Archives: Podcast

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,

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

Country Music Fan Hits The Decks As Part-Time DJ

What It’s About

A country music fan takes her turn spinning the hits.

Words of Wisdom

Planning to professionally spin tunes, here’s an important tip from Kate: “Have WiFi at every gig. Don’t depend on auto-mixing and actually learn how to DJ manually. Know your value and don’t let anyone tell you who you need to be.”

Fun Fact

DJing is big business with some of the biggest names in the industry being worth over $100 million dollars! Some estimates indicate there may be up to one million professional DJs in the USA.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1249
It was ten years ago that Kate Williamson was living in Hawaii studying full time. She had a full course load, but the life of a student offered a lot of downtime as well.

Evenings out usually meant going out to a local bar. Kate was a big country music fan so she often hit bars that only played the type of music she liked. The types of establishments where hearing Thomas Rhett, Maren Morris, or Carrie Underwood wouldn’t feel out of place.

Kate’s favorite bar was called the Country Bar in Pearl Harbor. She’d spent many a night there enjoying the music. Eventually she got to know the staff, including the DJ.

One night, he told Kate he wanted a backup DJ for times when he needed to take the night off. Up until that point he wasn’t able to find anyone suitable, but Kate was up for it—you could say she decided to add pitch to an idea.

So Kate and this house DJ made a deal. She’d become the backup DJ at the bar and work for job free for the next two months to learn the ropes. She’d take in all the information she could about mixing, turntables and how to seamlessly glide from one song to another to keep the beat going. Then, when they both felt ready, Kate could take over as the DJ.

With that, she had her training sorted out—and with some free DJ software she found online, she was ready to go.

The learning paid off and Kate was able to DJ her first night, earn a few bucks, and start a new side hustle all in one go. Cue the music!

From that night on, Kate had a regular gig at the Country Bar. When the DJ needed a night off Kate would drop on by with her computer and a collection of country tracks and spin the place into a frenzy.

Right now, Kate has no plans to take her DJing full time—and her nights out have been on hold during the pandemic. However, over the last year she has earned over seven thousand dollars through her gigs, enough money to keep her comfortable while living as a full-time student.

Kate shows that having a side hustle skill to fall back on can be handy, especially when you’re dropping the beat.

 

 

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
"Don’t depend on auto mixing and actually learn how to DJ manually. Know your value and don’t let anyone tell you who you need to be."
—Kate Williamson #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: Create a Powerful Origins Story

What It’s About

Every superhero has an origin story. What’s yours?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1248

Let’s talk today about being your own superhero!

Maybe you didn’t realize it, but you were born on an alien planet, bestowed with incredible abilities and the calling to help a lot of people—but you also had much to overcome along the way.

Okay, let’s back up a little. What is an origins story?

 

The phrase “origins story” comes from the world of comic books, whose artists construct histories of how superheroes or villains gain their powers and turn into the unique characters they’re known for. A good origins story usually features a turning point or moment of transformation in which the character evolves in a significant way or receives a mission he must complete.

Unless you’re selling a completely generic product (and you probably shouldn’t be), you’ll be much more successful if you provide your customers with a history about how your hustle came to be.

Like a comic book superhero, your side hustle needs a history. When I review About pages on websites, I often look closely at the story being told. What’s this all about, and why does it matter?

Conveniently, there’s a formula you can use to make this easy. If you have the SIDE HUSTLE book, it’s on Day 10 in a simple fill-in-the-blank format.

But if you don’t have it, I’ll talk you through it:

I’ve always been interested in ________________________ ________________________________________________, so I decided to try __________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________.

I was frustrated by _________________________________ _________________________________________________ and knew there was a better way. I made _______________ _________________________________________________ to help other people with the same problem.

I started this hustle because I noticed __________________ _________________________________________________. There didn’t seem to be anyone else doing anything about it (or the existing businesses were missing something important), so I made _______________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________.

Listen to today’s Classroom episode to learn more…

 

 

THIS WEEK’S ASSIGNMENT:

Add at least two relevant, interesting facts to your origins story.

 

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

PR Pro Writes Herself Into Screenwriting Career

What It’s About

A marketing professional becomes a movie screenwriter.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

At the urging of her accountant, Melissa started a production company. To write off things like manager, lawyer, and agent commissions, it’s better to be an S-Corp than an LLC. The production company then acquired Melissa’s marketing business, which was an LLC.

Fun Fact

Melissa got her gig with Lifetime because she wrote a spec script, which is an entire sample movie script—for free—so she could show them what she was capable of. Her writing was good enough to land her the job.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1247
When Melissa Cassera was growing up, she had a dream of writing soap operas. But life took her in a bit of a different direction. She ended up working in marketing and PR. For a time she took her work on the road, spending three years traveling around the U.S. in an RV with her husband and their three dogs.

Eventually they decided to settle down in Napa, California. It’s a beautiful area, but also a bit isolated, and Melissa suddenly had some free time on her hands. To entertain herself, she decided to start working on a romance novel, just for fun. She never intended to share the book publicly—it was purely for amusement. She’d write chapters and send them along to a few friends.

Things kept up like this until one day, while visiting LA for a work appointment, Melissa picked up a book called The Coffee Break Screenwriter. The book teaches you how to write a screenplay in little mini-bursts of about 10 minutes a day.

This got her thinking—could her private novel become a public TV show? Intrigued, Melissa bought the book and immediately went to work. A few months later, she had a draft of a pilot episode. She contacted the author of the book, and shared her writing. The author had worked as Senior Story Analyst for DreamWorks, gave her glowing feedback. She told Melissa her writing was just as good as some professional screenwriters who’ve been working in Hollywood for years.

Melissa left that meeting ablaze with renewed excitement. She threw herself into screenwriting, working in the mornings, at night, and on weekends. She even scheduled work-cations where she could write more.

She received tons of rejections. But there was also some interest, and within a year she got offered her first paid writing gig—an original movie for the Lifetime Network.

Just like her mentor promised, good work got found.

Things happened quickly. One of her mentors introduced Melissa to a literary manager and they started working together. With his help, Melissa sold an original TV series called “Addicted,” loosely based on her own dark experiences with pharmaceuticals.

Her first movie, “Girl Followed,” premiered in April 2017 on Lifetime. She almost cried when she saw her name on screen for the first time.

The best part of the experience is knowing she is a professional writer, even though she was told for most of her life by teachers and colleagues that she wasn’t good enough, or that she had to follow certain “rules” to “make it.”

Moving forward, she’d love to fund and produce an original web series, film, or maybe even a documentary through the production company she started four years ago. Her advice to others is to keep their eyes on their own paper. Good work gets found, so keep working away.

 

 

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
"Now, I try to avoid getting overly caught up in other people’s opinions, but her comments definitely boosted my confidence. I started thinking to myself, “Maybe this is something I could pursue seriously, not just as a hobby…”"
—Melissa Cassera #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: Help! I’m stuck trying to find my “ah-ha” idea

What It’s About

A listener is stuck looking for a great side hustle idea. What should they do?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1246

Are you getting stuck trying to find the right idea? I sometimes mention a couple of things you can do in this situation … but today’s caller has already tried them and is still stuck.

She’s looking for what she calls her “ah-ha” idea. How can she proceed when she really wants to move forward but isn’t sure how?

“Hi, Chris, this is Monica in Los Angeles, California. Thanks for the show and sharing so much valuable information on starting side hustle, especially in such an unsettling economy as the one we’re currently facing during this pandemic.

My question is about starting that side hustle. I really know I want to side hustle, but I can’t find the side hustle to start. I think about it. I keep my eyes open for opportunities. I’ve inventoried my skills, but nothing has crossed my path that gives me that aha moment. The concept of do what you love and the money will follow is not a guarantee. But certainly you have to at least value or be interested in the thing about which you’re hustling. Right?

So my question is, what do you do when you really want a profitable side hustle? But you just can’t come up with that aha. Idea. Thanks. And I hope you and your team stay safe.”

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: Does my idea to sell art in Airbnbs make sense?

What It’s About

A listener seeks feedback on an idea to sell art in Airbnbs.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1245

Today’s listener has a really interesting idea that she has thought through quite a bit and she’s looking for feedback. Short version is: “Does my idea to sell art in Airbnbs make sense?”

I’ll let her describe the idea in more detail, and then I’ll go point-by-point in terms of what I think.

So many of our listeners have their thinking hats on lately, and I love it. Keep the ideas coming!

“Hi, Chris. This is Melissa from Portland, Oregon. I love the show and have been in search of the Side hustle since listening for the first time about a year ago. I own an Airbnb in Portland, which has thriving artists in the community, as well as a growing number of Airbnbs. I feel that artists, makers and property owners would benefit from placing local art and handmade items in Airbnbs, which would then be available for guest purchase and take home them. The benefits would be threefold. The property owner could have a rotating gallery of amazing arts.

The artists would show their work to a wider audience and the property owner and I would split the commission for each item sold. I’ve never done anything like this before, so I’m not really sure how payments and commissions would work. But the response from artists have contacted has been very positive so far. Any help or feedback to help get this off the ground is appreciated. Thank you so much.”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

SEE ALSO:

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: New Jersey Blog Grows to 25+ Team Members

What It’s About

An update from a former counselor now running a blogging empire all about Hoboken, New Jersey.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1244

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.

Recent segments have featured someone leading urban hiking tours in San Francisco and a guy who sells a lot of hair ties and shampoo to other men with long hair.

Today, in our latest feature, we’ll hear from Jennifer Tripucka, New Jersey school counselor turned blogger who now has six employees and twenty contractors.

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

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Hoboken Girl: Learn more about all that Hoboken has to offer over on Jennifer’s website!
  • WordPress: Jennifer used WordPress to set up her blog, and here you can learn how to install your own WordPress site in 5 minutes

 

SEE ALSO:

  • Proud Mainer Brings Whoopie Pies to the World: After her kids go off to college, this former stay-at-home-mom begins baking whoopie pies in bulk. She now makes them by the thousands, selling more than $25,000 in creamy inventory each month.
  • The Travel Blog That Pays for a House: A “Digital Nomad Wannabe” goes from aspiration to vindication, earning up to $50,000/month and eventually buying a home with the proceeds from her blog.
  • Developer Gets Paid for Weekend Trips Abroad: This web developer always wanted to travel, but only had a few days a year to do it. Little did she know that her jam-packed adventures would become a profitable side hustle.

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

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 pay $2,000 for a domain name I really want?

What It’s About

A listener wants to know if it’s worth it to pay big bucks for a domain name.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1243

Domain names cost around $10 … at least, if they don’t already belong to someone. But what if you have your eye on the dot-com that’s perfect for you, and it’s currently for sale? How much is too much to pay?

Today’s listener has found such a domain, but it costs a lot more than $10. What should she do?

“Hi, Chris. This is Lorett from Houston, Texas. I’ve been listening to the show and I’m finally ready to take action. This is going to be a year of experimentation for me. My first Side hustle idea involves creating a YouTube channel and a Web site centered around a topic that I’m very passionate about starting out. I’m going to offer a course and I will also include affiliate links on my Web site. Here’s my dilemma.

The dot com domain that I want is available, but it’s $2000. Do you suggest paying that much for a domain name? Or should I opt for the dot net or dot org extension instead? I’ve read the dot com extensions rank higher in Google. But is it really that important? Can’t wait to hear from you. And thanks.”

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

Media Manager Prepares Moms For Parenthood

What It’s About

A product manager gives birth to a successful hustle utilizing techniques that helped with her own pregnancy.

Words of Wisdom

Looking to start a similar hustle, here’s Natalie on the subject: “Get qualified as a childbirth educator with Hypnobirth Australia. To qualify you need to be either a midwife, doula or have had a Hypnobirth yourself. Once qualified – set up your website, socials, bank and find a location to start teaching. You will attract the right people to you.”

Fun Fact

According to the United Nations, there are around 130 million babies born in the world every year. That’s 2.5 million per week and over 350,000 per day.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1242
It was only a couple of years ago that Australian Natalie Andrew gave birth to her first child, Freddy. The event was one of the highlights of her life. She never felt more proud and empowered as she did that day. But reaching that state of mind was no accident.

Natalie worked with a few other moms in her job as a product manager for a TV station in Sydney, Australia. One of them told her that she loved giving birth, and couldn’t wait to do it again. That was surprising to hear. Natalie had been feeling anxious about her pregnancy, especially the birth, and knew that many of her friends who became moms felt the same.

That’s when her colleague told her about Hypnobirthing. It’s a set of techniques and tools that help future moms alleviate stress and anxiety around their birth, allowing them to fully experience the joy that bringing a life into the world offers.

Natalie studied the techniques, and they worked. When her son was born, instead of feeling anxious, she had a truly life-altering experience with only positive emotions.

This knowledge helped Natalie give birth to a new passion. She knew that mothers everywhere could benefit by reducing anxiety from pregnancy using Hypnobirthing.

She decided to teach a series of courses, sharing the strategies she learned and the peace that came with knowing childbirth is a natural phenomenon that sometimes needs medical intervention, not a medical procedure that’s sometimes natural. With that, her side hustle approached its debut. She called it ‘Prepared To Birth’.

She spent a few thousand dollars on obtaining Hypnobirth Childbirth Educator certifications. She had experience with websites from her day job, so she saved money by setting up her own and writing all the content herself.

In the beginning, Natalie taught classes and saw clients at her home to save on costs. She figured out how much to charge by researching what others did. Doing some quick math, she realized it’d be a while before she’d have enough money to pay for a dedicated space, so home would do for now. But it turns out, not for long!

In less than a year, she was already making over three thousand per month profit and had to rent a space to hold her sessions and classes. Everything was going perfectly and she was feeling great. But then, the pandemic known as COVID-19 hit the world.

How has she responded? In a time where many people are out of work, Natalie and Prepared To Birth are working more than ever. Even in the age of social distancing, there are opportunities for her to grow.

To start, she’s filmed a webinar with five of her past clients, talking about their positive experiences using Hypnobirth. Furthermore, she’s switched to running sessions and classes using video conferencing instead of in person.

So, while there is no due date for when the coronavirus pandemic will end, Natalie has still taken her side hustle to full term.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

WEB HOSTING @ $2.49/MONTH

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

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

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

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

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

Quote of the Day
"I have well and truly found my passion. It is a beautiful thing to be driven by passion rather than financial gain."
—Natalie Andrew #SideHustleSchool

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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.
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To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

CLASSROOM: Using Automation & Workflows

What It’s About

How to work smarter (and work less) using automation and workflows.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1241

How can you make a manual process easier? It starts by answering the question: how can I do this better?

For example, I’ve been using a tool called Keyboard Maestro. I take a lot of screenshots, and sometimes I need to copy and paste the screenshot into a Keynote presentation or other program. I used to have to take the screenshot, save it to Dropbox, and then open the file manually before copying over the image to Keynote or whatever.

Finally I realized, this should be simpler. I used Keyboard Maestro to create a single button to do what was taking me at least six clicks before. Now I get really excited about taking screenshots!

I’m going to give you a visual workflow of what a couple of different processes might look like. This is from the SIDE HUSTLE book, so if you have that book, they’re in Day 15. If you don’t have the book, not to worry, I’ve taken the images and added them on the show notes page for this episode.

Listen to today’s Classroom episode to learn more…

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Workflows from Side Hustle:

Email List Sign-up Workflow email-list-sign-up-workflow

Customer Purchase Process Workflow Customer-Purchase-Process-Workflow

 

THIS WEEK’S ASSIGNMENT:

Consider what you can do to simplify or otherwise make your order process more efficient. Experience the lifechanging magic of taking screenshots with one button!

 

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