Archives: Podcast

Business Students Make $125,000 Selling Headphone Attachments

What It’s About

This clever side hustle idea will stick with you.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

If you’re thinking about putting your product on Amazon, Helmut recommends you focus as much time as possible on the basics. Get your images and product descriptions right, and when you do you’ll be in the top 10% of sellers by default. From there, it’s just a case of tweaking, improving and testing.

Fun Fact

Earhoox won a business pitching competition, which is run by PayPal and hosted by Daymond John. Helmut and Jeff received $30,000 cash to invest in the business!

Notes from Chris

Episode 695

Helmut Wyzisk and Jeff Becker spent most of their time at business school generating business ideas.They came up with grandiose schemes to start companies that would challenge the status-quo and knock the likes of Google and Facebook off their pedestals. But they never found an idea they were ready to take action on.

Helmut stumbled across the pair’s first profitable ideas in the headphone section of an electronics store. He noticed all the top-of-the-line headphones from Bose and Beats had a little piece of rubber to help the in-ear versions sit much tighter than the ones every iPhone owner had. He tried them on, gave his head a few shakes, and found they worked pretty well. There was just one problem: they cost $300!

Helmut began to think there must be a cheaper option. The little piece of rubber can’t have been too expensive to make, after all. What if there was a clip-on version he could add to the free headphones he received with iPhone?

He called up Jeff, who loved the idea. The pair decided they would do some testing to see if there was a market for it.

The first step was to contact local engineers to see how expensive molds would be, and whether it was even possible to make the product. They used these conversations to get an insight into product creation, and understand the different aspects like creating molds, ordering samples and what materials to use.

Once they had the confidence that they could actually create such a product, they moved to searching on Alibaba where they contacted every silicone manufacturer they could find. They used the “chat now” function to start lots of conversations and see what people responded with. This helped them to find an average market price, and understand who was trying to fleece them. They found a few manufacturers they felt comfortable working with and put them on hold to first see if there was market demand.

To trial their idea, Helmut and Jeff created an Indiegogo campaign. They used a designer from UpWork to help generate some basic concept art showing the product in their ear. They also gave their idea a name, Earhoox, with an “x.”

Over the course of 30 days, Earhoox raised $9,751 dollars from 400 backers in 32 different countries. Helmut and Jeff couldn’t believe there was such demand for the product. They felt like they finally had a real business venture on their hands.

They used that Indiegogo money as their entire start-up costs, without taking a profit. They invested it all into buying samples, building a website, and ordering their initial product run.

Earhoox currently generates around $125,000 a year in sales. They’ve been able to ensure a lot of this is profit by always keeping fulfillment in-house. For the first few years, they did this themselves from boxes in the spare bedroom, until demand grew enough they needed to hire a small team to run fulfillment from a small warehouse space.

Helmut and Jeff have found the business runs itself now, and they don’t need to spend much time on it. Despite starting as a full-time hustle, this allowed them to transition Earhoox into a side hustle and both work on different projects. Jeff has a full-time job at LinkedIn, while Helmut works in consulting. They continue to enjoy the income from their project even as they do other things.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Earhoox: Check out Helmut and Jeff’s helpful accessory at the their website
  • Alibaba: The marketplace Helmut and Jeff used to source materials for their product
  • Indiegogo: The crowdfunding campaign Helmut and Jeff’s used to help launch their hustle

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
"Talk is cheap. Action is everything."
—Helmut Wyzisk and Jeff Becker #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: Ice Cream, Dog Stockings, and Luxury for Less

Notes from Chris

Episode 694

THEMES & TAKEAWAYS:

We’ve just finished week 47 of Season II!

Happy post-Thanksgiving!

I want to encourage you to use this time to reframe or recast it in some way. You can’t control every outcome, but you can control your experience, your response, and your decisions. In life, this means … pay attention to how you feel and ask yourself what you want.

In your side hustle, this could mean a couple of things.

Maybe you think you have a great idea, but it’s not quite working. Well, that’s okay—remember you can’t control every outcome. What do you need to do to go back to basics and retool your offer?

Or, maybe what you’re doing is sort-of working, but your heart isn’t in it. This is another opportunity for you to reframe or recast.

Every year I do an Annual Review, where I spend the better part of a week identifying goals and making a plan for the year to come. I’ll take you along with me (I mean virtually, not in my suitcase…) and maybe you can do a review of your own.

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. 688 – A nouveau-cream wave of ice cream debuts at Coachella, and everyone freaks out
  • Ep. 689 – When a friend needs help writing music for his podcast, this full-time music producer tunes up his side hustle strings
  • Ep. 690 – When two friends realize that their savvy shopping is a skill, they dive into the world of affiliate marketing. After investing a grand total of $46 startup costs, they earned $1,200 in month three
  • Ep. 691 – This lifelong baker was afraid of pies—but when she overcomes her hesitancy, she undertakes a baking adventure that leads to hundreds of satisfied customers. Get rich or pie tryin’!
  • Ep. 692 – He never saw himself starting a side hustle, but when he noticed one of his marketing clients making bank on seasonal pet gifts, he just couldn’t roll over anymore
  • Ep. 693 – This biology student-turned model had a penchant for writing about sexual wellness. She just had to find a way to make money with it—and she did

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:

  • After her kids go off to college, this former stay-at-home-mom begins baking whoopie pies in bulk. She now makes them by the thousands, selling more than $25,000 in creamy inventory each month.
  • Twin brothers turn their art of “cardistry” into a highly profitable business. It’s all fun and games as long as they don’t let their profits vanish….
  • 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
"You can’t control every outcome, but you can control your experience, your response, and your decisions."
—#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

Art School Model Starts Sexually Stimulating Side Hustle

What It’s About

Let’s talk about… one blogger takes her passion to the next level.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Cy says it’s important to come up with an elevator pitch for why you’re blogging, what your blog will be, and how it will help people. Anybody can get started blogging, but in a broad niche, it helps to be crystal-clear about what will make you stand out.

Fun Fact

Cy’s blog has won some accolades over the years, and was recently named one of Kinkly’s top 10 LGBTQ blogs.

Notes from Chris

Episode 693

Sexual positivity is a crucial part of who Cy is.

She started her first ever sex blog while still in high school; a Tumblr page called Smash Cache where she could reblog all of the erotic content she was reading.

The more she read, the more she felt compelled to tell her story and leave the curated content behind. So, in 2016, alongside studying for her biology degree, Cy evolved her blog into Super Smash Cache and created a free WordPress-hosted website.

This would be a fresh canvas where she could review sex toys, share a body positive message, and discuss taboo subjects which would probably get her banned from Facebook.

Cy posted a lot of content on the blog, but the content she was the most passionate about was sex toy reviews. She loved getting her hands on a new product, testing it, and publishing her findings. It was the perfect synergy of the scientific and person parts of her life.

Problem was, Cy didn’t have a lot of business connections and was reviewing only items she’d bought herself. So in late 2016, Cy decided to put the blog on pause. She’d found work as a life model for art classes—which she still does to this day—bringing in a more immediate income and freeing up time to focus on her studies.

Cy’s first foray into the business side of blogging was to network with other sex bloggers. She’d contact them, make friends, and find out who was offering them sample toys to review. Cy would then reach out to those companies, review their toys, and add an affiliate link in the post to generate income.

Cy found two profitable income streams for Super Smash Cache.

The first was to rent advertising space on the blog to sex toy manufacturers. This allowed her to control the cost of the space, and offer on-brand products, which wasn’t available with advertising programs like Google Adsense.

The second was to offer sponsored posts. These are blog posts which have been paid for by a third-party company to advertise products or brand ideas. For example, a couple’s sex toy shop paid for Cy to write a post about a sexy couple’s night, which included their brand message and a link back to their store in the post. These type of posts take a lot of work, but also the most profitable.

This mixture of income streams has lead to around $600 a month in earning from the newly revised Super Smash Cache.

Cy would like to transition out of modeling and explore more of her creative and artistic passions. She’d like to grow the blog while she explores other options.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Super Smash Cache: Learn more about Cy and her award winning blog (adult content)
  • WordPress.com: The platform Cy used to create her blog. Note that WordPress.com is similar but different than WordPress.org

 

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

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

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

GET YOUR FIRST 1,000 EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS

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

Quote of the Day
"If your ONLY incentive for blogging is to make money and you’re not having fun with the process, you’ll probably lose motivation before the money-making happens."
—Cy #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

Dog Stocking Hustle Earns Husky Payoff

What It’s About

A holiday-themed side hustle worth howling about.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

If you’re thinking of doing something similar, Jeff suggests that you try to find a niche that isn’t overly competitive and go after it. And don’t forget to do your research!

Fun Fact

Jeff spent 15 hours uploading all of his products to eBay. He figured it’d be another great channel for growing sales, but that season he made a stunning one sale on the platform. Whomp whomp…

Notes from Chris

Episode 692

Jeff Moriarty has been in marketing for 17 years, but he’s not stuck in the old ways of doing things. He’s adapted over the years to become a master of SEO and has a knack for pay-per-click advertising—and these two skills led him to the seasonal business that would become his new side hustle.

One of Jeff’s clients at his agency sold dog supplies. Leashes, food bowls, that kind of thing. But you probably would never have guessed the top seller…

Dog Christmas stockings. Yup! Stockings outsold everything else—and by a significant margin.

Jeff was the only person in the company working with this client, and his SEO strategy was really paying off. The company was getting more and more traffic, but the owner wasn’t into it. It was getting harder and harder to compete with Amazon, and margins were already slim, so he decided to exit the business and closed his e-commerce store in 2014.

Jeff felt like he had a secret. None of his coworkers knew how well the store had been doing from the stockings. Should he go for his own dog Christmas stocking business?

Jeff didn’t really see himself as a side hustler. He liked the marketing agency life, and it seemed like adding another responsibility on top would just be too much.

But then he couldn’t stop thinking about it. Weeks and months went by. Every now and then he’d look around the search rankings to see if any other stores were dominating the Google rankings using his strategy—and every time he did, the entrepreneurial flame burned a little brighter.

Sure, there were other stores selling dog Christmas stockings, but none of them seemed to really have a dedicated, mindful strategy—either that or they just didn’t know how to execute… but Jeff did.

The trick that worked for his former client wasn’t trying to rank for broad phrases like “dog Christmas stockings”. The trick was targeting very specific phrases, like “basset hound Christmas stockings”. And while no more than a few hundred people were searching these breed-specific phrases each Christmas season, he knew that once he had a couple dozen breed options up, he’d be able to bring in a significant amount of organic traffic. These people were also willing buyers.

Finally, a full year after his client closed up shop, Jeff gave in. The opportunity was just too good, the strategy too obvious (he’d already made it work in the past, after all). But he didn’t want to end up with tons of product in his garage, and he didn’t have a lot of money to invest, so he decided to go with a business model he’d been hearing a lot about for the past few years: drop shipping.

His store, Dog Christmas Stockings, launched in the Fall of 2015.

It was finally time to execute the SEO strategy he’d been brooding over for the last year. And he had to do it quickly—the prime stocking buying season was just a couple months away.

42 product pages and a couple weeks later, organic traffic started trickling in. It was slow at first, but as Jeff checked his search rankings daily, he became more and more excited.

That November, Dog Christmas Stockings made its first sale, and its second, and its tenth. By Christmas, Jeff had sold over $1,000 worth of product. His own cut after the drop shipping fees was just a small portion of that, but it was more than enough for the work he put into it—and he knew he could do better next year.

As we roll over into the holidays, he’s pumped to see how 2018 turns out. His pages are ranking higher than ever, crushing the competition with three years of solid history, and he’s got some extra products he’s trying out this year.

Jeff is hilariously nonchalant about the whole thing. As he likes to say, “It beats wasting the night on the couch.”

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Dog Christmas Stockings: Looking for a stocking for your that special furried friend? Head on over to Jeff’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

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
"I would personally like more seasonal businesses. Work hard for a couple months, then take it easy, work hard, take it easy. It’s honestly not too bad. I really work on increasing positioning year round, and then when the holidays hit, I get to see the fruits of my labor."
—Jeff Moriarty #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Consolidate With LightStream!

Side Hustle School is brought to you by LightStream.

Have you ever looked at your credit card statement and been shocked by the interest rate? LightStream offers Credit Card Consolidation loans from 5.89 percent APR with Autopay.

Get a special discount on top of LightStream’s already low rates! 💳 Visit LightStream

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

National Pie Judge Spreads Gospel of Sugar, Butter, and Flour

What It’s About

The pie is cast: get ready for a ful-filling helping of sugar, butter, and flour.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Catherine’s story is a good example that even if a side hustle might sound “as easy as pie,” there are still a lot of challenges — even if you’re a national pie judge.

Fun Fact

According to the American Pie Council, Americans buy more than 186 million pies at the grocery store each year. That is enough to stretch around the globe and beyond. 7% of American have also tried to pass off store bought pie as homemade.

Notes from Chris

Episode 691

Catherine earns her living as a journalist, but spends a lot of her off-the-clock hours finding excuses to bake. As if anyone needs an excuse!

A longtime baker, for many years Catherine was intimidated by pies. There was just so much that could go wrong—even though beauty is in the Pie of the beholder, you could still do something as simple as overworking the dough and end up with an absolute disaster.

It wasn’t until her 11-year-old daughter challenged her. Her daughter had been turning out delicious pies at her dad’s house, and Catherine decided she needed to raise her game.

She began CurvyMama’s Pies just as a blog, chronicling an apprenticeship she did at Bubby’s, a master pie bakers in New York City. There was just one problem.

You could read nice words and stories about pies, and Catherine wrote a lot of them … but research shows that pies are best appreciated as a more sensory experience. When she got back to the newsroom where she worked as a journalist, her colleagues asked, how can I get some of this goodness?

So she started offering pies for sale, especially around Thanksgiving. She settled on a price of $24 per pie, and put up a list for her friends and family to order from on her blog.

And that was when she learned a big lesson. Instead of giving people an option of four different flavors like any sane person would do, she let people order whatever they wanted. When you’re going to bake at scale, you can’t let everyone order whatever they want. If you have to turn out 15 pies, you should offer a limited selection so that you can bake in larger batches.

For the next several years, Catherine continued her pie hustle, peaking at an annual record of 122 pies in 2014. Not surprisingly, Thanksgiving was the busiest season, comprising up to 50% of her yearly orders.

Catherine also began teaching pie workshops, where aspiring bakers would learn from her hard-earned skills. She traveled the country, meeting pie makers near and far. And yes, she even became a judge at the Iowa state fair.

Catherine has recently relocated to the Los Angeles area. She’s now taking a break while she looks for a space to teach more workshops.

It’s been a sweet and filling adventure … no matter which way you slice it.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Curvy Mama Pies: Learn more and order your own pie at Catherine’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

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
"I’m thoroughly in love with pie. When I’m making the morning coffee, I’m counting the hours until I can get my hands back into dough."
—Catherine Gewertz #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

Luxury for Less! Best Friends Get Paid to Share Design Tips

What It’s About

Two friends discover the best deal ever—getting paid for their love of shopping.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Rachel and Laura suggest that if you are working with someone else, make sure that you trust them wholeheartedly. They are always willing to adjust and split up tasks as they come, and making decisions without consulting each other is often common.

Fun Fact

Without knowing it, both of the women purchased homes of similar ages and layouts at the same time—in completely different cities. They were both 1960s brick ranches—as they say, great minds think alike!

Notes from Chris

Episode 690
Time and time again, Rachel Ingram and Laura Gill would hear their family and friends complain about the cost of decorating their homes. They would set a budget, but always end up blowing past it. The friends felt that with a bit of searching, they could have beautiful statement pieces and stay in budget. They began to scour the internet for the best deals they could find. Their Pinterest boards were unmatchable.

Along the way, they experienced a newfound sense of empowerment: not only were they finding amazing deals, they were making their homes their own. Rather than buying an entire room design out of a magazine, every corner of their living space was intentional.

Then, around the end of 2017, they began chatting about sharing all of their finds and ideas with the world. They knew that what they considered to be a fun hobby was frustrating and difficult for others. Plus, they had already accumulated a database of valuable tips and less expensive “look-alike” items over the years.

Six months later, they were still confident in their idea, so they decided to invest a whopping $46 into making it a reality. They spent $10 to purchase a domain name. Then, they spent another $10 because that first domain name didn’t exactly work out—more on that in a moment. With their official title, Follow the Find, they invested their last $26 into a Squarespace website.

But how would they make money?

They committed to posting on Instagram at least once a day, every day. As their audience grew, they began to consider affiliate partnerships. If people were purchasing items because of their work, they should earn a cut! But Rachel and Laura quickly realized that creating those partnerships was easier said than done.

When they applied to join the programs, they were rejected again and again. Even Amazon (which has very low requirements) removed their associate’s account twice. According to them, Follow the Find didn’t have enough original content on their website. Up until that point, they only included the same images on their website that they had on their Instagram account.

Even though Rachel and Laura knew that the brands could trust them to make sales and continue running Follow the Find, they had to do something to prove it.

To change it up, they added more content, including an About Page, a Tips and Tricks section, and a list of all of their favorite stores to shop for and what kinds of products they buy at each one. As that content and their followers grew, they finally began to score those affiliate partnerships they craved. This August, Follow the Find brought in $127. The next month, they reached $916. Then last month, they pulled in $1200.

This kind of business model probably won’t make you rich, but as an entry point, it’s worth looking at. They’re also gaining a lot of experience—and instead of paying for these lessons, these lessons are paying them.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Follow the Find: Checkout Rachel and Laura’s inspiration turned to action at their new website
  • Follow the Find on Instagram: Follow Rachel and Laura’s journey as they grow their business with the help of Instagram
  • Squarespace: the webplatform Rachel and Laura used to create their 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

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
"We never considered our shopping and searching a skill, but when talking with peers, we realized that we definitely had a knack for it, as others seemed to struggle with something that we honestly considered a hobby."
—Laura & Rachel #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Get Your Logo Today With Logojoy!

Side Hustle School is brought to you by Logojoy, an online tool that uses artificial intelligence to help you design a beautiful, custom logo.

Try Logojoy today and get 20% off any logo package when you visit logojoy.com/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

Songwriter Makes Extra Money Giving Podcasts a Beat

What It’s About

A Nashville songwriter composes a custom hustle to help podcasters.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

If you have a side hustle that’s similar to your day job you need to make sure that you love it. Without passion for what you’re doing you may get burnt out. I really enjoy working with others and bringing their vision to life. I love helping others tell their stories in whatever medium I’m working in.

Fun Fact

Podcasts have received explosive growth over the last few years. So much so, that over 26% of Americans, approximately 73 million people, listen to podcasts at least once a month. This huge audience that is currently leading to over 2000 new podcasts being launched every week and more than 500,000 total podcasts.

Notes from Chris

Episode 689

As the old saying goes, without music, life would b-flat. Justin Klump understands this better than most. As a recording artist, songwriter and music producer he has a day job many people dream of. He’s one of the privileged few able to make a living in the music industry.

Justin is living the dream, producing albums as well as performing across the country from Portland to New York. You might say that he’s the conductor of his own fate.

But, it isn’t all upbeat. The truth of the music industry is that for every Justin Bieber selling out stadiums, there are thousands of others like Justin making a modest living. Carving out a small name and career for themselves in the industry. While the former makes millions, for the latter, a side hustle is a great way to bring in some extra income.

So in early 2017, Justin spotted an opportunity. Like a hit song, it began with a strong hook.

A friend of his had a colleague about to create his own podcast. He needed someone to compose the music and do sound design for the episodes. The friend, knowing that Justin had been writing music for over 10 years, mentioned it to him to see if he’d be interested.

Justin was intrigued enough to meet up with the podcast producer. They began working together a week later. Justin was happy because it was a chance to make some extra income, but also because it provided a way to use his musical talents in a new medium.

He loved working with a podcast creator to bring his vision to life. Helping him tell the story in the podcast medium was a great challenge. It was also fun to work in a collaborative way since much of the time Justin is working alone.

It was halfway through working on the podcast that Justin realized there was a market need here that he could help fill. Podcasting has seen explosive growth in the last few years and he had the skills to help podcast creators tell their stories.

But if he was going to take this seriously he’d need a website. So, he built one using Squarespace and paid a friend to create a logo for him. It was as simple as that, the new side hustle was launched. Justin called it Podcast Music & Sound and would provide production, sound design and original music for podcasts.

Justin was at a big advantage in starting this type of side hustle. He already had all the sound equipment he’d need to serve clients. That meant his only costs were the creation of the website, logo and hosting. Less than $200 startup costs.

With his first client now wrapped up, website launched, and equipment at the ready, it was time to turn up the volume.

But he needed more clients. This is where starting a side hustle in a similar industry to your main gig can be beneficial. Justin had contacts, and now that he had a website and was open for business he put the word out. Little by little, some clients started coming in, usually through referral or recommendation.

Each client that he served helped him refine his processes. He had to make sure that he was able to deliver exactly what his clients were looking for in an efficient way. To do that, he’d set up an initial consult with them. Here, he asks what the podcaster is hoping to make the listener feel and what mood they’re going for.

He also asks for specific references of music that they like or particular instruments they want used. With that, Justin goes back and sends them a rough concept idea a short time later. Then it’s a matter of a few revisions working together to make sure the client can get exactly what they want. Once finished, the client is sent a master they can use for their podcast.

Podcast Music and Sound is generating Justin around $800 dollars per month right now. Justin bills by customizing each order to each client, there are no set prices. He works up a cost sheet for each task involved and then builds a budget based upon what each client needs.

But, this side hustle is far from being Justin’s swan song. He’s already started a second hustle. After launching Podcast Music and Sound he decided to start The Library of Music to expand his offerings of Original Music and Music Licensing to include TV, Film, Advertising, and Video Games. It will act as sort of a stock music resource for content producers.

On top of that Justin will be releasing 2 new original songs, as well as wrap production on albums for emerging country artists in the coming year. Clearly, Justin loves to keep busy in the music industry.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Podcast Music & Sound: Learn more about Justin’s services that he provides for podcasters
  • The Library of Music: Justin’s second, music related hustle where he creates custom music for various projects
  • JustinKlump.com: When Justin isn’t producing music for others he works and showcases his own music. Give him a listen!
  • Squarespace: The web platform Justin used to build his own websites

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
"As entrepreneurs, I believe we should be constantly learning, and a great way to do that is to work in areas that you’re unfamiliar in."
—Justin Klump #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Get Your Logo Today With Logojoy!

Side Hustle School is brought to you by Logojoy, an online tool that uses artificial intelligence to help you design a beautiful, custom logo.

Try Logojoy today and get 20% off any logo package when you visit logojoy.com/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

Game of Cones: Two Women Make Architecturally-Inspired Ice Cream

What It’s About

Some things just go better together … like architecture and ice cream.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Natasha and Freya were focused on one method of sales, which was pretty much in-person only and meant they’d only get so far before getting stuck. Instead, they pivoted and changed their business model from in-person sales to encompassing online sales as well.

Not only was it a great lesson for Coolhaus, but it also created more opportunities for a lot less cost. They didn’t need to pay for rent or employees, and, as long as they had a functioning website, they could make and process sales pretty much while they slept. And, because they would be able to sell larger quantities, they could reach more people even faster.

Fun Fact

Coolhaus was hired to cater the birthday party for one of Reese Witherspoon’s kids. They served everyone, including a handful of celebrities, and everything was going well. Until they had to leave and their truck broke down, leaving them trapped at Reese’s ranch. They eventually got the truck going again, although it broke down a few times on the way home. At least they have a good story to tell!

Notes from Chris

Episode 688

Like many good things, Natasha Case’s side hustle started by accident. While she was studying architecture at Berkeley, she was tasked with designing a student housing model. After she presented it, her professor described the project as “basically a box cake—like it was a bad thing.” Since everyone likes cake, she decided to take her next project even further and actually baked it for her class.

This light-bulb moment of combining food and architecture would return to her later.

After college, she started a job as a Walt Disney Imagineer and began baking cookies and making ice cream for her coworkers. She enjoyed creating ice cream sandwich combinations that were a play on famous architectural concepts like “Mint-imalism.” They were a hit!

Natasha had always wanted to find a way to bring architectural design to a wider audience, and seeing the sugar-crazed ecstasy written on her colleague’s faces as they consumed her creations, she realized that she might have found the perfect way to bring her love of architecture to the masses: design and dessert.

But what started as a fun hobby might have stayed that way, until her girlfriend, now-wife, Freya, saw the business potential in what Natasha was doing.

Freya started asking about numbers and figures. The couple went to Whole Foods, wrote down how much ice cream products cost, and started to work out the feasibility behind starting their own side hustle. While standing in the aisles, they noticed that ice cream products hadn’t changed for a long time. They didn’t see any brands with character, and there was nothing that spoke to them as women or as millennials. Freya says that this only helped motivate them to “design and introduce a product that represented the frozen zeitgeist of the times.”

Two weeks later, they co-founded Coolhaus, with the goal of restoring the diminished glory of ice cream sandwiches. Natasha and Freya both had full-time jobs, so they spent the weekends at local farmers markets selling their treats and building their customer base. This allowed them to test their products and scale slowly, without making a large financial investment into their business right off the bat.

They loved their weekly spot at the farmer’s market, but when the opportunity to sell their sandwiches at Coachella presented itself, they jumped. A few Craigslist searches and $2,500 later, they bought an old postal van and had it towed out to the Californian desert.

Coachella was a “sink-or-swim” event for them, which involved people lining up at 7 am and them accruing roughly 5,000 Twitter followers in one afternoon. It gave them the feeling that they were onto something, especially as the posts and mentions started to flood their feed—including a write-up in the New York Times that helped them expand their business.

It’s now been a decade since that write-up, and Natasha and Freya have since built Coolhaus into a multi-million dollar ice cream empire—without investing a lot of startup capital.

Their current line-up includes pre-packed pints emblazoned with names like ‘Sundae Fundae’ and ‘Midnight Munchies’. All of this came to be from a $3,000 investment, which included all ingredients and the Craigslist Van.

Still, it wasn’t a huge success financially until a few years in. In 2009, Natasha and Freya made about $100,000. The next year, they made $650,000. 2011 saw the opening of a brick-and-mortar store, an angel investor, and breaking $1 million in sales for the first time.

Since its inception, Coolhaus went from school project to farmer’s markets to Coachella, and later to partnerships with Whole Foods (full circle) and a projected $12 million in revenue in 2018.

Looks like this side hustle was just mint to be.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Coolhaus: Check out Coolhaus’s tasty and creative creations on their site and order your own pint or sandwich today!

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
"When we first got the idea to go to Coachella, we googled ‘hipster ice cream truck’ and came up with zero results. So we went ahead did it ourselves!"
—Natasha Case #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: Tater Tats, Car Seat Coats, and Comic Books

Notes from Chris

Episode 687

THEMES & TAKEAWAYS:

We’ve just finished week 46 of Season II!

This week on the show, we featured produce temporary tattoos with zero startup costs, a mother who creates her own version of the puffy coat for plush profits, and a couple of Aussies who make six-figures selling journals that encourage self-care.

Speaking of Aussies, this week I’ve been on location in Australia, one of my favorite places in the entire world.

While there were a lot of lessons this week, one that stood out the most came in the form of a quote from Alex of Saint Belford in Ep. 683.

She said, “How boring would it be if EVERYTHING went exactly to plan and you achieved your goals without any hurdles. The hurdles are what keep things interesting. The hurdles make us better, more resilient versions of ourselves.”

It’s a great point! But, at the same time, I also believe in saving yourself some trouble…

To save yourself some trouble with all of those hurdles, check out today’s Weekly Recap.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW:

Today, we have an update from Jen Glantz, who was featured on the show in Ep. 83.

Listen to the Weekly Recap to hear from Jen herself!

You can also check out her website, Bridesmaid For Hire.

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. 681 – When a running joke doesn’t end up running its course, a side hustle seed takes root and begins to grow
  • Ep. 682 – It’s unsafe for your child to be in a car seat with a puffy winter coat—but it’s a pain to dress and undress each time you enter the car. This working mother solves the problem
  • Ep. 683 – An account manager and her partner develop a self-care diary to help others prioritize health and well-being
  • Ep. 684 – When a series of debilitating headaches makes it hard to work full-time, this Dutch A/V engineer diversifies his income to decrease his work hours
  • Ep. 685 – A Sacramento-based comic and collectibles owner sparks an interest in reading with a monthly comic book subscription box service
  • Ep. 686 – He puts the ‘can’ in cannabis products, finding a pot of gold at the end of a hazy rainbow

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 nouveau-cream wave of ice cream debuts at Coachella, and everyone freaks out
  • When a friend needs help writing music for his podcast, this full-time music producer tunes up his side hustle strings
  • 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 everything went according to plan, your life would be boring. The hurdles make us better versions of ourselves."
—#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

Business Analyst Creates Budding Side Hustle

What It’s About

A reselling side hustle that’s really up in smoke!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Stone says it can be a challenge to choose which products to sell, especially in a diverse and discerning market. So he tries to choose something for everybody: The luxury boutique item customer, the fiscally aware customer, the uninformed customer, and of course, the practical, everyday customer.

Fun Fact

Did you know that beer and cannabis are cousins… in the plant family? The hops that are used to make beer are in the same family of flowering plants as cannabis. Cannabis is also one of civilization’s earliest crops, along with grain, and has been harvested for at least 6,000 years. Seems like the seeds have been firmly planted.

Notes from Chris

Episode 686

Stone Everett, a business performance analyst from Orlando, Florida, has always had a side project up his sleeve. For as long as he can remember, he’s been coming up with ideas to make pocket money.

He taught himself how to build websites from watching YouTube videos and tried a few projects to test out different ideas. They were slow-burners at first, but eventually, they started to bring in some additional income for him before he lost interest, or the ideas became dated with time. He knew that cannabis was a trend that was on the up-and-up, especially as more states legalized the drug and the stigma around usage lessened.

However, he didn’t have any interest in becoming a seller of cannabis itself—it was when he noticed a burning hole in the online cannabis accessories market that Stone realized this could become a new source of income for him.

He called his latest project Relief Treats. His goal was to create an online directory of cannabis-related accessories that he would either resell himself or just earn commissions from customers he referred.

This way, he doesn’t have to have a full inventory of products, nor does he need to be responsible for sending anything out to customers.

As Stone puts it, “My dropship model makes my inventory possibilities practically limitless so there’s almost no additional cost to appeal to as many demographics as possible.” The broad array of products set him off to a blazing start.

He says that, even though there’s a lot of competition, he stands out because his content is always fresh, valuable, and engaging, and his products are attractive.

While Stone says growing his side hustle is pretty dope, he admits that it can be tough to balance his personal life, full-time job, and Relief Treats. But, at the end of the day, it’s worth it as it’s already bringing in an additional $1,200/month in profits—approximately a quarter of the income his full-time day job provides.

His next big move is to grow his side hustle into a flowering business. He wants to expand his product selection even more, especially as states continue to legalize cannabis. Relief Treats might be a budding enterprise now, but he has high expectations for the future.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Relief Treats: Treat yourself—snag a new piece over on Stone’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

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

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

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

GET YOUR FIRST 1,000 EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS

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

Quote of the Day
"The best part of my experience so far has been growing from a personal and business standpoint. When I saw my first sale it motivated me to work even harder. It was like rubbing sticks together to make fire and seeing my first signs of smoke. Now I just want to go harder and faster."
—Stone Everett #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