Archives: Podcast

Kiwi Coder Makes Extra $50,000/Year from Virtual Paintbrushes

What It’s About

Virtual paintbrushes for digital calligraphers.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Karin emphasizes that perfectionism is your enemy when it comes to getting a revenue-generating hustle off the ground. Fancy logos and swish websites are nice to have – but not necessary. She has found that her time is much better spent on the things that will offer value in the long run. For example, creating video tutorials on how to install brushes has saved her answering hundreds of questions, and gives customers confidence that the product works.

Fun Fact

Apple is one of Karin’s biggest fans, after spotting her handiwork with their Apple Pencil. Their PR team are keen to tell the world about her colorful creations, which has led to Karin being put in touch with journalists at the NZ Herald and Vancouver Sun who have both written articles about her work.

Notes from Chris

Episode 457

Karin Newport is a software engineer in New Zealand who enjoys her day job. But her analytical day-to-day work left her needing a creative outlet. She had always loved calligraphy, but her tiny apartment meant art supplies and canvases weren’t an option. Then, in 2016, that all changed. She got her first iPad Pro and Apple Pencil, downloaded the Procreate app, and started lettering to her heart’s content.

Using her technical skills, combined with an artistic eye, Karin began creating her own digital paint brushes to give her work the types of textures she was after. She loves bright colors and watercolor effects and wanted brushes that could capture that look and feel. She created brushes using the settings within an app called Procreate and realized that other people might find them useful too.

To test the waters, she made a basic website called iPad Lettering and posted a few brushes as free downloads. She thought: if 100 people download these for free, then maybe there’s an interest in them. One week and a hundred downloads later, it was clear that there was a demand. But would people pay? There was only one way to find out. She posted more brushes, this time with a price tag. Three hours later, she had her first sale. She jumped up and down in her apartment with excitement, realizing that she was well and truly onto something.

Now that she really knew that there was a demand, Karin started spreading the word. Instagram was where she got her artistic inspiration from, so that’s where she headed first. By splashing her beautiful lettering images across Instagram with the ‘ipadlettering’ hashtag, she quickly built up a following. She now has 153,000 followers, and her hashtag has almost 200,000 posts.

Karin brings this approach into all aspects of her customer service, and is always thinking about how she can create value. She offers free tutorial content, handy guides and grids, and even free brushes. She shares these with her growing email list of 35,000 subscribers, who can’t get enough of her ever-expanding range.

Her revenue is equally impressive. She brings in $50,000 a year, with nothing spent on advertising and zero costs outside of the iPad and Apple Pen she had already bought. She set up a free website (using Adobe Business Catalyst) and, although it’s not perfect, it’s all she’s needed to generate a significant income while holding down full-time work.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • iPad Lettering: Up your digital calligraphy game—check out Karin’s brushes on her website!
  • Procreate: The iPad program that Karin used to create her calligraphy creations and brushes
  • Adobe Business Catalyst: The platform that Karin used to create her website for iPad Lettering

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
"The main thing is to just start and not worry about the little things too much. I still have a crappy website 2 years later, but I run the whole thing myself and have to prioritize things. It doesn’t have to all be perfect for it to be successful."
—Karin Newport #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Travel the Globe With Cards For Travel!

Side Hustle School is brought to you by CardsForTravel.com. Use travel hacking to see the world!

When you apply for their most popular, small business rewards card, you can earn 80,000 Bonus Points—enough for three round-trip plane tickets or $1,000 in travel credits. Check out this limited time offer! ✈️ 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: Tips on Crowdfunding Campaigns & Clutter-Clearing

Notes from Chris

Episode 456

THEMES & TAKEAWAYS:

So, last week, we talked about profit margins, and this week, I’d like to offer some tips on launching crowdfunding campaigns and how to keep clutter at bay.

Crowdfunding With Kickstarter

In Ep. 444 from last week, we featured Travis Hancock, the founder of Façade Games (a link to his site can be found on the episode page!). This case study is going phenomenally well! He’s generated over a million dollars with three board games, and he gave us some fantastic tips for anyone looking to start a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter.

Listen to today’s recap to learn more about these seven Kickstarter launching tips and which two are my favorites of the bunch!

Clutter Clearing Tips From Gretchen Rubin

As you may know, the Side Hustle School podcast is part of The Onward Project, a collection of podcasts curated and overseen by my good friend and mentor, Gretchen Rubin. She has a podcast of her own called The Happiness Project, and she’s the author of many bestselling books.

Gretchen and her sister, Elizabeth, have a beloved, if somewhat odd, sisterly ritual: every time Gretchen visits Elizabeth, they clear her clutter. This is tremendously satisfying for Gretchen, and Elizabeth graciously cooperates.

In one of Gretchen’s favorite Happier episodes, Ep. 10, the duo recorded themselves as they courageously cleared clutter in Elizabeth’s home office.

So, why is clearing clutter important to you as a Side Hustle School listener? Well, I think it’s about more than just cleaning up—it’s about being intentional with your life and making sure that everything is there for a reason. And when you do this, I think it’s actually going to help you do better work, be more intentional, and in fact, it probably will help you to be happier.

In the recap, I share a few of my favorite tips, but you should also listen to the full episode on Gretchen’s website!

LISTENER UPDATES + QUESTIONS:

Today I’m sharing a letter we received from Jane, a listener in Toronto, and a listener voicemail from Houston:

  • Jane is “hell-bent” on starting a side hustle, and she wrote in to tell us that she’s already gotten started on a promising, new project! A lot of the people that she’s informally mentored over the years have been promoted and gone on to be very successful in their careers, and she also really enjoys doing this. In many cases, long after they work together, Jane is still helping them and giving them guidance on career decisions. She also volunteers to mentor a new graduate as part of a rotational program that they have at the bank.From her most recent mentee, she learned that many of her colleagues were not getting as much out of their mentor relationships, and naturally, this got the gears turning! She thought that the mentors could use a little help, so she came up with the idea to create a mentoring deck of cards meant to help trigger conversations between mentors and mentees and help them with career discussions and decisions. She’s already printed out 20 decks (Check out the image of her cards below!) So far, she’s had 20 decks printed, and if they’re well received, she’s planning on building a website so that she can start selling them.

  • Houston is interested in starting his own project on student loan debt. He’s still chiseling his own student loan debt down by doing odd jobs here and there, but he’d like to build something that is more sustainable and (ideally) centered around getting rid of student loan debts. This way, he can help others in a similar situation while also getting rid of his own student loan debt.Listen to the recap to hear more about my response to Houston!

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. 450 – After being laid off, a Denver man turns his hobby into a full-time gig that earns $8,000/month
  • Ep. 451 – A new dad’s random acts of kindness kit sparks a movement of positivity while bringing in an extra $500/month
  • Ep. 452 – It’s a bird, it’s a plane… or actually, it’s an acrobatic performance troupe that started as one mom’s side hustle, and now employs 14 people
  • Ep. 453 – A director of operations at a senior center comes up with a way to improve training services—while building a sustainable side income
  • Ep. 454 – The daughter of Ukrainian immigrants turns a love of shopping into an e-commerce shop selling one-of-a-kind vintage clothing
  • Ep. 455 – After learning to design and screen print sweatshirts in college, a Canadian skateboarder starts an Etsy shop that produces consistent, passive income

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 June (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:

  • Frustrated with snobby and overly-serious triathletes, a man creates a Facebook group for more casual and fun discussion. It then transforms into a $30,000 side hustle with tens of thousands of members
  • An adjunct community college professor uploads his final course to YouTube, then converts it to a Udemy course. In just sixteen months, he reaches almost 35,000 students and makes over $100,000 in profits
  • 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
"Debt is a common pain point for a lot of people, but if you want to help them you need to have a believable story. You can’t just be on the same path as them."
—#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

Canadian Sports Enthusiast Earns $1,000/Month Selling Quirky Apparel

What It’s About

A Canadian man earns passive beer money selling matching t-shirt and onsie sets to new parents.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

To minimize risk and volatility, Matt is extremely cautious about expanding his inventory and never purchases any equipment until he is sure he can offer something new. Most of his sales have followed Pareto’s Principle—where 80% of his sales comes only from 20% of his listings. No matter how tempting it is to keep expanding, Matt knows he has to be focused.

Fun Fact

Almost no one would accept Matt’s order for custom t-shirt prints. The one printer who did was extremely surprised when Matt came back for a second order—and then another. Turns out there’s a market for all sorts of design.

Notes from Chris

Episode 455

Born in Toronto, 32-year-old Matt Williams has always enjoyed Canadian action sports. As a child, Matt spent a great deal of time playing video games and drawing. As he grew older, he eventually developed a love for skateboarding, preferring it to other team sports that the boys in high school traditionally favored.

Today, his day job involves managing a Canadian action sports publication, where he gets to cover skateboarding, snowboarding, and surfing to his heart’s content. It’s truly a high school dream come true.

But it wasn’t always smooth sailing. Matt realized that money was a problem at the end of high school. No one was going to pay for college, so Matt had to quickly find a way to come up with a significant sum of cash. His first side hustle idea was to sell his own skateboard-inspired t-shirts, which combined a subject he was interested in with a skill that he had developed as a child.

These shirts sold out quickly to his friends and family, which prompted Matt to head back to his supplier for a second order. He did a few more print runs, then eventually abandoned his side hustle to focus on other opportunities in college.

But Matt’s itch for creating never went away.

Even though Matt enjoyed his job, he would spend his weekends and free time designing things. He would learn techniques such as silk screening and challenge himself to design accessories. Matt’s friends continued to purchase his wares, so he eventually decided to set up an Etsy shop as an easy way to facilitate payments and track his revenue.

Things quickly got bigger than Matt had expected. Orders trickled in at the start, and Matt would usually average a sale or two a week. He would check his Etsy shop, which he calls “Mattmade,” each day after work without fail. This went on for awhile until Matt realized that he could do a lot more than just passively collect payments for the occasional order.

Matt now averages over $1,000 a month from his Etsy shop, but spends only 2 nights a week on his side hustle. His friends have urged him to go all in on his side hustle, but Matt prefers this arrangement. At this pace, he gets to enjoy his work and experiment with his designs knowing that he isn’t dependent on his shop for his income.

Moving forward, Matt intends to explore different lines of apparel and use some of these proceeds to support causes that he feels strongly for. As he puts it, “I just want to continue creating things that people enjoy, with little to no pressure and in my spare time.” He’s not just making products, but also wants to make his own schedule as well.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Mattmade: Interested in a GOT themed t-shirt and onsie for you and your little one? Matt has what you’re looking for over on his Etsy 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
"Surprising as it may seem, 80% of your overall sales will likely come from just 20% of your products. Make sure you know your margins before you expand your range of products!"
—Matt Williams #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

Vintage Clothing Shop Sells Retro Jeans for Modern Money

What It’s About

A first generation immigrant creates a second income buying and reselling vintage clothing.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Liz used the pop-up shop through Topshop to explore whether her unique vintage items would sell. Much to her surprise, they sold quite well, so she decided to focus on them more. This pop-up shop also made Liz organize and up-level a lot of things about a business: she redid her website, started hiring professionals to photograph her items, and she learned how to use the camera herself.

Fun Fact

You may be wondering about the origins of the name of Liz’s shop, Odessa Rae. Well, Odessa is the city in Ukraine where Liz’s parents are from, and Liz started Odessa Rae with her best friend, whose middle name is Rae. Unfortunately, scheduling made it impossible for the friend to remain a partner (she’s a nurse who worked nights), so Liz is running things solo.

Notes from Chris

Episode 454

By day, Liz Zavoyskiy is the business development lead for an entertainment and media investment fund in New York City. By night—and on weekends—she runs Odessa Rae, an online shop that sells custom, one-of-a-kind vintage clothing.

Liz didn’t have plans to open a vintage clothing shop, but a series of events, including an accidental eBay purchase and the launch of a friend’s blog, sent her down the fashion runway.

Liz grew up in Brooklyn, NY, the daughter of two immigrant parents from Odessa, Ukraine. She recalls the immense cultural shock of being around really wealthy people during her freshman year at NYU. The insecurity about her wardrobe, at least in comparison to some of her peers, led her to the vintage shopping world of New York—where she could find special items of clothing, sometimes at a special price—if she looked hard enough. This search eventually morphed into a love of all things pre-owned.

A few years later, in 2016, a friend was launching a blog and wanted a branded piece of clothing for a photo shoot. By this point, Liz had expanded her shopping to eBay and was really into 70s-era denim. She and the friend were browsing eBay and found a vintage Levis denim jacket. They didn’t realize they had placed the winning bid until the jacket showed up at the door a week later.

Liz offered to “bling up” this jacket before her friend’s photo shoot. She borrowed a sewing machine, spent most of a day watching YouTube videos learning how to sew, and delivered a jacket embroidered with a bunch of funky-looking patches. The friend loved it so much that she posted a photo on social media, mentioning that “maybe you could ask her to make one for you.”

Within a half hour, Liz had her first order for a custom jacket from a stranger. This quick success made her think that maybe she could do it more than once.

Because custom jackets were a niche product on social media, she got a lot of early attention in the form of organic press coverage once she built a website for her shop. Her first press feature came a few months after that first custom jacket order, and her shop has since been featured on sites like Elle, InStyle, and ENews.

So what type of profits can be made selling custom vintage clothing? There are good months and bad months, but she usually ends up netting between $1,000 to $1,500 each month. Her startup costs were under $3,000, which covered purchasing sewing machines and setting up her website. The majority of her customers find her on Instagram or through press articles. She updates Odessa Rae once or twice each month with new items but does no paid marketing.

This side hustle not only helped her feel more comfortable around her peers, it also helped build her confidence as an entrepreneur. Liz has truly taken retail therapy to a whole new level!

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Odessa Rae: Vintage threads are always in style—check out Liz’s unique creations over on her website and upgrade your wardrobe
  • Elle, InStyle, & ENews: A few of the online media outlets that covered Odessa Rae and drove more traffic Liz’s way
  • Topshop: The international retailer of clothing, shoes, make-up, and accessories that saw one of the features and reached out to Liz about doing a pop-up shop at their Soho New York store

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
"Clothes don’t make the person, but a great outfit can help accentuate what’s already wonderful on the inside—and making people feel great is what I love to do."
—Liz Zavoyskiy #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

Senior Center Director Creates Virtual Training Service

What It’s About

A director at a senior center sees a need for new training practices and leads the march.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

A large part of Tadd and Kyle’s success here came from Tadd’s ability to use the Power of Observation. While it may be a little scary to launch a side hustle in the corporate arena, it’s definitely an industry ripe for side hustle opportunities.

If you work for a heavy hitter yourself, look around your company or organization and see what is missing. Is there a better way to train your team? If it can’t be you that offers that training, who else could? The point is to get you thinking.

Fun Fact

So, what exactly does this training do? Here’s how it works: the training team signs into the software on a tablet. The software then pulls up a random scenario. For example, a breaking and entering is reported at a home down the street and the suspect is still at large. The police search the facility’s grounds and find the suspect hiding behind some bushes. The team must explain how they would react to the threat, how they would keep residents safe, and how they would interact with police.

Notes from Chris

Episode 453

Tadd Weese is the Director of Operations at Senior Living Community in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He’s an “in-the-trenches” kind of guy, always up-to-date with the latest in the long-term healthcare industry. He’s respected among his peers, and he knows the daily and long-term challenges of facilities like his.

Weese’s idea was based around a hugely inconvenient problem for these facilities: there was no simple, consistent, and non-boring way to provide emergency situation training for employees and report it to the government. Presentations were often dreadfully dull, rarely that practical, and reporting the training to regulatory bodies had to be done manually. There were 3rd party companies providing these trainings in-person already, but they were very costly.

Weese believed that he could create a virtual platform to host thousands of randomized emergency scenarios in an interactive—almost gamified—way. Then, instead of crazy boring presentations, teams of long-term healthcare facilities could work on the required training together, at a time that’s best for the team, and in an engaging way.

Tadd needed help to make this happen, so he turned to his friend, Kyle Golding, a business consultant. At any given time, he’s juggling ten or more businesses that need his skills and expertise. But when Tadd came along with a fresh idea, Kyle knew he had to make time for one more.

Kyle and his team of consultants agreed: this could be a pretty winning idea.

After hitting some snags trying to develop their software, Tadd and Kyle purchased a license for 3rd party software and created a reference product that a more experienced programmer could use to as an MVP (minimum viable product) as inspiration. However, this out of the box software actually worked so well that the pair decided to use it as their launch version for VORTTX.

The team found some healthcare facilities that volunteered to beta test the product for free in exchange for some feedback. This wasn’t difficult since Tadd Weese was so well-connected. These early beta testers provided invaluable feedback over the next few months.

They gave feedback on the user experience, the scenarios themselves, and even the pricing. Since there was no direct competitor, Kyle and Tadd didn’t really even have a ballpark estimate of what their SAAS should cost. The feedback said that they should charge per number of employees and offer discounts to multi-facility businesses.

In 2018, after nearly two years of business, VORTTX has over 3,000 training scenarios—and clients love them. These days, Kyle and Tadd expect between ten and fifteen sales per month, with an average of about $1,250 per sale. Most day-to-day tasks are automated. Targeted ads get VORTTX in front of professionals, referrals bring in long-lasting clients, and the software runs on its own.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • VORTTX: Learn more about how Tadd and Kyle are upgrading corporate training 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
"VORTTX was built from the ground up to be as near autopilot as possible. No one is looking to quit their day jobs, mostly because we all love what we do."
—Tadd Weese #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

Acrobatic Mom Jumps Through Hoops to Become High-flying Entertainer

What It’s About

A side hustle that really takes flight!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

As you can probably imagine, starting something like this takes a lot of work, but it’s something that Emily and Brooks love. If you’re looking to start a side hustle of your own, they would recommend beginning small and just doing what you love!

Fun Fact

Emily and Brooks invested in some seriously unique equipment as the business grew. Their big showpiece is a giant chandelier, which aerialists can fly from. A classy touch for a class act!

Notes from Chris

Episode 452

Emily Tiller had always been a dancer. She trained classically, before taking up fire dancing and then aerial acrobatics as a way to keep fit. During some time in China, she began training daily and loved being up in the air.

Then in 2013, she and her husband Brooks moved to Nashville. They were looking for ways to make extra money, so Emily sought out some aerial dancing gigs. It worked well—she could fit gigs around her job at a health company, where she worked as an executive account manager. She already had some basic equipment and outfits, and soon met other performers through local circus art communities who she could bring in to different gigs. Her act was called ‘Beyond Wings Circus’—and it had lift off.

She built a free website using Webs.com, set up social media profiles on Facebook and Instagram, and reached out to venues and potential clients. By the second year, Emily was doing a gig every other weekend and bringing on an abundance of new performers.

When she had her first baby, things really started to fly. She took maternity leave from her day job at the office and doubled down on Beyond Wings while rocking her son to sleep.

Now with an army of hula hoopers, fire breathers, jugglers, aerial artists and contortionists, Emily is hitting the big time. Having taken $5,000 in their first year, Beyond Wings now brings in $60,000 a year and employs 14 performers full time.

A few weeks ago, Beyond Wings ran nine performances simultaneously across four different states. Next, they hope to take their acrobatic extravaganza outside of Tennessee and expand across the US.

They’re off to a flying start—and it looks like it’s all up from here.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Beyond Wings Circus: Learn more about Emily and Brooks’ high flying act over on their website!
  • Webs: Emily and Brooks used Webs to setup Beyond Wings Circus—learn more about it here

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
"Our growth has truly been organic. We provide over the top entertainment and great customer service, and focus on always delivering a great performance. Word of mouth along with organic social media has allowed us to be featured on local and national television."
—Emily Tiller #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

“Random Acts of Kindness” Project Earns Non-Random Cash Money

What It’s About

Inspired by his grandfather, a new father finds a way to continue his legacy.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

For all of those looking to launch a side hustle, Jesse had this to say:

“I would advise someone to start a side hustle around a theme that they are very passionate about. Every project (even a very part-time side hustle) takes a lot of work/effort and it’s easy to put in the extra time/energy if you love the theme.”

Fun Fact

This act of kindness side hustle was itself inspired by an act of kindness.  As Jesse pulled up to a drive-through, about to pay for his drink, the cashier told him the person ahead of him paid for his order. He was inspired to pass it on in turn, to the person behind him. That’s when he started thinking about how to take this kindness concept forward.

Notes from Chris

Episode 451

Jesse Weinberg, a Founder of a travel-focused digital agency, grew up with the importance of being kind to others. His grandfather was one of his all-time heroes, always impressing that being nice to one another pays off in more ways than one. After his grandfather passed away, Jesse felt he needed to continue his legacy. And once he became a new dad himself, that ethos really set in—and he knew he had to do more.

This lifelong practice inspired what is now known as Kindness & Co.—a side hustle started in 2016 to make kindness an easy act that anyone can extend to the ones they love. Or even complete strangers. Imagine finding a book with a note sharing how it was someone’s favorite and why you should give it a read. Or treating a stranger to lunch, on the fly. Imagine the feeling you’d get knowing someone’s about to stumble upon something special during their day. That feeling is priceless … or actually, it costs $9.99.

With Kindness & Co, Jesse wanted to start something that would spark a movement. A movement of kindness. Where something small could inspire someone to do something selfless. Or even change their point of view through one purposeful act. Jesse came up with the idea of creating a kit to make being kind, effortless.

Kindness and Co. has sold over 1,050 kits in total, with around 50 sales a month bringing Jesse an extra $500 each month consistently. While he is currently working on developing a stronger marketing campaign through visual platforms like Instagram that will allow his customers to share their good deeds with the help of a viral hashtag, the most rewarding part so far has been hearing how people use the kits. One customer went above and beyond, using the kit to buy 100 cheeseburgers to give to the homeless.

In times like these, kindness can be hard to find… but you can now pay for it with PayPal or any major credit card. Congrats, Jesse!

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Kindness & Co.: Spread a little kindness—learn more about the movement over on Jesse’s website
  • Kickstarter | Kindness & Co.: The Kickstarter campaign that helped Jesse secure his first run of cards and get everything set up
  • Shopify: Jesse used Shopify to set up his store for Kindness & Co., 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

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
"I would advise someone to start a side hustle around a theme that they’re very passionate about. Every project (even a very part-time side hustle) takes a lot of effort. It’s easy to put in that extra energy if you love the theme."
—Jesse Weinberg #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

In a World of Uncertainty, Build Your Own Security

What It’s About

After being laid off, a Denver man finds security and opportunity in his side hustle.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

John’s advice to other people looking to start a similar model is to make sure you focus on the demand side primarily. It can be pretty easy to find people who are looking for work, but you have to make sure you consistently have work available in the form of clients who are needing work done.

It is indeed an unstable world out there—that’s why you need to create your own stability. John’s path from hustle to full-time income shows how even a project that earns a few hundred dollars a month may end up being your lifesaver.

Fun Fact

When John sold his first client lead, he told his girlfriend about it. She patted him on the shoulder and said, “good job, buddy.” He thought he was about to be friend-zoned, but happily for him, that didn’t happen and they’re now married.

Notes from Chris

Episode 450

John Doherty is a search engine and marketing professional who started his side hustle when he had a lead on a job that he didn’t have time for. He sent the lead to a friend and asked if he’d be willing to pay fifty dollars for it. The friend agreed, sent John the money and landed the project. John then realized that he was a connector.

After that initial success in early 2013, the idea for Credo (then called HireGun) was born. John bought a domain and put it up on a hosting account he already had. At the time, clients were coming to him for consulting jobs but he didn’t have the time to commit to them. He hoped that this platform could serve as a bridge between those clients and other experts he knew.

From the beginning, it was a win-win, although not a huge financial success. John could refer people he knew were experts, and he would get a small percentage back for the work he was doing in connecting people. He would put in around three to five hours of work a month, and that netted him anywhere from one hundred to five hundred dollars a month. Not bad for a few hours work!

Things became more interesting in September of 2015, however, when John was laid-off from his full-time job. For a lot of people, getting laid off means you have to start from scratch and figure out your next move. But John had already laid out the foundations of Credo, and was able to shift it from a side hustle he spent a few hours working on each month to a mostly full-time endeavor.

So how’s it going? When it was just a side hustle, it brought in $100-500/month… but now that he’s focused, rebranded, and devoted time to it, Credo is bringing in twenty-five thousand dollars a month in revenue. After expenses, including wages for the staff he eventually hired, that comes out to around eight thousand dollars of pure profit each month!

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Credo: Learn more about John and his referral service over on his website
  • Single Geared: If you’re interested in the great outdoors, you may want to head over to John’s other 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
"If you’re not embarrassed by your first version, you launched too late. The first version of my site was absolutely embarrassing."
—John Doherty #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: Are My Profit Margins Too High?

Notes from Chris

Episode 449

THEMES & TAKEAWAYS:

So, last week, we talked about network marketing, but today, I’d like to talk more about profit margins. I recently received a question that I thought would be a good topic for today’s episode—how high is too high for your profit margins to be? It’s surprisingly a question that comes up quite a bit.

We had a conversation with someone that we featured recently, and we got to talking about how much it cost them to produce their product and how much they turned around and sold it for.

If you’re curious about what your profit margins should be, check out the recap to learn more!

LISTENER QUESTIONS:

Today we have a listener voicemail from Jesse:

  • Jesse has been listening to the show for six months, and she recently started working on an e-commerce store of her own. She’s heard that a lot of people use PayPal as a payment option for their customers, but she’s really not a fan and is hoping to find some alternatives that are easy to start with.

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. 443 – A Massachusetts woman helps men improve their online dating profiles. Tip #1: stop being creepy
  • Ep. 444 – This Ohio man loves board games so much that he made his own—and when he tries to raise $6,000 through a Kickstarter campaign, he ends up with much more than he ever imagined
  • Ep. 445 – After two failed attempts, a software developer’s passion for web development puts her on the path to profit
  • Ep. 446 – After a search for customizable letter boards leaves her empty-handed, a Side Hustle School listener sees the writing on the wall
  • Ep. 447 – An enterprising nonprofit employee bids for consulting contracts, earning a steady second income each month
  • Ep. 448 – She had always wanted to open a bricks-and-mortar retail store, but it was always too expensive—until now

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 June (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:

  • After being laid off, a Denver man turns his hobby into a full-time gig that earns $8,000/month
  • It’s a bird, it’s a plane… or actually, it’s an acrobatic performance troupe that started as one mom’s side hustle, and now employs 14 people
  • 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
"You don’t have to explain or justify your profit to anyone. If customers want what you’re selling, you should be making money from it."
—#SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Get What Your Business Needs.

Side Hustle School is brought to you by the National Association of Realtors.

Every business faces challenges. Whether you need more space, a better location, or a little more curb appeal, a Realtor—a member of the National Association of Realtors—can help you find the right place to grow. So get what your business needs. Get Realtor! 🏢 Visit Realtor.com

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

Santa Barbara Gift Shop Sells Soulful Succulents

What It’s About

When opportunity knocks, a woman in Santa Barbara opens the door and steps through.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Also, a note on dream direction … I often encourage people to choose simple solutions, or if you have two choices, to do whatever is easiest. But still, if you have a dream, don’t let me or anyone else redirect you.

If it’s your dream to open a bricks-and-mortar store, don’t be discouraged—there’s probably some way to do it, even in an expensive area. Also, the other way to think about it is if it’s an expensive area with wealthy residents and a lot of visitors, then you have lots of buyers.

Fun Fact

Nina is not new to the side hustle. When she was 16, Nina used to have a side hustle where she would buy brand name items at discount shops and then turn around and sell them on eBay to people who didn’t have a style quotient in their towns.

She also taught jewelry making classes at a craft store she worked at a bit later and even had a pretty successful jewelry business where she sold her wares online and at markets.

Notes from Chris

Episode 448

Santa Barbara is 90 miles north of Los Angeles, but it feels like a different world. You still have the beautiful California sunshine, but depending on where you live, it can take 10 minutes to get to a gorgeous beach instead of an hour or more in standstill traffic. There are award-winning restaurants, wineries, and a more laid-back way of life.

As of a few months ago, there’s also a succulent bar and plant shop. It’s called Thunder Moon Collective. Visitors and residents can wander in to buy house plants, handmade goods from local makers, and meaningful vintage home goods. Best of all, they can pick a pot, a succulent or cactus, and Nina Brito will help them create an arrangement of terrarium on the spot. All of the vessels are one of a kind.

So who’s Nina, and how did Thunder Moon Collective come to be?

To start, Nina had been having a hard time. She was just coming out of a divorce and was using work as a kind of distraction. But oddly enough, for once, she didn’t have a side hustle (although that would soon change).

Her inspiration was to make succulent arrangements. She had a collection of vintage vessels that bordered on hoarding, and she also had a garden full of succulents. She started out making these arrangements for herself, and then for friends, but when she started to run out of room and people to give them to, she went into a shop in town who agreed to carry them. Soon after, she snagged prime shelf space at three other shops and was thrilled to have a reason to make even more.

It didn’t bring her in more than a couple hundred each month, but that inspiration led to a bigger idea. And that big idea led to what she calls her “big break.”

A friend connected her with a local property manager. When they met for lunch, Nina told her about her idea to create a community space that was also a retail store. She talked about what she would sell and how she would decorate the space, and the property manager was interested! She convinced Nina to check out a space that she managed even though opening a retail store seemed nearly impossible at the time.

Still, she agreed to see the space, and when she did, she fell in love. Her new friend asked her what she would do with the space if she had it, and after sharing her vision with her, the property manager told her that it was hers. She had a permanent renter coming in four months, but til then, the space was going to just sit empty.

It was a completely low-risk opportunity for Nina to validate her idea, so she jumped at the chance (after a little persuading, of course).

The first two months were a disaster when a real disaster struck in the form of the worst fires in California’s recorded history. The shop had to be closed, and after working for several weeks, Nina had made a total of $20. As the area began to recover, so did the new store. It began paying for itself right around the $5,000 sales mark.

It’s now bringing in $3,000 a month and has made $2,000 in profit. Again, the store is just a few months old, and the first two months were in the midst of those fires.

Of course, the location was temporary, so all the while Nina was learning to run a storefront while working her regular job, she was also scoping out possibilities for a more permanent home. Just as we prepared to record this episode, she wrote in with an update: she had a plan! Nina will soon be moving to a new space in downtown Santa Barbara. The rent is more, and the space is smaller since it’s essentially in a group of shared artist stalls—but they’re in a prime location, so she calls it a dream scenario for the time being.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Thunder Moon Collective: If you’re interested in learning more about Nina and her unique succulent creations, check out her 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 really don’t think I would have ever attempted something this big and risky if I wasn’t faced with such an incredible opportunity. I think a lot of people would have still said no with the workload I have in my day job."
—Nina Brito #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Get What Your Business Needs.

Side Hustle School is brought to you by the National Association of Realtors.

Every business faces challenges. Whether you need more space, a better location, or a little more curb appeal, a Realtor—a member of the National Association of Realtors—can help you find the right place to grow. So get what your business needs. Get Realtor! 🏢 Visit Realtor.com

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