Tag: instagram

Australian Shapes Crafty Shop During Lockdown

What It’s About

An artist finds her niche community and supports them with art supplies all from down under.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Find ways to stand out. “Instead of having a standard 20% off sale, do an 18% off sale. The unusual number is more likely to catch the customers attention and be more memorable. Better yet, have a story behind why it’s 18%. Is it because your product is 18% more durable than your competitors?”

Fun Fact

In the early days of the Clay Craze Community page, people would DM Katrina asking questions about how to use polymer clay. The truth is, she was very much a beginner in the art, so she spent lots of time Googling and YouTubing the answer. Now she realizes that this was the byproduct and power of having a good brand. It also validated the need for a community where clay makers can ask and answer questions.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1786
During lockdown in Australia, Katrina Vo wanted a creative outlet to keep herself busy. She started experimenting with polymer clay, making jewelry and trinket bowls for fun. For those not in the know (including me), polymer clay is a pliable material, sort of like Playdough for grownups. The main difference is that polymer clay becomes permanently hardened after it’s baked in the oven, making it the perfect material for creating ornaments, jewelry and figurines and more.

As Katrina discovered how versatile the material is, her fascination grew into an addiction. She started an Instagram account to share other people’s creations. The account was originally intended to be a personal inspirational mood board, but it grew quickly, with 300-400 new organic followers per day!

Once she noticed how popular it was becoming, she put lots of effort into attracting more followers by sharing tips for working with clay, or growing your small handmade business. It became a community for clay makers to connect through sharing tips and techniques while supporting and encouraging each other. The account is now called Clay Craze Community. (Find it @clay_craze)

Those realizations inspired Katrina to open Clay Craze Studio, a one-stop-shop for polymer clay makers. Her goal was to create tools which made working with polymer clay more fun and efficient. Using manufacturers from both Australia (where she’s based) and overseas, she made tools that help shape the clay or print textures on it, spending about $150 on stock and a Shopify website.

But before launching any products at all, she spent months interacting with the members in Clay Craze Community to understand their pain points.

After going live in October 2020 (pandemic biz shoutout), Clay Craze Studio had its first sale via a link on the Instagram account. Katrina had just put through a test order to make sure everything was running smoothly, so she initially thought the sale confirmation was part of the test order. After triple checking the order three times, she realized the sale was real!

Let’s talk numbers. The shop started with ten products, but it now stocks over 300, including products made in-house and supplies from other wholesalers. It averages 300-400 orders per month. During its first year of operation, the store generated $113,000 in sales, primarily through social media. Katrina is forecasting 30% growth in its second year, with over 40 new products in the pipeline.

Katrina enjoys her corporate job managing and negotiating changes to legal contracts. However, she says that running your own business gives you an entirely different source of motivation, purpose and fulfillment. It’s incredibly fulfilling to know that someone believes in products, to the extent they are willing to part with their money for it.

Katrina also loves how the project has enabled her to spend more time and support her family. She’s even hired her sisters to source new products and pack orders, while her fiancé helps with the website.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

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Resources

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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
"Instead of having a standard 20% off sale, do an 18% off sale. The unusual number is more likely to catch the customers attention and be more memorable. Better yet, have a story behind why it’s 18%. Is it because your product is 18% more durable than your competitors?"
—Katrina Vo #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

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Chris Guillebeau

Q&A: Should I hire influencers to market my skincare products?

What It’s About

Today’s caller wants to know if pay-to-influence is a good idea.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1740

Today’s caller is launching her own skincare line. Naturally, she wants to get the word out—how can she reach her ideal customers? She has an idea that she’ll tell you more about, but the short version is that it involves paying influencers to post. Is this a good idea, and what does she need to know in advance?

“Hello Chris this is Leslie from Seattle and I’ve have been listening to the show for a couple of years. I’m launching a skincare line, or at least one skincare product to start with. I’ve spent a lot of time on research and finding the right manufacturer that doesn’t use ingredients tested on animals. But I don’t have a lot of followers—in fact I don’t really have followers at all. I saw there are agencies you can pay who will hire influencers on your behalf. Do you think this is worth it? I do have some money I’m willing to spend, because I want to give this idea every chance of success. But I also don’t want to waste it, so if there’s a better way to spend it, I’d rather do that.”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

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

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

GET YOUR FIRST 1,000 EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS

Social media is nice, but building an email list is still the single best way to get customers and clients for your hustle. It's not hard to get started—sign up for a 30-day trial and join the list-building challenge! You’ll be up and running in no time. Learn More

Sponsors & Gratitude

Don't Do Business Without It

Side Hustle School is brought to you by American Express.

No matter what you do in business, from working nine-to-five to working five-to-nine, it’s easier when you don’t go it alone. Get the powerful backing of American Express—don't do business without it! 💳 Visit American Express

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

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

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

Keep in Touch

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


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Q&A: How do I prioritize next steps for a series of planners?

What It’s About

A listener wonders if she should prioritize using Instagram to find her target audience.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1112

Today’s listener is already doing a lot of things right. She’s designed and printed a series of planners for new moms struggling with postpartum depression. With this specific product and a clear target market … she’s wondering what comes next? How can she reach that target market with her product?

You could do so many things, but our challenge in this world of unlimited choice is that you can’t do everything. That’s why having a plan is not just valuable, it’s critical.

My side hustle is a line of wellness planners for moms. I originally created versions of these planners to help myself with postpartum depression and anxiety, and I hope to help other women as well.

My question is about how to best prioritize my next steps. I have products, website, and an Etsy account. I have a story in my head that I need to build up Instagram followers before reaching out to influencers, and I’m curious about your thoughts.

Also, am I right in thinking that cold emails are the best way to connect with potential sales avenues? … How do you effectively cold email without sounding like an annoying salesperson?

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SEE ALSO:

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
"How do you effectively pitch without being annoying? Keep it brief, make a personal connection if you can, say what you’re looking for, and say why you think it could be good for that person."
—#SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Don't Do Business Without It

Side Hustle School is brought to you by American Express.

No matter what you do in business, from working nine-to-five to working five-to-nine, it’s easier when you don’t go it alone. Get the powerful backing of American Express—don't do business without it! 💳 Visit American Express

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

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

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

Keep in Touch

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


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Q&A: When should I start posting on social media?

What It’s About

When is it a good time to start sharing your project with the world?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1104

Common question: when should you get started on social media? Basic but important. It’s not as simple as saying “Do it now!”

Joshua has an idea for a task and time management system, and is wondering when it would be good to start social media accounts. Too soon, too late, or neither?

We’ll talk about the concept, the timeline, and the advantages and disadvantages of moving forward without a clear plan.

Over the past couple of months, I’ve developed a task and time management system for myself that I think others would benefit from. I want to develop it into a brand and side hustle with a/v media being my primary products. Eventually, it could lead to a book. To get this ball rolling, I want to start with an Instagram account to get my ideas out there and gather community.

However, the concept for the system is still maturing. My question: is it ever too soon to put yourself out there before you have fully developed the concept and copyright any features you don’t want others to steal? Can you elaborate a bit on the process of creating digital assets? Follow me @UltraProductive.

This reminds me a little of my early ideas for the Art of Non-Conformity. I registered a Twitter account at the end of 2007 but then I didn’t tweet until Spring of 2008. I thought about my ideas and early posts for several months before I did anything public with them.

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

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

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

GET YOUR FIRST 1,000 EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS

Social media is nice, but building an email list is still the single best way to get customers and clients for your hustle. It's not hard to get started—sign up for a 30-day trial and join the list-building challenge! You’ll be up and running in no time. Learn More

Quote of the Day
"Once you’re in a place when you have something worth sharing (by your own judgement), I think it’s good to start sharing. "
—#SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Don't Do Business Without It

Side Hustle School is brought to you by American Express.

No matter what you do in business, from working nine-to-five to working five-to-nine, it’s easier when you don’t go it alone. Get the powerful backing of American Express—don't do business without it! 💳 Visit American Express

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

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

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

Keep in Touch

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


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Frustrated Employee Finds Inspiration in Frida Kahlo Instagram Account

What It’s About

A personal hero inspires an ongoing, profitable art project.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Tatiana says that many of the products for sale on Frida Vibes are “print-on-demand.” This means that they are only created when they are ordered. This has caused the inventory risk to go down, which in turn allows Tatiana to take more chances on new artists and products.

Fun Fact

At some point, Frida Kahlo decided that she wanted to change her birthday. She changed it to three years later than her biological birthday so it coincided with the Mexican Revolution and the birthday of modern Mexico.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1041

In August of 2016, Tatiana Figueiredo was looking for a change. She was on a tech team for a growing startup, but the fast paced, all-consuming nature of the job was causing her to lose enthusiasm.

At some point, she realized that she was taking work too seriously … and her life outside of work not seriously enough. She decided to leave her job and began a journey of rediscovering what inspired her.

Tatiana thought back to what made her excited in high school, and the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo immediately came to mind. When she first learned about Kahlo in her art history class, she was amazed. Kahlo was one of the only women artists that they discussed in class and she was Latina, just like Tatiana.

After that, Tatiana spent time learning whatever she could about Kahlo’s life story. And now, years later, she thought about how she could make Kahlo a bigger piece of her life. She enjoyed looking at the portraits that other artists created of Frida Kahlo on Instagram. That’s when she decided to create an Instagram account solely for artwork in her image, and she decided to name it Frida Vibes.

She made the account and began to repost artwork. Many of the artists she featured were very appreciative of her giving them more exposure. In turn, they would repost Tatiana’s repost. This caused both the artist and Tatiana’s account to reach more viewers. Soon, Frida Vibes began to accumulate a following.

Once Tatiana hit one thousand followers, she could tell she was really onto something. She had already gained an audience without researching anything about Instagram. She had a feeling that if she learned some techniques, she could grow her following even more.

Tatiana says that ultimately, to grow your following fast, get very specific like she did, know your audience, and post images that people will want to repost.

As her account grew and she began to interact with more artists, she started to build a community around Frida Vibes. Tatiana says her “could this be a business” antenna went up. She wondered what kinds of struggles this community of artists faced, so she began asking them what they wanted to do with their work and what obstacles they experienced.

There were two answers that she got the most. The first was that they would love for more people to enjoy their work. The second was that they wanted to make more money from their art.

This got her thinking. She wanted to solve these problems, but wasn’t sure how. Then, Tatiana realized that she could open up an online shop. She could sell people’s Frida-themed artwork and pay the artist royalties.

At that point, she decided to start a store on Shopify called Frida Pop-Up. She had never used Shopify before, but her background in tech helped her teach herself how to use it.

By Black Friday of 2017, Tatiana officially launched her store. At the time, her 10,000 Instagram followers were her first customers.

Since then, Frida Vibes’ Instagram followers have nearly doubled. She has been working with a variety of artists to sell their products—and she says that she measures her success by the amount of royalties she can pay those artists. Those royalties are in the thousands of dollars. She typically gives them 10-20% royalties on every product that is sold on her shop, which means that she is also earning a good profit.

With all the growth, Tatiana is now working with even more artists. Although she ended up getting another full time job as a technology consulting, she loves running Frida Vibes on the side to recharge, promote artists, and make a little cash at the same time. Running the shop has added more color to her life—in more ways than one.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

 

SEE ALSO:

Auto Employee Earns $100,000 Selling Stickers on Instagram:

    On a trip to Tokyo, a serial side hustler discovers popular stickers in Tokyo. He comes home, learns to produce his own, and earns six-figures in the first year of operation.
  • Avid Reader Sells Used Books On Instagram: An IT analyst makes page-turning profits after building a dedicated audience of book enthusiasts. You can make money without a large following!

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 saw the opportunity of turning this side hustle into a small resistance by always working WITH artists and paying them generous royalties for every sale."
—Tatiana Figueiredo #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Don't Do Business Without It

Side Hustle School is brought to you by American Express.

No matter what you do in business, from working nine-to-five to working five-to-nine, it’s easier when you don’t go it alone. Get the powerful backing of American Express—don't do business without it! 💳 Visit American Express

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

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

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

Keep in Touch

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


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Instagram Scheduling App Becomes Wildly Popular

What It’s About

When things don’t go according to plan, this artist creates a million dollar app.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Find your product-market fit and know your target audience inside-out. If you know your people, you will be able to solve the issues that they are looking to solve. Build out customer profiles and picture exactly who that person is that you want to sell to.

Fun Fact

After making $10,000 in the first week, Christy shook up a bottle of champagne, opened it and sprayed it around like a locker room celebration.

Notes from Chris

Episode 998

Christy Laurence, a New Zealander living in Australia, was unable to continue her career in advertising due to an illness that severely limited her mobility for a year-and-a-half.

During that time, she began illustrating and selling artwork on Instagram. Her work was bringing in some money, and she thought she was on to something.

Christy understood that her followers weren’t just interested in her art—they were interested in her—and she began to share more of her story. She would show her followers when she was experimenting with a new medium, demonstrate the tools she used, and bring them along on that journey.

It soon became clear that it wasn’t her artwork that was Christy’s best creation but the way she was using Instagram to sell that artwork, and ultimately herself to the audience. She saw similarities between what she was doing on her own and that of bigger companies who were lighting up the platform. They weren’t selling a product … they were telling a story.

That’s how the PLANN app came to be, at least after she figured out how to make an app.

It turned out that for Christy, unlocking the secrets to Instagram success was the easy part. PLANN is a technical solution, but she had no tech experience.

However, having worked in marketing for digital agencies, Christy understood the concept of wireframing. She drew out her wireframes, outlining how she envisioned the app to be, and turned to YouTube to learn how to build them. Eventually she taught herself all she needed to know, and created the initial version of the app herself.

So what does this app actually do? PLANN helps users create compelling Instagram stories for their brand, schedule posts, and analyze what content is keeping your audience engaged. Most people are aware of how powerful the platform can be, but they’re not sure how to harness that power. They were clamoring for guidance.

PLANN was profitable before its first birthday and currently brings in more than a million dollars in annual revenue. As their customers grow their businesses, PLANN wants to grow alongside them. The company is soon to launch a web app with more features to address the needs of growing businesses.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • PLANN app: Learn more about Christy’s app and see if it’s the right plan for your hustle needs.

 

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 your product-market fit and know your target audience inside-out. If you know your people, you will be able to solve the issues that they are looking for solutions for."
—Christy Laurence #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Don't Do Business Without It

Side Hustle School is brought to you by American Express.

No matter what you do in business, from working nine-to-five to working five-to-nine, it’s easier when you don’t go it alone. Get the powerful backing of American Express—don't do business without it! 💳 Visit American Express

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

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

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

Keep in Touch

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


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau