers to his email list. He also hopes to start a YouTube channel and update his course later this year when the initial accreditation expires.

 

 

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
"Explore your own strengths, and find something unique that combines two or more of your strengths or interests."
—Ben Tanner #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: How to charge for a podcast sponsorship service?

What It’s About

Today’s listener has an idea to connect podcasters with sponsors.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1577

A listener in Philadelphia wants to start a matchmaking service between podcasts and sponsors. Who should pay for this service—the podcast host, the sponsor, or both?

Here we have a situation where two parties have needs, and both parties already have a primary business: the podcaster working on their podcast, and the sponsors presumably operating some other type of business and seeking good placements for their ad campaigns.

Our listener is wondering who should pay, but perhaps first it’s helpful to look at what each party is getting out of the relationship.

“Hi, this is Brad from Philadelphia. Right now, I’m working on starting a side hustle within the podcast space. A lot of podcasts search for sponsors themselves or sponsors, sometimes contact them. When podcasts are growing. They don’t want just revenue, but a sponsor that fits their brand perfectly. That’s where I plan to come in. I’m working on contacting new podcasts and asking them what they’re looking for and then going out and finding them the perfect brand to join up with. The question I have is, how would I charge the podcast host? Would it be a monthly fee for my services, a one-time fee, a percentage of the deal or even some sort of royalty? How do I make it profitable for my time consulting and also a good price they will be comfortable paying.”

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

The Man Who Paints Parking Lot Stripes

What It’s About

Where people only see parking lots and lines, one estimator sees major profits.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Dan share’s some advice on how to start striping lots; “I say start small. Look for the pizza shop that opens at 4PM, has 14 stripes and a handicap stencil. Look for the truck dock that has 20 lines or the beauty salon that has 6. One nice thing about striping is that it’s all the same. Once you’ve striped a few jobs, you’ve striped them all.”

Fun Fact

Dan was offered a $3000 loan from his mom to start the business. Around the same time he received a $700 bonus from his day job. The cost to purchase a striping machine was exactly $3700. If that’s not a sign to get started, we don’t know what is.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1576
It was the early nineties when Dan Zurcher first thought about starting a side business. He was an estimator in the asphalt industry, making pretty average money in Columbus, Ohio. On top of that, the industry ground to a halt every winter leaving him jobless for several months.

He felt like the job was going nowhere—but it was his mom who put him on the path of the straight and narrow. (And yes, I do mean that literally.)

One day, Dan was describing his work to her on the phone. He explained how they were finishing a few large parking lots he’d estimated for and all that was left was striping and stenciling the white lines and shapes on the asphalt.

“Why aren’t you doing the striping?” his mother asked.

“We don’t do that, asphalting companies contract that work out to someone else,” he replied.

“No, no, why aren’t YOU doing the striping?” She asked again, and by YOU she meant Dan himself.

That question, phrased in that way, changed the way Dan thought about work. He was looking for a side business, and here was one staring him right in the face.

He made a few calls and received quotes for striping machines that cost around three thousand seven hundred dollars all inclusive. He’d just received a seven hundred dollar bonus at work, and his mom agreed to loan him the remaining three thousand dollars. Soon, he had everything he needed to become a professional striper… it was time to earn his stripes!

Working after hours and in between other commitments became the norm for Dan. He still worked his full time job and was married with a young family. He had to take the side hustle time wherever he could get it. And, by the end of his first year operating he’d found time to generate four thousand dollars from his venture. Enough to pay back his mom and put a little money aside.

It was then that he decided to quit his job and take his striping business full time, where he was able to grow his income to one hundred and sixty five thousand dollars per year in the next few years. A figure which remained the same as he maintained his business over the next decade. And he didn’t stop there.

Dan branched out into creating a website, American Striping, where he manufactures and sells stencils for others doing exactly what he does. On top of that, he’s distilled his knowledge into a book teaching others to do the same. He shows anyone that if they put the work in, they can earn their side hustle stripes.

 

 

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
"One nice thing about striping is that it’s all the same. Once you’ve striped a few jobs, you’ve striped them all."
—Dan Zurcher #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: Any reason to use a subdomain as part of a website?

What It’s About

Today’s listener wants to know if there are any advantages for using subdomains.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1575

A listener’s web host offers free “subdomains.” What are they, and are there any good reasons to use them?

A subdomain is a website directory that is hosted on the same domain or address as the main website, but is accessed through a slightly different address. Let’s give some examples:

SideHustleSchool.com (domain) vs. beta.SideHustleSchool.com (subdomain)

That subdomain doesn’t actually exist, but the point is if I wanted to work on something or test something out, I might make that subdomain to do so. So that’s one usage of a subdomain—is it the only one?

The answer is: no, there are several good reasons to do this! Our listener is wondering what they might be, so that’s what today’s episode is about.

“My webhost allows me to use subdomains, where I have multiple websites under the same domain and without paying more for hosting. Does this help with SEO? Should I go out and make a bunch of different subdomains and write slightly different content for each of them?”

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: “The day of the event arrived, but no one showed up…”

What It’s About

This event had everything going for it—except for the attendees.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1574

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.

I applaud their courage! I’ll share some of my failure stories along the way as well.

Today’s short story features Katie from Orange County. By day she’s a client services manager at an environmental consulting firm. We told the successful story of her evenings and weekends project on Episode #664: “Ballroom Dance Enthusiast Triples Side Income with How-To Guide.” But she had some struggles along the way. Let’s hear from them about one of those struggles – she calls it “the book signing that wasn’t”…

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: “Chewable Energy” Gum Sticks With Customers

What It’s About

Chew on this update from one of the creators of “energy gum.”

Notes from Chris

Episode 1573

Welcome to Throwback Thursday / “Where are they now?” where we take an in-depth look at someone who’s story has evolved considerably since we first featured them.

Recently, we’ve featured the founders of Budget Savvy Bride and Turnkey Translator. Before that, a Pittsburgh Houseplant Merchant and many more.

Today, in our latest feature, we’ll hear from Kent Yoshimura, one of two athletes and friends who set out to create chewable “energy gum.” It’s gum-believable! They had sold 5 million pieces and were getting stocked in CVS when we first featured them, but that’s been a while.

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

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • NeuroGum: If today’s episode gave you a bit of a jolt, keep it going over on Kent and Ryan’s website!

 

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: An idea for a non-alcoholic Online Happy Hour

What It’s About

Today’s caller wants to know if we’ll be toasting their idea for non-alcoholic online gatherings.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1572

A listener has an idea to create a “Sober Happy Hour” taking place on Zoom. What’s the best way to structure it, and is this a moneymaking project?

In some ways, it’s easier than ever to set something like this up, but it’s not necessarily easy to get traction. Even though it’s true that the past year has created more interest in online communities, a ton of online communities have sprung up. A lot of people are complaining about Zoom fatigue or online overwhelm—so if you’ve tried to start a live-streaming series or online meeting or similar and haven’t seen great results, you’re not alone.

Let’s talk about it!

“I’ve been sober for 2 years now, and one thing I’ve learned is that it’s important to have a plan for social gatherings. For the Happy Hours at my office, I used to skip them or plan to touch base with a friend for accountability’s sake before and after. You might think that COVID would make this easier, and in some ways it does, but lately my work has been doing online Happy Hours twice a week. It’s a lot of fun, but most people are drinking. It made me think: maybe other people in recovery (all over the world) might be interested in a social hour that isn’t an AA meeting but just a chance to hang out with people who understand that you can deal with workplace stress without drinking. How could I set this up to reach the most number of people?”

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

Civil Engineer Dismantles “90-Day Fiancé” Visa Problem

What It’s About

An example of how to use a challenging experience to help others (and make money doing so).

Words of Wisdom

Prem stresses the importance of building trust with customers. “If you are honest, upfront, transparent and willing to help your audience before asking for a sale, it fosters immense trust in your business. Always ask yourself first, is this going to help my audience first and foremost or is this meant for my business’ profit? Customers before profit.”

Fun Fact

The production company for TLC’s 90 Day Fiancé contacted Prem multiple times asking if his readers wanted to audition for the show. Prem is protective of his email list and didn’t want to do it at first. But he knew some of his readers watch the show, so he did an email blast and a few of his readers (the production company wouldn’t tell him which ones) even made it to the second round of auditions.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1571
A dozen years ago, Prem Kumar went through the long and frustrating process of filing for a fiancé visa so he could bring his future spouse to the United States. The couple initially hired a lawyer to do it for them, but that turned out to be a disaster. The lawyer was unprofessional, made a number of mistakes on the required forms, and ended up causing months of delays.

At the time, there wasn’t a lot of information freely available online but he read forum posts and watched as many YouTube videos as he could find. Over the next six months, Prem became an expert on this subject and eventually secured the visa they needed.

Ten years later, when he needed extra money for a down payment on a home, he went looking for a side hustle. After reflecting on his skills and interests, he realized that the fiancé visa process was a core expertise. After all, he’d been through that process himself, and he knew it was a big market with lots of people seeking help.

To make things official and above board, Prem made Visa Tutor into an actual business with an LLC, got his bonding paperwork through New York State, and also got himself listed on the Better Business Bureau (BBB). It was more red tape, but once again, it was worth it.

Prem’s first sale came from an ebook priced at $5. When that PayPal notification came in, he screamed to the top of his lungs “Whoa! this works! This works!” That night he was so excited to have made that first sale that he had a hard time sleeping.

It now brings in an average of $2,000 to $5,000 per month depending on the time of year. Business dropped during the pandemic due to the lack of international travel, but he’s never seen a month dip below $1,800.

Last year, Prem hired his first part-time writer and content moderator. In the future, he wants to expand to different visa types and immigration procedures. He’s even thinking of pursuing a joint venture with an immigration attorney, but the verdict is still out on that.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Learn more about Prem and how he helps people with Visa questions at his website, VisaTutor.com.
  • Prem used an email marketing tool called, Aweber to grow his email list. We also recommend and use Convertkit.
  • To list and manage his online courses, Prem used, Thinkific.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
"Always ask yourself first, is this going to help my audience first and foremost or is this meant for my business’ profit? Customers before profit."
—Prem Kumar #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: Should I keep selling headphones or expand to new categories?

What It’s About

Today’s caller wants to know if they’re hearing the right potential reselling headphones.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1570

Welcome to a new week!

This listener has gone all-in with reselling headphones, and is making a good profit! Should they focus on this category and try to scale, *or* use what they’ve learned to enter other categories?

“Hi Chris this is Kelly from Detroit. I started reselling during the pandemic and have hit on a speciality item: headphones. I learned all about the various models, from Bose to Sony to the new Apple Airpods Max that cost way too much money. Believe it or not, even though those are really new, there’s already an active reseller market for them! I’m doing pretty well, bringing in around $1,500 a month in profit, but now it’s decision time: do I keep doing this (and potentially do it better, with more inventory), or do I take what I’ve learned and start selling items in other categories? I can see arguments both ways, so I know there are pros and cons … but if you had to choose, which is better?”

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

Lifelong Superfan Gets Paid to Write Disney Blog

What It’s About

Dreams do come true for this Disney superfan who get’s paid to write about “the most magical place on earth“.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

“The key for me has been to figure out what is most important and what I’m best at.” By learning to embrace constraints, Becky’s Disney blog began to bring in consistent revenue.

Fun Fact

You’ve obviously seen Becky writing about Disney on her website, but did you know she first started writing about Disney to herself as a 10 year old? Now that’s passion.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1569
Becky Ginther has always been passionate about Disney. Ever since she took her first trip to Disney World when she was ten, she fell in love with the theme park and started saving money to go back. In fact, she started writing her own personal guide book and itinerary.

She kept returning over the next decade, and even chose Disney World as the location for her honeymoon.

Since so much of her life was connected to this happy place, Becky decided that she would share her passion publicly with the world. Fresh out of grad school, she had just gotten a job as a children’s librarian. The work was ideal, but the pay was fairly low, and she had student loans.

She had already been writing for other websites on all things Disney related, and realized that it would make a lot more sense if she had her own platform that she could control. With these two reasons in mind, Becky started her blog, Disney in Your Day.

For someone who launched her site on a $5/month hosting plan, Becky’s Disney side hustle has now paid off, bringing her at least $500 every month from ads and another $500 or so from tours. And remember, this is a topic and industry that’s close to her heart. It’s not her full-time job, but it’s a very frequent part-time passion.

Without blogging about Disney, she would not have become a Disney travel agent and gotten exclusive access to different VIP events. It’s a dream come true for someone who has loved Disney as a ten year old girl.

Becky’s advice for those who want to build a business while holding down a day job is to embrace constraints. As she puts it, “If I had all the time in the world I could never do anything.” The key has been to figure out what’s important and what she’s good at, and to ignore everyone else giving her well-meaning advice.

 

 

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
"The key for me has been to figure out what is most important and what I’m best at."
—Becky Ginther #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