Tag: Alibaba

Stay-At-Home Mom Starts Bamboo Baby Biz

What It’s About

A baby product business is born from a mother looking for options after childbirth.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Vicki share’s some thoughts for those struggling with confidence. “When you’re starting something new, it’s easy to feel a sense of ‘imposter syndrome’. To deal with this, it helps to realize that you only need to know more than the person you’re helping.”

Fun Fact

When it comes to online retail, Amazon is king and ships over 45 million products around the world. According to Investopedia, other options for the company’s name included “Cadabra” (as in “Abracadabra”) and “Relentless”. His lawyer convinced founder and CEO Jeff Bezos that “Cadabra” sounded too much like “cadaver”. And although “Relentless” didn’t make the cut, Bezos bought the domain name relentless.com, which now redirects to the Amazon homepage.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1520
Vicki Weinberg is a mother of two based in the UK. She used to have a corporate job but suffered from postnatal depression after her first child was born. She then retrained as a children’s yoga teacher and gave local classes.

During her second pregnancy, Vicki had some issues with her hip and back. It meant she couldn’t teach anymore and had to find someone to cover her classes for the last few months. But by the time the baby was born, she was ready to do something–anything–even though she didn’t know what.

An idea sparked: to create a brand of high-quality baby products that could be used, reused, and gifted to other families. And so, when her second baby was only six weeks old, Tiny Chipmunk was born.

Vicki knew she wanted to create a range of bamboo baby products and used Google’s keyword tool to research what would come first. She landed on baby swaddles and used 99Designs to find a logo designer. Finally, she used Alibaba.com to search for a supplier to make the product. At the same time, she ordered samples of similar products from Amazon to scope out the existing market.

Tiny Chipmunk has become Vicki’s main work focus, bringing in at least $25,000 a year in profit. She doesn’t need to work set hours because the business mostly runs itself. In fact, even though she had to homeschool her kids and cut back on her hours over the last year, sales remained steady.

As her business has grown, Vicki has too. Nowadays, she doesn’t just sell products online; she also coaches other people who want to sell products.

Going forward, the plan is to launch more of her own products, all while helping other people create and sell theirs. She also plans to do less one-on-one coaching and instead move towards more group coaching and courses. It all starts with baby steps.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Learn more about Vicki and her baby products at her website, TinyChipmunk.com.
  • Looking to launch your own product and need help? Learn from Vicki. vickiweinberg.com.
  • 99designs: The marketplace Vicki used to get a logo design (similar to Fiverr and Upwork).
  • Alibaba: The marketplace Vicki used to source her products.

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
"Take action each and every single day. I applied to freelancing jobs like my life depended on it. This allowed me to figure out what I liked to do and didn’t."
—Trevor Oldham #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: Help! I’m still overwhelmed with buying products on Alibaba

What It’s About

A listener seeks advice on how to buy products to resell from Alibaba.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1432

A recent Classroom episode covered the basics of buying products for resale on Alibaba—but this listener is still confused. Let’s clear up the confusion!

As a refresher, Alibaba is the largest marketplace in the world (yes, that includes Amazon!). You can find just about anything there, from big booty jeans to live sheep—we covered listings for both of those items and many more in the afore-mentioned Classroom episode, #1402.

In that episode I also talked briefly about Alibaba Express, and that’s part of this listener’s confusion.

“Hi Chris, this is Brian from Denver. I listened to an episode on sourcing products from Alibaba, and got really excited. But when I went to look at the site, I felt seriously overwhelmed. It seems like you can buy almost anything you can imagine, but there are thousands of sellers, and lots of confusing terms. You mentioned that Alibaba Express was more consumer-friendly with lower minimum order quantities—and the site does seem a lot easier to navigate. Is there a reason I should be looking at Alibaba.com instead of Alibaba Express? What’s the difference? Thanks “

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

CLASSROOM: Sourcing Products Using Alibaba

What It’s About

What’s the difference between Alibaba and Alibaba Express?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1402

Today, let’s look at the topic of sourcing products using Alibaba and Alibaba Express. Specifically, I’m talking about buying something from overseas (most likely an East or Southeast Asian factory) and reselling it in your country. Is there an easy way to get started with this?

What is Alibaba and Alibaba Express?

The Alibaba Group controls the largest online marketplace in the world—and yes, that includes Amazon.

It’s a directory of manufacturers and items for sale in bulk, predominantly from China. You can peruse the listings, contact vendors, and place orders directly.

You don’t need to be a big business or even a business at all to purchase from these sellers, Alibaba provides a number of protections for both buyers and sellers (like eBay), and in a lot of cases, there are low minimum quantities so you don’t have to invest a lot upfront.

Alibaba is B2B only, Alibaba Express is B2C. There is some overlap, but generally, the prices will be higher on Alibaba Express—that’s because it’s easier and more consumer-friendly, with lower minimum order quantities. I’d recommend if you really want to get into this, you focus more on Alibaba, just be aware there’s a learning curve.

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

THIS WEEK’S ASSIGNMENT:

Consider buying something for resale. Visit AliExpress.com and identify at least two items you think you could purchase and then resell for a profit.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

 

 

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

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

Bartender Sells Pocket-Sized Reminders of Positivity

What It’s About

A side hustle inspiration story that was literally in this bartender’s pocket.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Hear how the side hustle experience has impacted Vincent personally; “the best part of the experience so far is that Mantra Medallions is a complete 180-degree turn from the way I make money. I’m providing a bit of happiness instead, in a much healthier form.”

Fun Fact

Vincent got his idea to create medallions only when his girlfriend told him that she liked a memento that had always been carrying on. The idea was in his pocket all along.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1317
Vincent Cilento realized early on that he didn’t enjoy working for big companies. This led him to take on a job as a bartender where he had the flexibility to determine how many shifts to work, giving him the chance to explore other ideas.

One such idea was pocket-sized medallions. He had been carrying around a pocket-sized coin from Ryan Holiday’s Daily Stoic store with the message “The Obstacle Is The Way.” He didn’t think much of it until his girlfriend spotted the coin. She was going through a difficult time and said that she wanted something similar for herself.

At that point, all Vincent did was to talk to her about what her coin might look like, and how they could find someone to manufacture a custom design. But after sharing the idea with his girlfriend’s sister, they all realized that this was an opportunity in disguise. In fact, his girlfriend’s sister loved the medallion he already had so much that she promised to be his first customer if Vincent started his own line. That’s what got him into action.

So how did he do it? The first step was to go to 99 Designs, a website that helps to connect designers and clients, and find an artist whose work he resonated with. Together they created his first designs with sayings like “Be Here Now” and “Come As You Are.”

Once the designs were set, he started working on finding a reliable manufacturer. Unfortunately, this process didn’t go quite as smoothly. He initially looked on Google, and found that there were a lot of companies that made coins. This was extremely frustrating, and it took him another six months to find a reliable manufacturer, but he finally managed to locate one on Alibaba.

Throughout his challenging experience with manufacturers, Vincent was also working on acquiring customers. In Vincent’s words, his initial marketing strategy was “I have no idea what I’m doing so let me try everything.” He started with Facebook and Instagram ads, but saw no results after his initial spend of $100. This made him realize that he didn’t have the skill to write good copy nor was he likely targeting the right demographics.

Slowly, all of Vincent’s hard work has been paying off. He’s been seeing a bump in sales over the past several months, even with his challenges. He’s diversified his distribution from just his online website to other platforms such as Etsy.

Over the past year he’s been averaging a little over $500/month in revenue. With his initial batch of medallions setting him back just $370 and the only recurring cost being his Shopify payment, he’s confident that he can make this work. After all, the obstacle is the way.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Learn more about Vincent and his inspirational coins at his website, MantraMedallions.com.
  • Vincent got inspiration from Ryan Holiday’s book, The Daily Stoic.
  • To produce his medallions, Vincent used the freelance marketplace, 99designs and sourced his product through Alibaba.
  • To sell his medallions, Vincent uses the popular marketplace Etsy and also directly through his own e-commerce site built on Shopify.

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

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

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

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

Create your online store with Shopify using an exclusive discount for Side Hustle School listeners. For a limited time, get a free 21-day trial and a 10% discount for a whole year.

Many Side Hustle School listeners are building sites using Shopify's easy-to-learn platform. Try it free today! Learn More

Quote of the Day
"I have no idea what I’m doing so let me try everything."
—Vincent Cilento #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 can I sell an eco-friendly product?

What It’s About

A product in search of an ideal customer … but who actually is that customer?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1117

Today’s caller has made a foldable tote bag attached to a set of eating utensils. How will she find her ideal customers? By the way, what do I mean by ideal customer? I wrote about this in the SIDE HUSTLE book on day 8: “Have imaginary coffee with your ideal customer.”

The short version is that somewhere out there, there’s a single person who is best suited to your offer—not a huge “target market,” but a single person who represents many other potential buyers.

In this episode: understanding the customer for this product, and some ideas on how to find them.

“I invented an eco-friendly product called Fork in the Rose. It is a foldable tote bag attached to a set of eating utensils. It replaces disposable bags and eating utensils.

Most initial reactions have been positive and I have sold some sets but I am not a great salesperson. I posted pictures online but I haven’t gotten a good response yet. I sell them for $12 my cost because I can only buy a small amount of supplies is around $4. I have been trying to find someone at Alibaba.com to make them but I haven’t found them yet.”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

  MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Alibaba: A massive online marketplace for those thinking about selling/reselling a product.
  • Want to launch your own product and are considering working with a supplier through Alibaba? Listen to Extended Cut Episode #400 and look for the Shopify guide to Alibaba, posted in the notes.

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

Attorney Sells Cork Sunglasses With Grape Expectations

What It’s About

Two friends sell sunglasses made from cork for fellow wine-lovers.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Thinking about launching a product. Joseph has some advice; “I would suggest that anyone looking for a supplier in China should go on Alibaba.com and reach out to several different suppliers, get quotes and samples from each. You can negotiate prices down when you have several suppliers competing for your business. You also get to see the different quality of the products.”

Fun Fact

There are an estimated 84 million regular wine drinkers in the USA. While it’s obvious that selling wine to them is a good way to make money, with a market this large there are always other opportunities if you can find complementary products the demographic will love.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1053
Joseph O’Bell and David Eagen live in Austin, Texas. Both are young professionals, with Joseph working as a construction litigation attorney and David in finance. As friends, they bond over fashion and wine. In fact, for them, enjoying a glass of cabernet sauvignon can turn a regular day into a cause for celebration.

Joseph has been a working attorney for several years. The hours are long and the work demanding but, at the same time, it’s a well-paid field that comes with its own job security.

David personifies the side hustler spirit a bit more. Outside of his day job, he’s had several different moneymaking projects over the years. The most successful of which was TacoSweets, a food truck that put a sugary spin on a traditionally savory dish.

One thing they share is that they’re both always on the lookout for opportunities, often discussing ideas together over a glass of red. Most of these conversations didn’t amount too much. But every now and then something fruitful came out of it. It wasn’t unlike growing grapes, where the vine grows for years before it yields fruit.

One particular idea that got their attention was something specific in the fashion space—a sunglasses company. To avoid having to compete with the big companies, they decided to make them specifically targeted to wine lovers. A pair of glasses they could wear in a vineyard while enjoying a cab-sav as the sun goes down.

Their original idea was to make them out of cork, to stick with the wine theme. It would make the glasses unique, allow them to be marketed directly to wine lovers and, beyond that, they’d be a great conversation starter.

They put a corkscrew into this idea, diving in further.

The first thing they needed was a supplier, someone to actually produce the glasses. To find one, it seemed obvious to turn to China. David had some experience working with suppliers there and was able to provide Joseph with a couple of promising leads. He made a few calls and soon found a suitable manufacturer.

David, who had some experience in web design from his previous ventures, built their website—and with that, it was time to celebrate. Vineyard Sun, their new side hustle, was officially open for business.

What flowed over the next year was a series of marketing experiments: more cold calling, snail mail and email to wineries. They tried pitching to boutique stores and gift box subscription services. What worked the best building up a following on their Instagram and Facebook accounts. It has helped get the word out and produced direct sales. Also, having a brand with an online presence makes things seem more legitimate when cold selling.

Which brings us to today where, like a fine wine, Vineyard Sun has only gotten better with age. The side hustle is now at the point where its consistently bringing in five hundred dollars profit per month. While nowhere near enough for a full time living yet, that is the eventual goal. To sell enough pairs of sunglasses to wine lovers all over the world that Vineyard Sun can become Joseph and David’s primary pursuit.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Vineyard Sun: Snag a pair of your own cork sunglasses at the Vineyard Sun website.
  • Joeseph and David use Shopify to sell their sunglasses. (use the link to start a 21-day trial and get 10% off for an entire year!)
  • Want to launch your own product and are considering working with a supplier through Alibaba? Listen to Extended Cut Episode #400 and look for the Shopify guide to Alibaba, posted in the notes.

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
"Getting started, making mistakes, figuring things out, and finding solutions to problems is the only way you are going to move the ball forward and make a company successful."
—Joseph O'Bell #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

Trio of Friends Creates Ergonomic Desk Accessory

What It’s About

Three college friends lean in, creating ergonomic pads for people working at desks.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

The guys have some great advice about working as a team, “Partner with people that each bring a unique and valuable skill set to the project. When you can divide and conquer tasks, it makes everyone feel like they’re an equal contributor to the team, and it also streamlines the process.”

Fun Fact

Kyle and Chris played baseball together in college and have been best friends since. Though they live in separate parts of the country, working on Jelbows has been a way for them to remain close. While they’ve had a few disagreements along the way, they feel their friendship has gotten stronger because of being in business together.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1045

Great ideas are often born out of necessity. This was precisely what led Kyle Kunkel and his two former college roommates, Chris and Brandon, to creating Jelbows—an ergonomic solution for desk workers.

It all started during a brainstorming meeting. The three friends would meet on a call once a week to throw out ideas for potential businesses they could start. This was also a way to stay connected. Most of the ideas never stuck, but during one call in Spring 2015, that changed.

One of them had an idea worth looking into.

Working in a call center, Kyle mentioned that his elbows hurt after leaning on his desk while making calls. To counter the discomfort, he brought in actual Dr. Scholls’ heel inserts to put on the desk and lean on. It worked, and he began to bring in more as gifts for colleagues.

While at first the idea seemed like a stretch, they realized it might just be crazy enough to have merit.

The name would be Jelbows: “Gel for your elbow.” These ergonomic elbow and wrist pads would alleviate stress and tension on joints caused by making calls, leaning on elbows, typing, and other similar desk activities.

Kyle immediately went into product research and development mode. He started by going on Alibaba, a well-known site that lists products from Asian manufacturers, to find suppliers who were producing items similar to the initial concept for Jelbows.

How much did all of this cost? Their initial investment was about $1200 each. In addition to the production costs for testing different sizes and shapes, they also spent money on ad campaigns, their website, and photography. They made a website, set up Shopify, and began advertising on Instagram (which ended up not being as great of a return as they had hoped!). Live and learn.

Sales began during the 2015 holiday season, and they set some ambitious goals, including earning a million dollars in revenue and one day being able to sell the company to retire on a beach. (Start small…)

Four years in, their annual revenue is over $100,000, and Jelbows operates on a 50-60% profit margin. They have no debt and are cash positive every month. Jelbows has close to 300 reviews on Amazon, and they offer options for two sizes and three colors.

And they are still at their day jobs! Kyle is a Senior Manager at Dell working in procurement, while Chris is in Medical Sales. Their third business partner sold his interest in the company to focus on other work.

The two remaining partners now spend time thinking about how to scale and reach their new goal: to triple their sales within the next year. Another future goal for Jelbows is to ship internationally, as they currently only sell within the U.S.

While they’ve seen amazing growth since 2015, Kyle and Chris are firm believers in not getting comfortable with where they are … no matter how comfortable their product may be.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Jelbows: Learn more and get your own set of Jelbows from the Jelbows website.
  • Want to launch your own product and are considering working with a supplier through Alibaba? Listen to Extended Cut Episode #400 and look for the Shopify guide to Alibaba, posted in the notes.

 

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
"Partner with people that each bring a unique and valuable skill set to the project. When you can divide and conquer tasks, it makes everyone feel like they’re an equal contributor to the team."
—Kyle Kunkel #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

Military-Themed Teddy Bears Help Kids Hibernate

What It’s About

Teddy bears that are trained to keep the nightmares at bay!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Justin still insists on asking his audience for help and believes in Facebook as a great way to receive immediate feedback. He says it’s a great platform to ask questions and get real-time responses. When he posts a question regarding a product they’re developing he gets hundreds of replies.

Fun Fact

Justin once received a 20-foot container from China full of bears at his front door and had to unload 4,000 bears down his driveway into his house. He says the laundry room became the assembly room and his garage became the warehouse. Justin used to hand assemble every bear and retail box in his living room—sometimes 750 at a time!

Notes from Chris

Episode 604

Justin Baum is the full-time Creative Director for the in-house advertising agency at Lenovo—the second largest PC company on the planet. His company developed Thinkpad computers, Moto phones, and much more. But before his job at Lenovo, from 2005 – 2012, he was the lead writer of recruitment advertising for the United States Marine Corps.

It was while working here that Justin was stirred by the men and women serving in uniform that made him want to give back. Inspired by his own daughter’s difficulty sleeping through the night, Justin had an idea.

He decided to bring his daughter home a teddy bear in a marine sweatshirt. He then told her a story, introducing him as a marine bear who has protected the nation for more than 200 years. “Now, he’s ready to protect you while you sleep.”

“Well, what if he falls asleep?” his daughter asked.

Justin reassured her. “He’s a marine. He would never fail at his mission!” That night, as Justin put it, his daughter slept like a bear in hibernation. A light bulb went off in Justin’s head. If this worked for his daughter, perhaps it could work for other children.

He developed the idea of Sgt. Sleeptight—a full-fledged military grade sleep system that protects children from bad dreams, fear of the dark, and the nighttime anxieties that come from having a deployed parent.

This isn’t your run-of-the-mill teddy bear. Sgt. Sleep tight comes equipped with a door hanger warning nighttime monsters that he’s on guard. A sleep tight oath to be read with your child before bed, which officially puts your bear on duty. And a Silver Slumber Star to be awarded to your child for sleeping through the night.

The project was called ZZZ Bears.

When first starting out, Justin had no idea how to get a teddy bear made. So, he did what most of us do when we want to figure something out—he Googled it. This led him to Alibaba, the gateway to manufacturing in the East. He typed in “teddy bears” and got back hundreds of manufacturers. He narrowed his search to ones with experience making military uniforms. Justin found one willing to do a small run of 200 orders.

About a month later the bears arrived safely on his front door. Fortunately, that supplier was honest… unfortunately, his quality was good but not great. And these bears deserved greatness!

In order to scale his business, he needed a better manufacturer. He used the power of Facebook, connecting with another plush product designer named Juan, who had just gotten his product into Walmart. Justin formed a friendship with him, and Juan referred him to his manufacturer. This was two years ago and Justin still uses the same one today.

So, what’s next for this ZEO of ZZZ Bears? Justin says 2019 will be a pivotal year. He’s grown to 7 SKUs already which makes inventory management and cash flow a real tough balancing act. In 2017 he did just over $100,000 in sales with $10,000 in profit.

Justin still insists on asking his audience for help and believes in Facebook as a great way to receive immediate feedback. He says it’s a great platform to ask questions and get real-time responses. When he posts a question regarding a product they’re developing he gets hundreds of replies. It just goes to show you that there’s no bear-ier to entry!

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • ZZZ Bears: Thanks to Justin and ZZZ Bears, there’s no need to fear the dark—head over to his 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

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
"Growing up, my mom used to tell me how good I was at everything—from drawing and baseball to brushing my teeth. I now realize it was a well-meant lie. Nobody is good at everything. So, be brutally honest in assessing your strengths and weaknesses—then get help. There are plenty of subject matter experts out there. Find the ones you need, put them to work, and stay focused on what you do best. P.S. – I love you, Mom."
—Justin Baum #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

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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.
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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

Weekly Recap: How to Find Manufacturers for Your Product

Notes from Chris

Episode 400

THEMES & TAKEAWAYS:

Today’s recap explores a question that has been coming up a few different times. We’ve had a number of episodes featuring side hustlers who are manufacturing something from factories overseas, often doing some kind of customization or personalization, and putting a private label on it. The common question that comes up with this is “well, how do you find these manufacturers?”

I got a listener call-in message recently that I think explores this question really well, so listen to the recap for more on this concept.

LISTENER QUESTIONS & UPDATES:

Today we have a listener question from Jessica:

  • Jessica has been wanting to launch a print on demand side hustle for a while now, but she’s overwhelmed with all of the platforms that she can use for something like this. How do you know which ones are real—which you can trust?If you’re like Jessica and are looking to manufacture something for a print on demand side hustle, I’d recommend using Alibaba (check out their free trade assurance) to locate a manufacturer that you can trust will give you what you pay for.

    It may also be worth looking into this Alibaba 101 Guide from Shopify that gives you detailed steps that will allow you to safely source products from the world’s biggest supplier directory.

    And for further examples of manufacturing side hustles, check out episodes 390, 394, and 398!

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. Head on over to sidehustleschool.com/question 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. 394 – Men’s overalls that double as sweatpants: yes, this is a thing—and an experiment to sell them brings in $64,000
  • Ep. 395 – A runner decides to create his own relay race, and then a marathon. Three years later he works full-time on producing 5 annual races
  • Ep. 396 – Turn up the heat! An electrical engineer becomes the cover model for an indie romance series. This leads to a side gig that pays an additional $20-50,000 a year
  • Ep. 397 – After leaving her day job to care for a new child, a music therapist also creates a new source of income
  • Ep. 398 – Tired of look-alike flag patches, this carpenter and frequent traveler creates his own designs based on a modern style with a nod toward 1920s luxury travel
  • Ep. 399 – In search of a way to improve his personal finances, this TV producer discovers a profitable project helping bloggers rid their posts of grammatical errors

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!)

Here’s what’s coming up next…

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

  • After seeing a mean comment on Dolly Parton’s Facebook page, a woman bakes up a hilarious and ironic side hustle
  • After answering the same questions over and over, this freelance writer opens an online school to help others break into the business
  • After two friends create a podcast for fun, it turns into a side hustle that generates $100,000 in its first year, multiple six-figures in year two, and a book deal in year three

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
"Finding an overseas manufacturer for a custom product isn’t always simple, but there’s a specific process you can follow."
—#SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Where Life Meets Legal!

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

Visit LegalZoom.com today to get special savings on services to help you launch your side hustle—add "HUSTLE" in the promo box at checkout.
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

Fashion Buyer Creates Quirky Comfort Craze

What It’s About

Buzzfeed inspiration leads to comedic, retail sensation!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

While getting an LLC may sound like a tricky process, it’s actually not that difficult of a process! In the US, it can be simple as contacting your state office, requesting a form, giving your name a business, and paying a between $30 and $300 fee depending on your state.

Fun Fact

Kyle attended the Comedy Cellar in New York and took a pair of his Swoveralls with him on the off chance he might bump into a celebrity. As chance would have it, he did and ended up giving a pair to Amy Schumer who then shared them in an Instagram story. Not bad for his first piece of big exposure, right?

Notes from Chris

Episode 394

Kyle Bergman never anticipated that reading Buzzfeed in his downtime would have an impact on his life beyond mere entertainment. But, thanks to the recommendation of a friend, it gave him the idea for today’s side hustle.

Kyle was known around the Bloomingdale’s fashion buying offices as a little bit quirky. He was the guy who would turn up on casual Fridays in a Hawaiian shirt when everyone else wore button-downs and jeans. Because of this quirkiness, one of his colleagues sent him a Buzzfeed article she thought he would love. It was all about a new fashion craze of sweatpants and overalls, and Kyle fell in love as soon as he read it. But Kyle was a bit disappointed; the entire article showed women’s sweatpant overalls, and he really wanted a pair for himself.

When he got home from work, he spent the entire evening scouring the web trying to find a pair of these overalls for men. But, to his utter dismay, there were none.

As a last-ditch effort, he decided to look on Alibaba where he found a factory drawing of male sweatpant overalls. But because this was targeted at retailers, he’d have to order at least 300 units to do so.

Over the next eight months, Kyle kept these overalls at the back of his mind but never did anything about them since there was such a high order requirement. But his curiosity got the best of him. He put in a sample order and a few weeks later, he received a prototype.

He was blown away by.

The quality was good and it looked like a premium product. This gave him the idea, and the resolve, to try and turn this into a proper business. So Kyle founded his business and called it The Great Fantastic Co., after a phrase his mother used. He also created an equally hipster-esque name for his product, calling them Swoveralls.

Kyle has been able to make over $65,000 this year with his product with $24,000 of that being complete profit.

Looking to the future, Kyle wants to make Swoveralls customizable to their buyers, by letting people add their own images or patterns to parts of the fabric. His first choice being the Pizza emoji because they’re perfect pizza-eating clothes.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • The Great Fantastic Co.: Snag a pair of your own Swoveralls, and embrace the funky side of eclectic fashion. Learn more on Kyle’s website!
  • Shopify: Kyle used Shopify to set up his store for The Great Fantastic, and they’re offering a 21-day trial and exclusive discount for all Side Hustle School listeners!
  • Chubbies: The swimsuit brand whose tongue-in-cheek style branding Kyle tried to imitate when marketing his Swoveralls
  • Thrillist: The media outlet that gave Kyle and his Swoveralls their first big break

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
"Enter a market or industry that allows you to exercise your existing network and skillset. I don’t know if you can ever make starting a business stress-free or easy, BUT if you can pair your resources with white space in a market…you’re going to hit the ground running."
—Kyle Bergman #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Where Life Meets Legal!

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

Visit LegalZoom.com today to get special savings on services to help you launch your side hustle—add "HUSTLE" in the promo box at checkout.
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