Tag: Affiliate

Tailgate Lover Creates Product Review Business

What It’s About

An insurance manager scores big with his love of tailgating.

Words of Wisdom

When it comes to starting your own side hustle, Luke says: “Build your brand and credibility first. If you come out asking for big dollars you won’t make the relationships, get the content or build credibility vs coming out slowly and working your way up.”

Fun Fact

In some ways, the tradition of tailgating may have existed even before football games. Before the Battle of the Bull Run in Virginia, civilians gathered together to sit and watch the battle commence. Later on during the Civil War, people began to feed soldiers out of the back of wagons, which might have been the start of grilling out of the back of a truck. [source]

Notes from Chris

Episode 1746
Back in 2012, Luke Lorick was falling asleep after a long week of working at a Fortune 30 insurance company. While he liked his job, he was starting to get bored. He began to imagine what it would be like to put his multiple business degrees to use and combine it with one of his passions. Above all else, he loved tailgating.

Let’s break this down for those who don’t know: tailgating is a type of celebration that typically occurs before a big event. Usually this event involves sports, like a football game, but some people have them before concerts or festivals. Most “tailgates” involve some combination of drinking beer, sitting in foldout chairs, and grilling food in the tailgate of a truck—hence the name.

Tailgating had been one of Luke’s favorite things to do for years, and as he was thinking about how it could be a bigger part of his life, the words “tailgating challenge” suddenly rang through his head. He began to wonder if he could start a business where he would review tailgating products and build a community of fellow fans. In a sleepy stupor, he created a Facebook page for his idea, and went back to bed.

When he woke up and remembered his idea, he was ready to answer the call of the ball. Quickly, he created accounts for Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube. He then made a website, spending about $250 for what he’d call Tailgating-Challenge.com.

Luke didn’t go a day without working on his side hustle, even if it was just those few minutes of work. As his presence began to grow and he started to gain more followers, he started hosting giveaways on his social media accounts. This technique was one of the best ways for him to build engagement and continue to increase his following.

Rather than doing one or two giveaways a month like most brands do, Tailgating Challenge has one every single week. Luke says that this keeps his audience engaged and coming back for more. He also strategically plans his giveaways to build engagement in the areas of his business that he wants.

For the first few years, Luke didn’t make any money at all. He focused on building up a following and increasing his credibility. Over the years, however, he began to turn more of his attention to monetization.

So let’s talk about that money. Luke brings in anywhere from $1,000-$3,000 a month from the site. He is still working at his day job and he isn’t planning on quitting anytime soon. He says that the side gig brings him a sense of empowerment, financial freedom, and positivity to his life.

Years after that restless night where he dreamed up the idea of Tailgating Challenge, Luke is still gaming high.

 

 

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
"Build your brand and credibility first. If you come out asking for big dollars you won’t make the relationships, get the content or build credibility vs coming out slowly and working your way up."
—Luke Lorick #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

Zen Master Makes Mindful Moola

What It’s About

Meditate on this story 6-figure health and wellness blog that started last year.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Matt shares some great advice for those looking for a hustle idea, “If you can’t think of anything you’re passionate about, consider being a bit more lax on your definition of “passion”. Do you like spending your nights lying in bed watching anime? Well, I bet there’s something there. With any niche community, there are a world of opportunities to build something cool – whether it’s a website, a Youtube channel or even just a spreadsheet of data.”

Fun Fact

One day, Matt’s former boss and mentor spoke to him about a site that was doing such a good job, that it outranked his own for certain keywords Low and behold, he’d taught Matt so well that it was actually his site outranking them.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1625
Matt Oney has worn every digital marketing hat there is over the last six years in his day job as an online marketer for a startup in San Francisco.

After working hard for his employer, he started to question why he wasn’t putting that sort of effort into something of his own. He’d heard about affiliate marketing and thought it could be something that played to his strengths. On top of that, Matt had an old boss with a successful affiliate website, so he called on him to ask for advice.

The old boss ran through how to pick a good niche and said to make sure it was something he actually cared about. It didn’t take long for Matt to settle on health and wellness, with a particular focus on mental health products.

In February 2020 he registered the domain name ZenmasterWellness.com. It was a little different, but Matt felt it was exactly the type of branding and image he wanted to set for his new website.

As the COVID-19 pandemic hit, his employer cut his hours and salary by twenty percent. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Matt figured that with a little more time on his hands, and a little less money, he now had both the space and the necessary incentive to work on his site more seriously.

He continued learning, identifying keywords and writing articles on an occasional basis. By July, this method had his site generating around twenty five visits per day.

Within those articles, he began placing affiliate links to the products website. These tracked users’ clicks and he’d receive a commission for every sale he generated.

The strategy worked, and over the next year he added content that would often succeed—not always as successfully as his smart gyms article—but that generated revenue nonetheless. How much? Well, just over a year into Zenmaster Wellness the site generates an average of ten thousand per month in commissions.

With that sort of money, you’d be forgiven for thinking Matt has quit his full time job, but that hasn’t happened yet. Instead, he looks at Zenmaster Wellness as a way to increase his wealth building efforts. It’s definitely a healthy complement to meditation.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Want more zen in your life? Check out Matt’s website, ZenMasterWellness.com.
  • Looking to monetize your own blog through affiliate marketing? Check out Shareasale and Impact, the two companies Matt used for his blog.

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
"With any niche community, there are a world of opportunities to build something cool – whether it’s a website, a Youtube channel or even just a spreadsheet of data."
—Matt Oney #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Learn More With Skillshare!

Supporting the sponsors keeps the show free. Today’s episode of Side Hustle School is brought to you by Skillshare. 📷

Skillshare is giving Side Hustle School listeners 2 months of unlimited access—for $0.99! Join the 2 million students learning everything from street photography to SEO on Skillshare today!
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

Q&A: How to become an affiliate manager for large launches?

What It’s About

Today’s listener thinks they have a win-win idea to manage affiliates for others.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1603

Some product launches have an “affiliate manager” who coordinates promotion efforts. How can our listener learn to offer this service on a freelance basis?

This is like HR for entrepreneurs. If you’re looking for a contract job that rewards performance, it might be for you …. but it’s also a bit of a niche thing. You usually have to know someone to get into it.

“I’ve noticed that big product launches like B-School have a lot of big-name people who promote them on Instagram and through email, presumably because they’re earning commissions for it. When I looked into it more, I learned that there is often an affiliate manager who handles relations with these people, putting together contests and making sure they have all the info they need to be successful. I’d like to be one of those relationship managers on a freelance basis. I have the people skills and the know-how to learn new tech systems. My thinking is that I’d earn a commission on the commission—but in a way that ultimately makes the product creator a lot more money, so it’s a win-win for everyone. Is this a feasible idea?”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

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

Sponsors & Gratitude

Don't Do Business Without It

Side Hustle School is brought to you by American Express.

No matter what you do in business, from working nine-to-five to working five-to-nine, it’s easier when you don’t go it alone. Get the powerful backing of American Express—don't do business without it! 💳 Visit American Express

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 Superfan Gets Paid to Write Disney Blog

What It’s About

Dreams do come true for this Disney superfan who get’s paid to write about “the most magical place on earth“.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

“The key for me has been to figure out what is most important and what I’m best at.” By learning to embrace constraints, Becky’s Disney blog began to bring in consistent revenue.

Fun Fact

You’ve obviously seen Becky writing about Disney on her website, but did you know she first started writing about Disney to herself as a 10 year old? Now that’s passion.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1569
Becky Ginther has always been passionate about Disney. Ever since she took her first trip to Disney World when she was ten, she fell in love with the theme park and started saving money to go back. In fact, she started writing her own personal guide book and itinerary.

She kept returning over the next decade, and even chose Disney World as the location for her honeymoon.

Since so much of her life was connected to this happy place, Becky decided that she would share her passion publicly with the world. Fresh out of grad school, she had just gotten a job as a children’s librarian. The work was ideal, but the pay was fairly low, and she had student loans.

She had already been writing for other websites on all things Disney related, and realized that it would make a lot more sense if she had her own platform that she could control. With these two reasons in mind, Becky started her blog, Disney in Your Day.

For someone who launched her site on a $5/month hosting plan, Becky’s Disney side hustle has now paid off, bringing her at least $500 every month from ads and another $500 or so from tours. And remember, this is a topic and industry that’s close to her heart. It’s not her full-time job, but it’s a very frequent part-time passion.

Without blogging about Disney, she would not have become a Disney travel agent and gotten exclusive access to different VIP events. It’s a dream come true for someone who has loved Disney as a ten year old girl.

Becky’s advice for those who want to build a business while holding down a day job is to embrace constraints. As she puts it, “If I had all the time in the world I could never do anything.” The key has been to figure out what’s important and what she’s good at, and to ignore everyone else giving her well-meaning advice.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

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

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

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 key for me has been to figure out what is most important and what I’m best at."
—Becky Ginther #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Learn More With Skillshare!

Supporting the sponsors keeps the show free. Today’s episode of Side Hustle School is brought to you by Skillshare. 📷

Skillshare is giving Side Hustle School listeners 2 months of unlimited access—for $0.99! Join the 2 million students learning everything from street photography to SEO on Skillshare today!
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

Customer Service Agent Becomes CBD Affiliate

What It’s About

A customer service agent sees green growth from recommending CBDs through his site.

Words of Wisdom

Michael share’s some sage advice for those starting their hustle; “Endure! If you are starting as a newbie, commercial success will likely take a long time. Don’t worry, the time is not wasted, consider every day a day of personal development.”

Fun Fact

The future of the CBD industry is more segmentation and niche products. CBD gummies, oils, creams and vape are big right now, but CBD drinks are the next biggest growing product segment. In the next couple years, drinks, foods, beauty products and products targeted at niche demographics are going to be where new growth occurs.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1564
Michael Primak is far from an overnight success. In fact, he’s probably spent more time failing on his side hustle adventure than he has succeeding… but that’s why we’re interested in him, because sometimes your first idea—or your twelfth) isn’t your final one.

Back then, Michael was working as a customer service agent for a software company. With one foot in the tech scene he was able to learn valuable skills on the job. Combined with his own independent study, he learned to design and code websites, as well as how to market an idea.

The problem was, none of the ideas worked. By the time 2018 rolled around a decade had passed, he was a father to a child and a whole family of failed experiments.

2018 was the same year the CBD boom took off in the USA. With the rise in popularity of products like oils, gummies, and vapes, Michael saw an opportunity … and decided to bottle it up.

His first thought was to start an ecommerce store selling CBD products. However, once he started looking into it he realized the upfront costs would be prohibitive. He’d have to purchase inventory as well as source fulfillment and deal with banking options that were still accommodating a new industry. It all seemed too difficult.

Instead, he looked into affiliate marketing. He noticed several of the products sold online had affiliate programs: that is, they offered a percentage of each sale to those who referred customers to them.

He purchased the domain CBDDelivery.co as well as a yearly hosting package. All up, this cost him around seventy dollars which was all he needed to get started.

It was a hit, and the site’s traffic began an upward incline into March as the COVID-19 pandemic hit the USA. However, far from negatively impacting his site, lockdowns across the world actually increased the traffic to CBD Delivery. It delivered a huge spike in accompanying sales as well. So much so that by the middle of the year the site was making ten times as much as the previous year, five thousand dollars per month.

This thirteenth attempt at a side business has now enabled him to quit his full time job, spend more time at home with his two-year-old, and enjoy life.

 

 

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
"Endure! If you are starting as a newbie, commercial success will likely take a long time. Don’t worry, the time is not wasted, consider every day a day of personal development."
—Michael Primak #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

Government Lawyer Lands Whale of a Side Gig

What It’s About

An attorney hooks into a second income writing about his passion for fishing.

Words of Wisdom

Pete has some great advice about writing: “I have trust in my process. Every time someone told me that my writing didn’t fit the mold of what was expected, that’s when I’ve gotten attention.

Fun Fact

Pete once fished with Kevin VanDam, the “Michael Jordan” of bass fishing. Over the course of his career, KVD (as he is known) has earned more than $6 million making him the all-time money winner in professional bass fishing.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1550
By day, Pete Robbins is your average government lawyer, toiling away as one of thousands of federal employees in the Washington, DC area. By night, he’s one of the most prolific and well-known writers in the world of professional fishing.

Pete has managed to do what many people dream of doing—he turned a lifelong passion for fishing into a lucrative side hustle. By starting with a simple blog on a well-known fishing website and leveraging the many connections he made through his writing, Pete has been able to earn tens of thousands of dollars in income, gifted fishing gear, and free travel.

It all started way way back in 2004. He’d been writing for free for a friend’s fishing website and was able to get on a boat as a passenger during a fishing competition. From that experience he sold his first article for $400 and realized that writing about fishing could be a money making endeavor.

Pete kept casting out his line and hooking new gigs time after time after time. Eventually, he enlisted the help of his wife and a graphic designer to create his own website, HalfPastFirstCast.com.

It’s still a side hustle, but it now brings in at least $40,000 in annual income, with a high of $63,000 in earnings in 2019. One way Pete has reached that level of earnings is through leveraging as many connections as possible. As he tells it, that $40,000 doesn’t come from one or two clients but from lots of little jobs. For instance he ghost-writes the monthly columns of six different professional anglers for a major website for $150 each, which nets him $10,800 annually.

Besides leveraging his connections, hooking those small fish in order to catch the big ones, Pete learned early on that in order to grow his writing career he needed to stand out from the pack. As he tells it, “The fishing industry is very insular. Most of the writing fits within narrow guardrails. While I’m cautious not to pick unnecessary fights, I’m also not afraid to express my opinion, even if it’s an unpopular one.”

But I’m sure that if you asked Pete what the biggest benefit that has come out of his side hustle, he’d point to his wife. Remember that first article he sold for $400? Well at the time he was dating his girlfriend Hanna, and while he had saved $1200 for an engagement ring so that he could propose to her, he needed a bit more and was struggling under the cost of living expenses in the pricey DC market. That first paycheck for his writing made him realize that he could turn his passion for fishing into real money, which he could then trade for something even more important.

 

 

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
"Venture out, learn what makes you uncomfortable and repeat. What I learned about myself in 15 years I could never have learned just from reading books or hearing others tell their stories."
—Eva Rosales #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

Q&A: Why bother with Amazon’s affiliate program?

What It’s About

A listener wants to know if it’s worth it to join Amazon’s affiliate program.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1201

Today’s listener is wondering about Amazon.com’s affiliate program. I’ve talked about why everyone should sign up for it (sadly there’s no referral bonus, this is just for your benefit…) but what’s the point if people already shop there?

Very good question! And it just so happens that there is a good answer, at least if you have any sort of website or online presence and might at some point link to one of the 600 million items that are sold through the world’s largest retailer.

Also – what are people buying through my links? An interesting exploration.

“I’m wondering about Amazon affiliate links? You mentioned that we could all sign up to become an Amazon affiliate… but what’s the point? Why would anyone use my link to buy something instead of just going directly to Amazon.com? I’m pretty sure Amazon gets more traffic than I do on my Pinterest account. Thanks and I look forward to hearing from you.”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

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

Sponsors & Gratitude

Don't Do Business Without It

Side Hustle School is brought to you by American Express.

No matter what you do in business, from working nine-to-five to working five-to-nine, it’s easier when you don’t go it alone. Get the powerful backing of American Express—don't do business without it! 💳 Visit American Express

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

Type 1 Diabetes Doesn’t Stop This Nomadic Blogger

What It’s About

A traveling couple helps people living with Type 1 Diabetes see the world.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

There are a lot of travel bloggers out there, but there are still opportunities to get started. In order to be successful though, you have to ask yourself what you can bring to the conversation that isn’t already being discussed. Whenever possible, niche down and find new ways to share content!

Fun Fact

At least 1.25 million Americans are living with T1D, including about 200,000 youth (less than 20 years old)

New research is exploring possible cures for Type 1 diabetes, like an artificial pancreas system to monitor and automate blood sugar control in the body.

Notes from Chris

Episode 949
It would seem that no matter where you look online these days, there’s another travel blog. But does that mean that there are no longer any opportunities for those looking to monetize their overseas adventures?

Well, as college students Bradley Williams and Cazzy Magennis discovered, it’s still possible, but if you want to stand out, you need to focus your efforts.

Cazzy had always dreamed of traveling the world, and she started saving up for grand adventures from an early age. But that dream came to a halt when she was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.

For those not familiar with the condition, Type 1 Diabetes is not preventable, and there is no known cure. It’s a condition that must be constantly and carefully managed with insulin—either via injections or an insulin pump. Diabetics measure their blood-sugar levels throughout the day with finger pricks or by wearing a continuous glucose monitor. On top of all that, if insulin gets too hot, or if it freezes, it becomes ineffective—adding another complication when traveling.

Having hoped for a carefree, vagabond life, Cazzy was devastated.

But she also wasn’t interested in letting that diagnosis become her only reality. Three months later, Cazzy set off—insulin pump in hand—to see the world. It wasn’t always easy, but she found ways to make do even in countries like Bangladesh and Thailand where there was little Diabetes care. Nothing was going to keep her from hanging out with elephants!

Over the years, she learned a lot about Type 1 diabetes and the impact it had on her travels. And somewhere along the way, it occurred to her that this was valuable information that she could share with others. So, when she and her boyfriend Bradley graduated from University with a four-month backpacking stint to South America on the horizon, they decided that it was time to make a leap.

With less than £500 [$650], they launched a website and called their new project Dream Big, Travel Far. And instead of creating an all-purpose travel blog, they opted to focus on giving others with Type 1 Diabetes the tools they needed to meet their travel goals—without compromising their health.

In between Amazon riverboat cruises and trekking through National Parks, Cazzy and Bradley published their advice on taking medication and syringes through TSA, traveling to high altitudes, and even location-specific “What to do in case of emergencies” guides. The latter of these was especially important because following a night with her sister at a bar in Thailand, Cazzy knew all too well how easy it is for someone to mistake a glucose monitor for a cell phone and walk off with it.

Although slow to grow, their hustle eventually did pay off! They centered themselves as authorities for travelers with Type 1 Diabetes, and Dream Big, Travel Far currently gets more than 100,000 page views per month and brings in about £3,000 (or $3,700 USD) in profit each month as well. It’s even been successful enough for them to quit freelancing entirely and sustain their travels.

This adventurous couple now has lofty goals to triple their blog traffic this year and find new ways to continue growing their incomes. Eventually, they’d love to hire a Virtual Assistant to cover tasks like email and social media so they can focus on what they do best—namely, getting traffic through Google.

Meanwhile, they’re making their way from Ireland to Indonesia. It just goes to show that a diagnosis can’t stop you from dreaming big and traveling far.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Dream Big, Travel Far: Dream big, travel far, and learn more about this adventurous side hustle over on Brad and Cazzy’s 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
"Having a side hustle has been very beneficial for my mental happiness. I really struggle turning my mind off and, whenever alone with my thoughts, I always think up new business ideas. Having a successful travel blog gives me a place to channel all of these ideas into something worthwhile and productive."
—Bradley 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

Marketer Connects Filipino Employees with Global Employers

What It’s About

In searching for outsourced help, this marketer ends up building an all-new business.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

John says that if you are struggling running your business and need help, then try outsourcing. But first, you need to read more on what outsourcing is and how it’s done. He says it’s not a complicated process but business owners need to know every bit of it so they don’t end up frustrated and in the dark while going through the process.

Fun Fact

Businesses understand that they need to have the right number of people to ensure that they can grow. In fact, getting the right people on board has led the recruitment and staffing market in the US to grow to the tune of US$150 billion.

Notes from Chris

Episode 945

When Internet marketer John Jonas was building marketing websites, he was working anywhere from 10 to 12 hours a day. With a day job and a family, he realized that this arrangement was not ideal for him … or his family. The obvious solution was to outsource some of his work to someone else. He needed to work smarter, not harder.

This was in 2009. At that time, there wasn’t a comprehensive online marketplace you could just turn to when you needed virtual help with a task. John had to go through an agency—which was a frustrating experience. All he could do was inform the agency of his requirements and then accept whoever they sent his way.

As you might expect, the first candidate that he received was someone who did not meet his meets.

Subsequent candidates that he looked for got better, but with so many aspects of the process outside his control, John always had a nagging concern that the work would not be completed satisfactorily. This was a big pain point, but he thought that it might just be something that he could fix.

True to his mantra of working smarter and not harder, John acted by bypassing the agency and hiring his own programmer from the Philippines. With his degree in computer science, he was able to explain exactly what he needed and could verify that work was done properly.

He had little idea what that would cost him initially—all he knew was that he was paying that person $500/month. This was a win-win solution: it was far cheaper than hiring another programmer in the U.S.—and at the same time, this was a wage that was significantly higher than the market rate in the Philippines. It went so well, in fact, that he decided to keep going … and to create a job site as a platform for hiring Filipino workers.

This was a conscious choice after working with several employees from the Philippines. Not only were many of them fluent in English, but it was also a location in which it made financial sense for work to be outsourced—employers could lower their costs while workers would get a higher wage. This was a value proposition that was not immediately obvious since John’s site, OnlineJobs PH, was built at a time when outsourcing and remote work wasn’t as common as it is now. But through webinars, teleseminars, and videos, John evangelized about the reasons why people should consider it. This proved to be the most effective way of marketing since it was deeply personal.

As OnlineJobs PH grew, the main source of referrals quickly became word of mouth. Growth was organic, with employers and employees joining because of the good things they heard, as well as through methods such as SEO. Ten years later, the model has proven to be sustainable: John now has 21 virtual employees from the Philippines working for him. This year, Online Jobs PH has over 5,000 paying employers and earned revenue of over $4 million.

It’s worth noting that John’s initial goal was not to set up an online job board; he only did so after trying to outsource some of his work and discovering that there was such a gap in the market. Solving his own problem, however, has turned a small idea into a daily hustle—not just for himself, but for thousands of people around the world.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • OnlineJobs PH: Looking to outsource some of your work? Head on over to John’s website to learn more

 

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
"We teach people to focus on long-term workers which help build long-term businesses. Everyone else focuses on short-term contractors or per-project work. Both of those guarantee 100% turnover for the business, and it’s hard to run a business when your labor is based on turnover."
—John Jonas #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Don't Do Business Without It

Side Hustle School is brought to you by American Express.

No matter what you do in business, from working nine-to-five to working five-to-nine, it’s easier when you don’t go it alone. Get the powerful backing of American Express—don't do business without it! 💳 Visit American Express

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

Paternal Twins Produce Passive Publishing Profits

What It’s About

Twin brothers oversee an Amazon self-publishing factory.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

When finding book ideas, the Mikkelsen twins rely on one thing: market research. As they put it, numbers don’t lie—you need to look for book topics that have high demand and low competition (not enough books on the subject).

To look at demand, they simply go to Amazon and look at the average BSRs (best seller rates) of the books in a particular niche. Then they compare that to how many authors/publishers are selling books on this topic by looking at search results on Amazon and Audible.

Fun Fact

Did you know that eBook sales have more than doubled in 2018? Well, that’s according to some estimates. While exact data is unknown, many experts believe that sales of eBooks in the United States alone have eclipsed 200 million per year.

Notes from Chris

Episode 942
In 2016, the Mikkelsen brothers, Rasmus and Christian, were working their way through college. In addition to being identical twins, they also had identical 4.0 GPAs. To pay the bills while studying, they each worked part-time jobs—Rasmus as a Chinese food delivery driver, and Christian as a receptionist. The jobs weren’t high-paying but gave them the money they needed to live.

If they continued down their current path, they’d graduate with honors and go on to lucrative careers in a few short years. But these two had other plans…

They already knew that the typical path of college to an office job wasn’t for them. They wanted something different, and they hoped to escape the rat race before they even started running. So, they began to explore different online business models in hopes of making some extra money.

Since it was their first foray into making money online, they didn’t quite know where to start. So, they spent a couple of days scouring Google researching as many methods as they could; dropshipping, affiliate marketing, app building, Amazon FBA … and the list goes on.

After that, they decided on a divide and conquer approach. They each chose a business model and would dedicate a few months to trying to make it work. For Rasmus, it was dropshipping; Christian would try his hand at self-publishing ebooks.

Within six months, a clear winner emerged! While Rasmus’s dropshipping experiment yielded some success, it was Christian’s self-publishing that really excited them.

Here’s what happened…

On July 2016, Christian published his first ebook. He wrote about something he knew and titled it “How to Be a 4.0 GPA Student in College, Like Me.” It was a 5,000-word guide that included study tips, hacks, and techniques he used to maintain top grades. It wasn’t exactly a magnum opus, but a useful handbook nonetheless.

He published the book on Amazon and made $6.46 that first month. The next month, they quit school and retired to live a life of leisure … oh wait, not quite. Still, even earning $6 felt validating. After all, you have to start somewhere!

Through a lot of trial and error, by the end of that year, they were making over five thousand dollars per month through their self-publishing business. It was easily enough to live on, perhaps not for two people in the USA, but definitely in Thailand.

So, they embraced the expat lifestyle and moved overseas to lower their expenses, all while continuing to work on the business.

Over the next year, they traveled to over a dozen countries while growing revenue to more than $8,000 per month. And that success led them to something new—to teach what they know. They’ve started a YouTube channel and are working on a self-publishing course.

The story of the Mikkelsen twins is only half complete … but this time, instead of outsourcing, they’re writing it themselves!

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • YouTube | Mikkelsen Twins: To learn more about Rasmus, Christian, and their self-publishing hustle, head on over to their YouTube channel!

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
"The amazing and completely unfair advantage of having a twin is that we can split business models. So, to begin with, we started two separate businesses, and whoever would have more success, the other one would just jump over and do that business model too. It’s a foolproof strategy!"
—Rasmus & Christian Mikkelsen #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