Tag: Reselling

Trade-Up! Fashionable Flipped Threads Lead to Fabulous Profits

What It’s About

A love of vintage leads to a modern hustle.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

For those looking to embrace their love of vintage clothing like Rachael, you’re in luck! She has a few recommendations for you. Mainly:

Listen to the right advice, focus on specific keywords to help you rank highly in Google, and finally, don’t dwell on mistakes or wish that you could have done something differently.

Fun Fact

Rachael and her mother are both obsessed with keeping plants, so they opened their own mother/daughter online plant shop called Wild Ivy Plants. Last year, their shop was chosen to be the spider plant supplier for National Clean Air Day in the UK, and they ended up shipping out over 300 plants!

Notes from Chris

Episode 947

From a young age, Rachael Sadler of Birmingham, England has had a love affair with fashion. But while many of her peers headed to popular box stores to spend their hard-earned allowance, Rachael set her sights on something a bit more… old school. It wasn’t just the thrill of the hunt that had her hopping from thrift store to vintage hideaway—it was a desire to find something that was uniquely hers. She had a personality that stood out, and she wanted her wardrobe to reflect that!

When she went off to University, she studied fashion design (naturally). After she graduated, Rachael opted to take a year off to travel the world with her boyfriend. When they found their way back home after months of camping, they were broke. She knew that she should be looking for a full-time job, but Rachael took the last £20 ($25.02) to her name and indulged in a little retail therapy.

And that’s where our story begins—with £20 ($25.02) and a pastel-colored zebra print jacket which Rachael assures us was much cooler than it sounds.

When she got home, she asked her mom to take a photo of her wearing her funky new find. Then she recalled something her sister had said to her in passing about an online platform called ASOS Marketplace. It was a fashion website that provided a platform for small boutiques to sell their own label or vintage collections without the need of opening a brick and mortar establishment. Since the steep overheads were pretty much the only thing keeping her from opening her own vintage storefront, she jumped at the opportunity to sign up as a seller.

She named her new shop Ada’s Attic Vintage. But she wasn’t relying on the shop to pay the bills just yet—this was a side hustle after all. She worked a few waitressing gigs before finally scoring a job designing window displays for a large clothing brand. And when she wasn’t artistically posing mannequins, she was scouring her local thrift shops in pursuit of more promising items to flip.

Now, a little over six years later, a lot has changed for both Rachael and Ava’s Attic Vintage. She launched her own website using Shopify in addition to her Etsy shop, and she’s expanded her offerings to include personal and group shopping tours in Birmingham, London, and Nottingham through Eventbrite and Airbnb. That’s right! Starting around £45 – 65 a pop, you can scour the racks with Rachael and even get some expert advice on your look.

She also waved goodbye to her position as a window display designer! Although she’d enjoyed it, she started to feel like a square peg in a round hole. After three years, she cut her hours back, and then quit entirely to focus more of her efforts on Ava’s Attic Vintage.

These days, Rachael brings in anywhere from £2,000 – 3,000 ($2501.80 – 3752.70) a month!

Moving forward, Rachael is looking to grow her vintage shop. She’s also eager to expand her vintage shopping tours and start designing her own pieces to make available for purchase. No matter what Rachael ends up doing, we’re pretty sure she’ll do it with style!

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Ada’s Attic Vintage: Check out Rachael’s current offerings over on her website!
  • ASOS Marketplace: The platform that Rachael originally got Ada’s Attic Vintage started on before setting out on her own
  • Shopify: Rachael used Shopify to set up her site for Ada’s Attic Vintage, 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

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
"Building a side hustle takes time, work, and a lot of dedication, but if you are willing and excited to do all that then you will enjoy the journey along the way."
—Rachael Sadler #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Don't Do Business Without It

Side Hustle School is brought to you by American Express.

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

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

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

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

Keep in Touch

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


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Handkerchief Side Hustle Becomes Million-Dollar Blowout

What It’s About

A handkerchief side hustle becomes a hive of activity, producing million-dollar profits.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

What do side hustle successes featuring handkerchiefs, beard oil, and hairbrushes have in common? They’re the kind of practical products that make for ideal e-commerce shops. There’s typically less competition, especially when you find something that sets you apart. In the case of Jennifer Chou, it was personalized handkerchiefs. She effectively owns this market now!

Fun Fact

Early on in the life of Bumblebee Linens, they were sent an unsellable product from China. After complaining to the supplier, they offered to refund the products if they were shipped back. Steve and his wife declined, citing cost as a factor. So, the suppliers ‘sister’s, cousin’s husband’ who was holidaying in San Francisco picked them up for them and shipped them home.

Notes from Chris

Episode 928
When Steve and Jennifer Chou were expecting their first child, they both agreed that parenting would be their #1 priority. That’s why Jennifer chose to quit her job, and be a stay at home mom.

But it wasn’t an easy decision. Jennifer was well on track for a lucrative career in finance. She’d been working as an analyst for a Fortune 500 company for ten years and was bringing in a six-figure salary. Furthermore, the Chous lived in Silicon Valley, where the cost of living is ridiculously high. Making it on one income would be tough, even though Steven had a well-paying job of his own as an engineer.

Jennifer didn’t want her lack of income to be a hindrance on their lifestyle or finances. So, together they brainstormed ways to make extra money. One thing stood out that took them back to their wedding preparations.

Wanting to give their bridal party some personalized handkerchiefs, they’d ended up importing twenty dozen of them … even though they only needed six! It was the only cost-effective way to get the ones they wanted. After their wedding, they listed the extras on eBay, and all of them sold within a week.

The quick turnover of those handkerchiefs stuck in their minds. If there was such a demand back then, maybe they’d be able to start an online store selling them now. They got in touch with the same supplier they used for their wedding and spent just under $2,000 on handkerchiefs. They also built a website, calling it Bumblebee Linens.

At first, the linen shop wasn’t exactly a hive of activity. They’d bought a whole range of different handkerchiefs, without actually testing the market. But eventually, some product started to move and they made sales. As the first orders came in, they had to quickly figure out a way to pack and ship them.

Before long, more and more people were ordering from Bumblebee Linens. To increase sales further, they decided to focus on personalization as a point of difference from other companies. They encouraged potential customers to purchase personalized add-ons like initials or a few special words printed on the handkerchiefs as part of their custom orders.

And it worked! Before their daughter’s first birthday, BumbleBee Linens had become a six-figure business—completely replacing the lost income from Jennifer’s day job without the necessity of her having to leave her daughter during the day.

One thing was for certain—the journey was not nearly as smooth as their linens. Although the business was growing, it wasn’t without problems. They had issues with suppliers where the samples they received didn’t match the final product. This meant that they had to ship their order back to the suppliers and re-order, which left them feeling dreadfully understocked.

It also felt like a lonely process at times—working in isolation with no one to bounce ideas off. But still… those things didn’t stop the store from growing into a seven-figure business over the next few years.

Regardless, these busy bees would agree that it’s all been worth it when they get to spend their time on what matters most to them—their family.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Bumblebee Linens: Learn more about this million-dollar side hustle over on Steve and Jennifer’s website!
  • My Wife Quit Her Job: If you’re interested in learning more about what it takes to build something like this into a seven-figure business, head on over to their blog!

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
"Get started and make working on your business part of your routine because if you make your business a habit, it will eventually succeed."
—Steve & Jennifer Chou #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

“MOMBOX” Subscription Offers Postpartum Recovery Products

What It’s About

A self-care box to save new moms awkward trips to Target.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

According to Kate, you should make a list of the first five things you need to do and go do them—they don’t have to look glamorous or polished! Wake up the next day and repeat. Eventually, after you put one foot in front of the other for long enough, you’ll have your side hustle.

Fun Fact

Kate gave birth to MOMBOX right after she gave birth to her son. When her trip to Target turned up a limited selection of postpartum recovery products, she knew there was something wrong. In a time where Amazon can deliver toothbrushes and groceries to your doorstep, it was absurd that women who needed the convenience most couldn’t get any help.

Notes from Chris

Episode 915

When Kate Westervelt gave birth to her son in 2016, she thought that the most painful part of pregnancy was over. But what she didn’t realize was that the postpartum recovery period for moms can be just as difficult as well…

Just 72 hours after delivering her son, Kate found herself headed to Target alongside her husband. Nobody had told her that so many things were required for her own self-care, and she only found out from the nurse that she would need things like pads, creams, bath soaks, and nursing aids. Kate had prepared the nursery but failed to prepare anything for herself.

Rather than risk sending her husband into the store to figure out which nipple palm was best, Kate decided to go itself. In pain and with an ice pack stuffed in her underwear, she found herself wandering the aisles of Target. To her dismay, the store had an underwhelming selection.

By the time she was done shopping, she was so exhausted and upset that she snapped at the in-store barista simply for not leaving room for milk in her coffee. That was when Kate realized that she was under far too much stress. The entire experience was too much for her, and something had to be done.

In the age of convenience where Amazon can deliver anything from groceries to razors to our doorsteps, Kate knew there had to be a better way for moms to get their postpartum products. After all, they were the ones who needed the convenience the most. But her research in the online space turned up few results—and there was no serious conversation happening around the topic. This was an opportunity that she knew she could take advantage of.

With that in mind, Kate decided to build MOMBOX, which would provide a range of quality care products in packages.

To determine which products to include in each box, Kate first relied on her personal experience during her postpartum recovery. But as she expanded, she started testing the products herself. One memory she will never forget is wearing different maternity pads around her house for an entire year just so that she could figure out which one was the most durable.

She also did more homework in the form of customer surveys and market research. This led to several findings, one of which was that over one-third of women giving birth in America will have a cesarean section, and these mothers would have very different needs from those who had just given birth to their child vaginally. This guided her in deciding the type of products that she should offer.

The first sale that Kate made came through a social media post. Her friends who noticed her new business idea supported her, and eventually, news of MOMBOX spread through word of mouth. This customer acquisition strategy was cheap, and Kate could just focus on building a product so good that women would talk about on their own. It also aligned with something she found in her research: women are innately social and 60% of them would look around social media before making a purchase decision around motherhood.

With a strategy that focused on keeping costs low, Kate managed to grow MOMBOX into a profitable business. Fast forward to today, and MOMBOX now generates over $5,000 a month in profit. She typically sells 100 – 200 MOMBOXs each month, with 60 – 70% of boxes being purchased as gifts.

She’s now exploring paid advertising as a customer acquisition channel, and working on improving her inventory management. To that end, Kate is in the midst of hiring a fulfillment manager to handle her shipping. The ability to get additional help has given her the flexibility and freedom to spend her time as she pleases, which is what she calls the best part of growing MOMBOX.

 

  MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • MOMBOX: Learn more about this sanity saving side hustle over on Kate’s website!

 

SEE ALSO:

  • Lawyer Creates Online Course for Mothers Returning to Work: For her first side hustle, a Washington, DC attorney creates an online course for new mothers returning to the world of work—and then finds a way to get employers to pay for it
  • New Mom Uses Pinterest to Launch Parenting Blog: With a goal of avoiding “fluffy” content, a new mom launches a parenting blog that provides lots of detailed, practical info. In one recent month, she earned more than $1,500 from advertising and referral fees
  • Canadian Moms Invent Baby Monitors for Active Toddlers: This Canadian mom woke up to find her son cuddling a sprinkler she’d left on the porch the night before. The realization her son had left the house in the middle of the night prompted her and a friend to create the next stage of baby monitors

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
"What’s been the best part of starting a side hustle? The freedom. I wake up when I want, work as late as I want, and every single gain is directly attributed to my own hustle. MOMBOX has given me a more flexible working mom life."
—Kate Westervelt #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Don't Do Business Without It

Side Hustle School is brought to you by American Express.

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

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

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

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

Keep in Touch

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


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

A Packed Closet Leads to Secondhand Subscription Boxes

What It’s About

A professional organizer takes stock of her closet … then sells it to others.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

In addition to all of the business principles that Liz runs And We Evolve by, she also has a “happy policy” for herself. After she gets a new order or subscriber, Liz stops what she’s doing and jumps up and down to celebrate! Hustling can be exhausting and a lot of hard work, so Liz says that it is vital to celebrate those moments of success.

Fun Fact

One of Liz’s favorite things to do is assign an evening to work on a batch of boxes. She’ll pick out the clothes for six or ten boxes and then binge-listen to a podcast while steaming, folding, and packing each order. While that may sound tedious to some, it’s a cherished routine for Liz and a big part of why she does this—it’s fun!

Notes from Chris

Episode 913
Liz Funk spent her college years picking through the tiny vintage shops tucked away in little corners of New York City. She loved combing through the racks in search of hidden treasures. To this day, she lovingly looks back on her major scores, like the time when she found a beautiful black dress in the East Village for just $2 or a pair of Aldo yellow heels for $5.

But Liz lived in a small Brooklyn apartment, and that meant that when it came to her closet space, the struggle was >u>real. One day as she was staring into that closet, she realized that she had a lot of clothes she just didn’t wear anymore (and of course, she wanted to buy more!).

This got her thinking. She knew that she wasn’t the only woman struggling with this problem. There were piles of clothes just laying dormant in closets across the country, and Liz wished that there was a better way to get them from Woman A to Woman B. Although she loved sifting through consignment shops, she knew that a lot of people didn’t.

Plus, so many vintage shops were becoming selective about the clothes they would take. Even GoodWill, a place known for taking just about anything, only sells about 20% of the textiles they receive. The other 80% is sold to recycling companies, which turns the garments into carpet padding or house insulation.

So for a while, Liz shoved her big ideas for secondhand clothing into the back of her closet. But, she still loved shopping until she dropped for vintage clothing, so that’s what she kept doing. Soon, she had a huge inventory full of amazing pieces, even in sizes that didn’t fit! She started giving her treasures away to friends. As Liz says, it became her “odd love language.”

The frequent gifting led her to start working on an online store, where she could upload pictures of the pieces she found … and then sell them for a higher rate than she bought them. She called it And We Evolve.

To her delight, she started making a small amount of money each month from reselling the clothes. But Liz wasn’t ready to hang up her hat—or list it for sale—just yet. She knew she could make it even bigger and better.

Sometimes, side hustles aren’t always about building a business bigger and bigger. In Liz’s case, And We Evolve provided a way to make a little extra money every month from something that she’s passionate about.

Each month she keeps around $500 to use for whatever she wants and reinvests another $400-$1000 back into the business. This extra income provides added support to her day to day life, all while having the added bonus of being something that contributes to a cause that she’s passionate about: reducing the negative effects of textile production.

In the future, Liz hopes to continue ironing out her business so she can provide the most interesting and affordable secondhand fashion business she can … all without running herself ragged.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • And We Evolve: Learn more about this secondhand subscription box service over on Liz’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
"It’s so fulfilling to actually do the thing you’ve been saying you want to do—so just start! Even when it’s challenging—and it will be challenging—you learn so much."
—Liz Funk #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

Software Engineer Sells 64,000 “Anne of Green Gables” eBooks

What It’s About

Engineer turns a page to a new passive income stream through old titles.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Aaron says that picking which books to publish is ultimately more art than science. It’s difficult to gauge the commercial success of each book you publish since there are many factors involved. It’s more useful to focus on tangible skills such as digital formatting, understanding how publishing platforms work and selling the books with the right message.

Fun Fact

A lot of content exists in the public domain and can be used by anyone. Many books and characters, such as those created by Disney, were originally from the public domain. It’s up to you what you do with this content—if you want, you can start a publishing business just as Aaron did.

Notes from Chris

Episode 906
It’s said that a book is worth reading if it gives you even just one idea that you can use. This has certainly been true for Michigan-based Aaron Kerr, albeit not in the way you might expect. As his wife was reading the popular Anne of Green Gables series to their daughters, she noticed that the Kindle version she was reading from had lots of errors and was poorly formatted.

The family had been buying the Kindle version of each book in the series, and this was a major disappointment. Even though there was little regret, since each book cost just 99 cents, it didn’t make sense that the available copies of such a classic were of such low quality.

Aaron knew he could do better, and he also knew that it was perfectly legal for him to do so. The copyright protection for classics such as Anne of Green Gables would typically have expired if they were old enough. This meant that such books were in the public domain and could be used in any manner.

The first thing that he did was to look on Amazon for another series of Anne of Green Gables. After purchasing a series for just $1.99, he reviewed the pages for typo errors and started to get them formatted properly. With prior experience doing Kindle formatting, this did not pose a serious challenge, although it was time-consuming.

The only actual expense that Aaron incurred was purchasing a high-quality stock photograph for $18, which he used for the book cover. He then uploaded the entire series of books onto Amazon and priced them for just $0.99. In other words, you could spend less than a dollar to download the series, not just one of the books.

To sweeten the deal, he also included in his listing links to free audiobooks which were available on the Librivox project. Anyone looking for Anne of Green Gables would see that this offer stood out.

With this effort, Aaron had went from scratching his own itch to hoping he could earn a few dollars a month. Things went as he expected at first—it sold about 20-30 copies in the next couple of days after he published the series. But the numbers increased exponentially shortly after. There was a day where the number of books sold jumped to 2,100. Then another day where he would wake up to find that he had sold over 7,300 copies.

The Anne of Green Gables series would go on to sell over 65,000 copies in four months and take the #1 spot for Overall Bestselling Book on Kindle, if only for a few minutes.

The success of the series demonstrated to Aaron that public domain publishing could become a viable side business for him. With a background in web development, he knew that he had the necessary skills to continue. Under the brand Timeless Reads, Aaron would go on to publish several other collections.

Moving forward, Aaron advises people to take advantage of digital publishing through Amazon and other platforms. With low barriers to entry and a huge market of ebook readers, lots of people can make money publishing public domain content. This has certainly proved to be true for Aaron, with him averaging $1,400/month in book royalties over six years—and occasionally a lot more during the months when he’s landed a hit.

Much of this income is entirely passive, although Aaron wants to be clear that he’s been successful because he’s continued to put out new titles. Over time, revenue from the older titles tends to dry up. Further putting his knowledge to good use, he now even has his own course on public domain publishing as well.

The best part about this adventure has been Aaron’s ability to combine his passion for publishing with his skill in technology. Having sat through bad copies of the classics, he is now able to produce quality copies of books for families to enjoy. And as a bonus, he’s been able to build a better relationship with his two daughters by reading them many of the books. It’s a timeless—yet modern—example of creative thinking applied to action.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Timeless Reads: Turn a page—head on over to Aaron’s website to learn more about this engrossing side hustle!
  • WordPress: Aaron used WordPress to set up his website, and here you can learn how to install your own WordPress site in 5 minutes
  • T-Shirts on Amazon Make $17,000 in a Month: A former corporate employee in Ireland runs a merchandising hustle on Amazon.com that brings in as much as $17,000 in profit in a single month. She does this with no inventory, no risk, and no paid traffic
  • Make Extra Money Using Merch by Amazon: A no-risk model to earn passive income by uploading t-shirt designs to Amazon.com

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
"Since many public domain works are already well known, it decreases the need to advertise. Publishers can instead make money by filling a demand which already exists."
—Aaron Kerr #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

Bargain Hunter Designs One-of-a-Kind Flea Market

What It’s About

A weekend warrior discovers more than she bargains for and builds a six-figure side hustle.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Brittany hasn’t really worried about copycats because they generally end up fizzling out because, as she puts it, this is 100% a relationship business. If you don’t have a strong relationship with your vendors, there’s no way to keep something like this going. You have to really care about the people you work with and their success.

And if someone wanted to do something similar, Brittany says that that is the key to making something like this work—forming a strong connection with your local, creative community.

Fun Fact

Brittany hails from a unique little city called Orange. While most of the surrounding areas of LA were tearing down older establishments in lieu of building something modern and new in the ’60s, Orange dedicated its time to restoring them. As a matter of fact, Orange has the second largest concentration of historic buildings in the State of California and their Historic Town Center is even listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Notes from Chris

Episode 879
Although half of her life has been spent in Dallas, Texas, Brittany Cobb hails from a little city called Orange—appropriately located within Orange County, California. While most of the surrounding areas of LA were tearing down older establishments in lieu of building something modern and new, Orange had dedicated its time to restoring them.

With their love of “the old ways,” there was never a shortage of open-air shops, swap meets, and flea markets in their old-timey city square. And since her mom ran a booth at many of them, Brittany spent most weekends rummaging through the stacks in pursuit of treasures while her mom was occupied with decorating her booth. One of her earliest memories involves convincing her mom to buy her a funky iron and crystal lamp at one of these that found a home in her bedroom until she went off to journalism school in Texas.

She ended up stayed a few extra years working for local publications before relocating to New York City. Once there, she began to feel a little bit of home. Living within walking distance from the Brooklyn Flea Market, she happily filled her home and closet with one-of-a-kind items.

When it was time for her to relocate back to Dallas for work, she did so somewhat reluctantly. Although the city boasted plenty of shopping opportunities, a local flea market was conspicuously absent. There was a serious lack of the vintage, antique-y goodness that Brittany had come to know and love.

At the time, she was working as a journalist for a company called DailyCandy, and her main focus was highlighting the unique work of artisans and creators local to the area. Every day presented a new opportunity for her to connect with bakers, crafters, and collectors. Before long, she realized that she had a well-rounded collection of potential vendors right under her fingertips—quite literally!

So in true maker form, Brittany decided to put together an event. She cobbled together a simple vendor application using Microsoft Word, sent it out to her contact list, and started looking for a venue.

What seemed like an immense undertaking was quickly falling into place little by little.

But then, disaster struck … or was it an opportunity? Mere days before the launch of her first show, DailyCandy was bought out by another company and Brittany suddenly found herself without a job.

Luckily, that first show was a smashing success! It provided her with a bit of support while she was transitioning into the role of a freelance journalist, and she planned to run three more shows the next year—one in March, one in June, and another in September.

A lot has changed since then. After running a handful of shows each year in Dallas that were starting to bring in out-of-state visitors, she saw an opportunity to expand to new cities. She’d already changed her name to Flea Style, allowing her to be more flexible, and then a call from The Dallas Cowboys set things in motion.

They said that they loved what she was doing and wanted her to extend her show up to their headquarters in Frisco. It was a no brainer. They had over 12,000 shoppers come to that first show, and she now runs three of these each year as well.

In addition to expanding to a new city and opening up a retail shop, Brittany also added a handful of makers workshops out of her retail space that would allow the makers she partners with to share their skills with others, an e-commerce shop so that people could purchase items out of state, and even a podcast! And when all of the facets of Flea Style come together, Brittany brings in over $500,000 a year. In 2013, she started working on Flea Style full-time.

Brittany has a lot in store for Flea Style—there’s another retail shop opening up in Frisco in August, and she’s even adding a restaurant to one of her shops. The passion project now employs more than a dozen people. And it’s a side hustle that’s truly one of a kind!

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Flea Style: Learn more about this unique, one-of-a-kind side hustle over on Brittany’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

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
"If you want to open up a retail shop, whether online or in-person, you have to position yourself to be a little bit more niche. Having 100 dedicated shoppers will make you more successful than 1,000 wishy-washy shoppers."
—Brittany Cobb #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

Party Lover Mixes Up Custom Confetti Business

What It’s About

Marketer mixes things up and gets the party started with her custom confetti.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Jessica made herself a promise to not lose focus and to not get too comfortable. Her new job is a great opportunity to learn and grow, but ultimately, she would like to return to The Confetti Bar full-time at some stage. That means treating it more like a like side hustle again, working nights and weekend to restructure her business plan, and gaining clarity on how to grow it in a way that she’ll continue to enjoy.

Treating your business like a side hustle, even when it’s a full-time business, is a great mindset to have!

Fun Fact

Custom made confetti is not always made by machine but is sometimes hand cut! Jessica will combine different textures, shapes, and sizes into the perfect mix for her customers. Sometimes that means a product so complex that the only way to create it is with good old scissor cutting.

Notes from Chris

Episode 873

Many creators talk about their ‘muse’ as a source of inspiration that comes from an unknown place. It guides their minds almost automatically, telling them where to go and what to do to create their masterpiece. Jessica Huizenga’s muse must be a party animal because one day it told her to start a custom made confetti business… totally normal, right?

When Jessica woke up with the idea, she took it straight to her husband. To his credit, he agreed to come along for the ride. He wasn’t about to be a downer when his wife was so enthusiastic.

Jessica was working full-time in marketing but moved quickly. Within a few months, she had figured out how to make her inventory, and had a website up and running. She called it The Confetti Bar. The party was about to get started, and all on a budget of just a few thousand dollars.

It didn’t take long at all for her to find customers. In fact, within a few weeks, she had her first cause for celebration and an order for a custom batch. She puts this quick win down to a very specific product, well marketed. That, coupled with a website that defined the product well and sold it as a fun alternative to standard confetti, did the trick.

Within six months of launching the site, Jessica was partying hard—and was earning enough to quit her full-time job and go all in. A remarkable accomplishment for her first side hustle.

Over the next few years, The Confetti Bar went from strength to strength. Revenue was raining down on Jessica with each and every order. She attracted the attention of some big brands that found her online, including McDonald’s, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Dr. Pepper, who all commissioned her to create custom confetti for their events. Some of these companies placed large orders, all the way up to $14,000 for one event. Although that amount wasn’t typical, a big order like that could fund her operation for several more months.

Jessica kept on this was for five more years all the way into 2018. For most of that time, she was having a ball. Each customer was a cause for celebration, and she felt like she was spreading happiness one little piece of biodegradable paper at a time.

Somewhere along the way, the fun got away from her. The business became complicated and less fulfilling. What used to make her happy was bringing her no joy at all. And by early 2018, sales had slowed and Jessica felt burned out.

She made the decision to return to full-time work, taking a position as Chief Marketing Officer for an online picture framing company. It was a hard choice, after being out on her own for so long, but it was the right one. She knew that she still loved confetti, and bringing happiness into peoples lives with her creations. But something wasn’t working, and she needed space, time and money to figure out what that was.

She made herself a promise to not lose focus and to not get too comfortable. Her new job is a great opportunity to learn and grow. But ultimately, she would like to return to The Confetti Bar full time at some stage. That means treating it more like a like side hustle again, working nights and weekend to restructure her business plan, and gaining clarity on how to grow it in a way that she’ll continue to enjoy.

It seems like a wise plan because as far as side hustles go, The Confetti Bar was a bonafide smash hit. At its peak, the business was making over $70,000 a year. Although things slowed quite a bit, they are starting to ramp up again.

Right now, Jessica isn’t sure what the future holds, but she’s excited to find out. She knows that confetti will always be a part of who she is and what she does. Right now, she’s learning to balance the love of her art, with the practicalities of owning a business and working full time. Through it all, she’s still the life of the party.

 

  MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • The Confetti Bar: Add a little color to your life—head on over to Jessica’s website to get some confetti for yourself!
  • WordPress: Jessica used WordPress to set up her website for The Confetti Bar, 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
"Start with a clear (and preferably simple) idea. It takes a lot more than that to run a successful business, but at the end of the day, if your idea isn’t super clear, it will be that much harder to gain any sort of traction."
—Jessica Huizenga #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Don't Do Business Without It

Side Hustle School is brought to you by American Express.

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

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

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

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

Keep in Touch

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


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Plant Lover’s Tiny Terrariums Take Root on Instagram

What It’s About

A terrarium building project takes root and grows!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

As a marketer, Jesse was able to use techniques he was already familiar with to get his name out there. One tactic that worked especially well was contacting aggregator accounts, which are accounts that curate content that isn’t their own. They need content to survive, so they’re always looking for new things to post, and it gives your account exposure.

Fun Fact

Every time Jesse makes a sale, he celebrates with his daughter, Grace. They start dreaming up ideas for the order, then go to the plant nursery to get some supplies. Grace always gets her own flowers!

Notes from Chris

Episode 858
When Jesse Goldfarb first started dating Lauren, the woman who would later become his wife, he also became interested in plants. Hanging out at her place, he noticed that she had two bonsai. Looking further, he saw that although they were beautiful, they also seemed a little unhealthy. After some research, he learned that all they needed was a trimming and an annual potting. He excitedly got to work and revived them both.

While he was glad they were back to health, he missed taking care of them. He felt this way for years, and finally, Lauren bought him a gardening magazine that changed everything.

As he was flipping through it, he noticed a section on container gardens and small terrariums. They were tiny enough that they would be cheap to make and only take a few hours to assemble. He could be creative and work with plants, but wouldn’t have to commit to a huge project. It was perfect.

Jesse rushed to the store to pick up some supplies and immediately got to work. He made one the first day, two the next, then went back to the store to stock up for making 10 more.

When his co-worker saw one that he’d planted on his desk, she asked if Jesse would make her one too. He said sure, that will be $40. Of that, $20 was spent on supplies, and the other half was profit.

Suddenly, Jesse’s plants became an office trend! As more and more people ordered them, he increased the price. He doubled it every order for the first three orders, but no one complained, because as time went on, the terrariums were becoming more complex and Jesse was getting better at making them.

Around this time, Jesse began an Instagram account where he posted pictures of bonsai for fun and had accumulated 4,000 followers. Jesse had a feeling that if he made an Instagram account for his terrariums, there would be just as a big of an audience—and a bigger audience meant more sales.

So, in November of 2016, he officially created his account called TeenyTinyTerra.

By doing this, Jesse soon racked up thousands and thousands of followers, all the way up to 30,000 at the time we worked on this episode. His sales increased and another money-making opportunity presented itself: sponsorships. For a price, Jesse would incorporate his terrarium designs with products from a particular company.

Today, only 15% of his profits actually come from selling terrariums. Another 20% is from the sponsored posts. But the biggest source of his profits actually comes from something entirely different. After his success on social media, Jesse found himself craving in-person interaction with his audience. He saw that other artists were doing workshops, and realized that he could start his own for terrarium building. By charging $150 per person, at 50-150 person workshops, he could make a lot of cash quickly. Now, this accounts for 65% of his profits annually.

By building up his audience on his Instagram account, Jesse was able to get his money-making ideas to the niche that would most likely be interested in them. As his hustle grew and he had more ideas, he already had a huge pool of people that could be his potential customers.

Last year, he made $10,000 from TeenyTinyTerra and has already made $7,000 the first four months of 2019. We can’t wait to see how Jesse continues to grow in the future.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • TeenyTinyTerra: Learn more about this growing side hustle over on Jesse’s website, and while you’re at it, check out his Instagram page!
  • WordPress: Jesse used WordPress to set up his website for Teeny Tiny Terra, 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
"If no one is doing what you plan on doing, then jump in! Fail fast, fail cheap. And if something is not working and takes lots of time, then drop it and try something else."
—Jesse Goldfarb #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

Telecom Sales Manager Brings Mexican Coffee Across the Border

What It’s About

A highly caffeinated side hustle!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Remember: do what’s in front of you. Don’t worry about a dozen other opportunities; focus on what you can do right now.

Choose to focus on the task that is waiting for you, the opportunity you already know about … instead of searching for something new and shiny.

Fun Fact

Disney World found Christina through employees from Mexico who recommended Capeltic coffee. They raved about how good the coffee is in their home country and said it would be great to sell in their Epcot village. After researching distributors in the U.S. for Capeltic coffee, Christina’s online brand and store, Inissor came up and they were able to connect with Christina.

Notes from Chris

Episode 857
What would you do if a side hustle opportunity dropped in your lap? In the summer of 2017, Dallas native Christina Rossini found herself facing this question. Christina was invited by a college friend to visit him on a fair trade coffee farm in Chiapas, Mexico.

Being an avid traveler, she accepted the invitation without a second thought. When she arrived, she was given a tour of the Capeltic coffee farm.

Christina was immediately drawn to this coffee co-op. She learned that Capeltic controls the entire coffee value chain from field to cup while paying the farmers a fair, consistent wage. She appreciated their sustainable mission—to keep the co-op 100% farmer-owned so they can stay and support their local economy. It was one of the most successful social enterprise projects in Latin America … but they also had a problem.

Their coffee was very successful among the Jesuit church in Mexico, and they wanted to expand their mission internationally. At the time, Christina was a successful Sales Account Manager in the telecom industry, savvy with sales and making connections. She saw an opportunity and jumped on it.

Working with her friend Stephen, she started small and began importing the coffee a little at a time to sell to friends and family. They wanted to see how the coffee was received before expanding. Since the coffee was heavily intertwined with Jesuit communities and universities, they set up a booth at a holiday bazaar where many potential customers would be in attendance. While at the bazaar, they landed a few institutional clients whose own mission and core values aligned with those of the co-op. They wanted to partner with Christina and begin selling Capeltic coffee.

It’s been nine months now since she quit her job to pursue Inissor full-time, and sales have continued to brew. Her brand has grown outside of the Jesuit community and found its way to other clients and universities, and even to Disney World.

That’s right, Mickey Mouse himself has indulged in a cup of Capeltic coffee after many of his Mouseketeers native to Mexico recommended it to him. This goes to show how valuable brand loyalty and a good social impact story can open more doors to success.

Christina is currently bringing in around $3-4,000 in profit each month and is on track for $250,000 in sales this year. And while things are roasting smoothly now, she had a lot to learn in making the transition. She spent a lot of time researching and connecting with others who worked with similar goods. And before she hired the customs brokers, she ran into some problems.

Her first big order was held up at the border for nearly six weeks because a license for the FDA was expired. They scrambled to get everything together to renew the license so that shipments could resume. Shipping costs have also been higher than she anticipated and have siphoned some of her funds to cover these underestimated costs.

Christina’s advice for anyone wanting to launch a similar side hustle or product is to find your smallest viable market and go after it hardcore. In her case, it was marketing to Jesuit institutions and universities throughout the United States. And from there the products have expanded to other markets. But only after she started with a very specific group.

While she was handed the right cup of coffee at the right time, it took time and dedication for it to brew into a profitable and fluid business.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Inissor International: Learn more about this coffee importation side hustle over on Christina’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
"Find your smallest, viable market and go after it hardcore. It’s easier (and more profitable) to start specific and then expand."
—Christina Rossini #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

Avid Reader Sells Used Books On Instagram

What It’s About

Bibliophile has a novel idea that breathes new life into old books.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

If you’re selling books, in particular, determine the genres you’ll cover. Some people exclusively sell vintage, or horror, or children’s books. It helps if it’s something you’re knowledgeable and passionate about. Then, you can look at social media hashtags in that niche and find out which books are new or popular.

Fun Fact

Instagram has become the go-to social media platform in recent years. It’s become the place to promote a brand or business. In the US, 71% of businesses use Instagram and 80% of users follow at least one business.

Notes from Chris

Episode 844
Taylor Mack is a book fanatic. She has spent countless hours being absorbed in the great novels and modern classics. Everything from Stephen King to J.R.R Tolkien, C.S. Lewis to Edgar Allen Poe. A good story, composed in a good book, sets her world on fire.

In 2017, while working as an IT professional in the healthcare industry, Taylor began working on a story of her own. One directly related to the topic she was most passionate about.

She loved to share her passion for books with others and was particularly fond of what she called gently-used books as well as vintage books. Her home was something of a small library. One day, while pondering her collection, she thought she might have some success as a used bookseller.

Not wanting to touch her own precious stock, she set aside a budget of $300 and hit the streets to find some quality used books. She rummaged through second-hand bookstores, plundered local markets, and investigated thrift stores. In no time at all, she’d accumulated an inventory of books she thought would be perfect.

With those in hand, it was time to start selling. For that, most people would go straight to the large online platforms like Amazon, eBay, or Etsy. But Taylor was determined to write her own narrative. She was wary of the high fees these platforms charge, and she also saw the value in building an audience of her own. It might be slow-going at first, but if it worked, she’d end up with a set of long-term, loyal buyers.

So in what was a very novel idea, she decided to try her luck selling on Instagram instead—not using ads, just free, organic posts. She created an account called SilverFire Books: an online haven for lovers of used books far and wide—or at least in the U.S. To keep costs down, Taylor doesn’t ship internationally.

She took photos of the books and posted them to her Instagram account. Then…. Nothing happened. And things stayed that way for weeks.

A short while later, Taylor turned a page. She began selling, slowly at first, but those sales motivated her. Taylor got better at the process of sourcing, listing, and selling books. She’d focus on specific genres and titles that she knew were hot topics. And she kept selling—within a few months, hundreds of books, and by the end of 2018, year two, more than 3,000 books.

By the time last year came to an end, Taylor had sold so many books using her unique method, that she made a profit of over $10,000. (She also pointed out that, because of her husband’s work, they were in a high tax bracket. Someone else with lower household income would actually make more.)

While she wasn’t exactly putting Amazon out of business, she was thrilled with that result. She was actually making a real side income pursuing something she loved by communicating directly with her audience. It was a dream come true.

And Taylor plans to keep at it, finding great used and vintage books to sell. She’s also launching a side, side hustle, to help other people start stores using a similar model.

SilverFire Books is a real page-turner of a story—and it’s one story that’s far from over.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • SilverFire Books: Learn more about this novel idea over on Taylor’s website, and check out her Instagram page to read through her current book lineup!
  • Small Biz Refined: The resource blog and coaching service that Taylor created to help other online shops and creative entrepreneurs thrive
  • Shopify: Taylor used Shopify to set up her site for SilverFire Books, 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

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
"You have to get really clear on your ideal audience. Figure out what problem you’re solving for them and/or how you’re adding value to their lives. Then find out where they hang out and interact with them!"
—Taylor Mack #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