Archives: Podcast

Q&A: What are some good ways to repurpose content?

What It’s About

Today’s listener wants to know how to reuse their content.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1565

What if you could do something once and then benefit from it many times over?

Write it once, use it many times: this is the method known as “repurposing content.” Work smarter, not harder!

But it’s not just a matter of copying and pasting, at least most of the time. There’s an art to the process, a method to the madness.

Here’s how to do it.

“Hi Chris this is Lisa and I’ve been listening to the show and reading your blog for several years. My question is….are there any rules against using your blog posts in more than one location? It seems like it’s a lot of trouble to write for a blog, create social updates, and enter the world of multimedia. My ideal situation would be to just create content in general and then repurpose it in different mediums. But what’s the best way to do that? It seems there are different formats and best practices for each one, so I’m not sure how much editing will be required. And is this something I should do on my own or get some outsourced help with? Looking forward to your response.”

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

Customer Service Agent Becomes CBD Affiliate

What It’s About

A customer service agent sees green growth from recommending CBDs through his site.

Words of Wisdom

Michael share’s some sage advice for those starting their hustle; “Endure! If you are starting as a newbie, commercial success will likely take a long time. Don’t worry, the time is not wasted, consider every day a day of personal development.”

Fun Fact

The future of the CBD industry is more segmentation and niche products. CBD gummies, oils, creams and vape are big right now, but CBD drinks are the next biggest growing product segment. In the next couple years, drinks, foods, beauty products and products targeted at niche demographics are going to be where new growth occurs.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1564
Michael Primak is far from an overnight success. In fact, he’s probably spent more time failing on his side hustle adventure than he has succeeding… but that’s why we’re interested in him, because sometimes your first idea—or your twelfth) isn’t your final one.

Back then, Michael was working as a customer service agent for a software company. With one foot in the tech scene he was able to learn valuable skills on the job. Combined with his own independent study, he learned to design and code websites, as well as how to market an idea.

The problem was, none of the ideas worked. By the time 2018 rolled around a decade had passed, he was a father to a child and a whole family of failed experiments.

2018 was the same year the CBD boom took off in the USA. With the rise in popularity of products like oils, gummies, and vapes, Michael saw an opportunity … and decided to bottle it up.

His first thought was to start an ecommerce store selling CBD products. However, once he started looking into it he realized the upfront costs would be prohibitive. He’d have to purchase inventory as well as source fulfillment and deal with banking options that were still accommodating a new industry. It all seemed too difficult.

Instead, he looked into affiliate marketing. He noticed several of the products sold online had affiliate programs: that is, they offered a percentage of each sale to those who referred customers to them.

He purchased the domain CBDDelivery.co as well as a yearly hosting package. All up, this cost him around seventy dollars which was all he needed to get started.

It was a hit, and the site’s traffic began an upward incline into March as the COVID-19 pandemic hit the USA. However, far from negatively impacting his site, lockdowns across the world actually increased the traffic to CBD Delivery. It delivered a huge spike in accompanying sales as well. So much so that by the middle of the year the site was making ten times as much as the previous year, five thousand dollars per month.

This thirteenth attempt at a side business has now enabled him to quit his full time job, spend more time at home with his two-year-old, and enjoy life.

 

 

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
"Endure! If you are starting as a newbie, commercial success will likely take a long time. Don’t worry, the time is not wasted, consider every day a day of personal development."
—Michael Primak #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 automate an online dating profile consulting biz?

What It’s About

Today’s caller wants to automate her client intake process.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1563

This Australian listener wants to start a consulting biz to help improve dating profiles. How can she automate her scheduling process to avoid a lot of back-and-forth.

The answer to her question comes from my side hustle sidekick, Jedd Chang. He heard the question and said, “I know exactly how to do this.”

(Side note: check out Jedd’s online Italian cooking classes featured in Ep. 1464! or visit http://cookingintuscany.cc/hustle)

“Hi, Chris, this is Sera from Melbourne, Australia. I’m a year-long listener and a first-time caller. I write for Australia’s leading men’s lifestyle publisher and my content on dating and dating apps gets really great feedback. Some apps have even approached us for sponsored posts with really great results. I’m thinking about starting a side hustle, consulting swiping singles, to improve their dating app profiles. My question is, with the luck of starting now, with so many incredible resources out there, how can I best automate a booking site with clients, can book pay and upload files like screenshots of their current dating app profiles with minimal input from me. So all I have to do is prepare my content and show up. Thanks and keep up the incredible work.”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

  MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • SideSwiped.com.au: Interested in this service Sera will be providing? Swipe left and sign up on her mailing list to learn more.
  • We recommended Sera to check out these online form building platforms, Typeform.com and Formstack.com. They can collect information and direct payments from potential customers. They should work well for the kind of service Sera is offering.
  • Another service that can be helpful is, zapier.com, that connects multiple online tools so that they all automagically work together.

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

RV Renter Revs Up Recurring Revenue

What It’s About

A new RV owner pays off her RV (and makes a little extra) by renting it out.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Darlene share’s some important advice about standing out from your competition; “If you want to stand out from other people offering a similar product or service, you have to find something that sets you apart beyond the functional basics of having everything work.

Fun Fact

According to a study by the RV Industry Association, the RV industry had an overall economic impact to the US economy of $114 billion, supporting nearly 600 000 jobs, contributing more than $32 billion in wages, and paying over $12 billion in federal, state, and local taxes. RV shipments in 2020 totalled 430 412 units, up 6% from 2019 and on par with the third best annual shipment total on record.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1562
Growing up, Darlene Miller loved camping—especially since she didn’t have to do much for it. After her family arrived at a campsite, she’d hop on her bike and go exploring. When she got back, everything was already set up. Once Darlene grew up and had her own children, she took them camping so they could enjoy the same experience. That’s when she found out camping is a lot of work!

The idea of buying an RV of her own was attractive, but she was worried about the expense. It just seemed like the kind of luxury she couldn’t afford. But, as she learned more about side hustles, she realized that she could rent out the RV to earn extra money when she wasn’t using it—which was most of the time.

To get started, Darlene did her research. She called other RV renters to see what models were most popular. Then she read through countless ads from all over the country to figure out a fair price. To further ease her concerns, she watched the price for around six months to make sure she understood the market. Eventually, in June 2020, she found a great deal on a second-hand RV at half the price it was going for as a brand new one a year earlier. The wheels were in motion.

Darlene used her RV over the July 4th holiday. Then she placed an ad to rent it out on RV Share, where she targeted people like her who wanted camping to be easy. Before she went to bed that night, it was already rented! That was amazing, except the renters wanted to pick it up in two days. Darlene panicked because she wasn’t ready. She still needed to buy new bedding, stock it with dishes, and much more.

Speaking of money, the wheels are turning on this side hustle! She paid a 10% deposit on the RV and took out a loan for the rest. She now pays $550 a month towards the loan and insurance, and grossed almost $20,000 from rentals in the first six months. That’s not pure profit, because RV Share takes a 25% fee on each booking and she had a few repairs along the way.

Still, she’s making good money, and she’s doing it herself. Darlene has never before had money added to her checking account without it being from an employer—and it feels great. Unlike many other RV owners who see their initial investment rapidly decline, hers has produced a highly positive return.

Darlene says if she had more time, she’d create her own website to handle rentals herself, and have the renters provide proof in writing showing that their auto insurance covers them. This could save them a lot of money and would allow Darlene to keep the full rental fee. But she still considers RV Share a nice service to have in case something does go wrong.

All told, the process has been more successful and more fun than she expected. Next up, she hopes to buy a piece of land in a desirable vacation spot, and place a trailer on it to rent as an Airbnb—and maybe even another RV as well. She’s happy to go where the road takes her.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Learn more about the possibility of listing your own RV or book your own RV rental through Darlene’s listing.

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
"If you want to stand out from other people offering a similar product or service, you have to find something that sets you apart beyond the functional basics of having everything work."
—Darlene Miller #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: What’s the best way to share personal stories of recovery?

What It’s About

Today’s caller wants to help people struggling with eating disorders. Is there an ideal platform for this?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1561

Today’s listener question deals with a sensitive topic. The caller has struggled with an eating disorder and is now going through recovery. I really admire and respect her bravery in calling in!

She’s wondering about serving others who’ve had the same struggle. As a natural storyteller, she’s noticed some things she’d like to highlight and is trying to figure out how to do it.

How might a person go about deciding the best format or medium for such a project, and is there an obvious moneymaking angle from it? I thought about that for a while before deciding on the answer that I’ll share with you.

“Hi, Chris, this is Kit and I’m from Chicago. I’ve been reading your books and listening to your podcasts for probably four or five years now. I’m a natural storyteller. I have a lot of funny stories from travel experiences or from random research, deep dives I’ve done about historical or scientific topics, usually obscure and McJob and entertaining. Most recently, though, I entered treatment for an eating disorder at an age that’s much older than most of my peers and even the staff, I found that recovery has been a new source of so many unusual experiences that are shared among eating disorders survivors but rarely written about or expressed.

So I’ve learned that eating disorder survivors really are a neglected community. So I would like to share my stories, my experiences in the things that I learned along the way in an educational dark, funny, ultimately helpful way. But I can’t decide on the best format for stories. YouTube, podcasts, blogs all seem like really crowded arenas. So what format would you advise for a storytelling based side hustle? Thanks so much.”

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: Pandemic Shuts Down Himalayan Trekking Tours

What It’s About

A trekking tour company encounters an uncrossable border.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1560

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 Mark Johnson, founder of Hobnail Trekking Co.. We told Hobnail’s story in Episode #677, Tennessean Meets Nepalese Sherpa on Lyft Ride, Sells Adventure Trips.

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Hobnail Trekking Co.: Cross Mt. Everest off your bucket list—head on over to Mark and Holly’s website to get yourself on the fast track to base camp!

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: Budget Savvy Bridal Blog Gets Serious

What It’s About

An update from a budget savvy bridal blogger.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1559

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 Turnkey Translator, who argued that anyone who speaks multiple languages can profit from their skills.

Today, in our latest feature, we’ll hear from the founder of Budget Savvy Bride. She recently said “yes” to serious growth!

What’s happened since we first featured Jessica in Ep. 849, approximately 710 days ago? Let’s hear directly from her. I’ll be back at the end to wrap us up.

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

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • The Budget Savvy Bride: Head on over to Jessica’s blog to learn more or forever hold your peace
  • The Budget Savvy Wedding Planner & Organizer: From planning tools and checklists to worksheets and calendars, Jessica’s book has all of the need-to-know advice to help you navigate the wedding industry traps. Learn more, here!
  • WordPress: Jessica used WordPress to set up The Budget Savvy Bride, and here you can learn how to install your own WordPress site in 5 minutes

 

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: Can you sell a “home office in-a-box” kit?

What It’s About

Today’s caller is wondering if working from home is here to stay.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1558

One year ago, we were in peak COVID Phase One. Lockdown had started in the U.S. and travel had dropped to 5% of the daily totals from the previous year and we were all getting used to what became a new normal.

I was getting ready to launch The Money Tree, a book I was very happy about. I had to change all my plans and I still haven’t been able to tour.

If you haven’t checked out the book yet, please do. It’s the story of finding a fortune in your own backyard, my first fiction book but it’s teaching along the way. One reader said they read the book and began applying the lessons right away, and had already earned $1,000 from it.

In today’s episode, we hear from a listener who has an idea to sell a home office in a box—not a literal box, more of a conceptual one.

What might she need to know—how can we help improve her odds of success?

“Hey Chris, this is Melissa and I recently found your show after a friend recommended it to me. I’ve been loving the stories, puns, and helpful advice. I’ve got an idea for you that I’d like some feedback on.

With so many people working from home (and many of them planning to stay that way), I’d like to sell a home office in a box. Not the actual home office, but everything they need to work from home more productively.

I’m thinking of things like a ring light so they have better lighting on video calls, and something fun and whimsical like a “survival guide for the indoors.” How can I develop and market this idea? I can imagine lots of different directions for it, and I now I need to narrow it down a bit or I’ll never get started. Looking forward to hearing from you.”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

SEE ALSO:

  • Q&A: Tips for working at home??: Here’s a question I’ve been getting over and over as we all adapt to a new way of life: what are some tips for working at home, especially when it’s unfamiliar and you’re still getting used to it?
  • Paralegal Takes Flight with Remote Work: A paralegal turns serial entrepreneur after getting the travel bug. She now lives in Thailand and helps others work remotely.
  • TBT: Staying Productive During the Work-at-Home Era: In this week’s “Throwback Thursday / Where are they now?” segment, we hear from the founder of a service that helps people who work alone do so productively.

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

Catering Chef Cooks Up Private Meals

What It’s About

A catering chef serves up a tasty side dish.

Words of Wisdom

Chris has some great advice for anyone interested in a similar hustle; “Ask any of your friends and family who wants to have a dinner in their home. Go try it out, see if you like it, and see how feasible it is for you to do. Again, there is almost no overhead, or capital expenses. Do it one time and see if you like it.”

Fun Fact

One of my craziest experiences was having to cook a dinner for two on a boat. They had told me they had rented a boat to take a sunset cruise on the Potomac, overlooking the monuments in Washington, DC. We planned a multi-course menu for their dinner. When I got there, there was a propane grill, that was maybe 10 inches, and had a tiny camping style propane tank. I had brought a portable electric stoves, but the captain said there wasn’t enough power for it, so I had to leave it in my car.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1557
Chris Spear always wanted to be a chef. He grew up with an interest in cooking and at sixteen began working in kitchens. From there, he went to college and earned a degree in culinary arts. After graduation, he entered the industry, working as a chef for a catering company.

To say that Chris loves cooking would be an understatement… but that’s only the appetizer to his side hustle story.

The main event is that Chris was a hard working, diligent employee who took great pride in the food he prepared for customers. And yet, several years into his career, he started looking for something more. Something to make a little extra money that was hopefully food related.

Turns out it was the job itself that would lead to this possibility.

You see, his company catered large events for dozens or hundreds of people. Sometimes, though, they were contacted for smaller private functions of only a few people. Often in the customers’ own home.

Instead of turning down the business, which wasn’t in their wheelhouse, they offered Chris the opportunity to take on these morsels… and he loved it. Preparing a meal for someone, for a special occasion, in their home tapped into his love of food in a profound way.

That’s when he decided to go from the frying pan into the fire. He began by calling and emailing everyone he knew to let them know his plan. Soon, he had a bite—also known as his first customer.

He also whipped up a brand name, Perfect Little Bites.

He’d been working a full time job and building his side hustle for over five years. It was time for him to quit that day job and go all in. He knew that Perfect Little Bites might rise like a cake or fall like a souffle. But either way, he had to take the chance.

And it worked. With more free time to pay attention to his business, business grew. There have been some down periods but Chris propped them up with lucrative months. On average, he takes home around sixty thousand dollars per year in what is now his full-time hustle. He also has plenty of time to actually take off.

For dessert, Chris is now working on a consulting business he calls Chefs Without Restaurants where he aims to coach hopeful chefs in how to start their own private cooking business. He’s already earning an additional five hundred dollars per month with that, so it might not be long before it becomes a permanent addition to the menu.

 

 

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

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Quote of the Day
"Go try it out, see if you like it, and see how feasible it is for you to do. Again, there is almost no overhead, or capital expenses. Do it one time and see if you like it."
—Chris Spear #SideHustleSchool

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To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Q&A: How to start a paid club for people seeking multiple citizenships?

What It’s About

Today’s caller knows that a lot of people seek multiple citizenships. Does his idea to bring them together travel well?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1556

Are you happy with your country of citizenship? Most people are, but not all of them—and some want to obtain multiple citizenships for tax or travel benefits. This listener wants to form a members-only club to bring these people together.

How might you do such a thing? And what if you have an idea to start some sort of membership around a values-based community. What would be your first three steps?

“Every four years, people in the States talk about leaving because they don’t like the results of the presidential election. Meanwhile, lots of other people (all over the world) are interested in having a second citizenship to make it easier to travel, pay less in taxes, or just because it seems interesting. I’d like to start a club for anyone who wants to change or add a new citizenship. I don’t want it to be political—my goal would be for it to welcome members regardless of what they believe about their governments. How should I structure this and how could I reach potential members? “

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