Archives: Podcast

Q&A: How to price services to help parents of autistic children?

What It’s About

A listener seeks advice on how to price her services to help families with autistic children.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1295

What about a side hustle that deals with a sensitive important issue? On one of the Third Way calls, we heard from someone who’s doing end-of-life care, serving both individuals in that situation as well as their families.

If you think about it, it’s a very important need to navigate all sorts of issues related to that, so if someone can be helpful in that process and knows what questions to ask, what suggestions to make, etc. – Then it’s very valuable.

But of course it can also be difficult to think about charging money for a service like that, even though it’s needed.

In this episode, another listener who’s part of the Third Way group recently launched a coaching service for parents and caregivers of autistic kids. How can she decide on her pricing?

“Hi, Chris. This is Judy from Asheville, North Carolina. I love your show and your side hustle encouragement. I recently launched a parenting coaching service for people like me, parents and caregivers of autistic kids. It’s called the parenting champion. My question is, how do I price my services? I have two service options.

The first is a one-time parent coaching session, and the second is a customized parent coaching option for a more individualized and long term plan as the parents of an autistic child. I know the budget for services that are not covered by insurance can be tight. I don’t want to underprice my service and expertise, but I don’t want to price over what families can afford. Is a sliding scale. A good idea where I can adjust or set the price each time? Or should I just use a flat fee? Thanks, Chris, for your thoughts and any suggestions that you have.”

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: Are Amazon ads worth trying?

What It’s About

A listener wants to know if it’s worth paying for advertising on Amazon.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1294

Did you know that in addition to selling more than twelve million items, Amazon.com also sells ads? They sell a lot of ads, in fact—and increasing number of them. They sell them in the search results, on specific product listing pages, and then directly to you based on your previous purchases.

Yes, there are some things about Amazon that really are scary—I am the first to say that. But let’s leave that topic for another conversation, and focus on the question of selling ads. One of our listeners is wondering … might this be a good way to promote her product, perhaps by paying less than she would elsewhere?

“Hi Chris, this is Laura from Pittsburgh and I’ve been listening to the show for a couple of years now. I’ve been hearing about ads on Amazon being an alternative to expensive Facebook or Google ads. Is this true, and if so, what do I need to know?

I shop on Amazon.com almost every day, and I’ve noticed that they’ve started showing more and more ads. I did some reading and it looks like anyone can pay for those ads, just like with Facebook and Google. It also looks like they’re a lot less expensive and less competitive, at least for certain categories or items. Is this true, and if so, what do I need to know about it? “

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

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

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

GET YOUR FIRST 1,000 EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS

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

Sponsors & Gratitude

Don't Do Business Without It

Side Hustle School is brought to you by American Express.

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

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

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

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

Keep in Touch

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


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

TBT: Organization Expert Declutters 150+ Homes

What It’s About

An update from a yoga teacher who stretches and succeeds with a home organization business.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1293

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 Dion Lynk, who has earned more than $100,000 from Fiverr consultations.

Today, in our latest feature, we’ll hear from Lisa Holtby, who has a really cool story of starting a home organization business that serves well-off clients in the Seattle area and then donates many of the discarded items to people in need, including newly-settled immigrant families.

She’s also incredibly organized herself. When we asked how much time she’d spent on her new business, she reported back with: “One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five billable hours.”

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

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • LisaHoltby.com: Learn more about Lisa and the things she’s up to on her 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
"In this time of huge transition… I don’t know what’s going to happen. All I can do is keep offering excellent service to my clients."
—Lisa Holtby #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: Should I publish a daily audio diary about writing a book?

What It’s About

A listener looks for feedback on sharing an audio diary while writing a book.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1292

Today’s listener has an idea to work on a new book and share their journey along the way. How can they do this, and is it a good idea?

This question can be a good jumping-off point to a broader one about process and behind-the-scenes.

  • How to do it?
  • Is it a good idea?
  • How much info is too much? I have a clear opinion!

“I have an idea to write a book and publish a daily audio diary about the process as I go along. Do you think this is interesting? My thought is that it could create interest and inspire loyalty among future readers. They’ll be following along and really excited (I hope!) when the book comes out … if you were going to try something like this, how would you do it? And should it be a private diary for subscribers only, or available to anyone?”

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

Recruiter Moonlights on HR Jobs Marketplace

What It’s About

If you think an online jobs marketplace is lacking, try creating your own.

Words of Wisdom

Hear Chris’s valuable advice regarding niches: “Find an underserved niche and go after it. I had noticed some other niche gig sites starting up for certain industries and that got me thinking how many industries could eventually support their own gig marketplace.”

Fun Fact

Upwork is the largest freelance marketplace in the world. Currently it has 12 million registered freelancers and five million registered employers. It skews towards tech related projects leaving plenty of room for well marketed niche related offerings.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1291
It was five years ago when Chris Russell lost his job as a Director of Digital Recruiting. Having his income instantly halted was tough … but Chris still possessed all the skills that made him a valuable employee, even though he no longer was one. His ability to find good candidates and place them in the right jobs with minimal headache was a skill lots of businesses needed.

So, instead of diving in and looking for another 9-5 job, Chris decided to try his hand at freelancing. And for the next five years he made a living doing just that. He’d hustle, find temporary work somewhere among the large network he’d built up during his career, then move onto the next gig.

It was a flexible but not always lucrative arrangement. Chris was always on the lookout for his next gig. He often had periods where he wasn’t sure if the next one would even come.

In an effort to find something different Chris investigated the website Upwork, the world’s largest marketplace for freelancers. There he found some people looking for HR experts, but since Upwork skews more toward tech projects they were few and far between. Also, Upwork takes a large commission from each job, sometimes making it prohibitively expensive to use.

Chris felt like there had to be another way. And if there wasn’t, he was starting to think he was as good a person as any to make one.

His time on Upwork showed a need for a cheaper, niche version of the site aimed specifically at the HR industry. In his vision, just like Upwork, employers could post jobs on the site and freelancers could submit proposals to complete that work.

So instead of going the difficult route, Chris scoured the web looking for an ‘out of the box’ solution; a pre-made piece of software that he could simply purchase as is. You can find these for a lot of different sites. They allow you to pay to effectively create a clone of an existing site’s functions using your own branding.

Best of all was that he was able to install and configure it himself.

At the same time, he identified a dozen HR consultants he thought would be a good fit and contacted them, letting them know his new service would be a place that had regular gigs for freelance HR consultants. Almost immediately someone committed to a yearly subscription for eighty-nine dollars.

That’s when Chris knew he was onto something. He hadn’t even officially launched, and yet someone still believed in the concept enough that they were willing to put real money down.

He ‘officially’ launched HRLancers.com in January 2020. He posted about it to all of his Connections and mentioned it in the groups he was a part of. So what happened?

Well, in the first thirty days HRLancers.com received five thousand website visitors and hundreds of HR experts signed up to the service—most of them on the free version he offered, but some for the paid service, which offered featured placement on posts. Companies were posting gigs, and freelancers were applying for them.

The coronavirus slowdown isn’t stopping Chris. He’s continuing to network and attract more interest in the site. It’s nowhere near a full-time gig yet, so he still relies heavily on his own freelancing to make a living. But he is hoping that one day HRLancers.com will turn into the big promotion he always wanted, and aid in securing his financial future.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Check out Chris’s website, HRLancers.com.
  • Looking to freelance (or just curious about job marketplaces), check out sites like Upwork and Fiverr.
  • Stripe: a popular online payment processor for those looking to sell something on their 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

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
"Find an underserved niche and go after it. I had noticed some other niche gig sites starting up for certain industries and that got me thinking how many industries could eventually support their own gig marketplace."
—Chris Russell #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: Forecast Your Profit on a Napkin

What It’s About

Your side hustle MUST have a clear plan to make money. Here’s how you can forecast multiple profit scenarios.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1290

Reminder: We are now more than halfway through the year.

 

On this newly updated page, you can scroll back and take a look or listen to anything you might have missed or that seems particularly relevant to you. I always encourage you to use your time well—if some of these topics are basic, then skip them. We still have two new stories or case studies each week, along with all of the interactive new features such as Q&A and TBT episodes.

https://sidehustleschool.com/classroom/

For the second half of the year, this Classroom series will appear twice a month instead of every week. That’s so I can continue to answer many of the questions that listeners have been sending in.

Two reminders as we jump in today:

  • First: Your side hustle must have a clear plan to make money.
  • Second: if you’re having a hard time deciding on an idea, it helps to consider each of your ideas according to a few criteria. I’ve done a whole episode on this topic – you can access it on that page.

So how do you figure out which idea has the most profit potential? You can do that by making a projection.

By forecasting profit and expense with a simple estimate, you’ll be able to make decisions for your hustle with far more confidence.

Expected income – Expected expenses = Projected profit
Of course, to get the critical information of “How much money can I make with this idea?,” you’ll first need to make those estimates for income and expenses. To come up with your estimates for each factor, you’ll usually need to identify several other variables.

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

THIS WEEK’S ASSIGNMENT:

Create a simple Profit Potential estimate for one of your ideas.

 

 

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

WEB HOSTING @ $2.49/MONTH

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

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

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

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

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

Sponsors & Gratitude

Don't Do Business Without It

Side Hustle School is brought to you by American Express.

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

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

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

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

Keep in Touch

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


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Social Media Fan Ties the Knot with Wedding Marketing

What It’s About

How a social media enthusiast says “I do” to her wedding marketing hustle.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

When it comes to anyone looking for a side hustle, Nina says to “Combine what you are skilled at with something you love. My skill is in social media, but my passion is in weddings. I have done social media in the past for healthcare staffing, and while I was skilled at it, it wasn’t something I loved. Keep tweaking til you find the perfect formula of skill meeting passion. This is your side hustle, after all! It should have some fun to it. It is okay to make money having fun!”

Fun Fact

The average person spends two hours on social media every day. That is more than 5 years total in a lifetime! [source]

Notes from Chris

Episode 1289
Nina Addeo was in 5th grade when AOL came out, in high school when MySpace was all the rage, and in college during the birth of Facebook. Social media grew up while she did—and she was always drawn to it.

When she was in college, it was still new enough that few people were studying it for academic use. She didn’t even know it could be a job. So, as Nina continued into adulthood, she gravitated towards administrative work. Still, she couldn’t forget her love of the online world, so she started a blog for the TV show America’s Next Top Model.

The blog soon boasted over 40,000 followers from around the world. Unfortunately, the show ended, and with it so did Nina’s blog.

As the industry grew, however, Nina started to realize working in social media could be a job, and she wanted to break in. She figured that her blog would be the perfect way to showcase her creative and digital talents—so she proudly listed it on her resume … and her hunch paid off.

She scored a job doing social media for a hospitality group of wedding and restaurant venues. The job was both rewarding and stressful. While she enjoyed parts of it, after she got married Nina decided to look for a job where she knew she would be leaving at a normal time every day.

So, working after hours and on the side, Nina created her own Wix website for $30 a month. It was a virtual dream board for the business she wished she had, called I Do Wedding Marketing. The dream was to intersect her passion for weddings and her skills in social media. More than anything, she wanted to help wedding professionals build their social media presence, so they didn’t have to worry as much about marketing themselves.

After a few months, she had the opportunity to attend a networking event hosted by a local wedding officiant. There, she landed her first client: a wedding magazine. It was a perfect match: by working with a magazine, Nina would have access to a whole list of wedding professionals that advertised with them.

The magazine was a longstanding, reputable leader in the wedding industry—and therefore an ideal client to build up Nina’s credibility. From there, she got a lot more clients.

Going full time with I Do Wedding Marketing is Nina’s long-term goal, but with COVID-19 in resurgence and many events on hiatus, it’s not the right time yet.

Ultimately, her goal is to help as many wedding professionals as possible take control of their social media presence. Despite the pandemic, she’s been doing just that!

 

 

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
"Combine what you are skilled at with something you love. My skill is in social media, but my passion is in weddings."
—Nina Addeo #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 did THE MONEY TREE launch go?

What It’s About

What it’s like launching a book during a pandemic.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1288

A listener checks in to ask how my recent pandemic-timing book launch went. Short version: it was challenging!

I experienced some variables that were totally unfamiliar to me. At the same time, I’m often talking about finding the opportunity in the midst of uncertainty—so of course, I have to be able to apply that encouragement to myself. What did I learn, and what’s next?

“I always appreciate how open you are about your successes and failures, and I’m wondering how that applies to your latest book launch. What did you learn, and what do you wish you had done differently? And what was it like trying to talk about a book while everyone’s attention was on COVID-19? “

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 sell an online birth preparation course?

What It’s About

A listener wants to revisit an old side hustle idea. What should he consider?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1283

A listener in the UK has recently dusted off a project he worked on with his wife a few years ago.

It’s a birth preparation program, and his new goal is to take it online. Unfortunately, he’s not seeing the results he’d like. Let’s take more of a look…

“Hey, Chris, this is James from Bristol in the U.K.. I’ve been loving your Side hustle book and make my way through it. I’ve got an idea which I think is feasible, profitable and persuasive. It was an online birth preparation program that my wife and I developed four or five years ago, and it was actually not very good side hustle insofar as it took years and years and cost a fortune for us to get up and online. Now when we actually got it online, we didn’t manage to sell more than a handful of subscriptions to this birth preparation program, and we concluded that that was because people much rather preferred to do these courses in person. Now, with the advent of the Coronavirus, in-person courses are not an option.

So I thought this might be the ideal time for me to relaunch the program, tweaked it a little bit, made it mobile optimized to see if people would be more open to signing up given that they couldn’t attend in-person courses. So I did all that over the course of a month and I tried to stick to the guidelines you set and side hustle and lo and behold, I still haven’t had any takers. I’m using Google ads to advertise the course. And my one question is, what one tweak could I make to this online birth preparation program that might make people more women specifically more inclined to to book on the course. Thanks so much. Look forward to hearing her 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

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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

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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: Man Makes $100,000, Five Dollars at a Time

What It’s About

An update from a creative, hard-working freelancer.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1286

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.

So far in these features we’ve had a New York City musician with a blog teaching jazz that becomes a multiple six-figure business and an Australian woman who draws houses.

Today, in our latest feature, we’ll hear from a man who specializes in naming businesses. He started out *selling jokes* for $5/each on Fiverr, but he’s come a long way since then.

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

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

      Follow and connect with Dillon on Twitter,

@Dionlynk

    !
  • Fiverr: The online gig platform that makes it easy to test your services and make some money
  • I also wanted to mention one of the resources that Dion refers to. It’s Envato, which describes itself as a marketplace for digital assets such as code scripts, audio files, stock photos or video, and even 3D models. You can see Dion’s portfolio and the themes he sells there here. It reminds me a bit of Creative Market, which we haven’t looked at in a while but could be helpful for someone out there.If you’d like to check it out, that’s Envato.com, or author.envato.com to see the page that focuses more on selling your digital items.

 

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
"Everybody doesn’t have the same ability, but, you know, if you have something, do it until the cows come home."
—Dion Lynk #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