Archives: Podcast

Q&A: How can I start a pandemic dating service?

What It’s About

A listener has an idea for a pandemic dating service. Is this really a healthy idea?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1355

Today’s listener wants to start a pandemic dating service. Will it be short-lived or a viral sensation?

 

“Hi Chris, this is Kerri from DC and I’ve been loving the new format and I’d love to hear your thoughts regarding my side hustle idea.

I have an idea of starting a dating service for people who have already had COVID-19. It’s not just a matter of antibodies and immunity, it’s also that I imagine people who’ve been through the experience have something in common that other people don’t understand.

What do you think, and what should I do next? My biggest problem—at least I *think* it’s my biggest problem—is how to convince enough people to sign up. Thanks Chris and I 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

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

Magicians Open Enchanting Online Store

What It’s About

And for their next trick … two magicians work together to conjure an online magic store.

Words of Wisdom

Andi says that one of the reasons Vanishing Inc. has done so well is their commitment to action. “Josh and I often joke that the key to our success is that we reply to emails quickly and get stuff done. But the truth is, I really think that is the answer! Too many people we work with fail because they’d prefer to talk about doing work than actually doing it.”

Fun Fact

In Queensland, Australia it is illegal to own a pet rabbit unless you can prove that you’re a magician. [source]

Notes from Chris

Episode 1354
Andi Gladwin has wanted to be a professional magician ever since he could remember. When he was fifteen, he attended a conference for young magicians. There, he met his future best friend, seventeen-year-old Joshua Jay.

As they grew up, they continued to delve into the world of magic. Although Andi had an office job, he found time to do magic on the side, even performing on shows like Penn & Teller: Fool Us and Masters of Illusion. Josh took it a step further and became a full-time touring magician.

Eventually, they began to collaborate by writing books about magic and even producing their own magic tricks for other magicians to buy.

Interestingly, despite being able to turn bricks or straw into gold, the magic community is historically slow to innovate. Few people were taking advantage of the available technology. That’s when the two friends decided to create their very own online magic retailer … called Vanishing Inc.

Since then, Vanishing Inc. has grown exponentially. Andi credits their success to one central point: The magic community was starved of companies with great customer service. By noticing this and filling that need, people quickly began to notice them.

These days, Vanishing Inc. is like the Amazon or Target for magicians. The company brings in millions of dollars every year. They advertise widely and are constantly introducing new products.

Right now, Vanishing Inc. has been focusing on the new era of “virtual magic.” Andi says that super visual magic is king and that creating 1-3 second videos showing a trick has done wonders to entice magicians into buying their products. Not only that, but every person they employ is also a magician. This way, the whole company is always aware of the type of content the community is looking for.

The team is also looking to find solutions to the in-person conferences that are so prevalent in the community. Right now, those conferences that would draw thousands of people a year are just not possible with COVID-19, so they’re trying to adapt like so many others.

Despite the challenges, Andi and Josh agree that Vanishing Inc. has changed their lives… or should I say transformed?

 

 

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
"Too many people we work with fail because they’d prefer to talk about doing work than actually doing it."
—Andi Gladwin #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 market Jujitsu products?

What It’s About

A listener seeks advice on how to market their jujitsu products. What should they know?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1353

Let’s talk about market jujitsu products!

Specifically, a brand started by one of our listeners in Argentina. She and her husband are just getting going—we’ll hear more from her with her question.

But also…

This is a good reminder to think about the values and beliefs of your ideal customer. It’s not just what are their demographics?

Here’s an example: I recently talked with a woman who is working with other women of color who are entrepreneurs.

“This is Celeste from Argentina. I’ve been listening to the show for a while now and I love it. Our Side hustle is Run and Roll, a brand my husband and I developed for people who practice Brazilian jujitsu. We have our registered name logo, original illustration, a Web page we both worked on, and Facebook and Instagram accounts. We began by printing T-shirts, bags, and hats here at home. Well, we started looking for manufacturers who could produce our designs for rash guards and spats for training. It was long and hard do to the economic crisis and the pandemic. But finally, the first items will arrive in a couple of weeks.

We tried Facebook and Instagram ads but didn’t seem to reach the people. we want to reach. Gus, my husband, can’t travel around to training academies and show our products as we had planned due to the current situation. My question is, how do you think we can make ourselves known? Stay safe. Thanks. And greetings from the other end of the world.”

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

Social Media Manager Moonlights for Mothers

What It’s About

A side hustle is born after a mother’s own experience working with a doula and then becomes one herself.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Jennifer advises new doulas to connect with their local community, even though they may be reluctant since these established doulas are technically the competition. But the doulas being connected and supportive of one another benefits everyone: “Empowered women empower women,” she says.

Fun Fact

In addition to her doula work and day job in social media, Jennifer is also a circus performer. She performs fire-breathing and fire arts, as well as aerial lyra and aerial chains.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1352
For Jennifer (Jenni) Jenkins, her journey to becoming a postpartum doula was a bit of a surprise to everyone, including herself. After earning a degree in Wildlife and Conservation Biology, she worked for the United States Forest Service in Louisiana. She fully expected her life path to be full of adventures into the woods to save endangered species.

Instead, she embarked on a completely different adventure after experiencing traumatic births with her first two children. Jennifer had hired a doula with her second baby. The support she received convinced her to shift her career path from working in the forests to working with expectant mothers.

At least, that was her dream. But how would she do it? To begin, Jennifer knew that she needed training and certification. Her first certification cost just $400, along with $150 in additional books and resources. Births are complicated and unique experiences, not something you can just study in a textbook. A doula-in-training has to gain a broad range of experience so they can have a better understanding of how to support their future clients. So before she could be fully certified, Jennifer also needed to spend a year and a half attending births in different scenarios.

Soon afterwards, Jennifer became certified and officially able to take on paid clients. She joined a local health and wellness collective and asked to be added to their website listings. This helped her business get exposure and brought in her first paying customers. To expand her network, she also attended events to meet with potential moms-to-be face-to-face.

Still, it wasn’t easy. Jennifer knew just having a doula certification wasn’t going to magically bring in clients, and learning how to market herself was very difficult. It isn’t something that comes naturally to many people, and it’s one of the biggest obstacles doulas face.

Her next goal is to start working toward becoming a Certified Professional Midwife. A midwife is medically trained and focuses on the health of the baby in the birthing process, while a doula focuses on the needs of the mother.

The good news is that she’s managed to build a solid side hustle through her hard work. In the first half of 2020, Jennifer had already made $8,000 in her second year as a doula. To balance her doula work with her job as a social media manager, Jennifer is careful to budget her time each day.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Learn more about Jennifer’s business and services her website, JenniJenkins.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

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
"Empowered women, empower women."
—Jennifer Jenkins #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: When is the right time to sell your business?

What It’s About

A listener is thinking about selling their business. What do they need to know?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1351

When should I sell my business and where do I sell it? We talked about this on one of the Third Way calls recently, and today another listener is wondering something similar.

First of all, to get to this point—where you’re even able to ask the question—is reason to celebrated two-fold. You’ve created an asset!

Not only that, but you’re smart enough to realize you might not want to do this forever … which is why you’re considering moving on. But what do you do?

“A Rugby Day is a rugby lifestyle brand and custom uniform provider for United States-based rugby teams through a web site at SaturdaysARugbyDay.com. My question for you is that when do you know it is the right time to sell your business? And in addition, where are the best places to sell your niche, e-Commerce base business?”

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 can I use Spotify as a lead generation source?

What It’s About

A musician wants to know how to generate leads from Spotify and Soundcloud. Is this possible?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1350

Do you listen to music on Spotify or Soundcloud? Millions of people do.

These platforms also make it easy for independent artists to upload their songs, in many cases allowing them to go directly to listeners and cutting out the need for record companies.

That’s great, but how does an independent musician use these platforms to connect with fans who discover them there? Unfortunately, there’s not an easy way to do that, so the best answer is to focus your efforts elsewhere—while still uploading to Spotify and Soundcloud, of course. But let’s not get too far ahead of the question from this listener.

“I’m an independent musician and have been streaming my tracks on Soundcloud. They’re getting a lot of streams, and my next step is to move to Spotify. However, I have absolutely no idea who’s listening and how I can communicate with them. I can’t encourage them to follow me or subscribe, I can’t email them since I don’t have their info, and if I want to promote something, I really have no way to reach them at all. How can I use these streaming platforms to more closely connect me with fans and listeners?”

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: Coronavirus Triples Sales of Cold Brew Coffee

What It’s About

An update from a co-founder of a popular cold brew coffee brand.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1349

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 Willem, the guy behind Vertallis, a board game to facilitate deep conversations. A couple weeks ago we featured the graphic designer for dogs who’s now grown into a full-fledged agency, retrieving clients from other industries.

Today, in our latest feature, we’ll hear from Alex French, the co-founder of Bizzy Coffee.

What’s happened since? Well, they started while they were training for an obstacle course race.

Also, one note just in case it’s not clear: Bizzy Coffee ended up joining an accelerator and raising capital, which is not usually the Side Hustle School way. However, this happened after they’d already started the business on the side and were seeing initial success—so it’s not a startup in the typical startup way.

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

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Bizzy Coffee Get your own caffeine fix from Alex’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

Quote of the Day
"For anyone who’s launching a product is to get to that first dollar as fast and as cheap as you can. And I think that Amazon is the fastest way to do that while minimizing the investment upfront. "
—Alex French #SideHustleSchool

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: What should I know before I start a Twitch channel?

What It’s About

A listener already has a cooking show on YouTube and is thinking of starting one on Twitch. What should they know?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1348

It’s a good thing platforms like Twitch weren’t around twenty years ago when I was in my younger twenties. The idea of playing online video games all day and getting paid for it—in some cases lots of money—was a fantasy scenario at the time, but one I absolutely would have been into trying if it were an option.

Maybe I missed my calling, but in a lot of ways I’m glad that this did not become a thing until relatively recently.

It’s not just gaming that’s big on Twitch and other streaming channels like YouTube and Mixer. Other genres such as cooking shows are also popular. That’s what we’ll look at today. A listener has an existing show on YouTube, and they want to branch out to another platform. Is there a way to do this without working twice as hard, and either way, what do they need to know?

“I have a cooking show where I demonstrate baking techniques from around the world. I’m trying to reach younger viewers who have been learning about baking during quarantine. I started on YouTube and have been there for a while, but I’m thinking of moving over to Twitch. Is there some way I can be on both YouTube and Twitch without working twice as much? Is there anything else I should know? “

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

Dedicated Runner Goes the Distance for Online Training

What It’s About

A running enthusiast outpaces expectations with an injury prevention and performance blog.

Words of Wisdom

Jason has wise words regarding the difference between a hobby and a serious hustle; “learn business basics so your side hustle has potential to grow. A passion project is fun, but if you’re hoping to pay the bills with your side hustle, learn the fundamentals of pricing, generating traffic, creating products, how to sell, digital marketing, etc.”

Fun Fact

It’s estimated that there are over 47 million runners in the USA alone. More than half of those run at least once per week.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1347
Jason Fitzgerald began running as a freshman in high school back in 1998. He continued to train and compete for over a decade until he graduated college in 2006. Over that time, he became an expert in the art of putting one foot in front of the other.

His obsession with the sport became somewhat of a running joke among his friends. He’d read all the books, had multiple trainers, and was always looking ahead at how he could be stronger, faster and better.

Around the same time he started his career, he started exploring the new world of online communities. For the first time, Jason realized it was possible to build an online business based on your passion. He became determined to do just that, and registered the domain StrengthRunning.com—not quite sure at that stage what he’d do with it.

In the end, it was a running injury that gave him the sole motivation to get started…

Jason set a goal of running the New York marathon. The training went well, as did the race itself. Afterward though, he developed an ITB injury that put him out of action for six months.

It was tough, but the injury had a silver lining. He used the time to assess what went wrong, and he was determined to never let it happen again. That led to him developing new training techniques and workout routines. His training eventually became less demanding but produced better results.

After seeing his own improvement, he devised a plan for his Strength Running website. He’d convert the dormant domain name into a blog sharing tips and strategies to help runners avoid injury.

With a WordPress theme and a free Mailchimp account, Jason launched the site in April 2010 for less than two hundred dollars. He was off and racing.

He didn’t want his site to end up at the back of the pack, so from the very beginning he worked to avoid that fate. First, he made sure to write articles based on keywords that people actually search for. He used Google’s research tools to help with this. For example, instead of titling an article “My Gym Routine,” he’d call it “Gym Workouts for Runners: Functional Strength.”

He spent the next year running reps: more content, more guest posts, and more traffic. A year later he put together a training product as a joint venture with a colleague which sold well. Incredibly, after just one more year, Jason was making enough money through the site to quit his job and go full time. He’d gone from government contractor, to side hustler to full-time blogger in just two short years. A new PR!

Still, Jason didn’t stop there. After realizing the value in selling his own products, he continued creating more of them. Now, through StrengthRunning.com, he sells guides on Mental Toughness, Strength, Nutrition and more. All aimed at runners who want to improve their performance without getting injured.

Combining affiliate sales with product sales brings in multiple six figures in profit from his website every year. It’s safe to say he’s taken the lead in the strength running marathon.

 

 

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
"A passion project is fun, but if you’re hoping to pay the bills with your side hustle, learn the fundamentals of pricing, generating traffic, creating products, how to sell, digital marketing, etc."
—Jason Fitzgerald #SideHustleSchool

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CLASSROOM: Selling a Food & Beverage Product

What It’s About

Selling a food and beverage product comes with unique challenges and opportunities. How can you do your research to prepare?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1346

Today, let’s look at the topic of … selling a food & beverage product!

The first thing to note is that this industry poses both unique challenges and opportunities. Let’s not make light of the challenges, because they aren’t small!

First, this industry is more highly regulated than lots of others. For many projects, you don’t need any special licensing at all, but for food, you usually do.

Before you do anything at all in this space, do some research about “cottage laws” in your area. These are regulations that initially come from British common law and have been integrated in other parts of the world, including the U.S. and Canada.

The idea is to make a distinction between the Joes of the world who are selling their oat bars and the kind of business that needs more inspections and approvals. They vary a lot, but often it has to do with the volume of product you are selling.

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

THIS WEEK’S ASSIGNMENT:

Interested in an F&B side hustle? Look up the local laws and regulations for your area. You might also want to see if there’s a food incubator or local organization that specifically serves aspiring foodpreneurs.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

 

 

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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Don't Do Business Without It

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Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

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

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

Keep in Touch

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


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau