Archives: Podcast

Q&A: What kind of review platform would be best for online learning?

What It’s About

A listener wants to create a review site for online learning platforms.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1259

What kind of review platform would be best for online learning?

Today’s caller has applied her skills her observation to notice a simple fact: tons of people are doing online learning of all kinds these days, but it can also be overwhelming. She wants to create a review website or platform. What might be a logical, feasible path to pursue?

“Hi, Chris, this is Lisa from Merriam, Kansas. And I really like the show. Lately I’ve even been listening while watching my two little boys. Anyway, my side hustle idea is a review website for online art and design courses. I found some generic reviews of the online learning platforms, but no web sites focused on my niche with all of the people stuck at home and doing online training. I think this idea can be very successful. I also think I’m the right person to build it because I have a background in graphic and web design along with some freelance writing experience.

My question is what kind of review web site would be best? I could easily create a review, blog and WordPress. But I don’t want to be the sole reviewer forever. Maybe a year at most. I envision it having an aggregate review system because that seems more practical, but it’s also more daunting for me to create than a blog review site. How would I find people and convince them to leave reviews in my nothing site? Or is it possible to do a hybrid of the two? Or am I overthinking it? Thanks. And I look forward to your answer.”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

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

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

GET YOUR FIRST 1,000 EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS

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

Sponsors & Gratitude

Don't Do Business Without It

Side Hustle School is brought to you by American Express.

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

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

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

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

Keep in Touch

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


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

TBT: Lawyer Creates Course for New Parents Returning to Work

What It’s About

An update from an attorney who helps working parents return to work after parental leave.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1258

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 Lori Mihalich-Levin, an attorney in Washington, DC, who has created a course called Mindful Return.

A lot has happened since we first featured her back in Ep. 255!

What’s happened since?

Listen to today’s episode to hear Lori’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
"If you find a need and your company or your side hustle is working to address that need, I’d say to target your fix at the space that you are most familiar with and where you have the most personal contacts."
—Lori Mihalich-Levin #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Don't Do Business Without It

Side Hustle School is brought to you by American Express.

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

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

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

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

Keep in Touch

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


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Q&A: How to get customers to leave reviews on Etsy?

What It’s About

A listener sells sets of clever greeting cards on Etsy. How can she get more reviews?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1257

Social proof is one of the most important factors that influences someone to make a purchase. Just think about it: are you more likely to buy something if five of your friends say, “Hey, you’ve got to try this?” Of course! You’re also more likely to buy something that has a lot of good reviews.

So how do you get customers to leave reviews, in particular on Etsy? That’s what today’s caller is facing. She has a new Etsy shop selling greeting cards themed around grammar jokes—and she wants more reviews! What should she do?

“Hi, Chris. This is Susan from Austin, Texas, and I’ve been listening to the show since it first launched, my side hustle is called Grammar Geek Greetings. And my question is about getting customers to leave me reviews on Etsy. I do have some reviews and they’re all five stars, but I would love to get more reviews.

And I’m not sure how when I send the shipping confirmation, I do include a personal note thanking the person for their order and asking them to leave me a review if they like the card. Then when I ship the cards, I enclose a business card with my logo and a handwritten note on the back in red pen. Of course, reiterating this request, I believe Etsy also reminds customers to leave a review. Do I need to tweak this messaging? Is there something else I should do? Thank you so much.”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

 

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

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

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

GET YOUR FIRST 1,000 EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS

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

The Legally Blind, Six-Figure Supernatural Romance Author

What It’s About

A hardworking author self-publishes a series of supernatural romance novels.

Words of Wisdom

Thinking about becoming a writer? Here’s some important advice from Steff: “There are a million easier ways to make a living than being a writer. If you’re in this for the money then become an investment banker. But writers are never in this for the money, so my rule is always that I have to be having fun. Because if I’m not having fun and I’m in a risky industry, then that’s just silly.”

Fun Fact

The rise of the supernatural romance genre came with the twilight series, one of the most popular book series ever written. The books have sold over 120 million copies world wide and spawned a series of equally successful films.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1256
New Zealander Steff Green spent years studying to be an archaeologist. In addition to countless hours spent in the library, she volunteered at every museum and excavation she could. But after graduating, she had no luck finding a job. She was repeatedly told she was a health and safety risk. You see, Steff is legally blind and while capable of the work, that put a bookmark in her story of becoming an archaeologist.

She vowed to one day be in a position where no one could say there was something she couldn’t do.

Ever since childhood, Steff had written stories about characters she created and the worlds they inhabit. She took it so seriously that she had four full-length science fiction novels to show for her time in high school and university. That youthful passion was still with her so she decided to put pen to paper on becoming a professional writer. She just had no idea how to go about it.

Like some of us might do, she went to Google, searched “how to make a living from your writing” then proceeded to try everything listed. She pitched articles to magazines, started a blog and even wrote product descriptions. Soon she got her first check for ten dollars and fifty cents for an article, then another twenty-five, then fifty and even more.

She learned not to accept rejection and keep going when the world told you “You can’t do that”. Even more relevant to our story, Steff brushed off one of her old novels. She cleaned up the narrative, edited it and ended up pitching it to an editor at a writers conference.

The editor worked with Steff to try and get something published. But she quickly learned that interest is not the same as a book deal, and it took nearly five years for one of her manuscripts to land a deal. Her dream of being a science fiction writer was about to materialize, someone had finally told her “You CAN do that!”

Around that time, she first heard of self-publishing, where writers can sell their own books on Amazon. She decided to edit and create a cover for one of her old novels and put it up for sale. When it sold around one hundred copies and made a few hundred dollars overall, Steff was hooked.

Over the course of the next few years, Steff published dozens of more stories in the supernatural romance world. Whatever she published her audience soaked up, an audience she kept building through a personal newsletter and Facebook page. By the time 2018 rolled around, Steff was making enough money from her books and freelance writing gigs that she didn’t have to work a day job anymore and promptly quit.

Since then the pages have kept turning. Steff has seriously upped her output and now has thirty-five books published and is making the sort of money she only dreamed of. Earning six figures a year for telling stories is like a fantasy come true.

Her success so far has led to her starting a blog and speaking at events telling anyone who’ll listen about the benefits of self-publishing. Her goal is to let as many people as possible know, if she can do it, maybe they can too.

 

 

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
"Writers are never in this for the money, so my rule is always that I have to be having fun. Because if I’m not having fun and I’m in a risky industry, then that’s just silly."
—Steff Green #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: Who Are “Your People”? Understanding Psychographics

What It’s About

How to identify your ideal customer based on the values and beliefs you share.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1255

You’re probably familiar with Traditional Demographics such Age, Location, Sex/Gender, Race/Ethnicity, Income. If you think of a market of 35-39 year-old women, that’s one target market based on traditional demographics. Of course, you could get more specific: 35-39 year-old women with college degrees who are interested in crafting and live in the Atlanta area, for example.

If you’re catering to a clear demographic, then this is easy. If it’s a local business like an ice-cream truck, you want to position your truck near a school, or at least in a residential neighborhood with a lot of families.

But many businesses aren’t like that. These days, it’s easy for anyone to market to people based much on interests, passions, skills, beliefs, and values. You could call these the New Demographics, or some people call them Psychographics.

How can you figure this out? In this episode, we’ll look at three examples and three lessons we can take from them.

 

 

THIS WEEK’S ASSIGNMENT:

Do you know the psychographics of your ideal customer? Who are your people?

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

Petal to the Metal: Sisters Start Blooming Jewelry Store

What It’s About

Two creative sisters break the mold by setting real flowers in their jewelry.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Looking to start your own Etsy store? Here’s advice from Lindsay and Courtney, “Ensure you have enough stock in your inventory for when you open your shop, as creating pieces made-to-order can become stressful otherwise. We also recommend having very creative and beautiful photos of your products. Pictures are so important to really promote the item.”

Fun Fact

Etsy is a truly massive marketplace of handmade goods with nearly 50 million active users. With those types of numbers you’re bound to find a market to sell to or a product you like in no time at all.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1254
Lindsay Ann Gottschall and Courtney Joy Bleier are sisters from New York They grew up in an artistic household and both went on to creative careers. Courtney combined her love of design and teaching to become an art teacher, while Lindsay pursued her dream of acting.

While pursuing that dream, Lindsay also began making beaded jewelry on the side. It quickly became a passion as she began experimenting with different materials and techniques. Over time she learned to make resin, a hard epoxy substance that’s mixed into a range of different colors and patterns.

In 2009 both sisters found themselves living in Miami, and they started spending time together making jewelry. They got to talking, brainstorming and throwing ideas around. They wanted to come up with some unique designs, something that used their own lives and environment as inspiration for a new type of product.

What they got from all that brainstorming was anything but garden variety. Their concept was to make flower resin jewelry. They’d take dried flowers and intricately place them inside a mold, petal by petal, before adding the resin. This gave the flowers a frozen look, as if they were trapped in time.

The sisters loved what they’d come up with so much that they decided then and there to launch an Etsy store selling the pieces. They’d sell under their own label called Ann + Joy: a name brought about by combining both their middle names.

In the first three months, Ann + Joy received over one hundred orders and more than three thousand dollars in revenue. All of that came from spending only two hundred dollars on materials—although to be fair, they did have a lot of the equipment already. By the end of their first year, they had sold over twenty-three hundred orders, resulting in more than sixty-five thousand dollars in revenue. The two sisters and Etsy had a budding romance.

The next part wasn’t as exciting. As the popularity of their store increased, copycat sellers noticed, and they began flooding the Etsy market with similar products.

But that just meant Lindsay and Courtney had to adapt—both with their product, and their marketing.

These adaptations helped get them through their second full year and to the point of Lindsay being able to go full time on the business.

In present times, the COVID-19 pandemic has taken its toll on Ann + Joy as well and sales in Spring 2020 were drastically down. They put this down to the uncertainty of the situation, and sales began to increase again just as I was recording this story.

Hopefully, that upward trend will continue, allowing Courtney to join her sister in going all-in as they continue to innovate.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Check out Courtney and Lindsay’s beautiful jewelry at their Etsy store, Ann + Joy.
  • Start selling your own creations on Etsy.

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
"We also recommend having very creative and beautiful photos of your products. Pictures are so important to really promote the item.”"
—Lindsay and Courtney #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 share inspiring stories without writing?

What It’s About

This listener started a blog but doesn’t love the writing process. Is there another way she can share her stories?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1253

What if you start publishing a blog and then realize you don’t love writing—might there be another way to communicate and share the inspirational stories you hope your readers will connect with?

That’s what today’s listener is wondering about, along with the ever-important question of monetization.

Remember: think about this first!

“Hi, Chris. This is Shaunese from Clinton, Maryland. I been listening to your podcast for about three years. After about six months of starting my blog and beginning to realize that I don’t enjoy writing as much as I do. However, I do love hearing so many inspiring stories and my readers do, too.

Is there another way that I could continue my blog and continue sharing these stories to help women who want to start a business without writing so much? Or is there another way to share their stories? In my blog also, I haven’t figured out how to monetize yet. Any suggestions? Thank you, Chris. And I look forward to hearing from you.”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

SEE ALSO:

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

RELIABLE WEBHOST FOR $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 my past 5 websites. It's cheap, flexible, and you can get support 24 hours a day.

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

Sponsors & Gratitude

Don't Do Business Without It

Side Hustle School is brought to you by American Express.

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

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

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

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

Keep in Touch

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


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Q&A: Should this cupcake baker go all-in or move on?

What It’s About

A listener needs help figuring out her next steps… without becoming overbaked.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1252

What are the criteria to consider when trying to decide your next steps? Should I quit my job, start a new side hustle, scale back?

Today’s listener is a baker who also has a lot of other responsibilities and is concerned about burnout … and not from the oven! Should she go all-in, move on, or do something different?

“Hi, this is Iver from Houston, Texas, and I’ve been listening to the show for about a year and a half now. My side hustle is baking. I’m a homemaker and I specialize in custom cakes, cupcakes and good old fashioned cookies. My question is, how do you know when it’s time to go all in and move on? It’s been a struggle for me for the last five years of trying to grow my baking business while working. Being a mom and being a wife is a struggle and indicator. I have so many ideas I want to pursue, but I don’t want a burnout. I can’t wait to hear from you, Chris. Thanks so much.”

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 “Craigslist Photographer” Returns With a Report

What It’s About

An update from a civil engineer by day, wedding photographer by weekend.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1251

Welcome to Throwback Thursday / “Where are they now?” where we take an in-depth look at someone whose 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 guy I’ve known for a long time – he’s a civil engineer who had a wild idea a few years ago to offer wedding photography services through Craigslist.

What’s happened since?

Listen to today’s episode to hear Oliver’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
"The biggest advice that I would say is, consistency. Posting daily writing. Not stopping. Even if it’s just a plan that you make of a few days a week that you know you’re posting, make sure to do it."
—Jennifer Tripucka #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

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To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Q&A: How do you grow a podcast without spending money on ads?

What It’s About

A listener wants to grow their podcast without ads. What should they do?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1250

If a podcast falls in the forest, will anyone hear it? This listener wants to know how to grow his new show—without spending money on ads. He’s worried that going it alone without dropping cash into Google or Facebook’s pockets isn’t going to end up well.

Fortunately, I have some ideas.

By the way, a quick side note: this guy’s recording quality is really great. Over the past couple of months, I’ve noticed that a lot of people have upgraded their equipment at home (microphones, webcams, etc…) because of the pandemic and so much more remote work. It doesn’t take a big investment at all to look and sound better.

“Chris, this is Stephen from Billings, Montana. And I’ve been listening to the show for about two years now. My Side hustle is a podcast. I spent my first three months making sure the audio quality was top notch in that I was growing in my interview skills and now I’m ready to grow the show’s community and dip my toe into the world of advertising. So I have two questions related to podcast growth. First, I want to know how I can grow a show organically without putting money into Google or Facebook ads. I want to grow only from word of mouth and a strong social media brand. And I’m wondering if you think this is naive or misguided.

Second, could you explain the difference between affiliate advertising versus direct sponsorship and how each works for a podcast? What’s the process for signing each kind? And should my ads sound different when I’m reading for one or the other? Can’t wait to hear from you. And thanks again for all you do for the Side hustle community.”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

 

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

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Resources

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

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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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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