Archives: Podcast

Q&A: I’m obsessed with Tik-Tok! How can I make money from it?

What It’s About

A listener wants to turn her passion for Tik-Tok into actual cash. What should she know?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1325

Are you on Tik-Tok? Follow me and watch as I recreate all the hottest memes including the “Stair shuffle dance challenge,” “Gummy bear Adele,” and my favorite “Head banging dog.”

Actually, I’m not there. My experience with Tik Tok is watching it mostly in the middle of the night when I can’t sleep.

I’m glad I’m just an author because there’s some seriously talented people out there. Also some people who have a lot of time on their hands, but that’s okay.

Anyway, today’s caller is wondering about monetizing his/her skills through Tik Tok, taking their talents direct to the people and cashing in.

Do I have any advice for them and any other aspiring performance artists out there?

“Hi Chris, this is Kelly from Los Angeles and I’m obsessed with Tik-Tok! How can I make money from it? I was late to every social network, and I don’t want to miss my chance this time. Now I see people using Tik-Tok in lots of ways, and some 13-year-olds have millions of followers. I’m not 13, and I don’t have millions of followers, but I’m getting good at making short comedy videos based on the standup work I do. But how do I go from people liking my videos to getting paid? There seems to be a missing link… Thanks 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

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

Couple Follows the Signs to Custom Paint Parties

What It’s About

Paint no mountain high enough for this couple and their sign painting parties.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Tyler shares some important advice working with customers; “Understand that customer service doesn’t just mean being polite. It is a continual decision to provide the best service you can to every customer, even the bad ones! Even difficult customers who don’t deserve your help. Decide that no matter the situation, your principle of customer service won’t change.”

Fun Fact

There are an estimated 1,000 wine and paint party businesses across the U.S. and Canada. With that much demand, there are also opportunities to offer a similar concept with a unique twist.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1324
Tyler and Lauren Mills are a typical suburban family living in Cullman, Alabama. With four boys under the age of ten, things in the Mills household are quite busy, even in the quietest of times.

It was March 2015 when they started a side hustle that turned out to be tree-mendous. They’d always liked those rustic-looking wooden signs, the kind with beautiful calligraphy you might see at ranches, homesteads, or upon entering a wedding reception. For a while they’d been making them for display around their home.

She’d seen the popularity of ‘paint a canvas’ parties and knew painting timber signs could be even more enjoyable. She and Tyler decided to start a ‘paint a custom sign party’ business.

The idea was simple. They’d find someone interested in hosting the event who could provide the location. Tyler and Lauren would provide instruction and every attendee would take home their very own sign. The concept had already been proven with the painting parties, and they were confident their offering was even simpler. After all, to paint a sign all one needed was a lap rather than a full easel setup.

To pitch the idea, they once again turned to social media. Funnily enough, one of their first parties was actually hosted in a paint-a-canvas store location! Each guest paid thirty-five dollars, the same price they’d pay for a sign they didn’t make themselves. That meant, for a party of ten they’d make three hundred and fifty dollars before materials cost.

From there, the brush strokes kept coming. Tyler and Lauren saw the signs and knew they were on to a good thing. But, like selling custom signs before it, the concept wouldn’t grow itself. So they came up with unique ways to promote their new endeavor.

This persistent effort has helped the Scrap Mills parties grow over the years. Currently, they host a party nearly every week with up to twenty guests per party. That volume brings in well over two and a half thousand dollars per month. That’s more than Lauren was taking home from her full-time job, which she now doesn’t have to go to.

While it’s not enough for Tyler to quit his job as well, they’re hoping their next move will offer that opportunity. They’ve created a course that outlines exactly how someone can start their own paint party side hustle. All signs are pointing in the right direction that this too will be a success.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Learn more about Lauren and Tyler’s sign painting parties at their website, ScrapMills.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
"Understand that customer service doesn’t just mean being polite. It is a continual decision to provide the best service you can to every customer, even the bad ones! "
—Tyler Mills #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 to get my first customer as a digital personal assistant?

What It’s About

A listener seeks advice on how to land their first sale. What should they know?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1323

Shoutout to everyone in search of their first customer, first client, or first sale. It’s a very important milestone and that’s why for all our case studies, one of the questions I always ask is “Do you remember your first sale?”

Not everyone does, but a high percentage of people do. It’s not unusual at all to hear that achieving that milestone feels incredibly satisfying—and hopefully, it’s the first of many.

Today’s listener fits this description. He wants to become a digital personal assistant to help people with tech support. How should he proceed?

“Hi, Chris. My name is Nate. First of all, thanks for everything that you’re doing to help out the community of Side hustle is out there making it happen. My idea is being a digital personal assistant focused more on like personal tech support. Being basically like the nephew or niece that answers questions for people, for people that don’t have that person in their life. Really quick text or phone-based, easily billable. I can build all the structure for everything.

But what I’d really like to know is how do you get in front of your very first customers? Should we go and spend money on ads? Should we post things on Facebook? I’m not really sure and I’d really love to know about how to plan going from zero to one. Thanks so much and hope we’re able to make a success out of it.”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

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

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

GET YOUR FIRST 1,000 EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS

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

Sponsors & Gratitude

Don't Do Business Without It

Side Hustle School is brought to you by American Express.

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

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

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

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

Keep in Touch

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


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Q&A: How does “retargeting” work?

What It’s About

A listener wants to understand what “retargeting” means in the world of online advertising.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1322

Why don’t I talk a lot about advertising? Because it’s a great way to waste your money! … And just in case it’s not clear, that’s NOT what I want you to do.

Nevertheless, there are some smart ways to spend money on ads, especially once you have a proven offer that converts.

People often think of social media ads as just going out blindly to all sorts of potential website visitors, but there’s something called retargeting that allows you to be much more specific and reach people who have already expressed an interest in what you have to sell.

How does it work, and why would you want to advertise to people who already know who you are?

“Hey Chris, this is Derek from Houston and I recently found your show after a friend recommended it to me. I really appreciate the helpful content. Can you explain “retargeting”? This came up in a conversation the other day and I understood the general concept, but I’m not sure if it’s only something for big companies or if side hustlers can do it too. I’m starting a podcast and blog for aviation lovers, and I’d like to get more traffic to my website … can retargeting help with that? Thanks 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

TBT: “Near and Deer” Taxidermy Service Mounts Up

What It’s About

An update from a service that’s headed in the right direction.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1318

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 Karin Newport in New Zealand, who creates and sells digital paintbrushes – an archetypal example of the new economy.

Today, in our latest feature, we’ll hear from Lindsay Baublitz, one-half of the power duo behind Near & Deer, a couple that sells faux taxidermy!

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

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Near & Deer: Turn heads with Lindsay and Rick’s faux taxidermy creations—get a dinosaur bust of your own on their website!
  • Etsy | Near & Deer: The Etsy page that Lindsay and Rick started with before creating their own 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
"We never took on a big debt or a big loan to get the business started. We did it all in chunks and was very deliberate about the decisions that we made so that we wouldn’t grow too fast and be stuck with a big loan to pay off."
—Lindsay Baublitz #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: How can I get an ebook cover designed?

What It’s About

A listener seeks advice on how to find an affordable graphic designer for ebook covers.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1320

Amazon makes it very simple to publish your book using their Direct-to-Kindle service … but of course they don’t offer the service of writing your book for you. (At least not yet—give it time!)

In addition to writing the book, you also have a number of other tasks to tackle, including everything associated with getting that book or guide or collection of stories ready for publication.

A listener wants to publish her husband’s science fiction stories and books on Kindle. Where can she find affordable editing and cover design?

“Hey, Chris, this is Britney from Madison, Alabama. And I’ve been listening to your show for two years now. I’m thinking about starting a side hustle. I want to publish my husband’s sci-fi short stories and books on Kindle Direct Publishing. My question is, where can we get affordable editing and cover design? Do you believe this could be profitable? Thank you for your answer.”

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

Former High School Athlete Creates Coaching Subscription

What It’s About

Put me in, coach! A former athlete scores a touchdown with talent to inspire the next generation.

Words of Wisdom

Adam says to prepare to spend a lot of time on your side hustle. ”You better enjoy working and what you’re working on. My evenings, my weekends, etc., are often filled with work time slots to catch up on the side hustle. In addition, 75% of my PTO last year with my company was spent traveling for my side hustle.”

Fun Fact

The first game of American football ever was played on November 6, 1869. The game was between Rutgers and Princeton. With an audience of about 100 people, Rutgers took the win 6-4.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1319
Six years ago, Adam Bradley was asked by his old high school football coach if he would come speak to the next generation of players. While the team had plenty of talent, they lacked leadership skills. Many of them came from challenging home environments and didn’t have many positive role models. The coach believed that if they could grow as leaders, there would be a positive change both on and off the field.

Adam was working as a VP of Sales, and was given little instruction. The coach simply told him that he thought Adam’s energy and character could impact the students. He had 60 minutes a week with the team and he could use it however he saw fit.

It turned out that Adam loved it. Every week, he challenged himself to come up with a new concept or idea to teach the teenagers in a fun, dynamic way. He wanted to make sure that he was engaging the athletes. He hoped that he could get them to view character development and leadership to be as important as improving their football skills.

Over the next year, Adam worked to launch Lead ‘Em Up. It would be a subscription service where coaches could sign up and gain access to a library full of drills, exercises and teaching concepts to share with their teams.

To spread the word, Adam started by reaching out to several friends and acquaintances who were in the position to utilize his services. He also encouraged his followers on social media to share and tag other people who would be interested in the coaching. This helped Adam grow a list of 25-50 potential clients.

By creating this unique curriculum and expanding his presence on social media, Adam has been able to keep the ball rolling and grow Lead ‘Em Up to make upwards of $100,000 annually in just five years.

Although he may transition into full-time subscription hustling at some point, right now he’s enjoying the ability to impact young people, be around sports, and engage his creative side. Not only that, but the extra money from Lead ‘Em Up allowed Adam’s wife to stay home the first few years after their daughters were born.

In the future, he hopes to expand his program to collegiate athletes.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Learn more about Adam and his coaching at his website, LeadEmUp.com.

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

WEB HOSTING @ $2.49/MONTH

Want to build any kind of website for your hustle? If so, you'll need somewhere to host it! This is the reliable company I've used for many websites. It's cheap, flexible, and offers support 24-7.

Get your own hosting plan for just $2.49 a month!
Learn More

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

Earn 50,000 travel rewards points (enough for 2 round-trip plane tickets or $625 in travel credit). You'll also earn 2x points on all travel and dining spend, with zero foreign transaction fees.

I use this card every day all over the world! ✈️ Learn More

Quote of the Day
"You better enjoy working and what you’re working on. My evenings, my weekends, etc., are often filled with work time slots to catch up on the side hustle."
—Adam Bradley #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

CLASSROOM: Set Up a WordPress Website

What It’s About

Looking for a way to build a simple website ASAP? Start here.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1318

Today let’s look at setting up a WordPress website. This can be very simple, or like many simple things in life, can be made very complicated. Let’s try to stick with the simple.

The goal of this tutorial is to show you how to set up your first website in a short period of time and without spending a lot of money. Your site probably won’t be beautiful or amazing at first, but that’s okay—done is better than perfect, and you have to start somewhere.

The first year of Side Hustle School, I made a page about how to set up a website in 90 minutes. This turned into one of our most popular tutorials, so I wanted to revisit and update it here.

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

THIS WEEK’S ASSIGNMENT:

Set up your first website using WordPress OR make two improvements to your existing website.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Looking to purchase a domain name and setup hosting? Go to SideHustleSchool.com/website for this special offer for Side Hustle School listeners.
  • Once you’ve got your domain name and hosting, install a WordPress theme. Remember, WordPress.org is free – totally free! It’s different from WordPress.com, which offers paid solutions.

 

 

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

Bartender Sells Pocket-Sized Reminders of Positivity

What It’s About

A side hustle inspiration story that was literally in this bartender’s pocket.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Hear how the side hustle experience has impacted Vincent personally; “the best part of the experience so far is that Mantra Medallions is a complete 180-degree turn from the way I make money. I’m providing a bit of happiness instead, in a much healthier form.”

Fun Fact

Vincent got his idea to create medallions only when his girlfriend told him that she liked a memento that had always been carrying on. The idea was in his pocket all along.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1317
Vincent Cilento realized early on that he didn’t enjoy working for big companies. This led him to take on a job as a bartender where he had the flexibility to determine how many shifts to work, giving him the chance to explore other ideas.

One such idea was pocket-sized medallions. He had been carrying around a pocket-sized coin from Ryan Holiday’s Daily Stoic store with the message “The Obstacle Is The Way.” He didn’t think much of it until his girlfriend spotted the coin. She was going through a difficult time and said that she wanted something similar for herself.

At that point, all Vincent did was to talk to her about what her coin might look like, and how they could find someone to manufacture a custom design. But after sharing the idea with his girlfriend’s sister, they all realized that this was an opportunity in disguise. In fact, his girlfriend’s sister loved the medallion he already had so much that she promised to be his first customer if Vincent started his own line. That’s what got him into action.

So how did he do it? The first step was to go to 99 Designs, a website that helps to connect designers and clients, and find an artist whose work he resonated with. Together they created his first designs with sayings like “Be Here Now” and “Come As You Are.”

Once the designs were set, he started working on finding a reliable manufacturer. Unfortunately, this process didn’t go quite as smoothly. He initially looked on Google, and found that there were a lot of companies that made coins. This was extremely frustrating, and it took him another six months to find a reliable manufacturer, but he finally managed to locate one on Alibaba.

Throughout his challenging experience with manufacturers, Vincent was also working on acquiring customers. In Vincent’s words, his initial marketing strategy was “I have no idea what I’m doing so let me try everything.” He started with Facebook and Instagram ads, but saw no results after his initial spend of $100. This made him realize that he didn’t have the skill to write good copy nor was he likely targeting the right demographics.

Slowly, all of Vincent’s hard work has been paying off. He’s been seeing a bump in sales over the past several months, even with his challenges. He’s diversified his distribution from just his online website to other platforms such as Etsy.

Over the past year he’s been averaging a little over $500/month in revenue. With his initial batch of medallions setting him back just $370 and the only recurring cost being his Shopify payment, he’s confident that he can make this work. After all, the obstacle is the way.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Learn more about Vincent and his inspirational coins at his website, MantraMedallions.com.
  • Vincent got inspiration from Ryan Holiday’s book, The Daily Stoic.
  • To produce his medallions, Vincent used the freelance marketplace, 99designs and sourced his product through Alibaba.
  • To sell his medallions, Vincent uses the popular marketplace Etsy and also directly through his own e-commerce site built on Shopify.

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

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Quote of the Day
"I have no idea what I’m doing so let me try everything."
—Vincent Cilento #SideHustleSchool

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Chris Guillebeau

Q&A: How to grow a podcast for Toyota Prius owners?

What It’s About

A European listener wants to expand the niche focus of his podcast for electric vehicle owners.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1316

What are you working on? What is your hobby or interest—might that be a good choice for your first or next side hustle … or should it just remain your hobby or interest? Both options are acceptable, just be careful of trying to split the difference.

This listener in Hungary has a podcast for owners of hybrid cars. He’s focused on the Prius for the past year, but wants to expand the audience. How can he do that? I thought this was really interesting and in my opinion there is both good news and bad news for him in terms of options and next steps.

“Hi, Chris. This is Balint from Europe, Hungary. I’ve been a listener for a year now and I love the show. I started my Side hustle Prius podcast a year ago sharing high mileage hybrid car ownership experiences, specifically on the Toyota Prius due to its very specific target audience. the show quickly got a small and steady follower base and could obtain a sponsor for several months who unfortunately pulled out due to COVID.

I would like to extend the show with reliability stories of used electric and other hybrid cars to grow the audience and make the show an ideal channel for bigger companies to advertise on. My question is that how do you grow a broadcast from a very niche topic to a broader topic? I would love to hear any advice and thoughts on this. Thanks very much.”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

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

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

GET YOUR FIRST 1,000 EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS

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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