Notes from Chris

Episode 2476

Welcome to Throwback Thursday / “Where are they now?” where we take an in-depth look at someone who’s story has evolved considerably since we first featured them.

Last week, we heard from an action figure seller who actively buys and sells hundreds of GI Joe, Transformers, and other classic brands every month.

Today, in our latest feature, we’ll hear from the visionary behind a cricket farm that specializes in edible insect snacks. He shares insights into how market shifts, supply chain challenges, and a strategic partnership with an organic grocery chain have shaped his unique business.

What’s happened since? Let’s hear directly from them. I’ll be back at the end to wrap us up.

Listen to today’s episode to hear more…

 

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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 2475

Here are two questions to ask: what’s the worst that can happen? What’s the best that can happen?

In today’s episode, we have a question from Amy in Las Vegas, who’s been listening to the show and is a bit rattled by our Failure Friday segments. Amy’s running a pet grooming side hustle and is wondering if the doubts and anxieties she feels after listening to these failure stories are normal. Let’s talk about how we can turn these stories of failure into stepping stones for success.

“Hi, it’s Amy Meekan. I’ve been following your podcast for a while now and really enjoy the Success Stories. However, the Failure Friday episodes make me anxious about my own side hustle in pet grooming. I start doubting my choices and my business’s potential. Is it normal to feel this way, and how do I overcome it? Sometimes I even consider quitting because the stories sound so much like my own situation.”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

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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 2474

Coming up today, we have Riley from Boise, Idaho. She’s a digital marketer with over five years of experience helping other businesses succeed online. Now, she’s planning to flip the script and launch her own information product on content strategy.

She’s got the skills and the experience, but she’s hitting pause to ask about the best practices for selling information products. She wants to make sure his new venture starts off on the right foot. So, what should Riley consider for a successful launch?

“Hey Chris, it’s Riley from Boise, Idaho. As a digital marketer with over five years of experience, I’ve helped other businesses sell their products online. Now, I’m planning to launch my own information product on content strategy. Before I dive in, I wanted to ask about the best practices for selling information products. Are there specific platforms or marketing tactics you’d recommend?”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

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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 2473

Today’s episode is part of a new feature we’re doing in 2022 called ‘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.

With that in mind, today’s feature comes from Brandon in Olympia, Washington. He designs tiny homes—how did he get started with that?

Let’s hear it from Brandon. I’ll be back at the end to wrap us up.

 

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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 2472

Today’s episode features Elliott from La Mesa, California, who’s got a unique work schedule that’s all about sprinting and stopping. If you’ve ever had an on-call job or erratic work hours, you’ll want to pay attention to this one.

Let’s look at potential side hustles that could match a sprint-and-stop work rhythm.

“Hey there, it’s Elliott from La Mesa, California. I have a job that requires intense work sprints followed by periods of downtime—like being on-call for weeks and then having a week off. What would be the best type of side hustle that could fit this sort of sprint-and-stop schedule? I can’t do consulting or anything else that requires constant availability or customer service.”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

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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 2471

Coming up today: a caller has a concern that hits close to home—literally. She’s been freelancing as a writer for almost a year, but it seems to be causing a bit of friction in her personal life. Balancing a side hustle with a relationship is a common challenge. Let’s talk about some ways to maintain both without feeling stretched too thin.

“Hello Chris, I’m Teresa from Denver. I’ve been working on my side hustle of freelance writing for almost a year now. While it’s been going relatively well, my partner isn’t thrilled about the time it takes away from our relationship. Last week I had a deadline and had to work extra hard on it, and it created some strain in the household. Do you have any advice? How can I manage the demands of a side hustle and keep the peace at home?”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

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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 2470

I believe we can learn as much from failure as we can from success, if not more. It’s with this principle in mind that I offer you a weekly segment called Failure Friday: a collection of short stories all about mistakes, missteps, disasters, and of course, failure.

Just like our Throwback Thursday segment, you’ll hear directly from side hustlers who have struggled to get something off the ground. They’ll tell you a short story of something that went very wrong.

Today’s short story features Mark Hanson, a longtime listener who’s had a lot of ideas—but hasn’t taken action on them. Let’s hear from them about one of those struggles… I’ll be back at the end to wrap us up.

 

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SEE ALSO:

• Marketer Creates Six-Figure Subscription Box Success: He looked for a simple solution for a client, and didn’t find one—so he spent the next year building it.
• Comic Book Curator Creates Custom Crate Subscription: A Sacramento-based comic and collectibles owner sparks an interest in reading with a monthly comic book subscription box service.
• A Packed Closet Leads to Secondhand Subscription Boxes: A professional organizer finds a way to stitch her passion for thrift shopping into profits.

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

Yours in the revolution,

Notes from Chris

Episode 2468

Up next, we have a question from Sasha in Minneapolis. She’s already juggling a retail job and two young kids, and now she’s considering adding a side hustle into the mix.

Her concern? Time. How much of it will she need to carve out of her already packed schedule to make a side hustle truly successful? Let’s see what advice we can offer her.

“Hello, I’m Sasha from Minneapolis. I work in retail and have two young kids at home, so my schedule is pretty packed. I’m interested in starting a side hustle doing something totally different, but I’m worried about time commitment. How many hours per week do I realistically need to invest to make my side hustle successful? I want to be able to buy back more of my time, and I feel pressured over making the right decision.”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

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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 2469

Welcome to Throwback Thursday / “Where are they now?” where we take an in-depth look at someone who’s story has evolved considerably since we first featured them.

Last week, we heard from a parking lot striper who’s built a seasonal, recurring business keeping parking lines looking spiffy. For less than five hours a week on average, he earns an extra $2,500/month.

Today, in our latest feature, we’ll hear from an action figure seller. He sells GI Joe, Transformers, and other brands. Depending on your age—possibly your gender—you may or may not have any nostalgic feelings about those.

What’s happened since? Let’s hear directly from them. I’ll be back at the end to wrap us up.

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 2467

Next on the line, we’ve got Marcus from Philadelphia. He jumped into the world of dropshipping, and so far, it’s been a rocky journey. Sales aren’t growing like he expected and he’s starting to wonder if it’s time to pivot or quit. Let’s dig into some signs that might help you decide your next steps.

“Hi, my name is Marcus, and I’m reaching out from Philadelphia. I recently started a dropshipping business after watching some vidoes on Amazon, but to be honest I haven’t seen the growth I was expecting. I’ve invested a lot of time and some money into it … but I think I’ve made the wrong choice. Are there any red flags I should be looking for that indicate it’s time to pivot or quit?”

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,