Tag: Niche Ideas

“Mommee Coffee” Becomes a $20,000/Month Side Hustle

What It’s About

A coffee bean company that allows moms to indulge in their favorite beverage without guilt.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Mommee Coffee started as an e-commerce site, and for now, the business is focused on selling online for two reasons:

1. It’s easier and cheaper to capture the attention of a specific audience online rather than in stores and, 2. as it is a side hustle, the duo has limited bandwidth at this time and wants to be thoughtful about how and when they expand.

Lesson: Be intentional with your side hustle decisions and be realistic with regards to the amount of time and energy that you have available to dedicate to it.

Fun Fact

As Emilie learned through her research, the amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee depends on many factors including the type of bean, grind, roast, brew time, style of brew, how many grounds are used and whether it’s brewed with hot or cold water.

Notes from Chris

Episode 205

Mommee Coffee is not your average cup of joe, and co-founder Emilie Simmons is not your average hustler. She’s a coffee lover, a mother, and a biomechanical engineer turned strategy manager at a medical device company. And a couple years ago, she set out to develop coffee options for mothers everywhere.

It’s a hustle that grew out of a need, a serious personal need, not only for herself, for her fellow moms, too.

Mommee Coffee is organic, low acid, and offered in four caffeine levels including full caffeine, ½ caff, ¼ caff, and decaf, where the products are decaffeinated using a water processing technique rather than chemicals, thus created with pregnancy and breastfeeding in mind.

And now, at about one year in, the business sells approximately $20,000 coffee each month, said Emilie. She attributes the success to “satisfying a true need—not just a need for coffee but a need for moms to feel understood—to feel that it’s ok for moms to still need and want things that were important parts of them before they embarked on the parenthood journey.”

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Mommee Coffee: If you’re interested in learning more about the effects of caffeine and acid on moms and their children, check out Emilie’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
"Pick something manageable and something you are passionate about. Limit the scope as much as you can to start because even something that seems small can take an enormous amount of work. Test your idea on a small scale before making big investments. And have fun!"
—Emilie Simmons #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

Birds of a Feather Flock to Your Bank Account

What It’s About

A side hustle featuring homing pigeons being rented out for special events.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Keeping homing pigeons is kind of a dying art. As such, most of Lisa’s mentors were older men with a penchant for long, drawn-out conversations. This led Lisa to another idea—she thought about creating a homing pigeon e-book or online course to help other aspiring bird trainers. She still feels like a newbie, but as a newbie, she knows what people need to know.

What are you learning on your side hustle journey, and how can that information help others on a similar path?

Fun Fact

How are homing pigeons able to find their way back home across vast distances? Well, if a recent report from a U.S. Geological Survey geologist is correct, homing pigeons use low-frequency sound waves that emanate from just about everything to mentally map their environments and navigate back to their lofts. This ability stems from the fact that birds can hear at far lower frequencies than humans can, down to about 0.1 Hertz. These kinds of waves emanate from the Earth itself—from the oceans really, but also up through the crust and the Earth’s topography and even in the atmosphere.

Notes from Chris

Episode 195

Lisa Harris has done a lot of different things. She’s been a bartender to Revlon lady, limo driver, dog walker, ranch worker, newspaper ad sales, and more. On weekends and at events including weddings and funerals, she gets paid to release white doves, also known as homing pigeons.

Five years ago, while traveling, she was at a rest stop and heard gentle cooing coming from a yard. She peeked in and was fascinated about how content these gentle pigeons looked inside their “loft”.
That week she got her first book on pigeons, and her curiosity took off. She studied all year and got her carpenter husband to build a loft at their house for dove HQ.

After a lot of learning, Lisa opened A Dove’s Love. Celebration displays and releases start at $200 depending on the number of doves needed and location. There has been a lot of demand and only a limited supply of dove releasers in the D.C./Northern Virginia area, and Lisa had been turning down lots of phone calls and requests because it took her so long to get the doves trained.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • A Dove’s Love: Fly on over to Lisa’s website to learn more about her and her doves (fun fact: ‘white doves’ and ‘homing pigeons’ can be used interchangably)

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
"I have made about $2,500 so far which is pretty exciting since I haven’t really advertised. I hate to tell people I can’t because my doves are not trained to their location."
—Lisa Harris #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

London Chocolate Tours Lead to Sweet Success

What It’s About

A niche chocolate, tourism-based side hustle in the United Kingdom!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

When Jennifer was considering the kind of side hustles she could start, she created a very simple list, and I encourage you to do the same! This exercise involves writing down all the ways you spend your time when you have a choice about it. This could include:

  • Hobbies, art or music, sports, video games, reading (novels, nonfiction, teenage vampire romance, etc.), travel, etc.

Basically, if your day was open, what would you do?

Fun Fact

Sometimes people don’t really know what they want. Jennifer used information from a customer survey to launch a Chocolate & Coffee Tour option that never really took off. After that she decided to use her own intuition and launched an Ice Cream Tour—it’s now her second best-selling tour.

Notes from Chris

Episode 194

Jennifer Earle runs chocolate tours with her company, Chocolate Ecstacy Tours. Sounds like a dream job, right? It definitely is now, but it took her awhile to get there. To really understand her story, we have to jump back to 2005 when Jennifer was temping part-time to make ends meet. She knew she wanted to do something on her own, but she wasn’t sure what kind of business she wanted.

So she started by writing down everything she loved and everything she was good at. That list included chocolate, meeting people, talking, eating and London. From there, she brainstormed potential ideas, and the standout idea was chocolate tours. She optimistically figured that everyone loves chocolate, so it should be any easy sell. And just as important, it was the right level of commitment for her—different enough that it was outside her comfort zone, but small enough that she wouldn’t have to take out a loan or spend too much money to get started.

After about a year of trying to make her chocolate tours into a full-time income, she decided she needed a “real job.” Over the next few years, she worked in various roles at three big companies. Jennifer got those jobs because she had her own food side hustle, which was a great added benefit, but the whole time she really just wanted to be working for herself.

Business slowly increased over the years, all the while Jennifer was working full-time and managing this on the side. In 2012 she brought in £16k ($20,581.04 USD) in revenue, and since £24k ($30,871.56 USD) was the average salary at the time, she felt pretty good about that. So good that at the end of the year she decided to quit her job and make the jump to full-time entrepreneur. Over the next two years revenue doubled each year and in 2016 she brought in £82k ($105,477.83 USD).

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Chocolate Ecstacy Tours: Indulge in your chocolate obsession with the assistance of Jennifer’s website
  • Weekly Recap: Live Crickets, Tarot, and Reinventing the Bra: In our seventh weekly recap, we’ll highlight the lessons learned in this week of Side Hustle School. I’ve also included a quick exercise to help you generate ideas based on your interests
  • Dreamweaver: The program that Jennifer used
  • 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 & Yelp Some of the companies that drove business to Chocolate Ecstacy Tours

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
"If you aren’t sure what to do, write a list like I did, and include what you love to do, what you’re good at, etc. then brainstorm ideas from there and evaluate potential businesses based on the type of lifestyle you have and want."
—Jennifer Earle #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

Pilot’s Side Hustle Takes Flight With Aerial Tours

What It’s About

A niche side hustle flying tourists in small, passenger planes so that they can have a unique view of the Pacific Northwest.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

A lot of Corey’s success comes down to his unique way of charging for tours. Instead of charging high premiums per person, Envi Adventures flights are priced per flight. Depending on the tour they choose, customers can expect to pay $99, $199, $265, or $349. A variety of price points opens the door to more people and in the end is more cost effective.

Fun Fact

Did you know 50% of travel companies have said that direct bookings have been generated from social media and 52% of travelers use social media to plan a trip? That means if you’re not on social, you could be missing out on a lot of customers!

Notes from Chris

Episode 193

If you live in an area visited by tourists, there are probably a lot of different options to make money by showing them around. From a young age, Cory Rust has spent large chunks of his time exploring the nature and wilderness of his hometown in Oregon. He’s seen the Gorge, walked beside the Columbia River, hiked through the forests and even started a small clothing brand based on local designs.

However, Corey wanted to take it a step further. He wanted to show people who were visiting the area exactly where they were and what they were experiencing. He knew tourists were already flocking to the local waterfalls, but couldn’t help feeling this was only a small percentage of what the place had to offer.

So, he set about creating Envi Adventures, with the goal of giving people what he called the 360-degree experience.

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

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

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

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

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

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

Quote of the Day
"Be patient and set your priorities. Take a piece of paper and write your idea on the top. Then, list out all of the things you think you need to do in order of importance. Leave space in between because you’ll add things. After that, just start tackling them one-by-one."
—Corey Rust #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

Hand Grippers Make for a $60,000-Strong Hustle

What It’s About

A niche reselling side hustle that earns a couple $60,000 annually on the side.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

The duo’s startup costs were low, as anything they could do themselves, they did. They went with the least-expensive website template they could find, with annual fees of about $350, did no paid marketing, and bought as little inventory as possible, totaling about $5,000. To photograph the products for the online store, Matt watched YouTube videos to make a small light studio out of household supplies such as cardboard boxes, lamps, and paper.

You don’t have to spend an arm and a leg to get your side hustle—especially if your idea has yet to be validated. The best thing you can do is to just get started!

Fun Fact

While less known, competitive grip sports are a growing market—and one that Kristy and Matt Cannon have successfully tapped into. The couple sells grippers for hand strength, ranging from $34 to $64, from various manufacturers. For context, the average healthy man can close a gripper rated at about 90 pounds of pressure, and it is very uncommon for someone to close one rated over 120 pounds without specific training. Matt, on the other hand, has closed one rated at 164 pounds. No big deal.

Notes from Chris

Episode 186

Husband and wife duo Matt and Kristy Cannon are literally crushing it with their niche side hustle—which consists entirely of selling grip-strength equipment, in particular, hand grippers. These simple tools are used to increase hand strength and usually involve a torsion spring fitted with two handles.

Now five years along, the unique business—called Cannon PowerWorks—originally came about as a natural spillover from the couple’s shared passion for fitness.

Since there is an entire community organized around hand strength, the couple got more and more involved and eventually saw an opportunity to serve this market. At the time, there was one other company that sold different grip manufacturers’ products under one roof, giving customers the chance to order a range with one low shipping fee. That company ended up closing its wholesale store, and Matt and Kristy figured they could fill this gap—and find a way to improve upon the concept.

The first year, they made a consistent $3,000 per month in profit. By the second year, this had shot up to $5,000 a month. They’ve maintained this range ever since, and the couple now rakes in about $60,000 each year in gross receipts.

Thriftiness has continued to be their mode of operation, and they credit this as key to the company’s success. Their main investment has been their time, to do their own graphic design, marketing, and accounting. They also manage the ongoing operations themselves, each investing about five hours a week into the hustle during their spare time.

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Cannon PowerWorks: Test your mettle with a hand gripper yourself, and visit Kristy and Matt’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

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
"Don’t put yourself in a position where you will be losing money before you figure out what you’re doing and can make informed decisions about spending and how the business will succeed."
—Kristy Cannon #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Create a Stunning Website With Wordpress

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. 💻

Get 15% off when you build your website with Wordpress.com—use promo code PODCAST when you check out.
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

Brand Strategist and Dentist Team Up To Sell Coconut Oil Mouthwash

What It’s About

Two friends take advantage of the coconut pulling trend creating their own coconut oil mouthwash.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

There are some other coconut oil mouthwash products on the market right now, but they generally just contain coconut oil and flavor, whereas YALA has clove oil and xylitol which are known to improve gum health and prevent dental decay, respectively. Also, their competitors use wasteful packaging (individual sachets) and cost much more than YALA, which gives a month’s supply for the same cost as theirs, which is a two week supply.

If you’re concerned with competition, find ways to set your product or service apart from the rest.

Fun Fact

Daryl and Aaron met through mutual friends in Atlanta and quickly became close friends. They have a ton in common: Daryl is half Sri Lankan and Jewish while Aaron is half Indian and Jewish. They were born a day apart. They both played competitive tennis growing up in New Jersey and Long Island. They both played in rock bands. They both drive white Priuses. They even dated the same girl after college! And they both grew up with coconut oil in the house being used for everything.

Notes from Chris

Episode 179

Dentist Aaron Schwartz had heard a lot about oil pulling, an ancient tradition said to have originated in India thousands of years ago. It was part of the Ayurvedic medicine tradition, though details are hard to come by. Aaron thought oil pulling was great, but he also thought that he and his friend Daryl Weber, a brand strategist, could do it better.

They finally decided on their current flavors, peppermint, and lemon, in a convenient toothpaste-like tube. The final formula is free of additives and artificial ingredients.

Aaron and Daryl tested the formulas on groups of friends, and once they felt good about them, it was time to find a co-packer.

Ever since YALA has been selling online to a whole mix of people around the country.

Urban Outfitters reached out to them after seeing them on Instagram and asked for samples. They are now carrying YALA online and in many of their brick and mortar “Free People” stores around the country. Daryl and Aaron also sell the toothpaste online at tryyala.com. They launched this past December, and have seen steady growth and traction. They invested $50,000 in the business and pulled in $7,000 last month.

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • YALA: Check out Daryl’s line of coconut oil mouthwash on his website
  • Blue Ridge Food Ventures: The co-packer that Daryl and Aaron ended up using to mass produce their products for YALA
  • Shopify: Daryl and Aaron used Shopify to setup their website for YALA, and they’re offering a 21-day trial and exclusive discount for all Side Hustle School listeners!
  • ShipBob: The fulfillment company that Daryl and Aaron used to help them handle stock and orders for YALA
  • Free People: The Urban Outfitters offshoot that carries YALA products in their stores
  • Healthy Smiles Healthy Children: The charity that Daryl and Aaron donate a percentage of their proceeds to

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
  • Shopify | Fulfillment 101: Everything you ever wanted to know about third-party warehousing and fulfillment
  • Graphic Designer Turns Side Hustle into $80k Project: A longing for expression and self-love pushes one woman into a successful side hustle helping others live more fulfilling lives through the practice of breathwork

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
"YALA comes from the Hindi word for coconut, nariyal or nariyala. We liked the sound of it; we wanted something that sounded premium, a bit exotic, was connected to the Indian Ayurvedic heritage, and that was fun to say."
—Daryl Weber #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

Vintage Pinup Photography Turns Graphic Designer Into High-Earner

What It’s About

A niche photography side hustle that develops into a full-time gig with six-figures.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Erin deliberately priced her shoots at a mid-to-high range to attract the kind of clients she wanted. She figured that this is a special experience that should be priced accordingly, so instead of selecting a one-time fee, she chose a series of packages.

If you’re interested in starting a service side hustle, you should definitely include package options because it will increase your income almost immediately.

Fun Fact

Erin loves shopping and bargain hunting for designer clothing and gowns. Buying and reselling these items can be tedious at times, but Erin has an eye for fashion that allows her to tell when there is a profit to be made. Now she can incorporate her bargain finds into her studio’s wardrobe, use them for client sessions, then resell them later for a profit. This keeps the wardrobe stock exciting and new for clients and still earns a little extra profit for her on the side.

Notes from Chris

Episode 147

Erin Shephard was working as a graphic designer when she started a photography side hustle that turned into a full-time job. The first sitting fee was just $90, and she started for fun. She thought this would be a very small photography niche, but thanks in part to a popular Facebook page, it quickly took off. She discovered that women from all walks of life were fascinated by the classic beauty of retro styles and were eager to recreate them. Because Erin specialized exclusively in these styles and did them well, she feels that it set her apart from other photographers.

It wasn’t long before she decided to go all-in. Once she had raised her prices and began to see an actual profit with the photography business, the fear of letting go of the “regular” job and giving up freelance clients became easier to swallow. For Erin, and many others like her, being excited about something you love to do and getting paid for it is the best feeling. To know that people value what you make is very fulfilling.

Erin made more money every year since starting, and it’s now bringing in more than $200,000 a year.

When she began hearing women’s stories of how doing a photo shoot changes their lives, it reframed her entire thinking. She says that some women will dedicate their entire lives to their families and never do anything for themselves. To hear that you have affected a person’s confidence in such a way is truly an honor.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Lone Star Pin-up: Learn more about Erin and her nostalgic niche photography on her 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

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
"Do what you love, even if it’s the world’s smallest niche! You may be surprised by how many people are out there with similar interests."
—Erin Shephard #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.
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To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

“Cosplay” Photographer Earns $47,000 from Epic Star Wars Portraits

What It’s About

A photographer in Texas uses his unique graphic design skills to create amazing, specialized cosplay shoots.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Daniel combines his love of photography and sci-fi to let his inner nerd shine through his images, and he has become known for his “cosplay” and Star Wars themed-shoots. 
This trend—of adults dressing up to play make believe—has become less taboo over the last decade, and more in demand.

In Daniel’s words, “More and more people have some geek in them.” Because of his passion and incredible editing skills, Daniel has been able to specialize, offering his customers unique portraits that have gained him a reputation in the niche area.

Fun Fact

Daniel once created an actual digital lightsaber for a photograph depicting a Jedi assembling his own saber ‘using the force’—a ritualistic part of Jedi training in the Star Wars universe. He often uses computer-generated models to incorporate them into his 2D images, but while he was at it, he thought, “Why not go all out and make all the inner workings?” So that’s exactly what he did.

He also made a behind-the-scenes video of the lightsaber to show off all the underappreciated details. Watch it here!

Notes from Chris

Episode 119

If you’d like to make money with your photography but you don’t want to do weddings, what do you do? Well, here’s one fun approach. It’s about a guy who combines his love for art and science fiction to add magic to his photography side hustle, specializing in the performance art known as cosplay and iconic stories like Star Wars and Harry Potter.

The world of geekiness has gone from being a niche, tribal identity to being much more of a mainstream interest or pursuit with the rise in popularity of Marvel and DC comic based movies and shows, not to mention an entire generation of “Potterheads” reaching a point where they are more financially secure.

As with any kind of following with tons of fans, this kind of opportunity is ripe for someone with the right talent and appreciation for the genre to make a lot of money. Daniel, today’s featured story, could be just a great photographer, but this niche focus is what makes his work more valuable and unique.

Check out the lightsaber video link in the “Fun Fact” section (it’s awesome!), and watch the video below to see Daniel’s talents in action:

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
  • Daniel Grove Photography: Learn more about Daniel and his cosplay photography shoots on his website, Instagram, or Facebook page
  • Blender: The open source (free!) 3D design software that Daniel uses to create the magic behind his cosplay shoots
  • Daniel’s Customized Price Calculator: Daniel designed a mathematical formula in Excel that considers certain parameters, including hours for photography and editing and gas cost per gallon, and provides the cost-of-service quote

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
"Cosplay is a way of exploring ideas in creative and visual ways and also of just having fun. As kids, we reached an age where we stopped playing dress up, playing with toys and pretending, so this is an interesting continuation of our inner imagination."
—Daniel Grove #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

Essential Oils Podcast Produces $2,000/Month in Passive Income

What It’s About

A woman creates a niche podcast and creates more financial freedom for her family.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Samantha spent every spare second of her kids’ naptimes working on her side hustle and listening to podcasts, but she noticed that there were very few about her topic of interest. The ones that did exist were sales-oriented and low quality. So she thought, “Well, I like this medium and I know a lot of people are interested in oils. Someone should start a better show… why not me?”

What’s missing in your topic of interest? Why shouldn’t you be the one to start it?

Fun Fact

When Samantha launched, she posted about the podcast to a Facebook Group of essential oils fans. It was more of an announcement than an advertisement: “Hey everyone, come check this out—you might like it.”

That group had about 1,500 members, and many of them become her first listeners and subscribers.

Notes from Chris

Episode 97

Do podcasts make money? Well, yes…at least some of them do. It’s kind of like asking “Do websites make money?” Both podcasts and websites have the potential to bring in revenue, but there are a multitude of ways in which someone could do that: advertising, affiliate programs, online courses, etc.

Today’s episode takes you behind the scenes of an income-earning podcast about essential oils that’s been able to earn one woman around $2,000/month on the side.

Starting a podcast is not usually a quick way to riches, and it’s good to have another motive for it, whether it’s education or building community or just sharing your knowledge. That’s what I’ve done with Side Hustle School—I want to reach employees, not people who are already entrepreneurs—and that’s what Samantha did with her topic.

Still, as she’s grown the podcast, she’s also grown the rest of her business to have resources and products that her listeners can take advantage of. Hopefully, her income will only continue to grow as she nurtures this project.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • The Essential Oil Revolution: Learn more about Samantha and the benefits of essential oils on her podcast!
  • Upwork: Samantha hired a sound editor and a virtual assistant from Upwork to help her with the podcast.
  • Naptime Boss: Samantha’s online course that teaches stay-at-home moms how to build their own online businesses while their kids are napping.

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

Chris Guillebeau

Resources

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

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

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

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

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

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

Quote of the Day
"Having a side hustle has allowed me to pay the bills and pull my family off of government assistant while still getting to spend tons of quality time with them."
—Samantha Lee Wright #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