Tag: Fitness

Protein Shake Lover Chomps Crickets For Six-Figure Income

What It’s About

Dried crickets become an unlikely ingredient in a protein shake formula and make big bucks!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Alex began exploring Adwords and Facebook ads for marketing. Unfortunately, Adwords ended up being a financial flop. It was too complicated and fickle for Alex to learn in a short amount of time. Facebook saw some reward, but it wasn’t anything major. He turned then to advertising on influential podcasts, where he saw great order spikes when episodes aired.

What works for one person isn’t always going to work for you, so keep that in mind when you’re developing your marketing techniques and business strategies and try not to get too discouraged. Side hustles are not one size fits all!

Fun Fact

Alex was always a skinny kid growing up, but once he focused and armed himself with a bit of knowledge, he was able to grow from 165 lbs to 195 lbs in under 6 months while ending up with a lower body fat percentage.

This developed into a passion for body building and ended up being the foundation that Crik Nutrition was built on!

Notes from Chris

Episode 248

Alex Drysdale was serious about getting fit and staying healthy. Tired of being the skinny kid in high school, he adopted a strict regimen of diet and exercise, eventually diving into body building and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

His full-time job as a railway specialist, however, was not on that passions list. It didn’t help him stay healthy or fit, nor did it allow him to exercise his creative muscles. He spent 9 long years doing this, but when his friend in Spain offered to mentor him on starting an e-commerce business, he knew it was time to leave.

In a bold leap of faith, he packed some belongings into a backpack, bought a one-way ticket to Spain, and set off.

He learned the e-commerce ropes in Barcelona, all the while keeping an eye out for the idea that he would turn into a business. He knew that he wanted to focus on something that would be environmentally sustainable, but other than that, he was pretty open.

It was around that time that a respected friend published an article on protein bars containing a unique ingredient…crickets. Curious, Alex jumped into the article. He claims he was sold in less than two paragraphs.

The cricket protein used in the bars was far more nutritious and sustainable than any protein he had ever encountered. As a bodybuilder, he was pretty sure nobody was making cricket protein powder, and a thorough Google search confirmed this.

His path seemed clear: this was the idea he was going to turn into a business.

After developing his product and finding a co-packer who would create his product for him, he launched an Indiegogo campaign, and Crik Nutrition was born! There has been a lot of trial and error along the way for Alex, but this year he’s on his way to breaking six-figures.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Crik Nutrition: Hop on over to Alex’s website and check out his selection of high protein cricket powder!
  • Indiegogo | Crik Nutrition: The crowdfunding campaign that started it all
  • SquareSpace: The website building platform that Alex used to create the Crik Nutrition website
  • Shopify: Alex used Shopify to set up the storefront for Crik Nutrition, and they’re offering a 21-day trial and exclusive discount for all Side Hustle School listeners!
  • The Live Cricket Drop-Shipping Hustle: Yep, it’s true: a Pennsylvania man makes $700+ a month drop-shipping live crickets to reptile owners across the country

SEE ALSO:

  • U.S. Co-Paker Directory: Are you reaching a point where you’re outgrowing your own kitchen? Here’s a directory containing co-packing companies in each state!
  • Working With Co-Packers: Part 1 & Part 2: This two-part series goes into what you should look for when selecting a co-packer and best practices for working with a co-packer once you’ve found one
  • Hungry, Hungry Hustlers Earn $25,000/Month Selling Paleo Bars: Frustrated by the lack of real food bars devoid of added sugar and weird ingredients they couldn’t pronounce, two hungry fitness enthusiasts create their own tasty paleo bars and hustle their way to multiple six-figures

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
"After reading about all the benefits of crickets as food, it seemed like a no-brainer. I thought a protein powder would be the best option so I could start eating them. To my surprise no one was making it, so I did."
—Alex Drysdale #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

Hungry, Hungry Hustlers Earn $25,000/Month Selling Paleo Bars

What It’s About

Two friends create a healthy and nutritious food bar, minus all the added sugar that other bars contain.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

When they were starting out, Michael and Anthony decided that instead of choosing the flavors they’d offer, they’d put that power in the hands of their customers. As Mike explains, “This is a process that I think very few food startups actually go through, because they just assume that people will like what they make. We didn’t assume anything, we tested it until we knew we had a winning hand.” And as it turns out, their target market preferred bars with less sugar and more real food.

Knowing what your customers will like the most is not always intuitive, so test your product before you make a big commitment! The results may surprise you.

Fun Fact

One particularly late night session, Michael and Anthony had just finished making 500 bars. It was about 11 pm and they were cleaning up for the night. As they headed to the car, with boxes of neatly packaged bars and one last tray of unwrapped (but covered) bars, Anthony tripped on the curb and every single unwrapped bar went flying into the street. After a second of shock, they both burst out laughing at the ridiculousness of the moment.

Notes from Chris

Episode 219

Michael Winchell and Anthony Ostland weren’t trying to start a food business—they were just hungry. Michael works full-time as a financial analyst and Anthony works full-time as a Crossfit Instructor. Since they’re both mostly Paleo, they wanted a bar that was made out of real food, didn’t have any added sugar or weird stuff, and still tasted good. But they couldn’t find that in stores.

They started prototyping bars in their kitchen at home, from organic ingredients they bought at the store, like sprouted nuts, coconut, dates and egg white protein. Their friends and family loved what they were making so much that they had to borrow more and more Cuisinart mixers. By the time they got to five Cuisinarts in their home kitchen, they realized that maybe they had enough demand to consider a larger scale kitchen.

So they rented some space in a shared commercial kitchen so they could produce the bars more easily and keep up with the demand from friends and family. But before they started selling the bars to strangers, they set up a blind taste test with their target market.

Based on feedback from their blind taste testers, they went through close to 100 iterations across their four different flavors, until they got the flavor profile dialed in, and in mid-2014 they introduced the Mammoth Bars in a clear wrapper and a simple white wrap around label. They kept this packaging for over two years as they continued to grow their demand.

As their demand grew, they decided to improve upon their original packaging. So they started approaching investors, seeking a $50k investment so that they could afford a packaging and website redesign and have some money leftover. They found that $50k in the form of an investment from a friend. They used that to get started on their re-design and launch their product to a larger audience via Kickstarter in September of 2016.

Beyond just running a successful Kickstarter campaign, it also boosted their monthly revenue up to an average of $10k. And, even more significantly, they were approached by Peet’s Coffee about carrying their bars in store. More recently their monthly revenue is hovering around $25k, split roughly evenly between Peet’s Coffee sales, direct online sales, and sales at all other independent retailers.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Mammoth Bars: Check out all of the Mammoth Bar flavors on their website!
  • Kickstarter | Mammoth Bars: The Kickstarter campaign that helped Michael and Anthony get updated branding for Mammoth Bars
  • Peet’s Coffee: The coffee chain that picked up Michael and Anthony’s bars and drastically increased their profits

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
"When you start a side hustle, there are going to be times when nothing goes right and it would just be easier to give up and say ‘Fine, you win…. I’m done.’ And I don’t think there’s anything unique about our story other than the fact that we never did that."
—Michael Winchell #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Unlock Your Wifi's Potential With eero!

Today’s episode of Side Hustle School is brought to you by eero! The eero system is a fast and reliable blanket WiFi system that works with the internet service provider you already have to unlock the full potential of your connection. 💻

For free overnight shipping visit eero.com and at checkout select overnight shipping then enter HUSTLE to make it free!
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

Yoga Mat Reseller Changes Lives While Earning $4,000/Month

What It’s About

An eco-friendly yoga accessories business that gives back and empowers women all over the world.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Lara’s start-up costs were super low. She took a loan out to purchase their first 100 yoga mats and from the sales of that, they were able to buy a larger batch of stock. She also tried her best to utilize free tools and learned how to do everything herself rather than paying for help. She mentioned that it was a pretty steep learning curve, but she learned a lot and had so much more control over the process!

One of the best things about living in the technological era is that you have so many free learning resources right at your finger tips. If there’s something you’d like to implement but are short on cash, research to see what kind of options are available to you!

Fun Fact

Despite yogis relying heavily on their trusty yoga mats, the question that has been floating around since yoga came to the west is… do we even need a mat!?

According to the ancient practice, when the yogi touches the ground the energy is quickly lost into surroundings, therefore it is very important to conduct your entire yoga session on your yoga mat to conserve the spiritual energy you are creating.

Notes from Chris

Episode 196

Until two months ago, Lara Sengupta was working on the fundraising team for an Environmental Charity in London. She also had a dream—perhaps a dream much like yours, since you’re listening to Side Hustle School—and that dream was to create a different source of income for herself, perhaps even one she could rely on for her primary income.

On a recent trip to her homeland in India, she had an idea. Being a yoga lover for the last 6 years, she was starting to get frustrated with the depth of her practice. She wanted to feel connected to something deeper and bigger than just the physical postures.

This frustration made her look at what yoga actually meant to her; which was a devotional practice both towards her own self and to others. That’s when she came up with the inspiration of somehow connecting the east and the west through yoga and creating a giving loop.

Lara wanted to find a way to combine the huge popularity of yoga in the west with her desire to create futures for vulnerable communities. She then developed a partnership with an organization in India that supports human trafficking survivors. This partnership provides jobs to the women, who make the yoga mat gift bags.

CorkYogis is now turning over about £3,000 a month (or $4,000). This has happened in a brief period of time, so hopefully, it can continue to grow and become more sustainable.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • CorkYogis: Learn more about Lara and why she chose cork as the material for her yoga mats

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 wanted to create a female social movement! I was inspired by companies like TOMS shoes and London-based ‘Change Please’ but it always seems to be male founders. And I wanted to create a female-founded business that focused on empowering females worldwide."
—Lara Sengupta #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

Los Angeles Designer Runs Mobile Yoga Studio

What It’s About

A mobile yoga and meditation studio that specializes in in-house classes for business and corporation employee teams.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

When she first started, McKenna offered some free yoga classes advertised through her website, email list, social media, and some bits of press a friend with a small PR company helped her acquire. This allowed her to get experience and feedback from users so that she could fine-tune her service to suit the needs of her customers.

Fun Fact

While doing some keyword research, McKenna found out that “mobile yoga in Los Angeles” was a common search term for companies looking to have yoga at the office, and this was the basis for her mobile yoga studio. She built up the SEO for her website, Chakra 5, and incubated the brand online by publishing strong content on her blog.

Notes from Chris

Episode 118

Today’s episode features a side hustler named McKenna Rowe starts a mobile yoga side hustle, Chakra 5. It offers yoga and meditation classes by appointment to schools, offices and other organizations. The best part is that she only has to work a handful of hours a week in order to maintain this five-figure business!

When you hear about something called “mobile yoga studio,” you know right away what it is, and it’s no surprise that it’s been so successful because yoga itself is very popular—especially in a major metropolitan area like Los Angeles. Naturally, there are a lot of people who want to do it or do it more often but who are working 40, maybe 50 hours a week at stressful jobs, so for them, working for a company that provides this opportunity could be a real benefit.

And this lesson is applicable no matter what you decide to go into: when people are busy but still want to take care of themselves, what can you bring them? That’s what we see in today’s story with a great result—more than $40,000 a year in net income—working only a few hours a week.

Watch the video below to see what Chakra 5 is all about:

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

RELIABLE WEBHOST FOR $2.49/MONTH

Want to build any kind of website for your hustle? If so, you'll need somewhere to host it! This is the reliable company I've used for my past 5 websites. It's cheap, flexible, and you can get support 24 hours a day.

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

Quote of the Day
"Have patience and know that so many success stories you read or hear about don’t happen overnight. You have to persist, continue to perfect what you offer, keep making connections, and reminding people you’re out there."
—McKenna Rowe #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

The 10-Minute Workout Gym

What It’s About

A gym that specializes in offering weekly, 10-minute workouts for busy people.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Josh initially relied on social media for marketing, but they have also implemented a referral program which rewards the referrer with a free sauna session for every referral, a free workout for every five referrals and  $100 off their health and supplement store for every 10. These days, most of their clients come in through word-of-mouth referrals.

Fun Fact

Even though Josh owns a gym, he actually doesn’t like working out that much, which is partly why he started Quantify Fitness. He only works out 10 to 20 minutes a week and says he’s the fittest and healthiest he’s been in his life. Are you skeptical? Well, I might be too… but Josh swears by his routine.

Notes from Chris

Episode 112

As much as we try and fit everything we need to do into the time we have available, there’s often something that gets put on the back burner. For many people, that includes getting in their recommended 30 minutes a day of exercise. You could argue that this problem is at least partly a matter of priorities—but the point is, there’s often a gap between how much exercise a lot of people get and what they’d like to get.

Josh Jarrett was in the group of people who really didn’t like to work out. He wanted to be healthy and he knew it was important—he had 3 young children, and needed to keep up with them—but in his quest to find the most optimal workout, he adapted a model focused on high-intensity, short duration exercises.

Since Josh knew that people said they’d exercise more if they had more time, he decided to give them time by shortening the workout—like really shortening it, to just 10 minutes. He thought this approach would be a sustainable way to help people stick with a workout routine that will improve their health, and even though he was busy at work and at home, he decided to open a gym.

Despite having only been open for six months, they’ve been able to bring on their first employee, have already matched their startup costs, and are projecting that they will do over $100,000 in revenue in their first year.

This is an example of making an “ultimate promise”—a 10-minute workout! Who wouldn’t like to get all the exercise they need in just 10-minute sessions? Of course, that’s what gets people in the door, but then you have to actually fulfill the promise.

What kind of ultimate promise can you make? Here are a few other examples:

  • Eat whatever you want and still lose weight
  • Earn a 10% return no matter what the market does
  • Never pay for household supplies again

Again, you have to be able to back it up. But if you can, great! Having an ultimate promise can go a long way in building intrigue, as well as quickly communicating to potential customers what your offer is all about.

Still not convinced? Check out the video below to see how NFL veteran Derrick Mason does with Josh’s 10-minute workout:

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
"Our biggest challenge is the skepticism with people not believing they can get an effective workout in such a short amount of time. Once they do the workout, however, they’re usually blown away by realizing how much time they can get back not having to go to the gym all the time."
—Josh Jarrett #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

Unused Basement Becomes $3,000/Month Pilates Studio

What It’s About

How a couple turn their unfinished basement into a full-fledged pilates studio bringing in around $3,000/month.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

After the website and finances were taken care of, they needed a logo. So Leif launched a competition on 99 Designs, which led to the creation of the logo he used for their website, a custom stamp for gift certificates as well as the wooden sign they had made for their front yard.

Fun Fact

They also set-up a “Pilates-a-thon” fundraiser for a local school that turned out to be a great event for the community and a source of new clients. Leif says he’s amazed how effective word of mouth marketing is. He’d always heard business owners say that, but wasn’t convinced until he experienced it for himself.

Notes from Chris

Episode 98

If you’re like many of us, you might have a space in your home that goes largely unused. Maybe it’s an attic that collects dust and forgotten knick knacks, or a spare room that you never got around to converting into a home office. But what if you could potentially use this space to set up your own side hustle?

In today’s story, a couple in Minneapolis had the brilliant idea to convert an unused basement into a full-fledged Pilates studio that brings in an additional $3,000/month.

As Leif and Collen have proven with their unconventional pilates side hustle, it often pays to think outside of the box. And perhaps more importantly, good things come to those who take action on their ideas.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Kingfield Pilates: Learn more about Leif and Colleen’s in-house pilates studio
  • Next Door: A private social network for your local neighborhood
  • 99designs: Where Leif created their logo designing competition

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

Chris Guillebeau

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
"Now that I see that the ‘ready-fire-aim’ approach of acting on your ideas is so powerful, I truly believe that anyone can start a side hustle. Having tried and succeeded, I feel empowered to launch even more projects."
—Leif Ueland #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

Microsoft Employee Teaches Hula Hooping, Goes on Local News

What It’s About

A Microsoft specialist turns a unique hobby into an $800/month side hustle.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Sticking with a cardio routine and schedule can be challenging to do, and many people get bored with more traditional cardio methods over time. Offering an interesting and fun alternative to your everyday cardio workout is part of why Cori’s side hustle has been so successful.

The free publicity she received when she won the title for America’s Fit Mrs was fortunate, but it also helped that her hula-hooping fitness classes, Hoop With Cori, were a completely new idea in her small town in Connecticut.

Do you have knowledge or a skill that others might be interested in? This is a great idea to explore further as you’re working to develop an idea for your own side hustle. As you go about your day, think about which of your skills you could use to create more opportunity and possibilities or maybe just more pocket money for yourself.

Fun Fact

Cori’s favorite part of her side hustle is the fact that she can help those in her community find a fitness routine that they can really enjoy and stick with.

For years, Cori has struggled with hypothyroidism and the associated weight and energy issues that have come with it. When she discovered hula hooping fitness and all of the benefits associated with using it for full-body fitness, she realized that this may be something others would be interested in as well.

If you’d like to try out hula hooping fitness yourself, there are plenty of weighted hula hoop options to help you get started.

Also, did you know that while hula hooping became more mainstream in the US in the 1950’s, it’s actually been around for centuries? Some of the earliest depictions of hula hoops began making appearances on ancient artifacts in Greek culture dating back to 500 BCE!

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
"The money I bring in from my side hustle is ‘my money’ to spend on myself. I have a two-year-old boy and like so many moms, I feel guilty spending money from my day job on myself. Money made hula-hooping, however, is for me to pamper myself for all my hard work!"
—Cori Magnotta #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

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To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Fitness Pole Dance Studio Grows to 4 Locations

What It’s About

A graphic designer starts a pole dancing fitness studio, expands it to multiple locations, and helps thousands of women get fit and feel better.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

If you have a successful side hustle, you’ll eventually reach a point where you have to make a choice. For Sarah, that time took several years. By year 6, Studio 9 had developed into a very healthy, six-figure hustle. As she approached that mark, Sarah decided to make a big change to quit her job and to grow the studio full-time.

Finding that point can be difficult to do, but a good rule of thumb is that it’s time to leave when you realize that you’re no longer able to give 100% at your day job.

Fun Fact

When Sarah was getting started, she had many people RSVP for her first class, but when it came time for the class to start, not a single person who RSVPed showed up. Despite the rocky start, Sarah kept trying and ultimately created a really successful hustle.

Simply put, she believed in the mission. When you have a mission that you believe in, that’s when you persevere… perhaps all the way to a six-figure, multiple-location studio practice that serves thousands of clients.

Follow Sarah on Instagram and Facebook.

Resources

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RELIABLE WEBHOST FOR $2.49/MONTH

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Quote of the Day
"I knew it was time to leave when I couldn’t give 100% to my day job anymore, as the studio had grown too much. I also knew that working for myself was where I wanted to be—not to mention that the long-term payoff would be worth it!"
—Sarah Jacoby #SideHustleSchool

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

Engineer Creates “Inertia Project” for Women

What It’s About

Engineer empowers other women to take control of their lives and habits in order to live more healthy and fulfilling lives.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

When putting together The Inertia Project, Genevieve showed great business savvy by taking advantage of all of the resources available to her and learning for herself how to build a business from the ground up.

If you combine passion and expertise with some knowledge about how to price, how to market, and how to best serve your new customers, that’s when your hustle can really take off.

Fun Fact

From the very beginning, Genevieve had a clear WHY for herself as well as a specific pathway for all of her potential clients.

Consider the project’s mission statement: “to take women who feel vulnerable, lost, unhappy, or uncomfortable and gives them a realistic way to improve.” Her personal story reinforces this message—you clearly know who she is and why she’s qualified to help.

Resources

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

RELIABLE WEBHOST FOR $5/MONTH

-Special discount for Side Hustle School listeners-

Want to build any kind of website for your hustle? If so, you'll need somewhere to host it! This is the reliable company I've used for my past 5 websites. You can get support 24 hours a day. Don't overpay: get your own hosting plan for just $5 a month!
Learn More

Quote of the Day
"I was excited about someone paying me for something I’d previously done for fun and for free. But more than that, someone was paying me to help them solve a problem—I had an obligation to provide the best solution."
—Genevieve Malone #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