Archives: Podcast

Q&A: How to convert non-paying students into customers?

What It’s About

A listener seeks advice on how to convert students from his apprenticeship classes to paying customers.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1371

Today’s listener (from Egypt!) is teaching software development through an apprenticeship model, but most of his students aren’t paying. How can he convert some of these free students into customers?

This is a common challenge of the freemium model, but fortunately there are some common solutions to it. I have some ideas for him that may be helpful for someone else out there as well.

“Hi, this is Ron from Egypt, and I’ve been listening to the show since last year. I’m thinking about starting a side hustle where I teach software development through an apprenticeship model rather than traditional classes or online courses. Following the tradition of the great masters of the Italian renaissance.

I did this informally without fees and students lose their momentum after a few months. It takes about a year of serious study to transition from a fresh graduate to a professional. I feel bad when someone drops. My efforts are wasted. I think if students pay the fee, they would be more committed. And it would reward my efforts. My questions are, is this a good idea? How do I charge? How do I convert my nonpaying current students to paying apprentices? Thank 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: The Accountant Who Sold Spreadsheets to Etsy Sellers

What It’s About

An update from an accountant who makes a good living … with spreadsheet templates!

Notes from Chris

Episode 1370

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 featured a fan of old-school board games who has had tremendous success with multiple six-figure crowdfunding campaigns. He just wrapped up a new one that brought in just under a million dollars on Kickstarter. That new game is called Bristol 1350, and it’s about the plague. (This is a coincidence and not connected to COVID-19—they were working on this project for two years.)

Today, in our latest feature, we’ll hear from an accountant who sells spreadsheet templates and other financial resources to creatives. Janet LeBlanc is another one of those go-to case studies that I refer to when people say something like “I don’t know how to apply my skills to the world of side hustles.”

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

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Learn more about Janet and her spreadsheets at her website, Paper + Spark.

 

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: Do I have to sell as a SAAS?

What It’s About

Does everything have to be sold with a subscription model?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1369

If you haven’t heard the phrase SAAS, it stands for “software as a service.” It’s the most common revenue model of many of the tools that you already use.

Think about all of the subscriptions you have … or maybe don’t. I started to think about it and realized, I’m paying for so much stuff. So many online tools have monthly or annual charges now. Even the most common design software from companies like Adobe is now sold on a recurring price model instead of a one-time fee.

There’s a good reason why so many companies price this way, and why it’s become so ubiquitous. But is it the only way? That’s what today’s listener wants to know. Should she use the common SAAS model for her new service, or are there alternatives?

“Hi Chris, this is Diana from Columbus and I’ve been listening to the show since episode #1! I’m starting an online service and am wondering about my pricing. As you probably know, over the past few years the SAAS model (software as a service) has become increasingly common, where the pricing is always monthly or annually instead of just paying a one-time fee.

But I’m put off by the idea of forcing people to get another subscription. It seems like it’s harder to convince people to commit to that instead of just paying a one-time fee. Don’t get me wrong, I like the idea of recurring revenue … I just think that maybe I should go the other way when everyone else seems to be doing the same thing. What are your thoughts on this? Thanks Chris and I look forward to hearing what you have to say.”

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

Mother Of Five Sells Pretty Old Books

What It’s About

A stay-at-home mom flips the pages of her story selling Pretty Old Books on Etsy.

Words of Wisdom

Jessica share’s some encouraging thoughts on her side hustle journey, “I have managed to grow this micro-business by putting myself out there and connecting with people through Instagram. I’m so glad that connection has translated into an engaged email list as I totally own that and don’t have to worry about following anyone else’s rules.”

Fun Fact

The most expensive vintage book ever sold is Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex of Leicester, also known as the Codex Hammer. It was last sold in 1994 for the jaw dropping price of $30.8 million.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1368
Jessica Dollar is a mother of five. She’s often short on time and, as her name would suggest, sometimes she’s short on money. In 2018 the latter point became a larger issue for her family. She liked being a stay-at-home mom, so, to avoid getting a job outside the home, she looked for ways to generate income while juggling the demands of motherhood. A side hustle was the obvious choice.

But Jessica, like a lot of people, had no idea where to begin. She researched ideas and tried out a few. However, nothing really clicked. She’d heard the advice to follow your passion or find something you’re interested in. But those concepts didn’t present anything obvious for her.

After some more exploring, she read about people having success selling books online: specifically, vintage books. Through that avenue, Jessica came across Etsy, the platform for creators to sell various handcrafted goods.

It all stemmed from this idea: What if she combined basic vintage bookselling with colorful decoration? Jessica’s thinking was that, for many people, books act as much as decoration as they do reading material.

Paging through the site’s listings, she didn’t notice anyone else doing it. For some, that might have turned them off. Perhaps no one was interested in color-matched vintage books? For Jessica though, the lack of competition was exciting. As a contrarian, she loves going against the grain. (And if it failed, she’d only have her shelf to blame!)

She took a one-hundred-dollar voucher for Goodwill gifted to her by her in-laws, and went shopping. She scoured the local stores, looking for suitable books to create her first batches. She’d search for old books in different shades of one color, bundle them together and sell them as one product. She found a few suitable sets and listed them on her new Etsy store called, cleverly, Pretty Old Books.

Three days later, her first sale came through. Jessica was having breakfast with a friend and heard the cha-ching sound from the Etsy app. It was an exciting moment for two reasons. First, she’d taken a chance on an idea and followed through with it. Second, it proved her hunch was right, there were people out there interested in buying Pretty Old Color Matched Books!

Which was good news, because, in 2019 Jessica’s husband lost his job and has been out of work ever since. Pretty Old Books has provided an income to keep them afloat through what’s been a very difficult time. And, although the struggle is real, Jessica has had a lot of fun along the way learning about running a business.

She handles everything from inventory, packing, shipping, newsletters and social content. It’s all been frantic, fun and most importantly of all, profitable. In 2019, Jessica earned over fifteen thousand dollars from her side hustle and is on track for around twenty thousand in 2020. This should be helped along by her new Shopify store and special membership club she’s offering to her existing customers. She intends to provide exclusive offers and special discounts.

Jessica’s success shows that with plenty of shelf-awareness, good things are bound to happen.

 

 

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
"I have managed to grow this micro-business by putting myself out there and connecting with people through Instagram. I’m so glad that connection has translated into an engaged email list as I totally own that and don’t have to worry about following anyone else’s rules."
—Jessica Dollar #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: Help! My website images keep disappearing…

What It’s About

This listener is excited about his new blog, but he keeps encountering a weird problem.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1367

Thank goodness this series isn’t “Tech Support with Chris Guillebeau,” because I would fail you all.

Thankfully, a lot of common tech issues that you encounter when you’re making your first website are pretty simple to fix. I know this because I’ve encountered all of them myself.

Today’s listener is having a weird problem—the images on his posts are disappearing. What’s going on?

“Hey Chris, this is Frank from Philadelphia and I’m glad a friend suggested that I listen to your show last year.

I recently started a blog about caring for elderly pets. I’m enjoying the process of writing posts, and I can see in the stats that some people are already finding the site from Google searches. The next step is to develop a consulting offer or some kind of information product. But I also have a weird problem: the images on some of my posts have disappeared. They looked fine when I first published them, but now there’s just a big empty box where the image should be. I have no idea what I did … how can I fix it? Thanks for your help.”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

 

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

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

Homeschooler Unleashes Creativity with Penmanship Posters

What It’s About

A mother of twins flips the script with her penmanship poster hustle.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Instead of buying expensive monthly subscription design programs like Adobe Photoshop of Illustrator, Melissa bought Affinity programs instead. “I paid a flat $50 for each one… I think it’s helpful for people who can’t afford Photoshop.”

Fun Fact

Until 1984, homeschooling was actually illegal in Virginia. In the 1970s, families homeschooling children fought a series of legal battles until they were finally allowed to legally teach their kids from home. By 2018, about 37,000 children in Virginia were being homeschooled. [source]

Notes from Chris

Episode 1366
Melissa Paden has loved fonts and design ever since she was a teenager. In high school and college, she was the go-to person for designing flyers for different clubs and organizations. After she graduated, she got a job working as a front desk agent, and over time she worked her way up to become the online marketing manager.

The new job was a good fit, and she liked the company she worked for. The only downfall was that she didn’t get to be as creative as she was in her previous marketing career. She needed a new project to unleash her creativity.

So, Melissa started an Etsy shop called Honey Lime Co. in July of 2018. Using her skills from designing flyers, she created a few art prints. Customers could download them for just a few dollars. At that point, she didn’t really have a plan, but it was a good way for her to experiment.

That same year, Melissa started homeschooling her twins, who were now five years old. She started looking for a writing sign to help her kids learn cursive. Unfortunately, she couldn’t find any that she liked. All the ones available were bright and colorful, and she wanted something a little bit more simple.

So, she decided to make one herself. Her first chart was for cursive handwriting and she made it with three background options: all white, a black chalkboard, and a green chalkboard. They were more minimalistic and aesthetically pleasing than all the others she could find. With the encouragement of one of her friends, she decided to list them on her Etsy shop.

Since then, Melissa has expanded her product line to include close to 30 different designs, including translations for Spanish, French and even Greek! She also takes custom orders, and most of the time, she is then able to add those to her store as a general offering. Most of the products on her Etsy shop cost about $20.

By June of 2020, she’d already surpassed $10,000 in revenue. With the extra money, she has been able to buy even more homeschooling supplies for her twins, as well as pay off last year’s taxes. Not only that, but Melissa’s husband works for a large hospitality company and has been on extended furlough due to COVID-19. Melissa’s regular job and her posters are paying the bills.

As time goes on, Melissa hopes to build her own eCommerce website to use alongside Etsy. Not only that, but she plans to continue adding posters and other products, like homeschool themed mugs and shirts to her store.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Learn more about Melissa and checkout her creations at her Etsy store, Honey Lime Co..
  • Looking to sell your own artistic creations? Check out Etsy.com.
  • Looking to a more affordable alternative to Adobe products? Melissa recommends Affinity Design Software.

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
"Design for a product you would want for yourself instead of just something you think will sell "
—Melissa Paden #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 can I get more comments on my blog and Instagram posts?

What It’s About

A listener seeks more engagement for their blog and Instagram profile. What should they do?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1365

In the early days of blogs, companies and people who didn’t know any better would refer to “hits”—as in, how many hits does your website get?

The metric is meaningless, so they started measuring page views and unique visitors, which is far more precise.

Well, engagement is the hit—everyone wants people who will not only consume content but participate somehow. All of the algorithms reward posts that get more comments—which is why you now see all kinds of people trying to game the system (e.g. “Tag a friend” on Instagram).

Today’s listener wants to get more comments … how can she do that, and—perhaps more importantly—is this the right objective?

“Hey Chris, this is Ali from Kansas City and I’m a long-time listener, first-time question asker. Thanks to you and the team for all the helpful info. My side hustle is urban gardening, something a lot of people have been interested in over the past few months. Interestingly, traffic to my blog is much higher now than it was before the pandemic! But even though I’m getting a few thousand visitors a month, very few people engage with my content. I want them to leave comments, both on the blog and on my Instagram profile, and it seems that fewer than 2% ever do so. What am I doing wrong? Can’t wait to hear 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

Q&A: Do I really need to open a business bank account?

What It’s About

A listener seeks advice on business banking. What do they really need to know?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1364

I had a Classroom episode a while back called “Don’t listen to this boring episode”. It was all about some of the basic questions that I get all the time.

I’m not going to pretend that it’s a sexy topic, but I will say it’s important.

One of the very few clear recommendations I have is that when you begin to earn income apart from your day job, you need a separate bank account.

Today’s listener questions that advice and wants to know if there’s another way. I’m open to being challenged … let’s hear what he has to say.

“Hey there Chris, this is Danny from Bozeman and I’ve been following the show since episode 1 — still loving the puns. In the SIDE HUSTLE book, you mentioned that it’s important to have a separate bank account for any business income and expenses. But I thought most banks have a lot of fees, and I want to avoid that. Can’t I just use my personal account but keep detailed records of what is personal and what is business? Do I really need a business bank account? I look forward to hearing your thoughts.”

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: Popular Board Game Raises $1 Million on Kickstarter

What It’s About

An update from a board game creator who relies on fans for funding.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1363

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.

Recently, we’ve featured a General Mills employee who starts a cold brew coffee brand, and a graphic designer who focused her services on businesses related to dogs.

Today, in our latest feature, we’ll hear from a fan of old-school board games who’s had tremendous success with multiple six-figure crowdfunding campaigns.

He just wrapped up a new one that brought in just under a million dollars on Kickstarter. That new game is called Bristol 1350, and it’s all about the plague.

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

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Learn more about Travis and his board games at his website, FaçadeGames.com.
  • How to Publish a Board Game: Travis has created a lot of really fantastic posts over on Facade Games’ blog—here’s one that came about after they shared their story on Reddit and made it to the front page!
  • Kickstarter: The crowdfunding platform Travis has used to launch his games.

 

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.

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To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Q&A: How to launch a communications business for healthcare providers?

What It’s About

A listener seeks advice on getting started with communications consulting.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1362

Today’s listener is a medical professional by background and is starting a communications business on the side. How can she find her first clients and stand out from larger organizations?

 

“Hi, Chris. My name is Devon from Cleveland, Ohio. And I’ve been listening to your show for about two years now. I am a part-time speech pathologist in a hospital and also a part-time stay at home mom. Last week, I have officially started my side hustle called Communications Connected. It’s a communication consulting business specifically focused on improving communication skills for busy health care providers pressed for time. I hope to maybe launch a course in the future, but for now, I’m just focusing on providing one on one or group coaching services.

I have two questions. First, how do you suggest a market to get my first clients? And then second, there are large organizations that provide similar work as me. How do I stand out among the big dogs? Thanks so much, Chris. 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,

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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