Archives: Podcast

Children’s Book Author Turns Page to New Income

What It’s About

A mother makes a career out of telling children stories.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

If you want to teach others something, make sure that you have developed the necessary skill and experience first. Plus, building career capital gives you perspective and confidence that can help you stand out from the competition!

Fun Fact

Before Eevi started helping aspiring children’s book authors, she was creating and launching book trailers for USA Today bestselling authors like Nicholas Sansbury Smith, Debra Webb, and James Hankins. By all metrics, she had a thriving business. It was only when she realized that she couldn’t scale her business that she decide to pivot.

Notes from Chris

Episode 538

For work at home mom Eevi Jones, a career that was non-location dependent was of vital importance. With a military spouse, she never could stay in one place for too long, having moved 12 times over the past 19 years. Besides building Lego castles with her two boys during the day, Eevi was also a successful children’s book author who helped publishing houses launch book trailers for their bestselling authors.

By all measures, Eevi’s career was going well. With over a dozen children’s books published, Eevi had substantial experience authoring, illustrating, and marketing books in her niche. With her vast experience particularly in the illustration of books, she found herself booked out weeks or months in advance with great demand for her services. But at the beginning of 2017, she realized that work was catching up with her. Sometimes she would go to bed at 1 in the morning, and then be up at 5. She couldn’t spend time with her children or her husband, and she didn’t have time to write children’s books anymore. She found she was becoming a victim of success.

What do you do when you’re overwhelmed with work and business? You start another business, of course! A different kind of business.

Eevi’s friends had suggested that she could teach others how to launch a career as a children’s book author. With her vast experience and familiarity with the publishing industry, it was a natural change, and Eevi became convinced that this was a business which she was uniquely qualified to build.

To date, Eevi has managed to earn upwards of $1,500 a month from the combined revenue of her published book and coaching. The course is now becoming a reality.

She expects that her monthly income will grow as she scales her efforts and grows her platform – something she was never able to do in her previous business. The success of authors whom she has coached also gives her immense satisfaction that she didn’t have before.

Eevi attributes most of her success to having built up “career capital.” It’s a concept coined by University of Georgetown Professor Cal Newport, who says that mastery and the keys to a good career come from developing experience and expertise. Not only did Eevi publish a dozen children’s books before she started teaching this skill to others, she also made sure to continually refine her material by approaching the issue from a beginner’s perspective. It’s made a big difference in setting her apart from her competition.

Like Eevi, you too can write a new chapter in your business or side hustle. Just don’t be afraid to turn the page!

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • EeviJones.com: Learn more about what it takes to become a children’s author over on Eevi’s website!
  • CreateSpace: The platform that Eevi used to create the outline for her book and self-publish

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 love seeing how much my offerings are wanted and needed. Writing a children’s book is very much a passion project for many of my clients, so it’s wonderful to know that I’m helping them fulfill one of their most precious dreams."
—Eevi Jones #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Try ShipStation for 60 Days FREE!

Today’s episode of Side Hustle School is brought to you by ShipStation, the #1 choice of online sellers. 📦

To get a 30-day trial AND an additional month free, click the microphone at the top of their page and enter the word HUSTLE.
Get it Here

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.
Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Brooklyn App Developer Spins All-Natural Cotton Candy

What It’s About

A sweet side hustle that’s as light as air!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

One piece of advice that Alisha had for future side hustlers is to master the cold email and follow-up. So many of their successes started with a simple email that they sent to potential collaborators! They made sure to keep their emails short and sweet so that they could convey the value of their business without taking up too much of the other person’s time.

Fun Fact

Who introduced cotton candy to the world? A dentist—Dr. William Morrison of Nashville to be specific. In 1897, he and candy maker John C. Wharton invented a device that melted sugar and blew it through a fine screen to create “Fairy Floss.” He introduced it at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair and sold 68,000 boxes for 25¢ each ($6.75 in today’s money). Personally, I think it was a ploy to bring in more cavities…

Notes from Chris

Episode 537

Alisha Vimawala isn’t new to the world of side hustling. Not only is she a full-time product manager for Fueled, an app development agency in New York City, but she also has a successful dance-related YouTube Channel and a published children’s book. But her latest hustle is more colorful and flavorful than all the rest.

In late 2015, Alisha was hanging out with her friend and fellow YouTube side hustler, Margaret Taormina, when the two started playing with a toy cotton candy maker Margaret had received for Christmas. It didn’t take long for them to come up with an idea: all-natural cotton candy catering.

The rest of the holiday went by, but neither Alisha nor Margaret could get the idea out of their head. As soon as January slowed down, they started experimenting with flavors.

They began by ordering some sample materials online: pure herbal extracts, plant-based colors, and specialty sugars. It quickly became clear that, while it would be cheaper to use artificial flavoring, using the natural stuff led to a much higher quality product. [Plus, as a bonus, you wouldn’t die when you ate it.]

The cotton candy they made not only had a crisp and clear flavor, but its light and fluffy texture made each taste like taking a bite out of the sky—not sticky or gooey. Just a couple months into this initial R&D phase, Alisha and Margaret had their first four flavors: mint, citrus, lavender, and rose.

And then a call came. A close friend had access to an incredible opportunity: the Juilliard Annual Alumni Benefit. This was it. This was their chance to test their flavors, see if demand was really there, and get their name out there for the first time.

Alisha and Margaret are looking at opening up their own storefront for Not Your Average Cotton in New York City. They’re using a service called “PopShop” to find short-term pop-up opportunities while they look for investors. Despite the several equipment upgrades, event and regulatory fees, and all those all-natural ingredients, Not Your Average Cotton is profitable and debt-free. Let’s not sugarcoat it: starting a modern-day food product that plays on nostalgia is hardly taking candy from a baby, but the sweet reward is worth it.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Not Your Average Cotton: Take a bite out of Alisha and Margaret’s all-natural cotton candy—learn more 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

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
"Start something, even if you don’t feel ready. We learned so much from each of our different pop-ups that we wouldn’t have figured out without actually experiencing it."
—Alisha Vimawala #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Try ShipStation for 60 Days FREE!

Today’s episode of Side Hustle School is brought to you by ShipStation, the #1 choice of online sellers. 📦

To get a 30-day trial AND an additional month free, click the microphone at the top of their page and enter the word HUSTLE.
Get it Here

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.
Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Movie Industry Friends Rewrite the Credits, Earn $20,000/Month

What It’s About

Two friends streamline the act of giving credit where credit is due.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

There are all sorts of ways to make money. What is something in your industry that other people might never think of, but you know is a hassle or otherwise takes a lot of time? What could be a possible solution or just a substantial improvement to it?

Fun Fact

Although Endcrawl is a SaaS product with a login area for customers to use, we served about 100 indie films before we even rolled out our first UI. Over time we built out an api and automated more features but the core product is still very similar. Since then over 1,000 movies have used Endcrawl.com. Including movies like Moonlight and The Big Sick.

Notes from Chris

Episode 536

When it comes to business models, software has to be one of the most profitable. Huge companies like Microsoft make their billions by selling software to customers worldwide. But, is it possible to create a software business as a side hustle? Today we’re featuring a side hustle that proves it can be done.

Introducing Endcrawl, a software product built by John Eremic AKA “Pliny” and his co-founder Alan. Endcrawl is what’s known as a SaaS—software as a service—product. Unlike conventional software that might be installed on your computer, (like Windows or Excel). SaaS products run in the cloud, and customers pay a fee to use or access them.

Endcrawl serves a very specific purpose—t creates end credit sequences for movies. You know, the type you see scrolling along in black and white when you’re leaving the cinema. Where every person that had a hand in making the film gets their credit. Well, each of those names had to be added to a list, sent to a typographer then sent to a videographer who would compile and edit. The sequence then needs to be rendered for film so it can grace the silver screen.

Endcrawl completely automates that process using software, and aspiring and professional filmmakers the world over are paying for the privilege of using it. Let’s take a look at how this came to be.

It all started with a couple of drinks. The guys both worked in the film industry, and they had both brainstormed ideas in the past but never committed to anything. One night at a party, they committed to building a project together, solving a problem they’d long knew existed: the time consuming and painstaking task of creating end credits software.

Pliny and Alan threw $1,000 each at the project to get started. That would enable them to get a server and the tech required to run something like this, as well as cover any small expenses that might crop up.

Alan had a coding background and was able to whip up a very basic version of Endcrawl. When I say basic, I mean really basic. They had a programmed script that would run on their laptops, and customers would email them a spreadsheet that they’d feed into the script. It would automatically generate the credits and they’d send them back in 15 minutes. Even with the manual process, it was a big improvement, because this process used to take up to 24 hours using the old methods.

The customers loved it! The fact that it was a crude version and wasn’t automated didn’t matter much in the beginning. They were able to charge $500 a pop for each end credits sequence generated. Even with this super basic, and in their words ‘janky,’ proof of concept software, they served their first 100 customers using this system, for $50,000 in income.

Things have begun to ramp up over the last two years though. Now in 2018, Endcrawl is generating around $20,000/month. After expenses are factored in, this gets John and Alan very close to being able to quit their day jobs. Their plan is to double revenue over the next year while holding down their jobs, and if everything goes well look at dedicating the full-time commitment to Endcrawl. By then it will pay them both a livable wage.

So, it is possible to build a software-based business as a side hustle, but it isn’t simple. It can take time to build and the process is slow, methodical and not always certain. But Endcrawl proves it can be done.

From an idea conceived over a few drinks to a script running on one laptop to now generating end credits for films like Moonlight, Snowden, Lady Bird, and The Big Sick, Endcrawl’s days of crawling have dramatically sped up. In fact, they’re off and running!

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Endcrawl: Learn more about Pliny and Alan’s credit software over on their website!
  • 99designs: The platform that Dariusz used to design his logo for Rocket Vodka

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
"Early growth was 100% organic, but what we found is that as we progressed, growth got harder—not easier. There is this fallacy that as you grow, everything just starts flowing downhill. We found the opposite to be true: once all the low-hanging fruit has been picked, the real work of selling starts."
—John Eremic #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Try ShipStation for 60 Days FREE!

Today’s episode of Side Hustle School is brought to you by ShipStation, the #1 choice of online sellers. 📦

To get a 30-day trial AND an additional month free, click the microphone at the top of their page and enter the word HUSTLE.
Get it Here

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.
Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

IT Guy Earns Extra $50,000/Year Restoring Vintage Radios

What It’s About

Gorgeous vintage radios find their second wind!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

With the resurging interest in the phonograph, Allen figured using analog radio or Bluetooth to play MP3/MP4 made sense. He figured out a way to add Bluetooth to make these radios play modern music formats MP3, MP4, Bluetooth or Wifi. For many people, these old radios are just shelf art unless they can listen to their music on iTunes, iPhone, or iPad.

Offering this option opens up his market to a whole new niche of vintage enthusiasts!

Fun Fact

Often for Allen, the satisfaction is in the thrill of the hunt. He remembers one collector who had so many of these old radios in his garage that they were even propping up the falling structure and lying around in piles in his yard! Another collector had so many radios in his attic that there wasn’t enough room for anyone to walk around. He ended up dropping them out of the attic windows while Allen caught them in his driveway below!

Notes from Chris

Episode 535

For IT Professional Allen Chiang, it was a trip to the flea market in 2012 that gave him the inspiration for his side hustle. Despite not being a regular at the flea market, Allen found himself enjoying a leisurely stroll through the stalls looking at the items on offer. He’d been selling random stuff on eBay on the side for years and was hoping he might stumble across something else he could sell.

On one of the tables, he happened across two original, 1950s radios. They looked a little worse for wear and weren’t functional. But they were bright, colorful, and bursting with nostalgia.

If he could restore them, he thought, he might be able to sell them online. For $15 per radio, it wasn’t a massive investment, and he figured he could put his electrical engineering degree to good use trying to fix them.

Allen spent the next few days researching the radios. He looked for answers in blog posts and asked questions in forums, like antiqueradios.com, about anything he couldn’t find a solution to.

Much of the technology in older radios isn’t used today, and there was a steep learning curve. But Allen enjoyed the labor of love, and still to this day says he’d be refurbishing radios even if nobody bought them. Fortunately, that’s not our story—Side Hustle School isn’t about hobbies, it’s about making money!

When he completed work on the first two radios, he listed them on eBay. He looked at the prices of other similar radios that had sold, and he priced his similarly. Much to his delight, the radios sold within a few days, one for $50 and one for $200 to a buyer in the UK. That’s when Allen realized he had a business on his hands, and he decided to look to grow it.

The first step was to find more radios because just like your grandparents told you, radios do not grow on trees. To do this Allen began attending regular flea markets and garage sales, but quickly found this to be too time intensive. He has a 50-60 hour work week and a young family, so he needed to be more efficient in how he spent his time.

So he decided to buy them online, then resell them online on his website, Retro Radio Farm.

Since starting the business, Allen estimates that he’s bought, sold and repaired more than 1,000 radios and $50,000 a year from his side hustle for five to ten hours work a week. He takes 50% of that as his earnings and invests the other 50% back into the business to help it grow.. He’s currently exploring options to sell his radios in a standalone physical store. He also wants to incorporate new technology such as voice activation with these old style radios. Clearly, he’s on the right frequency… tune in to his broadcast to see how it goes!

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Retro Radio Farm: Check out all of the radios in Allen’s well cared for collection over on his website!
  • Shopify: Allen used Shopify to set up his store for Retro Radio Farm, and they’re offering a 21-day trial and exclusive discount for all Side Hustle School listeners!
  • Google AdWords: Google’s online advertising platform that places your ad in the ‘Sponsored Links’ section next to search results to boost website traffic and sales

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
"Each radio repair and restoration project is different and each has a hidden story to tell. When I fix a radio, and it plays again, I feel like I’ve solved a puzzle. And it’s fitting, like from a Stephen King story, when a 50’s song is the first thing that plays after decades of silence."
—Allen Chiang #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Try ShipStation for 60 Days FREE!

Today’s episode of Side Hustle School is brought to you by ShipStation, the #1 choice of online sellers. 📦

To get a 30-day trial AND an additional month free, click the microphone at the top of their page and enter the word HUSTLE.
Get it Here

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.
Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Mindful Moms Make $70,000 on Family Affirmation Cards

What It’s About

Self-love and daily affirmations for the next generation.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Anna encourages those who want to use Kickstarter for their side hustle to prepare, plan, then execute! In their case, the two had professional photos taken, created Facebook advertisements to build their mailing list, and utilized a Kickstarter boosting service called Green Inbox. Not only that, but they also released a teaser video 30 days before their Kickstarter launched to spread the word about their exciting new side hustle.

Fun Fact

The two are incredibly grateful for the flow that they’ve experienced. By flow, they mean the little miracles that seem to fall into their lap. They celebrate these wins with vegan cupcakes, champagne, and disconnecting from their phones.

Notes from Chris

Episode 534

Anna Lozano is no stranger to side hustles. Her family immigrated from Poland to Canada, and when she was growing up, Anna had the quintessential lemonade stand. Then, as she got older, she began working odds and ends jobs to get extra cash. She even sold Polish sausages, no doubt drawing on her extensive knowledge of their origin.

Years later, in 2010, Anna was working in marketing and climbing the corporate ladder. She became dissatisfied and burnt out, and asked herself who she was living like this for. It certainly wasn’t herself. So, her and her husband built an online wellness business. The business was so successful that she was able to retire from cubicle world in 2011. In 2013, her husband was able to do the same. However, as inspiring as this story is, this isn’t what we’re going to be talking about today.

In November of 2016, Anna and her best friend, Lindy Sood, discovered the power of “I am” affirmations.

“I am” affirmations are statements that remind the person saying them of positive and empowering qualities that they have. Some say things like “I am loved”, “I am enough”, and I am “strong”. The women say that stating them changed how they felt, and they were becoming more confident while also feeling more at peace. [Side Note: Personally my affirmations are “I am ready for more coffee.” … “I am ordering a vodka soda” … “I am asking you to get out of my way”]

Anna and Lindy were mothers, and they wondered what effect these affirmations could have on their children. To the best of their knowledge, there weren’t any affirmation cards that focused on families.

So they decided to create Love Powered Co., and their first product would be the Love Powered Littles Box Set.

They started working to launch a Kickstarter campaign. They had the idea in November of 2016, but it wasn’t until August of 2017 that the Kickstarter was ready to go live.

They started working to launch a Kickstarter campaign. They had the idea in November of 2016, but it wasn’t until August of 2017 that the Kickstarter was ready to go live. It’s important to remember that these things take time, and Anna encourages those who want to use Kickstarter for their side hustle to prepare, plan, then execute!

Anna and Lindy’s careful and thoughtful preparation fostered some lovely results. Within the first 24 hours of launching, they had reached their goal of raising $10,000 CAD ($7,687.07 USD). It ended with more than double that amount, at a little under $22,000 CAD ($16,911.56 USD). The two have invested a total of about $40,000 CAD ($30,748.30 USD) to date.

As it turns out, their successful Kickstarter would also parallel their profits. Just from January to May of this year, Love Empowered Co. has earned $70,000 CAD ($54,000 USD). They’re projected to earn $300,000 CAD total this year, due to the upcoming release of their new collections for teens and women.

Right now, most of their sales come from their website, but they’ve also connected with 22 boutiques, yoga studios, and mindfulness centers in the US and Canada. They are fulfilling 20 more wholesale retailer requests this coming July.

Just by identifying one of their own needs and taking initiative to release it out into the world for all, they’ve created a booming side hustle. Now, repeat after me: “I am hustling. I am making money. I am ready to get to work!”

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Love Powered Co.: “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me.” Okay, I definitely didn’t come up with that one… Learn more about Anna and Lindy’s self-love affirmation cards for “littles” over on their website!
  • Kickstarter | Love Powered Littles: Check out the Kickstarter campaign that started it all and take note of the extra things that they did to make their project more legitimate
  • Green Inbox: The crowdfunding boosting service that Anna and Lindy used to get their message even farther

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
"What’s the worst that can happen? You try. You grow. You learn. And then you can try again!"
—Anna Lozano #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Try ShipStation for 60 Days FREE!

Today’s episode of Side Hustle School is brought to you by ShipStation, the #1 choice of online sellers. 📦

To get a 30-day trial AND an additional month free, click the microphone at the top of their page and enter the word HUSTLE.
Get it Here

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.
Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Weekly Recap: “Craigslist Wedding Photographer” Strikes Back

Notes from Chris

Episode 533

LISTENER UPDATES:

You are listening to this show because you are interested in making your life better. Sure, you want to make extra money, and that’s totally okay! It’s totally fine to have that goal (and I think it should be your goal), but you also want to think differently.

You want your tomorrow to be better than your today, and you’re working towards something. Maybe you have a specific goal in mind, or maybe it’s more general—either way, there’s something out there that you need to do. And when you figure this thing out, it is going to make your life better.

In today’s recap, I’m going to read you a couple emails that highlight some of our listeners who are taking action.

  • Alain: “I have listened to every episode since January 1st, and one of your episodes featuring a guy who puts a craigslist ad out to start a wedding photography business (see Ep. 9!) really resonated with me. Naturally, I decided to do the same thing!I bought a camera, built a website with WordPress (of course), and put an ad on craigslist.

    It’s been more than a year now, and I am having the time of my life. I get to photograph weddings, birthdays, baptisms, marriage propositions, anniversaries, etc.—essentially, I get to be a part of the best parts of people’s lives!

    I don’t make $500 every month. I make more during the summer and less during the winter, but it’s side hustle. One of many others.

    Thank you for your podcast! I have share it with lots of my friends. One of my friends took inspiration from one of your earlier podcast, the guitar teacher. My friend started teaching guitar and his side hustle is also doing well.”

  • Phil: “I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed your book. I’m 22 and in the summer of 2017, I participated in a cross-country bike ride (NYC -> San Fran) as one last hurrah after graduating college and going to work. After the trip, I went to work in rural Pennsylvania for about six months before resigning from my job. I soon realized I had the opportunity to participate in the cross-country cycling event again, and even be the leader of the 20+ students riding!When I told my parents of this opportunity they didn’t really understand why I wanted to do the trip again, instead of finding another job and saving money. But I knew deep down this trip was what I needed even if I couldn’t explain why. Reading your book has helped me better understand my feelings and remind me of the power behind these types of life experiences. Thank you!

    Hopefully, you have the time to read all this, I’m sure you’re a busy man. If you’re curious about the group I am apart of, check out illini4000.org. We raise money for cancer research and are currently on day 14 of 77 on our 4700-mile journey!”

If you have something you’d like to ask me or an update you’d like to share, I’d love to hear from you. Leave me a voice message on the website or call into the Side Hustle Hotline (Dial 844-9-HUSTLE // 844-948-7853), and your question may be featured on the show!

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. 527 – A dog lover learns to bake and sell superfood dog treats, earning $3,000/month with just $3,000 in startup costs
  • Ep. 528 – Strategy consultants turn a round-the-world trip into inspiration for passive income
  • Ep. 529 – An “involuntary sabbatical” prompts this Polish marketer to investigate the possibilities of apple-based vodka
  • Ep. 530 – A project manager in California lights up a new revenue stream and smokes the competition with his counterculture emojis
  • Ep. 531 – A breakup brings two sisters together to create one happy side hustle
  • Ep. 532 – After feeling burned out from a career at Nike, this merchandiser looks elsewhere for radical inspiration. She then moves her side hustle to Austin, Texas while relocating for a new job

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Join me at the World Domination Summit!

Have you heard of the World Domination Summit? This is a gathering of awesome people—an event that I’ve been hosting together with an amazing team in Portland, OR every summer for the past eight years.

WDS 2018 is coming up at the end of the month (June 26th-July 2nd), and we’ll be welcoming people from over 30 different countries. With inspiring keynote speakers, a week full of activities and attendee-led meetups, and two incredible parties, you won’t want to miss it!

This is our final wave of main stage tickets so visit our website to get your ticket to this incredible, once a year event! We promise that it’s unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before.

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:

  • He wanted to start a side business and put his engineering degree to good use. When he stumbled across two 1950s radios, he found an idea that was right on his wavelength
  • Those long credit sequences at the ends of movies can include a LOT of names—and they also take a lot of time for producers to coordinate. When two industry friends team up to simplify the process, they crawl their way to a highly profitable side hustle
  • And so 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
"Resourcefulness is your most important skill. Spend your time getting better at figuring things out!"
—#SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Create a Stunning Website With Wordpress

Today’s episode of Side Hustle School is brought to you by Wordpress.com! Whether you’re looking to create a personal blog, business site, or both—you’ll make a big impact, when you build your website on WordPress.com. 💻

Get 15% off when you build your website with Wordpress.com—use promo code PODCAST when you check out.
Get Started Here

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.


Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Austinite Creates Radical Girl Clothing Line

What It’s About

A Nike employee creates a clothing line of her own.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Even in a crowded market, you can create enough demand to produce a nice income on the side. There are hundreds, if not thousands of t-shirt companies out there, but by focusing on a young female demographic, Bre managed to find a sizable customer base.

Fun Fact

Research conducted in 2016 revealed that only 4% of the CEOs at the Fortune 500 companies were women. This is a huge divide between the genders, and Bre believes that If we can get more women thinking of themselves as CEO’s, we’ll be able to change that statistic.

Notes from Chris

Episode 532

Bre Cruickshank never asked for permission. Although residing far from the catwalks and fashion districts of New York City, she always had a love of retail and clothing. And geography is no longer a barrier. The internet has completely flipped the fashion design business on its head. What would have felt impossible just a couple of decades ago —starting your own clothing line— is now commonplace for budding fashionistas the world over. Bre has built up a successful side hustle using the internet as her only marketing channel, all while based out of Austin, Texas.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s go back to the beginning of Bre’s side hustle story in early 2017. She was living in Portland, Oregon and working for one of the worlds largest clothing companies, Nike, in their retail sector. Although the Nike slogan —just do it— is known the world over, the tagline isn’t something that resonated in the work she was doing. She spent her 9-5 feeling burnt out and unfulfilled.

Fast forward just a few months to mid-2017. Bre and a few of her friends are brainstorming a few ideas while drinking cheap wine at a party. With the dissatisfaction of her day job firmly in mind, the idea for her side hustle began to hatch. That brainstorming session gave birth to a fashion concept, something built with purpose AND profits in mind.

She would call it Radical Girl Gang—known as RGG—is an online-only t-shirt and fashion company dedicated to women’s empowerment. RGG would reflect the values and beliefs that Bre personally holds. The brand would be an extension of herself.

The first step was to come up with some initial t-shirt designs. Bre knew there was no need to get too radical here and kept the first batch to just 5 designs. As she and her friends were the target demographic they brainstormed t-shirts that they’d want to wear themselves.

Many of Radical Girl Gangs initial customers were friends of Bre’s, but it didn’t take long to build up some word of mouth and develop a bit of a following. The target market of 20-something females are quite active on social media and since RGGs inception the social accounts have fostered many fans. Allowing for the brand to stay front of mind and attract new customers using high quality fashion shots.

This small online fashion label is generating up to $1,500 profit per month. Not bad for a part-time gig outside of her day job! $1,500/month isn’t enough to quit her job, but that’s okay. In her own words, she ‘loves’ her job, finds it stimulating, and appreciates that it offers a steady paycheck, benefits, and the knowledge that her 401k is safe and sound.

She views her biggest challenge as accepting that she doesn’t yet know the final destination… but she’s happy to have set out on the journey.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

 

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

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

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

GET YOUR FIRST 1,000 EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS

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

Quote of the Day
"Comparison will eat away at your creativity and drive if you let it, so stay focused on your path and ignore everyone else. They’re not you. What you’re doing matters. Remember why you started. In the darkest moments, this is what will keep you afloat."
—Bre Cruickshank #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Create a Stunning Website With Wordpress

Today’s episode of Side Hustle School is brought to you by Wordpress.com! Whether you’re looking to create a personal blog, business site, or both—you’ll make a big impact, when you build your website on WordPress.com. 💻

Get 15% off when you build your website with Wordpress.com—use promo code PODCAST when you check out.
Get Started Here

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.


Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Curated Gift Boxes for Breakups and Baby Bumps

What It’s About

Two sisters team up to create a gift box service for millennials!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Happy Box Store is centered on two retail trends: customization and convenience. Gifting has become a 130 billion dollar industry in the U.S., so there is no shortage of need in the marketplace. But that also means that customers are looking for a unique and custom solution. Nobody wants to give their friend something they already have, so they’re looking for something that is unexpected. That unexpected something also needs free shipping. For convenience’ sake!

Fun Fact

The postal service has an interesting delivery history, like the time a baby was put in the mail. Apparently it was legal to mail a baby by the U.S. postal service until 1915. In 1914, to save money on a train ticket, May Pierstorff’s parents paid the 53 cents postage to mail their 5-year old child to her grandparents for a visit. She rode the whole way in the mail car and was delivered to her grandparents’ house by the mail clerk on duty. That puts a new spin on ‘going postal.’

Notes from Chris

Episode 531

They say that when one door closes, another door opens. That tends to be the case for many things in life, including side hustles. In this particular story, the closing door was Ariel Redmond’s breakup. The opening door? All the inspiration needed for a new side hustle to blossom.

Hannah Redmond wanted to be there for her sister, Ariel, during her break up, but they were separated by distance. You see, at the time, both 20-somethings were away for college (Ariel in NYC, and Hannah in Maryland), and since Hannah lived too far away to be there, armed with pints of ice cream and boxes of tissue in person, she had to settle for the next best thing. Hannah ran all over the city to find fun little things to send to Ariel to cheer her up. Kind of like an adult care package… because not all heroes wear capes.

Halfway through her adventures in curating, with a full box of goodies ready to mail to Ariel, Hannah felt like there had to be a better way to do this. She couldn’t be the only caring friend or sister who wanted to make a tough week a little less hard. Curating a box of goodies was fun, but running around to get everything? Much less so. And Hannah hadn’t even been to the post office yet. She knew that it would be worth it when Ariel opened the box, but Hannah still wished she cut out, or at least minimize the legwork.

There had to be a better way. And if there wasn’t, Hannah decided that she would certainly make it happen herself.

Luckily, she didn’t have to go it alone. Ariel loved her care package, and Hannah’s idea, so much that when the side hustle concept was floated she jumped at the chance. Happy Box Store was the happy result.

The idea was simple yet innovative. Hannah and Ariel wanted to create the modern day gift basket that would suit any occasion in a millennial life. Each box is both personalized and convenient, which ticks some very important boxes.

The customer picks their box, which cover every life event from the Breakup, Cheer Up, Birthday, and Housewarming boxes, fill their chosen box with fun gifts, and selects a card to send along with it. Then, Hannah and Ariel pack up the box, includes a handwritten note from the customer, and ships it to the lucky recipient.

Happy Box is centered on two retail trends: customization and convenience. Gifting has become a 130 billion dollar industry in the U.S., so there is no shortage of need in the marketplace. But that also means that customers are looking for a unique and custom solution. Nobody wants to give their friend something they already have, so they’re looking for something that is unexpected. That unexpected something also needs free shipping. For convenience’ sake, of course.

Hannah and Ariel invested a combined $5000 of their savings into Happy Box so they could build a website and purchase their first stocks of inventory. Everything they’ve made to date is put directly back into the business to cover additional inventory purchases and help them source even more products to include in the next boxes.

Their investment has really paid off! These days, Hannah and Ariel send out hundreds of customized and curated boxes on a monthly basis, and at $40-60 a pop, those numbers really start to add up. And the customer testimonials are equally rewarding. Ariel told us that each testimonial makes them “feel like what we’re doing truly has a well-deserved space and purpose. Balancing our work lives and side hustle lives can be challenging with demanding jobs, but each happy customer makes it worth it.”

While they continually learn how to scale their side hustle, they’re also focused on making site improvements, choosing new products to offer, and they’re even testing out corporate gifts as well. Whatever happens next, it’s sure to pack a punch!

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Happy Box Store: No matter the occasion, Hannah and Ariel have what you need—check out the boxes and products that they offer over on their website!
  • Shopify: Hannah and Ariel used Shopify to set up their store for Happy Box, and they’re offering a 21-day trial and exclusive discount for all Side Hustle School listeners!

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

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
"When we’re not working at our day jobs, or spending our weekends working on our side hustle together, we’re doing pro-bono work for an independent filmmaker—who also happens to be our mom. I guess you could say we like businesses that run in the family!"
—Hannah & Ariel Redmond #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Create a Stunning Website With Wordpress

Today’s episode of Side Hustle School is brought to you by Wordpress.com! Whether you’re looking to create a personal blog, business site, or both—you’ll make a big impact, when you build your website on WordPress.com. 💻

Get 15% off when you build your website with Wordpress.com—use promo code PODCAST when you check out.
Get Started Here

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.


Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

“Stoner Culture” Emojis Roll Out $10,000/Month in Passive Income

What It’s About

Counterculture emojis roll in the legalization of recreational marijuana in California!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

It pays to pay attention to trends! If you’re really stumped trying to come up with something to test, look to what is making waves and ride it. At the very least, it will give you some experience—but on the flip side, you could end up with enough money to spend on your next project and some experience!

Fun Fact

Before emojis, there were emoticons, facial expressions made with punctuation marks. The first emoticons appeared in an issue of Puck magazine, all the way back in 1881. The magazine published four “faces”—conveying joy, melancholy, indifference, and astonishment—and called them “typographical art.”

These days, there are over 1,800 emojis in existence—who knew you could say so much through little pictures of fruit?!

Notes from Chris

Episode 530

Whether you love them, hate them, or use them exclusively to convey your thoughts and feelings online, there’s no denying that emojis have infiltrated our society. Although text messages have become a major form of communication, by themselves, they often fall a little, well, flat with words alone.

Oh yes, the days before emojis were fraught with miscommunication and a dark period in our history indeed…

Although emojis got their start as simple, punctuation-based smileys, they really hit their stride by 2016…and that’s where today’s story begins.

2016 was the year that Apple introduced new emojis for cheese, champagne, and tacos among others, and at the time, a 25-year-old Eli Graham was working as a Product Manager for a digital marketing agency in Los Angeles, California. Like most millennials his age, Eli had an eye for trends.

Always on the cutting edge of what was new in the market, he noticed that the emoji market showed no sign of slowing, and with the legalization of recreational marijuana in California coming through the haze, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to combine the two in the form of a side hustle.

Although he had some experience in design, Eli opted to hire an illustrator to bring his ideas to life. Drawing on inspiration from alternative street brands, he built his emojis with an edge from stoner culture and a healthy hit of parody. The classics were all in attendance although clearly under the influence, and since it was 2016 after all, they even threw in some emojis of Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, as well as the current occupant of the White House. Oh, and also one or two police officers who had clearly dipped into the evidence room…

In the beginning, building an app seemed like his best bet, but he eventually discovered the option to license his emojis. And that’s where he really found his all-time high—letting other companies use his designs on products.

These days, Eli and the licensing company he has partnered with have expanded their product offerings to include some apparel and keychains, and they sell anywhere from $100-150k in product a month, which means that Eli himself brings in roughly $10-15k himself in pure profit!

Since he spent around $10,000 in getting his app and emojis out to everyone, he recouped his initial investment within the first couple of months and everything that has been coming in since has helped him completely cover his living expenses and even pay for a new car. Still, Eli says that the best part of all of this has been proving that he didn’t have to depend on his day job if he didn’t want to.

Moving forward, Eli has some dope plans for new designs and is even in talks with a licensing company who works with brands like Urban Outfitters—look out for his SMOKEmoji licensed items!

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

 

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

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

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

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
"While there were a few things that led to the success of SMOKEmojis, I wouldn’t say that it was an exact recipe for success. No two projects will be exactly the same, but the lessons still remain: be observant, be persistent, and be on the lookout for ways to take it to the next level."
—Eli Graham #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Create a Stunning Website With Wordpress

Today’s episode of Side Hustle School is brought to you by Wordpress.com! Whether you’re looking to create a personal blog, business site, or both—you’ll make a big impact, when you build your website on WordPress.com. 💻

Get 15% off when you build your website with Wordpress.com—use promo code PODCAST when you check out.
Get Started Here

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.


Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Unemployed Polish Guy Launches Apple-Based Vodka Line

What It’s About

A vodka side hustle that really shoots for the stars!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

The reason for Dariusz’s scrappy mentality is that he had $10,000 he was willing to “lose” on this side hustle. This was his limit he was allowed to reach before he assessed how the business was performing. If he hit this limit and was seeing growth, he’d continue, and if not he’d call it a day. So he was trying to eek every last bit out of this budget.

Fun Fact

When hosting an event in Truckee, California, Dariusz was able to share some of his vodka with cycling fan-favorite Peter Sagan. Peter’s father was there and, through some Slavic language connections of Czech and Polish, Dariusz was able to communicate with him.

Notes from Chris

Episode 529

For Dariusz Paczuski, it was an “involuntary sabbatical” that prompted him to start his side hustle. After four and a half years as the head of marketing for a California startup, Dariusz found himself leaving work due to a restructure in the company. This was the first time he’d been without a job for many years, and he had a lot of time on his hands.

At first, he took advantage of that time to enjoy himself and work on projects that had fallen by the wayside due to his job. He spent time with his family, he went on skiing trips, and he even trained for a half Ironman! But as he began to reach the end of his to-do list, Dariusz had to answer an important question, “What am I going to do next?”

Although he was actively searching for jobs, he faced an indefinite amount of time without work and wanted to make the most of it. This was when he decided to act upon a dream he’d been sitting on for many years. The dream was to start his own vodka business.

Dariusz had long fantasized about finding an old-school vodka maker in a rural town of his native Poland, bringing that vodka to the masses as a premium drink.

So Dariusz began what he called his “Polish Vodka Quest” to see if he could find that person. He took a trip to Warsaw, where his mother still lives, and the two explored the vodkas of the region on tastings and tours. They tried lots of different vodkas from many distilleries and talked with many crusty old makers. But the more he vodka he drank, the soberer he became about the problems with his business idea. The logistics of creating, distributing and selling the vodka this far from home would be tough—especially once he found full-time employment again.

He came back to California from Poland and put the vodka dream on hold, especially once he did find a job in a new marketing position for Yahoo. His side hustle would have to be workable on evenings and weekends, so if was ever going to happen, he’d need to find a way to make production more local. So, he began exploring options closer to home in northern California.

Once he found a distillery in California to make his version of apple vodka, Rocket Vodka really took off, and it was time to focus on marketing and sales.

And these sales ended up coming from the Rocket Vodka crew, who are independent salespeople Dariusz has hired, who bring the product to restaurant and bar owners and convince them to place the product on their shelves. It took Dariusz and the crew members 21 months to get the product on the shelves of 80 different establishments, but this momentum carried forward, and it only took them four months to add the next 80.

Thanks to this method, Rocket Vodka can now be found on the shelves of 170 different locations, which they call “launch pads,” and has seen sales of over 10,000 bottles. He didn’t have to give away the initial inventory to his 1,200 closest friends after all!

Dariusz has also drawn on his experience in marketing to help grow an impressive online presence for the product, with a following of over 42,000 fans.

He’s grown this presence by looking for the specific moments in his customer’s day he can look to own. Dariusz knows people aren’t thinking about vodka 24 hours a day, and instead wants to capitalize on the moments in their life the product could be associated with. He calls these moments, “peak moments,” and they usually come during or after a major event in that person’s day. It could be after a hard day on the slopes and hitting the apres ski, or it could be after closing a major deal in the office. Whatever it is, Dariusz looks to create social media updates that bring those moments closer to his vodka.

What’s next? He’s following the motto, “If we keep growing, we’ll keep going!” This means as long as he sees continued growth in the business, he’ll keep running it. He has no plans to leave his day job and actually sees running Rocket Vodka as an opportunity to improve in his day-to-day work life. And, of course, when he wants to celebrate after-hours, his favorite drink is always close at hand.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Rocket Vodka: Fuel your next adrenaline-packed adventure with Rocket Vodka—snag a bottle of your own over on Dariusz’s website!
  • 99designs: The platform that Dariusz used to design his logo for Rocket Vodka

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
"Look for friction in the way people do things, and try to remove it. Wherever there is friction and inefficiency, there’s an opportunity to create a product or service."
—Dariusz Paczuski #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Create a Stunning Website With Wordpress

Today’s episode of Side Hustle School is brought to you by Wordpress.com! Whether you’re looking to create a personal blog, business site, or both—you’ll make a big impact, when you build your website on WordPress.com. 💻

Get 15% off when you build your website with Wordpress.com—use promo code PODCAST when you check out.
Get Started Here

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.


Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau