Tag: SEO

Airbus Developer Sets Goal to Start 5 Hustles at Once

What It’s About

A man sets a goal to start five side hustles that earn $2,000/month to help him achieve a better lifestyle for him and his family.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

SEO for small projects is easy. Paul follows four steps:

  • 1. Research the keywords you want to rank for.
  • 2. Use the keywords in the title tags on your page.
  • 3. Make sure the content on that page is relevant and high quality.
  • 4. Promote those pages and get links.

Fun Fact

Paul admits that he is a victim of “The Shiny Object Syndrome,” he said. He’ll start chasing a new idea before completing his other projects. It’s part of his desire to try everything, but he’s realized he can do all the projects he wants, he just needs to focus on getting each one up to speed, then moving on to the next.

Notes from Chris

Episode 335

Paul Dessert is on a mission. The Airbus Defense and Space web developer is working towards his “5×2000” goal. That is—he’s aiming to create five side hustles in the form of small online businesses that will each generate at least $2,000 per month, and his first two—Resume Beacon and JungleFlip—are well on their way.

The first one, Resume Beacon, came about after friends and family kept asking him, as the resident computer guy, to help them with formatting their resumes when word processing software was proving to be less than user-friendly. It was a technical obstacle, but one for which Paul had a solution and the knowledge to implement that solution. That’s when he created this project to help people create a professional layout for their resumes.

To create the site, Paul just started writing code. Fortunately, when you are a web developer you can do that. His startup costs were minimal, it was just a matter of registering the domain, then investing time to get the site up and running. On average, monthly expenses for Resume Beacon are about $80 and it generates at least $500.

Paul’s second side hustle, JungleFlip, is a website featuring discounted goods—returns and open-box items—from Amazon.com’s Warehouse. It boasts deals start at 30% off retail with new items added every hour. JungleFlip generates its revenue through an affiliate advertising program earning money by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. If visitors make a purchase through one of the links, it may also generate a commission.

Just like with Resume Beacon, the startup was more a matter of time over money. The only hard cost was domain registration and the monthly expenses are about $40 to generate an average of $300 a month.

As with so many people featured on Side Hustle School, and perhaps like you as well, Paul wasn’t trying to recruit investors or partners, or hire a bunch of employees. He wanted to be in control of his life. He wants something that will support his family—a “lifestyle” business that will bring him more freedom of choice.

Paul is dedicated to reaching his overall goal of 5×2000. Focusing on his two current side hustles, his next ambition is to get ResumeBeacon to $2,000 a month, then begin the third project, a goal he’s aiming to achieve in early 2018.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • JungleFlip & Resume Beacon: Learn more about Paul’s side hustle projects on his websites!
  • Reddit: The “front page of the internet” where Paul received some additional traffic as a result of his content marketing efforts
  • Amazon Warehouse: Where Paul finds the discounted goods, returns, and open-box items he highlights on JungleFlip
  • Lifehacker: The online publication that picked up Resume Beacon and brought in some additional traffic for Paul

SEE ALSO:

  • SEO 101: If you’re looking to separate yourself from the pack, here’s a Beginner’s Guide to SEO
  • Diamond in the Rough: Engagement Ring Hunt Turns Into Hustle: A search for the perfect engagement ring leads a software engineer in Baltimore on a mission to discover the algorithm for the ideal sparkly diamond. Along the way, he creates an affiliate side hustle with major potential
  • Weekend “Book Registry” Site Earns Passive Income from Amazon.com: After a discovering a trend on Pinterest where expecting mothers ask for baby books in lieu of greeting cards at baby showers, a developer in Pennsylvania decides to create a book registry website to cater to it bringing in a new stream of passive income

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
"Don’t treat SEO as black magic—it’s just an extension of PR and marketing. It can be an important part of your strategy, just don’t build everything around it. If you’re doing everything else correctly SEO will fall into place, so don’t rush out and buy a bunch of tools when you’re starting out because you don’t need them."
—Paul Dessert #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Learn More With Skillshare!

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

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

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

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

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


Here's How

Keep in Touch

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


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Coupon Code Site Earns Copious Profits

What It’s About

A coupon code website without expiration dates!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

The differentiator of Official Coupon Code: in a sea of hundreds, probably thousands of these sites: no expired deals.

It’s frustrating to constantly find deals that don’t work, and you feel like you’ve been lured there under false pretenses without anything of value offered to you. Meanwhile, the way that Antonella’s projects stand out is by creating trust. As she said, “We believe in quality over quantity. New coupons added every hour 24/7. Expired deals removed 365 days a year.”

Fun Fact

Antonella created her website almost complete from the road and the ocean— both in Antarctica and the Arctic. Once she even had to update the website from her cell phone in the Sahara desert. She got really good, really quickly, at making changes using the mobile WordPress interface!

Notes from Chris

Episode 322

Antonella Pisani’s side hustle has been a long time coming. 12 years to be exact—that’s when she first bought the domain OfficialCouponCode.com. At the time she was working in marketing for a major retailer and saw all the people making money through their affiliate channels.

She had grabbed the url because she wanted to cash in on this revenue stream herself and make a coupon site that was more customer friendly than average—meaning no expired deals or codes that don’t work. You may have encountered that frustration… But she was so busy with her day job that she didn’t have time to do anything with the domain.

Then, last year she happened to mention to some coworkers that she owned the domain and they basically told her she was crazy for not building it out and monetizing it. Right around this time Antonella had also decided to strike out on her own and start Eyeful Media, an e-commerce and digital marketing consulting company. She was planning to take some time off to travel as she transitioned to working for herself, so she made a plan to finally build the site during her trip.

She signed up for multiple affiliate programs so that she could break into the market, and she cleared 5 figures in revenue for 2016! While she spent a fair amount of money getting the website setup and paying for the content to flesh out the site, that initial investment has more than paid off because in 2017, so far, she’s seen more than a 300% increase in revenue.

Antonella knows that the key to generating more revenue with a hustle like this is continually updating the website with custom content, new links, new deals and new retailers. Which is why she’s happy with her decision to use a service to help her update all that data. And since this is purely a side hustle for her, Antonella thinks of this website as a long-term investment and a nice source of income for her frequent trips.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • OfficialCouponCode.com: Snag some sweet deals using Antonella’s coupon codes!
  • WordPress: Antonella used WordPress to create Coupon Code. Use this link and get 15% off, a special discount just for Side Hustle School listeners.
  • Eyeful Media: Antonella’s second side project that focuses on digital marketing and ecommerce consulting
  • Sumo: The WordPress plugin that Antonella uses which offers a suite of social sharing tools and email capture and works seamlessly with MailChimp
  • FMTC | For Me to Compete: The feed service that Antonella uses to import and maintain deals that don’t involve her manually inputting data
  • Rakuten LinkShare, Pepperjam, Impact Radius, ShareASale, AvantLink, & CJ: The various affiliate networks that Antonella has enrolled in

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
"When you’re on your own, you have to find inexpensive ways to accomplish things, and I think it makes you better at your job. You have to be scrappy!"
—Antonella Pisani #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

$8 Startup Costs Lead to $400,000 in Annual Revenue

What It’s About

After helping friends improve their online reputations, a partner in an event staffing company creates a lucrative side hustle.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

For Alex and his clients, the results are easy to measure, both in online presence and return on investment. Clients are able to compare pre-incident revenue to mid- and post-incident revenue to confirm the results, and a 10 second Google search is all it takes to prove that Alex has done his job.

As he said, “If I do my job well, when you Google my clients, you’ll see positive results. If you can build a business like this, where the results are unquestionable, you’ll never run out of people wanting to hire you.”

Fun Fact

One particular firm had recently fired a partner for inappropriate behavior. When potential customers did an online search the first few pages of results were only news about firing. None of the company’s philanthropic work, nor their quick response in removing the partner, showed up in the first page of results. Alex was brought on to return their online presence to what it was before the unfortunate firing.

Notes from Chris

Episode 259

Have you ever done something bad that then ended up posted on the internet? I hope that doesn’t bring up any bad memories for you, but today’s story found a way to profit…a LOT…by helping people fix this problem.

A chronic side hustler since he was making “candy money” at the age of ten, by day Alex Simon is a partner in an event staffing company based in Las Vegas. But to really understand it, we have to go back to the mid-2000’s when he was running an entertainment marketing and PR company.

His company became the victim of online defamation by a competitor that posted false claims all over the internet. While that competitor eventually ended up in jail on unrelated charges, the damage had been done. A marketing/PR company couldn’t bounce back from seeing its reputation harmed so publicly. But Alex immediately saw an opportunity. He saw the need for people and businesses to fight back and take control of their online presence.

He contacted friends and colleagues who were dealing with some negative online information and asked them if they could quantify in dollars what this negative online presence was costing them. Each was able to give him specific dollar amounts by comparing the amount of money they made before the negative press and after. Alex then offered them a chance to regain control of their online presence for a fraction of the amount of the lost revenue.

Each of them jumped at the chance since it was a no-brainer investment for them and their business. Alex not only knew he had a great idea on his hands, but his market research subjects also became some of his first clients.

Within a couple of weeks of starting this market research, Alex decided to launch Digital 86—an online reputation management agency. And for $8 in hosting per month, he had a website. Which is surprisingly, pretty much the same website he has to this day.

Over the past two years, Alex has helped celebrities, professionals, and business regain control of their online image and in the process created a thriving business. He expects to exceed $400k in revenue this year. Pretty amazing business for someone who discovered this new industry by accident.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Digital 86: Now you see it…now you don’t! Learn more about Alex’s disappearing act on his website
  • SquareSpace: The website building platform that Alex used to create Digital 86
  • Keyword Planner: This tool helps you reach the right customers with the right keywords and helps you to better build your SEO and ad campaigns

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

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 cheap to see if the idea gets traction. Don’t over-prepare. Get the idea out there and test it. If it doesn’t generate interest, reevaluate and move on to the next thing if necessary. I live in Las Vegas, so it’s like gambling. Keep trying until you stumble onto a winner."
—Alex Simon #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

Soccer Fan Plays The Odds; Earns Affiliate Commissions

What It’s About

A UK man takes a chance on sharing betting tips with football enthusiasts hoping to score big.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Henry’s advice for anyone looking to start their own side hustle is to start with something you know and then work from there. He chose a sport he loves and built a business around what he and many other fans would already be doing in their spare time anyway. While most people would think the only way to make money from sports is to be an athlete, he was able to find a new way by looking at where he was spending his money.

Fun Fact

Soccer is the world’s most popular sport with an estimated 3.5 billion fans worldwide, and betting on the sport is worth £1.4 billion in the UK alone.

Notes from Chris

Episode 250

For marketing manager Henry Francis, soccer—known as football in much of the world outside the U.S.—has always been a big part of life. Like many children in the UK, he grew up watching his favorite players on the big screen, playing in the schoolyard and turning out for his local team. Which is why, as an adult, he found himself spending a lot of his spare time watching and talking about the sport with his friends. And, as is the culture in the UK, gambling on the results at the weekend.

After seeing the success of some of the Tipsters that he’d been following on social media, Henry spotted an opportunity where he too could make money from the sport, without ever having to step foot on the pitch. He was the go-to person in his group of friends for betting tips and figured if it was good enough for them, it’s good enough for the rest of the betting public.

So he set about creating a brand called Today’s Football Tips where he recommends bets for the willing punters to wager money on.

He invested around $330 into a WordPress business site and used a free theme to give the site an easy to read style. He knew at this early stage people didn’t need the best looking site, they just needed easy access to information, so that’s what he tried to create.

After just twenty days invested into this side hustle, Henry made his first $25 on a commission and knew that he already had a viable business idea on his hands. Within the first month, he’d grown to $520 income and he’s already beaten that by the halfway point of his second month.

Henry is ambitious: he says he won’t be satisfied until he’s broken $5,000 a month with his business. And once he’s got a few thousands of dollars under his belt he’ll invest it to improve the design and usability of the site. But with the success he’s already shown, this is a site I’m sure we can all bet on for the future!

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Today’s Football Tips: Take a pass at Henry’s website and see what it’s all about
  • WordPress: Henry used WordPress to create Today’s Football Tips, and here you can learn how to install your own WordPress site in 5 minutes!

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

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

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

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

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

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

Quote of the Day
"Make sure you still spend time on leisure and your relationships. Make time for the special people in your life and give them 100% of your attention—don’t check your emails on the sly!"
—Henry Francis #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

IT Manager Unlocks the Secrets to a Successful Etsy Shop

What It’s About

A woman discovers the recipe for a successful Etsy shop.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Adele started checking out successful Etsy shops and saw right away that one of the most obvious things they had in common was clean, consistent photos of their products. So Adele retook some of the photos so that her whole Etsy storefront had a consistent look to it. Next up on the list was SEO (Search Engine Optimization).

In addition to the technological improvements, another important part of her success on Etsy has been connecting with the community. When she was first learning the ropes, she connected with another shop owner that answered her questions as she was getting set up.

Fun Fact

Adele once had a lady contact her, asking about a specific owl cookie jar in her store. The lady shared that her Grandmother made cookie jars like these in the 70’s and she wanted to know more about it. Adele was able to share enough information on where she found it, as well as the signature on the bottom of the jar, to verify that the jar was in fact made by this lady’s grandma. The owl cookie jar has since been reunited with its family.

Notes from Chris

Episode 153

Adele Boese’s side hustle didn’t start out as one. Adele and her family would go out to estate sales on the weekend, as a sort of therapy for her daughter. Her daughter found hunting for bargains and fun treasures at estate sales to be soothing, and Adele was happy to oblige. But soon, they had so many treasures and trinkets from these weekend excursions that they couldn’t walk through their family room. She realized that if they were going to keep hunting for new treasures, some of the older treasures were going to have to go.

So she took up the challenge and opened an Etsy store called DerBayzVintage, filled out her about page and added some listings. Adele soon found out that while starting an Etsy store is super easy, having a successful Etsy store is much harder. For a few days after making the listings, she thought she was done. But she quickly learned that there are a few more things you have to do in order to really stand out and actually get orders on Etsy.

That’s what this episode is about: how to have a successful Etsy shop.

This Etsy shop is now more than just a side hustle for Adele. She thinks of it as her insurance policy. It’s been critical when unexpected medical costs have popped up, and given her family a financial cushion to fall back on. She also hopes to continue to grow the business, so that when her MS makes it impossible for her to continue working outside the home, she can still contribute financially to the family.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • DerBayzVintage: Check out Adele’s selection of unique vintage finds on her store page on Etsy!
  • The Joyful Entrepreneur | Flourish: The mentoring group that Adele joined that helps business owners succeed by focusing on a different topic each month

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 thought I could put up a picture, write a description and the sales would just flow in. Etsy is work—fun work, but it’s still work. In order for it to succeed, you must pay attention to an Etsy store like your child."
—Adele Boese #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

Los Angeles Designer Runs Mobile Yoga Studio

What It’s About

A mobile yoga and meditation studio that specializes in in-house classes for business and corporation employee teams.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

When she first started, McKenna offered some free yoga classes advertised through her website, email list, social media, and some bits of press a friend with a small PR company helped her acquire. This allowed her to get experience and feedback from users so that she could fine-tune her service to suit the needs of her customers.

Fun Fact

While doing some keyword research, McKenna found out that “mobile yoga in Los Angeles” was a common search term for companies looking to have yoga at the office, and this was the basis for her mobile yoga studio. She built up the SEO for her website, Chakra 5, and incubated the brand online by publishing strong content on her blog.

Notes from Chris

Episode 118

Today’s episode features a side hustler named McKenna Rowe starts a mobile yoga side hustle, Chakra 5. It offers yoga and meditation classes by appointment to schools, offices and other organizations. The best part is that she only has to work a handful of hours a week in order to maintain this five-figure business!

When you hear about something called “mobile yoga studio,” you know right away what it is, and it’s no surprise that it’s been so successful because yoga itself is very popular—especially in a major metropolitan area like Los Angeles. Naturally, there are a lot of people who want to do it or do it more often but who are working 40, maybe 50 hours a week at stressful jobs, so for them, working for a company that provides this opportunity could be a real benefit.

And this lesson is applicable no matter what you decide to go into: when people are busy but still want to take care of themselves, what can you bring them? That’s what we see in today’s story with a great result—more than $40,000 a year in net income—working only a few hours a week.

Watch the video below to see what Chakra 5 is all about:

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

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

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

RELIABLE WEBHOST FOR $2.49/MONTH

Want to build any kind of website for your hustle? If so, you'll need somewhere to host it! This is the reliable company I've used for my past 5 websites. It's cheap, flexible, and you can get support 24 hours a day.

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

Quote of the Day
"Have patience and know that so many success stories you read or hear about don’t happen overnight. You have to persist, continue to perfect what you offer, keep making connections, and reminding people you’re out there."
—McKenna Rowe #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

Quick Research Leads to Meal Planning Subscription Service

What It’s About

A health-conscious SEO expert capitalizes on the meal prepping trend by building a subscription site.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

In addition to writing blog posts, Remi worked with influencers on Instagram to promote his business and helped him gain around 5,000 followers. He says that influencers are great to work with because their followers are engaged, and their CPM is cheaper than Adwords, Facebook ads, and Instagram ads.

Fun Fact

After visiting Tokyo and being inspired by B-Side Label, a popular sticker brand in Japan, Remi used the profits from Sunday Meal Prepper to start Blank Tag Co., a sticker company with a similar style in the U.S.

Notes from Chris

Episode 109

Remi Silva has always been a health-conscious person and noticed that meal prep was getting more popular on Instagram. He then used two tools to do some quick research. First, he looked up a few phrases on Google Trends and noticed that it had been gaining traction on Google over the years.

He then looked at Keyword Planner, another free tool from Google, and found that the phrase “meal prep” had been exponentially growing year after year, yet nobody had monetized it through good content. The phrase “meal prep for weight loss” had a tremendous opportunity to become a side hustle, so he started a subscription-based website selling people healthy, meal prep recipes.

Because his site now ranks for a lot of long-tail keywords around meal prep, he gets around 20 to 25 new email subscribers a day, and the goal is to convert at least 10% of them to a paid subscription plan.

The Keyword Planner tool can help you figure out what people are searching for. As you’ll hear in today’s story, you don’t always know what people are searching for or which searches lead to best conversions.

At the very least, using this tool can help you determine whether you’re on the right track, or if you need to think differently about your topic.

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Sunday Meal Prepper: Learn more about Remi and his meal planning subscription service
  • 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
  • WordPress: Remi used WordPress for his meal prepping website because it would help him learn html and it was highly customizable. Learn how to install your own WordPress site in 5 minutes!

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

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

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

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

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

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

Quote of the Day
"Having a side hustle that generates money is really great, but I get even more excited knowing that I’m making a difference in the lives of people I’ve never met before."
—Remi Silva #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Learn More With Skillshare!

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

Skillshare is giving Side Hustle School listeners 2 months of unlimited access—for $0.99! Join the 2 million students learning everything from street photography to SEO on Skillshare today!
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To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Craftsman Creates $350,000 Hustle from Handcrafted Leather Products

What It’s About

After receiving custom requests from friends and family, a leather craftsman launches his own line of leather products.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Since creating leather products require materials and specialized tools, there were some substantial start up costs involved in getting their new business off the ground.

One area they were able to save money was in marketing—they put in very little marketing efforts initially, relying instead on word of mouth. They were also able to use their connections in the leather business which is one of the benefits of starting a side hustle that is complementary to your day job.

Fun Fact

Phil and Dan decided to name all their wallets after Chicago gangsters. Each year or so they add a new wallet style and a new accessory.

Six years in, they have eight wallet styles with names like “Bugs Moran” and “Fat Herbie,” “Johnny the Fox,” “Louis ‘Little New York,’” and “Tony the Ant” plus belts, key cases, passport holders and their own line of leather care products.

Notes from Chris

Episode 95

It’s more common to start a side hustle that isn’t directly related to what you do in your day job, but occasionally there comes along a shining exception to the rule. Today’s story is a perfect example of how someone was able to use the skills they acquired at their day job to create a complementary side hustle that expands on those skills.

Their first year in business as Ashland Leather Co., business partners Phil and Dan had around 50 visitors per day to their website and just over $50,000 in sales. Now around six years later, they consistently have over 500 visitors a day with a conversion rate of 1.5% for about $350,000 worth of merchandise sold annually.

As much as they both love the extra income, they also love that they get an opportunity to create something that they are truly passionate about. And not just that—it’s something that people are actually excited to buy.

As you’re going about your day, consider two things:

1. How you could create a side hustle based on something you’re passionate about that is also something that other people will want

2. Your workplace, what kind of work you do, and if there’s a way it could lead to a complementary side hustle and financial freedom

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Ashland Leather Co.: Learn more about Phil and his awesome leather products
  • Shopify: Phil used Shopify to create his website, and they’re one of our partners. They’re offering a 21-day trial and exclusive discount for all Side Hustle School listeners!
  • Big Cartel: This company makes it easy to build a unique online store and run a creative business
  • Massdrop: A company that cultivates communities where people with common interests can learn together, and more importantly buy together

SEE ALSO:

  • Hospital Database Programmer Outsources His Skills: How a hospital employee utilizes skills that he learned from work to help others work with and process complex computer programs and information earning over $100/hour
  • Real Estate Consultant Fills Apartments with Original Artwork: How a woman in Seattle who works as a real estate project manager during the day started a side hustle that literally appeared in front of her. After making $12,000 from that first year-long hustle, now she’s building it into a mid-sized business that she hopes will replace her day job income
  • SEO 101: If you’re looking to launch your own online presence, here’s a Beginner’s Guide to SEO

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
"Create something that you love and make it the highest quality you can. And then double the price you think that you should charge."
—Phil Kalas #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

Car Enthusiast Sells $1 Million in Products Over 13 Years of Hustling

What It’s About

A man with a passion for cars tests out a new cleaning product, then decides to sell it himself.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

John worked on SEO with the goal of getting to the first page of Google search results and ultimately the #1 position. He still holds the #1 spot today for many keyword searches related to his product as a result of that initial work that established him as an authority. Thanks to this extra effort, he was soon selling between $2,000-5,000 a month, depending on the season.

Fun Fact

A serial side hustler, John is always on the lookout for something else to sell. At one point he designed and prototyped a splash-less dog bowl, but then abandoned it when he couldn’t manufacture it at a price point that would generate a high enough profit margin.

Notes from Chris

Episode 86

Every day on the show, there’s a new story to serve as encouragement for your journey. What do these stories have in common? To start, they’re all about regular people who have regular jobs. These people are busy with lots of stuff, yet somehow they find a way to create an income-generating project for themselves.

Today’s story represents this well. It’s all about a car enthusiast who follows up on his curiosity and creates a project that earns $5,000 a month. Over the course of a bit more than a decade, has produced more than $1 million in net income.

After receiving a free sample of Dri Wash ’n Guard, a form of waterless car wash, at a local swap meet, John Skurka took it home and gave it a test run. He was impressed by how well it worked, so he decided to try becoming a distributor. As a car enthusiast himself, being legitimately excited about the product, he took the next step of inquiring with the manufacturer about how could go about selling it.

Not everyone would have done that (in fact, most people wouldn’t). And of the people who think, “Maybe I should sell or market this item,” a lot of them get stuck.

It doesn’t usually need to cost a lot of money to become a distributor or reseller of something, but it does require you to follow through. Don’t allow your fears to limit you and your side hustle!

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • DriWash Solutions: Learn more about John and his Dri Wash products
  • How to Apply for an EIN: Applying for an EIN helps you establish Independent Contractor status and is another way to protect you from identity theft
  • SEO 101: If you’re looking to launch your own online presence, here’s a Beginner’s Guide to SEO

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

Chris Guillebeau

*New! Download all episodes from each month:

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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 something that you can buy at the lowest price possible in order to maximize your profits, but also make sure that you prioritize quality."
—John Skurka #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

Ketogenic Cookbook Author Makes $1,000 the First Day

What It’s About

Specialized diet blog and cookbook.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Specialized diets are huge markets. Paleo, vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free, kosher, halal, raw foods—people who follow these diets or traditions have very clear needs. For some people, it’s a lifestyle choice, but a lot of them have medical or religious reasons why it’s so important for them to follow these diets. It’s not something that they’re usually flexible about—it’s a NEED.

Fun Fact

Amanda wasn’t just marketing to the group of people who follow the ketogenic lifestyle on her blog, Wicked Stuffed; it was her way of life as well. Naturally, she built trust and goodwill with all of those subscribers—and when the time came to gently sell a collection of recipes, they responded well to it. She used Gumroad to easily handle the payment process.

Resources

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

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

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

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

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

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

Quote of the Day
"It’s crazy to me that I’m able to make money doing something that I genuinely love, and it calms me when I’m stressed from my day job."
—Amanda MacArthur #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