Archives: Podcast

Origami-Loving Musician Doesn’t Mind Paperwork

What It’s About

When the pandemic cancels a musician’s tour she doesn’t fold, and instead, starts teaching origami online.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

When it comes to searching for a side hustle, Kat has some advice. “Your story is important. What is it that makes you unique? For me, I know one of the reasons I do so well in Origami is because it’s part of my story, from being a musician writing the song for my grandmother and my Japanese background allows me to share a lot of stories during the workshop and gives me some authority in that area. Everybody has a unique story and something that you can do.”

Fun Fact

There is a legend in Origami that if students make more than 1000 paper cranes, their wishes may come true.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1548
Kat McDowell’s love for origami bloomed as a young girl growing up in Japan. Her grandmother’s room was full of different paper creations, from geometric shapes to cranes hanging from her ceiling.

Despite moving to New Zealand when she was five, Kat’s love of origami remained throughout her life. It was a way to be creative and connect with her grandmother.

As she grew up, she became a musician but never forgot about origami. This is why in early 2020, she released a new song called “1000 Paper Cranes” as a tribute to her grandmother.

No longer being able to have in-person events, Kat still wanted to find a way to promote “1000 Paper Cranes.” So, she decided to have a virtual paper crane folding party with her fans and anyone else who wanted to join in. She taught them how to do some simple origami, just like her grandmother taught her, and then premiered her music video.

The origami party was a hit, and doing it virtually posed fewer barriers than she’d expected. This gave Kat an idea— what if she could bring this sense of fun and connection to others during the pandemic? On a whim, she began reaching out to the same colleges she had partnered with before, asking if they would be interested in the workshops.

Within two weeks, she had booked nine workshops, at $500 each. This was a low-cost side hustle for her to start. She already owned a phone, computer, and recording setup. All she had to buy was the origami paper.

The workshops were a hit, and Kat even got to play some of her songs in the background. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought of it sooner—but I don’t blame her, because who would think of virtual origami?

In 2020, Kat made $8,000 from these impromptu workshops. She loves that she has been able to help people relax and take their mind off of the pandemic. She’s even had to bump her price up from $500 to $750 due to increased demand.

Kat never imagined that her passion for origami could unfold into a side hustle. As a musician, she hasn’t ever had a stable income and the pandemic has made that even worse, with all of her shows cancelled. Yet by leveraging her skills, connections and passion, she was able to create another stream of income.

She’s also thinking ahead. Kat knows that the demand for origami workshops won’t last forever, so she is also planning new workshops around the art of Kintsugi, a Japanese art form where broken objects are repaired with gold and made more valuable. She now believes that her art and music are destined to be intertwined.

 

 

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
"Your story is important. What is it that makes you unique? Everybody has a unique story and something that you can do."
—Kat McDowell #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Learn More With Skillshare!

Supporting the sponsors keeps the show free. Today’s episode of Side Hustle School is brought to you by Skillshare. 📷

Skillshare is giving Side Hustle School listeners 2 months of unlimited access—for $0.99! Join the 2 million students learning everything from street photography to SEO on Skillshare today!
Get Started Here!

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.


Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Q&A: How are people successful without social media?

What It’s About

Today’s caller wonders if it’s #possible or #impossible to be successful without social media.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1547

This listener hates the idea of using her Instagram or Facebook profile to share anything about her business. Do you have to use social to be successful?

The answer is no! Or at least: it depends on what you’re selling. In my answer, let’s look at three examples of people who’ve largely avoided social media.

“Most people I’ve seen with successful small businesses are really committed to social media, and that’s just not me. Don’t get me wrong, I like using Facebook and Instagram, but I’m mostly a lurker who doesn’t post much. Do I have to improve this skill? Is this just something I need to get over? Or is it possible to not have an active social presence but still grow your business? Any examples would be helpful.”

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: NASA Sweatpants Not Ready for Liftoff

What It’s About

“Houston, we have a problem with these sweatpants.”

Notes from Chris

Episode 1546

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 Kyle from New York City. We told the successful story of his Swoverall’s project on Episode #394 and also in the 100 Side Hustles book. But he’s had some struggles along the way, including a new product line in partnership with NASA.

Like many a failed space shuttle launch, however, it didn’t go according to plan.

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • The Great Fantastic Co.: Snag a pair of your own Swoveralls, and embrace the funky side of eclectic fashion. Learn more on Kyle’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

TBT: Pittsburgh Houseplant Merchant Blossoms During Pandemic

What It’s About

A house plant lover sets down roots with a new store.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1545

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.

Two weeks ago, we focused this episode around a guy known as the Plant Influencer. Naturally, we try to space topics out a bit, and I wasn’t going to do another plant story for a while but when I listened to the interview with Abi, I realized she had a really good story that I didn’t want to wait for you to hear.

After years of being part-time, she opened her shop in January 2020, and naturally was quite worried since that was the last normal month of life for most of us—but she ended up really turning things around.

Also, you always hear “find your niche” – but she found a good one! You’ll hear more about most of those things.

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

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Perrico Plant Co: Check out Abi’s growing collection of organic house plants on her 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: Does this hometown tourist guide have merit?

What It’s About

Today’s listener heard an earlier episode about being a hometown expert. Can they successfully replicate the model in their own city?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1544

It’s always fun whenever I hear of a new business or side hustle that starts up from a listener based on one of the case studies we’ve featured.

The “Hoboken Girl” story of an online citywide news hub leads a listener to wonder if she can do something similar in her city. What are the prerequisites?

“Hi Chris this is Ash from Ashland and yes, people point that out all the time. So it got me thinking about Hoboken Girl from Ep .#902. I live in a mid-sized town/city and I don’t think we have anything like this—at least not a single source that’s well-curated and frequently updated. Do you think her model is still viable for someone starting today? If so, what’s the best plan of action to move forward. Appreciate any help or advice you can give me.”

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

Children’s Librarian Builds Crossfit Bra Business

What It’s About

A librarian reads the need for sports bras for muscular women.

Words of Wisdom

Allison shares some important advice, “Be intentional in all of your pursuits. Know why you are doing the things you are doing and where you hope your business will go. For example, opening a boutique wasn’t something I wanted for myself because I like free time and shopping when I want, not being stuck in a store.”

Fun Fact

One of Allison’s customers, a very popular athlete, asked if KFT could launch an exclusive print with her cats as cartoons on them, and people absolutely loved them. Additionally, KFT bras have been worn by athletes at the highest levels of competition and shipped to more than 20 countries.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1543
Allison Alexander saw a problem and took it upon herself to find a solution. In 2015, she started doing Crossfit and quickly became a passionate athlete. As she continued to work out, her body began to change.

Then came the problem: she was more muscular than she was before, and her sports bras didn’t fit right. She tried shopping for new ones, but the options available on the market didn’t fit well either. She was also bothered by the fact that muscular women weren’t often showcased in advertisements for sports bras. She didn’t feel seen.

Allison wanted to change that for both her and women who looked like her – muscular and strong. That’s why she started KFT, a fitness apparel brand geared toward female strength athletes.

One store that already offered sports bras was Lululemon. It’s an incredibly popular brand, but Allison says she felt it catered to thinner women. She wondered if she could somehow tweak one of their bras slightly to make it fit muscular women like her better. She bought a bra from there and began some online research, searching how to find a manufacturer. Allison eventually connected with a few of them and had samples made—samples of bras designed to fit women with muscular backs.

Allison began wearing the samples to the gym, and several other women asked about them. Seeing this interest, she decided to invest in several colors of one style of sports bra and launch KFT with them. She enlisted a photographer she knew who was hoping to start a portfolio and would take product photos for free. Then, she created a Shopify site and chose ShipStation to manage everything associated with shipping. (Thanks, ShipStation!)

KFT started by Allison connecting with local Crossfit women who competed at elite levels and selling to them. The local athletes then introduced her to Crossfit women who were nationally recognized. Allison even had whole teams of women order custom bras to wear at large Crossfit events that were well-photographed and resulted in organic marketing for KFT.

Currently, KFT averages a profit of $5,000 to $7,000 a month. Allison markets her products primarily on Instagram and an active email list. She’s utilized paid ads only a few times and prefers instead to identify influencers to promote KFT. She now has an ambassador team of more than 100 women to market her products. Micro-influencers have been a huge key to her success, and she says to never underestimate someone’s value based on their number of followers.

Looking to the future, Allison plans to wrap up her graduate degree in leadership, which aids both KFT and the coaching business she recently started that’s focused on working with other women who have side hustles – women like her, who saw a problem and set out to solve it.

 

 

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
"Be intentional in all of your pursuits. Know why you are doing the things you are doing and where you hope your business will go."
—Allison Alexander #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 can I develop an online memorial service?

What It’s About

A listener wants to know how to build out a service offering online memorials.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1542

Dying is part of life for approximately 100% of us. It’s not something we always like to think about, but when we realize “Hey, we’re all in this same club” maybe it gives you some perspective.

In the past we’ve had a feature on two German friends (#214) who set out to reinvent the funeral urn business with colorful designs.

One of the consequences of the pandemic era is that families and loved ones have not always been able to grieve together at funerals or memorial services when someone dies.

The purpose of a funeral or wake or anything similar is to offer a space for grief.

Another episode, (#721), was all about an Australian guy who started an online memorial service more than two years ago. He was thinking largely of people who weren’t able to travel or otherwise attend an in-person service, but of course it might be all the more relevant today. That’s what one of our listeners is wondering about.

“Hey Chris this is Brad from Denver and I’ve been listening to your show since episode 1. I can’t believe we’re on season 5! I heard an old episode you did about someone who provided online memorials. I imagine that’s something that is of special significance during a pandemic when people aren’t able to travel to services or in some cases even gather in one town.”

I’d like to offer a version of this, complete with a range of options including a message from a local minister or Toastmaster’s Club speaker, a webpage where people can leave messages, and maybe even some offline follow-up materials that go out in the mail. My thought is that in the future, more and more memorial services will be online even when it’s safe to attend them in person, or in some cases there will be an online version and an in-person service. Do you have any advice? Thanks.”

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

Two Friends Create Questionable Card Game

What It’s About

Two friends see a fun opportunity to help people connect through their card game.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Dennis shares some encouraging words about working with someone else, “If you can find a good partner, it can really help. We’ve had the success we’ve had so far because this project represents the culmination of both of our superpowers. We’re lucky to have connected that way and partnerships can be tricky and sometimes disastrous, but for us it’s been great.”

Fun Fact

When they started the side hustle, YouDon’tKnowMyLife.com was unavailable and the owner wanted $1,000 for it…so they purchased YouDontKnowMyLifeGame.com instead. By accident one day a few months later, they typed in YouDontKnowMyLife.com and it came up as available and they were able to grab it for $10.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1541
For years Dennis Hensley was a writer for the magazine industry, mostly interviewing celebrities. He honed his interview skills over time, eventually learning exactly what to ask to craft the perfect story.

But, as the magazine industry began dying, so did Dennis’s job. With less people reading print there just wasn’t the budget to keep someone like him around. It helped that he was ready for something new anyway, so he set his sights on developing a side hustle: something to help pay the bills if his income took a hit during the change.

During this transition period, an idea struck that wasn’t all that unrelated to his old magazine work. Dennis devised a concept whereby someone could pay him to interview them. In the interview he’d ask all sorts of questions, some general, some cheeky, and some probing. Things like “When was your first kiss?” or “What was the most trouble you ever got into in school?”

Afterwards, he’d condense everything into an audio story of the person’s life. He describes it as an audio family heirloom. The idea gained some attention and he spent a couple of years launching a website and working with customers. However, it never really took off the way he hoped it would… at least not until we fast-forward to 2018.

A friend of his, Jeb Havens, worked as a game designer. After hearing about what Dennis was doing, thought it would make a great game. Instead of needing an interviewer, family and friends could pull from a deck of cards and ask the questions to each other. Together they called the game, You Don’t Know My Life.

Rather than use a platform like Kickstarter or IndieGoGo to raise the funds, they hit up every single person they knew to presell them the game, also encouraging them to share the concept with others. They created a website in Weebly with PayPal linked to it. That way, customers could pay on the spot with the promise they’d receive a copy before Christmas of 2018.

That Christmas period was significantly busier than the first and the momentum continued into 2020. Their latest invention is virtual game nights. For their existing customers they’d host a version of the game over Zoom at a cost of ten dollars per head. That generated over nine thousand dollars in additional revenue for the year.

Add that on top of the earnings the game is bringing in already and it shows one thing… Dennis and Jeb may not know your life, but they certainly know how to create a successful side hustle.

 

 

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
"If you can find a good partner, it can really help. We’ve had the success we’ve had so far because this project represents the culmination of both of our superpowers."
—Dennis Hensley #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: Would you join an introvert’s networking club?

What It’s About

Today’s caller wonders if a club for introverts might be too much of an inside game.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1540

With introverts getting a lot of attention these days, might it be worth it to create some type of networking club for them—or is this exactly the thing they don’t want?

We are the cool kids these days. Big thanks to Susan Cain for writing the book Quiet and making the extroverted world aware of introverts.

“Hi Chris this is Cheryl from the Bay Area and I’ve been listening to the show for a couple of years now. I’ve always been a little shy, but much to my surprise, being an introvert is now cool! What do you think about an introvert’s networking club … is that too meta? Is it the opposite of what introverts want, or is there a way to tap into the desire for connection in an authentic manner? I’ve already started building a website but I’m not totally sure what to do next. Thanks for your help.”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

SEE ALSO:

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

Create your online store with Shopify using an exclusive discount for Side Hustle School listeners. For a limited time, get a free 21-day trial and a 10% discount for a whole year.

Many Side Hustle School listeners are building sites using Shopify's easy-to-learn platform. Try it free today! Learn More

GET YOUR FIRST 1,000 EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS

Social media is nice, but building an email list is still the single best way to get customers and clients for your hustle. It's not hard to get started—sign up for a 30-day trial and join the list-building challenge! You’ll be up and running in no time. Learn More

Sponsors & Gratitude

Don't Do Business Without It

Side Hustle School is brought to you by American Express.

No matter what you do in business, from working nine-to-five to working five-to-nine, it’s easier when you don’t go it alone. Get the powerful backing of American Express—don't do business without it! 💳 Visit American Express

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.
Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Failure Friday: Hand Sanitizer Makes Clean Getaway

What It’s About

A founder of all-natural body products battles a sticky situation.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1539

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.

Today’s short story features Sarah from Los Angeles. We told the successful story of their natural deodorant on Episode 509 (“Natural Deodorant That Actually Works Brings In $5,500/Month”). Last year they just so happened to be branching out into hand sanitizer before the pandemic started. Incredible timing, right?

But as you might guess, not everything went according to plan. Let’s hear from Sarah about that struggle…

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Learn more about Sarah and her sweet smelling side hustle at her website, CurieBod.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

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