Tag: Niche Ideas

“Graphic Design for Dogs” Earns $84,000

What It’s About

This graphic designer fetches some niche clients with her pet company specific design firm.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Kaila joined pet-related and ‘petpreneur’ Facebook groups, offering her skills as a graphic-designer-slash-dog-lover to pet companies looking for a new website or fresh branding. She landed several clients through Facebook alone and noticed an immediate growth to her side. But she didn’t want to stop there. Cold emails became her next hot ticket to getting her foot in the door, and she spent a weekend emailing every dog store, veterinary office, dog walker, and dog trainer she could find.

This outreach strategy paid off, to the tune of $20,000 in her first year, on top of her full-time job. Don’t wait for clients to come to you—reach out to them! With the power of the internet, anything is paw-sible.

Fun Fact

We don’t want to alarm you, but your dog can smell your feelings. They are able to pick up on any changes in your scent and figure out how you’re feeling based on those changes. So if you get nervous or scared, they can smell the difference from your perspiration. On the plus side, it helps them detect certain diseases. Dogs really are man’s best friend!

Notes from Chris

Episode 485

As a full-time graphic designer, Kaila Piepkow knows a thing or two about branding and visual communication. And, after a chance conversation with a photographer, she learned how to unleash her skills into a highly targeted market that fulfilled her craving for a new outlet for her ideas.

Feeling uninspired by her nine-to-five endeavors and needing a new channel for her vision, Kaila decided to open her own design studio on the side. But, since she was already in the business, she knew just how overwhelming the marketplace could be with seemingly endless competition. That being said, she also knew how to stand out, if she could define the right focus for her ideas.

Kaila thought about different audiences to target. Lists were made, and she talked to her friends about it. She even talked to her dog about it! And that’s when it hit her. It was a dog-eat-dog world out there… but there were no graphic designers that targeted pet companies.

The self-described ‘crazy dog person’ knew that focusing on the pet industry would mean foregoing other projects, but it would also be a surefire way to stand out with both her design and the projects she would take on. Therefore, Dox Designs, as she called it, morphed into her new side hustle.

Once she launched the Dox Designs website and put together a business strategy that included Facebook Advertising and a more targeted outreach strategy, she began to earn an extra $7,000 a month on average. That’s right—Kaila is projected to earn $84,000 this year, in side hustle income alone.

Like so many stories, Kaila’s side hustle wouldn’t be as successful as it is now if she had waited for “the perfect moment.” She credits the fact that she launched herself into a specific target market without a plan as one of the main reasons she’s been so successful. Since Dox Design began, it’s paid off in the form of referral clients all around the country and the ability to double her income, working only during evenings and weekends.

Taking the skills that she’s already had has allowed Kaila to work in an industry that she’s truly passionate about—and hopes to turn into her full-time job down the road. She’s also able to combine everything she loves into one life. Dogs, graphic design, the job, her side hustle, and the financial freedom that comes with it, are now rolling over into one great package. That one life she loves is looking quite fetching.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Dox Designs: It’s a dog eat dog world out there—make sure that your web design has you standing out from the pack. Learn more on Kaila’s website!

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

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
"If you don’t know where to start, think about what you love doing—what you enjoy doing in your spare time. That’s the market you can target to help make your side hustle special. Even (especially!) if it’s super niche."
—Kaila Piepkow #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Get a Free Audit on Your 401k!

Side Hustle School is brought to you by Blooom. If you're still working a 9-5, make getting a 401k your side hustle!

Blooom is the simple and smart way to grow your 401k. Go online to Blooom401k.com and get your truly FREE 401k audit when you use promo code "HUSTLE" at checkout.💸 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

Electrical Engineer Sells $800 Swarovski Crystal Bikinis

What It’s About

If you bling it, they will come—handmade Swarovski crystal bikinis lead to an extra $50,000/annually!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

If Amanda has one piece of advice for listeners, it’s this: no matter what you’re doing, make sure that you are always coming from a place of authenticity. Don’t let the way your competition handles things dictate the way that you run your business. It’s okay to do things your own way!

Fun Fact

The worst part of this experience for Amanda was the “Imposter Syndrome.” Unlike her competition who focused on getting famous people into their suits, Amanda realized that she felt much better when she was actually connecting with her customers and sharing their fitness journey with them instead of just selling them a suit. This led to her launching the Confessions of a Fit Chick podcast!

Notes from Chris

Episode 439

Amanda Freick is the Regional Director for a local electrical engineering firm in Tucson, Arizona. As she puts it, she’s a nerd when it comes to electric utilities. Have you ever almost gotten into a car accident because you were staring at the equipment on a power pole? No? Well, Amanda has, more than once.

But word around the office is that Amanda has a new passion these days, and it has nothing to do with electrical engineering. When she gets home and sheds her corporate life at the door, she starts working on her side hustle: customized fitness competition bikinis.

Amanda has always had a bit of an entrepreneurial spirit, which is why she believes that she has been able to find so much success in the corporate world. She just thinks differently than a lot of people in that setting. And she also spends her time outside of her corporate life very differently than her colleagues, because well, she owns a swimwear company. And not just any swimwear company, one that has until recently been focused primarily on fitness competition swimwear.

This can be quite the interesting dinner conversation topic when you work in an industry dominated by middle-aged men. It’s also a rumor starter for those too scared to approach the topic. She once had a customer from her day job say, “Amanda, I hear you own a lingerie company.” Not quite, but she supposed it was pretty close.

Amanda started this swimwear business, AmandaLouise Swimwear, after participating in a fitness competition herself for the first time. She ordered a $165 crystal encrusted bikini online, and eagerly awaited its arrival, but when it finally came in, she was not impressed with the quality. She had both a mom and grandma who taught her how to sew, and at the time, she found herself hanging out with some old biddies at the quilt shop once a month. She thought, “Hey, I could totally make this, and more so, I can make it so much better.”

First things first, she realized that she needed a website. Since she had learned a little bit of computer science and coding in college, she decided to go with a WordPress site and built it all by herself over the course of a day. And from there, she just started accepting orders!

The best part about a side hustle like this is that since all of her orders were custom made, she didn’t really have to buy any materials until someone actually purchased a suit. Her startup costs came out to around a couple hundred dollars of basic materials, and at the end of 2017, she had brought in almost $50,000. These days she keeps more stock on hand simply because she gets more last minute orders, but in the beginning, she never had to make any purchases out of pocket hoping that someone would buy something.

Amanda’s story just goes to show you that if you bling it, they will come!

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • AmandaLouise Swimwear: Get your bling on over on Amanda’s website and learn more about the amazing brand she’s building!
  • WordPress: Amanda used WordPress to setup Amanda Louise Swimwear before switching to Squarespace, and here you can learn how to install your own WordPress site in 5 minutes

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

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

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

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
"In summary, my life is a beautiful kind of insanity that makes me excited to wake up every morning. Big dreams, big goals, and a big appetite for success."
—Amanda Freick #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

California Moms Get High and Get Well

What It’s About

Two moms tackle the cannabis industry with their “feel good” products.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

No matter your stance on the legalization of cannabis, wherever there is a fast-growing industry like this, there are often ways to profit from it. Keep your eyes open for fast growing industries you can jump on board with!

Fun Fact

The Cordial Organics team are always excited to find new uses for their products. One friend put their lip balm on her bug bite and it went away in just a few hours!

Notes from Chris

Episode 434

In late 2016, Shelly Phegley and Desi Mckinnon predicted a change in California’s political landscape that would open up a whole new world of side hustles. The state was about to vote on cannabis laws which would eventually lead to legal recreational use of marijuana.

It was then that Shelly and Desi noticed a group of people was being highly underserved. At one end of the spectrum, people were marketing marijuana-based products and campaigning for votes from what you might call the “stoner” crowd. And at the other end, the products were being targeted to the medical industry, which, to them, felt a little sterile.

There was an entire group of people, including Moms like Shelly and Desi, who could benefit from the use of the herb but weren’t being included in the conversation. They wanted to use marijuana and its extracts for its everyday benefits—not to cure illness or bring on a sudden craving for Doritos. So, the pair decided they’d create the products they’d like to see in the market.

They invested some cash into their own plants and began to extract the THC—Tetrahydrocannabinol—to make their own tinctures under the banner, Cordial Organics.

These were drops and balms and oils that came with natural health benefits. They then shared their product with people through their network to see if they had a market. The response was positive, especially from other moms, so they decided to proceed.

Shelly and Desi have lots of success stories from their side hustle. They’ve received countless letters from people who’ve seen the benefits. But their favorite, by far, is the thank you note they received from someone who had used their products to successfully manage the side effects from chemotherapy.

Setting up a business like this doesn’t come cheaply, though. Despite generating income of up to $7,000 per month, profit margins are still low. But, thanks to their marketing efforts, they’re expecting that to change in the next few months. This joint operation is not just blowing smoke… it’s high time they got their reward.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Cordial Organics: Learn more about Shelly, Desi, and the benefits of THC and CBD in your health and wellness products
  • Squarespace: The website building platform that Shelly and Desi used to create their website for Cordial Organics
  • WordPress: Shelly and Desi switched to WordPress using Woocommerce to run their shop, 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

Quote of the Day
"We think one of the best questions to start with is, ‘Is this a passion or a hobby or a side hustle?’ If it’s a side hustle, then run some numbers and start putting together a business plan. Getting everything on paper and in spreadsheets has saved us from making a lot of errors."
—Shelly Phegley #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

Call Center Employee Uses Patreon to Fund LGBTQ Podcasts

What It’s About

A trans woman creates two queer-centric podcasts to serve as a safe space for those without strong family and friend bases.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

When I asked Callie what equipment they use, they said, they are convinced people care so much more about the content of your show than the sound quality. Fancy gear can’t make a boring conversation with a dispassionate host more interesting. Nevertheless, they shared what equipment they use: Apollo Twin High-Resolution Thunderbolt Interface, Electro Voice RE-20 Cardioid Microphone, and the Logic Pro X.

Fun Fact

Callie ended up in Houston on Arian Foster’s podcast, Now What?. He’s a former Houston Texans running back and was one of the more popular players in the NFL before he retired. He sent out a tweet that he wanted to chat with someone from the transgender community and they were recommended. Check out the episode, here!

Notes from Chris

Episode 432

Callie Wright, in their own words, considers themself pretty privileged. Their day job as a team lead in a call center pays well, and no one they works with cares about them being queer or trans. Callie also has a supportive group of friends and family.

But not everyone who is queer and/or trans has the same experience. Callie remembers going to a vigil for a trans girl who was forced into conversion therapy and hearing an LGBTQ affirming minister say some things that made her feel out of place as a non-believer.

Callie decided to create a space not just for LGBTQ activism, but for secular activism as well. They now produces two podcasts, an activist show called The Gaytheist Manifesto and a storytelling show called The Queer side. Their goals with their podcasts are to curate a space where people feel safe, valued, loved, and protected and also to try to change the hearts and minds of people who have negative attitudes towards the LGBTQ community.

Callie’s first show The Gaytheist Manifesto launched in 2015. A little over a year into The Gaytheist Manifesto, they turned to their community and asked them to support it through Patreon. Patreon is a platform that helps creators get paid by running a membership business for their fans. Patrons pledge a monthly contribution, Callie rewards them with premium content, and Patreon delivers that content to their patrons.

In 2017, Callie added their second podcast, a storytelling show called The Queer Side. They immediately started a Patreon when this podcast launched. Between Callie’s two shows, today they receive over $800 each month in contributions. They also had roughly a dozen speaking opportunities as a result of these shows.

 

 

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
"Make your pitch funny, or make your pitch earnest and heartfelt. Giving people laughter is a valuable service. In our niche the news is often grim, and a chance to smile is a welcome change of pace sometimes."
—Callie Wright #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Learn More With Skillshare!

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

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

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

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

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


Here's How

Keep in Touch

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


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Crafter’s Shop for Dreadlock Wearers Unlocks $3,500/Month

What It’s About

A woman locks down the market with her unique dreadlock tool.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

When we asked K. what she would tell someone looking to start something similar, she had this to say:

“Do what you can and keep moving forward. You won’t always know the right path and sometimes you may take a wrong turn, but trust that if you keep putting your intention out there, there will be opportunities, people and things that cross your path to point you in the right direction and you will reach your goal.”

Fun Fact

K launched Loccessories™ in September 2012 and shortly thereafter got a unique opportunity to work on a cruise ship sailing amidst the gorgeous Hawaiian islands. She literally built her business hundreds of feet below sea level. She shipped out orders at each port…even as far away as Malta!

Notes from Chris

Episode 431

K Hill is a Product Marketing Manager for a mobile healthcare company based in greater Chicago, Illinois—and she’s also a lifelong crafter and tinkerer. As a kid, she took apart her McDonald’s Happy Meal toys to see how they worked. As an adult, she’s designed and sewn custom bedding, jewelry, and invitations.

Her tinkering and crafting skills came in handy when she started developing her dreadlocks. In case you live on the moon and aren’t familiar with humans, dreadlocks are a hairstyle consisting of rope-like strands of hair formed by matting or braiding. Picture Bob Marley.

There were some popular methods out there when K was getting started locking her hair. One involved a tool, which can damage the integrity of the loc.

The other method, called palm rolling, was a long process. You would twist and retwist the hair until it became a single coil. Then you would wait for the new growth to matte and become a dreadlock. This process could take months depending on the texture of your hair. Not washing your hair makes the matting process happen faster. This was not an option for K. She has to wash her hair at least weekly!

So what does a lifelong crafter and tinkerer do? K made her own tool that locs the hair instantly. That tool, the InstaLoc, solved both her problems. She could rock her desired hairstyle immediately, and her scalp wouldn’t suffer in the process.

Back then there were few products or accessories for people who wore locs. So she decided to build it herself. Her store, Loccessories™, launched in September of 2012, includes hand-crafted and custom-produced items that she makes herself, and items she sources from manufacturers.

Startup costs were less than $150, and included domain registration and hosting, a website template, and initial supplies to make products. Gross sales are roughly $3,500-4,000 per month. The majority of her sales currently come from Amazon.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Loccessories™: If you’re trying to get a loc on your hair, head on over to K.’s website to learn more about her nifty loc tool!
  • Alibaba, AliExpress, & DHgate: A few of the manufacturers that K. reached out to for wholesale purposes

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 know that once I release the product it will be copied, but my hope is that I will already have mindshare with my niche market that they will be able to identify the counterfeits and can discern their shortcomings."
—K. Hill #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Get Connected Today!

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

Whether you're looking for a new job or looking to hire, you can find the right match at LinkedIn. Visit LinkedIn.com/HUSTLE today to get a $50 credit to post your first job.
Get Connected!

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

Flight Instructor’s App Takes Flight, Earns $30,000

What It’s About

An instructor takes flight into the future by building his first flight app…without ever owning a smart phone.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

If you also feel that you’re a little bit behind the times technologically, Urs says you shouldn’t worry or let it stop you because sometimes what you don’t know can be your biggest asset! He recommends finding someone in your network who can talk you through what apps are, or buy a cheap smartphone to play around with. Then design what you think an app should be like. If you don’t know the rules, you can’t be afraid of breaking them!

Fun Fact

Urs loves apps even though he was late to the party. He’s currently working on an App called 5F, which helps people to find fitness buddies in their local area.

Notes from Chris

Episode 429

For flight instructor Urs Camenisch, it was time to increase his household income. Working 6-7 days a week for a low salary was taking its toll, and Urs wanted a way to make money while he slept. And, without giving up his passion for flying planes.

Despite not being tech savvy—in fact, he didn’t even own a smartphone—he knew an internet business would be the best solution to his problem. However he felt like websites and desktops were a dying breed, and he wanted to future-proof his business as best he could. So, he decided he would create an app.

Through his work as a flight instructor, he spotted a need for Canada’s student pilots. All of them had to take an important exam, the Pre Solo Test about Air Regulations, or PSTAR for short, before being able to fly solo. But, there was little in the way of apps or websites to provide study support. Urs decided he’d take the knowledge he had, and apply it to an easy to access app.

The first step was to find a developer to help him create the app. He found some developers and agencies he wanted to work with, wrote a brief of what he wanted made, and began to ask for quotes. Much to his surprise, they all came back to him with hefty quotes of $30,000 dollars—a whole year’s salary for him. Which was (of course) out of the question.

Not one to be defeated, Urs found a hidden gem in one of the emails a developer sent him. He told Urs that he has to charge so much because he wouldn’t outsource his work. This was a lightbulb moment for him. Why pay so much if he could find the people the developers were outsourcing too and cut out the middleman entirely?

This brought Urs to freelance marketplaces, like Elance and Odesk, which joined forces and is now one company called Upwork.

This time, the quotes came back at a much more affordable rate of $1,000 for the entire app. Urs says he’s a firm believer in hiring locally, but if it’s 30 times the price, someone on a small budget really doesn’t have the luxury of choice.

The final start-up costs for the PSTAR app came in at $3,500. To try and recoup these funds, Urs set the price of his app at affordable prices that would help him earn back the initial investment over the course of the first year or so.

Since launching the app, he’s earned an extra $30,000 through sales. Looking to the future, Urs has started developing another app for fitness lovers. He’s also started to invest in real estate and has found a better job that he loves as a Medevac pilot. All thanks to this one app that eventually took off!

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • PSTAR Exam App: If you hail from the Great White North and are looking for your aerial career to take flight, get to studying with Urs’ exam prep app
  • Upwork: The global freelancing platform that helps businesses connect with independent freelancers remotely
  • 5F: If you’re looking for something more mainstream than an app for Canadian flight students, check out Urs’ other app—it’s essentially “Tinder for workout partners!”

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
"Be realistic and prioritize: Hire professionals if you can’t do it yourself. I taught myself a lot but when it came time to code the app, I hired professionals. Remember, you still have a day job to do and that’s what puts food on the table."
—Urs Camenisch #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Get Connected Today!

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

Whether you're looking for a new job or looking to hire, you can find the right match at LinkedIn. Visit LinkedIn.com/HUSTLE today to get a $50 credit to post your first job.
Get Connected!

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

High School Student Earns $20,000 Making Wooden Bow Ties

What It’s About

Tie-red of shoddy craftsmanship, this high school student decides to make matters into his own hands.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

In the beginning, Paul was making and selling general woodcraft items on Etsy and it was going okay, but he started making real money once he identified something to focus on.

Don’t try and do it all—find things that are successful and do those really well instead!

Fun Fact

Paul had been tinkering with woodworking for a long time, but only pivoted to making wooden bow ties when he was given one as a gift. He liked the concept but was sure that he could do better than the bow tie he was given, and he set out to prove it.

Notes from Chris

Episode 423

When twelve-year-old Paul Kaster was first introduced to woodworking, he had no idea how big a role it would play in his life. Paul’s love of this craft came about after watching popular YouTube woodworkers like the Wood Whisperer (yes, this is a thing), which encouraged him to continually push the limits of his abilities.

Plugging away at the craft, Paul started experimenting with different ideas. Once in a while he’d list his products on Etsy, or sell them to family and friends. His first customer was his mom, who bought a cutting board from him. At a time where most teenagers would develop and pursue new interests, the encouragement Paul received helped him stay the course and he continued working on his hobby.

His passion project would turn into something more four years later. Paul had received a wooden bow tie as a gift and liked the concept. The only problem was that the tie he received was chunky, unattractive, and poorly finished. From his years of experience woodworking, Paul knew he could do better. And that’s exactly what he set out to do.

Paul first began by taking a look around in the Etsy marketplace. Most of the wooden bow ties he saw were large and chunky, like the one he’d received, while others were flat and lacked contour. Paul knew the ideal bow tie would be somewhere in between. (He was looking for the Goldilocks of wooden bow ties.) He loved the feeling of classic fabric ties, so he crafted a wooden one that emulated this look and style.

These wooden bow ties took off! The natural search and discovery features of Etsy drove initial sales and Paul quickly realized that the bow ties sold a lot better than the other products he listed from time to time.

So how did it work out financially? Crooked Branch Studio made $20,000 in profit on the back of 40K in revenue in 2016. With his low startup costs funded by Kickstarter, Paul was able to turn woodworking from a passion project to a profitable side hustle without incurring any risk.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Crooked Branch Studio: Don’t get tied down with conventional bow ties—head on over to Paul’s website (or Etsy page) to pick up a unique conversation starter for yourself!
  • Carbon Cravat: If you’re looking for an even more modern take, check out Paul’s other bow tie side hustle where he makes bow ties out aerospace carbon fiber
  • Shopify: Paul used Shopify to set up his store for Crooked Branch Studio, and they’re offering a 21-day trial and exclusive discount for all Side Hustle School listeners!

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
"You don’t need to do 100 courses to be an entrepreneur, just educate yourself about how other people built businesses and get out there and start doing something."
—Paul Kaster #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

Corporate Marketer Plans Worldwide Trips for Women

What It’s About

When the disillusion sinks in, this corporate marketer finds her calling planning trips for other women.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Mary has learned a lot of lessons along the way. When we asked her if she would do anything differently, she said that she would have started Living Big Travel much sooner than she did.

She used to look at successful entrepreneurs as having everything “figured out,” but what she discovered is that despite the outward projection of success, everyone is just figuring it out as they go. In her words, “if there’s something that you’re passionate about and have a general idea of what you’d like to do—just go for it. You’re never going to feel 100% ready, and if you wait for that moment, it may never arrive.”

Fun Fact

In 2015, Mary took nine women to Costa Rica. When her usual chef who hosts an empanada-making lesson said his restaurant was out of action, Cecchini told him how much the ladies had been looking forward to it. “So he said ‘I don’t think my wife would mind,’ and offered us his home kitchen! We ended up having a great time and holding his kids….”

As part of a reunion, the Oregon-based women all came to Cecchini’s house in the spring of 2016 and made empanadas again.

Notes from Chris

Episode 416

Mary Cecchini did all of the things that she thought she was supposed to do. She went to college and earned a degree, and she eagerly jumped into the workforce working for major brands. But after 5-8 years of climbing the corporate ladder and chasing promotions, she wanted something different.

Mary was successful, but she didn’t really feel that she was the one guiding the ship. She felt that she was drifting further and further away from what she wanted her life to look like.

She’d always wanted to travel; she felt that doing so might give her the clarity she needed, but her 60-hour work schedule and limited time off forced her to put that on the back burner. So she made a promise to herself—by 2013 (one year’s time) she would quit her corporate day job and see the world.

And she kept that promise. She traded in her heels and briefcase for a set of comfy set of hiking shoes and a travel pack and spent five months doing a solo trek through Europe, starting in Turkey and heading West.

Over on her blog, there was an overwhelming number of responses from women at all walks of life who wanted to do the same thing but didn’t have the time to plan or were held back by their reservations about traveling solo. And this lit a spark for her.

She thought back to all of the stops she had made along the way and decided that she could plan these trips for other women and make it easier for them to have the life experiences that they wanted without the burden of having to a) plan it themselves, or b) go it alone. She’d put together group travel experiences for women and plan every step of the way from hotel stays and where they’d go to eat to the activities they’d do along the way.

Mary’s mother had always told her, “love big, live big,” so when it came time for her to name her women-only travel company, she decided to call it Living Big Travel as a tribute to her mother.

Since then, Mary has helped plan vacations for around 150 women on 15 different trips to places like Switzerland (which happens to be her favorite destination because she loves the mountains!), Iceland, Croatia, Thailand, and Italy, and she’s even added some domestic trips and options for people who are looking for some assistance for solo vacation planning. Most of her trips fall between $2,000-4,000 depending on whether the trip is domestic or international and they usually include 6-7 full days of jam-packed adventure.

One day, Mary would like to turn Living Big into her full-time passion project, but for the time being, she’s been happy growing her brand slowly and intentionally. She’s also grateful to have the marketing contract work available to her so that she didn’t have to put pressure on Living Big. She feels that if she did, money would have played a bigger part in her decisions. If she didn’t start this as a side hustle, she might not have been able to make decisions based on what was best for the company.

Maybe this is another reason for a side hustle … maybe this is another reason to look at your life and ask yourself, “Am I fulfilled? Is there something missing? If so, what steps should I take next?”

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Living Big Travel: Trek on over to Mary’s website to learn more about the trips she plans for women
  • WordPress: Mary used WordPress to form her website for Living Big Travel, and here you can learn how to install your own WordPress site in 5 minutes

SEE ALSO:

 

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

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

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

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

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

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

Quote of the Day
"When women make connections with other women who are very different than they are, it’s an invitation to see the world through another woman’s lens, to see all that we have in common, and an opportunity to develop more empathy and compassion for women, and the world around us."
—Mary Cecchini #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

Internet Trolls Eat Their Words in This Comedic Cake Hustle

What It’s About

Revenge is sweet with this NYC woman’s unique side hustle.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

When we asked Kat what kind of advice she would give to someone starting a side hustle of their own, she had this to say:

“Launch when you feel 80% ready. If you wait until you feel totally prepared, you’ll never do it. Plus, once you get started, you’ll probably find that your business takes shape in a slightly different way that you’d anticipated. Give yourself room to grow in ways that you hadn’t considered.”

Fun Fact

Kat has no formal baking experience. She grew up making cakes every now and then, but they were continuously more and more ridiculous, often including whole packages of sprinkles. Despite her lack of professional baking experience, trolls do seem to enjoy their cakes.

Notes from Chris

Episode 401

One day in early 2017, Kat Thek was taking a mental break from her full-time copywriting work when she noticed something on Facebook that struck her as completely absurd. Someone had left a comment on Dolly Parton’s page. It said, “Your Mamma be so disappointed in you.” Kat looked at it for a good, long moment. For some reason, the comment just stuck out like a sore thumb.

Why would anyone waste their time to insult a complete stranger like that? It wasn’t even a good insult. It was just absurd in every, way not to mention, grammatically incorrect. It’s a strange impulse to want to attack someone with random, senseless Facebook trolling—especially so if it’s toward Dolly Parton.

A couple days went by, but Kat still couldn’t stop thinking about it. At some point, the idea of a cake with the troll comment written on it popped into her head—something different than the usual “happy birthday” or “get well soon” messages.

She baked the cake and wrote the troll comment on it with icing. She and her friends got a kick out of it. And then the idea hit her—she should send it to the person who made the original comment!

After a little investigative work to find the address of the troll, she sent him the cake and a printout of his original comment on Dolly Parton’s page.

The whole idea was fun, sarcastic, and gave everyone that Kat told about it a good laugh. She realized that others may want to call out their internet trolls with cakes, so she bought a domain, built a basic website, and launched Troll Cakes Bakery And Detective Agency.

Kat’s never really considered Troll Cakes to be a major endeavor, but definitely a fun hustle. Though she sells at least one cake per day on average, she considers the income as “parking money” or the “weekend trip fund,” but not something she counts on in their budget for regular living expenses.

She doesn’t have big plans to scale Troll Cakes (partly because she’s still not certain how sustainable the flow of orders will be months or years from now), but she plans to keep enjoying the absurdity of it all as a fun side hustle while she continues her regular full-time work as a freelance copywriter.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Troll Cakes: Make internet trolls eat their words—check out Kat’s website! Revenge has never been so sweet
  • Buzzfeed & NPR: Two media outlets that put Troll Cakes on the map and sent her loads of new customers

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
"It’s a weird impulse to be mean to a stranger on the internet, but to be mean to Dolly Parton is even weirder. It’s like giving the middle finger to a rainbow—the rainbow doesn’t care and anybody who sees you do it just thinks you’re crazy."
—Kat Thek #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Get Connected Today!

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

Whether you're looking for a new job or looking to hire, you can find the right match at LinkedIn. Visit LinkedIn.com/HUSTLE today to get a $50 credit to post your first job.
Get Connected!

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

Retail Store Manager Creates Miniature Stages for Batman

What It’s About

A man’s accidental side hustle fulfills a long-held dream to make movie sets, but not in the way he expected.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Today’s episode is a great example of why you don’t have to scale your side hustle. Lots of listeners start their side hustles for various reasons—set your own goals and do what’s best for you.

Fun Fact

Jason actually learned about Side Hustle School when a customer came into the store that he manages and encouraged him to submit his story to us!

Notes from Chris

Episode 376

During business hours, Jason Huot manages a large retail store in Kansas. His climb in the retail sector took him from Kansas City to Chicago to Mall of America for companies like Fossil and Eddie Bauer. After eight years, he returned home to settle down.

In college, Jason had imagined himself making miniature sets for the movie industry. He had grown up using his hands and imagination to fix cars and houses alongside his Dad. He was also a huge movie fan, always fascinated by anything miniature. At about the same time, filmmakers began using computer-generated imaging, or CGI, to create their miniature sets, so Jason set the dream aside to become a star in retail.

Jason didn’t set aside his love of movies or miniatures, however. He discovered the world of sixth-scale miniature figures from movies and television. Batman was his favorite.

These One-Sixth Scale figures stand 12” tall. The process of creating the figures is a long back-and-forth between the studios and the companies who create them. The figures have to be as exact as possible, and particularly in Asia, this is a billion-dollar business. The manufacturers typically post pre-production photos of the characters online and take pre-orders. It is common to wait six to nine months for delivery, with limited runs.

Collecting sixth-scale figures became popular in the US about ten years ago. The figures range from about $150 to well over a thousand dollars.

Jason loved collecting figures but didn’t like how others collectors displayed theirs. They put them on stands, as if in a museum. Jason felt his figures deserved more. He wanted to place them in a scene from their movie. On the side, working in his off-hours, he started building one-sixth scale miniature movie sets.

 

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
"It feels so good to be using my hands and creativity to make things again. It balances out my life perfectly."
—Jason Huot #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