Itchy Honeymoon Shaves Way To $100k Pubic Oil Income

What It’s About

Three friends decide to stop beating around the bush and launch their own pubic oil skincare line.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Through feedback, David realized that the $25 price tag for the full-size bottle was too high for many people who were skeptical of the new oil category, so they launched the sampler package: three scents, 2ml each, for $10. Included in this sampler is a discount on the next purchase.

They needed a less expensive way to get product into the hands of customers, and while the team lost a couple of dollars with the sample pack, David said that it’s been an effective way to acquire customers who return a few weeks later for larger orders.

Fun Fact

Bushbalm was bootstrapped by three friends who all invested just $250 each in the beginning. They’ve grown the business solely by reinvesting profits, rather than raising any money.

Notes from Chris

Episode 326

David Gaylord was traveling with a good friend in Canada when the side hustle of this story was born. His friend, who had recently returned from his honeymoon, was excited about a personal discovery and just had to share it with David. He had been using beard oil in his pubic region, and the best part was that it was working wonders.

Now, before you cringe, remember the benefits of beard oil on your face.

  • – It reduces irritation and redness after shaving.
  • – It sooths the often sensitive or dry skin and gives it nutrients.
  • – It reduces the risk of ingrown hairs.
  • – Not to mention, it makes you smell nice.

These discomforts don’t just apply to faces—they exist in the pubic area as well. The thing is, nobody talks about these issues (except on this show apparently) because they have to do with a more private area of the body.

After dispelling the weird feelings that came with the news, David caught on to the opportunity.

But for David and his friend, this was all the more reason to turn the idea into a business. No talking meant translated to just about no competition. And to be among the first in the pubic oil space, they had no time to beat around the bush.

David and his friend returned to Ottawa and brought on a third friend. The trio began researching oils, nutrition, and essential oils. The beard oils worked alright, but they knew they could refine the recipes to be even more suited for the pubic region, and of course to be relevant for both men and women.

Each of the three partners threw in $250, which covered the bill for the Shopify store, packaging and bottles, and 100 bottles worth of oil. Finally, by the passion of three individuals with no outside support, Bushbalm officially launched.

Things started off very slow. A sale here. A sale there. They didn’t invest a single dollar into advertising, relying only on word of mouth.

What started as an exciting, yet odd side hustle has grown into a near-$100k per year business in under two years. As it turns out, there was treasure hidden in the bush all along.

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Bushbalm: Snag your very own bottle of pubic oil on their website and experience the magic firsthand!
  • Shopify: David used Shopify to set up his store for Bushbalm, and they’re offering a 21-day trial and exclusive discount for all Side Hustle School listeners!
  • DudeIWantThat.com & IncredibleThings.com: Two popular blogs that responded to David’s cold emails that led to a major boost in sales for Bushbalm

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
"We’re really focusing on the future versus just spending the bare minimum to keep the business going. It’s out of the experimental stage and doing really well, so we have a lot of confidence."
—David Gaylord #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

Engineer Makes $64,000 Selling Nerdy Playing Cards on Reddit

What It’s About

Customized playing cards for the gaming community!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Reddit can be a fantastic platform to showcase your product or artwork, and something like this kind of fan art is exactly what tends to go over well there. But as with marketing on any network, it’s best to know a bit about it first. Lurk around and see what is successful on subreddits relative to your product or artwork (trust me, there are TONS) and get a feel for what makes a post successful (e.g. – how they are titled, the day of the week and time they are published in, is there a cat tax, etc.). After all, knowledge is power!

Fun Fact

Soren was featured on Kotaku and a few other gaming blogs a few years ago simply due to the success of her Reddit post. A friend even messaged her after seeing the cards on a blog—Soren didn’t even know it was there!

Notes from Chris

Episode 325

Today’s story comes from Soren Kalla in San Francisco. By day, she’s a software engineer at a startup. Her side hustle is designing and selling custom playing cards online and at conventions. She’s got a Legend of Zelda-themed deck, a Star Wars themed deck, and a Sailor Moon-themed deck.

Soren got the idea after a friend of hers bought her a Legend of Zelda concept art book for her birthday. She decided she’d make her friend a Zelda-themed thank you gift. This friend always had a deck of cards on him, so she decided to draw Link from the Legend of Zelda in the format of a playing card. Once she was done, she posted the image she’d drawn on Reddit, in the /r/gaming subreddit), and was surprised by the response. People loved the design and kept asking when she’d finish the full deck and whether she’d sell it to them. So that’s what she decided to do.

She spent some time looking for the best way to print the cards, and ultimately settled on printerstudio.com. They let her upload custom images for the front and back of each card, as well as the box the cards are later packaged in.

She spent some time looking for the best way to print the cards, and ultimately settled on printerstudio.com. They let her upload custom images for the front and back of each card, as well as the box the cards are later packaged in. She uploaded her artwork, gets it printed in batches of about 500 decks, and then waits for them to come in the mail.

When she first started selling cards, she made around $20,000 a year, but now that she devotes less time to it, it’s about $8,000 to $10,000. She makes around $10 per deck and has sold 6,432 decks to date. That adds up to $64,000 in nerdy playing cards.


MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • SorenKalla.com: Pick your poison over on Soren’s website where she’s got everything from Zelda to Sailor Moon!
  • Reddit | Gaming Subreddit: The subreddit that Soren first posted the Legend of Zelda deck that she made for her friend
  • Tumblr: The social media channel that Soren used to promote her designs and get more exposure
  • UPrinting: The online printer that Soren used to print her first batch of cards

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
"The best part has definitely been the interaction with people who love Legend of Zelda, Star Wars and Sailor Moon, and seeing how my cards remind them of their favorite characters and let them reconnect with the stories they love."
—Soren Kalla #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

The $300,000 Bouncy Castle Hustle—With No Inventory!

What It’s About

A Texas man starts a dropshipping side hustle and bounces all the way to the bank. [podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Amazon FBA, stock trading, dropshipping high ticket items, and reselling items on eBay were among Rene’s top ideas when he was getting started, but ultimately, he decided on dropshipping for a couple reasons with the chief reason being the low barrier of entry. Dropshipping is a fantastic model because he didn’t have to invest in producing or purchasing inventory and didn’t have to carry inventory or ship the product.

Plus his success wasn’t dependent on external factors out of his control, as is the case with some of the options he was considering, like the stock market or real estate.

Fun Fact

Rene’s first sale came while traveling for work. He had just installed the Shopify app on his phone so he could monitor things. Suddenly, in the middle of a meeting, this loud “cha-ching” sounds from his pocket.

Having never heard that noise yet, he casually pulled out his phone to take a look. To his surprise, it was his very first sale!

Notes from Chris

Episode 324

During the day, Rene Delgado works in operations and supply chain management for a large consumer electronics company. In the evenings, he runs an eCommerce site dedicated to selling bounce houses to residential and commercial customers. Yep, that’s right—bounce houses. Rene didn’t decide to sell bounce houses because he harbors a secret passion for them. He decided to sell bounce houses after some very careful analysis and consideration of his best options.

That careful consideration began in August 2016, when he started considering his side hustle options. Amazon FBA, stock trading, dropshipping high ticket items, and reselling items on eBay were among his top ideas, but ultimately he decided on dropshipping.

To land on a winning idea, he made a list of over 100 product options and then narrowed the list based on the following criteria: the products were hard to locate in a brick and mortar store, the average price point was over $400, there were more than 5 manufacturers or suppliers, the ad spend on the PPC was below $2, and the level of competition in the space was low. These comprehensive criteria ultimately lead him to settle on bounce houses.

Once he had the legal framework in place, he bought a relevant domain—BounceHouseStore.com was luckily available—for less than $20/year and then filed his DBA with his local county. Rene officially launched the website in December 2016, once he had products from multiple manufacturers up. The first three months of the year, Rene brought in almost no revenue because it was simply too cold (winter is apparently a low-bounce season).

But by April things start to pick up for summer, with a peak in June. And then by September, as the leaves begin to fall, the bounce goes out of people’s lives…sales drop off again. But looking at sales on a yearly basis tells a much different story. So far in 2017, Rene has had just over $300k in sales!

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • The Bounce House Store: Bounce on over to Rene’s website and pick up a bouncy castle for your next Frozen themed birthday party!
  • Shopify: Rene used Shopify to set up his store for The Bounce House Store, and they’re offering a 21-day trial and exclusive discount for all Side Hustle School listeners!
  • QuickSpark Financial: The business that helped Rene increase sales and provide financing to his business customers
  • Dropship Lifestyle: An online drop ship course that taught Rene the basics of the business

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
"There are SO many moving pieces when it comes to starting and running a dropship business, so make sure and do your research before starting your own business! Also, niche selection is absolutely crucial and can make or break your success."
—Rene Delgado #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

Weekly Recap: Listeners Are Taking Action!

Notes from Chris

Episode 323

Listener Updates:

Today we have listener updates from Audrey and Devon:

  • Audrey: “I just wanted to share my Side Hustle progress with you. The day after I finished reading Side Hustle, I decided to reach out to 15 companies to see if they would like to utilize my services, which is helping small businesses maintain an online presence by posting on their social media accounts for them. Within only 30 minutes, I got a callback! I was completely unprepared for the call, but they ended up wanting to move forward and I officially got my first client! It’s only an additional few hundred dollars per month, and we are on a month-to-month contract, so they could end at anytime—nonetheless, getting such a quick response motivated me to keep going.

    Devon: “Well, it’s all happening! I am using Kickstarter to fund the first print-run of FLUSTER, and hope to turn it into a side-hustle. 

    Fluster is a social card game that uses unusual questions to inspire thought-provoking and hilarious conversations. It creates memorable and deeply connective moments between humans.

    So, we’re now live on Kickstarter! Needless to say, we’re pretty excited, and it’s all hands on deck. I dream of the day I can say I became a side-hustler. And I appreciate your part in helping me get to this point where I can say that it feels like it’s actually on the horizon with over $6,500 from 156 backers!” 

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. 317 – After spending 20+ years as a scout and volunteer, a woman creates a series of resources for troop leaders. Selling at just $3-5 an item, she earns $3,000-3,500 each month
  • Ep. 318 – A frustrated office worker “throws shade” on her feelings about coming to work each day—then gets paid for her complaints
  • Ep. 319 – A Canadian landscaper lands on the side hustle trifecta: passion, skill, and opportunity. He eventually uses his new income to quit his job and travel to 10 countries
  • Ep. 320 – After previous side hustle attempts ended in failure, a lifelong corporate employee studies his LinkedIn connections and finds a profitable idea
  • Ep. 321 – After feeling jealous over a friend’s boat outing, a San Diego student creates a sharing economy platform to connect adventurers with gear
  • Ep. 322 – A marketing exec sits on a domain name for 11 years before finally turning it into a profitable coupon finding site

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Weekly Update:

Make a plan to start your hustle in 27 days or less!

You need more than one source of income. You need a side hustle. Side Hustle builds on the lessons from the show and presents a step-by-step, 27-day plan to help you create a new source of income without quitting your day job.

The book is out at a bookstore near you (or purchase it online!), and I’m also about to start the tenth week of my 100-city book tour! My bags are packed, and my first stop this week is in Newark (join me!). I hope to see you on the road! Here’s where I’ll be next:

  • Nashville, TN – November 20th
  • Los Angeles, CA – November 27th
  • Santa Barbara, CA – November 28th

Don’t See Your City? Use the form at the bottom of this page, and let me know where I should go next! I’ll use your input to decide on future book tour stops. If we get enough people together in your city, I’ll be there!

Here’s what’s coming up next…

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

  • A Texas man puts a bounce in his step by finding a uniquely profitable niche. This bouncy hustle earns multiple six-figures in its first year
  • It started with a single Legend of Zelda playing card she drew for a friend and posted on Reddit—then it became a side hustle selling more than 6,400 full decks
  • A Thanksgiving baking tradition turns into a $10,000 seasonal side hustle

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
"Tell us your stories—we’re hearing from lots of listeners who are starting all kinds of side hustles!"
—#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

Coupon Code Site Earns Copious Profits

What It’s About

A coupon code website without expiration dates!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

The differentiator of Official Coupon Code: in a sea of hundreds, probably thousands of these sites: no expired deals.

It’s frustrating to constantly find deals that don’t work, and you feel like you’ve been lured there under false pretenses without anything of value offered to you. Meanwhile, the way that Antonella’s projects stand out is by creating trust. As she said, “We believe in quality over quantity. New coupons added every hour 24/7. Expired deals removed 365 days a year.”

Fun Fact

Antonella created her website almost complete from the road and the ocean— both in Antarctica and the Arctic. Once she even had to update the website from her cell phone in the Sahara desert. She got really good, really quickly, at making changes using the mobile WordPress interface!

Notes from Chris

Episode 322

Antonella Pisani’s side hustle has been a long time coming. 12 years to be exact—that’s when she first bought the domain OfficialCouponCode.com. At the time she was working in marketing for a major retailer and saw all the people making money through their affiliate channels.

She had grabbed the url because she wanted to cash in on this revenue stream herself and make a coupon site that was more customer friendly than average—meaning no expired deals or codes that don’t work. You may have encountered that frustration… But she was so busy with her day job that she didn’t have time to do anything with the domain.

Then, last year she happened to mention to some coworkers that she owned the domain and they basically told her she was crazy for not building it out and monetizing it. Right around this time Antonella had also decided to strike out on her own and start Eyeful Media, an e-commerce and digital marketing consulting company. She was planning to take some time off to travel as she transitioned to working for herself, so she made a plan to finally build the site during her trip.

She signed up for multiple affiliate programs so that she could break into the market, and she cleared 5 figures in revenue for 2016! While she spent a fair amount of money getting the website setup and paying for the content to flesh out the site, that initial investment has more than paid off because in 2017, so far, she’s seen more than a 300% increase in revenue.

Antonella knows that the key to generating more revenue with a hustle like this is continually updating the website with custom content, new links, new deals and new retailers. Which is why she’s happy with her decision to use a service to help her update all that data. And since this is purely a side hustle for her, Antonella thinks of this website as a long-term investment and a nice source of income for her frequent trips.


MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • OfficialCouponCode.com: Snag some sweet deals using Antonella’s coupon codes!
  • WordPress: Antonella used WordPress to create Coupon Code. Use this link and get 15% off, a special discount just for Side Hustle School listeners.
  • Eyeful Media: Antonella’s second side project that focuses on digital marketing and ecommerce consulting
  • Sumo: The WordPress plugin that Antonella uses which offers a suite of social sharing tools and email capture and works seamlessly with MailChimp
  • FMTC | For Me to Compete: The feed service that Antonella uses to import and maintain deals that don’t involve her manually inputting data
  • Rakuten LinkShare, Pepperjam, Impact Radius, ShareASale, AvantLink, & CJ: The various affiliate networks that Antonella has enrolled in

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 you’re on your own, you have to find inexpensive ways to accomplish things, and I think it makes you better at your job. You have to be scrappy!"
—Antonella Pisani #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

Student Gets Paid to Help People Rent Adventures

What It’s About

Two students use an Airbnb business model to make adventure more accessible.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Because of how nervous he was at the start, Dane spent a lot of time following every step of his customer’s rental journey. But the insights he gained were valuable. Being able to see the pain-points and worries of people—both renters and customers—allowed him to mould his product to really meet their needs.

Fun Fact

Dane has created his entire business whilst working around a full-time college education and internships. Goes to show what you can do with the time you do have!

Notes from Chris

Episode 321

Checking his friend’s Snapchat stories one day, Dane Baker was overcome with jealousy. Some of his friends were out on a boat, catching the sun, diving in the water and sharing a few cold beers on what seemed like an incredible adventure. Naturally, Dane couldn’t help but feel he wanted a little of that for himself. But there was a problem: he didn’t have access to a boat, nor the funds to rent one in his hometown in San Diego.

Trying to shake the feeling, Dane headed outside for a walk, where he noticed his neighbour’s boat sat on the driveway. It hadn’t been used in months, and the owner rarely had time to go out on the water. Most of its life was spent just taking up space.

Dane thought to himself “What if there was a platform that connected people who had these cool rides to people who would want to rent them?” He headed home to do a little research to see if one existed and, much to his entrepreneurial delight, he found that one didn’t. So, he decided to create it himself.

He began to work from a model of AirBnB for adventure which he called Toyroom. He figured that most extreme and action sports equipment—snowboards, kayaks, and surfboards—all met the same fate as the boat he’d seen in the driveway, and decided to focus more of his idea on these smaller pieces of equipment, categorizing them into Water, Air, Snow, Road, and Sand.

Right now Toyroom generates between $700 and $1100 per month. The majority of his customers come from in and around Southern California, where he is able to make offline connections with people. But, Toyroom is also seeing customers and renters pop up in further away locations like Lebanon. Not a bad return for a 30 hour per month time investment!


MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Toyroom: See what kind of adventures are available in your city on Dane’s website!
  • Stripe & PayPal: The two payment processing platforms that Dane used to process rental fees

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
"You can’t be afraid to go out on a limb, that’s where all the fruit is."
—Dane Baker #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!

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

Telecom Manager Gets Paid to Write Resumes for LinkedIn Connections

What It’s About

A business pro teaches others what it takes to stand out from the crowd on LinkedIn and get hired.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

If you have a good head for business and a decent amount of connections on LinkedIn, take a moment to look them over and ask yourself if they have anything in common. If they do have something in common, use your power of observation to come up with one service you could offer them.

Fun Fact

In addition to being a business savvy guru, Mike has also used his blog to mention the virtues of playing Acoustic Guitar and has even been featured in Acoustic Guitar magazine.

Notes from Chris

Episode 320

Mike McRitchie has devoted much of his working life to helping businesses and business people grow. From his first job at a medical company to the 20 years he spent with a telecom construction business taking them from five people to $2.5 million in revenue, he’s been fascinated with what it takes to make it in business, how to thrive and not just survive.

But after many years in the corporate world, Mike decided it was time to try a project that he had more ownership over. He felt he’d taken everything he could from his day job, and began to ask himself, what would happen if he applied some of this accrued knowledge to his own business efforts?

He looked at his network—including all 1,500 of his LinkedIn connections—and saw a pattern. All of his connections were employees and not business owners. It was here he found a problem he truly knew how to solve.

Mike began to offer services to help employees increase their income, find better jobs, and just become more attractive job candidates. He broke his ideas down to a few services: resume writing, LinkedIn profile creation, and career improvement coaching.

It was over on LinkedIn where Mike began to see his first real results. Mike offered to help some of those 1,500 LinkedIn connections by writing their resumes and re-designing their profiles—and he offered to do it for free in exchange for good faith, word-of-mouth referrals.

Mike prides himself on helping people uncover skill sets and talents they never knew they had. Because his business is highly dependant on referrals, it’s important he gets this formula right every time. But he must be doing something right because he’s now generating anywhere between $400 and $3000 per month through the business. Mike has also managed to increase his profits by 40% over the last year, and going forward he wants to increase that income by adding more services to his business.


MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • MikeMcRitchie.com: Learn how to take your resume and LinkedIn profile to the next level on Mike’s website
  • LinkedIn: The business—and employment—oriented social networking service that Mike helped others master

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
"Taking action on your idea is key because you can always morph it into something else later, but momentum begets momentum."
—Mike McRitchie #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

From Landscaper to Podcast Producer Earning $4k/Month

What It’s About

A podcast production side hustle that earns more than a landscaper’s day job.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

In addition to cold emailing podcasts to see if they were looking for a producer, Jeremy was also applying for jobs on UpWork.com and managed to land his first client within a week of coming up with his side hustle idea. This immediate validation was just the boost he needed to really pursue it.

If you need to validate your idea, try using a starter website similar to Upwork. It’s low-risk and well worth it if it gives you the validation you need to move forward!

Fun Fact

At this point, Jeremy’s side hustle is completely location independent. In fact, he spent two weeks running his business from his bicycle while he toured the UK and another two weeks on foot while he walked the Camino de Santiago in Portugal and Spain.

Notes from Chris

Episode 319

Back in early 2016 Jeremy Enns was working at a landscaping job in Vancouver that he knew he didn’t want to do forever, which is why he wanted to start some sort of side hustle. When it came time to decide what that side hustle would be, it was actually a pretty easy decision.

You see Jeremy is obsessed with podcasts. He listens to 50+ hours a week at 2x speed so he can get through so many. In addition to his love of podcasts, he also has the necessary skills to edit and produce podcasts since he went to school for audio engineering and production. As he started thinking about doing podcast editing and production as side hustle, he realize that there was also a huge potential audience for these services.

He had hit the trifecta: passion, skill, and opportunity.

After validating his idea using UpWork, he continued landing clients and realized that not only did this idea have merit but he needed to update his website to reflect this new focus. His existing site was aimed at musicians looking to record albums. So he slowly started updating and tweaking the website himself.

With some minor changes and no additional marketing, Jeremy continued to get clients via word of mouth and UpWork. Good shift!

At the beginning of August 2016, about four months into this hustle, Jeremy started thinking about turning this into his full-time focus. At the end of August, a couple weeks after he gave his notice, he finally added up all of the revenue streams he was getting through his clients and realized that he had made more money that month on his side hustle than his day job.

That was the moment he knew he had made the right decision. Within a couple months of quitting his day job he was bringing in an average of $4k per month.

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Ascetic Productions | Podcast Resources: If you’re interested in learning more about Jeremy’s podcast production side hustle, check out his website!
  • Rain City Scoop: Learn more about all of the ice cream that Vancouver, WA has to offer through Jeremy’s niche podcast
  • WordPress: Jeremy used WordPress to create Ascetic Productions, and here you can learn how to install your own WordPress site in 5 minutes
  • UpWork, Google Suite, Leadpages: Some of the programs and platforms that Jeremy used along the way

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
"Surround yourself with people who you can emulate, learn from and bounce ideas off of. Your community is SO important."
—Jeremy Enns #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

Office Worker Turns $15 Into $500/Month Custom Cup Hustle

What It’s About

Petty office quips become a galvanizing side hustle for people who want to escape the grind.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Using Fiverr she found a designer that had a style she liked and then sent them a message asking if they could help her with tea + shade. They said yes, and Stesha put them to work right away. If you’re ever looking to do the same, Stesha recommends that you make sure you’re also purchasing the rights to the image alongside it. Common sense might tell you that when you buy it it’s yours to do what you want with it, but that’s not always the case.

Fun Fact

Stesha also adds a personal touch to each order, by personally sending a packet of tea and a thank you note to everyone who purchases from her. This helps her create a stronger, positive association with the brand that can sometimes be lost through third-party drop-shipping companies.

Notes from Chris

Episode 318

Like all too many people in the nine-to-five grind, Stesha Sims felt that her work wasn’t being appreciated. Her ideas and suggestions were ignored, promotions passed her by, and she was left to fend for herself in the cruel world of office politics. She felt trapped. The job provided her with insurance, healthcare and a stable wage to fund her dream life, but there didn’t appear to be any exit strategy from the awful job on the horizon.

Stesha admits this left her feeling, well, a little petty.

In order to cope with the drudgery of going to the office every day, she came up with a set of quips to help convey her feelings without getting her fired. She’d “throw shade” on her job by telling her friends and coworkers, “I’m only here for the direct deposits” or “I just showed up for the insurance.” She knew that other people felt the same way about their jobs too.

That’s when the idea for a side hustle struck her. What if she could sell something that brought together all of the people who felt stuck in their office jobs, but were using it to fund bigger and more important parts of their lives?

Stesha decided she’d take the “shade” that her friends and colleagues loved, and print it onto the side of cups. They’re something that most office workers are able to bring from home, could be played off as a joke to management, and constantly remind the buyer of the bigger motivation behind their day-to-day efforts. And so, tea + shade was born.

A combination of free trials, free apps, and Fiverr designs meant that the Tea + Shade startup costs were around $15. Which basically means that Stesha only had to sell two mugs to recoup her initial investment and go home with a profit! However, she’s managing to keep the business at a consistent $450 to $500 per month and is seeing a little growth each and every month.

Stesha wants to expand the brand into t-shirts, tote bags, and other highly visual products to let people keep throwing shade in new and creative ways. Lots of people complain about their jobs, Stesha turned her complaints into a money-making project.


MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • tea + shade: Throw some shade of your own around the office with some of Stesha’s mugs!
  • Shopify: Stesha used Shopify to create her store, and right now, all Side Hustle School listeners can get a free 21-day trial and 10% off for one year
  • Teelaunch: The print on demand platform that Stesha used in conjunction with Shopify to create her mugs
  • MailChimp: The email marketing platform that Stesha used to connect with her client base
  • Fiverr: Where Stesha sourced someone to create the designs for her shady mugs

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
"You don’t have to launch with a million mugs, but you do have to launch with something that stirs emotions with your base. I have lots of repeats customers because they love the message!! It’s okay to start with one item, you can slowly expand up from there."
—Stesha Sims #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

Lifelong Girl Scout Earns Her Side Hustle Badge (And $3,500/Month)

What It’s About

Girl Scout troop leader turns the business of badges and cookies into passive income.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Jodi says the secret sauce to running such a successful site in this niche boils down to a few different things: 1) understanding the scout leader’s pain points so that you can sell your products in an empathetic way that doesn’t come off sales-y, 2) automating as much of your process as you can, and 3) building an engaging mailing list.

Fun Fact

Jodi’s mom was her troop leader for a long time, and the family converted her entire basement into a troop headquarters, including decorating the house like the woods and using tree stumps for chairs.

Notes from Chris

Episode 317

For Jodi Carlson, the Girl Scouts had been a huge part of her life for over 25 years. For 12 of those years she’d been a scout, and then 13 as a leader. But, when her son was born in March 2015, Jodi decided it was time to step down from her position and focus the time her young family.

Although she loved the challenge of her new home life, she missed the volunteering and organizing she’d devoted so many years to. She knew she couldn’t commit herself to a schedule with lots of fixed appointments like she’d have to do as a troop leader, but she still wanted a meaningful way to contribute to their community and inspire these young visionaries.

The year before her son was born, Jodi had created a website to share what her local troop, #80671, in a small city in Ohio located along the banks of Lake Erie, had been doing, and to share thoughts and advice with other leaders around the country.

She’d also written a small eBook to sell at $5.00 and was surprised that after six months, people from the other side of the country were still buying and reading it. She felt that this site—if she could expand her products and the information—would be the perfect way to help the community and make a little money to put toward her student loans.

So decided to upgrade, and she called the project Leader Connecting Leaders.

Most of the information on her website is given away for free. There are long-form articles, tutorials and how-to guides giving her readers most of the information they need to run a successful and entertaining Girl Scout group. But Jodi puts a small price of between $3 to $5 on some of the specific resources—like activity booklets, printouts, and games—to solve specific leader problems in just a few clicks and a quick download from her site.

From these products, Jodi is able to generate $3,000 to $3,500 per month. By the halfway point of 2017, Jodi has already made $10,000 and is on-track to double last year’s profits. You could definitely say that Jodi’s earned her Side Hustle badge!

girl-scout
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

WEB HOSTING @ $2.49/MONTH

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

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

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

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

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

Quote of the Day
"I have tried many different things that have completely failed, but if I had not tried them, I would never have known. Isn’t it better to know for sure than wonder?"
—Jodi Carlson #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