Archives: Podcast

Q&A: What to do with an app for Apple Watch?

What It’s About

A listener decides what to do next with his app for Apple Watch.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1278

I don’t think we’ve talked much about the Apple Watch. If you have one, you might know that it integrates with a lot of apps on your phone, and then there are also standalone apps designed specifically for the Watch.

Today’s caller has made a mobile app to help people maintain their focus—which sounds like I need this app—and he’s wondering what to do next.

This is a phase that I see a lot of new side hustlers go through. It’s a nebulous Inception-like space where you’re not in the early stages of building out an idea, and you also haven’t quite figured out where to go with it next.

How can you decide between competing priorities? What does moderate success look like—it’s clearly not a failure, but it’s also different from major success or massive success.

“Hi, Chris. This is Sergio from El Paso, Texas. I’ve been a fan of the Side hustle book and podcast for a while now. My Side hustle is Nujible. It’s a mobile app for the watch that uses haptic taps to help people who struggle to maintain their attention and focus. It’s basically a tool for people like myself who often have their heads stuck in the clouds and just need an occasional nudge to get back in the game.

I have limited time and funds to be able to work on this project. Unfortunately, I often had to decide between app store optimization, reaching out to productivity influencers or working on upgrading the app itself. I’ve been working on this app for over a year now with moderate success. So my question is how should I focus my time and resources moving forward?”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SEE ALSO:

  • Rehearsal App for Actors Earns $500,000: Not satisfied with the iPhone’s built-in Voice Recorder, a radio host and acting coach creates his own app to help actors rehearse. It goes on to earn more than $500,000.
  • iPhone “Progress App” Weighs in with Measurable Profits: He missed out on the early gold rush of the Apple store, but this UK bank employee arrives three years later with an app that’s built to last. He now earns a full-time income from it while traveling the world.
  • Game on! Seahawks Fan Kicks Off Six-Figure Sports App: When faced with the possibility of not being able to enjoy his favorite football games, this sports fan creates an app to solve the problem. Four years in, it earns him a full-time income in exchange for 30 minutes of work each week.

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

Volunteer Turns Good Deeds Into Paid Consulting

What It’s About

How one person turned answering questions on the internet into a profitable hustle.

Words of Wisdom

Karmeish says that starting side hustles can be full of uncertainty at first, but to persevere: “It will be hazy and murky in the beginning, like I faced when I started Karmaworks however trust me things will slowly get clearer each day. There is no better school than doing it yourself.”

Fun Fact

Quora was founded by Adam D’Angelo and Charlie Cheever in June 2009 after the two left Facebook. By March 2010, the website was valued at $86 million. Today, Quora is worth $2 billion with 300 million monthly active users.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1277
Karmeish Ghosh was working as the Head of Sales and Business Development at a steel company in India. The company contracts some business activities to third party services, which in this case meant helping to create jobs for hundreds of rural women in India.

Although Karmeish was seasoned in the field, every once in a while he had a question. Naturally, he turned to Google for the answer.

Through looking for answers on how to get more clients for his employer, he found that countless others were asking the same questions on the website Quora. So, Karmeish began to answer any questions that he knew he could help with. More than anything, he wanted to support others in this specific field.

He never imagined that Quora would turn into a “funnel” of networking, but soon an outpouring of connection requests flooded his LinkedIn account! Karmeish had provided such helpful advice that people wanted to stay connected with him.

So, in January of 2017, he made his first move to start getting clients. Karmeish purchased 100 business cards and booked his first breakfast meet and greet with Business Networking International. It was there that he introduced himself as the Chief Sales Officer for Karmaworks Consulting, his brand new company.

At that event, he booked his first two clients—and left with a deal for $1,000. From there, Karmeish decided to focus on three target audiences. This included introverted techie founders struggling with sales, founders who didn’t have sales and marketing systems in place yet, and finally, people who had the money but didn’t know the go-to market strategy.

Investing time into the needs of those specific markets paid off. In his first year, Karmeish made $3,100 in revenue and only spent $140 on his business. And you guessed it … most of those expenses came from designing and printing those business cards.

The next year, in 2018, he decided that he needed a website. He purchased Karmaworks.co along with some web hosting services. Karmeish planned to write and use his blog to educate his potential clients and create some authority in his niche. Unfortunately, he didn’t put as much energy in the business as the year before and his sales dipped.

Although Karmeish is now making good money from his volunteer venture, he hasn’t forgotten the philanthropic origins of Karmaworks. He still gives free coaching and one-on-one calls. He loves the strategy of, “Giving 90% of my stuff for free and charging a premium for the rest.”

He’s learned that a side hustle is like a plant. As he says, “we need to nurture it everyday else or it will die off”. So, moving forward, he plans to continue creating online courses, working closely with his clients, and providing free resources wherever he can.

 

 

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
"It will be hazy and murky in the beginning, like I faced when I started Karmaworks however trust me things will slowly get clearer each day. There is no better school than doing it yourself."
—Karmeish Ghosh #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: How to Avoid Getting Stuck

What It’s About

Getting stuck is a common problem—how can you set yourself up for success?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1276

Today, let’s talk about how to avoid getting stuck.

I had a conversation with my publisher about this recently. A lot of people never start… somewhere along the way, they get stuck.

To be stuck means you’ve reached an impasse, an obstacle or limitation that hinders your progress.

To avoid this, you need to be able to think differently… and of course, you need to choose to take action.

This is as much of a mental block as a practical one. When you’re stuck, you go into a feedback loop that reinforces any negative thoughts you might have about yourself. That’s why it’s not just about oh, I can’t get people to follow me on Instagram or I can’t figure out how to set up my website.

Being stuck is usually more of an internal issue.

First, understand that a lot of people go through this in different ways. Here are five tips that might help.

  • 1) Identify problems in advance
  • 2) Always know the next step
  • 3) Impose an artificial deadline
  • 4) Look for an alternative way forward
  • 5) Try something totally different

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

THIS WEEK’S ASSIGNMENT:

Try to head off a problem at the pass. Look ahead and identify something that might trip you up—then try to find an answer for it now.

 

 

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

IT Manager Gains Income After Losing Weight

What It’s About

An IT Manager works out a personal training program based on his own experience and success.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Dwayne has some important advice for those looking to do something similar, “Focus on your social proofing and train clients for free in the beginning if you have to. Having a real-world client testimony/transformation (before and afters) really resonates and is the best way to sell fitness training.”

Fun Fact

The weight loss industry is truly massive and worth an estimated 72 billion dollars in the US alone. With that much money floating around you don’t need to be a heavy hitter to make a tidy profit.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1275
Dwayne Douglas has a demanding day job as an IT Manager. Like many people who work all day at a desk, he’d developed some unhealthy habits. Little exercise and poor diet meant he was never able to get into the physical shape he wanted to.

One day he decided enough was enough! He began looking for fitness tips that would enable him to lose weight, get in shape, and achieve a level of health he’d always wanted. Taking radical action, his commitment paid off. Soon he was leaner, stronger, and happier than ever before.

That made him think… Was there a possibility for him to turn his love of fitness into a side hustle and make a little extra money? Surely making money training people couldn’t be any harder than getting in shape yourself.

He decided to take the plunge and become a personal trainer. He set himself a modest goal: to make enough money to cover his child’s daycare costs. He began an all-new warm-up routine.

He’d now been personal training for several years and had finally built his own list, albeit of cell phone numbers, not email addresses. However, this proved to be a blessing in disguise. He noticed SMS had a much better response rate than email, sometimes up to ninety-eight percent. He used it to successfully reactivate many of his old customers.

But along with a change in marketing came a change in his overall business model. Once the pandemic hit, he switched it up again, teaching an online training course he calls Virtually Fitt.

During his in-person personal training days Dwayne saw profit as high as three thousand dollars per month. While that’s taken a hit for the moment he’s not too worried. He still has his day job and is confident his new online training will grow even as people return to physical gyms.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Learn more about Dwayne and virtual fitness training courses at this website, VirtuallyFitt.com.

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

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

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

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

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

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

Quote of the Day
"Focus on your social proofing and train clients for free in the beginning if you have to. Having a real-world client testimony/transformation (before and afters) really resonates and is the best way to sell fitness training."
—Dwayne Douglas #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: What have you learned from YouTube Live?

What It’s About

Lessons learned from 30 days of YouTube Live streaming.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1274

I recently finished a 30-day experiment of going live on YouTube to teach a short lesson and answer questions every day. What did I learn, and what would I do differently?

Overall it was a lot of fun, and you can see the whole thing if you’d like, including a lot of mistakes as I learned along the way. But I definitely learned a lot, and I’m happy to share those lessons.

“I saw that you launched a new YouTube channel and already have a lot of people watching … what have you learned so far? I’ve been trying to share videos of my baking process, but no one is really paying attention. Also, what’s the difference between YouTube Live and “regular YouTube”? It looks like you’re mostly doing live — is that better?”

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 a prototype for a physical product?

What It’s About

A listener wants to know how to create a physical prototype. Do they need one?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1273

Our listener today is starting a side hustle that requires a physical product, and he’s wondering… how can he make a prototype?

Just in case you’re not familiar with the word, a prototype is a sample or model of what will eventually become a product that is usually manufactured. So before you make 1,000 or 10,000 of your item, you design and create a working sample.

The challenge is, if it’s a physical product that hasn’t existed before, how do you go about getting the prototype made? There’s no Prototype.com—I checked!

“Hi, this is Dylan from Orlando, Florida. And I’ve been listening to the show for about one year now. I love the content and really loving the new format. I’m thinking about starting a side hustle that requires a physical product.

After some initial research, I don’t see any similar items to build from or really to model after. I’d like to have a mold created for prototype and wondering what options or resources should I look into to have one made. And if having a mold created is even worth the payoff? Thank you for all the help and encouragement. I hope you and your listeners remain healthy.”

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: Bestselling Author Publishes Novels, Online Courses, and More

What It’s About

An update from a novelist who moonlights as a writing teacher.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1272

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 Jessica Brody, Ep. 303: Published Author Adds Income Source; Makes Extra $21,000 Her First Year.

What’s happened since? Let’s hear directly from her. She has a lot of updates, it was a struggle for me to condense them because she gave us so many good things to work with.

But suffice it to say that she has massively increased her following and income and influence since Ep. 303. And not only that but she’s making some really smart moves to reduce her dependence on an outside platform.

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

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

 

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

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

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

GET YOUR FIRST 1,000 EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS

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

Quote of the Day
"I think the key thing to note is that you do not have to be the best at something in order to teach it. You just have to have some sort of skill that other people don’t have."
—Jessica Brody #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Don't Do Business Without It

Side Hustle School is brought to you by American Express.

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

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

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

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

Keep in Touch

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


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Q&A: What’s the best way forward in the Knowledge Economy?

What It’s About

A listener has knowledge and experience to monetize. How should they start?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1271

What do I mean by the Knowledge Economy? In short, it refers to a system or society in which the production of goods and services is based primarily upon knowledge-intensive activities.

That is opposed to a manufacturing economy or an agrarian society.

In some ways it’s not new…. it’s been a couple of decades since people have been talking about globalization and e-commerce.

But it has actually changed the world! These days there are countless mediums, platforms, networks, the social web, the ability to connect with people who have shared interests, no matter how esoteric or specialized they may be.

However, it can also feel a little overwhelming, and today’s caller is looking for a clear path.

The reality is that there isn’t a single path—there are many—but I’m hopeful that we can help her narrow down her options and perhaps help other listeners wondering the same thing.

“Hi this is Christine from Vancouver and I’ve been listening to side hustle school from the beginning. I’m wondering if you could share your thoughts on the best way forward in the Knowledge Economy?

It feels like a brave new world, where individuals can sell information and training to other individuals, without the traditional gatekeepers of corporations and universities—but it also feels like there aren’t any rules or clear paths to follow. I think I know something I can teach a lot of people. How do I decide the best platform to do that, and do I just start making an outline … or is there more to it? Also, which do you think is better for this … a podcast or a YouTube channel? Looking forward to hearing from you and hope you visit us in Canada soon.”

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

Brooklyn Academic Learns To Upcycle Fine China

What It’s About

A listener levels-up her tea game in stylish fashion.

Words of Wisdom

Ariel has some important advice on utilizing relationships: “Work your networks and don’t be afraid to ask for things–for an introduction, a meeting, a collaboration…the worst thing that could happen is that they say no. I am always surprised by how generous even really “big deal” people are with their time and expertise. Just remember to pay it forward. “

Fun Fact

Originally, most of what’s known as ‘fine china’ was porcelain made in China. Porcelain was a popular art form for hundreds of years in the land of the Red Dragon. Today, most fine China is made using a similar process but due to modern production techniques it’s nowhere near as valuable as it once was.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1270
It was late in 2017 when Ariel Davis left her job at the City University of New York. She figured she’d take a month off while planning her big next move … but that never quite happened. Instead one month stretched to two, two to three and eventually nine. She filled the time by working on research assignments that came about through her contacts at the university—but instead of inspiration, she felt anxious about what to do next.

Then, one night, she was out for a run in her Brooklyn neighborhood, when she came across a huge collection of fine china on the sidewalk, just sitting out for the trash. Ariel, being one to hate throwing things away, couldn’t let it go. She called her husband who promptly abandoned their street parking spot—a valuable piece of real estate in Brooklyn—to come and help her pack all of it up in the back of their car.

Once home, they hauled every teacup, plate, and saucer up several flights of stairs and onto the dining room table of their one-bedroom apartment. It sat there for two weeks—but then a side hustle idea was about to be served up on a silver platter.

Ariel’s sister was soon to be married and on her bridal registry was a dainty two-tiered cake stand with a sales price of $120. Ariel thought it would be easy enough to replicate and the perfect way to repurpose some of the china she’d gathered from the sidewalk.

She watched a few YouTube videos and read online tutorials about tiered cake stands. She learned it could be made by drilling holes in the china and sliding a stand through it.

Soon after, Ariel began sharing with friends and family what she’d been up to. To her surprise, many of them were interested in re-purposing their old china and family heirlooms in exactly the same way. It was always the same story, they didn’t want to throw them away, but they didn’t know what to do with them either. Ariel realized, for the first time, that there might be a business idea here served right on a plate.

After serving up a few orders for family and friends, she felt like it might be time to take things seriously. She built a website and registered the business as The Brooklyn Teacup. Around the same time, a friend referred her to a local cafe owner who offered Ariel her first order from outside her personal network.

As luck would have it, a few months later the connection with the cafe owner led to a feature on MarthaStewart.com which sent another flurry of orders. Then, within two months that article led to another feature in the Washington Post. Even up until today, those articles still bring in a good amount of orders to The Brooklyn Teacup.

In fact, there are so many orders coming in that Ariel never went back to pursuing a different career. Today, she is earning around two thousand five hundred dollars of profit per month from her fine china side hustle. And that’s actually increased in the last few months as people in self-isolation perform cleanups—dusting off that old china and looking for ways to repurpose it.

 

 

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!
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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
"Work your networks and don’t be afraid to ask for things–for an introduction, a meeting, a collaboration…the worst thing that could happen is that they say no. I am always surprised by how generous even really “big deal” people are with their time and expertise. Just remember to pay it forward."
—Ariel Davis #SideHustleSchool

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Chris Guillebeau

CLASSROOM: Dealing with Unsupportive Family Members

What It’s About

What to do if the people you love aren’t supportive of your hustle?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1269

Welcome to a new week and a new Classroom episode!

For the first half of the year, this series focused on everything you need to do to build your first income-generating project. Last week I did a recap or summary of what those episodes included. Going forward, we’re going to focus much more on marketing, or getting the word out about this new product or service!

Aside from questions about creating your first project, I hear more questions about marketing than anything else.

However, this week, I have something different for you. I want to talk about the question: What if your family doesn’t support your side hustle?

This is also a common question—not as common as the others, thankfully, but it’s true that not everyone has a supportive network around them all the time. You might be around people who don’t understand why you want to do this, or they think it’s not possible, or they’re just downright negative.

So what do you do?

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

THIS WEEK’S ASSIGNMENT:

Consider if there are any negative or discouraging voices in your life, and then consider what you can do to block them out.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

 

 

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