Tag: Blog

Tumultuous Relationship Leads to Togetherness Blog

What It’s About

A couple draws on their relationship experience to help others.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Karolina and Gabriel share some important advice: “When things didn’t go our way, it was always because there was something we didn’t know yet; we were missing knowledge or skills necessary to succeed. Once we developed those skills, we’d try again and we got much better results.”

Fun Fact

If you’ve heard the statistic that 50% of marriages end in divorce and always wondered if it was true, it is! In fact, for second marriages the rate is even higher. That makes relationship advice a huge market to tap into.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1667
Breaking up is hard to do, and no one understood that better than Karolina Bartnik and Gabriel Brenner. During the early period of their relationship they broke up and got back together no less than three times. That sort of emotional back and forth takes its toll and, when they reunited a final time, they vowed to do things differently.

They read relationship books and had plenty of measured conversations until, one by one, they worked through their problems. What emerged from all that hard work were two people committed to each other. Without all the fighting and drama, they had more time to relax, reflect and soon became closer than ever.

It’s a match made in heaven … but this isn’t The Notebook, it’s Side Hustle School.

When sharing their story with other couples they knew, they found they weren’t alone in the conflict. In fact, a lot of couples suffered from almost identical issues Karolina and Gabriel did.

That got them thinking, how could they take the lessons they’d learn about building a loving, caring relationship … and get paid? After all, relationship drama is all too common.

That’s when they learned about how to make money from blogging. Karolina and Gabriel paid for a fifteen dollar hosting package and installed WordPress using a ninety dollar theme.

January 2019 rolled around and they launched their blog, SimplyTogether.co, with ten articles. The process filled them with all the excitement (and nervousness) of a first date. They’d taken a course on blogging that advised them to be selective—so rather than target couples, they focused their content on women who wanted to improve their relationships.

The Amazon commissions climbed slowly, as did both their traffic and conviction. When their visitors were at twenty five thousand per month they were able to register for a display ad network that pays bloggers to display banner ads. Between that and Amazon commissions they were now bringing in a couple hundred dollars per month from the site.

Still, they didn’t stop there and along with the course they began offering coaching services to their customers. This opened up an additional revenue stream which, in case you’ve lost count, takes them up to four different sources. Between their ad revenue, Amazon affiliates, course sales and coaching; SimplyTogether now earns the couple an extra seven hundred dollars per month—and counting!

 

 

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
"When things didn’t go our way, it was always because there was something we didn’t know yet; we were missing knowledge or skills necessary to succeed. Once we developed those skills, we’d try again and we got much better results."
—Karolina and Gabriel #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

Food Scientist Cooks Up Juicy Profits

What It’s About

A doctoral student get’s paid to write about cake and eat it too.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Bryan urges other freelance writers: “Be willing to charge more. Your time is precious and if you have additional expertise, that’s valuable too … It’s easy to see writing as a commodity, but ultimately you’re offering an expression of your thoughts and words to your client.” Just some food for thought.

Fun Fact

Bryan has eaten chicken feet, coagulated pork blood, and durian, the smelliest fruit in the world. Still, he draws the line at “piftie,” a savory gelatin dish from Romania that’s similar to French aspic. His wife’s family is Romanian, so they convinced him to try it.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1632
Back in 2011, Bryan Quoc Le got accepted to PhD programs in chemistry. But he wasn’t sure if the time was right. His father had passed away the year before, so he needed time to reflect and clear his head. He set out to walk across the country and figure out his next steps.

He ended up walking 2,000 miles from his alma mater, UC Irvine, to New Orleans, Louisiana in about six months. The walk was a sort of social experiment to see how far he could go based on the generosity of others. People would just drive by, leave him money, food, or water, and drive away. Through that experience, he found he liked talking to people from all walks of life, sharing stories with anyone he met, and writing about his journey online.

A few years later, Bryan got married and his wife turned him into a foodie. He also got really interested in how food and science intersect. So, in 2015, he started a PhD program in food science. That’s the study of the science and technology involved in creating food at scale. After an internship, though, he realized that he didn’t want to be an R&D scientist for a company. He also didn’t want to do academic research.

Bryan asked himself: what was the sweet spot between what he was good at, what he liked to do, and what the world needs? It turned out that a new path had been marinating this whole time. He had a friend who worked as a freelance journalist and he liked the idea that writing is portable—it was something he could take anywhere. Plus, he loved to tell stories.

Between 2018 and 2019, Bryan earned about $2,000. He wasn’t exactly rolling in dough, but he’d tasted the fruits of his labors and knew he could grow his earnings even more. After a year of writing, he created a portfolio website using JournoPortfolio to help him keep track of his writing samples. He kept writing for free for the association to position himself as an authority in that industry and eventually moved up to managing their blog, Science Meets Food.

Bryan is now earning $4,500/month consistently and projects that he’ll hit $6,000/month in June if all goes according to plan. In the next year or two, he hopes to earn $10,000/month on a consistent basis by adding subdisciplines with high demand, like food safety consulting and technical documentation for food manufacturers

He also plans to add additional revenue streams such as writing a second book and starting a podcast. One of the limitations of freelance writing is that it’s hard to really scale up earnings, because you’d have to raise your rates or complete more projects and there are only so many hours in a day, so adding those revenue streams is smart.

He’s also in talks with a food startup company to become its spokesperson and chief storyteller.

 

 

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
"Be willing to charge more. Your time is precious and if you have additional expertise, that’s valuable too … It’s easy to see writing as a commodity, but ultimately you’re offering an expression of your thoughts and words to your client."
—Bryan Quoc Le #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

Zen Master Makes Mindful Moola

What It’s About

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

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

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

Fun Fact

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

Notes from Chris

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

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

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

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

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

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

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

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

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

Sponsors & Gratitude

Learn More With Skillshare!

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

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

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.


Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Savvy Couple Grows Finance Blog into Six Figure Business

What It’s About

This couple makes bank teaching other couples how to do the same.

Words of Wisdom

Kelan encourages side hustlers to start now. “The longer you wait the harder it’s going to become. This side hustle has changed a lot over the last few years. I would gather up your passions, experience, and education and pick a profitable niche to own.”

Fun Fact

While paying off their debt, Kelan and Brittany used eBay and Facebook Marketplace to flip items like electronics and sports memorabilia. Their most unusual flip was an antique playset they found by the side of the road and flipped for over $200.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1620
Kelan and Brittany Kline left college with over $40,000 worth of student loan debt. Brittany’s job teaching and Kelan’s job in law enforcement only brought in so much money, so they wanted another way to get ahead financially.

In 2016, they started a blog called The Savvy Couple. The blog’s mission was to help families like them put more money in their pockets so they can spend more time doing the things they love. Sounds good, right? But they weren’t the first to try this, so it took some time to get going.

Initial startup costs were less than $100. They didn’t have children at the time, so they gave up watching TV and spent weekends, weeknights, and holidays working to grow the blog.

Nine months in, they made their first $50 from a sponsored post. Kelan says it was the most impactful money they ever made, because it was a tipping point of knowing the hard work was paying off. (Yes, he’s a little optimistic … so much so, that two weeks later, he told Brittany he needed to quit his job and run the site full-time.)

Jumping in with both feet that quickly isn’t for everyone, but in his case, it paid off. He did have a backup plan to become a home inspector if blogging didn’t work out—but he was determined to make it work. While he scaled up the blog, he also found freelance work teaching English to Chinese students for $20 an hour. Within two months, the blog was making $2,000-$3,000 per month and he was able to focus fully on that.

That year, they grew the site to six figures and paid off their remaining student loans. Once they became debt-free, they had a month where they made over $43,000 because they were hitting on all cylinders and landed a big sponsorship. Forty-three thousand dollars was more than Brittany’s entire year’s salary as a teacher, so it was a clear sign it was time for her to quit teaching and join Kelan full-time.

The Savvy Couple is now one of the most popular family finance blogs reaching millions of readers each year and profiting over $10,000 per month. While these numbers are impressive, they have adjusted their strategy over time to keep up.

In the future, their goal is to grow the blog into a household name in the family finance space and generate seven figures a year. Keep an eye on this savvy couple.

 

 

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
"This side hustle has changed a lot over the last few years. I would gather up your passions, experience, and education and pick a profitable niche to own."
—Kelan Kline #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

French Bulldog Blog Fetches Extra Bones

What It’s About

A barkingly fun story of a family blog featuring their beloved French Bulldog.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Kyle has some important words of advice for those seeking to monetize a blog, “growing the site is painfully slow but, if you stick with it, keep publishing good content, it grows over time.”

Fun Fact

French Bulldogs are now the 2nd most popular dog breed in the United States. Kyle only discovered this when he recently checked his Google Alerts, which shows just how much there is to learn about pets.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1604
When website designer Kyle Battis got his French bulldog three years ago, he didn’t expect that it would be the start of a business. His family had long been used to having a furry animal in the house, and so after their beloved pet Noble passed away, they decided to get a new one.

His three kids spent a great deal of time reading up on different dog breeds and watching YouTube videos, eventually deciding on a French bulldog they named Augie.

As you might expect, this was exciting for the family—but also expensive. With food, toys, and pet insurance, the bills quickly add up. Kyle thought that perhaps there was a way they could earn a small income that would cover the costs.

As a designer, it struck him that this would also be a good opportunity to show his kids that it was possible to make money online. How? By creating a website and writing about the family’s experience with the new dog. His kids, then aged 13, 11, and 9, agreed to help out with this new project. That weekend, Kyle built the site on WordPress and got a local photographer friend to come over to shoot some photos of Augie and the kids. Before Monday arrived, their site Frenchie Journey was online.

The site has now grown significantly since it was started in December 2019. With over 130 posts, it currently sees over 32,000 visitors a month, and brings in approximately $750/month in income through a mix of affiliate commissions and advertisements. Beyond paying $13 for the domain name and $7 a month for website hosting, there have been no other costs except for the time it takes to write each article.

This, however, has not been difficult for Kyle since it’s time that he is able to spend with his kids. In fact as he says, the revenue potential on the site isn’t that high so he really focuses on the shared family project and the lessons that he can pass on.

For those who wish to start a lifestyle blog, Kyle warns that growing a site like this can be painfully slow. But if anything, Kyle has learned that success generally depends on knowing how long it takes to succeed, and he thinks that it is doubly true when it comes to a side hustle like this.

 

 

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
"Growing the site is painfully slow but, if you stick with it, keep publishing good content, it grows over time."
—Kyle Battis #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

Civil Engineer Dismantles “90-Day Fiancé” Visa Problem

What It’s About

An example of how to use a challenging experience to help others (and make money doing so).

Words of Wisdom

Prem stresses the importance of building trust with customers. “If you are honest, upfront, transparent and willing to help your audience before asking for a sale, it fosters immense trust in your business. Always ask yourself first, is this going to help my audience first and foremost or is this meant for my business’ profit? Customers before profit.”

Fun Fact

The production company for TLC’s 90 Day Fiancé contacted Prem multiple times asking if his readers wanted to audition for the show. Prem is protective of his email list and didn’t want to do it at first. But he knew some of his readers watch the show, so he did an email blast and a few of his readers (the production company wouldn’t tell him which ones) even made it to the second round of auditions.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1571
A dozen years ago, Prem Kumar went through the long and frustrating process of filing for a fiancé visa so he could bring his future spouse to the United States. The couple initially hired a lawyer to do it for them, but that turned out to be a disaster. The lawyer was unprofessional, made a number of mistakes on the required forms, and ended up causing months of delays.

At the time, there wasn’t a lot of information freely available online but he read forum posts and watched as many YouTube videos as he could find. Over the next six months, Prem became an expert on this subject and eventually secured the visa they needed.

Ten years later, when he needed extra money for a down payment on a home, he went looking for a side hustle. After reflecting on his skills and interests, he realized that the fiancé visa process was a core expertise. After all, he’d been through that process himself, and he knew it was a big market with lots of people seeking help.

To make things official and above board, Prem made Visa Tutor into an actual business with an LLC, got his bonding paperwork through New York State, and also got himself listed on the Better Business Bureau (BBB). It was more red tape, but once again, it was worth it.

Prem’s first sale came from an ebook priced at $5. When that PayPal notification came in, he screamed to the top of his lungs “Whoa! this works! This works!” That night he was so excited to have made that first sale that he had a hard time sleeping.

It now brings in an average of $2,000 to $5,000 per month depending on the time of year. Business dropped during the pandemic due to the lack of international travel, but he’s never seen a month dip below $1,800.

Last year, Prem hired his first part-time writer and content moderator. In the future, he wants to expand to different visa types and immigration procedures. He’s even thinking of pursuing a joint venture with an immigration attorney, but the verdict is still out on that.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Learn more about Prem and how he helps people with Visa questions at his website, VisaTutor.com.
  • Prem used an email marketing tool called, Aweber to grow his email list. We also recommend and use Convertkit.
  • To list and manage his online courses, Prem used, Thinkific.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

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
"Always ask yourself first, is this going to help my audience first and foremost or is this meant for my business’ profit? Customers before profit."
—Prem Kumar #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

Lifelong Superfan Gets Paid to Write Disney Blog

What It’s About

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

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

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

Fun Fact

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

Notes from Chris

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

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

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

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

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

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

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

Sponsors & Gratitude

Learn More With Skillshare!

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

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

Chris Guillebeau

Customer Service Agent Becomes CBD Affiliate

What It’s About

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

Words of Wisdom

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

Fun Fact

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

Notes from Chris

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

WEB HOSTING @ $2.49/MONTH

Want to build any kind of website for your hustle? If so, you'll need somewhere to host it! This is the reliable company I've used for many websites. It's cheap, flexible, and offers support 24-7.

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

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

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

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

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

Sponsors & Gratitude

Try ShipStation for 60 Days FREE!

Today’s episode of Side Hustle School is brought to you by ShipStation, the #1 choice of online sellers. 📦

To get a 30-day trial AND an additional month free, click the microphone at the top of their page and enter the word HUSTLE.
Get it Here

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.
Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

TBT: Budget Savvy Bridal Blog Gets Serious

What It’s About

An update from a budget savvy bridal blogger.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1559

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

Last week, we heard from the founder of Turnkey Translator, who argued that anyone who speaks multiple languages can profit from their skills.

Today, in our latest feature, we’ll hear from the founder of Budget Savvy Bride. She recently said “yes” to serious growth!

What’s happened since we first featured Jessica in Ep. 849, approximately 710 days ago? Let’s hear directly from her. I’ll be back at the end to wrap us up.

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

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • The Budget Savvy Bride: Head on over to Jessica’s blog to learn more or forever hold your peace
  • The Budget Savvy Wedding Planner & Organizer: From planning tools and checklists to worksheets and calendars, Jessica’s book has all of the need-to-know advice to help you navigate the wedding industry traps. Learn more, here!
  • WordPress: Jessica used WordPress to set up The Budget Savvy Bride, 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

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

Government Lawyer Lands Whale of a Side Gig

What It’s About

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

Words of Wisdom

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

Fun Fact

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

Notes from Chris

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

WEB HOSTING @ $2.49/MONTH

Want to build any kind of website for your hustle? If so, you'll need somewhere to host it! This is the reliable company I've used for many websites. It's cheap, flexible, and offers support 24-7.

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

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

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

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

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

Sponsors & Gratitude

Try ShipStation for 60 Days FREE!

Today’s episode of Side Hustle School is brought to you by ShipStation, the #1 choice of online sellers. 📦

To get a 30-day trial AND an additional month free, click the microphone at the top of their page and enter the word HUSTLE.
Get it Here

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.
Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau