Archives: Podcast

TBT: Personal Trainer Pumps Up Protein Pancakes

What It’s About

You’ll flip over this update of a protein pancake hustle.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1419

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.

It’s been a wild year with these segments. We’ve heard from a lot of people worldwide who have been expanding a coffee empire, raising a million dollars on Kickstarter for a new board game, going full-time with illustrations of houses, selling virtual paintbrushes for iPad artists—and of course, many of these adventures taking place under the overarching limitations of a global pandemic.

Today, in our latest feature, we’ll hear from a personal trainer who sells pumped-up pancakes full of protein. You could say she puts the pro in protein! They’re also profitable pancakes. She’s proud of them, and passionate about them, and also a very personable individual.

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

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • ABS Pancakes: Get your abs eating pancakes—snag a bag (or two, or three…) of protein packed pancake mix over on Ashley’s website!
  • Shopify: Ashley used Shopify to set up her store for ABS Pancakes, and they’re offering a 21-day trial and exclusive discount for all Side Hustle School listeners!
  • ReCharge: The subscription platform that Ashley used to help manage ongoing customer subscriptions

 

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: Should I change my business name?

What It’s About

A listener’s business has changed over time. Should they change its name?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1418

What happens when the focus of your work changes over time and you already have some online assets set up? By assets I mean a website, a podcast, an online course, social media handles, or all of the above?

That’s what our caller today is facing. From his home base in rural Australia, he runs through a few different scenarios and pros and cons.

“Good day Chris! This is Jon from Highclear in rural northwest Tasmania, Australia. My side hustle is an online no-dig gardening course. I have minimal viable product version on UDEMY to test the concept and it’s selling, but not as well as I’d like obviously, but we’re getting feedback. I’ve run a blog and podcast since 2014 and 2016 respectively. World Organic News is the name. Over that time, the focus has shifted from the world of organic production to regenerative farming and gardening.

So do I rename and rebrand and redirect the blog to a new domain? Or just change the title? I can see possible SEO problems with the name of the domain not matching up. For the podcast. I’m thinking I’ll just rename it, change the artwork in the same way to maintain continuity and better discovery on Apple podcasts. Does this make sense? Thanks and keep up the good work. “

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

Bookstore Employee Crafts Paper Bead Jewelry

What It’s About

A book lover turns a page creating jewelry from paper.

Words of Wisdom

Cara has some great advice regarding being observant. “Always be open to learning and adapting. I have ALWAYS loved attending craft sales, but when I decided I wanted to take Book’d to craft sales I started attending them with a different eye. I looked at what other sellers were doing—what worked, and what didn’t. ”

Fun Fact

The art of paper bead jewelry began in mid 1800’s England during the Victorian Age. Women of the time would get together and spend time crafting beads from scraps of elaborate old wallpaper.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1417
While studying art in college, Cara Ginter worked part-time in a bookstore. After graduation, she found very few jobs for someone with her background. So, she continued at the bookstore and hoped to find another part-time job to boost her income.

One day, Cara was put in charge of a kids’ story and craft workshop at the store. She had to come up with some activities for the kids, and she’d recently read about paper beads. You make them by taking strips of paper, rolling them tight, and sealing them shut to resemble jewelry beads. It seemed like the perfect way to combine books and craft.

She loved creating things, and she loved books. Paper bead jewelry could be the ideal combination of two of her passions. For the next few weeks she honed the craft, eventually landing on a style she liked. She used the beads to make a few bracelets and posted them to her personal Facebook page.

With supplies and eagerness it was time for her side hustle to unfold. In mid-2016 Cara launched an Etsy store and called it Book’d Creations.

Sales increased, and Book’d was slowly becoming the side hustle of Cara’s reams.

During that time, she also branched out and attended local craft fairs. It was there, in person, that she really improved her skill of storytelling. When passers by were checking out her jewelry, Cara was sure to inform them of her path to creating Book’d. The story tied a unique narrative to her products, made them stand out from other items on sale and helped her sell more, sometimes up to two thousand dollars worth per fair. She took these selling lessons online as she began to build her online store.

Over the following year she encouraged her repeat customers to buy directly from the store. Etsy fees had gone up but, more notably, COVID-19 has put all craft fairs on hold. These were a large source of income so it’s more important than ever that Cara build her own, independent, online brand.

Book’d is still making hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars per month. To keep that momentum going, she’s creating more book-related products, like button badges, earrings, and keychains.

It’s just the beginning of Cara’s paper bead story. She’s already on a tear!

 

 

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
"Always be open to learning and adapting."
—Cara Ginter #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: Troubleshooting—What If It Doesn’t Work?

What It’s About

When something goes wrong, how should you respond?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1416

Today, let’s look at the topic of troubleshooting. What if your idea, product, or service doesn’t work out? How can you allow this to be a minor misstep instead of a permanent failure? Better yet, how can you turn that misstep (or even a disaster!) into positive momentum for your next attempt?

First things first: face the problem! Don’t bury your head in the sand, and don’t just keep trucking along thinking that something will change on its own.

“They say time changes things, but mostly you need to change them yourself.”-Andy Warhol

So face the problem and ask… What went wrong?

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

THIS WEEK’S ASSIGNMENT:

No one has a perfect record in the world of ideas. The next time you experience a misstep, consider what you can do differently next time … and don’t wait long to get started.

 

 

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

Shabbat Shalom! Marketer Creates Day-of-Rest Subscription Box

What It’s About

Challah at this designer who connects Jewish people through a subscription box.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

When it comes to subscription boxes, Becs says: “Be sure of the specific dimensions and weight of your box so that you don’t encounter unaffordable shipping fees.”

Fun Fact

Today, most people associate Challah bread with a braided, golden colored loaf. However, this was not always the case. This type of loaf originated in the 1400s in Southern Germany and Austria. At the time, most Jewish people ate dark rye loaves during the week, and they wanted the bread for Shabbat to be distinctive. From there, bakers incorporated white flour, the braided pattern, and even additions like eggs and raisins to the recipe. [Source]

Notes from Chris

Episode 1415
During the pandemic, marketing specialist and Austin local, Becs Prager, began to feel like the days and weeks were blending together. They found themselves wanting to mark time with something meaningful, such as celebrating Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest, every Friday night with friends.

Shabbat is typically observed starting at sundown on Friday by lighting candles, sharing bread with wine or grape juice, and spending time with friends and family. Since in-person gatherings were still restricted, Becs began advertising Zoom meetings for anyone to come together to celebrate. However, while a lot of their friends wanted to go, many of them did not have the items to observe the traditional meal. So, Becs began dropping off Challah bread, candles, and kosher grape juice at their houses.

The idea of creating a Shabbat subscription box began to take form. The first question Becs asked was, “What makes Shabbat and how can that be portable?” They realized that all they really needed was the Challah bread, candles, and kosher wine or juice. Once Becs figured out what the essential items would be, their instincts as a marketing specialist kicked in and they began diving down the rabbit hole of what the size and packaging could look like.

After launching on Instagram and reaching out to a few local Jewish organizations, Becs developed a solid start to their side hustle. While this business is just a few months old, they are already bringing in about $600 a month from it.

Becs hopes to be able to continue to give back to their community. While the Mensch boxes are for sale, a partnership with Jewish organizations allows many of them to be donated as well. Becs has specifically focused donation efforts on the elderly Jewish community in Austin, hoping to give them a sense of community and tradition during the pandemic.

Furthermore, Becs is taking the idea of a monthly specialty box to continue to further the philanthropic element of the Mensch boxes. For example, November’s box is LGBTQ+ inspired with pride candles, including one for the Trans Day of Remembrance, and a rainbow sprinkle Challah. A portion of the profits will then be donated to Keshet, a Jewish LGBTQ+ organization.

It’s a mission to create warmth and community in an unconventional way, and also a profitable side hustle for Becs.

 

 

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
"I love hand-delivering the boxes in Austin and even mailing them out of state is a joyful experience for me! I pack everything myself at home and love bringing my boxes to socially distanced Jewish events."
—Becs Prager #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: Can you deduct side hustle losses from your federal income taxes?

What It’s About

A listener is wondering about saving money on his tax return. If your side hustle isn’t profitable, can you deduct the losses?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1414

This listener’s new side hustle lost money this year. Hopefully that will change in 2021, but for now—is there a silver lining in being able to deduct losses from his income taxes?

I’m no tax expert, but thankfully there’s a pretty simple answer to this question.

“Hi Chris, this is David from Denver and I’ve been listening to the show for a couple of years now. I have a question about taxes. I know you say not to spend much money on an unproven idea, but it was hard for me to get going without investing some cash. So far I’ve spent around $2,000, and the business won’t make a profit this year. Hopefully that will change soon, but for now, can I deduct the expenses on my federal income tax return? “

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 make money from Spotify playlists?

What It’s About

A listener wants to generate income from creating Spotify playlists. Is this really a thing?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1413

Today’s listener wants to curate playlists on Spotify and get paid for it. Is that a thing?

A little background on this topic, for those who aren’t familiar: if you listen to Spotify, when you go to the home screen, you can see a large group of playlists. Songs are categorized by mood or genre, and some of these playlists are official while others are created by users.

Anyone can create and share a public playlist—but is there a way to get paid for such a thing? The best answer is maybe.

“Hi Chris, this is Riley from Minneapolis and I just discovered your show recently from a friend and have been enjoying the content. Thanks. My question is, how can I make money from playlists? I read an article about how some Spotify playlists that have hundreds of thousands of followers are able to charge musicians to have their songs featured there. It doesn’t seem like Spotify is happy about this, but it also seems widespread. I’m a DJ and have been toying with the idea of trying to build up a popular playlist.

How many followers do you think I’d need to charge for placement, and how would I go about doing this—both in terms of building the popularity of the list and then selling the placement to artists without getting in trouble with Spotify? Looking forward to your response. “

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: Nomadic Family Cooks Up Profit With Italian Housewares

What It’s About

An update from a family that sells authentic Italian cookware.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1412

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 one of two Canadian co-founders who worked together at an advertising agency (and who were also both moms of young kids ). They decided that children’s books need to be able to deal with real issues, in a sensitive way but without skirting reality. That’s the mission that serves as a foundation for their project, “children’s books about real life.”

Today, in our latest feature, we’ll hear from an Italian American who sells a line of imported housewares from his homeland.

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

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • DaTerra Cucina: Check out Nathan and Kathrin Spaccarelli’s ceramic pans on their website
  • Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA): The model that the Spaccarellis used that allowed them to pass on the responsibility of keeping stock and shipping out orders

 

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 market a controversial topic?

What It’s About

A listener seeks advice on how to market a topic deemed controversial by Google. What should she do?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1411

What if the topic you’re trying to teach about is controversial to the point where the tech companies don’t allow you to advertise on them?

When I first heard about this, I wondered what the topic could be. What could be so controversial that Google says no to your money?

Even after I heard the question, I’m still not sure why this topic in question is controversial—she’s actually trying to mend relationships that are strained or broken—but she’s running into algorithm and ad approval problems with Google. I’ll let her explain more…

“Hi, Chris. My name is Karen Tibbles, and I’d like your advice about a project that I’m working on, but I’m running into roadblocks because the topic is so hot and controversial in this politically polarized environment. I struggled to get my ads approved on Amazon, even though Facebook is not a problem. But I’d love to do a Google Ad words campaign, but they don’t allow any ads on the keywords, civility or fractured relationships. I have a couple of ideas.

One is to create a YouTube video on fractured relationships that might be able to be work. Another is to talk about how to have a calm Thanksgiving. But I’d like your thoughts. The book is Persuade Don’t Preach and the newsletter is Mending Fractured Relationships on Substack.”

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

Dancer Steps Up With Blinged Out Costumes

What It’s About

A dancer gives old costumes a new spotlight.

Words of Wisdom

Charlotte has some great advice about discovering your own hustle. “Find something that you can offer that is personal to you. Don’t try to copy others, people will recognize it as their work. You want something that is yours. My experience as a performer meant that I can embellish pieces for performers, knowing what the demands of that costume would be and avoiding all the small mistakes that I made years ago.”

Fun Fact

The cabaret dance style was invented during the 1880s in France. Beyond being just a dance show, the original art form used to poke fun at the glamorous part of society.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1410
For over thirteen years, Charlotte Pacelli danced professionally in the London Cabaret and at corporate events. She loved to dance, but the combination of a job, as well as freelancing in the same field, grew tiring.

So, after thirteen years in dance, and five running her own troupe, Charlotte decided to hang up her boots and relegate dancing to more of a hobby. The problem was, she was a high achiever, and couldn’t sit still for long. Her mind was always dancing around! She took a job in mental health at another school and looked for something else to keep her creative muscle flexed.

Throughout her years running a troupe, she’d become well versed at upgrading and repairing costumes. With more downtime, she decided to begin making some of her own, purely for fun and to keep herself busy.

She knew she wanted to make something that shined, so she went to the High Street stores in London’s famous shopping district, and looked for lingerie on sale. They didn’t need to be perfect, as she was going to modify them anyway. With a few pieces to add some pizazz to, she set to sewing.

Charlotte adorned the lingerie with crystals, fringing, and beaded trim. She refers to it as embellishing the costume, enhancing it so it looks at home in a cabaret show. The results were exactly what she envisioned, and she wanted to make more.

Charlotte set up an Instagram account called Primp My Costume and posted her first few creations. She’d developed a lot of good connections during her dance career, so she reached out to them now, mentioned the new account and that the pieces were for sale. Those pieces waltzed right out the door!

Over the next year, she worked on this in her spare time, after her day job and before going to bed. At first, she handled a few commissions per month but it was Etsy that really helped heat things up on the dance floor.

This extra source of business has upped Charlotte’s commissions to two to three per week, generating up to six hundred and fifty dollars per month. That’s a three hundred percent increase from the year before.

If it takes two to tango, then this business arrangement produced the perfect sequence.

 

 

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

Yours in the revolution,

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Quote of the Day
"Find something that you can offer that is personal to you. Don’t try to copy others, people will recognize it as their work. You want something that is yours."
—Charlotte Pacelli #SideHustleSchool

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To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau