Notes from Chris

Episode 3220

Plenty of makers hit the same wall: sales level off, you tweak photos, you test ads, nothing budges. Then a glossy Instagram ad offers “one-on-one coaching to six figures” for the exact amount that would restock your entire inventory.

How do you judge if that fee buys real strategy or just cheerleading? We’ll build a down-to-earth checklist—no buzzwords—so you can say yes (or no) with confidence

“I need a quick reality check. I’ve been juggling my Etsy jewelry biz out here in Ft. Worth, Texas. Revenue’s been stuck around $3.5K a month for nearly a year, and now a ‘scale-to-six-figures’ coach I follow is pitching a $4,000 program. That’s basically my profit for an entire quarter. How do I know if a coach like that is an investment or just an expensive pep talk? Is there a benchmark—sales plateau, free-time deficit, whatever—that says, ‘Yep, now coaching makes sense’?”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

SEE ALSO:

• Catholic Designer Creates Stylish Apparel Line: What shall it profit a man to gain the whole world but not sell any t-shirts? This designer cast his bread upon the waters and ended up with a profitable fashion line.
• Seattle Couple Creates New “Income LiveStream”: When a married couple runs into logistical problems at their wedding, it leads to an innovative service that other engaged couples need during the pandemic.
• Role-Playing Pastor Rolls The Dice On $2800/Month Hustle: Listener success story! This Presbyterian minister turns to his lifelong interest in role-playing games to set up a sustainable second income source.

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

Yours in the revolution,

Notes from Chris

Episode 3219

Carbon offsets are supposed to balance out emissions—think funding a rainforest project to “cancel” the CO₂ from your flight. Buyers get a feel-good badge, but scandals keep surfacing about credits that never deliver the promised impact.

Early 2023 reporting by The Guardian and others revealed that many rainforest-protection offsets—used by airlines and coffee chains alike—were wildly over-credited or even worthless. Big corporations responded by hiring six-figure audit firms. Small brands and solo creators can’t afford that, yet they still tout “carbon-neutral” products on Instagram.

Today, a caller sees the credibility gap: offer a quick, affordable check that validates a customer’s offsets before critics (or regulators) call them out. Let’s see if that service can be both helpful and profitable without burying Mateo in paperwork.

“During my sustainability-management master’s, I learned a lot about carbon accounting. I’ve noticed eco-conscious people and companies brag about ‘offsetting’ their flights or packaging, but no one checks whether their credits are legitimate. I’m wondering if there’s a market for a small, third-party verification service—basically auditing an individual’s or small brand’s carbon offsets and issuing a simple validation report they can share online. Would anyone pay a few hundred dollars for that peace of mind, or do only large corporations buy certification? And how would I scope the work so I’m not drowning in paperwork for a tiny fee?”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

SEE ALSO:

• Catholic Designer Creates Stylish Apparel Line: What shall it profit a man to gain the whole world but not sell any t-shirts? This designer cast his bread upon the waters and ended up with a profitable fashion line.
• Seattle Couple Creates New “Income LiveStream”: When a married couple runs into logistical problems at their wedding, it leads to an innovative service that other engaged couples need during the pandemic.
• Role-Playing Pastor Rolls The Dice On $2800/Month Hustle: Listener success story! This Presbyterian minister turns to his lifelong interest in role-playing games to set up a sustainable second income source.

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

Yours in the revolution,

Notes from Chris

Episode 3218

Welcome to Throwback Thursday, where we take an in-depth look at someone who’s story has evolved considerably since we first featured them.

Last week, we heard how a side project built over a single weekend turned into a surprisingly steady income stream—thanks to a janky but useful Chrome extension with 5,000 loyal users.

Today, in our latest feature, we’ll hear how a side hustler built a trustworthy supplement guide from one TikTok video, turning it into a $40,000 affiliate business.

Listen to today’s episode to hear more…

SEE ALSO:

• Raver Turns LED-Powered Gloves Into Bright Future: When a raver-turned-salesperson falls in love with an underground art form, he turns it into a successful side business.
• Bright Idea Leads Chicago Woman to Million-Dollar Hustle: A Chicago-based plastic recycling sales rep overcomes her fears and doubts to transform her love for DIY lamp shades and $10 in supplies into a multi-million dollar business.
• 3D Printing Brings Cosplay Into 21st Century: With a 3D printer and sense of imagination, a California natural gas industry worker takes superhero DIY cosplay to a whole new level.

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

Yours in the revolution,

Notes from Chris

Episode 3217

In today’s story…

… Many people who are differently sized or particularly tall or short feel ignored by the fashion world.

In Melbourne, Australia one woman was fed up with the inability of finding clothes that fit her 6’3” frame. You’ll never guess what she decides to do… okay, she decides to address the problem and start her own eCommerce shop specializing in clothes for tall women around the world. Her store reaches tall heights and she has high ambitions.

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

SEE ALSO:

• Catholic Designer Creates Stylish Apparel Line: What shall it profit a man to gain the whole world but not sell any t-shirts? This designer cast his bread upon the waters and ended up with a profitable fashion line.
• Seattle Couple Creates New “Income LiveStream”: When a married couple runs into logistical problems at their wedding, it leads to an innovative service that other engaged couples need during the pandemic.
• Role-Playing Pastor Rolls The Dice On $2800/Month Hustle: Listener success story! This Presbyterian minister turns to his lifelong interest in role-playing games to set up a sustainable second income source.

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

Yours in the revolution,

Notes from Chris

Episode 3216

Manufacturing is unforgiving: pay up front, hope for buyers later. Content-driven “audience first” gurus preach patience—but bikes don’t fix themselves on hype alone. Jonah’s toolkit might be brilliant, yet without proof of demand he risks a garage full of metal. Today we’ll craft a lean hybrid: build just enough audience to fund preorders, prove demand before big spend, and scale both simultaneously.

“I’ve designed a compact bike-repair toolkit that I believe is a game-changer. I know some people say I need a big audience before launching, but building content for months with zero revenue feels risky. On the other hand, if I manufacture without demand, I could end up with a garage full of unsold kits. I need some help! Which approach wins for a physical product: audience first, product first, or some hybrid—and how do I decide based on limited budget and time?”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

SEE ALSO:

• Catholic Designer Creates Stylish Apparel Line: What shall it profit a man to gain the whole world but not sell any t-shirts? This designer cast his bread upon the waters and ended up with a profitable fashion line.
• Seattle Couple Creates New “Income LiveStream”: When a married couple runs into logistical problems at their wedding, it leads to an innovative service that other engaged couples need during the pandemic.
• Role-Playing Pastor Rolls The Dice On $2800/Month Hustle: Listener success story! This Presbyterian minister turns to his lifelong interest in role-playing games to set up a sustainable second income source.

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

Yours in the revolution,

Notes from Chris

Episode 3215

Today’s episode is part of a feature we call ‘Your First $1,000.’ As you might surmise from the title, this is all about how someone made their first $1,000.

How did they get to that point? Not their first $100,000—that’s cool, but it would probably be a long story.

But what about their first $1,000—how did they make that happen, what did it feel like, and what did they learn?

Let’s hear today’s story. I’ll be back at the end to wrap us up. 

SEE ALSO:

• Military Spouse Starts Subscription Box Mission:When an HR Director’s husband is away on military deployment, she uses the alone time to march toward a subscription box.
• Think Inside the Subscription Box:Looking for more community, a North Carolina web agency owner starts a subscription box for female entrepreneurs. It’s supposed to be a referral tool for her agency, but it ends up becoming a full-time business of its own.
• Nature-Loving Neighbors Create Kids Subscription Box: When two couples can’t figure out how to get their kids outdoors and away from electronics in the winter, a personal challenge blossoms into an unbeLEAFable side hustle.

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

Yours in the revolution,

Notes from Chris

Episode 3214

It’s Weekend Workshop, and it’s new!

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

SEE ALSO:

• Catholic Designer Creates Stylish Apparel Line: What shall it profit a man to gain the whole world but not sell any t-shirts? This designer cast his bread upon the waters and ended up with a profitable fashion line.
• Seattle Couple Creates New “Income LiveStream”: When a married couple runs into logistical problems at their wedding, it leads to an innovative service that other engaged couples need during the pandemic.
• Role-Playing Pastor Rolls The Dice On $2800/Month Hustle: Listener success story! This Presbyterian minister turns to his lifelong interest in role-playing games to set up a sustainable second income source.

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

Yours in the revolution,

Notes from Chris

Episode 3213

Tuition climbs, FAFSA shocks families, and “free money” searches explode every spring. Tasha’s private spreadsheet already saves her consulting clients thousands. Packaging that intel could democratize the help and fund Tasha’s own college savings plan. The keys: data freshness, credibility, and a pricing model that feels like a no-brainer next to tuition bills.

“I’m a part-time college-aid advisor, and over the past five years I’ve collected a spreadsheet of about 500 super-quirky scholarships—stuff like ‘left-handed flute players’ or ‘students who knit.’ My consulting clients love it, but I keep thinking the list itself could become a product. Parents are desperate for free-money leads, yet they hate paying for databases riddled with expired links. If I turned my spreadsheet into a subscription site, how would I price it, keep the data fresh, and convince families it’s not just another dead-link directory?”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

SEE ALSO:

• Catholic Designer Creates Stylish Apparel Line: What shall it profit a man to gain the whole world but not sell any t-shirts? This designer cast his bread upon the waters and ended up with a profitable fashion line.
• Seattle Couple Creates New “Income LiveStream”: When a married couple runs into logistical problems at their wedding, it leads to an innovative service that other engaged couples need during the pandemic.
• Role-Playing Pastor Rolls The Dice On $2800/Month Hustle: Listener success story! This Presbyterian minister turns to his lifelong interest in role-playing games to set up a sustainable second income source.

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

Yours in the revolution,

Notes from Chris

Episode 3212

The resumé writing space is a noisy bazaar: Fiverr gigs churn out generic templates for lunch-money prices, while boutique coaches charge rent-level fees. Lena wants to blend AI speed and recruiter insight, landing in the middle—high enough to signal value, low enough to scale. But buyers need proof they’ll actually get interviews, not automated word soup. Let’s map the sweet spot..

“I’ve been an in-house HR manager for years and I’m experimenting with GPT prompts plus ElevenLabs voice notes to rewrite résumés so they sail through applicant-tracking systems. There are $20 DIY tools and $500 premium writers—where do I fit? How do I price, prove results, and keep clients from thinking it’s ‘just AI’?”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

SEE ALSO:

• Catholic Designer Creates Stylish Apparel Line: What shall it profit a man to gain the whole world but not sell any t-shirts? This designer cast his bread upon the waters and ended up with a profitable fashion line.
• Seattle Couple Creates New “Income LiveStream”: When a married couple runs into logistical problems at their wedding, it leads to an innovative service that other engaged couples need during the pandemic.
• Role-Playing Pastor Rolls The Dice On $2800/Month Hustle: Listener success story! This Presbyterian minister turns to his lifelong interest in role-playing games to set up a sustainable second income source.

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

Yours in the revolution,

Notes from Chris

Episode 3211

Welcome to Throwback Thursday, where we take an in-depth look at someone who’s story has evolved considerably since we first featured them.

Last week, we heard how how one fanfiction writer went pro—now earning five figures per project ghostwriting for bestselling romance authors who don’t want their names published.

Today, in our latest feature, we’ll hear how a side project built over a single weekend turned into a surprisingly steady income stream—thanks to a janky but useful Chrome extension with 5,000 loyal users.

Listen to today’s episode to hear more…

SEE ALSO:

• Raver Turns LED-Powered Gloves Into Bright Future: When a raver-turned-salesperson falls in love with an underground art form, he turns it into a successful side business.
• Bright Idea Leads Chicago Woman to Million-Dollar Hustle: A Chicago-based plastic recycling sales rep overcomes her fears and doubts to transform her love for DIY lamp shades and $10 in supplies into a multi-million dollar business.
• 3D Printing Brings Cosplay Into 21st Century: With a 3D printer and sense of imagination, a California natural gas industry worker takes superhero DIY cosplay to a whole new level.

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

Yours in the revolution,