Archives: Podcast

Nature-Loving Neighbors Create Kids Subscription Box

What It’s About

A subscription box to help kids get outside and exploring!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

To market their product, the team experimented with the traditional methods of online advertising. They tried paid social marketing, then Google pay per click ads. Neither of these methods got them the traffic they were looking for. At some point, they realized that their story was difficult to tell in those ways.

Instead, they began attending outdoor events as vendors and connected with nature-loving influencers. This had been a big help to their profits!

Fun Fact

Although the people in the team were raised in vastly different areas—from farm life to suburbs to city life in Germany—all four of them grew up being strongly connected with nature. They all remember their parents telling them to “go find something to do outside.”

Notes from Chris

Episode 678

Justin and Crystal Wren had just moved into a new neighborhood with their toddler. The day they moved, Justin saw his new neighbor Richard next door mowing the lawn. Justin knew exactly how to start their relationship off on the right foot, and held up two ice cold beers for them to share. Richard could get behind this peace offering. The two had their first conversation and would continue to have friendly chats in the yard from time to time in the coming years.

Over those years, their families began to grow. Justin and Crystal had two more children of their own, and Richard and his wife Kerstin gave birth to a baby girl. As they grew up, the girls were always running back and forth from one another’s houses. Through constantly trying to figure out where exactly their kids were, the couples began talking more and more. They started to hang out together, even without the kids. Eventually, they planned a trip to Chicago for both families in December of 2017.

The Friday the week before the Chicago trip, every single parent managed to have the day off work. They took the opportunity to walk the kids to school together. All four parents loved to be outside. In fact, they loved it so much that they wanted to walk nearly a mile in the cold both ways—just because they could.

During the walk, they started talking about how to keep their kids outside and active over the winter months. They knew that the allure of tablets and indoor toys was even stronger when it was cold outside. By the end of the walk, a competition had been started. Each couple had to come up with the most fun outdoor activities to incorporate into their trip for the next weekend.

Just a few days later, they had realized something through their research. There was no resource out there with all the information they were looking for. With the plethora of parents gripping about kids spending too much time on electronics and not playing outside anymore and the difficulty in finding the tools they needed to create fun outdoor activities, it seemed like there was an opportunity for someone to figure it out.

In fact, they believed they had enough ideas, with enough depth, that they could create a subscription box program.

Their excitement ignited, they went to Chicago the following weekend and spent their days exploring the city. And at night, they worked on their idea while the kids were sleeping. By the end of that weekend, the team had agreed on and bought the domain name for THiNK OUTSiDE Boxes, applied for an LLC, set up 8+ social media handles, and had a rough layout of what they wanted to work towards together.

After some deliberation, they decided that each box would cost $35. The price goes down a bit if you decide to subscribe quarterly, and down even further if you commit to a year.

But wait—you won’t beLEAF what they decided to do next. They chose to create only 12 boxes total, one per month for a year. That’s right—they decided to cap the length of time a customer could commit to their business. Each box is themed and follows a track that teaches topics including nutrition, first aid, navigation, and my favorite, fire-setting.

In the beginning, THiNK OUTSiDE Boxes was making about $500-$1500 a month. When they made time to attend those events, their October profit ended up being about twice as much as before, at right around $3,000. Plus, they were recently featured on CrateJoy, a database full of subscription box businesses.

The team created a joint bank account for all of the money made by the business. This just seemed like the right move for them. Justin says that a key part of doing business is to put the relationships you have with the people you’re working with ahead of the business – always. By doing this, they’ve continued to TREE-umph. We hope the trend continues, and remember: we’re rooting for you!

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • THiNK OUTSiDE Boxes: Head on over to Justin, Crystal, and the gang’s website to help you and your kids get outside!
  • CrateJoy: The platform that the THiNK OUTSiDE Boxes team use to streamline their ordering system

 

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
"Our group has four different backgrounds, skill sets, and personalities, so our iteration process, what is important to each, what needs to be aligned on, etc. differs for each of us. We all think this has been a strength for us."
—Justin & Crystal Wren #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

Tennessean Meets Nepalese Sherpa on Lyft Ride, Sells Adventure Trips

What It’s About

A couple says “yes” to adventure and help others with their bucket lists.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

How does one decide on pricing for such a huge package deal? Mark starts with Dawa’s pricing as a subcontractor. Mark and Holly then add their margins on top of that. They want to be known as a company that offers an amazing service with extra goodies and attention at a reasonable price.

Fun Fact

“Sherpa” is a word commonly used to describe a mountain guide or porter who works in the Everest region. However, Sherpa is the actual name of an ethnic group of people who live in the mountains of Nepal.

Notes from Chris

Episode 677

Do you believe in fate? Call it kismet, chance, or the stars aligning, Mark Johnson believes that without it, he never would have started his side hustle. This fortuitous experience all happened because his truck needed repairs.

Mark and his wife Holly founded and operate Hobnail Trekking Co. They provide full-service treks to majestic locales in Nepal, including Everest Base Camp.

So how did fate play a part in the start of this side hustle? Trek back to August 2016, when Mark was one day away from leaving his job as a communications director at a nonprofit organization. It was a hot and sticky afternoon in Nashville, Tennessee, and the air-conditioner in Mark’s truck had quit working. Needing a ride to pick up that truck after repairs at his mechanic’s garage, Mark summoned a Lyft driver.

This was a Lyft ride that would change the course of history…. Or at least, the next point in our story.

Mark struck up a pleasant conversation with the young driver, whose name is Dawa Jangbu Lama Sherpa. Dawa spoke fluent English, but with an accent Mark couldn’t pinpoint. When Mark discovered Dawa was from Nepal, he asked if he knew anything about the Everest Base Camp trek. The trek was something Mark and Holly had put on their bucket list years ago. Dawa grinned and answered, “I am an Everest Region Sherpa. I’ve guided that trip dozens of times. I own a small trekking company in Nepal.”

This was a defining moment for Mark—what was the chance that he would meet this man, an Everest Region Sherpa—on a Lyft ride in Nashville, Tennessee?!

They exchanged information, and a few days later, Mark and Holly met to learn more about making the Everest Base Camp trek in the spring of 2018. At the time they had no idea how they’d pay for it, or how to even manage the logistics with their three kids, but they committed to making it happen.

As Mark researched more on the Everest Base Camp trek, he began to notice there were no regional companies that offered this trek. In fact, as far as he could tell, there were no companies with headquarters east of Colorado. Mark’s next thought was—why not create their own trekking company?

In January 2017, Mark and Holly launched Hobnail Trekking Co. After creating a company website, the couple booked a local venue to hold an informational meeting about trekking in Nepal. By Mark’s own admission, Dawa was the key to their success. A huge difference in their business is the fact that Dawa actually lives in Nashville part of the year. This means that potential trekkers get to meet and socialize with Dawa at pre-trek social events. This builds trust in the company before heading to the other side of the world.

Over the next few months, Hobnail held numerous meetings in outdoor retail stores in the Southeastern US and was featured in several newspapers. They also developed some strategic partnerships with other like-minded businesses. By October 2017, they had booked a full trek—15 people—including Mark and Holly—to depart in March 2018. After returning from that first amazing trek, they booked another group for the Fall 2018 trekking season. They are expecting substantially more business in 2019.

Gross annual income for Hobnail in their first year was $54,000—with start-up costs almost that much. This was in part due to initially underpricing treks and some steep costs associated with the custom gear they provide trekkers. However, Mark feels the custom gear is important to inspire confidence and trust in the company. The family has been able to start this company while Mark works as a freelance writer and Holly works as a nonprofit administrator.

Hobnail Trekking Co. is taking a bucket list item to new heights!

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Hobnail Trekking Co.: Cross Mt. Everest off your bucket list—head on over to Mark and Holly’s website to get yourself on the fast track to base camp!

 

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
"The biggest lesson I can impart? Learn to recognize opportunities and then ACT on them! Even things that seem nearly impossible. The bottom line is, even if we closed shop tomorrow, we found a way to fulfill a major bucket list dream AND help a bunch of other people do the same. It has been an amazing experience."
—Mark Johnson #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

Boston Designers Open Authentic Arts & Crafts Shop for Visitors

What It’s About

Two friends bring the best of Boston local to 20 million the world over!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

It’s no small thing to start a retail shop and operate it for three years while you’re also running a design agency. And this is why it’s good to start with a pop-up shop. Also, leverage your contacts! You can’t do something like this on your own and without a lot of resources … $25k isn’t much for a project like this. Their greatest asset was the relationships they had.

Fun Fact

Here are a couple facts about Beantown that you may not know:

1. You won’t find any “Happy Hour” signs in the local Boston pub. The typical post-work drink deals have been banned since 1984.

2. A favorite American sweet snack for decades, the Fig Newton, is actually named after the Boston suburb of Newton, Massachusetts.

Notes from Chris

Episode 676
Susan Battista and Fritz Klaetke love Boston almost as much as they enjoy working with each other. They’re both senior partners at the creative agency Fritz founded in college, Visual Dialogue. Over the years, the pair have started a number of side hustles outside their day jobs.

It was on a trip to Fritz’s native Detroit that they would find their next big idea. Wandering down the high street, they came across a unique little shop which showcased local artist’s creations. They had trinkets and t-shirts and tasty treats which really represented the region’s history and culture.

They felt that their beloved Boston needed a similar type of shop. Every tourist-centric shop focused on cliche stuffed lobsters and your usual sports t-shirts. There was nothing which represented and championed the life, history, art, and culture of this beautiful and important city.

When the pair returned home, they began to look at why a shop like this didn’t exist, and it quickly became clear. The cost of rent in Boston’s most trafficked locations was too high for local artists to sell their goods, which forced them to sell hours away in far-off suburbs, away from the eyes of most visitors.

Susan and Fritz decided to create a shop which brought out the best of Boston to those visitors. They would set up a store somewhere with high visibility and enable artists to share their wares. They gave the concept a name—1630 Boston, after the year the city was founded—and set about putting their plan into motion.

To test their idea, they decided they would create a pop-up shop. They’d run it for a weekend in a prime location and see if they gathered interest. If not, they could walk away knowing they tried.

They looked to their client base at Visual Dialogue and approached a property management company they’d been working with. They were able to land a weekend-long spot—in a location which usually costs $20,000 a month—on Boston’s Newbury Street.

With the property in place, the official date of the pop-up was set to five weeks away, in November of 2015, which gave them a strict deadline to hit. They had no inventory, no POS system, no merchandising and no website.

When the weekend finally rolled around, the pop-up was a resounding success. Local people and tourists alike were drawn to the shop to see what they were selling, both out of curiosity and a desire to buy. The pair had an antique bell on their desk which they rang every time they made a sale, and they found themselves ringing it a lot. That is … until someone asked if they could buy it.

With the initial success, Susan and Fritz knew they had an idea they could move forward with.

The startup costs for 1630 Boston were around $25,000. This was made up of money they saved, and what they reinvested back into the business. And their profits average at approximately $10,000 per month.

Looking to the future, 1630 Boston is going to build more of an online store presence to increase their reach and make Boston’s art, culture, and history available to people all over the world.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • 1630 Boston: Learn more about Boston’s nearly 400-year history through the products on Susan’s website that showcase the history, intellect, pastimes, and local lore of New England’s cultural capital

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
"Shadow someone who is doing what you’d like to do so you have a better sense of ‘all the hats’ required."
—Susan Battista #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

Go Vote! Freelance Designer Sells Voter Turnout Postcards

What It’s About

A designer helps get voters to the polls!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

It’s hard to make money selling on Etsy. I see a lot of people selling the same few items using the same skills that everyone else does. People who’d seen me knitting or drawing or crafting would tell me “Hey! You should open an Etsy store!” without thinking about how much work it really takes to set up a viable small business. Instead, find a niche, start small, and see what happens. Be nimble and open to new ideas, and don’t spend a lot of money until things work out.

Fun Fact

Mailing postcards to potential voters has become a big movement that works to get people off the couch and voting. The largest group of this type can be found at PostcardstoVoters.org, a community that has amassed over 20,000 volunteers that arrange parties all over the country. They get together in small groups, have a party and write personal postcards to potential voters in key elections.

Notes from Chris

Episode 675

Mary Hawkins believes everyone should have a say in the way their country is run. Last year she was looking for a way to encourage as many people as possible to go out and vote on election day. But, she’d be the first to tell you she’s no in your face political activist. As a self-described introvert, the idea of cold calling or door knocking didn’t appeal to her.

What she needed was activism for introverts… and she soon stumbled across the perfect thing. Furthermore, what started as a way to encourage voters would turn into Marys first successful side hustle. But before we reveal the results, let’s take a quick look at Mary’s background. Her campaign trail if you will.

On top of her passion for democracy, Mary is also a talented animator and designer. She’s been freelancing for over 10 years and has worked with brands like Viacom, L’Oreal, NBC and many more.

For those working a traditional office job the life of a freelancer probably sounds glamorous. You can work from home in your underwear and only work the hours that you want. Everything is perfect in the freelancer life. Right?

Well, freelancing has its benefits but it also has challenges. One of the biggest disadvantages is that you inevitably have periods without much work. That can be worrisome financially, especially when you aren’t sure when the next job is coming through.

For Mary, quiet periods occur around mid-year when many people in the media take vacations. In 2017, it was actually a welcome break because Mary was just about to stumble across the perfect type of political activism. One that appealed to her introverted nature and allowed her to use her design skills to encourage people to get out and vote.

Mary was introduced to the world of postcards to voters. This is a movement where groups of volunteers write postcards to registered voters reminding them to vote in their upcoming election. The postcards are hand written directly to each individual and, data suggests, have a huge positive effect on voter turnout.

Mary loved the idea and immediately volunteered to write postcards in her down time. Soon she was sending out more and more, into the hundreds. She enjoyed it so much that she believed she could bring some artistic flair to the postcards themselves.

The design was the easy part—after all, Mary was an expert. She made a couple of cute postcards for voters and then set about printing them up for her own use. It wasn’t long before other volunteers and friends commented on her made-for-purpose postcards and suggested she try selling them on Etsy.

She agreed and launched her side hustle, Mary Likes Postcards.

Since the beginning of the year, she has sold over $60,000 worth of postcards through her Etsy store and existing customers. The exact profit Mary is going to work out when things settle down a bit later in the year, but it will be significant. Since she does the work herself, her only real expenses are printing and shipping.

How does she generate that kind of money all while still working a full-time job? Mary understands this is a seasonal business. She can maximize profits from Mary Likes Postcards during the voting season and increase her freelance hours when time permits.

She hopes to grow it more next year, especially as the election cycle ramps up again next year, and then again in 2020 when it really ramps up with another presidential election. She’s already added additional products to her store, including stickers and stamps that people can use to decorate the postcards.

Cast your ballot for freedom! My vote is definitely in favor of this project.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Mary Likes Postcards: Rock the vote! Head on over to Mary’s Etsy page to learn more about this niche side 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

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
"Find a niche, start small, and see what happens. Be nimble and open to new ideas, and don’t spend a lot of money until things work out!"
—Mary Hawkins #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

Zombie Apocalypse Prevention Podcast Earns $200,000/Year

What It’s About

A podcast to help you weather the apocalypse!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

What is the real genius behind Jack’s success? It’s not that he has the prettiest website, the best interview guests, or the coolest giveaways—it’s that he’s engaging, honest (sometimes brutally honest), and genuine on the show—and his listeners find this to be a breath of fresh air.

Fun Fact

To celebrate breaking 200,000 daily podcast listeners, Jack hosted a small, local 3-hour party in his home that podcast listeners ended up flying in from all over the country to be a part of.

Notes from Chris

Episode 674

By most standards, Jack Spirko was thriving. He was a co-owner of a holding company that managed three individual businesses. These businesses were making a lot of money. All was well … except for Jack himself.

He had been living the high life of corporate success for years, but he felt pulled back to his roots: the mountains of Pennsylvania. Gardening, hunting, fishing, bartering with neighbors, growing most of their own food. He missed the nature, the family dinners, and the self-sufficiency that drove it all.

After the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001 (9/11), it became much more than a faraway goal. What he wanted more than anything was just to spend time with his family—because as the world had just seen, you never know when disaster will strike.

That’s when the journey into the world of preparedness (or prepping) began. Jack started teaching himself about topics including permaculture, self-defense, and food storage. He paid off all his debts, learned everything there is to know about backup generators, and became an expert on Libertarian philosophy. Slowly, Jack became a master survivalist—but he didn’t leave his job.

One of his clients said they wanted to start up a new thing called ‘podcasts’. Nobody on the team knew how, so Jack picked up the responsibility (this was, remember, about 10 years ago). He figured there was no better way to learn the in’s and out’s of podcasts than to try making one himself. So he bought an $18 headset, a $30 Sony digital recorder, a $10/month web hosting plan, and started recording himself in the car.

He talked into the recorder about what he knew: self-reliance, getting out of debt, and prepping for the next disaster. There was no real script or agenda or performance. It was just Jack, being himself—grit, passion, and all. He uploaded the episodes to his new website, The Survival Podcast, and started sharing them with friends.

It turned out that he really liked doing this. It was fun freely giving away his secrets to self-sufficiency, so he started recording a new show every day on his way to work—and his few listeners (mostly friends and family) were eating it up.

Jack quickly realized that The Survival Podcast could be more than a test hobby. People were craving the skills and insights he had been learning over the last seven years. He just had to figure out how to monetize.

In February of 2009, Jack launched the Survival Podcast Membership. For $50 a year, listeners could have access to exclusive discounts, a couple dozen member-only videos, and a handful of ebooks on survival topics, like how to How to Build Top Bar Beehives and Traditional Clay Ovens. Jack figured the discounts on products alone made it a no-brainer.

Many of his listeners agreed.

That month, The Survival Podcast earned $20,000. It was unbelievable—far more than he had made any other month from sponsorships or the occasional Adsense Ad. The next month, he made another $15,000.

The podcast has been running for ten years now, and it’s bigger than ever. Jack just celebrated his first ever day with 200,000 downloads, and he’s been consistently earning multiple six figures for nine of his ten years.

Most of that comes from the site membership, which has grown to include discounts from 70 brands, and a daily featured Amazon.com product now makes up about 20% of that income. A few other streams, like YouTube ads and an annual workshop, also contribute some.

For Jack, the wild financial success isn’t the best part—in his corporate years, he’d already learned that money isn’t the key to happiness. The true success is knowing he’s helping thousands of people reach for their lifestyle and financial goals, and he’s getting to achieve his along the way.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • The Survival Podcast: Don’t get lost in the rubble—learn more about what you need to survive the apocalypse over on Jack’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
"Just f***ing do it—no excuses. Screw audio quality early on, learn your trade, and produce content like a madman. Only take advice from those doing better than you, and don’t look back."
—Jack Spirko #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: Weekly Recap: Finding a “Hook” as a Dietitian

Notes from Chris

Episode 673

THEMES & TAKEAWAYS:

This week, we had a listener email from Hazel in the UK.

Hazel has always been interested in starting her own side hustle, but can’t land on an idea that she thinks that people will pay for. She’d love to start something that extends from her background in nutrition, but she’s noticed that some of the nutrition businesses that we’ve talked about on the show are focused on specific diets or trends.

Her predicament is that she don’t want to create a product—instead, she’d like to create a service, but she feels that the market may already be saturated with glamorous “Instagram ready” individuals who promote very strict diets.

To hear my feedback on this topic and more, check out today’s Weekly Recap.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW:

Today, we have an update from Chris Healy, who was featured on the show in Ep. 64.

Listen to the Weekly Recap to hear from Chris himself!

You can also check out his website, The Longhairs.

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. 667 – When faced with the possibility of not being able to enjoy his favorite football games, this sports fan creates an app to solve the problem. Four years in, it earns him a full-time income in exchange for 30 minutes of work each week
  • Ep. 668 – An injured puppy and a James Brown song gives this Minnesota chocolatier the inspiration to run a private campground for adventurous travelers
  • Ep. 669 – Get paid up to $700 each for carving pumpkins?? Only on Side Hustle School: a love of all things Halloween leads two friends to carve out a chunk of seasonal profits
  • Ep. 670 – A registered nurse and financial manager start a blog for millennials. After a rough beginning, they figure out their audience and go on to earn tens of thousands of dollars a month
  • Ep. 671 – A digital learning consultant turns a lifelong love of music into a YouTube channel for students and teachers
  • Ep. 672 – A university employee takes photos of homes, helping real estate agents and getting paid for his efforts

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 chance meeting inspires a couple to start a company that provides packaged treks to Nepal
  • When two couples can’t figure out how to get their kids outdoors and away from electronics in the winter, a personal challenge blossoms into an unbeLEAFable side hustle
  • 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
"To stand out in a crowded market, it greatly helps to have a ‘hook’ or angle. Give people something to remember!"
—#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

Hobbyist Photographer Finds $800/Month Hiding in Local Newspaper

What It’s About

A photography side hustle that helps sell houses.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

When he started, Adam would reschedule his entire day around whenever was best for the real estate agent, even changing his schedule on the fly. More than once he did a job and the agents had conveniently “forgotten” to bring their checkbooks, so he would do a job and not get paid for weeks afterwards. He realized he would need to set some boundaries. He still tries to be flexible, but he now has a policy of getting paid before handing over the final photos.

It’s an important lesson—make sure that you’re taking care of yourself too!

Fun Fact

Adam once went to photograph a multi-family home, and stumbled upon an illegal basement apartment with a mentally challenged 60-year-old man who had been living there for the past 30 years! He’d been given just 30 days to get out and followed Adam around confessing his sadness and despair to him.

Notes from Chris

Episode 672

A summer revenue manager for Suffolk University, Adam Hoeg has always had a passion for photography. Adam found he had a knack for finding the best perspective for whatever he was shooting. He also had another passion for real estate for as long as he can remember. But it wasn’t until a few months ago that he paired them together in a picturesque side hustle.

He was simply flipping through the real estate ads in his local newspaper when the opportunity came into focus. Many of the homes for sale had grainy cell phone pictures, but it wasn’t until he saw a beautiful home from his childhood represented in such a way that his resolve set in. He immediately sent an email to the listing agent, offering to take better images, and the agent responded quickly, saying that they were interested.

He realized that he could draw from prior experience—his own family’s home had gone up for sale and he’d witnessed the photoshoot by a local photographer a year earlier. He was quick to look her up on Facebook and ask for advice. In anticipation of his first paid shoot, he contacted his friend next door who had a near identical home, and they let him complete a practice shoot.

Unfortunately, the home responsible for the impulsive hustle went under contact before he could take photos of it, but Adam made good use of the setback. He set up Instagram and Facebook profiles, posting sample work of family and friend’s homes. He then offered a fifty dollar visa gift card to a lucky winner who liked and shared his page—later on offering the same reward for a referral bonus to real estate agents.

After conducting some research, Adam figured out an ideal range for what he could charge realtors. To undercut his competition, he decided to go with the lower end of the spectrum. He even gives fifty percent off for the first job he is hired for.

He ended up getting his first job within two weeks!

So far he’s only been doing this for four months, but he’s making $800-1200 dollars each month on the side. This has already made it possible for Adam and his dog to move into a nicer apartment. That’s right, the dog has benefitted from Adam’s hustle.

Ho hopes to grow the business so he can raise his rates, and maybe one day even sink his lens into the more competitive Boston market. You never know, the picture perfect side hustle might be hiding in your local newspaper.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Adam Hoeg Photography: Learn more about this niche photography side hustle over on Adam’s Facebook page

 

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

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

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

GET YOUR FIRST 1,000 EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS

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

Quote of the Day
"I wanted to shoot for realtors that I knew already had photographers in addition to the agents that did not have one –and if they were going to switch over to me, offering my services at a cheaper rate than they currently pay would be a great incentive for them."
—Adam Hoeg #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

Parody Rapper Publishes Educational Music Videos

What It’s About

A musician uses his mad rap skills to help make education more fun and accessible.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

If someone wanted to start an educational song library with limited knowledge or experience, Andrew’s first suggestion would be to start singing karaoke songs. Karaoke songs allow amateurs to understand simple tones, catchy melodies, and the structure in which songs are typically written. He says much of his childhood was spent exploring music in his free time and creating songs based on similar structures that he enjoyed.

Fun Fact

Andrew recently received a message from a fan in Mexico. She sent Andrew a video of her daughter singing along to his songs and told him that his songs also helped her learn English. The amazing part—her three-year-old daughter was diagnosed with non-verbal autism. It never occurred to Andrew that his songs could impact children struggling with developmental disabilities.

Notes from Chris

Episode 671

Andrew DeBell has enjoyed music as long as he can remember. In elementary school, he’d get points knocked off for turning in his assignments as limericks. In junior high, he played in a metal band with a few friends from his neighborhood. He also used to sing parody rap songs and hold concerts in his backyard. [Sounds like me…]

Nowadays, he’s a marketing consultant specializing in digital learning and development. His company partners with clients in developing cutting-edge learning programs.

However, just because he didn’t grow up to headline Coachella, doesn’t mean that Andrew can’t pursue his childhood dreams. In 2015, he started an educational YouTube channel called Jam Campus. It served as a creative outlet where he would post parody songs of popular music. One of his first hits was a rap satire about DNA conducted in the style of Fetty Wap’s “Trap Queen”. At the time, it was just a fun experiment.

But the DNA video was a smash. It made its way around the internet quicker than a Kanye West tweet about the government. Six months later, it was featured on the internet-themed panel game show, @Midnight with Chris Hardwick of Comedy Central. Andrew’s inbox was flooded with emails from teachers singing his praises.

Andrew began creating more songs to meet the increasing demand from his newfound audience. He tackled all kinds of subjects from math to science to history. What started with parodies quickly evolved into original content. He wrote songs about Newton’s Laws of Motion, Photosynthesis, and the phases of the moon.

Currently, Jam Campus brings in at least $500 a month from Google AdSense, Amazon affiliate links and selling video work directly from his site. It’s a nice passive income stream that doesn’t require much upkeep. But is it enough? Andrew says this side hustle is different as he doesn’t have a viable product to purchase.

However, he would like to change all that and turn this into his full-time hustle. He’s got a new business plan in place now that his concept has proven successful. Set to kick off in January, 2019, he’ll be implementing a paid subscription service for access to his premium library of songs and videos.

He still plans on keeping his YouTube channel in place and using it to showcase his material, but the bulk of his new library will be part of a paid subscription service. His monthly price will run $4.99. He wants to keep it affordable for both teachers and students … but he also wants to get paid.

Dropping it like it’s hot since 2015, Andrew’s videos have reached a global audience. A few months ago, a friend of Andrew’s sent him a Jam Campus video playing in a classroom in Japan. He also heard from a fan in Mexico, who sent him a video of her daughter signing along to his songs. She told him his songs helped her daughter learn English. She also mentioned that her daughter was diagnosed with non-verbal autism. It never occurred to Andrew that his songs could impact children struggling with developmental disabilities.

Talk about beats without borders.

Andrew is excited about launching his subscription service in January. His goal is getting Jam Campus in front of as many students and teachers as possible.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Jam Campus: Learning history and science has never been so much fun—check out some of Andrew’s videos over on his channel!

 

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
"If someone wanted to start an educational song library with limited experience, my suggestion would be to start singing karaoke songs. Karaoke songs allow amateurs to understand simple tones, catchy melodies, and the structure in which songs are typically written. This knowledge for musical structure can quickly translate into recording your own songs."
—Andrew DeBell #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

Financial Blog Sprouts into $35,000/Month Money Tree

What It’s About

Two financially savvy guys help millennials keep their minds on their money and their money on their minds.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

When they first started, they invested a lot of man hours digging deeper into SEO best practices and getting their brand out there. Their lesson? “You have to provide the best value for your readers and compete with the websites that are in the top five positions of the Google search engine. You have to look at these higher ranking articles and ask yourself, ‘How can I provide more value than this is already providing?’”

Fun Fact

Think carefully before you get that paper (money). In 2002, a study found that about 94% of the world’s paper money is covered in bacteria. That’s fine, normally, but about 7% of that bacteria is hazardous to your health. Maybe pull out your debit card, next time.

Notes from Chris

Episode 670

Ben Huber, a registered nurse from Virginia, was worried about money. And, like most millennials, he wasn’t the only one. So to ease the worries, he began to invest money into stocks and poured over everything he could learn about assets, liquidity, and other related investment terms in between shifts at the hospital.

It helped that he had friends in high places to help him along the way. More specifically, one friend, Jeff, who also happened to be a private wealth manager. They were always worried about money and knew they weren’t alone. But, contrary to what some opinionated individuals may tell you, it wasn’t just because they liked having avocado toast for breakfast.

As a wise man once said, they knew they needed to keep their mind on their money, and their money on their mind.

What’s the best way to share information about stocks? A blog, of course. So, Ben and Jeff took it upon themselves to create DollarSprout, a blog that gave them a platform to share their analysis and perspective on the stock market in a more accessible way.

They wanted to experiment with monetizing their content, so they set it up as a membership site that readers could pay a monthly fee to access and learn more about specific stocks, stock market commentary, and anything else they decided to put on their website.

Ben realized, pretty quickly, that their site was very niche… which also meant that not a lot of people would pay to access it. They also realized how competitive their chosen space was. They found themselves competing with large banks and advisory services with bigger budgets, so it wasn’t exactly feasible for them to present themselves as competition in the long term. The duo knew they could offer value to their readers, but it would be a real uphill battle to get their side hustle off the ground.

Soon, they began churning out content that appealed to millennials, with posts like “10 ways to make extra money” and “20 ways to save money,” and soon started seeing a consistent, monthly 5-figure traffic count rolling into their website.

Ben and Jeff only started making money in August of 2016, but by the end of the year, they’d made about $4,000. Their breakout month happened in January 2017, conveniently a great time for people to think about their own finances, and they generated $7,000 in revenue that month alone. By the next year, they eclipsed $12,000 in monthly revenue. In September 2018, they made over $36,000 in monthly revenue. And they’re only stacking up paper from there.

Ben says that the key to their success, especially since it took them years, was avoiding “shiny objects” syndrome, which posits that people look for what makes them the most money, rather than looking for something that allows them the luxury of time to scale and reflect on their next steps. They held out for consistency as they put in work to watch their status escalate and make their side hustle a success.

They’re cashing in on that consistency, especially as they’ve both turned their side hustle into their full-time job, and they’re hiring full-time employees to help them keep up with demand. They’ve got to fill an office now, after all. Money trees might be the perfect place for shade, but Ben and Jeff prove that investing time and hard work into a side hustle could be the second best place.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • DollarSprout: Learn more about this financial success over on Ben’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
"Rather than chase a large contract or chase larger sources of income, stick with the basics and find something that caters to your strengths. Find a way to build some kind of a base income from there. This gives you more flexibility and less stress when you move to the planning phase of things when you want to scale."
—Ben Huber #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

Maniac Pumpkin Carving! This Spooky Side Hustle Won’t Scare You Away

What It’s About

Two friends who take the tradition of pumpkin carving to greater heights!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

In the first few years, they did a lot of guerrilla marketing where they would just show up at various places and create pumpkins that they thought were awesome hoping that people would share them and repost them. Since their work was so visually striking, it really caught on and is part of the reason why their client count rose so sharply.

Sometimes traditional marketing isn’t the best for your side hustle—it pays to think outside of the box! Consider what you could do to get your product in front of a new audience.

Fun Fact

The Maniac Pumpkin Carvers team accept pretty much any request—very rarely will they come up against a project that they consider too big or too small. And this extreme openness when it comes to tackling projects has led to some truly strange orders…

Marc said that the weirdest was from an online men’s magazine who wanted them to do a silhouette of Ice-T’s girlfriend—apparently, she’s kinda famous for her large behind.

Notes from Chris

Episode 669
Halloween comes with a lot of traditions—dressing up, trick-or-treating, toilet papering the house that gave you raisins… But none of these are more symbolic of the holiday than the classic jack-o’-lantern. Originally brought over by the Irish as a ward against the spirits that walk on All Hallow’s Eve, the jack-o’-lantern has come far from its humble, turnip roots (no really, the original jack-o’-lantern was a turnip).

For most of us, the act of carving a jack-o-lantern consists of enthusiastic (albeit often misguided) jabs at a pumpkin with a kitchen knife, removing “the guts,” and plenty of futile attempts to create something even vaguely resembling a face. But for Marc Evan and Chris Soria of Maniac Pumpkin Carvers: in Brooklyn, NY, it’s so much more…

But to tell this story, we need to go back to the 90s. You see, Marc and Chris are not just partners—they’ve been best friends since grade school where they bonded over a shared love of art and all things horror.

The days leading up to Halloween were spent creating gruesome makeup for elaborate costumes, planning out the best candy route, and, in high school, even planning and building their very own haunted house!

Where they really hit their spooky stride was in college. Being the artistic geniuses that they were, they both landed spots at Parsons School of Design—one of the country’s top art institutions. Here, they were able to really test their mettle and explore a broad range of various mediums—digital works, painting, illustration, murals, photography. You name it, and they probably got their hands dirty with it at one point or another. They were always eager to experiment with something new.

But art school isn’t cheap. To pay their way, they worked at a number of bars and restaurants in the area. And it was here that they first began experimenting with a medium of a more organic nature: pumpkins.

As Marc said, it all began pretty innocently enough. It was just something fun that they could do during their downtime at work to set up decorations for Halloween, but their competitive natures took them to new and more daring heights. Over the course of a couple of years, they went from carving simple jack-o-lanterns to full-on works of art.

With the assistance of paring knives and the occasional lemon zester, Marc and Chris chipped, peeled, and carved away chunks of pulp with care and precision to reveal the eerily realistic-looking zombies and monsters of all shapes and sizes.

As Halloween week itself rolled around, they began chronicling their masterpieces and posting them to a Flickr account.

Soon, the requests for customized jack-o’-lanterns came pouring in faster than an unchecked arterial wound! Early in, their designs caught the eye and attention of the likes of Martha Stewart, the Food Network, and even the New York Yankees. That was right around the World Series, and Yankee Stadium had them carve up 50 pumpkins with a detailed logo design for each of their skybox seats.

The two friends AKA maniacal pumpkin slashing duo transformed their tiny apartment into a dungeon of pumpkin destruction to keep up with demand. Within the first week, every corner was littered with the grisly remains of pumpkins of all shapes and sizes—pounds of pulp and an unlimited supply of seeds.

Their season typically runs from September to Thanksgiving, and during that time, Team Maniac is focused on creating as many eerie works of temporary art as possible over the season which generally means anywhere from 500-1,000 pumpkins! And at $150-700+ a pop, those numbers start to really add up.

There’s still a lot left on the chopping block for this team of renegade pumpkin carvers, and ultimately, for Marc, Chris, and their team, the work isn’t about the money—it’s about the innovation and change in the industry that they’ve been able to fuel. As Marc said, he never imagined he’d be getting paid well to jab at pumpkins for a living.

It’s made him realize that, if you’re creative enough to try something really weird and go for it, you just might be able to carve a career out of it.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Maniac Pumpkin Carvers: Learn more about this dynamic, knife weilding duo and their spooky side hustle success over on 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
"I never imagined I’d be jabbing at pumpkins for a living. It’s made me realize that, if you’re creative enough to try something really weird and go for it, you just might be able to carve a career out of it."
—Marc Evan & Chris Soria #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