Tag: Blog

Foodie Friends Blog Their Way to Free Stuff & Real Money

What It’s About

Two friends share food, travel experiences, and a profitable side hustle!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

For months they offered their services for free, reviewing small bakeries, coffee shops and food trucks in the form of reviews and social media campaigns. No brand was too small for them. With this attitude, they were able to feature a lot of different businesses.

As a result, they were also making industry connections and getting experience. It’s important to be open to new ideas and working with smaller start-up brands because everyone starts somewhere. And even smaller brands with limited budgets can still produce quality ideas and products.

Fun Fact

Karen and Alex knew that research was going to be key to their success. They spent time learning everything they could about a brand before making a partnership offer. They’d figure out the brand’s business style, challenges, goals, and history so that their offer could be tailored to the brand’s specific needs.

This level of research also helped Alex and Karen figure out how the brand would work with East Coast Contessas. Their efforts paid off because in spring of 2016 Alex and Karen landed their first paid partnership with a national wine company. Afterwards, they went to Central Park for had a celebratory picnic with cans of wine from their partnership.

Notes from Chris

Episode 256

Today’s story is about two friends who start a side hustle together, taking photos on Instagram to promote local restaurants. I like it because they are able to do this and make real money—I think $30,000 so far working part-time over the past year, and it’s very new so that should increase—without being internet famous. They started when they had just 1,000 followers on Instagram, which is certainly respectable but not huge. In other words, this was something that anyone can do.

By day Alexandra Booze works as an account manager for a PR firm in Washington DC. But on nights and weekend, this foodie and her friend Karen have turned food and lifestyle blogging into a profitable side hustle.

Whenever Alexandra would visit Karen in NYC, they would always go out to eat somewhere new and interesting. It was during one of those nights when they were looking for their next meal that they decided to start an Instagram account to document all their fun foodie adventures.

What started out as just friends and family liking their iPhone photos of food quickly turned into over 1,000 followers. So in September they launched their website East Coast Contessas to complement their Instagram account.

To kick off 2016, Alex and Karen made a list of all the brands they would like to partner with that year and then started reaching out and pitching to each brand personally. Their efforts paid off because in spring of 2016 Alex and Karen landed their first paid partnership with a national wine company.

The formula landed them on the right pricing as they continued to land more partnerships as the year went on. So far in 2017 they’ve brought in $12,000 in revenue and have enough campaigns scheduled out until the end of the year to surpass their 2016 figures.

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • East Coast Contessas: Share in Karen and Alex’s international foodie adventures on their website!
  • WordPress: Alex and Karen used WordPress to create East Coast Contessas, and here you can learn how to install your own WordPress site in 5 minutes!
  • GoDaddy: The platform that Alex and Karen used to get the domain for East Coast Contessas

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
"There’s no complicated business formula or secret to success that hasn’t been implemented or utilized before. If you love what you do and are willing to work hard to grow your business, the world is your oyster."
—Alexandra Booze #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Cook with Blue Apron!

Supporting the sponsors keeps the show free. Today’s episode of Side Hustle School is brought to you by Blue Apron. 👩‍🍳

Check out this week’s menu and get your first three meals FREE, with free shipping. Get ready to say mmmmmm.
Get Yours 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

Soccer Fan Plays The Odds; Earns Affiliate Commissions

What It’s About

A UK man takes a chance on sharing betting tips with football enthusiasts hoping to score big.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Henry’s advice for anyone looking to start their own side hustle is to start with something you know and then work from there. He chose a sport he loves and built a business around what he and many other fans would already be doing in their spare time anyway. While most people would think the only way to make money from sports is to be an athlete, he was able to find a new way by looking at where he was spending his money.

Fun Fact

Soccer is the world’s most popular sport with an estimated 3.5 billion fans worldwide, and betting on the sport is worth £1.4 billion in the UK alone.

Notes from Chris

Episode 250

For marketing manager Henry Francis, soccer—known as football in much of the world outside the U.S.—has always been a big part of life. Like many children in the UK, he grew up watching his favorite players on the big screen, playing in the schoolyard and turning out for his local team. Which is why, as an adult, he found himself spending a lot of his spare time watching and talking about the sport with his friends. And, as is the culture in the UK, gambling on the results at the weekend.

After seeing the success of some of the Tipsters that he’d been following on social media, Henry spotted an opportunity where he too could make money from the sport, without ever having to step foot on the pitch. He was the go-to person in his group of friends for betting tips and figured if it was good enough for them, it’s good enough for the rest of the betting public.

So he set about creating a brand called Today’s Football Tips where he recommends bets for the willing punters to wager money on.

He invested around $330 into a WordPress business site and used a free theme to give the site an easy to read style. He knew at this early stage people didn’t need the best looking site, they just needed easy access to information, so that’s what he tried to create.

After just twenty days invested into this side hustle, Henry made his first $25 on a commission and knew that he already had a viable business idea on his hands. Within the first month, he’d grown to $520 income and he’s already beaten that by the halfway point of his second month.

Henry is ambitious: he says he won’t be satisfied until he’s broken $5,000 a month with his business. And once he’s got a few thousands of dollars under his belt he’ll invest it to improve the design and usability of the site. But with the success he’s already shown, this is a site I’m sure we can all bet on for the future!

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Today’s Football Tips: Take a pass at Henry’s website and see what it’s all about
  • WordPress: Henry used WordPress to create Today’s Football Tips, and here you can learn how to install your own WordPress site in 5 minutes!

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
"Make sure you still spend time on leisure and your relationships. Make time for the special people in your life and give them 100% of your attention—don’t check your emails on the sly!"
—Henry Francis #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Get a FREE Audiobook from Audible!

Audible is offering SHS listeners a free copy of the Born For This audiobook with a 30-day trial membership. 📚

Just go to aonc.co/bftaudible and browse the unmatched selection of audio programs and start listening.
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

Target Store Manager Makes $45,000 Per Month Writing a Blog

What It’s About

A personal finance junkie builds a blog to half a million in annual income, all while managing a Target store.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Committing to posting three times per week on the blog, Robert decided to use his first year as a blogger to learn the trade. He didn’t know anything about marketing or writing and creating headlines, but since nobody was really reading the site anyway, he could afford to make mistakes and learn what the people who did read the site responded to.

Any new endeavor you may embark on is going to require a little trial and error. Create your own trials and A/B Testing in order to determine what your audience is looking for.

Fun Fact

When Robert first got to college, he was hoping to find some of his peers and share his great ideas by joining their investment club. But when he finally turned up, he was disappointed to find out that all of the advice they were giving—on penny stocks and active trading—was advice he not only disagreed with but also felt was outright bad for students.

So, he set about starting his own blog, The College Investor, to be a transparent voice and share the strategies he felt were more honest and viable for students.

Notes from Chris

Episode 247

For Target Store Manager Robert Farrington, investing has been a lifelong obsession. From when he first sat down at thirteen years old to help his dad with his taxes, to a few years later when he received $1,000 from his Grandfather to invest, he became hooked.

When Robert first got to college, he was hoping to find some of his peers and share his great ideas by joining their investment club. But when he finally turned up, he was disappointed to find out that all of the advice they were giving—on penny stocks and active trading—was advice he not only disagreed with but also felt was outright bad for students.

So, he set about starting his own blog, The College Investor, to be a transparent voice and share the strategies he felt were more honest and viable for students.

In January 2011—almost a year and a half of writing later—his blog finally made its first $25 of income through an affiliate product sale. When he told his wife she said, “You’ve invested all of this time and only made $25?”, but Robert couldn’t have been prouder. He knew his site was no longer just a passion, but a business.

These days, Robert’s side hustle is now averaging a remarkable $45,000 per month in revenue, and we think it’s safe to say that Robert knows what he’s doing.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • The College Investor: Learn how to crunch the numbers over on Robert’s resource blog
  • WordPress: Robert used WordPress to create The College Investor, and here you can learn how to install your own WordPress site in 5 minutes!
  • Drip: The free email marketing automation integration Robert used in order to streamline his day to day processes

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
"Your first year of blogging is about learning, but you have to remember to put in that practice if you want to be successful."
—Robert Farrington #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Get a FREE Audiobook from Audible!

Audible is offering SHS listeners a free copy of the Born For This audiobook with a 30-day trial membership. 📚

Just go to aonc.co/bftaudible and browse the unmatched selection of audio programs and start listening.
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

Marketing Coordinator Realizes Lifelong Dream of Starting Own Magazine

What It’s About

A side hustle featuring a magazine that tells personal stories and empowers everyday women.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

During her pregnancy, Sarah wrote about her own struggles on a personal blog in a very real, vulnerable way. The grateful responses that she got from her readers encouraged her to keep writing and engage in conversations, and it was this experience that shaped what kind of magazine Sarah decided to start.

Really ask yourself what is missing in the things you love. If you’re noticing it, you’re likely not alone!

Fun Fact

Recently the magazine helped reconnect two friends. A woman found a copy at her local library and in reading through it became intrigued by a particular advertisement. As she checked it out and learned more about the brand, she discovered the owner of the brand was her long lost friend.

Notes from Chris

Episode 231

Sarah Hartley had three lifelong goals: create a magazine, write a novel, and own a clothing boutique. As a marketing coordinator for an architectural firm, she wasn’t making any progress on any of these goals. So when her son was born in 2014, she decided that she needed to get going on at least one of these goals.

She picked the magazine, thinking that it would be the easiest goal to check off the life list.

The first issue of Holl and Lane came out in June 2015. Initially, the magazine was published every other month and the first four magazines in 2015 were totally free for readers. But at the end of 2015, Sarah took stock and realized that she needed to start charging something for the magazines, or otherwise, this passion project would never become self-sustaining.

Around this time, Sarah also got some much-needed help. Three women joined the team, which helped spread out the responsibilities. All these women help for free and as Sarah said, “And the fact that they do this for free is absolutely incredible. They believe in this magazine and its mission as much as I do and it is no longer just my magazine, it’s all of ours.”

The print issue was popular enough that Sarah decided to keep doing it. But starting in 2017 she made a strategic decision to move to quarterly issues, instead of every other month. All of these factors combined to increase both revenue and costs while reducing the total number of hours she poured into the magazine. Monthly costs went up from around $250/month to well over $1,000/month, while revenues average around $2,000/month.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Holl and Lane: Interested in reading Sarah’s magazine? Check it out!
  • Pixartprinting: The digital printing service that Sarah used to print her magazine
  • MoonClerk, Cognito, & G Suite: The trifecta that Sarah utilized to manage and run her new magazine

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 magazine is mostly unrecognizable from the first issue to our current issue. It’s both embarrassing and also a true testament to the honest journey of an entrepreneur. "
—Sarah Hartley #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Cook with Blue Apron!

Supporting the sponsors keeps the show free. Today’s episode of Side Hustle School is brought to you by Blue Apron. 👩‍🍳

Check out this week’s menu and get your first three meals FREE, with free shipping. Get ready to say mmmmmm.
Get Yours 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

Bearded Man Grows $500 A Month Grooming Business

What It’s About

A new beard leads to the growth of a profitable side hustle slinging beard products.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Chandler opted to use a method called content marketing—where you create valuable content like blog posts and podcasts to share information—blogging and sharing beard care tips to people across the internet. He also created his own Reddit thread where people can ask questions and he can respond instantly—and openly—with personalized tips.

Fun Fact

Late in 2016, Chandler was contacted by an NFL agent about donating some products to their clients. One played for the Raiders and one for the 49ers. It was perfect: 2 pro athletes from California teams using California Beard Company products!

Notes from Chris

Episode 229

At 10:09am on the 18th April 2010, cartographer Chandler Sterling took to Facebook to declare to the world that he felt it was time to start growing a beard. This crucial update gathered only two likes and eight comments from his friends, but little did they all know it was going to be a life changing decision. Because six years of itching, scratching and lost crumbs later, that decision would grow to become a profitable side hustle.

He spent countless hours researching what ingredients made for a good beard oil, how they affected the skin, and what would help keep a well-kempt, healthy beard. Then he began to look for vendors in his local area of California where he could buy the raw materials for himself.

So, in the summer of 2016, he founded the California Beard Company and began his venture as a side hustler.

Using both an online and offline presence, his side hustle has been able to generate around $500 per month income, and nurture a customer base that is growing gradually each month.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • California Beard Co.: Check out Chandler’s full line of beard products on his website!
  • Reddit: The “front page of the internet” where Chandler received some additional traffic from as a result of his content marketing efforts
  • WordPress, Stripe, & WooCommerce: The trifecta that Chandler used to keep his startup costs low

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
"Plan ahead for the future. Consider potential products and design your labels to be flexible. Pay someone up front to design your website, unless you’re a pro, because an amateur looking website will not do as well as a polished site will."
—Chandler Sterling #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Cook with Blue Apron!

Supporting the sponsors keeps the show free. Today’s episode of Side Hustle School is brought to you by Blue Apron. 👩‍🍳

Check out this week’s menu and get your first three meals FREE, with free shipping. Get ready to say mmmmmm.
Get Yours 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

Animal Lover Breeds Rabbits; Graduates College Debt Free

What It’s About

A college student uses her knowledge of rabbits to hustle her way to graduating debt-free.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

In order to know what to charge for her courses, Leah decided upon a simple plan we can all learn from. She researched her audience to find their average household income per month and decided what she felt was a realistic percentage to charge for both parties and the information within.

Fun Fact

Did you know there are an estimated 6.1 million pet rabbits in the United States alone? Celebrities like Clint Eastwood, Sienna Miller, and Michael Jordan have all owned rabbits too!

Notes from Chris

Episode 227

When Leah Lynch was sixteen years old she was working a retail job around her high school studies to make a little extra cash on the side. Like so many teenage retail jobs, the work was boring, unfulfilling and making minimum wage didn’t seem to be taking her in the direction that she wanted to go. But what else could a teenager do?

One day while researching alternatives she stumbled across a peculiar breed of rabbits called French Lops. These are some talented rabbits, and she thought she’d try breeding these animals for herself.

Leah then got to work on building up her rabbitry and set about learning what it took to breed these rabbits safely, correctly and to a show quality standard, then selling them for a profit.

After a while, there was a joke in her family that these rabbits would pay for her college tuition. Little did they know that joke would become reality, and she graduated completely debt free from the profits while making over $5,000 per school year in spending money.

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
"Start with one to two livestock or income generating projects. Get known for those then expand. If you try to much at one time you will be good or ok at many but not great at what you do. That is what makes you memorable and will bring people back time after time."
—Leah Lynch #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Cook with Blue Apron!

Supporting the sponsors keeps the show free. Today’s episode of Side Hustle School is brought to you by Blue Apron. 👩‍🍳

Check out this week’s menu and get your first three meals FREE, with free shipping. Get ready to say mmmmmm.
Get Yours 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

Rocket Scientist Creates Herbal Side Income

What It’s About

After struggling to find a cure for what ails her, a rocket scientist turns to nature.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Lisa got the idea for her side hustle from her own personal health struggles. She spent the better part of a year going to various experts, specialists, and both traditional and non-traditional practitioners to try to find a solution, but it wasn’t until she found an herbalist that she was able to figure out what was happening and work to improve her health.

How can you help pave the path for others and make it easier for them to do something?

Fun Fact

Our side hustler, Lisa, is also a winner of the Silver Snoopy award, which is given by NASA astronauts in recognition of significant contributions to crew safety and mission success.

Notes from Chris

Episode 215

By day, Lisa Akers is a rocket scientist—often traveling from her home to build spaceships, most commonly at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Her side hustle is herbalism, specifically working with private clients suffering from autoimmune diseases.

At first, Lisa wanted this project to be her main gig. She hired coaches, found mentors, and took classes, all in hopes of quitting her day job and following her herbal dream. But she was making those decisions while recovering from serious illnesses and wasn’t in a great frame of mind to see how she could change her workflow at her day job to fit with her health and wellness needs. After starting down this frustrating path, she realized she could both keep her day job and have an herbal business. This is the Side Hustle School way!

Lisa’s first sale was a group program—and it completely sold out.

She now prefers one-on-one consults, where she can customize suggestions for individuals, so she focuses on those. She charges $450 for an initial appointment package and $250 for follow-ups.

Her work in building spaceships ebbs and flows—sometimes she’s busy with assembly and testing, and other times, she’s not. She schedules appointments when she’s got time and mental capacity, and starts a waiting list when necessary in order to avoid over committing.

While she’s helping spaceships take flight, she’s also helping people get well and building an asset for herself.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • LisaAkers.com: Interested in learning more about herbs and naturopathic remedies? Check out Lisa’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

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
"Being able to work with people and see their health change radically with a few recommended changes is very inspiring. It’s a bit scary because of the self-doubt that people like me seem to face so often. But seeing that change happen is the best part of my day."
—Lisa Akers #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Create a Stunning Website With Wordpress

Today’s episode of Side Hustle School is brought to you by Wordpress.com! Whether you’re looking to create a personal blog, business site, or both—you’ll make a big impact, when you build your website on WordPress.com. 💻

Get 15% off when you build your website with Wordpress.com—use promo code PODCAST when you check out.
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

Saxophonist Hustles His Way to Back Injury Recovery

What It’s About

How a back injury gets a man in Australia back into doing what he loves to do.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

For some reason, many sax lessons are tedious and boring… Scales, more scales, boring songs from boring music books, some more scales, little black circles and horizontal lines on sheet music, then being forced to practice some more scales.

So Matthew put out his offer of helping students play the kind of music they want to play—any style, any volume up to and including 11, as well as playing by ear and improvising. He made some backing tracks on his iPad using Garage Band to cunningly disguise the musically nutritious requirements of scales with sauces and spices (see Ep. 191) and drum beats and different musical styles to make them taste better.

Putting a unique spin on his offering—like the guitarist from episode 23—Matthew thought, “Why not make it fun?”

Fun Fact

In a bizarre turn of events, Matthew actually wrote his own story for Side Hustle School! If you’d like to submit yours for consideration, send us some info. The more interesting and detailed, the better!

Notes from Chris

Episode 210

In July 2015, Matthew Harding—a late forty-something husband, self-confessed embarrassing Dad to two teenage daughters, IT professional and musician from Melbourne, Australia—hurt his back. In February 2016, he did it again, but this time he went down for the count.

Spending a large proportion of the first half of 2016 lying on the floor unable to move and wondering how long his sick leave payments would last, he had plenty of time to consider his family’s financial future. The discomfort he felt was caused not only by his lower back injury but also by the realization that his payments would likely run out before he fully improved.

Matthew had dabbled in the dark arts of the online side hustle for several years, but very little other than “learning opportunities” had been the result of his efforts. He’d made a few sales here and there over the last few years, but nothing substantial.

So in October 2016, Matthew made the conscious decision to up the ante. He started a blog—MatthewsBack.com—where he began to document his sore back, his “come back” to the land of the living and his side hustle learning’s with the hope of helping both himself and others in similar stages of injury, recovery, side hustling—and removing the need and reliance on full-time employment.

Then, in early January, Matthew discovered the Side Hustle School podcast. Discovering that inspiration was certainly good, but that inspiration combined with action was, in fact, even better, he picked up his saxophone.

Still secretly harboring dreams of being a rock star when he grows up, Matthew has realized that in attempting to fulfill his own dreams, he can help others do the same. And, as an unexpected bonus, this can translate into an income.

Overall, none of the three saxophone side hustles he’s created have resulted in massive passive mega bucks…yet. However, they have opened Matthews eyes to the possibilities of what Side Hustling can do—from both a monetary and an enjoyment perspective.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • HowtoPlaytheSax.com Matthew now teaches saxophone lessons online.
  • SaxophoneTShirts.com: Interested in snagging your own saxophone themed t-shirt? Check out Matthew’s offerings on his website
  • Merch by Amazon: The invite-only merchandising program that Amazon offers for those looking to sell their designs on t-shirts

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
"Find a passion, then write down or brainstorm as many ideas as possible. Can you teach your passion to someone else? Can you show your passion or make it available to someone else?"
—Matthew Harding #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

Indian Personal Finance Blogger Rings Up $4,000/Month

What It’s About

A software employee finds a way to create passive income for himself, while helping others make the most of their finances.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Pardeep started his personal finance blog, CashOverflow, to share his money-saving hacks on credit cards, shopping, and travel. Within his first year, his blog was receiving over 30,000 hits a month, so he decided to start finding ways to monetize it. These days he’s now making more than $4000/month with 150,000 hits a month!

As he said to me, people are interested in reading his stories because they also dream of traveling and want to save money like him. If you’re interested in something, you probably aren’t alone—find your audience!

Fun Fact

Pardeep Goyal studied computer science at a large university in India before he spent seven years working at a software company…but he always wanted to do something else. Pardeep was interested in personal finance, especially money-saving hacks related to credit cards, shopping, and travel, so he spent a lot of free time studying and conducting experiments that allowed him to have a better life despite making just an average income.

Notes from Chris

Episode 167

Most personal finance bloggers are American or maybe Canadian, British, Australian, etc. Not all personal finance readers are in those places…and for a time, they just read the popular blogs or websites based in the U.S. Naturally, this points to an opportunity, to serve all those people elsewhere who might be more receptive to something more relevant to their situation.

That’s what today’s story is all about: a corporate employee named Pardeep Goyal from India who starts a personal finance blog focused specifically on Indian readers. He makes up to $4,000/month which is a pretty fantastic side income for someone from that part of the world.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • CashOverflow: Read more about Pardeep and his finance hacks on his 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

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RELIABLE WEBHOST FOR $2.49/MONTH

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Get your own hosting plan for just $2.49 a month!
Learn More

Quote of the Day
"Actions are more important than plans because even the wrong plan can occasionally yield positive results. On the contrary, best plans are useless without the action."
—Pardeep Goyal #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Get a FREE Audiobook from Audible!

Audible is offering SHS listeners a free copy of the Born For This audiobook with a 30-day trial membership. 📚

Just go to aonc.co/bftaudible and browse the unmatched selection of audio programs and start listening.
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

Fashionista Blogs Her Way to Career Success

What It’s About

An avid bargain shopper teaches others how to get the most bang for their buck.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Though Alison has stiff competition, as it seems everyone has a blog these days, she says she’s been able to stand the test of time by bringing a unique voice, having great content and photography, and posting consistently. She’s also put lots of time and effort into it spending anywhere from five to ten hours each week, writing and scheduling posts, and creating accompanying graphics.

Fun Fact

Alison Zaccone, creator, and author of NYC Recessionista, a bargain shopping and fashion blog, has found ways to make her side hustle work for her day job. She’s been able to leverage her blog expertise, relationships, and networks to find donations and potential fashion partnerships for her nonprofit employer, which assists underserved women to reenter the workplace.

Notes from Chris

Episode 161

Alison Zaccone was a 34-year-old living in one of the priciest locations in the US—New York City. A fashionista at heart, Alison wanted to keep up with the latest trends, but also had to keep up with her daunting bills. Luckily for her, she had a natural knack for bargain shopping, deal hunting and getting the most out of clothes by mixing and matching.

Around the same time, the term “recessionista” started becoming part of the lexicon, slang for a woman who can remain fashionable despite financial difficulties. This seemed to perfectly describe Alison. Her then-boyfriend, who was constantly subjected to being the recipient of Alison’s clothing and fashion revelations, suggested she reach a bigger audience than just him, by pouring her passion into a blog.

And so she did. She launched NYC Recessionista—a bargain shopping and fashion blog—to share her savvy with the world. Alison’s goal was to show people that just because they have limited means doesn’t mean they can’t have unlimited style.

For a while, the blog was just a hobby, but she slowly realized she was getting more and more readers. So after attending a blogging conference where she learned about different ways to maximize her site, she monetized the blog and created dedicated social media pages for it. From there, things quickly picked up.

Now, NYC Recessionista has between 30,000 and 50,000 visitors each month. Since beginning it, Alison has made roughly $13,000 in side hustle income, with her month-by-month profit remaining steady.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • NYC Recessionista: Learn more about Alison and her budget-friendly, fashion savvy side hustle on her blog
  • Bottomless Closet NYC: The nonprofit Alison works at that assists underserved women reentering the workplace
  • rewardStyle: One of the affiliate marketing companies that Alison partnered with

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
"I think the NYC Recessionista blog definitely speaks to how you can turn a hobby into a side hustle. Everyone has hobbies, but they might not realize they can turn it into a money-making hobby."
—Alison Zaccone #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Try Harry's for FREE!

Side Hustle School is brought to you by Harry's. Get the close, comfortable shave you deserve!

Sign up by clicking the button below, and you’ll receive their most popular Trial Set—a 13 dollar value—for FREE when you cover the shipping.💈 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