Archives: Podcast

Natural Hair Enthusiasts Create Curl-Care Empire

What It’s About

A hairbrained scheme helps a couple mix things up.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Kim and Tim discovered that DIY subscription boxes were great when their subscribers didn’t know what they wanted, but when they did, they would rather just buy the product from someone else instead of having to make it themselves over and over again.

But, in a way, the subscription business unintentionally provided them with the research they needed to develop a real line of products. They knew what worked recipe-wise, what sold the best, and they had a solid idea of what their customers really wanted when it came time to pivot.

Fun Fact

When Tim went on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, he and Kim actually drove all the way to New York from Chicago! Both of his parents, Kim’s mom, and a few other relatives wanted to go with him, so they all piled in a car together to experience this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Notes from Chris

Episode 899
The year was 2013. Beyonce performed at the Superbowl, people were doing the Harlem Shake, and high school sweethearts Kim and Tim Lewis of Chicago, Illinois were looking for a change.

Kim was working her way up the ladder in “Corporate America” while Tim found himself in between jobs. The job hunt struggle was real, but there was one benefit to this period of uncertainty. It got them thinking about how amazing it would be for them to work for themselves—doing something that would finally allow them to live life on their own terms.

But first, they needed an idea…

Around this time, Kim had thrown herself into the people of color beauty space. With a growing love of her all-natural mane, she eagerly sought out resources to keep her look “on fleek,” but unlike the gorgeous hair on her head, her research fell flat. There just wasn’t anything out there to educate and empower other women of color to embrace their god(dess)-given curls.

From then on, her mission was clear—she’d comb through the tangled up rhetoric to supply her people with the information they needed to ditch their flat irons and hair damaging chemicals. And she’d build up a social media style community in order to do it.

But with Tim in between jobs, money was tighter than her curls. Where were they going to get the capital to fund something like this??

That’s when they decided on something a bit unconventional.

See, Tim is a trivia whiz and exactly the kind of person that you want on your team for those weekly quiz nights at the bar. And what does any trivia-loving person do when they’re looking to fund a new business venture with limited funds? Why, they go on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, naturally!

Although it felt like a stretch when he signed up, he was chosen to compete, and their families took a road trip up to NYC to share in the hairbrained scheme. When everything was said and done, Tim walked away with a fun anecdote—and $100,000 in prize winnings.

Unfortunately, unlike Kim’s fabulous curls, their social media platform fell flat.

Still attempting to find more natural products for her hair, Kim found herself brushing up on DIY hair solutions. She spent hours watching recipe videos and picked a few she wanted to try out. After a mad dash to the grocery store for ingredients, Kim tore apart her kitchen in the pursuit of fierce and natural hair.

But four hours and a couple hundred dollars later, she was disappointed with the final result… It wasn’t a total loss though—amid the mess of her kitchen, she found her next side hustle.

In this day and age, Kim says that the only way to truly know exactly what is in your products is to make it yourself. And that was the whole idea behind building her subscription-based model. Her customers would use her raw ingredients and recipe tutorials to make the products themselves, and they’d know exactly what they were putting on their hair and body. And it also wouldn’t break the bank!

Since then, the couple has continued to grow their hustle with hundreds of subscriptions and thousands of orders shipped. Now, almost four years later, they have moved on from sending customers ingredients, to actually selling their own product line.

Last year, CurlMix made a total of $1 million. Already, CurlMix surpassed that amount in 2019, making $3 million, and Kim says that it’s her goal to close out the year at $10 million.

Kim and Tim have truly built a curly hair care empire! It grew from a hustle to their full-time career, and now they get to live the independent life they always dreamed of.

Not only that, but CurlMix has allowed them to give back to their community, by opening up a manufacturing facility in Chicago and employing women to ensure that they have a job where they receive fair wages.

They can’t wait to see what the future of CurlMix brings.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • CurlMix: Mix things up—add some of Kim and Tim’s products to your hair routine!
  • Shopify: Kim and Tim used Shopify to set up their site for CurlMix, and they’re offering a 21-day trial and exclusive discount for all Side Hustle School listeners!

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
"No matter your level of success, always remain a perpetual learner and find ways to educate yourself."
—Kim & Tim Lewis #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

Back Pain Sufferer Brings Profits Home To Roost

What It’s About

A resourceful business major finds pain relief in a unique laptop stand.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

After running a successful Kickstarter campaign, James has plenty of advice for those wanting to do the same. His biggest piece of advice though, is to work backward using the math. By working backward from the funds he knew he needed, he was able to figure out the rough numbers of people he should be emailing and how much he should charge.

Fun Fact

When James first launched The Roost Stand on Kickstarter, he had a modest goal of $9,300 set. Little did he know, he would blow past that on the very first day. After being featured in several popular media outlets, he ended up with pre-orders totaling $189,983.

Notes from Chris

Episode 898

James Olander was working as a Product Manager when he first started experiencing back pain. The cause? Spending hours every day hunched over a laptop at his work desk. This was 2012, and James was far too young to accept the problem as a part of his life. So, he sought professional advice.

After a string of disappointing doctors appointments, he was close to giving up. The doctors were able to tell him what was wrong, but they weren’t really able to do anything about it.

They described the situation using a garden hose as a metaphor. If you start pinching one end of the hose, it cuts off the water flow further down the hose. Taking that concept to the spine and nervous system, if you’re pinching nerves with poor posture, it’s going to start having an effect on other nerves down the line, which exacerbates everything else.

The problem was brought on by that dreaded hunching, caused by a laptop sitting so low that James had to constantly look down to see it. His back was to the wall and he needed a solution.

Around the same time, he was also close to turning his back on his full-time job. He planned to get his Masters in Business with the goal of one day running his own company.

While mulling this over, he began looking for ways to ease his back pain. With the low laptop being the obvious cause, he searched for adjustable laptop stands that would lift the screen, making things easier on his neck and spine.

To his surprise, there was nothing on the market suitable to his needs. He was struck by inspiration—it was time to take a stand! (Or, you know, perhaps invent one…)

James decided to make business school his back-up plan. Instead of becoming a full-time student again, he’d create the very laptop stand he was looking for. One that was portable, lightweight, and capable of lifting any laptop up to eye level.

A few weeks later, James created his Kickstarter campaign and emailed that list of five hundred eager recipients. Within 24 hours, he flew through his initial funding goal. Much to his excitement, that flurry of activity attracted the attention of a lot of media outlets, including Techcrunch, one of the internet’s most popular technology blogs.

Within days, The Roost Stand was being talked about all over the internet and funding kept flowing through Kickstarter. James puts a lot of his success with the media down to having actual prototypes for them to test. Many crowdfunding campaigns are raising funds off nothing more than a concept. For James, since he had a working product he was able to send them to many of the bigger outlets so they could do extensive writeups and reviews of the product. This helped immensely.

It helped so much, in fact, that by the end of his fundraising he’d generated more than twenty times his initial goal, for a total of $189,000. His business idea was standing on its own two legs.

since James started in 2014, he’s sold over one hundred thousand units and is consistently bringing in multiple six-figures annually. A lot of this is reinvested into the brand, but James is most definitely paying himself well—he’s more than replaced the income he was making working as a product manager.

Best of all, he’s done this without having to go to business school, instead choosing to learn from the school of life. At this point, James is never turning back.

 

 

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
"Figure out how to validate whatever you want to do or create. So much hypothetical stuff is wasted on what happens after that point, but it’s a waste of energy. That should really be the only thing you focus on, and once you do figure out how to validate your idea, do it as quickly and as low-cost as possible."
—James Olander #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

WEEKLY RECAP: Nervous About Starting Up? Schedule It!

Notes from Chris

Episode 897

THEMES & TAKEAWAYS:

We’ve just finished week 24 of Season III!

This week, we featured episodes about college students who earn millions helping people place ads on their cars, a 7-year-old and her mom who create a better hair barrette, two Aussies who start an unbelieva-bowl food business, and so much more.

In other news, I’ve been on the road!! It’s week two for the 100 Side Hustles book tour, with a whirlwind trip from the west coast to the east coast and back again.

I’ll be doing it one more time this coming week, and then things will be slowing down on that front as I prepare for WDS. But first, two events in Vancouver and Toronto. Head on over to the tour page to see where I’m headed!

WHERE ARE THEY NOW:

Today, we have an update from Alexander van Dijl who was featured on the show in Ep. 361.

Listen to the Weekly Recap to hear from Alexander!

You can also check out his YouTube page, Bitcoin Update!

EPISODES FROM THIS WEEK:

Here’s what we heard this week on Side Hustle School! Listen to this week’s recap for a more comprehensive highlight reel.

  • Ep. 891 – A mom and “kidpreneur” daughter solve the age-old problem of disappearing hair bows by inventing a double-face, double-snap barrette
  • Ep. 892 – Two enterprising students start a business that connects advertisers with car owners. They now pay thousands of drivers up to $500/month, and are on track to earn $5 million in revenue
  • Ep. 893 – A man on a mission goes from unemployed to day job, then from side hustler to millionaire in five years. Putting 80% of his income into investments for an early retirement made total cents
  • Ep. 894 – He’d always been great at building relationships with the right people. But could he really make money from teaching this skill?
  • Ep. 895 – A corporate publicist begins to do freelance work on the side—and after getting laid off, she grows her hustle into a full-time career
  • Ep. 896 – When a scientist and engineer become dissatisfied with their day jobs, they open a healthy, unbelieva-bowl food stall

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

We want to hear from you!

The best part of Side Hustle School is our community, and around 20% of our episodes come from listeners. Are you working on something and want to share it with us and our audience? If so, we want to hear from you!

Head on over to our online submission page, and we’ll be in touch if your story is chosen.

And if you’re still working on something but have some questions, we want to hear from you too! Most Weekly Recap episodes include Listener Q&A.

Call the Side Hustle Hotline at 844-9-HUSTLE (844-948-7853), record your question and send it to podcast@sidehustleschool.com, or just send us an email!

Here’s what’s coming up next…

Each week I’ll feature more stories from people who are starting side hustles without quitting their job. Here’s a sneak peek of what’s coming next week:

  • When a product manager experiences back pain after hunching at his desk, he takes a stand and designs a product for raising laptops to eye level
  • After winning $100,000 on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, a couple embarks on a journey to sell subscription boxes featuring natural hair products
  • And much more!

Do you have a side hustle story you’d like to share? Fill out the Side Hustle School submission form and your story may be featured on the show!

Also, if you’re interested in joining the Side Hustle Society, visit our Society page to get notified when it goes live!

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
"My goal is for everyone who reads the new book, listens to the show, or otherwise considers themselves to be part of the community to be able to do this in their own way."
—#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

Corporate Refugees Find Bliss In Healthy Food Bowls

What It’s About

Two friends serve up a tasty side hustle with healthy profits.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Andrew and Julia limited their Bliss Bowls options to three options which made their own setup simple and more cost effective. It also meant customers weren’t overwhelmed by choice.

Fun Fact

Bowls, for unknown reasons, have become a trendy way to serve healthy food. One of the most popular styles is the Buddha bowl, typically vegetarian, that includes fresh produce and grains like quinoa. Then there’s the acai bowl, a delicious smoothie-like mix of berries and fresh fruit.

Notes from Chris

Episode 896

Julia Green and Andrew Palummo were working together at an engineering firm in Sydney, Australia. She was an environmental scientist, and he was an electrical engineer. Although they had very different roles, both jobs shared one thing: the stuffy, corporate working environment.

Shirts, ties, and power suits were the everyday uniform. But, it wasn’t the clothes that made these two friends uncomfortable. It was the culture of the corporate world. It just didn’t lend itself to their personalities. Their jobs lacked the fun and fulfillment they craved.

They’d often get together over lunch and talk about the ‘what ifs’ and ‘maybes’ of starting something of their own. One day, after a particularly stressful morning, they came up with an idea that bowled both of them over.

It began with listing a few of the things they were good at. Julia was a skilled amateur chef and Andrew, forever a ray of positivity, loved engaging with people.

The idea seemed obvious in hindsight. They should do something in the food industry, where they could serve happy customers. They decided on health food bowls, a popular trend at the time. The type filled with salad, fresh food, and delicious flavors. The concept was right up their ‘bowling’ alley.

Since they dreamed of giving up the corporate life to follow their bliss, that’s what they called their new venture; Bliss Bowls.

Now they had a recipe, but it was time to cook the meal. Julia put on her thinking cap and concocted several creations. She threw everything she loved onto her shopping list; fresh salads, spinach, tofu, organic meats, and avocado. Anything you could find in the health food section was on the table.

Throwing them together in different combinations eventually yielded a few different recipes. The prep was done, the meal was ready. It was time for a taste test…

They spent around five thousand dollars on setup costs that included purchasing cooking equipment, marquees for the stall as well as ingredients and serving materials. They were excited to get out there and start serving up meals fit for a healthy king.

That first day went extremely well. Andrew and Julia were so busy they can’t even remember any single customer. But, they do remember the way the day made them feel! Excited and relieved that Bliss Bowls resonated with people. They sold out, made hundreds of dollars profit and validated their idea.

Through 2017 and 2018 they built up their market stall operation into a $30,000 business.

Both Andrew and Julia are still working part-time while they grow Bliss Bowls. While they earn less than before, their job satisfaction and quality of life is much better. They love Bliss Bowls, which is why they are taking a huge step in 2019.

It’s time for them to go all in. They’ll be opening a Bliss Bowls store using the profit earned so far and some extra funds from personal savings. They don’t know for sure if it will be successful, but, so far ignorance has been bliss for these two side hustlers. No doubt their new store will continue bowling customers over.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Bliss Bowls: If today’s episode bowled you over, head on over to Andrew and Julia’s Facebook page 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

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

Quote of the Day
"Actions speak louder than words typed on a screen—just get out there and get doing! Don’t worry too much about ‘what if’ or ‘what could go wrong’. If you have opportunities to take your idea off the ground, then take them."
—Andrew Palummo & Julia Green #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

Fashion-Lover Finds the Right Freelancing Look

What It’s About

A PR specialist finds the courage to branch out on her own after being let go.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

In June of 2017, Lauren was let go from her corporate role due to “restructuring.” She says that it was the push she needed to start LWP PR and that without it, she’s not sure if she would have had the guts to launch.

It’s a great attitude, and it’s not just a matter of perspective—she also took action to be in control of her own destiny. What are you doing now to prepare yourself for a situation like that? Also, you don’t have to wait for something like that to happen to make a change. If you’re dissatisfied, be proactive! That can be even more satisfying than waiting for an external event.

Fun Fact

Lauren’s on-the-job experience was with women’s and men’s apparel, luxury goods, and spirits brands. And her side hustle allowed her to dabble in the emerging fashion maternity space, children’s wear, and even for a brand associated with famed musician, Jerry Garcia!

Notes from Chris

Episode 895

Lauren Wilson-Policke had the job of her dreams. After scoring an internship in PR for a fashion brand in college, she was determined to rise through the ranks. She spent years working her way up to the roles that she imagined and eventually was hired by Nautica, a global fashion brand.

But, after nearly five years there, something was missing. While Lauren loved her job, she also needed something different.

She’d always dreamed of having her own business—but she wasn’t sure if she would like it and she wasn’t ready to quit that steady, reliable job in the pursuit of entrepreneurship. So, she settled on something in the middle and decided to start with freelance PR work.

Lauren got her first client from a networking group that she was a member of. She decided to just stick with that one client for a while. Her day job kept her schedule busy, and she wasn’t sure how much time she would have to freelance. She also wanted to be certain she had the energy to produce high-quality work.

After that first contract, Lauren was more familiar with how much time and energy freelancing would take for her. She knew that she was ready to take on more clients, so she started telling friends and peers about her new hustle. She says that one of the best ways to grow in freelancing is to simply let people know what you’re doing.

As her portfolio expanded, Lauren was challenged creatively and learned a ton about business. She knew that this was something that she wanted to keep doing, and could even see it expanding into her own company one day. She made a website and hired someone to design a logo. She named the business LWP Public Relations, after her initials.

By 2016, Lauren had changed jobs again and was also making up to $1,500 a month from freelancing. She wanted to keep growing her clientele, but she was running out of hours in the day. At that point, she was squeezing her work into lunch breaks, her commute, and evenings.

Things were at a standstill for a while, but then, in 2017, something happened that would change the course of Lauren’s life forever. Her employer went through a period of restructuring, and Lauren was let go.

She couldn’t believe it. Nothing like this had ever happened to her before. So, she allowed herself one day—that’s right, just a single day—to feel the range of her emotions. Lauren wore the shock, disappointment, and anger on her sleeve.

The next morning, she woke up ready to roll up those sleeves, buckle down, and get to work. It was time to turn her side hustle into a career.

She currently makes about $90,000 a year from it and has plans to expand even more. She hopes to take on some bigger clients and hire more people to work for her. Although she has a hard time not doing it all on her own, she knows that this is ultimately the way to expand.

Lauren had always dreamed of having her own business, but starting off with a side hustle allowed her to confirm that this was something that she actually wanted to do full-time.

She says that freelancing can almost be like an internship and that it’s “an excellent place to learn and grow.” For those who have a business idea in mind—or who just want to explore—it may be pay off to follow her lead.

 

  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
"Always start a business as a side hustle! It’s a great way to test the waters and see if it’s something you’d like to do full-time—or if it’s better to keep as a side project. Like an internship, it’s an excellent way to learn and grow."
—Lauren Wilson-Policke #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

Former White House Aide Teaches People to Make Friends

What It’s About

A lawyer starts a profitable side hustle focused on relationship building.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

John credits his ability to be flexible and make changes when something isn’t working for his side hustle success. When his blog started, email marketing was highly effective, and many people would open and view your emails. Today, more than half of marketing emails go straight to the trash. So, he pivoted and discovered webinars. They worked great for a period before their effectiveness eventually faded. John knew that he had to find new strategies, so he dug deeper into LinkedIn and he uses it to build relationships.

Fun Fact

Billionaire entrepreneur and investor, Warren Buffet, credits $100 course by Dale Carnegie, author of HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE, as the best investment he’s ever made. In fact, it’s the only diploma found in his office!

Also, in 2005, Garrett M. Graff was granted White House press credentials, the first blogger ever to receive such access.

Notes from Chris

Episode 894

John Corcoran says that at 22 years old he was an English major at a party school and not sure what he was going to do with his life. But just a year later, thanks to strategic networking, he was writing President Clinton’s words at the White House. From there, he landed a job as the main speechwriter for the then-Governor of California, Gray Davis, where he served until Hollywood superstar turned politician Arnold Schwarzenegger ousted his boss to became Governor.

Suddenly, John found his job literally “terminated.” But, unlike many of his colleagues, John had a new job the next day all because of the relationships that he had built and nurtured.

So John, who was always good at making friends and building relationships, did what some might jokingly call a curious choice—he went to law school and became a lawyer.

Which is where he found himself in early 2008. Unlike many of his classmates who sought big law firm jobs or government, John decided he wanted to work in a small law practice. Working in a small firm means that you do it all—serving clients, appearing in Court, research and writing, marketing, and anything that comes up, which is exactly the type of experience that John wanted.

Even with lots to do and long hours, John immediately found himself constrained by the stodgy industry. He said his first goal was to find a way to use innovative marketing to help his young practice that served entrepreneurs and small business owners. Even if he didn’t recognize it at the time, John’s desire to be more entrepreneurial was guiding him to something else.

John knew that he had a skill for writing—after all, he’d written for the president—and began to think about writing a book. It could serve as great branding, and it could also allow him to use his existing skills and knowledge. He quickly learned that it was wise to build an audience first and that a blog would be a great way to do that.

John got started right away with a simple and free blogging platform and called it Smart Business Revolution. He wrote about legal topics and answered questions that he often encountered through his practice. Blogs were still in their infancy, and his legal writing began to build a readership from around the world.

As you might imagine, John was excited about his progress. But he quickly discovered two problems: he could only practice law in California, meaning that he couldn’t serve many of the potential clients that came to his website. Another challenge is that most people want to deal with their lawyers as little as possible and reach out only when they need help.

He was disappointed but not deterred. Quickly pivoting, he refocused his blog to write more on entrepreneurship. Still, talking to peers in a mastermind group, John realized that the topic was still very broad. He had recently given a presentation to his mastermind group entitled, “How to Network with A-listers in Any Industry,” and it had been a big hit.

In 2012, John expanded and launched a podcast of the same name that has interviewed many over 400+ top entrepreneurs, business leaders and authors including Adam Grant, Dan Pink, and Marie Forleo, among many others. John’s podcast has allowed him to grow and promote his online courses, and he has expanded into live events which benefits from his podcast.

These days, John’s one-time side hustle now averages revenues of $300,000 per year, and he’s closed his law practice to focus on it full time. He’s been able to relocate his office closer to home and now instead of a long commute in the Bay Area’s notorious rush hour traffic, most mornings you’ll find John on his bicycle leading his son and five or six of his bike riding friends to school. From there, John makes the short ride to his office alongside the beautiful San Francisco Bay.

 

  MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Smart Business Revolution: Learn more about the relationship building tips John used to be successful over on his website!
  • WordPress: John used WordPress to set up his blog, and here you can learn how to install your own WordPress site in 5 minutes

 

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
"Use networking to be helpful to others, not to get help from others."
—John Corcoran #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

Millennial Invests Side Income For Passive Profits

What It’s About

An ambitious man hustles to create an early-arrival retirement fund.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Notice that nowhere in the story do we focus on his money-saving strategies. Clearly, he had some—it’s hard to save 80% of your income. But when you consider that most of that income over time came from his side hustling earnings, maybe it’s not that hard. If he wasn’t doing all those projects, he would have been like most people in the sense that his salary was his total income.

So one way or another … if you want to achieve financial independence, you need to make more money.

Fun Fact

Grant’s first side hustle, creating a WordPress website, earned him $500. Mere months later, the exact same job earned him $50,000! It goes to show that the perception of the value of a service is often much greater than the actual value.

Notes from Chris

Episode 893
In 2010, Grant Sabatier was in his early twenties and unemployed with a net worth of $2.26. He had a college degree but was going nowhere fast. The fact that he couldn’t even afford a burrito left him feeling helpless and out of control.

He knew something had to change, sooner rather than later.

Disheartened by his minuscule bank balance, he set himself an audacious goal. To save enough money so that he could retire when he wanted to, and never have to worry about money again.

But the first thing to do was find a job. He had to start earning money, at least some. He took a role at a digital marketing agency on a modest salary. At the same time, he started reading books about investing and personal finance. Over the coming months, he devoured so many books that he became somewhat of an armchair expert on all things money.

That knowledge was the ‘ka ching’ he needed to set him on the right path. Grant realized that if he invested every spare dollar he could, then, over time, his nest egg would start producing a profit on its own from the interest generated. He ran the numbers and calculated, if he could save one million dollars—still no small feat—and invested it, he’d earn enough every year to cover all his expenses.

It was ambitious but at least now he had a target, a financial bullseye to aim for!

Soon after, the same math made him realize there was no way he could achieve this goal just by working a day job. Even if he got a raise, it would take him decades to save a million dollars: an unacceptable timeframe. So, Grant began looking for ways to make money outside of his day job. He was about to become a serial side hustler!

He started by looking through Craigslist for opportunities. One stood out more than any others: a law firm willing to pay five hundred dollars for a new website. It seemed like a good bit of money and Grant was interested in learning WordPress—a popular website builder—anyway. He pitched for the job, over delivered on the project, and deposited the money in his savings.

With pockets flush with cash, many millennials would splurge, buy a fancy car, or take an Instagram worthy trip. But not Grant, he stuck to his plan of saving and investing. He poured his excess funds into different investments.

It is one of the best and easiest ways to make compounding work, where the interest your investments make get reinvested into buying more of fund. Eventually, instead of reinvesting the interest, you can withdraw the money to live off.

When you think about it, it makes total cents…

Since Grant was still working a day job, almost all his side hustle income was invested. In fact, he was so dedicated that 80% of everything he earned went straight into his millionaire grand plan!

A year into the journey, he didn’t stop at websites. The thrill of making income on the side was addictive, so Grant looked for more ways to do it. He tried dozens of ideas, including reselling concert tickets, flipping domain names, and freelance writing.

But soon it became increasingly clear that building websites was the most lucrative. The main thing Grant liked about it, was that it wasn’t a direct trade of money for time.

But, now it was 2015. He’d achieved his goal of saving a million dollars and was earning enough after investing that money to cover all of his living expenses …. sooooo, now what? Well, it was time to teach what he knew.

Grant started the Millennial Money blog. It wasn’t intended to be a money maker in the beginning. He was just interested in sharing what he’d learned about financial independence and investing. He wrote, and wrote, and wrote some more.

Over time, the blog began to reach a critical mass. Grant was being featured in media outlets everywhere. He signed a book deal and the profits rolled in, almost by itself. Currently, his blog is earning around $10,000/month from advertising and affiliate commissions.

For now, the Millenial Money blog is Grant’s main focus. It seems side hustlin’ is so much in his nature, that he’ll keep doing it even when he’s retired.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Millennial Money: Learn more about Grant’s money saving process over on his blog!
  • Vanguard: The investment platform that Grant used to bring in passive profits

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
"Make a list of the things that you love to do in life and then another list of your skills. Is there any overlap? It’s always easier (and a lot more fun) to make money doing something you love. Not only are you significantly more likely to stick with it when the going gets tough, but you’re also a lot more likely to make money!"
—Grant Sabatier #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

Delaware College Students Place Ads on 450,000 Cars

What It’s About

Two college students turn cars into moving billboards.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Marketing in one form or another is necessary for any growing business, and Greg has been lucky enough to be in the room with prospective clients as they gear up for big marketing pushes.

His recommendations for creating a strong campaign are: 1) take out your personal bias, 2) keep it simple, 3) create a buzz, 4) tell a story, and 5) the more data, the better.

Fun Fact

Greg and Mac named their first company PenguinAds. As you can imagine, nobody could tell what they did. They then changed their name to Carvertise after realizing that it was short, catchy, and could even become a verb in itself.

Notes from Chris

Episode 892
When University of Delaware student Greg Star signed up for an entrepreneurship class, he wasn’t expecting to walk away with a business idea. But when he heard a fellow student, Mac Nagaswami, bring up an idea for mobile advertising, Greg jumped. This was an opportunity he thought was too good to be missed.

The idea was simple and can be explained in four words: put ads on cars. Greg and Mac were inspired by how U-haul had managed to build up such great brand recognition even though they did no advertising, except on those trucks that they owned. To them, cars were an overlooked medium of advertising. They were able to get into areas that buses and billboards just couldn’t.

Why hadn’t anyone done this before? As they found out, it was a simple idea, but one that was difficult to execute. They even had a name in mind: Carvertise.

They started by printing and distributing flyers on campus to see if there were people who were interested in putting ads on their cars for money. The reaction was mixed at first. Cars, like clothing, are usually seen as a reflection of the individual’s style and personality. But Greg and Mac soldiered on and started to get community institutions such as schools and hospitals on board as advertisers. Although this provided initial proof of concept, it was still doubtful if they could turn it into a full-scale business.

Their break came later when they received a reply after emailing the Head of Economic Development in Delaware. Greg had made a list of “people to know” by looking at the boards of universities, non-profit organizations, and government officials and sent them notes. This yielded results when the cabinet secretary for economic development put them in touch with the local Shoprite CEO.

It was the first big deal that Greg and Mac struck after 1.5 years of hard work and they were elated. But it was also time for them to prove that the advertisers were right to place their trust in the two of them. They’d never run a full-on campaign and were extremely nervous. With hard work and some luck, they managed to pull it off.

The next few early deals followed the same pattern. They would reach out to prospects, play the numbers game, and hope to get a favorable response. Although it was exhausting getting rejections and worse, ignored, the strategy yielded enough results to continue. But along the way, something else also happened. Word had gotten out, and soon enough, Greg and Mac were getting referrals. It also helped when the duo switched their recruitment plan from handing out flyers to digital advertising. This significantly increased their reach and allowed them to onboard new drivers for new campaigns.

Next, they made a decision that had immediate positive results. Greg noticed that Uber and Lyft drivers were already driving all day, and so it would be especially useful to have rideshare drivers spread the word about their advertisers. When they decided to market to these drivers in 2018, the size of their company tripled. This year, the number of drivers with Carvertise is set to double again, and the company is also set to make $5 million in revenue.

As they say, “We’re living in a time now where if you own a car, you can own your company.” They’ve certainly contributed to that statement as they typically pay drivers an additional $100-150/month, and sometimes even up to $500 a month for bigger campaigns. As of now, they’ve paid out over $1.5 million to everyday people for just having an advertisement on a car.

From handing out flyers as university students to now having brand names such as EA Sports and 7 Eleven, it’s been quite the ride for Greg and Mac.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Carvertise: Learn more about this “ad-on-the-go” side hustle over on Greg’s website!

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

WEB HOSTING @ $2.49/MONTH

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

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

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

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

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

Quote of the Day
"We’re living in a time now where if you own a car, you can own your company. It’s never been easier to create your own freedom and security!"
—Greg Star #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

Disappearing Barrettes Lead to Bow-tiful Business

What It’s About

Mom and daughter duo put a bow on a successful side hustle!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

According to Rozalynn, you shouldn’t feel like you can’t start if you don’t have a blueprint for steps 1 through 10. If you have the conviction that your idea is your purpose, just having step 1 is enough. Eventually, step 2 and 3 will follow—you don’t need finishing grace until you get started.

Fun Fact

This is now a micro-franchising opportunity for young girls to get involved and create their own business selling GaBBY Bows! Girls who join get a starter kit with 25 bows to sell, monthly online sales trainings with Gabby, and an affiliate link to earn more money. They currently have 70 girls enrolled in the academy and hope to eventually have more than 1,000.

Notes from Chris

Episode 891

Rozalynn Goodwin is a wearer of many hats and bows—she’s a Vice President for the South Carolina Hospital Association, a booking agent for her comedian husband, and an investigator of lost barrettes for her daughter Gabby. That last project is what we’re going to focus on here.

One night after yet another run to the beauty supply store to purchase hair barrettes, Rozalynn found herself frustrated. She pulled out all of the hair products that Gabby (who was five years old at the time) had and dumped them on the kitchen table. As she picked through them, she began to notice just how poorly constructed most of them were. Many were even missing clasps to snap and attach to the hair.

She then did what many frustrated moms do and took to social media. Rozalynn complained about the age-old problem of disappearing barrettes and how she was tired of having to replace them. Many other moms chimed in, agreeing with her. Then her pastor spoke up, telling her that it sounded like a market she needed to break into. Rozalynn was a little annoyed, “how was she supposed to manufacture hair barrettes with all of her other responsibilities?”

But one morning as she was styling Gabby’s hair before school, she found herself in the same frustration mode. She mumbled to herself that someone needed to make a bow that would stay in.

Without realizing she was talking out loud, Gabby exclaimed, “Mommy! Are we going to make a bow?!”

Rozalynn was caught off guard and tried to push it aside. But, like most kids, Gabby wouldn’t soon forget. Later that afternoon when she picked Gabby up from school, Gabby asked when they were going to make bows.

Gabby was like a broken record caught up in pigtails and wasn’t going to let it go until it was fixed. Rozalynn agreed that they would take it on, thinking of it like a science project. She thought that they could investigate what was missing with the current barrettes on the market and sell the results to a company to create. Unfortunately, it wasn’t that simple.

They began to make notes of what could be improved upon with the design. After they had a concept, Rozalynn presented it to many hair accessory companies—but no one was interested in selling their newly invented product without a patent. She quickly learned that it was not an easy road to clip down.

Rather than letting this idea disappear like the other missing barrettes, they decided to make and sell them on their own.

To launch their product, they shot a short video demonstrating how the double-face double-snap barrette works and posted it on Facebook with a link to their simple WordPress website. Within a day, they had more than 1,000 views and their first sale! They knew this was the start of something great.

That was a few years ago, and sales have continued to climb, now averaging around $4,500 in profit each month. Thanks to consistent marketing and use of the hashtag #kidpreneur, GaBBY Bows has been featured in many publications and TV shows including the Today Show.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • GaBBY Bows: Clip on over to Rozalynn and Gabby’s website to learn more about their barrettes!
  • WordPress: Rozalynn and Gabby used WordPress to set up their website, and here you can learn how to install your own WordPress site in 5 minutes

 

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 become immobilized by not having a blueprint with steps 1-10. If you have a conviction that your idea is your purpose, just having step 1 is enough—step 2 and 3 will follow. You don’t need finishing grace until you get started."
—Rozalynn Goodwin #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

WEEKLY RECAP: If You Ever Feel Insecure, Don’t Miss This Episode

Notes from Chris

Episode 890

THEMES & TAKEAWAYS:

We’ve just finished week 23 of Season III!

This week, we featured a juice bar owner that sells weighted blankets (earning hundreds of thousands of dollars), a designer who leads guided sailing tours in the Mediterranean (and I want to sign up…), a personal finance blogger who works from a 180 sq ft Airstream trailer … and so much more!

In other news, I’ve been on the road!! It’s week one for the 100 Side Hustles book tour, and I’m so excited to be able to share stories with a live audience again. Next week I’ll be in New York City, Boston, SF, and Portland, Oregon. Head on over to the tour page to see where I’m headed!

In this action-packed recap: I want to talk about something important: insecurity, vulnerability, and the dreaded imposter syndrome. If these topics resonate with you, know that you’re not alone—I hear about this ALL the time! I’ll also bring you an audio update from a previously featured side hustler.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW:

Today, we have an update from Linda Trieu who was featured on the show in Ep. 355.

Listen to the Weekly Recap to hear from Linda!

You can also check out her website, Three Hearts Apparel!

EPISODES FROM THIS WEEK:

Here’s what we heard this week on Side Hustle School! Listen to this week’s recap for a more comprehensive highlight reel.

  • Ep. 884 – A graphic designer packs his bags to see the world, then stumbles into a new line of work leading guided sailing tours
  • Ep. 885 – When a Canadian juice bar owner wants to start a new business, he goes in search of a heavy-weight product
  • Ep. 886 – A graphic designer pursues his lifelong passion of magic and lands a gig as a resident magician at a local bar
  • Ep. 887 – In search of an eco-friendly, no-added-sugar energy bar, this Colorado transplant and EPA employee invents his own “energy bites.” The product is now stocked in 175 stores spread across nine states
  • Ep. 888 – After spending six months designing an un-be-leaf-able indoor gardening unit, an energy scientist turns to crowdfunding to bring it to life
  • Ep. 889 – An engineer charts a new career teaching personal finance, all while living on the road in an Airstream travel trailer

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

We want to hear from you!

The best part of Side Hustle School is our community, and around 20% of our episodes come from listeners. Are you working on something and want to share it with us and our audience? If so, we want to hear from you!

Head on over to our online submission page, and we’ll be in touch if your story is chosen.

And if you’re still working on something but have some questions, we want to hear from you too! Most Weekly Recap episodes include Listener Q&A.

Call the Side Hustle Hotline at 844-9-HUSTLE (844-948-7853), record your question and send it to podcast@sidehustleschool.com, or just send us an email!

Here’s what’s coming up next…

Each week I’ll feature more stories from people who are starting side hustles without quitting their job. Here’s a sneak peek of what’s coming next week:

  • A mom and “kidpreneur” daughter solve the age-old problem of disappearing hair bows by inventing a double-face, double-snap barrette
  • Two enterprising students start a business that connects advertisers with car owners. They now pay thousands of drivers up to $500/month, and are on track to earn $5 million in revenue
  • And much more!

Do you have a side hustle story you’d like to share? Fill out the Side Hustle School submission form and your story may be featured on the show!

Also, if you’re interested in joining the Side Hustle Society, visit our Society page to get notified when it goes live!

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
"If you struggle with insecurity, you’re not alone. Starting an income-generating project can help you gain confidence."
—#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