Tag: Niche Ideas

Introvert Builds Networking Experience to Help Women

What It’s About

A woman in Denver steps outside of her comfort zone to help other women succeed in business.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Her advice to hustlers: first find an audience interested in what you are providing and ask them to invest before you start. Without motivation, it can be difficult to maintain momentum through the hard times.

Krystal always kept in mind the handful of women who had paid their membership fees for the entire year and knew she had a responsibility to them.

Fun Fact

When Krystal first monetized her group, she was told it would be impossible to compete and therefore, she would never pull in a profit, as there were so many associations and meetups already happening in Denver.

“I’ve seen my revenue double each year since starting the business, so I think I can safely say those assumptions were wrong,” Krystal said. “The lesson here is not to take the word of those who believe what you’re doing isn’t achievable or ‘realistic’.”

Notes from Chris

Episode 249

Krystal Covington is an introvert, but you wouldn’t necessarily know that considering the networking empire she’s building. She’s the founder of Women of Denver, a social enterprise association for women that strives to help them increase their incomes and reach economic equality. The group hosts three to five events each month to help women develop their skills and build a strong network which can contribute to them increasing their income.

When she moved to Denver from Detroit in 2013, she had no connections but recognized the need for a network that could help support her in her life and career. And although she tried a variety of networking groups, she couldn’t find one that filled her need. That’s when she realized that she was going to have to build it herself.

Krystal ran Women of Denver as a free meetup group for about a year, but even with free events, there was still a challenge getting attendees, which created a growing demand for Krystal’s time and money and contributed to her feeling over extended. It was at this point that Krystal realized she had to make her program an income-generating business or shut it down.

To get new members, Krystal offered an incentive. The first five that signed on each got a free video to promote their personal brand. Those first sales validated her efforts and supported the idea that what she was creating was truly worth paying for.

In the first year, the business made about $7,000. The second year, it increased to $15,000. This year—year three—Krystal is expecting revenue to exceed $30,000 with the current growth.

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Women of Denver: Learn more about Krystal and her empowering female entrepreneurial side hustle on her website
  • Eventbrite: The event sales platform that Krystal used to promote Women of Denver
  • Meetup: The platform that Krystal used to create and market her local meetups

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
"What’s been most valuable is the growth I can see in myself. I started this very afraid of standing in front of crowds, but last year I was invited to do a TEDx Talk because of my work with Women of Denver and pulled it off without a hitch. I thought I would fall flat on my face and forget my words, but I made it through confidently."
—Krystal Covington #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

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

Fidget Spinner Cookie Sensation Leads to Sweet Profits

What It’s About

A viral sensation inspires a baker to create an edible fidget spinner cookie.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Jessica kept her cookie creating side hustle simple and easy to manage for years. Through multiple jobs and different states, she took her side hustle with her. Luckily, all the states she’s lived in have cottage food laws, so she’s been able to work right out of her own kitchen.

For best results, find a flexible, low-maintenance side hustle that you can take with you no matter where you go.

Fun Fact

Jessica has made many unique cookies for so many happy customers over the years, but sometimes it’s the mistakes that stand out. A customer ordered chevron cookies for a party. Not knowing that “chevron” was a type of pattern, Jessica proceeded to make Chevron logo cookies.

Since it was a local order she dropped them off in person to a very confused client. While she ended up refunding the client’s money, Jessica still thought it was one of her funniest cookie stories yet!

Notes from Chris

Episode 233

Based in Dallas, Texas, Jessica Grose is currently the Executive Producer of a popular YouTube channel, but her side hustle is totally unrelated to the entertainment business… because she’s also been baking cookies on the side.

When she started ten years ago, she only took orders from friends and family for around $3/cookie and accepted cash or check. She always made custom cookies based on exactly what the client wanted—little dump trucks for a kids birthday party or pink feet for a baby shower.

She slowly started getting even more orders and spending an average of 5-8 hours a week baking, decorating and packing up cookies for customers, for anywhere from $500 to $1,000/month in sales.

For years this is how Jessica’s side hustle has gone—enough to keep her busy and occasionally serve an interesting celebrity customer. But then at the end of May 2017, Jessica made a fidget spinner cookie and it went viral.

All the attention has translated to an average of $2,000/month in new sales the past few months. Not bad for a business that she can run right out of her own kitchen!

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

WEB HOSTING @ $2.49/MONTH

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

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

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

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

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

Quote of the Day
"If you want to sell a food product, start with your family and friends first. They are your biggest cheerleaders. From there expand out into your different networks and the news will spread from there."
—Jessica Grose #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

Luxury Toothbrush Hustle Produces Polished Profits

What It’s About

Mornings just got a little bit spiffier thanks to this high-end toothbrush shop.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

I receive a lot of questions on the Side Hustle Hotline from listeners who aren’t sure when to launch their product or service, and Andrew from today’s episode had some really great advice:

“Stop perfecting, start selling. Put some real effort behind your product for a few weeks, and see what happens. It will either yield success or failure. Either way, you’ll only get better at getting your message out there.”

Fun Fact

Andrew’s dog, Jack, has been the biggest Instagram star, but once actually ate his homework. One day Andrew was testing prototype wooden toothbrushes by leaving them outside in the sun. Apparently, the wind kicked up and knocked the toothbrushes over while he was at work. Jack decided to test out the products himself and chewed every last one of them!

Notes from Chris

Episode 230

It was spring 2015 and Andrew MacDonald got the phone call he knew was coming: the company he was working for was closing. He had been managing corporate sales at the same company for the past six years and had been the one relaying the dreary financial reports to the higher ups, which is why he hadn’t been caught unprepared. Months before, when he had seen the writing on the wall, Andrew had done some job searching, but the results would have required a severe pay cut. So he thought since he was 28 and already had a house and a car, why not start his own thing?

He looked back through his idea book, or as he calls it, his book of cool things, and got to work. He did anything and everything he could think of to get his creative juices flowing, including spending a week in silence at a monastery. In the end, he had 6 ideas that he felt were actionable and then whittled those down further to two ideas: a men’s clothing shop and a high-end toothbrush.

Andrew focused on the men’s clothing shop first because it was the idea he was most comfortable with, and by January 2016 it had come together and was on track to be profitable. So he turned his time attention to his side hustle: toothbrushes.

He spent a fair amount of time thinking about his market, and in the end decided that it was men that were already spending money on nice grooming products. Things like badger hair shaving brushes, beard oil, wood handled razors. These guys were paying attention to their appearance and using the best tools, but then picking up a plastic toothbrush for their teeth. So when imagining the design of the toothbrush, Andrew kept this market in mind.

And it’s been working too! He’s currently pulling $1,000/month with The Toothbrush Shop, and thanks to the extra income from his toothbrushes, he’s already working on launching his next product.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Toothbrush Shop: Upgrade your dental hygiene routine on Andrew’s website
  • Shapeways: The product manufacturing platform that helped Andrew go from design to physical product
  • Upwork: The freelancer resource that Andrew used to find the Swedish architect who helped him design his line of toothbrushes
  • Keyword Planner: This tool helps you reach the right customers with the right keywords and helps you to better build your SEO and ad campaigns

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
"It’s easy to get stuck in the trap of constantly perfecting your product to where you get that you get tunnel vision and can’t see the bigger picture. Stop perfecting and start selling—just put something out there."
—Andrew MacDonald #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Cook with Blue Apron!

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

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

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

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

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


Here's How

Keep in Touch

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


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Animal Lover Breeds Rabbits; Graduates College Debt Free

What It’s About

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

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

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

Fun Fact

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

Notes from Chris

Episode 227

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

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

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

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

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

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

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

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

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

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

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

Sponsors & Gratitude

Cook with Blue Apron!

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

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

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

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

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


Here's How

Keep in Touch

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


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Craft Beer Fan Becomes Digital Bouncer

What It’s About

A resourceful Starbucks employee picks up a new skill and breaks into the alcohol industry.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Gregg has generally brought in business through word of mouth, customer referrals and prime search engine results. He says he has strived to go out of his way to provide each client with an exceptional customer service experience—which often results in clients sticking with him for the long term.

Good customer service is especially important when you’re building a brand and/or breaking into a new industry like Gregg. Happy customers are more likely to bring you in additional business and help you make useful connections, so don’t be afraid to go that extra step!

Fun Fact

Did you know that people were drinking beer 5,000 years ago? For those (Sumerians) lucky enough to live in Mesopotamia in 10,000 BCE (it’s located around where Iraq is today), there was beer to drink! None of the beer included hops, which means it probably didn’t taste that good, but according to LiveScience.com, people had their pick of eight different barley-based beers, and eight wheat-based. (1)

Notes from Chris

Episode 226

Gregg Richter was working for Starbucks as an IT specialist at their Seattle headquarters, where he had been employed for almost a decade. Though he loved the company, he had grown bored of his position and department. His daily routine consisted half of attending meetings and half of responding to issues that arose. He was able to spend very little time thinking about product enhancements, and he began to crave something different.

Around the same time, Gregg was also making a hobby out of finding new breweries and distilleries in the area, as craft beers and whiskeys were a booming business in the Pacific Northwest.

Since his two great interests were craft beer and web development, he mentioned them both when advertising his services through his personal portfolio website. Unexpectedly, this led to his big break.

He realized that despite the rise of do-it-yourself websites such as Squarespace, there were technical areas that were beyond the reach of the average DIY-er, especially in businesses like alcohol distribution that have unique challenges and legal requirements. He officially established his side hustle—called Imbibe Digital, LLC—to build websites and web service applications.

Gregg’s business did so well that he was able to leave his job in 2015 to focus exclusively on Imbibe. In 2016, he cracked six figures. This year, he’s on track to make $120,000 to $130,000.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Imbibe Digital, LLC: Learn more about Gregg’s digital bouncing service on his website!
  • Elysian Brewing: The local and fast-growing brewery that was looking for a freelance developer to help with their website and gave Gregg his big break
  • Guinness & Bacardi: Two additional household brands that utilize Gregg’s age verifying service
  • WordPress: Gregg says he used WordPress to create his website because it allowed him full control of every pixel on the screen and also made it easy to find assistance since WordPress is completely open source. And here you can learn how to install your own WordPress site in 5 minutes!
  • LocalSip: The second SAAS-based product that Gregg created that allows breweries and wineries to easily create, edit and display their tap or wine lists online

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
"Look for a problem to solve, or find something that someone else is doing, and find a way to improve on it. Does their product lack good design; do they have bad user onboarding; are they missing a key feature? Find something and then consistently iterate on the product."
—Gregg Richter #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

Cat Lover Creates Cat-tivating Portrait Series

What It’s About

A college student taps into her love of pets and watercolors to create customized pet portraits.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Even though she’s a marketing major, Sarah found that running a business in the real world was very different than studying it. She had to learn how to shift her skills from simply meeting a demand to actively building a brand, through conducting portrait giveaways, improving her packaging, and encouraging word-of-mouth marketing through her personalized services. She also learned to use business analytics from Instagram to post at the right time and target followers. And painting every day quickly improved her artistic skills.

Fun Fact

sarahpaintspets founder Sarah Miller sold her first customized pet portrait for $10. She remembers this first order was from a guy who needed a birthday present for his girlfriend. Sarah painted her golden retriever, and when the guy came to pick it up, Sarah watched as his girlfriend cried when he gave it to her in his car. Sarah says, as she watched, she probably cried more than that girl did—in celebration, of course.

Notes from Chris

Episode 223

Twenty-one-year-old Sarah Miller has a bit of an animal obsession. She considers herself a cat person, and has long held to the tongue-in-cheek motto of “boys whatever; cats forever.” Her current obsession is her chubby, cross-eyed Siamese feline, Cooper, who she cares for amid her busy student schedule at Georgia College and State University. Her love for dogs comes in a close second. She also has a boyfriend, but he knows his place.

Less than a year ago, Sarah’s love for animals unexpectedly led to a promising side hustle. At that time, like most students, Sarah was low on cash. So when she and her boyfriend’s anniversary rolled around in October, she knew she didn’t have the money to get him something pricey. She had to get creative.

Luckily, Sarah had always had a knack for painting, so she chose to put this skill to use by painting a watercolor portrait of his tabby cat, Merlin. The boyfriend loved the finished product, and Sarah figured maybe other people would too.

She decided to post about it on her school’s Facebook page, and the responses were explosive, with dozens of order requests for animal portraits flooding in. Sarah quickly got to work and managed to fill 100 orders before Christmas—charging just $15 a pop, for a $1500 profit.

In addition to running an e-commerce site, she opened an Etsy storefront in July of this year, and now, just 9 months into managing her business, Sarah has painted more than 300 pets and earned $5,000.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • sarahpaintspets: See more of Sarah’s cat-tivating portraits on her website!
  • Wix: The online website platform that Sarah is using to set up her e-commerce store front

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

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Quote of the Day
"The greatest skill I have learned in painting is to slow down. I learned to put in tremendous effort without calculating how much it had earned me that hour. Once I stopped worrying about making money, my paintings hit a higher level of quality. Their worth then increased and the money followed."
—Sarah Miller #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

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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! ✅

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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

Man Buys 100 Animal Skulls from Bali; Turns $10,000 Into $60,000

What It’s About

A San Francisco man ships a unique item from Bali to the U.S. so that others can enjoy their art and culture minus the the steep customs fee.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Upon his return from Bali and after a few Google searches, Michael found that the skulls were retailing for over $300 in the USA—a whole $220 more than he’d seen in Bali—and immediately he was struck with an idea for his next side hustle. He knew he couldn’t be the only traveler in the world who’d wanted to bring a skull back and been unable to, and if he could make a good profit helping people solve that problem, why not try and turn it into a business?

Fun Fact

Research in the Academy Of Management Journal reports a high correlation between time spent abroad and new, more creative, ideas (1). So maybe you should head on vacation for your next Side Hustle idea!

Notes from Chris

Episode 222

What if you could go to Bali or somewhere else in the world…and come back with something to sell? Well, in today’s episode, Michael Sindicich goes on vacation to Bali in order to take a break from his stressful 70 hour San Francisco work weeks and find a little corner of the world where he could relax. And one night, taking a stroll amongst the Indonesian markets and boutiques, he happened upon a stall filled with Balinese carved skulls and instantly fell in love with their unique and intricate designs.

At $80 a piece, these high-quality skulls were a real bargain. But they came with a lot of their own problems. Because of their size and their delicateness you couldn’t just pop them into your suitcase and head home with them, and after doing some further research, he found people who had tried had been stopped at customs and had the items removed.

He knew he couldn’t be the only traveler in the world who’d wanted to bring a skull back and been unable to, and if he could make a good profit helping people solve that problem, why not try and turn it into a business?

Michael spent the next few weeks around his job trying to find a company or manufacturer in Bali to help him import the skulls.

He scoured the internet…but to no avail. He couldn’t find anyone to help him. So, in one last ditch effort, he turned to YouTube to watch videos of the artist carving the skulls. In the descriptions of one of the videos he found a blog, which led him to a company and using a little bit of LinkedIn ‘know how’ he found the owner of the company and sent him a message to propose a new partnership.

After a few messages back and forth, and agreeing to donate 5% of the profits to the family who carved the skulls to put their son through college, Michael ordered 100 hand carved skulls for $10,000 dollars—saving himself at least $200/each by buying them in the USA.

After just a few weeks of getting his first batch, Michael had made his first sale for $300 and sent the first 10% to the family via Paypal. Since that first sale Michael has gone on to make over $3,000 in sales of the skulls in one week and although there is still a little while to go until he recoups his first investment, he predicts that he’ll make around $60,000 in total over the next 12 months.

It looks like this side hustle has already got a good head start!

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Bali Skulls: View some more of Michael’s intricately carved Bali Skulls on his website!
  • Rapportive & ZoomInfo: Two of the industry leading tools that Michael used to try to find a company or manufacturer in Bali to help him import the skulls

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
"Find a good product you can make margins on, assess the market need and want, find a reliable supplier and speak with them on video call, order small to start, and stay lean."
—Michael Sindicich #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

German Funeral Urns Are Not a Dying Business

What It’s About

Personalized and customizable options set a funeral urn side hustle apart from the rest and results in a lucrative side hustle.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Once they got their first customer, Daniel and Marco celebrated with two beers each. They then created a list of rewards they’d get for each other if they met specific milestones—sales figures of individual items, website visits, and various financial achievements. Although they reinvest much of the income back into the project, this allows them a series of small celebrations for each goal accomplished.

It’s important to celebrate your achievements—no matter how small they may be!

Fun Fact

The moment that has stuck the most with Daniel involved an elderly man who was desperately looking for a personal urn for his lost wife. Disappointed with the impersonal selection at the funeral director and without grandchildren to help him, he found an urn with poppies (the favorite flower of his wife) on their web page. Til then, he had never ordered anything online, so he just gave Daniel a ring and was so moved and relieved that Daniel and his partner could help him. This was definitely one of the best moments they’ve experienced in this business.

Notes from Chris

Episode 214

Just as weddings are a huge industry, so are funerals and everything associated with dying…which is part of life for approximately 100% of us.

Today’s story comes from Daniel Mack in a town bordering Wales in the UK. Daniel works as a product development manager for a large building material company. His side hustle is selling handcrafted funeral urns to private customers and funeral directors along with his friend, Marco, who’s based in a small town close to Heidelberg, Germany.

To get started, Marco and Daniel sourced some raw materials from a friend of a friend who was a funeral director, and they built a simple web page on Wix. The page did not have an online shop, but it did have a request form and prominently displayed a phone number for people to call and ask questions. After doing some research on the keywords people were searching, they spent about $200 marketing the page using Google Adwords to see if there was any interest. Six months later, they felt it was promising, so they decided to proceed.

The side hustle, Mementi Urns, has now been around for nearly 3 years. They sell an average of 40 urns a month, and are making an average income of $5,000 a month from it.

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Mementi Urns: Learn more about David and Marco’s unique line of urns on their website
  • Wix: The online website platform that Daniel and Marco used to set up Mementi Urns
  • Keyword Planner: This tool helps you reach the right customers with the right keywords and helps you to better build your SEO and ad campaigns
  • WhatsApp: The messaging app that Daniel and Marco used to communicate with their 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

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
"We were always looking for opportunities, something to do extra. He was always the creative, artsy person, and I was more the numbers and IT guy. We complement each other perfectly."
—Daniel Mack #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

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

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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

Busy Marketing Professional Fills Niche with Biking Wine Tours

What It’s About

A Canadian wine tour on bikes!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Erin took action on her idea because she believed that if she didn’t launch something, someone else would.

As she put it, “If your idea keeps you up at night because you know you’ll be annoyed if someone else does it before you, it’s a good sign that you should pursue it.”

Fun Fact

Erin’s favorite tour so far was a private tour with her friends and family. While she was expecting a fun weekend with her friends, her boyfriend had other plans in mind and proposed at the last stop. Needless to say, both the bubbly and the excitement were plentiful.

Notes from Chris

Episode 208

Erin Bury didn’t think she had time for a side hustle. As Managing Director and a partner in a creative communications agency, she had a lot on her plate. But there was also an idea that wouldn’t go away.

Erin grew up visiting Prince Edward County, an up and coming wine region about two hours outside of Toronto. As she got older and of drinking age, her dad moved there and she would visit every summer with friends. They all loved touring the wineries but noticed that while there were limo tours available, unlike other wine regions there were no bicycle tours available. Erin knew this was a popular activity offered elsewhere.

She also believed that if she didn’t launch something, someone else would. As she put it, “If your idea keeps you up at night because you know you’ll be annoyed if someone else does it before you, it’s a good sign that you should pursue it.”

After a lot of planning on weekends and evenings, The County Wine Tours launched in May of this year. Their website is built on WordPress so they can easily maintain it, with online scheduling and payments processed by Checkfront. The tours are priced at $95 per person and so far they’ve been completely booked up on weekend days with anywhere from 2 to 10 people on a tour.

With anywhere from 5 to 10 inquiries coming in daily, Erin and her co-founders are excited that their great idea has gotten so much traction, so quickly. Their biggest problem at this point is managing demand on popular days. With the framework in place for public tours, they’ve also created private tours so people can book for a birthday party or bachelorette party, as well as corporate tours that companies can use as part of a retreat.

While it’s clear that there’s lots of room for expansion, they plan to ride out this season with their current bikes and then decide how many to add for next season.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • The County Wine Tours: Learn more about Erin’s niche bike tour side hustle on her website!
  • Giant Bicycles: The bicycle manufacturer that Erin worked with to select a fun cruiser bike with custom accessories for her bike tours
  • Keyword Planner: This tool helps you reach the right customers with the right keywords and helps you to better build your SEO and ad campaigns
  • TripAdvisor: Setting up their TripAdvisor profile helped The County Wine Tours capture those “word of mouth” recommendations online
  • Checkfront: The online booking system and reservation software that Erin used

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’s impossible to do it all yourself. I work on the business during the evenings and on Sundays, and I’ve outsourced functions like customer service, marketing coordination and accounting so I can focus on the high-level stuff."
—Erin Bury #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

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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