First $1,000: Digital Art Reaches Physical Homes Worldwide

What It’s About

How two friends combined their wanderlust and love of art.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1955

Today’s episode is part of a new feature we’re doing in 2022 called ‘Your First $1,000.’ As you might surmise from the title, this is all about how someone made their first $1,000.

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

One thing I’ve learned is that once you begin to earn real money, the steps required to go to the next level—whether it’s $1,000 to $2,000, or even to $5,000 or $10,000 are often easier than that first real paycheck.

With that in mind, today’s feature comes from Emily and Christine in Toronto, Canada. They’re the co-founders of Wandercolors, which offers digital art of travel destinations. We first featured them back on Episode #1681.

They’re still going strong and continuing to grow! But what about their first $1,000—how did they make that happen, what did it feel like, and what did they learn?

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 


 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Thanks to Emily and Christine for telling us about their first $1,000. I hope you found it encouraging. Check out their website wandercolors.com, offering free worldwide shipping. Don’t forget to follow them on Instagram at @wandercolorsart.

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

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

TBT: Upcycled Journals Provide Renewable Income

What It’s About

A spellbinding update from the owner of a upcycled journal business.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1944

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

Today, in our latest feature, we’ll hear from the owner of Just My Type, a creative bookbinding business based in Missoula, Montana. She is almost 70 and makes around 800 unique upcycled journals every year. (Ep. 853: Retiree Earns Extra Income with Upcycled Journals) As you’ll hear, her greatest challenge is slowing down!

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

Listen to today’s episode to hear Donna’s updates…

 


 

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

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

Conservation Scientist Designs & Sells Nonbinary Stickers

What It’s About

These nonbinary stickers are the bee’s knees.

Words of Wisdom

Sam shares some important advice, “Time and money are interchangeable. There comes a point when you’ll need to trade some money to free up some time for your business. If you can afford it, do it. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck in the slow lane.” 

Fun Fact

Some of Sam’s best-selling art is of their cats.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1851
Today’s side hustler has made their nonbinary identity into part of their business.

In 2019, conservation scientist Sam Davis started making machine-generated art with a now-defunct program. When you make machine-generated art (or when you tell the machine to make it!), it tends to be cool … but not perfect.

Naturally, that art needed some improvements by a real person, so Sam veered off into learning how to make their own cartoon characters. From their, the process evolved into designing and selling stickers of their nerdy, queer, and wild art—as they call it.

For instance, there’s a magnet of a praying mantis that says “strong female role models” and a sticker of a raccoon in front of a rainbow that says “no gender, only trash.” Sam calls these animals “trash creatures.” They figured it’s a small enough niche that they could get some sales even without much marketing.

To get started, Sam spent about $200 on paper, ink, and a machine for cutting out stickers. Then, they headed out for their first foray into sales, a local Pride event. The tent was in an awful location, Sam felt unprepared, and admits to being TERRIBLE at face-to-face customer service.

The first event was not a moneymaker, but it inspired Sam to keep going and start selling online. Nonbeenary Designs (a play on the word nonbinary) launched as an Etsy shop in December 2019. The shop sells stickers, pins, and magnets.

During 2020, Sam grossed about $4,000 from all sales channels: their website, Etsy, Facebook, and other social media platforms; custom orders; friends, etc. The business was on hold a bit as they moved twice during that time. However, extra money from the side hustle also made it possible to move two adults and all their animals—Sam has 10 cats and 3 dogs—during the pandemic.

For 2021, the income doubled, with a quarter of that coming from Etsy.

They look forward to growing the business more in 2022. As we’ve seen in other stories, one way Sam is doing that is by building up their own direct customer base to circumvent Etsy fees. You get a free sticker offer with every Etsy order if the customers sign up for emails on their website (the email is appropriately called the Bee’s Knees).

Sam is deep into this journey right now, but plans to stick with (get it?) both their day job and the side hustle. The more they can automate, the more time they can focus on doing what they really love: creating new art.

 


 

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
"Don’t get distracted from creating if you’ve got a business built on creation. Creating new designs is the single most important thing you can do. Uploading them is second."
—Sam Davis #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

Expat Teacher Draws Up Personalized Woodworks

What It’s About

A wood artist creates personalized meaningful art using memories.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Madelaine shares an important reminder when feeling stuck with a side hustle idea, “shut down your imposter syndrome immediately, be your biggest cheerleader, and never forget the “why” behind what you do every day.”

Fun Fact

Madelaine isn’t your average school teacher…or artist. In a previous life she was a hardcore athlete and claimed that she peaked when competing in the New Zealand National Athletics Championships in the heptathlon, where she finished 4th overall.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1807
The way we share stories from generation to generation tends to go a bit like a long-term game of telephone. Over the years, stories get lost in translation. We miss details. We tend to focus more on the positive than the negative. We may even be telling an entirely incorrect version of the story, and don’t even know it!

Madelaine Rose recognized that this could be a significant problem for families who wanted to preserve the integrity of their history. So, she drew herself a new side hustle, Madelaine Rose Art.

What is this artwork, exactly? It’s nature-inspired, made from wood, and uses items such as oars, wooden circles, and surfboards. She sands the wood down to its raw finish, then hand-stains it. Most of her designs reflect the beauty found in the natural world, with images of vines, trees, and mountains making regular appearances.

Pricing continues to be a bit of a struggle because each piece is unique and tells an entirely different story. So, determining just how much to charge a new customer is a common challenge.

Rather than lumbering around aimlessly, trying to figure out the perfect price, Madelaine created artwork for a donation auction to see what people would be willing to pay for her pieces. Once she had a baseline number in mind, she could adjust her costs and materials accordingly. (More about this in the wrap-up.)

Over the past year, she’s created and sold sixteeen unique art pieces for her clients … all for a good profit, and with no money spent on advertising!

So what’s next for Madelaine Rose Art? She wants to carve out additional hours to scale her business into what she calls full-time play because the word “job” doesn’t seem right. With a portfolio, improved process, and learning to ship from Japan, she’s off to a great start.

 


 

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
"Shut down your imposter syndrome immediately, be your biggest cheerleader, and never forget the “why” behind what you do every day."
—Madelaine Rose #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

Crafter Fashions Upcycled Chairs Into Six-Figure Shop

What It’s About

Sit down for the story about reupholstered chairs that bring in over 6-figures.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Wendy shares some excellent pricing advice. “Come up with a good pricing system. When we price our things really low people question what’s wrong with it and decide it must not be that valuable. But when you go ahead and you price it high … you believe that this is worth that amount because of the time and energy that you have to put into it.”

Fun Fact

Fifteen years ago, Wendy taught a Detective 101 online course for elementary school kids. She sent them a box of clues to use for each weeks’ assignments.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1737
In 2012, Wendy Conklin was working as an educational consultant when she took a couple of upholstery classes. She’d already tried doing it using instructions from a book but wanted hands-on guidance from a pro.

In the first class, she learned how to fix up vintage and antique chairs and reupholster them with new fabric. Toward the end of the second class, she decided to open an Etsy shop to see if the chairs she’d worked on would sell.

Starting up didn’t cost a lot of money. Wendy sourced her chairs from Craigslist and was conscious of choosing affordable yet beautiful fabric. Within two weeks of opening ChairWhimsy, she got her first order.

During year one, she made about $500 a month in her Etsy shop. Not a bad start, but how about now? Well, I hope you’re sitting down… on a chair. Her average monthly profits now are between $10,000-15,000 depending on the season.

Interestingly, some Etsy sellers with high sales volume choose to shut down their Etsy shop and focus on selling through their own website to avoid Etsy fees and own their sales channel. Not Wendy. She has her own website for ChairWhimsy, but sees the value in keeping both going. A lot of customers find her on Etsy and end up buying from her website or vice-versa.

The best part of the process has been the journey of proving to herself that she can figure things out, whether it’s shipping, pricing, or something else. And as a side note, she was fifty years old when she started her side hustle, so she says you’re never too old to learn something new.

ChairWhimsy’s creations have been featured in Better Homes & Gardens, Woman’s World, and BuzzFeed. In addition to selling chairs, Wendy has begun offering online courses. These include upholstery for beginners, how to find swoonworthy fabrics, and what she calls the Business of Chairs.

 


 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Check out Wendy’s beautiful creations at her website, ChairWhimsy.

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
"Come up with a good pricing system. When we price our things really low people question what’s wrong with it and decide it must not be that valuable. But when you go ahead and you price it high … you believe that this is worth that amount because of the time and energy that you have to put into it."
—Wendy Conklin #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 launch a set of unique enamel pins?

What It’s About

Today’s listener makes and sells one-of-a-kind art for a premium price. How can she expand with a set of lower-cost pins?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1684

A business requires three things: a product or service, a customer, and a way to exchange money for the product or service. The last one is the easiest, so that leaves product and customer. Do you choose to focus first on the product, and then think about who the customer is, or the other way around?

Well, it’s kind of a trick question, because either approach can be right—they just require a different process.

Let’s look at this in the real world.

Today’s listener makes enamel pins with brain imagery on them. These pins are loved by neuroscientists and other professionals who work with the brain—but how can she break into the larger wholesale market?

“Hi, Chris, this is Laura Bundesen from western Massachusetts, and I’ve been listening to the show for about two years, I’ve been side hustling as an artist specializing in brain imagery for over six years, and I’m going full-time next month. My question is, what is the most effective way of launching my enamel brained pins wholesale and getting them into the right hands at museum and hospital gift shops nationally? The pins are high-quality enamel designed by me, manufactured in China. They are loved by neuroscientists, neurologists, psychologists and others who work with the brain, or people who have brain injuries or illnesses. I’ve thought about emailing links and sending samples and fun and different packaging. Or I’m also wondering if I should go the more traditional route of the big expensive gifts show. Thanks so much for all you do to help all of us out here. It’s invaluable.”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 


 

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

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

Management Consultants Create Travel-Themed Digital Art

What It’s About

Two friends missing travel during lockdown launch travel inspired art products.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Christine and Emily offer some great advice regarding the intentionality needed creating content: “Content strategy is important: people follow you for the content that you provide. When posting something on social media always think about how this is relevant for the customer. For instance, when we post a picture of our new painting, we always include travel recommendations for the customer so that this post isn’t solely to show off our work, but also to provide value for the customers.”

Fun Fact

A semester abroad in college not only formed the basis of Wandercolors, but was also what brought Emily and Christine together as good friends.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1681
When Christine Chen and Emily Liu graduated from university, the two friends both landed jobs in management consulting. The jobs required them to work in a structured and logical manner. However, their shared passion for art left them wanting an outlet where their creative side could flourish, and they spent time talking about what it could be.

They experimented with freelance graphic design and selling acrylic paintings and stickers, but nothing stuck. This went on for a while until COVID lockdowns began, and the duo finally found an idea that they were excited about.

Because of the restrictions, travel was impossible, and they soon started seeing their friends post throwback photos of student exchange on Instagram. This made them look back at their own photos. The digital albums brought back great memories, especially since they’d spent four months together in France on their semester abroad.

As they laughed and reminisced (on FaceTime?), they realized that a lot of people were missing travel. It hit them that there could potentially be others who wanted digital paintings of inspiring places, perhaps ones that they hoped to visit when they could.

Of course, many people decorate their house with landscapes. Emily and Christine, however, thought that these paintings would hold a lot more meaning if they were memories of actual experiences. This belief formed the basis of what would become a travel-themed digital art business called Wandercolors.

They were then discovered by HGTV, a media channel focused on home improvement, and had their artwork showcased on some of their shows. These moments of publicity drove a significant number of sales, and they eventually began experimenting with paid Instagram and Facebook ads as well. Lastly, they were featured by BuzzFeed as a top Asian-owned brand to support.

Naturally, Emily and Christine achieved all this without quitting their day jobs. Startup costs were under $2,000, with much of that cost going towards two iPads. Today, they’re averaging $750 a month through the sales of artwork on their site as well as commissioned paintings from customers who want something more customised.

The real joy comes not only from the additional income, but from knowing that their creations live in the spaces of customers all over the world—whether it’s an album cover for a New York based singer on Spotify or icon designs for a Montreal-based storage startup.

Next, they’re looking at partnering with nonprofits to support causes such as stopping racial hate and encouraging sustainability.

 


 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Check out Emily and Christine’s beautiful travel inspired artwork at their website, Wandercolors.

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
"Never underestimate what other social media channels can do for your brand."
—Christine and Emily #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

Graduate Uses Equestrian Art to Canter Out of Debt

What It’s About

Whoa Nelly! Hear how a graduate student tramples her debts with her horse artwork.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

When it comes to making money from art, Bettina says that there is more opportunity than people think. “Art businesses have a place and a key portion of that is to educate yourself and learn how to be an entrepreneur. Being an artist can be incredibly lucrative. People need someone who can translate their emotions and experiences into art, doing this well and embracing the business skills associated will take you there.”

Fun Fact

The shortest horse ever recorded is named Thumbelina, a miniature sorrel brown mare from St. Louis, Missouri, who stood at a meager 1 foot and 5 inches short. On the flip side, the tallest horse ever recorded was named Big Jake, who stood at nearly 7 feet tall.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1639
In 2018, Bettina Norton was fresh out of grad school, and had no idea what to do. She had just gotten her MA in Psychology, but there was a problem: she didn’t want to work in that field.

You see, while studying for her degree, Bettina realized that she needed to find a different path. It happens!

Bettina quickly decided that the ‘big thing’ she wanted to put her time into was paying off her debts. She had $55,000 in student loans, and another $10,000 in credit card debts. From what she could tell, the fastest way to do this was to get a full-time job and scale her art business.

Wait, an art business?

That’s right. Bettina had been creating and selling art since she was in her early 20s. The main subject of her art was horses, a passion of hers since she was a child. She created equestrian-themed fine art, prints and lifestyle items.

Bettina knew she could make more money from her art, even if others doubted her. Despite the neigh-sayers (get it?), she knew her business had potential. Not only that, but she knew that figuring out how to maximize her profits could be an important key to paying off her debt. She soon decided to stop horsing around (okay, I’ll stop now too … for the moment) and got a full-time job for a university while working on her plan to ramp up the art sales.

First, she began to build her email list. To do this, Bettina spent a week going back through her inbox and copying and pasting the email of every single person who had ever bought from her before. This got her up to 130 people. From there, she asked every person she was chatting with on Instagram if they wanted to be on the list, and added another hundred people from there.

Bettina also followed the launch process outlined in The $100 Startup, and had her first launch in May 2019. In just a week, she made $15,000 from a collection she called the Simplicity Series. Take note: this was the most money Bettina had ever made in a year before.

By February of 2020, Bettina had paid off all $65,000 of her student loans and credit card bills. However, beyond her side hustle she also credits Dave Ramsey’s steps to get out of debt, as well as being able to live rent-free at her grandmother’s old house, as keys to getting to this point so quickly.

Still, she tripled her profits in just the span of the year. Bettina isn’t ready to slow down any time soon … in fact, she’s firmly back in the saddle.

 


 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Quit horsing around and go check out Bettina’s beautiful artwork at her website, BettinaNorton.com/.

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
"Art businesses have a place and a key portion of that is to educate yourself and learn how to be an entrepreneur. Being an artist can be incredibly lucrative. People need someone who can translate their emotions and experiences into art, doing this well and embracing the business skills associated will take you there."
—Bettina Norton #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!
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To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Q&A: What’s the deal with NFTs?

What It’s About

Today’s caller has been hearing a lot about “non-fungible tokens.” Is this just a trend or a revolution?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1532

We will bring Failure Friday back next week. For today, I have a timely listener question. Have you heard of Non-Fungible Tokens, or NFTs? I have received so many questions about this topic over the past two weeks.

NFTs are digital art made on a blockchain and sold as originals. “Non-fungible” means that something is unique and can’t be replaced with something else.

The NBA has made $200 million dollars from selling highlight reel videos. You could buy a video of Lebron James dunking a basketball. You could buy an original music track from Grimes, or an autographed tweet from Jack Dorsey, the founder of Twitter.

Just in case you aren’t missing the most amazing and unbelievable detail to this: all of these items are available for free online. The sale of NFTs is for the original version of something that exists in innumerable and unlimited duplicatable copies.

Seth Godin hates them—he said in a recent blog post that NFTs are a “dangerous trap” for creators and that we should walk away.

So what’s going on? Is it a bubble? Can you make digital art and sell the originals for millions of dollars?

“Hey Chris, this is Daniel I’ve been listening to the show for about 2 years now. Thanks for all the helpful advice. Speaking of advice, what’s happening with NFTs? I keep seeing all these stories about people paying millions of dollars for digital art that already exists online for free.

It sounds crazy, but we’ve had several years of other craziness, including cryptocurrencies, Gamestop, and Tesla’s stock price—and I just heard that Zoom is worth more than every U.S. airline. So maybe it’s a bubble, but that also means an opportunity, right? How can side hustlers get in on the NFT market? Can I sell my art this way if I’m not Banksy and don’t have an NBA highlight reel like Lebron James? Looking forward to your thoughts.”

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

Photo Retoucher Strikes Gold with Etsy Shop

What It’s About

A personalized stationary store with a touch of gold.

Words of Wisdom

“Make products that you would want to use and build upon them” Patrina says. That’s exactly what she did.

Fun Fact

Patrina’s products have been featured in online publications including USA Today, HGTV, Women’s Health, FatFitFun, and House Beautiful.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1515
Several years ago, while searching for personalized stationery, Patrina Harris looked online but didn’t find anything that fit her modern style. A DIYer at heart, she decided to try experimenting with different paper types and foil to learn the process. Through a process of trial and error, she ended up something she liked.

After sending her personalized notecards and letterhead to friends and family, they first asked where she’d bought it. Then, when they learned she’d made it, they asked her to make some for them. That interest gave her the push she needed to start Patrina’s Paperie, an Etsy shop selling personalized foil-press stationery, printers, and stickers, in the spring of 2016.

One of her goals starting out was keeping her spending low as possible. When she began experimenting with stationery for her own use, she realized that the quality was inconsistent without the right materials and machinery, and those can add up quickly.

She already had a desktop computer and design software, but she needed to purchase a laser printer, foiling machine, paper cutters, and cardstock, which cost between $30 and $400. The total bill was under $1,000—and since her shop was on Etsy, she had to pay listing fees but didn’t need a web designer or website hosting.

From that ultra-frugal startup plan (still less than $1,000 a few years in), her monthly revenue is now between $10,000 and $13,000. Patrina attributes the success to a few different factors including her modern style, the quality of the products, and stellar customer service. Many customers tell her she provides a great product for a low price. That responsive customer service encourages repeat purchases.

In the near future, she’s looking to launch her own website. She’s also working on adding business cards and wedding invitation packages and hopes to sell eventually through brick and mortar stores, too.

This photo retoucher is turning what she touches into gold … gold foil, that is.

 


 

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
"Make products that you would want to use and build upon them."
—Patrina Harris #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