Tag: Service

Un-Tours Of Myanmar Offer Adventure and Unpredictability

What It’s About

A remote worker discovers a lucrative side hustle at the intersection of passion and knowledge.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Dustin started giving the group two “free days” throughout the tour that they could go out and do something on their own with. Dustin is an introvert, and those two days to recharge by himself has helped him enjoy the un-tours much more. It’s important to take care of yourself too!

Fun Fact

Until 2011, Myanmar was under a military dictatorship and closed off from most of the world. Tourists have been able to visit for only a few years, causing the country to have an “off-the-beaten-path” vibe.

Notes from Chris

Episode 747

Dustin Main was, in many ways, living the dream. He had a successful travel gear blog called Too Many Adapters and was working remotely out of Thailand. As his visa time ran out, he took the usual trip to the border to get his passport re-stamped. Except, he did something unusual this time—he decided to stay a few days in Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) instead of going straight back to Chiang Mai.

It was a very different country, exotic in a new way. In just a couple of days of hanging out across the border, Dustin fell in love. He had to get back to work in Thailand, but he knew where he was going to move next.

Over the next few years, Dustin visited Myanmar over a dozen times, getting to know it well. He even produced a photo exhibition for a gallery in the US titled “This Myanmar Life” that told the story of the country’s shift from oppressive military rule to blossoming open nation.

And before long, people started asking Dustin to take them with him. By this point, he knew a much deeper side of Myanmar than most tourists, had many local friends, knew quite a bit of the language, and understood how to navigate the often unpredictable country.

But he wanted to try an exotic, unusual tour for himself before he made his own, so went to a country that most Americans or Canadians can only visit with a guide: Iran. A friend of his was Iranian, and he was able to take the tour of a lifetime—but it was so different than the big tour bus groups. They ate at local restaurants, went to food festivals, and walked around abandoned mud villages.

It was a beautiful, humbling experience. And Dustin knew he could do it for people in Myanmar. It was time to start planning.

Dustin wanted to keep the tours small—eight people max. This meant his earning potential was limited, but it also meant he could make the intimate in a way that’s usually impossible. In fact, he didn’t call it a tour… he called it an “un-tour”.

Dustin’s taken six tours since 2016, each a little different than the next—all of them pretty stressful. But he’s found some ways to reduce the burden over the years. First, he hired one of his guides in Myanmar as an assistant. She could help plan travel, pre-order food for the group to save lots of time and have alternative plans thought up so that the group could pivot for when Myanmar threw them curveballs.

Dustin still runs two un-tours to Myanmar each year. All of his previous guests have turned into word-of-mouth evangelists, so he’s not really having too tough of a time selling out anymore. After expenses, these tours generate roughly $14,000 per year in profit for Dustin—but he’s still looking to grow. Later this year he’ll release a book about Myanmar. He’s also planning to introduce the country of Jordan as his next un-tour destination. Interested in going along? Maybe you should check out his site and book an unpredictable adventure.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Dustin Main | Tour to Myanmar: Interested in seeing Myanmar? Head on over to Dustin’s website and get a unique experience from an expert!
  • Too Many Adapters: If you’re frequently on the road yourself, check out Dustin’s “tech for travelers” 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

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
"If travel and tours are your thing, find a place that you’re passionate about, and where you know so much more than almost anyone else. In order to give the most value, you need to be going far deeper than just showing the top 10 on TripAdvisor’s list."
—Dustin Main #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

Bartenders Turn Trivia Night Into $1.5 Million Business

What It’s About

Bartenders shake things up for your weekly trivia night.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Adam says a good host can make or break a trivia night. They put a lot of work into vetting who can take the mic and call themselves a Last Call Trivia Flex trivia host. It’s essential that they’re outgoing, confident, and able to read the room and make decisions accordingly.

Fun Fact

Here’s some trivia for you!

1. What is the most common blood type? [ǝʌᴉʇᴉsod-∀ uǝɥʇ ‘ǝʌᴉʇᴉsod-O]

2. Which animal is faster, a kangaroo or a zebra? [ooɹɐƃuɐʞ]

3. On which island was Napoleon exiled following his defeat at Waterloo? [uǝlǝH ˙ʇS]

Notes from Chris

Episode 746
There aren’t many people who can say they found their perfect business idea while drinking in a bar. But, for Cincinnati bartender Adam Johnston, that’s exactly what happened.

Way back in 2007, Adam and his buddy Drew Turner got into the habit of attending mid-week trivia nights in local bars around town. They loved the atmosphere, the questions, and the rivalry that came along with it.

But the more shows they attended, the more they felt they could do a better job. They saw a real opportunity to provide a more entertaining service than the already established companies in the area.

So, Adam roped in his quiz-partner-slash-co-host Drew to create their own version of the trivia night. They invested $300 in simple sound equipment—mainly speakers, a microphone, and cables to connect to Adam’s laptop—so they could effectively host the show. And, they curated challenging questions they could ask anybody who attended.

Adam and Drew knew having the equipment and a new formula wasn’t enough to get them any paid gigs at a bar, though. Despite having a large presence in the UK and Europe—if you’re from there, you might know them as a “Pub Quiz” instead—at the time, trivia nights were still fairly new to an American audience.

The pair knew if they were going to get any bookings, they needed bar owners to see the experience to understand the potential. So, they decided they would host an exhibition night.

If you’ve never attended a trivia night yourself, here’s a quick rundown. You compete as part of a team to answer questions posed by the host. Commonly these questions cover lots of topics, like sports, films, and music, but they can also be specialized, such as Star Wars Trivia or Harry Potter Night.

The questions are usually interspersed with music or conversations with the crowd, depending on the host. The team with the highest number of correct answers at the end wins, and often gets a prize, like a round of drinks at the bar or a small sum of cash.

As Adam and Drew’s popularity grew, they found themselves needing to scale their business and employ people to host nights they weren’t able to. Although they could split off and host nights independently, they couldn’t be in more than two places at once.

To help them scale their business, Adam and Drew founded a company called Last Call Trivia, and began to employ other hosts from the area. The pair would source venues, provide sound equipment and questions, and pay the hosts a flat fee per show, with the rest of the money earned from the event going back into the business to help it grow.

By their second year, they were able to go all-in. Adam had been working part-time sweeping floors in a movie theatre to pay some of the bills. But now, since starting up, Adam and Drew have built Last Call Trivia to a $1.5 million business operating in five states and hundreds of bars.

The Last Call Trivia team wants to empower more people to start a trivia night of their own. They’ve created a product, called Last Call Trivia Flex, which provides you with a show format and access to a database of 50,000 questions to build your nights around. All you need is a smartphone or laptop, and the confidence to hold a microphone!

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Last Call Trivia: Looking to shake things up yourself? Head on over to Adam and Drew’s wesbite to learn more about what it would take to bring all-star trivia to your local pub!

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
"Change the world—it makes for good trivia!"
—Adam Johnston #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

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

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

The Mystical Solution to Modern Love (and Money)

What It’s About

A renaissance man shares relationship advice based on the Kabbalah.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Devin said that getting into coaching is a great opportunity but only if you have the right temperament and lots of experience dealing with human nature. It’s rarely about dispensing advice or directives. It’s more about asking the right questions.

Fun Fact

Devin’s been putting together a writing series and a new book called Ceremoniously: My First 20 Weddings. Believe it or not, he’s on a journey to marry his wife 100 times in 100 countries. He’s on 21 so far!

Notes from Chris

Episode 745
Devin Galaudet has worn many hats throughout his working life—antique store owner, professional poker player, travel blogger, and property manager. This collection of side hustles is what’s kept him going.

He’s never embraced the “one career path” mindset. So, when Devin’s wife was speaking at an event and found himself with a small line of women wanting to speak with him about their relationship frustrations, Devin was confused but obliged.

Turns out that his wife had been talking about him. She would mention Devin in her newsletter and her social media page. She described the adventures they’d been having around the world, and the conversations she overheard Devin having with friends.

He’d been studying Western Mysteries, occultism and the Kabbalah for 25 years and been implementing what he’d learn into breaking down the differences between men and women.

That evening, Devin spoke with five women and was still confused by the whole thing. His wife offered a suggestion, “Why don’t you follow through and offer your experience as advice?” Devin’s entrepreneurial spirit kicked in.

Drawing from his experiences as a serial side hustler, Devin started with a webinar and eBook to build a list of interested prospects. This kept his startup costs low. He already owned websites and using the service WebinarJam only cost him $99 for the year. The majority of people attending his first webinar came from his wife’s event. He then transitioned to recording a weekly podcast about love.

After three months, his wife suggested doing paid classes. In Devin’s mind, it all seemed a bit ridiculous. However, there was something in this experiment that kept him from walking away. He enjoyed sharing the mysteries of the occult and using the Kabbalah as a tool to help others in the tempestuous world of love and relationships.

He didn’t know what the next step should be. So, he sent out a questionnaire to everyone who attended his webinars and those that answered became the subject of week one’s class.

The Mystical Solution to Modern Love was born.

Love and relationships is a highly personal field with no “one size fits all” approach. Devin didn’t go to school for counseling and his day job is in property management. However, he’s able to secure trust and confidence with his clients. He said if someone finds him, it’s likely they’ve been recommended through referrals, seen him on a webinar or any number of podcasts about love. So, the burden of establishing trust is already eased.

Devin’s relationship coaching earns him between $1,500 – $2,000 a month and said he’s kept this hustle going primarily through his webinars and podcasts. He said once it got going, it didn’t take him a ton of time to maintain. He said he just has to keep putting himself out there.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

WEB HOSTING @ $2.49/MONTH

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

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

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

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

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

Quote of the Day
"Find a way to be useful, solve a problem, and encourage others who need your support. This is the most basic idea, of course, but absolutely critical."
—Devin Galaudet #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

Louisiana Vegan Community Becomes a Big Dill

What It’s About

Two friends bring vegan food to the Southern masses!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Important principle: there’s often more than one way to accomplish something (my life motto). When you encounter a problem, look for an alternative solution.

Example? Getting licensed to serve alcohol was difficult in their local area. Lindsey and Sarah wanted to have wine at their dinners—so what did they do? Instead of trying to wade through the process, presumably paying more money and dealing with more bureaucracy, they found a creative solution. They ask a friend to provide bottles and guests pay that friend a suggested donation of $5 a glass. Problem solved!

Fun Fact

Since they cannot officially serve alcohol themselves, Lindsey asks a friend to donate bottles and recommends that guests donate $5 per glass. This allows them to have wine at the dinners and helps that donator of the wine make a few extra bucks.

Notes from Chris

Episode 742

Many Americans don’t understand vegans. They think ditching meat for more veggies is a big mis-steak. But Lindsey Foreman didn’t see it that way. For her, going vegan was a way to be a good steward of the environment and eat healthier—but it wasn’t easy.

The South isn’t known for being very Vegan-friendly, and in her hometown of Lafayette, Louisiana, that was especially true. There was no vegan restaurant in town, so Lindsey and her vegan friend, Sarah, were accustomed to eating off the sides menu at local restaurants. They dreamed of a local vegan restaurant.

So they made their own. Well, not exactly. But sort of.

Opening a restaurant is not something we talk about very often on Side Hustle School … because it’s expensive and risky.

Instead of opening an actual, brick-and-mortar restaurant, Lindsey and Sarah opened a pop-up, multi-course dinner that would be held in peoples’ backyards.

They called their idea Vegetopia.

They knew how to cook vegan dishes, they knew they could get the right permits, and they knew there had to be other people looking for vegan dishes around town and coming up disappointed. Or if nothing else, even if there weren’t a lot of vegans, for an evening, maybe they could convince meat-eaters to be open-minded.

Lindsey and Sarah reached out to one of their friends and asked if they could host their first dinner at their home, and the friend agreed. It was time to start prepping.

They made a Facebook page, set up a reservation page on Eventbrite, and started telling everyone they knew. But this was the moment of truth: would local adventurous eaters really pay $35 for a backyard dinner with live music?

It turns out, they would. Within a couple weeks, they had sold out the dinner with 40 guests!

Overall, Vegetopia has become a big dill. They tend to profit around $500-700 per dinner, depending on the cost of the ingredients and are constantly being requested to serve at more local events. Musicians line up to participate, and short film screenings from friends traveling abroad have become a regular part of the experience as well. Lindsey and Sarah have turned out to be an excellent pear.

But they’re not getting comfortable yet.

As part of World Domination 2019, they’re looking to expand into restaurants and bars on Mondays. They’ve loved the backyard service, but they know they’ll be able to attract more guests at brick and mortar locations (plus, they’ll be able to cook in nicer kitchens). The restaurants can get money from the open bar and Vegetopian Dinners can have a covered, air-conditioned location to meet. And since a lot of restaurants are closed on Mondays anyway, the event won’t interfere with normal service hours.

Vegan eaters in Lafayette don’t have to eat lentils and cashew cheese enchiladas at home anymore. At least, for one night a month, they get to eat stellar vegan food surrounded by people who understand them—and for Lindsey and Sarah, that’s been the greatest reward.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Vegetopia: Learn more about what Lindsey and Sarah are doing over on their Facebook page!
  • Eventbrite: The event platform that Lindsey and Sarah used to sell tickets for their dinners

 

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
"Aside from start-up costs, ingredients and musicians will be your top two expenses. After that, it’s a matter of impressing your guests enough for them to talk to their friends about how amazing their night was at your dinner."
—Lindsey Foreman #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

iPhone “Progress App” Weighs in with Measurable Profits

What It’s About

A developer weighs in on phone apps.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Apps are not the gold rush that they were in 2010, but there are still plenty of lucrative opportunities available for the right concept. If you have an idea for an app, make sure that you think carefully about what value it provides—just like you would for any other business.

Fun Fact

Apple’s iPhone App store is a profit generating machine. Since launching in 2008, it has earned the company over $134 billion dollars in revenue. That money is generated from a small fraction of the 2 million apps available, most of which are completely free.

Notes from Chris

Episode 738
When Apple launched the iPhone App Store in 2008, they kicked off a modern day gold rush. Software developers everywhere submitted their apps and fortunes were made overnight. With few apps on offer at the time, people were installing almost anything. It was a glorious time where you could create something truly ridiculous and get paid for it.

But all good things must come to an end and, like the California Gold Rush of the 1800s, a few got rich and the rest died trying. Or, you know, their apps just weren’t downloaded. In just a few years, there was more competition, and it became harder for apps to stand out from the crowd.

Lewis Smith missed the Gold Rush, but he came in afterward with something heftier than those initial apps. At the time, Lewis was a programmer for Barclays Bank in the UK. He loved learning new technologies and building things. Creating an app seemed like a good way to do both.

If Lewis was going to build an app, he figured that he might as well make one for himself. To start, Lewis began looking at problems in his own life that he thought might be made easier with an app. And it didn’t take long to come up with something.

Lewis was getting married, and the wedding date was fast approaching. To get in shape for it, he’d started on the Slow Carb Diet. The diet proposes measuring different parts of your body to track your progress: variables like weight, waistline, hips, and shoulder width. Together, these give a much better indication of progress than simply weighing yourself, which can be affected by building muscle.

Lewis figured an app would make it easy to track everything in one place. A quick search of the App store revealed nothing like it existed, so it became his project. He called it The Progress App.

It took some time, but eventually, The Progress App became Lewis full-time job. Two years ago, in 2016 he was making enough to quit full-time work and make a living entirely off his app. Like weight loss itself, the progress was slow and took a lot of hard work, but in the end, it paid off.

And these days, Lewis’ app has achieved critical mass! Over the last year, Lewis has generated an average of $6,500/month from his app. The money comes in even when he’s sleeping or taking a day off. This has enabled him to travel the world as a digital nomad all the way through to 2018. In 2019 and beyond, Lewis’ aim is to help a million people lose weight through his app.

It’s easy to look at this story and think “he got in early” or “this could never work now”. But remember, Lewis didn’t launch his app until three years after the app store launch. Things were extremely competitive, even then. But Lewis found a way to stand out from the crowd. 

He built a very specific app that didn’t yet exist, for a specific group of people. And because he followed through, his progress app has completely changed his life.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • The Progress App: If weight loss is part of your New Year’s resolutions, use Lewis’ app to help you keep track!

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
"Apps are not the gold rush that they were in 2010. If you have an idea for an app, you have to think carefully about what value it provides—just like you would for any other business."
—Lewis Smith #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

Bucket List Becomes Swashbuckling Adventure Tour Company

What It’s About

You might call it ‘Living the dream’ … this hustler designs epic trips, and then gets paid to take people on them.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Chase suggests connecting with others who have similar hustle ideas to your own. Talk with those who have walked a similar path and ask them about all of their failures and what they wish they would have known before starting.

Fun Fact

Embracing the, “Yes, I’ll figure it out and make it happen” mindset has created enormous possibility for Chase. A guy recently hired his company to have Seal (famous singer) perform four songs for his birthday, then fly him to Japan to meet with a sword maker who reads your soul before he makes your sword.

Notes from Chris

Episode 735

Cue the Indiana Jones themed-music and meet Chase Boehringer. He’s the chief adventure architect of his tour company, The Bucket List Lifestyle. His job allows him to take small, lively groups of people on the world’s most epic adventures.

He’s led all kinds of these adventures, including trekking to Mount Everest Base Camp, celebrating the Holi Festival in India, and attending the carnival in Rio de Janeiro.

Although Chase is now living life to the fullest, that wasn’t always the case. He’s from a small town in Oregon with barely 300 people. Growing up, you were expected to graduate high school, get married and land a job at the local plywood mill. Maybe treat yourself to a Hawaiian vacation if you’re lucky.

After a series of life events, Chase spiraled into a deep depression. It was from that point that he started writing his bucket list. A list of things he never thought he’d be able to do, but wrote them anyway. His list served as a light at the end of the tunnel.

He started a blog and began to tick items off that list. One by one, Chase started ticking items off his bucket list. Every item he completed gave his life direction and pulled him farther out of depression.

After three years of frequent solo travel, posting on his blog and growing his audience to several thousand, his cup was full. Now, he wanted to share the amazing experiences he had been having with others.

His idea was to get people to come on a trip with him. He’d simultaneously design the trip and make a profit. After all, people were already willing to pay for these trips. Why shouldn’t others benefit from his world-traveling expertise?

The first adventure Chase booked was from a Facebook post. It read, “Who wants to run with the bulls in Spain with me this July?” The response was overwhelming. So, he found a great deal on an Airbnb and booked the trip. The Bucket List Lifestyle was born.

Chase arrived at pricing by asking himself three questions: 1) How much will it cost? 2) What’s the experience? 3) What’s it worth to me?

The location of the trip also played a role. For example, India is cheaper to visit than Tokyo. Chase said his trips usually run between $1,500 – $3,000. The key is to gauge the experience factor while keeping prices reasonable.

He’s currently contracted for six more of these high-end adventure tours with one coach alone in 2019. These could be anything from getting a healing from a Maasai medicine man in Africa to climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro to taking groups to Thailand.

So, what’s next for The Bucket List Lifestyle? Chase is writing a book on world travel and giving talks about the freedom of following your bucket list. He’s also currently in the process of hiring more staff (this time more deliberately) to set his business on autopilot.

 

 

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

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
"Prepare yourself mentally, emotionally, and financially so the leap isn’t terrifying. See the risk and mitigate it."
—Chase Boehringer #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

Extreme Makeover: Tinder Photo Edition

What It’s About

A photography side hustle worth swiping right on!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Here are a couple of Side Hustle School tips for sprucing up your dating profile (listen to today’s episode to hear the rest)!

Use good photos even if you don’t hire Charlie. No one else in the photo, don’t hide your face, don’t look overly posed. And say what you’re not into—disqualify potential suitors (this will also help you attract the right ones).

Fun Fact

Charlie’s approach was finally confirmed scientifically earlier this year when she had a client that was a huge data geek. He had pictures taken by four different photographers and ran the photos through an algorithm that told him which of the photographers got the best ratings. Charlie’s did—by a significant margin!

Notes from Chris

Episode 728

Photography was Charlie Grosso’s passion and career in her early twenties. A Chinese American woman with an Italian male name, she worked with high-end fashion and luxury brands for years, photographing models and products. She became a master of how photos communicate messages, but the magic of her work started to wear off.

At 30, Charlie went through a divorce and fell upon even more difficult times when work slowed down. But it also didn’t actually seem like the worst thing in the world. Charlie was ready for something new, a challenge, an adventure. She began traveling more, and she started online dating.

She met lots of interesting people and made a few great friends. But something bugged her every single time she logged onto Tinder: most profile pictures were really bad.

The “mirror selfie” was the worst offender. Another common horror was the photo taken by the guy sitting in the passenger’s seat.

“What do you want me to know from this picture?” Charlie likes to say. “That you have a driver’s license? That you own a car? That you work for Uber?”

With a background in fashion photography, Charlie could immediately tell when people were communicating something in their pictures that they didn’t intend—and when the more important messages were being left out.

A friend suggested she help the photographically-challenged take better pictures for Tinder. At first she wasn’t sure—she had never loved doing headshots—but the friend persisted for months, and finally, Charlie gave in.

She bought Tinder Photography, put up a very basic WordPress site that advertised her services in New York City, and just let the page sit while she continued to work on her other writing and consulting projects.

And then, out of the blue in February of 2015, she got an email.

Someone had found her website and wanted to hire her. Charlie doesn’t know exactly how they found her site, but from the modest traffic she was getting, it seemed people were just finding it on Google when they were searching for “tinder photography.” It was weird, happening so randomly, but she took the gig. Her humble domain startup cost was made back with that one client.

Charlie soon found herself with more clients. She was more open about telling her friends and network about the side gig, and the more she talked, the more clients came, each paying as much as $650 per session.

In May of 2015, Charlie got featured in a TIME article about photographers for Tinder. She was featured in a few other articles for other websites as a result, and things started to really take off. She was starting to have several clients each month—and the random hustle idea was starting to seem like something she was going to stick with. By the end of 2015, Charlie had made over $10,000.

Hopefully, her next steps will enable her to focus more on Hello Future. Whatever happens, Charlie’s still living the dream of infusing her skills with a passion for helping people live better lives.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Tinder Photography: Interested in taking your Tinder profile to the next level? Head on over to Charlie’s website!
  • Hello Future: Learn more about Charlie’s new project over on her website
  • WordPress: Charlie used WordPress to setup Tinder Photography, 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
"The time I spend walking and talking with clients is just as important as those when I point my camera at them. The goal is to make images look less staged and more like snapshots, and getting a feel for their personality is important to achieving that."
—Charlie Grosso #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

Medical Examiner Fetches New Paws-ibilities With Pet Sitting Hustle

What It’s About

A how-to guide on living in NYC rent-free!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

But what happens when Jen doesn’t have something lined up? Well, worst case scenario, Jen budgets money for nights where she doesn’t have anything booked and needs a hotel, which is usually only between five to ten times a month.

Fun Fact

Did you know? “Three dog night” is an Australian Aboriginal saying meaning it’s so cold you’d need to cuddle with three dogs to keep you warm while you sleep.

Notes from Chris

Episode 726

Jen Tserng’s rent-free living is made possible by busy New Yorkers and their pets. Originally a burnt-out physician from Seattle, Jen has now called New York City home for the past three years just by living in other people’s houses and taking care of their pets when they’re away. This is all thanks to one app, a love of animals, and a desire to earn extra money.

Jen had pets for most of her life. When she wasn’t rescuing small dogs, she was saving them from puppy mills or giving foster dogs a loving home. When she stumbled upon Rover, an app that offers on-demand dog walking, as well as other pet-related services, she saw the opportunity to get paid doing what she loved: hanging out with furry, four-legged friends. So, to supplement her income as a medical examiner, Jen signed up as a freelance dog walker and pet sitter on Rover.

One afternoon, with a cup of coffee in hand, Jen created her Rover profile. Because she had lots of experience with pets, she decided to set her rate at $45 an hour. The requests trickled in slowly, but that was all she needed to get started. It took her a while to become established as the go-to freelance dog walker in Seattle, but she quickly began to gather five-star reviews, and, eventually, referrals to other clients off the platform. Demand increased, and Jen noticed that she was enjoying her life outside of work more than she ever had before.

A year later, she decided that the alluring pull of the freedom of being able to set her own hours (and get out of the stressful career she wasn’t exactly enjoying) was too strong. So, she quit her job, packed her bag, and set her sights on New York City.

Living in New York City can be a serious financial burden. But through house and pet sitting, Jen has been able to earn between $60,000 to $100,000 a year and save $40,000 of that. All without worrying about rent, bills, or whether she forgot to buy enough toilet paper. She just needs to cover her food and cell phone bill, which runs her under $600 a month. And all she needed to get started with Rover was an initial background check that cost her $25.

She usually makes around $180 a day while working seven days a week. Slower days net about $120, while holidays like New Year’s and Memorial Day see spikes to upwards of $350 a day. Since holidays are so lucrative, she has to be strategic about when she takes time off. But all that income, combined with a very frugal lifestyle, means Jen can build a serious stash of savings. Last year, she managed to save $45,000 and still take 10 weeks of vacation.

While it might sound like fun, games, and fur, Jen’s side hustle turned real-life hustle isn’t without its challenges. Her income is steady now and she doesn’t have to pay rent, but that comes with also not having a ‘home base’ of her own. Jen is the first person to admit that her hustle might be stressful to some people but says that it is perfect for where she’s at right now. She’s single with no kids and doesn’t have a ton of stuff to cart around, so she doesn’t mind packing it all up every five-ish days.

Jen says it was initially scary to move from side hustle to full-time pet sitter, but she’s glad to went for it. Her goal is to save $500,000 and retire early. She’ll live on her savings (frugally) by making her way around the world for free using international pet sitting sites. The paws-ibilities are endless!

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Rover | Jen Tserng: Learn more about Jen and what she’s up to over on her Rover page!
  • Rover: The platform that Jen used to find people to pet sit for

 

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’m definitely more motivated every because I’m running the show, and I like the flexibility a lot more. I think I just want to be a career housesitter and travel the world!"
—Jen Tserng #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

London Clerk Hires Ghosts to Visit Boss, Earns Passive Income

What It’s About

Side Hustle School takes on a Christmas classic!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Okay, holiday specials are great and all, but what exactly can we learn from this story?

First, if your morning porridge is the most exciting thing in your life, you definitelyneed to make some changes.

Second, don’t wait on your boss to change … create change yourself!

And third, outsource however you can, even if it includes hiring your friends to dress up as ghosts.

Fun Fact

Charles Dickens started A Christmas Carol in October 1843 and wrote obsessively for six weeks. As Dickens said, he wept, laughed, and wandered around London at night “when all sober folks had gone to bed.” He finished the novella at the end of November so it could be published in time for Christmas. A Christmas Carol hit the shops on December 17, 1843, and sold out in three days!

Notes from Chris

Episode 724

Bob Cratchit, a records clerk from East London, was in trouble. He spent his days—every single day—toiling away for an ungrateful employer. Not only was his work tedious and unfulfilling, he wasn’t getting ahead. All he had to look forward to was the morning bowl of porridge (with extra raisins!) that he picked up from Pret a Manger on his way into work.

Worse of all, his son Tim was seriously ill. In these days before Britain’s National Health Service kicked in, Bob needed funds to care for him.

According to our sources, “Mr. Cratchit worked for 15 shillings a week at a rate of three pence (“thruppence”) an hour.” And according to Wikipedia, “In terms of modern-day purchasing power, this would be approximately £63.00 or about $94 US per week.”

His boss Ebenezer was a miser, and couldn’t be counted on to lift a finger … in fact, Bob had asked Ebenezer for help, only to be rebuffed. “Get back to work,” said the boss. “Be grateful you even have a job.”

There was no way around it: Bob needed a side hustle.

To find the solution he looked within himself, opening up a consultancy he called Cratchit Co. He also leaned on three friends for help. As part of a detailed delegation strategy (or was it early outsourcing?), he would send these friends to visit Ebenezer late at night in an attempt to scare him into paying up. Maybe Ebenezer would learn a moral lesson … but even if not, maybe he’d still cough up the coffers.

Bob did what consultants do best: he sent Ebenezer a bill. The bill was for a lot of money—more than he needed to cover his son’s medical costs. Thinking about the approaching holiday, he also itemized an expense for a large turkey.

When the holiday arrived, Bob was thankful. He looked around at the additional money in his bank account and the free turkey on his table. If he hadn’t taken action and started Cratchit Co., he would have continued to live on $94 a week. But he did, and now he was unstoppable.

One success tends to lead to another. Next, Bob thought he’d write an ebook about his experience. He imagined himself as a motivational speaker, traveling from town to town and turning stock clerks into consultants. Or maybe he’d just start a podcast.

 

 

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
"I got tired of waiting for my employer to take pity on me. When I sent him three visitors on Christmas Eve, he finally got the message."
—Bob Cratchit #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Get Your Logo Today With Logojoy!

Side Hustle School is brought to you by Logojoy, an online tool that uses artificial intelligence to help you design a beautiful, custom logo.

Try Logojoy today and get 20% off any logo package when you visit logojoy.com/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

Online Memorial Services Are the New Funerals

What It’s About

An Aussie ushers obituaries into the new millennium.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

We asked Andrew if he’s faced any challenges when explaining to potential customers why they should pay money to have an online memorial for their loved ones since this isn’t common knowledge yet.

He said showing people the benefit of what his service provides is key. Skymorials isn’t expensive. Also, since he’s working with resellers, most funeral directors (as an example) give the product to customers at no charge as an added value.

Fun Fact

Looking to grow his business, Andrew flew to Manila, in the Philippines back in January 2018 on a hunch. The country has an enormous Catholic population and is a colossal social media user—one of the biggest in Asia. Naturally, he figured he’d have a good market! He now has offices and a full sales staff working with 35 funeral home locations who use his software for their clients.

Notes from Chris

Episode 721

Andrew Ranger is a serial side hustler. He created an iPhone app that did NDA agreements. He was involved with a crowdsourced website for coming up with company brand names. And somewhere in there, he developed a payments platform for cafes and restaurants.

He did all this while working his day job at an advertising agency in their marketing and communications department. Andrew is a strategist and likes working hard. While at his 9 – 5, he noticed the rise of publishing tributes and fan pages on Facebook for people that passed away.

However, he noticed these pages weren’t always respectful or built for a specific need. He also wondered about the people who die that aren’t even on Facebook by choice. Some of them might cringe at the thought of being on there when they die.

He also saw the gradual decline of traditional newspapers where tribute notices and obituaries are commonly placed. This led him to create the side hustle we’ll look at today, Skymorials. Andrew said he built this platform for people to create memorial web pages for loved ones in hopes that they’d remain online, cherished forever.

At first, the pages were free. Then he began charging a small price, just $75 for a page that would be hosted indefinitely.

Since his first sale in 2016, Andrew has successfully scaled Skymorials into that $250,000 a year juggernaut. However, he still considers himself in growth mode which explains why he’s content to reinvest most of the profits back into the business.

What’s next for Skymorials? Andrew says he’s scaling fast. Currently, Skymorials has grown to be used by people in 20 countries and he now has a goal to take him into every single country worldwide. By reworking an age-old service to honor the passing of loved ones, he’s able to do well for himself while doing good for others.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Skymorials: Learn more about this memorable side hustle over on Andrew’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
"This is a slow-moving business, so you shouldn’t get into it unless you’re a patient person. Build a simple product that people need first, then work out the bigger picture later. After all, Microsoft started with a couple of guys wanting to build a programming language for a new computer they saw in a brochure. They didn’t envision the rest."
—Andrew Ranger #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