Archives: Podcast

CLASSROOM: Don’t Listen to This Boring Episode

What It’s About

Taking care of small, boring things early on can make everything else more exciting.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1178

In recent Classroom episodes, we’ve looked at the three elements of every compelling offer: a promise, a pitch, and a price, and then we considered some different ways to find time to work on your hustle—a common challenge of many of us.

This week I’d like to look at a really sexy topic, or series of topics: Business licenses, bank accounts, and record-keeping … like I said, these are the things that get people really excited.

If for some reason you think these topics are boring, well, here’s the trick: if you get a few easy things right in the beginning, it will be much less stressful moving forward. Then you don’t really have to think about them again! I’ll give you eight recommendations in this episode.

Here are a few recommendations that just about everyone should follow —

  • * Get a bank account that’s just for your side hustle.
  • * Similarly, get a separate credit or debit card you use only for expenses associated with your hustle.
  • * Be fast with invoicing.
  • * Set aside at least 25 percent of your hustle income for taxes.
  • * Legal structure: operating as a sole proprietor is perfectly acceptable for many hustles.
  • * Right from the beginning, set up a very simple accounting system.

Two recommendations that are somewhat psychological, but still very helpful:

  • * If at all possible, set aside a dedicated hustle workspace, even a small one, in your home or apartment.
  • * Once you’re making money, pay yourself first.

Listen to today’s Classroom episode to learn more…

 

 

THIS WEEK’S ASSIGNMENT:

If you expect to produce income this year, make sure you have a dedicated bank account for that income. Keep it separate from your other income.

Part II: Track your expenses using one of those systems I mentioned, or if you’re a spreadsheet person, just do it that way—but do it some way.

 

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

Military Mom Makes Moola Managing Media

What It’s About

A military spouse becomes a Virtual Assistant General creating online courses and guiding new trainees.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Thinking about taking on a similar path? Emily provides these helpful words; “Assess your current skills and believe you can offer help to someone out there. Anyone can find a way to help online businesses as a virtual assistant if you’re a go-getting and willing to figure things out.”

Fun Fact

Almost 70% of virtual assistants are married and 59% have a college degree. Furthermore, the global outsourcing marketing is worth a staggering $85 billion dollars world while.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1177
It was ten years ago when Emily Reagan gave up a dream job to move across the country with her husband. It wasn’t the first time either. Her partner was in the military and moving was just part of the lifestyle.

This was challenging. Life on a single income didn’t leave much money for luxuries. While Emily knew her role was important, she was still hoping to contribute financially. And soon she had an opportunity to do just that.

A referral from a colleague led to a small job on the side. The task was quite simple, to help a small business with their Facebook presence and occasionally reach out to media outlets when they had something newsworthy. Both tasks were things Emily had done in the past, and she knew she could accomplish them with her eyes closed.

The client agreed and Emily was put on a retainer for a monthly fee of seventy five dollars. It was a small amount of money but it meant the world to her. The money could go towards a date night for her and her husband, or a guilt free trip to the salon. But above all, it gave her a new sense of worth.

After working with this client for a while, Emily was presented with a new opportunity. A friend gave her the heads up about a Facebook post she saw. A business owner in that friend’s network was looking for help putting together a media kit.

Unlike her first client, this job wasn’t something Emily was familiar with and hadn’t done before. But she was a good writer, she knew the basics of PR, and above all, had a willingness to learn. She hopped online and studied everything there was to know about the process.

In the end she delivered … big time. The client was so happy with Emily’s work that they kept calling on her services over the next year. Soon, she’d built a reputation as the person who could get any administrative task done.

During this time, Emily had given birth to another child and the family was growing. They’d also moved a couple more times for her husband’s military placements. All through that process, she kept her clients. The reason was that all of her work was done online. Without knowing it, she’d turned herself into a virtual assistant: a one-stop remote admin shop for business owners across the country.

It was then that she saw the potential in the online space, specifically, the blogging world and Pinterest. She’d seen others online producing content, crafting sales funnels and marketing themselves.

Now Emily switched into full-on business mode. First, picking up more client work to boost her side income into the four figures. Then, she saw the potential of teaching others how to do the same thing. She knew plenty of other military moms who’d love to make extra money on the side as a virtual assistant.

This led her to transition her business from client work, to creating courses around becoming a virtual assistant. She produced content on her blog and created free PDFs with tips and tricks for others to get started. Eventually, she began selling a guide titled “The VA Crash Course”—accomplishing all that while her family grew to four children.

Between her client work and selling courses, she’s earning over two thousand dollars per month, while staying at home and managing the household. Any future moves might be disruptive to her family of six, but not to her income.

 

 

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
"Assess your current skills and believe you can offer help to someone out there. Anyone can find a way to help online businesses as a virtual assistant if you’re a go-getting and willing to figure things out.”"
—Emily Reagan #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: Should I distribute a new private label product myself?

What It’s About

A listener wants to know the best way to distribute his product.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1176

Today’s question aligns well with both this week and last week’s Classroom focus.

Last week was all about the MVP of MVPs, and this week was about finding time to work on your hustle.

Our side hustler is wondering whether he should work with a fulfillment center for his first private label product, or do it all himself? Of course there are pros and cons to each approach. What’s best for him, and how would you make a similar decision?

“What is the best way for a small private label product idea to start with? Packaging and distribution logistics for their product. A first order will require about 500 units, but I’m stuck on making decision. Should I attempt to bring those all home and distribute from my house or jump right into a fulfillment center?

I see positives and negatives to both starting off bringing in a fulfillment center into the picture as a lot of additional research, decision making and costs for an unproven brand. But obviously you save me personally a bunch of time. I work construction putting in 50 to 60 hours a week, so time has always been my excuse. Any suggestions on how to help me push through my indecision?”

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

Q&A: When should I become an LLC?

What It’s About

A listener wonders about the best business structure: LLC, sole proprietorship, or something else.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1175

I get a lot of questions that I can’t answer because I’m not qualified—like the decision to pursue a patent process or not, how to plan for taxes, and one very common one about business structure: should I form an LLC or S-Corp or just remain as a sole proprietor?

I like the way this listener framed the question, because he’s asking for more general advice which is easier for me to give—best practices, common experiences based on many conversations, etc.

“I’m curious about your thoughts on when to incorporate a business… Do you think it’s better to do that up front or after hitting a certain amount of clients/revenue? My gut feeling has been to file an LLC first to keep everything organized and official. But filing an LLC in my state (NY) is pretty expensive, so I’ve been having some hesitations. Is there a common process you’ve noticed from speaking with so many side hustlers over the years?”

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

TBT: Designer Scales Personalized Wedding Products to $1M+

What It’s About

This designer has illustrated a 7-figure business around weddings and events.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1174

Welcome to Throwback Thursday / “Where are they now?” where we take an in-depth look at someone who’s story has evolved considerably since we first featured them.

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

Today, in our latest feature, we’ll hear from a graphic designer who does custom illustrations for weddings and other events. It’s now a seven-figure business!

In New York City, Kristin Berry tapped into the wedding e-commerce market, and was able to get out of debt and turn her side hustle into full-time work. What’s most impressive to me is that she has scaled this business to such a significant revenue mark.

Not every side hustle has to scale, of course, so that’s why we look at a variety of stories.

As for what’s happened since we first heard from her, she’s made some major changes in getting away from the platform that helped her get started.

Listen to today’s episode to hear Kristin’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 for anyone who’s looking to sell article illustration, design, etc..—it really is helpful today to have a very specialized niche because the more specific you can be in what you’re selling and who you’re targeting."
—Kristin Berry #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: Where are my customers coming from?

What It’s About

A listener wants to know how her clients are finding her.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1173

Really great question today…

This listener sells a video tutorial series for students taking the MCAT—but she’s not sure where her customers are coming from. This information is valuable—indeed, it’s vital!—because if you aren’t sure where you’re customers are coming from, you don’t know how to focus your efforts in drawing in more of them.

How can she acquire this information—and as you begin to sell your product or service, how can you learn it? For most businesses, not all web traffic or prospects or followers are the same … some convert to buyers at a much better rate than others.

“My side hustle is called in MCATMath and I sell a video tutorial series for students who are struggling with math questions covered on the medical college admission test, also known as the MCAT. My question is, how do we figure out where my customers are coming from?

Instagram has a couple of partners who also offer other MCAT services, I have a YouTube channel, and I guess I can be discovered through search, but I’m not sure where my site traffic is coming from and more importantly, who is actually converting to a sale. Family make about four or five sales a month. So I don’t get a lot of data from my website. I have a really good feedback from my customers and I really want to put more effort into marketing, but I have no idea where to direct that effort.”

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

Music Teacher Quits Job to Earn $100k on Fiverr

What It’s About

A music teacher hits the right notes as a Fiverr freelance writer.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Carrie has some advice for those thinking about doing something similar, “Be open to new opportunities and stay flexible. The ways that you can collaborate, interact, and work with people around the world are changing, and there’s some pretty amazing potential in being an early adopter.”

Fun Fact

Fiverr began life as a fun website where you could pay people all over the world five bucks for an array of tasks. Now, it is a freelancing platform of real force boasting over 5.5 million buyers, 830,000 sellers and processing 50 million transactions per month.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1172
It was 2013 and Carrie French was in her second year of college studying music education. With high tuition and living costs she was looking for ways to make extra money. However, her goal to graduate a year early made her days just too full for a traditional part-time job.

It was around that time she first read about Fiverr in a Seventeen Magazine article. Fiverr is a freelancing website that allows anyone to post a ‘gig’—their version of a job—and have others pay for it. At the time, the cost for all gigs was five dollars, hence the name.

The article suggested teens use the site to earn money for One Direction tickets—a frivolous pursuit in Carrie’s eyes. She was much more interested in paying her tuition than lining the pockets of Harry Styles. The site seemed ideal … so she decided to check it out.

In particular, she noticed a lot of people were offering and looking for ghostwriting services, which piqued her interest. Carrie kept a daily blog at the time and considered herself a pretty good writer.

She figured, why not? … and posted a handful of gig offers including article writing, proofreading, and even dream interpretation. The latter found a home in the ‘just for fun’ category on the site, a popular section at the time.

Over the next month or so, Carrie earned forty dollars. The equivalent of completing eight gigs. Nothing to write home about, but she enjoyed learning how it worked and being exposed to online freelancing, which was a completely new concept to her. She decided to stick with it and see how she could improve.

Although it was just a small side gig, Carrie took it seriously and, unbeknownst to her at the time, began writing her own destiny.

This continued for the next few years as Carrie used Fiverr to cover her college tuition and living expenses. She did so well out of the venture that she was able to graduate college with only seven thousand dollars in student loan debt. An enviable position for most people her age.

Then, she graduated and the real world came knocking. Carrie got a full- time job as a music teacher, a goal she’d had since the fourth grade. But unfortunately, soon after, reality hit. Turns out, Carrie didn’t really enjoy being a teacher.

A few months into it, she made the decision to quit and pursue her freelance business full time. Carrie describes this as one of the hardest decisions she’s ever had to make.

But she hasn’t looked back. The decision to focus on freelancing had the immediate impact of doubling her income, once again! She put effort into further optimizing her Fiverr listings: improving her pitch, updating her videos and offering new services in sales copywriting and brand consulting.

Now, six years later she is earning over one hundred thousand dollars per year as a writer through Fiverr. More money than she could ever earn as a teacher.

More recently Carrie has launched a YouTube channel with the goal of helping other aspiring freelancers improve their Fiver skills.

 

 

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
"Be open to new opportunities and stay flexible. The ways that you can collaborate, interact, and work with people around the world are changing, and there’s some pretty amazing potential in being an early adopter."
—Carrie French #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: Finding Time to Work on Your Hustle

What It’s About

There’s no time to waste! Let’s talk about ways to work effectively.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1171

In recent Classroom episodes, we’ve looked at different side hustle ideas—where they come from, categories of different ideas, how to decide between competing ideas, and so on. We looked at the three elements of every compelling offer: a promise, a pitch, and a price, and then we examined the difference between what people say they want and what they really want.

This week I’d like to answer a question I hear over and over. No doubt some of this year’s callers will ask and have asked in different ways. We’ll consider those questions situationally as they arise, and I’ll try to offer some general advice here.

Here are 7 things you can do to help you find the time and energy to make progress…

1. Don’t “just start” … just stop. Stop doing things that waste time and you don’t enjoy. Make a to-stop-doing list.

2. Know what you’re going to do before you sit down to work. This will help you avoid getting sucked in and going away later asking yourself, “What did I actually do during that time?”

3. Maintain a “this matters” list. What helps you generate new business or otherwise make a measurable difference in your business? What helps you get closer to launch? What’s holding you back and how can you fix it? All of that goes on the “this matters” list.

4. Work on that list every day, even if only briefly. Do this before you do emails, social media, or any administrative tasks.

5. Outsource, delegate, or otherwise “disappear” one task each week. Ask yourself: does this task really need to get done?

6. Make small sacrifices without canceling everything you enjoy. Don’t skip your favorite TV show … but if you have 17 favorite shows, you might need to pull back.

7. Maintain boundaries with your friends and family. Ask them to give you the space you need!

Listen to today’s Classroom episode to learn more…

 

 

THIS WEEK’S ASSIGNMENT:

Make two lists:

  • A) Your to-stop-doing list
  • B) Your “this really matters” list

 

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

Q&A: How can I collect a security deposit from my customers?

What It’s About

A listener wants to know the best way to protect his rental assets.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1170

Beware the Ides of March!

What if you are renting rather than selling an expensive item? This could be a good fit if the items in question are the kinds of things that most people need only once or occasionally—such as an outdoor wedding tent, or even a tuxedo for a wedding, or perhaps something like pricey camera gear that a photographer needs for a particular shoot?

Today’s caller makes giant lawn games, and instead of selling them, wants to rent them out for events—but he has a concern about collecting a security deposit.

I’m learning along with you, and I was surprised to discover that this issue is not as simple as I would have assumed.

“I do woodworking, make giant lawn games, in a higher quality than most. I noticed I spent a lot of time repeating the same work for marginal profit. Some games I could barely sell for the cost of materials. I decided I want to rent them out for events such as weddings and company picnics.

My question is house do I ensure I get my items back at the end of the rental period? I have come up with a rental agreement but I’m afraid that isn’t enough. I rent out my games at cost of my materials so in the event I do lose them, I did recoup my material cost, but not my time. PayPal, Square don’t do hold deposits, and I don’t see anyone putting down a substantial cash deposit. If I make the deposit smaller, the client could run off, and all I have left is a small deposit, so that won’t work.”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

SEE ALSO:

Yours in the revolution,

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Resources

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

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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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To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Expat Creates LGBTQ+ Events and Community

What It’s About

If you can’t find your community, create it!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Often when we think of pain points we think of gaps in services or projects. But pain points can also show up in areas like events and community. If you see something missing that you think should exist, you might have discovered a great side hustle idea.

Fun Fact

Beck is creating a learning platform just for her Queer Hustle community. She’s currently calling it “like Udemy, but for queer people.”

Notes from Chris

Episode 1169
Beck Power seemed to be living the digital nomad dream, building a diverse business from exotic places around the world. She wrote an ebook for finding cheap flights. She dropshipped bean bags from China. Eventually, she ended up starting a content marketing agency called Power Creative.

It was nice to make money while traveling, but like many a nomad before her, she started to feel like she was missing something.

It’s hard to build meaningful relationships when you move every few months. On a beach in Mexico, Beck realized that she had to be intentional about creating her own community.

Before long, she had an idea … to create a conference! The idea lined up with her love for bringing passionate people together and her own needs—it seemed like the right way to move forward.

The only question was: who would this conference be for? Beck began to do some research, and discovered there was not a single event or community just for women entrepreneurs who identified as LGBTQ+.

This was the community she wanted and needed to thrive personally—surely there were others out there who felt the same way.

She’d call it Queer Hustle, and the first live event would happen in just three months.

Los Angeles seemed like a good location. The city was large and LGBTQ+ friendly. So Beck made a Facebook group and invited people she already knew who would be a good fit. Six people, to be precise.

To generate buzz, Beck started to think outside the box. She wrote some parody songs on the guitar and uploaded them—those got her group a bunch of new members. She also visited the Facebook pages for other LGBTQ+ events in LA and invited people who had RSVP’d to join her own group.

These guerilla tactics worked, and the group swelled in size to over 400 members. And people were actively posting.

The Queer Hustle event was held with 78 attendees. As a first event, it had some stumbles. Not all of the speakers came through with great advice—she says now that she could have vetted them better—and the sandwiches weren’t a big hit with everyone, but the attendees loved being there together.

At the end of the event she launched the Queer Hustle Collective, a paid online community where people who were really engaged with their businesses could keep the momentum going for $29 per month.

That was two years ago. Since then, she’s held another conference in New York City, launched a different paid mastermind group, and planned her 2020 event in Austin, Texas. Total annual revenue is still under six figures, with much of that going to fund the live events. It’s still a side hustle in her eyes, but she’s dreaming of the day it takes over her agency’s income.

The greatest reward for now is knowing that she has found what was missing on that beach in Mexico so long ago: a supportive community, and a new role as the organizer.

 

 

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
"Unless you’re literally on your deathbed, you still have time to make a change. Even if you just try once, you’re already ahead compared to most people. Go for it.”"
—Beck Power #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

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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