Archives: Podcast

Woodworker Proves Money Grows On Trees

What It’s About

Shocked by the cost of “live edge” furniture, a father and son team carve up a new hustle building their own.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

When it comes to side hustles and life, John says that it is important to push yourself and grow. “Do something that scares you fairly often. I think the quote is: “do something that scares you EVERY DAY”, but we’re coming off of 2020 and I think we all need a break. But seriously, it’s important to take calculated risks in life and grow from whatever the outcome is.”

Fun Fact

People have been handcrafting furniture for hundreds of years, dating back to Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt. The oldest known chairs date back to 5000 B.C and were used ceremonially in Ancient Egypt.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1478
In the summer of 2019, John Krygiel was getting ready to move into a new apartment. So far so good, but there was one problem. He needed new furniture and was especially set on finding the perfect coffee table.

He wanted something rustic, earthy, and asymmetrical. He began searching online, and found the exact type of style that he was envisioning. It was a type of furniture called “live edge.” Essentially, the furniture looks like it was cut right out of a tree.

Although John fell in love with the style, he was not a fan of the price tag. It was unbe-leaf-ably expensive! What a shock. But fortunately for him (and for the sake of this story), he wasn’t ready to give up on his dream table just yet. He figured that if he couldn’t afford to buy it, maybe he could make it himself—with the help of his dad, who John describes as a “master woodworker.”

From there, Origin Woodworks was born. John already had an old auto shop that he ran a lawn care business through, so he decided to base Origin Woodworks there too. He also spent around one thousand dollars in new tools.

John said that he got his first paying customer from tools he learned from Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days. He said that he really tried to take what he learned from the book and imagine it from the perspective of a client.

In the first year, John made about $6,000 from his side hustle. At this point, most of his customers have come through word-of-mouth. He notes the great thing about selling furniture is that every piece he makes is a potential “ad” for a new client.

In the future, he hopes to get a piece of furniture from Origin Woodworks in every home in Missouri. Until then, he’s enjoying his creative outlet that doubles as a business. Not only that, but he’s found great satisfaction being able to give back. He donates a portion of all profits to One Tree Planet, a nonprofit organization that plants trees around the world wherever they are most needed.

 

 

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
"It’s important to take calculated risks in life and grow from whatever the outcome is."
—John Krygiel #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: Where can I find royalty-free music?

What It’s About

Today’s caller is in search of royalty-free music to use for a podcast. Any ideas?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1477

You can’t just use anyone’s music because it belongs to them. A major video game recently got in trouble because it included songs they weren’t supposed to use, and then had to publicly tell everyone who purchased it to disable the music in the game’s settings until a patch was available.

This applies to you as well, if you have a podcast or YouTube channel or any other medium that might use music—or if you’d like to start one. Where can you find royalty-free music you can use without worry?

“I’m starting a podcast this year! And maybe a YouTube channel as well. I’ll keep you posted, but here’s one problem I’m having for now. Where can I find music I can use as an intro track and maybe some background throughout, without getting into trouble and preferably without paying? I know that YouTube especially is very strict about taking down videos that are improperly using other people’s music. I would hate to have a popular video with lots of views but then lose everything because I made a mistake with a few seconds of music.”

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

Q&A: Any ideas to monetize my visual poetry?

What It’s About

A caller seeks advice on how to monetize their visual artwork.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1476

In today’s episode: a visual artist hopes to monetize her creative “words and images” creations. Might a subscription model be the best option? Could there be something else she hasn’t considered?

Selling art is a challenge—it’s very different from selling a product that meets a practical need. Still, let’s see what we can figure out!

“Hi, Chris, this is Lisa from Vancouver, Canada. I’ve been listening to the show for well over a year now and I really enjoy it. I’m a visual artist who works with image and text, the text element being original poetry written by me. The problem is that while people seem to really like my work and spend a good chunk of time reading it and sometimes buying it, I realize that most do not see hanging poetry on their wall in a frame. I must put it somehow and I’d like to earn money from what I’m good at. My cars have been more successful, but that market is very competitive. My question is, how do I get my poetry out of a framed visual art piece and into onto something people want to buy with a subscription model of some sort work? I’d like to contribute to the world in a positive way and I’m open to any suggestions you may have. Many thanks for all you do.”

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

TBT: iPhone App Tracks Weight-Loss Progress

What It’s About

An update from the creator of an app that tracks weight-loss progress.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1475

How are those New Year’s Resolutions going?

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, Marimba Rentals, this week, a popular app to help people with their weight-loss goals. It promises to go beyond the scale.

What’s happened since? Let’s hear directly from Lewis, the British developer who made and maintains the app. I’ll be back at the end to wrap us up.

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

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • The Progress App: If weight loss is part of your New Year’s resolutions, use Lewis’ app to help you keep track!

 

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: How can I increase my conversion rate?

What It’s About

A caller wonders how to focus on increasing their conversion rate instead of finding new customers.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1474

A listener has heard that increasing conversion (the percentage of people who see your offer and buy it) is more important than finding new customers. But how do you do it?

This is a good time for a reminder: there are only three ways to make more money from your business:

  • 1. Acquire more customers
  • 2. Sell more to existing customers
  • 3. Increase the conversion rate

In the long-run, you’d like to do all three of these. But most inexperienced business owners and side hustlers focus mostly on the first one. Conversion is extremely important!

If you have 100 people who see your offer, and one of them signs up or purchases, that’s a 1% conversion rate. You could focus on finding 200 people to see your offer, or you could work on trying to increase that conversion rate—perhaps to 2% or higher.

“Hey Chris this is Jaheem I started listening to the show since last year. I’ve heard you say that increasing your conversion rate is more important than finding new customers. That makes sense, but how do we do it? What are some ways other small businesses have been able to improve in this area? I’ve heard about A/B testing, for example, but it sounds complicated and more like something a big company would do. If you have any other ideas, I’d love to hear those too. “

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

Floridian Finds Fair Value Flipping Furniture

What It’s About

A call center manager finds a new calling flipping furniture.

Words of Wisdom

Ryan has some encouraging words for anyone looking to do something similar: “Start today. Right now. You can find an old piece of furniture for less than $500, pick it up and have it flipped before the week is done. Take action every day.”

Fun Fact

Ryan sources a lot of his furniture from garage sales and auctions, which he says are great resources for finding cheap furniture. He even got a few pieces for free through these avenues. Since he started over a year ago, Ryan thinks he’s refurbished hundreds of items.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1473
Ryan Cron’s inspiration for his side hustle came from a close source: his wife, Jessica.

In late 2018, Jessica restored their dining room furniture to reflect a farmhouse style. One morning shortly after, Ryan was getting ready for his job in call center management and they got to talking. Jessica mentioned that people would pay good money for refurbished furniture.

“Like how much?” Ryan replied.

“Probably $500 for a dining room table,” Jessica said.

Intrigued, Ryan asked her to teach him how she painted their table. She did, and within a week, Ryan was restoring an old dresser they purchased for $30 off of Facebook Marketplace.

The restoration involved Ryan putting on a new coat of paint, which only took a couple of hours, as well as $50 in supplies. This included $10 chalk paint and a $10 paint brush from Amazon, along with $20 in paint from Lowes.

Although he had no previous experience painting or working with his hands, Ryan realized he loved the task. Once he listed the dresser on Facebook Marketplace, it sold within two hours for $150.

He and Jessica were shocked at how quick it happened. It wasn’t too much work for a $70 profit—and even better, this was the first time they’d tried. Might they be able to replicate or even improve these results?

So for the next piece Ryan refurbished, he upped the sale price. It sold in less than a day.

The most challenging part of this project was learning the technique of making furniture reflect a farmhouse style. He messed up a bunch of pieces because he didn’t apply the paint or stain a certain way, or sometimes he would distress the coats too much. But through trial and error, Ryan perfected the skill.

He finally got his own truck and focused on the furniture business, bringing in between $2,000 and $3,000 per month. Although this was less than he made at his corporate job, he was much more content.

 

 

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
"Start today. Right now. You can find an old piece of furniture for less than $500, pick it up and have it flipped before the week is done."
—Ryan Cron #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 get started on personalized journal idea?

What It’s About

A listener wants to create and sell their own journal. How should they proceed?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1472

A listener is inspired to create a custom physical journal. What are the steps to getting it designed, printed, and out to market?

Let’s go through Journal 101. We’ll give this listener an action plan he can use to get the custom journal party started!

“Hi, Chris, this is Dylan from Florida. I’m a long time listener and I actually recently purchased The Money Tree, so I’m pretty excited to get into that. I have an idea for a custom physical journal and I’m wondering where I can start and getting it created, you know, manufactured or I guess printed and just those aspects of publishing. In addition, is there a way to legally protect a specialized journal such as a copyright or trademark? I don’t think trademarks work, but copyright, for instance? Anyways, thank you for all the help and guidance you give. Look forward to hearing from you. “

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

Natural Air Fresheners Are Big Business

What It’s About

Two friends smell sweet success with their all-natural air fresheners.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Christian’s two scents for other side hustlers is simple: “Just start something. You won’t regret it either way.”

Fun Fact

While making the products on his in-law’s patio, Christian actually ruined all of their lawn chairs and promised to buy them new ones once the company hit it big. No word on whether that’s actually happened yet.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1471
In the summer of 2015, friends Christian Thrapp and Ryan Baylis were out mountain biking. They were also bouncing around business ideas. Ryan pointed out the lack of good options for car air fresheners that aren’t tacky and full of chemicals. Fake Plastic Trees was a great song by Radiohead, but the world didn’t need any more of the actual fake plastic trees.

Besides, how hard could it really be to make natural air fresheners? Christian admits now that if they’d foreseen the challenges they’d soon face, they wouldn’t have gone any further. He’s also grateful for their ignorance.

Not every business requires you to spend money upfront, but in this case, they each put in about $2,500 to buy wood, oil, metal clips, and some online ads. Christian admits that when they spent $1,000 on an order of metal clips from overseas, he was worried they’d never see that money again. But it worked out and they launched GentScents, a brand of natural car air fresheners for men.

In October 2016, the pair gained some traction with a Kickstarter campaign. Here’s a trick that might help someone with crowdfunding: don’t be afraid to make a pledge to your own project. Toward the end of the campaign, they realized they weren’t going to hit their $7,500 goal and would therefore lose out on the other money they’d raised. To make sure that didn’t happen, they ended up backing the last part themselves.

GentScents rebranded as Drift to capture more of the market and sell other products beyond air fresheners. For instance, they now sell room sprays and offer a scent of the month club starting at $8/month.

Thanks in large part to paid social media, they’re now hitting sales in the mid seven figures and growing. Interestingly, search engine optimization hasn’t been a big driver for them because people don’t Google for air fresheners. It’s more of an impulse buy. Christian says they plan to keep building Drift until they take over the air care business.

Despite the challenges, they’ve come out smelling like a rose. Or winter pine or sugared citrus, in their case.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Freshen up your life by picking up your own air freshener at Christian and Ryan’s website, Drift.co.

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
"Just start something. You won’t regret it either way."
— Christian Thrapp #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: Have I found a way to accept PayPal payments with no fees?

What It’s About

A caller wonders if you can avoid PayPal fees when accepting payments from customers.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1470

More than 300 million people have a PayPal account, and you can use it to receive business payments in addition to personal money transfers. There are many alternatives, including some good ones, but PayPal really is the easiest way to accept payments online.

If this sounds like a sponsor message, it’s not—it relates to a listener question. In fact, this is something that PayPal doesn’t want people to know about, so they most certainly wouldn’t pay for us to share this information. The question is from a crafty listener who’s found a way to avoid PayPal fees when accepting payments. He wants to know if he’s really on to something or if this is unethical in some way. I’ve known about this trick for years and it absolutely works—you just need to be aware of a couple of things before you use it. I’ll tell you exactly how to do it so you can decide for yourself.

“I’m getting killed with PayPal fees! We take a lot of small payments, and they charge a transaction fee in addition to a percentage fee. However, I think I’ve found a loophole. For the past few months, I’ve asked our customers to pay us by sending their payments directly to my email address. Then, when I have to make payments to vendors, I use the Friends & Family option and there are zero fees. Brilliant! I wanted to pass this on to anyone looking for a similar solution, and also ask you if you think there’s anything wrong with it.”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

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: How to start an engineering hustle while working full-time?

What It’s About

Today’s caller seeks advice on how to launch his hustle while working full-time.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1469

A Canadian caller is wondering how to start a CAD (computer aided design) hustle while working full-time.

A reminder of how these kinds of questions can be helpful to you even if you don’t relate to the specific situation. This guy’s question is about a specific kind of business, which I’ll talk about a little. But more important is the general principle behind it. How can you start any business while working full-time? Aren’t there some characteristics and considerations that are similar no matter the type of business?

I would say that there are, so I always try to consider both the specific question as well as how it might help other people doing something different. That’s my goal, anyway. Let’s see if I can succeed in this one—you’ll be the judge.

“Hi, Chris. This is Joe from Toronto, Canada, and I’ve been listening to your podcast for a little over seven months. I’m thinking about side hustling an opportunity that I was presented with, where I can sell mechanical CAD services to small firms who do not have design teams in-house. In summary, companies contract out a lot of engineering design work that is either repetitive or do not have the resources to perform the task. There’s a similar model with the technical work that is going to be done overseas and I won’t be a sales extension of that form.

My question is, is it really possible for this opportunity to be a side hustle because I do like my full-time job when there is no pay for no say? Also, there are some possible avenues that I could find leads of such firms that I can help with that work and I’m going to make this operational by being available before 9:00 a.m. and after 5:00 p.m. on weekends? Thanks, and I really appreciate for the knowledge and inspiration you’ve given your podcast for surely impacts people’s lives, just like how it did mine. Thanks again for the wonderful work and best wishes for the holidays.”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

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Resources

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To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau