Snack-Sized Business News for Millennials

What It’s About

Bite-sized business news for those always on the go!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

What is the key to making something like this work? In Nick and Jack’s case, a distinctive voice, a clear target market, and of course, consistency. It’s a winning combination!

Fun Fact

While pumping out content on a daily basis is not especially common, Nick and Jack haven’t missed a day of news for MarketSnacks since they first launched in 2012.

Notes from Chris

Episode 716

A lot of business news just isn’t appealing to younger readers. Bloomberg has been having a hard time getting millennials to read its website. Fidelity Investments couldn’t get them to understand all the financial lingo. The Wall Street Journal can seem like an old-fashioned club that only the elite belong to.

Even as professionals in the world of finance, Nicolas Martell and his roommate, Jack Kramer, didn’t enjoy reading up on the latest news—but they didn’t have a choice. Keeping up with developments was important in their banking jobs.

One day the two met up at Old Town Bar in New York before walking back to the apartment. They talked stocks, economics, spreadsheets—the usual—but they also dreamed of a project. What if they created a business news media company that could be understood by millennials?

Nobody had easily-digestible market news. They knew they could make such a thing, and they called it MarketSnacks.

Their plan was to publish a blog with daily news stories that were relevant and understandable. All they needed was a simple website and an email provider, so the monetary startup costs were almost non-existent. And in just a couple weeks, MarketSnacks came to life.

But the hustle did cost a lot to start … in time. Nick and Jack blocked off multiple hours before and after their day jobs to plan, write, edit, and publish content. It was an intensive project—and it required their focus every day.

The work paid off. In just a few weeks, MarketSnacks had a couple hundred daily readers. The idea was being validated with each new visitor to the site who turned into a regular reader.

MarketSnacks has evolved a lot over the years. In 2017 the duo launched a podcast, in early 2018 they raised outside funding, and later in the year they became full-time content creators.

With the sponsors they have, they’re making a lot of money. But according to Nick, the money’s not the best part—otherwise he wouldn’t have done it for nearly three years without pay.

The greatest rewards are the 5-star podcast reviews and email testimonials that indicate MarketSnacks is successful helping a generation understand business and finance news in a way that’s never been done before. Hustling in the dream job full-time—well, that’s a nice perk, too.

 


 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • MarketSnacks: Interested in the business world but finding that you don’t have the time to stay up to date? Get your daily business news over on Nick and Jack’s website!
  • Fidelity Investments, Betterment, Robinhood, & LinkedIn: Some of the partners that Nick and Jack secured for MarketSnacks

 

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

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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
"Having a co-founder with a skill-set that balances yours will minimize friction, allow you to strategically balance the workload, and optimize the value of your product."
—Nick Martell & Jack Kramer #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

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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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To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Stay At Home Mom Delivers Fresh Side Income

What It’s About

Fresh produce delivered right to your door!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

For Weekly Fig, Anju presold membership and veggie boxes and that helped fund everything else. They then worked out of a garage until things picked up. Her advice? Start small, don’t spend money on extravagant things till you build up a base.

Fun Fact

Some of Weekly Fig’s suppliers come from Amish farms well outside the city. Since these communities don’t have electricity or modern communication tools they can’t take orders over the phone or internet. To combat this problem the orders are sent to the farms via homing pigeon on small sheets of paper attached to the bird’s leg.

Notes from Chris

Episode 709

Shortly after getting married, Anju Wilson moved from Canada to Tennessee. The state of cowboy boots and country music was a world away from what she knew, but that wasn’t the only difference. In Canada, Anju worked in Human Resources, but in America, she became a stay-at-home mom… at least for a while.

Anju loved her children, but she simply didn’t want to be a full-time homemaker. Hopeful of finding a new hobby to keep her busy, she brainstormed a few ideas and sowed a few seeds. But it wasn’t until 2015 that something started to germinate.

After thinking about her interests, one thing stood out above anything else. She was incredibly passionate about good nutrition. She loved going to local farmers markets to buy in-season produce and support growers. Her hunch was that many other moms would feel the same. And to validate that hunch, Anju didn’t have to look far at all.

She created a Facebook group for fresh food loving moms in her area. Her goal for the group was to meet moms so they could pool their resources and buy artisan and fresh foods in bulk. She figured, if even a handful of other people were willing to contribute, they could save quite a bit on their weekly food bills.

It didn’t take long for the seed of her idea to sprout its first leaves. Within a couple of weeks, she had 30 members and was already organizing bulk orders. Once an order was made, they would arrange a play date to drop off the produce and socialize. She continued to nurture the group and, over the next year, the member count grew to 600!

Her small seedling was now growing into a plant and the more moms she met, the more Anju realized that there was a lot more potential with this concept. She felt she could use the existing audience to launch a food-based side hustle.

They decided to call their new venture, Weekly Fig—an online farmers market.

The day before ‘delivery day’ all suppliers ship their stock to the Weekly Fig home hub. Anju and the team pack up the individual boxes. The fleet of drivers then picks them up for delivery the next day. The delivery area is divided into seven zones, one for each driver. The zones are designed in such a way that deliveries can be done while the driver is returning home. This technique has enabled them to scale to the point of delivering to over 200 houses every week and servicing a total of 400 customers (some customers are bi-weekly and monthly). All deliveries are completed in just 4 hours.

With that many deliveries, the financial state of this side hustle is looking very healthy. In fact, in the three and a half years Weekly Fig has been running they’ve built a nice little business. In 2017 the total revenue generated was $37,000 and they are expecting much more in 2018.

Anju and her co-founder have recently rebranded their website and increased the number of products they offer. Their goal for the next year is to focus more on education and use that as an acquisition tool. They believe that teaching people the benefits of supporting local farmers and eating healthy and in season will bring in plenty of new customers. When that is up and running, they hope to duplicate the model in other cities.

She’s planted herself in fertile soil.


MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Weekly Fig: There are no two figs about it—this is one delectable side hustle. Learn more about it over on Anju’s website!

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

WEB HOSTING @ $2.49/MONTH

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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
"Start small and don’t spend money on extravagant things till you build up a base. It can even be done from your garage short-term without a lot of overhead."
—Anju Wilson #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

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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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To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Friends Foster Korean Face Mask Frenzy

What It’s About

The best of Korean beauty masks delivered right to your door!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Although blogs are notoriously good for SEO, isn’t always necessary and, in this instance, doesn’t match the professionalism of the rest of the site.

The Takeaway: If you don’t have a good reason to have a blog or any particular social media profile, don’t do it. There are plenty of other things you can focus on!

Fun Fact

Korean face masks, or sheet masks, are single-use pads that have been soaked in hydrating, skin-rejuvenating ingredients. There are lots of different kinds, ranging from aloe to kiwi to lavender. One pack of 10 cost about 10,000 Korean WON, or just under $10.

For a generation of millennials looking to not spend a bunch of their hard earned cash on “magical beauty creams” with a not so magical price tag, Korean beauty masks are where it’s at!

Notes from Chris

Episode 705

Daniel Yi is no stranger to the world of subscription box services. For 8 years, he worked at Loot Crate as the Director of Digital Analytics. While he loved working for Loot Crate, the more business skills he learned, the more Daniel had an itch to start a subscription box business of his own. One day, he and his friend Diana Chang were chatting at lunch and they started to ask themselves, “Why can’t we do this?”

Soon, they brought their other colleagues into the mix: Jason Lee and Bryce Travis – and formed the ultimate power team. Daniel knew all about the digital side. Diana was a designer by profession and a beauty enthusiast at heart. Bryce had been at Loot Crate from the very beginning. Plus, all of them were familiar with the ins and outs of successful subscription box businesses. Loot Crate was one of the oldest and best in the niche.

They had a team and a business model, but no product. Luckily, right after that lunch, he embarked on his annual trip to Korea. There, he realized that Korean beauty was the next big global trend, especially face masks. There was a craze for it!

Getting a range of authentic Korean products in the U.S. isn’t the easiest thing to do for most people. If he could make them more accessible, he could really be onto something.

As soon as Daniel got back to the United States, he started working with the team on their new business. They decided to name it Piibu, after the Korean word for skin. By September, they held a pre-launch of their business, then eventually fully launched through their Facebook and Instagram accounts.

The team grew Piibu using grassroots methods at first. They simply told their friends and family about the business, then they would tell other people, and so on. Once they built up a little momentum, a few publications reached out to them and they got exposure on more popular websites. With their increased profits, they decided to reinvest the money back into paid advertising, to increase their subscriber base even further. They focused on paid search and paid social digital marketing channels.

The team chose to price their boxes competitively. To subscribe for an entire year only costs $18 a month. To buy an individual box, it costs $20. This has paid off. Piibu is reaching a huge number of people every month and has more than 900 active subscribers. That adds up to about $20,000 a month in recurring revenue.

For now, Daniel has chosen not to take profits home from the business. Instead, he’s been investing everything he makes back into Piibu to make it even better.

Sometimes it pays to think inside the box!

 


 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Piibu: To learn more about this Asian beauty craze, head on over to Daniel’s website!
  • Loot Crate: The “geek subscription box for gamers and nerds” that Daniel works 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
"Only start your own thing if you’re passionate about the product you’re selling. Don’t start the company to make a quick buck."
—Daniel Yi #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

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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.
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

Carpe Libri! Budding Book Club Baron Brings in $6,400/Month

What It’s About

A tale of two Bens and their rebel book club.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Ben recommends testing your side hustle’s riskiest assumption. In his case: that other people would want to accelerate their non-fiction reading habits and would be willing to invest £15 a month to do so. The Bens agreed that if they got 15 people to signup in month #1 they would continue. They got 24.

Fun Fact

Rebel Book Club has been able to leverage its 350 members and organically home-grown base to feature live Q & A’s with some of the authors from the books they’ve read. In December they were able to lock in the extraordinary Seth Godin to speak via Skype at their next meetup!

Notes from Chris

Episode 699

Ben Keene is a UK-based business consultant and coach. He works with startups, individuals and families, helping them to lead extraordinary careers and make an impact in the world.

However, despite all of the time Ben spends helping others, he was in need of a little help himself. He had a problem. An affliction. He found himself in the throes of the worst habit imaginable. Despite his best efforts, he couldn’t seem to break it.

The Japanese even have a name for it: Tsundoku: The constant act of buying books, but never reading them.

His pile of unfinished books was out of control. What to do?

Ben wrestled with this question while on vacation in Bali. It was there that he met someone who suffered from the same problem. Also named Ben and from London, they got to talking and decided to pick a book, set a date, and meetup to discuss it over a cocktail.

Knowing that he’d have to talk about it with someone, this reluctant reader churned through Peter Thiel’s Zero to One with Usain Bolt-like speed. When their reading rendezvous arrived, Ben and Ben, along with 12 other people all through word of mouth, attended their first meetup.

Returning to London, these two Ben’s resolved to pick a book and meet up once a month to talk about it. For fun, they decided to invite others along the way. That was April, 2015.

Ben and his co-founder decided to test their hypothesis: would people want to accelerate their non-fiction reading habit and be willing to invest $19 a month to do it? They agreed that if they got 15 people to sign up in month 1 they’d continue.

The next month, they celebrated with another meetup on the rooftop of Virgin HQ in London. This time with 24 people. Rebel Book Club was born.

Fast forward three and half years later to November, 2018. Ben’s side hustle has acquired 350 members and is earning $6,400 a month. Membership costs are £15 a month ( $19 ) per member.

Ben said starting this was cheap, costing only $13 (£10) for their domain name rebelbookclub.co.uk. With their piece of internet real estate in place, these rehabilitated bookworms were up and reading.

Since starting Rebel Book Club, Ben’s reading habit accelerated by 600%. He read 50 books last year and he’s a father of three children under five years old.

They took it one month at a time. If their concept didn’t grow or if it became too time-consuming or stressful, they’d quit.

However, because it’s grown organically every month (44 months in a row) and hasn’t taken too much time to maintain, they’re still going. After year one they had 104 members with little effort at all. All word of mouth with zero spent on marketing.

The meetups take place in co-working spaces like WeWork, Virgin, AirBnB, Work Life, Huckletree and even London parks. Ben said they’ve hustled all of these venues for free or in kind through their work relationships, friends and members.

Since its inception in 2015 they’re now putting in more than 2 hours a week (the most ever) and are already seeing positive results.

Also, Ben recently moved his family to the Thai Island of Ko Lanta. He’s got the spine for it. Since the move, he’s had many Skype calls with his rebel cohort to keep the pages turning.

 


 

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
"Rebel Book Club helps people accelerate their reading habits by bringing a like-minded group together to read one game-changing non-fiction book every month and meet up to turn the insights into actions whilst enjoying a book-themed cocktail. So far, we’ve read 44 books and are UK – based in three cities: London, Oxford and Bristol."
—Ben Keene #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

Engineer Earns 7-Figures from “Crowd-Purchasing” Project

What It’s About

A “bulk-purchasing” hack scores big profits.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Ron suggests that you find a good partner and don’t go it alone. Warn your significant other that it’s going to take up time. Your customers and partnerships are precious.

Fun Fact

The first item sold on GroupGets, a thermal camera component, has over 60 uses. One use for thermal cameras is the attachment to a drone and use in search and rescue efforts. Another is detecting “motorized doping” in bike racing.

Notes from Chris

Episode 698

Back in 2013, Ron Justin was in need of a specialized electronics item that was only sold in lots of 1,000. But Ron didn’t need 1,000—he only needed one. In search of a “crowd-purchasing” platform, he was shocked to discover that no such thing existed. The major crowdfunding sites at the time were only for new product ideas, not things that were already made. So he convinced his friend Kurt to help him build the site GroupGets.

Usually, when an item is bought in bulk, you pay a lower price per unit. Think of when you buy a large pack of toilet paper or paper towels – you pay less per roll than if you purchased just one roll. Now, through GroupGets, people can have this same type of purchasing power for any type of item. With GroupGets, you purchase the item in bulk with your other group members. YOU are only buying one item. Each group member gets their one item at the better, bulk price because they are one in a group.

But Ron and his business partner aren’t selling toilet paper. Their group buys are mostly for new and high-end electronics. Naturally, these items have higher price points—which makes sense, because people are looking for deals on them.

Here’s how GroupGets works: If you want to buy something that is typically only available in bulk or is cheaper if buying in bulk, you can start or join a campaign on GroupGets to purchase the item. Others who might also be interested in purchasing that same item join in and the items are bought in bulk, by GroupGets, at that lower price. GroupGets then divides up the units, collects the money from individual buyers, and ships to the buyers.

For example, the “Zubi Flyer”, an educational toy with a retail price of $130, is listed on the site for $65 with a “target” of 50. So 50 buyers are needed before GroupGets puts in the order. When they reach 50, they order the units, ship them out, and each buyer pays $65 for their item.

The company’s income is generated from a percentage of sales. When a manufacturer ships directly to the buyers, GroupGets takes a 10% cut. If GroupGets does the shipping, they take 20%. Startup costs were $5,000. Since inception, the company is making 7-figures in profits.

 

GroupGets also sells custom electronic accessories and software. If a product does well on their group buy site, they stock it in their online store. The item may be produced by GroupGets, or by someone else. Very boutique in the electronics world, the store is kept mainly as a convenience for repeat customers who are willing to pay retail and not wait for the group buys.

Ron invested just $5,000 to start this multiple 7-figure business. However, of those costs, $4,000 went to hire a contractor to handle the site’s payment system. His thinking was that if they had the reputable payment logo on their site, this would build user trust.

Ron continues to work his job, which he admits can be a challenge since this business has grown so much. Still, he says, “this is how I’m wired. I don’t want to choose between one or the other—so I don’t.”

 


 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • GroupGets: Learn more about Ron’s crowd-purchasing platform.

 

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
"Money is not the only metric of success for a side hustle. You will meet way more interesting people than if you don’t do one."
—Ron Justin #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Consolidate With LightStream!

Side Hustle School is brought to you by LightStream.

Have you ever looked at your credit card statement and been shocked by the interest rate? LightStream offers Credit Card Consolidation loans from 5.89 percent APR with Autopay.

Get a special discount on top of LightStream’s already low rates! 💳 Visit LightStream

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

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

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

Keep in Touch

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


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Luxury for Less! Best Friends Get Paid to Share Design Tips

What It’s About

Two friends discover the best deal ever—getting paid for their love of shopping.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Rachel and Laura suggest that if you are working with someone else, make sure that you trust them wholeheartedly. They are always willing to adjust and split up tasks as they come, and making decisions without consulting each other is often common.

Fun Fact

Without knowing it, both of the women purchased homes of similar ages and layouts at the same time—in completely different cities. They were both 1960s brick ranches—as they say, great minds think alike!

Notes from Chris

Episode 690
Time and time again, Rachel Ingram and Laura Gill would hear their family and friends complain about the cost of decorating their homes. They would set a budget, but always end up blowing past it. The friends felt that with a bit of searching, they could have beautiful statement pieces and stay in budget. They began to scour the internet for the best deals they could find. Their Pinterest boards were unmatchable.

Along the way, they experienced a newfound sense of empowerment: not only were they finding amazing deals, they were making their homes their own. Rather than buying an entire room design out of a magazine, every corner of their living space was intentional.

Then, around the end of 2017, they began chatting about sharing all of their finds and ideas with the world. They knew that what they considered to be a fun hobby was frustrating and difficult for others. Plus, they had already accumulated a database of valuable tips and less expensive “look-alike” items over the years.

Six months later, they were still confident in their idea, so they decided to invest a whopping $46 into making it a reality. They spent $10 to purchase a domain name. Then, they spent another $10 because that first domain name didn’t exactly work out—more on that in a moment. With their official title, Follow the Find, they invested their last $26 into a Squarespace website.

But how would they make money?

They committed to posting on Instagram at least once a day, every day. As their audience grew, they began to consider affiliate partnerships. If people were purchasing items because of their work, they should earn a cut! But Rachel and Laura quickly realized that creating those partnerships was easier said than done.

When they applied to join the programs, they were rejected again and again. Even Amazon (which has very low requirements) removed their associate’s account twice. According to them, Follow the Find didn’t have enough original content on their website. Up until that point, they only included the same images on their website that they had on their Instagram account.

Even though Rachel and Laura knew that the brands could trust them to make sales and continue running Follow the Find, they had to do something to prove it.

To change it up, they added more content, including an About Page, a Tips and Tricks section, and a list of all of their favorite stores to shop for and what kinds of products they buy at each one. As that content and their followers grew, they finally began to score those affiliate partnerships they craved. This August, Follow the Find brought in $127. The next month, they reached $916. Then last month, they pulled in $1200.

This kind of business model probably won’t make you rich, but as an entry point, it’s worth looking at. They’re also gaining a lot of experience—and instead of paying for these lessons, these lessons are paying them.


MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Follow the Find: Checkout Rachel and Laura’s inspiration turned to action at their new website
  • Follow the Find on Instagram: Follow Rachel and Laura’s journey as they grow their business with the help of Instagram
  • Squarespace: the webplatform Rachel and Laura used to create their 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

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Quote of the Day
"We never considered our shopping and searching a skill, but when talking with peers, we realized that we definitely had a knack for it, as others seemed to struggle with something that we honestly considered a hobby."
—Laura & Rachel #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

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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.
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

Songwriter Makes Extra Money Giving Podcasts a Beat

What It’s About

A Nashville songwriter composes a custom hustle to help podcasters.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

If you have a side hustle that’s similar to your day job you need to make sure that you love it. Without passion for what you’re doing you may get burnt out. I really enjoy working with others and bringing their vision to life. I love helping others tell their stories in whatever medium I’m working in.

Fun Fact

Podcasts have received explosive growth over the last few years. So much so, that over 26% of Americans, approximately 73 million people, listen to podcasts at least once a month. This huge audience that is currently leading to over 2000 new podcasts being launched every week and more than 500,000 total podcasts.

Notes from Chris

Episode 689

As the old saying goes, without music, life would b-flat. Justin Klump understands this better than most. As a recording artist, songwriter and music producer he has a day job many people dream of. He’s one of the privileged few able to make a living in the music industry.

Justin is living the dream, producing albums as well as performing across the country from Portland to New York. You might say that he’s the conductor of his own fate.

But, it isn’t all upbeat. The truth of the music industry is that for every Justin Bieber selling out stadiums, there are thousands of others like Justin making a modest living. Carving out a small name and career for themselves in the industry. While the former makes millions, for the latter, a side hustle is a great way to bring in some extra income.

So in early 2017, Justin spotted an opportunity. Like a hit song, it began with a strong hook.

A friend of his had a colleague about to create his own podcast. He needed someone to compose the music and do sound design for the episodes. The friend, knowing that Justin had been writing music for over 10 years, mentioned it to him to see if he’d be interested.

Justin was intrigued enough to meet up with the podcast producer. They began working together a week later. Justin was happy because it was a chance to make some extra income, but also because it provided a way to use his musical talents in a new medium.

He loved working with a podcast creator to bring his vision to life. Helping him tell the story in the podcast medium was a great challenge. It was also fun to work in a collaborative way since much of the time Justin is working alone.

It was halfway through working on the podcast that Justin realized there was a market need here that he could help fill. Podcasting has seen explosive growth in the last few years and he had the skills to help podcast creators tell their stories.

But if he was going to take this seriously he’d need a website. So, he built one using Squarespace and paid a friend to create a logo for him. It was as simple as that, the new side hustle was launched. Justin called it Podcast Music & Sound and would provide production, sound design and original music for podcasts.

Justin was at a big advantage in starting this type of side hustle. He already had all the sound equipment he’d need to serve clients. That meant his only costs were the creation of the website, logo and hosting. Less than $200 startup costs.

With his first client now wrapped up, website launched, and equipment at the ready, it was time to turn up the volume.

But he needed more clients. This is where starting a side hustle in a similar industry to your main gig can be beneficial. Justin had contacts, and now that he had a website and was open for business he put the word out. Little by little, some clients started coming in, usually through referral or recommendation.

Each client that he served helped him refine his processes. He had to make sure that he was able to deliver exactly what his clients were looking for in an efficient way. To do that, he’d set up an initial consult with them. Here, he asks what the podcaster is hoping to make the listener feel and what mood they’re going for.

He also asks for specific references of music that they like or particular instruments they want used. With that, Justin goes back and sends them a rough concept idea a short time later. Then it’s a matter of a few revisions working together to make sure the client can get exactly what they want. Once finished, the client is sent a master they can use for their podcast.

Podcast Music and Sound is generating Justin around $800 dollars per month right now. Justin bills by customizing each order to each client, there are no set prices. He works up a cost sheet for each task involved and then builds a budget based upon what each client needs.

But, this side hustle is far from being Justin’s swan song. He’s already started a second hustle. After launching Podcast Music and Sound he decided to start The Library of Music to expand his offerings of Original Music and Music Licensing to include TV, Film, Advertising, and Video Games. It will act as sort of a stock music resource for content producers.

On top of that Justin will be releasing 2 new original songs, as well as wrap production on albums for emerging country artists in the coming year. Clearly, Justin loves to keep busy in the music industry.

 


 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Podcast Music & Sound: Learn more about Justin’s services that he provides for podcasters
  • The Library of Music: Justin’s second, music related hustle where he creates custom music for various projects
  • JustinKlump.com: When Justin isn’t producing music for others he works and showcases his own music. Give him a listen!
  • Squarespace: The web platform Justin used to build his own websites

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
"As entrepreneurs, I believe we should be constantly learning, and a great way to do that is to work in areas that you’re unfamiliar in."
—Justin Klump #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

Comic Book Curator Creates Custom Crate Subscription

What It’s About

A subscription box that gets all of your favorite superheroes in the eager hands of a new generation!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Gene’s advice to someone following the subscription box model? Don’t try to build everything from scratch. There’s a lot of heavy lifting needed upfront. Gene wanted to bring on the Incredible Hulk originally to help with all that heavy lifting. Instead, he chose to partner with Cratejoy. Apparently, The Hulk doesn’t know the first thing about web programming…

Fun Fact

The storyline that got Gene hooked on comics was the Trial of Yellowjacket (Avengers) in the early ‘80s. He loved the story because it had a flawed hero who was dealing with his own demons and was much more nuanced and complex than anything on TV or movies at the time. His current favorite comics are Avengers and Iron Man. He loves their storylines, history and long character arcs.

Notes from Chris

Episode 685

Gene Farley has been reading comics since he was a little kid. They’ve always been a source of joy for him. He even thought how cool it’d be to own a comic book store someday. Two years after he got married, opportunity came knocking. The owners of the comic shop he’d been going to longer than Iron Man’s feud with Loki, decided to sell.

At the time, Gene was a graphic designer earning minimum wage. His wife, Pam, (featured in Ep. #418) was an admin assistant. When he asked his wife about buying the store, Gene imagined her slamming the hammer of Thor down on him with an emphatic, “NO!” Instead, she said, “OK, cool.”

So, on April 1, 1998, they maxed out all of their credit cards and bought the comic book store. (Kids, don’t try this at home.)

Fast forward to 2018. Gene is still running the comic book store alongside his wife. Business is good. They survived the recession and countless comic and pop-culture fads.

One day Gene and Pam were reminiscing about the good ‘ol days when you used to bike down the street to the neighborhood 7-11, blow your week’s allowance on a larger-than-life cherry flavored slurpee, and spend the rest of your day in sugary bliss reading Avengers comic books.

This thought made Gene stop and wonder, “What if there was a way to get kids off their electronics and, I don’t know, maybe open a book or something?” He knew how important reading was to his success. He also knew that comics are a great way to spark interest in reading.

Gene says that comic book people already know where to get their comics. However, busy parents may not have the time to make a special trip to the comic book store and try to figure out which comics are appropriate for their kids. (The whole goal is to reach new readers.)

Gene’s utility belt taser struck him with an idea. What if he started a subscription box service where customers would get comics delivered to their homes once a month?

Genes’ Spidey-sense kicked in and he devised a plan. All the customer would have to do is choose a G-rated or PG-rated comic book crate. He’d use his knowledge of comic books, what was popular that comic season, and any special information about the recipient to create a crate that will match either rating.

Gene doesn’t believe in assigning age or gender to the crates because he doesn’t want kids to feel “less than” if they’re older but they want to read Disney, or if they’re boys who want to read My Little Pony.

So, did this subscription box service idea actually work? By the mighty power of Stan Lee’s pen, yes. It did. Gene was pumped because he got annual subscribers right away. ComicCrate was a hit!

Since launching in July of this year, ComicCrate has been averaging a few thousand dollars a month in sales. Gene’s focusing on organic traffic only for now. His brick and mortar store is still their bread and butter, but ComicCrate is letting him reach many more people.

So, what’s on the horizon for Gene and ComicCrate? He’s been thinking of adding another rating level to his service, rated T for Teen+ readers. Gene said this could expand his audience significantly!

 


 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • ComicCrate: Learn more about Gene’s comic subscription box over on his website!
  • CrateJoy: The platform that Gene used to streamline his ordering system
  • Gardening Mama Monetizes Frugal Living Blog: By focusing on a specific group of readers—and understanding their core needs—a blog about natural living and saving money earns $3,000/month. Coincidentally, Pam Farley is Gene’s wife—learn more about her side hustle, here!

 

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
"Although we didn’t realize it as kids, comic books help improve literacy and encourage a genuine love of reading. Now that we have a family of our own, we know how important it is to be a good reader and to love reading. If our kids want to hide under the covers at night and read, we let ‘em!"
—Gene Farley #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

Nature-Loving Neighbors Create Kids Subscription Box

What It’s About

A subscription box to help kids get outside and exploring!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

To market their product, the team experimented with the traditional methods of online advertising. They tried paid social marketing, then Google pay per click ads. Neither of these methods got them the traffic they were looking for. At some point, they realized that their story was difficult to tell in those ways.

Instead, they began attending outdoor events as vendors and connected with nature-loving influencers. This had been a big help to their profits!

Fun Fact

Although the people in the team were raised in vastly different areas—from farm life to suburbs to city life in Germany—all four of them grew up being strongly connected with nature. They all remember their parents telling them to “go find something to do outside.”

Notes from Chris

Episode 678

Justin and Crystal Wren had just moved into a new neighborhood with their toddler. The day they moved, Justin saw his new neighbor Richard next door mowing the lawn. Justin knew exactly how to start their relationship off on the right foot, and held up two ice cold beers for them to share. Richard could get behind this peace offering. The two had their first conversation and would continue to have friendly chats in the yard from time to time in the coming years.

Over those years, their families began to grow. Justin and Crystal had two more children of their own, and Richard and his wife Kerstin gave birth to a baby girl. As they grew up, the girls were always running back and forth from one another’s houses. Through constantly trying to figure out where exactly their kids were, the couples began talking more and more. They started to hang out together, even without the kids. Eventually, they planned a trip to Chicago for both families in December of 2017.

The Friday the week before the Chicago trip, every single parent managed to have the day off work. They took the opportunity to walk the kids to school together. All four parents loved to be outside. In fact, they loved it so much that they wanted to walk nearly a mile in the cold both ways—just because they could.

During the walk, they started talking about how to keep their kids outside and active over the winter months. They knew that the allure of tablets and indoor toys was even stronger when it was cold outside. By the end of the walk, a competition had been started. Each couple had to come up with the most fun outdoor activities to incorporate into their trip for the next weekend.

Just a few days later, they had realized something through their research. There was no resource out there with all the information they were looking for. With the plethora of parents gripping about kids spending too much time on electronics and not playing outside anymore and the difficulty in finding the tools they needed to create fun outdoor activities, it seemed like there was an opportunity for someone to figure it out.

In fact, they believed they had enough ideas, with enough depth, that they could create a subscription box program.

Their excitement ignited, they went to Chicago the following weekend and spent their days exploring the city. And at night, they worked on their idea while the kids were sleeping. By the end of that weekend, the team had agreed on and bought the domain name for THiNK OUTSiDE Boxes, applied for an LLC, set up 8+ social media handles, and had a rough layout of what they wanted to work towards together.

After some deliberation, they decided that each box would cost $35. The price goes down a bit if you decide to subscribe quarterly, and down even further if you commit to a year.

But wait—you won’t beLEAF what they decided to do next. They chose to create only 12 boxes total, one per month for a year. That’s right—they decided to cap the length of time a customer could commit to their business. Each box is themed and follows a track that teaches topics including nutrition, first aid, navigation, and my favorite, fire-setting.

In the beginning, THiNK OUTSiDE Boxes was making about $500-$1500 a month. When they made time to attend those events, their October profit ended up being about twice as much as before, at right around $3,000. Plus, they were recently featured on CrateJoy, a database full of subscription box businesses.

The team created a joint bank account for all of the money made by the business. This just seemed like the right move for them. Justin says that a key part of doing business is to put the relationships you have with the people you’re working with ahead of the business – always. By doing this, they’ve continued to TREE-umph. We hope the trend continues, and remember: we’re rooting for you!

 


 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • THiNK OUTSiDE Boxes: Head on over to Justin, Crystal, and the gang’s website to help you and your kids get outside!
  • CrateJoy: The platform that the THiNK OUTSiDE Boxes team use to streamline their ordering system

 

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
"Our group has four different backgrounds, skill sets, and personalities, so our iteration process, what is important to each, what needs to be aligned on, etc. differs for each of us. We all think this has been a strength for us."
—Justin & Crystal Wren #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

Tennessean Meets Nepalese Sherpa on Lyft Ride, Sells Adventure Trips

What It’s About

A couple says “yes” to adventure and help others with their bucket lists.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

How does one decide on pricing for such a huge package deal? Mark starts with Dawa’s pricing as a subcontractor. Mark and Holly then add their margins on top of that. They want to be known as a company that offers an amazing service with extra goodies and attention at a reasonable price.

Fun Fact

“Sherpa” is a word commonly used to describe a mountain guide or porter who works in the Everest region. However, Sherpa is the actual name of an ethnic group of people who live in the mountains of Nepal.

Notes from Chris

Episode 677

Do you believe in fate? Call it kismet, chance, or the stars aligning, Mark Johnson believes that without it, he never would have started his side hustle. This fortuitous experience all happened because his truck needed repairs.

Mark and his wife Holly founded and operate Hobnail Trekking Co. They provide full-service treks to majestic locales in Nepal, including Everest Base Camp.

So how did fate play a part in the start of this side hustle? Trek back to August 2016, when Mark was one day away from leaving his job as a communications director at a nonprofit organization. It was a hot and sticky afternoon in Nashville, Tennessee, and the air-conditioner in Mark’s truck had quit working. Needing a ride to pick up that truck after repairs at his mechanic’s garage, Mark summoned a Lyft driver.

This was a Lyft ride that would change the course of history…. Or at least, the next point in our story.

Mark struck up a pleasant conversation with the young driver, whose name is Dawa Jangbu Lama Sherpa. Dawa spoke fluent English, but with an accent Mark couldn’t pinpoint. When Mark discovered Dawa was from Nepal, he asked if he knew anything about the Everest Base Camp trek. The trek was something Mark and Holly had put on their bucket list years ago. Dawa grinned and answered, “I am an Everest Region Sherpa. I’ve guided that trip dozens of times. I own a small trekking company in Nepal.”

This was a defining moment for Mark—what was the chance that he would meet this man, an Everest Region Sherpa—on a Lyft ride in Nashville, Tennessee?!

They exchanged information, and a few days later, Mark and Holly met to learn more about making the Everest Base Camp trek in the spring of 2018. At the time they had no idea how they’d pay for it, or how to even manage the logistics with their three kids, but they committed to making it happen.

As Mark researched more on the Everest Base Camp trek, he began to notice there were no regional companies that offered this trek. In fact, as far as he could tell, there were no companies with headquarters east of Colorado. Mark’s next thought was—why not create their own trekking company?

In January 2017, Mark and Holly launched Hobnail Trekking Co. After creating a company website, the couple booked a local venue to hold an informational meeting about trekking in Nepal. By Mark’s own admission, Dawa was the key to their success. A huge difference in their business is the fact that Dawa actually lives in Nashville part of the year. This means that potential trekkers get to meet and socialize with Dawa at pre-trek social events. This builds trust in the company before heading to the other side of the world.

Over the next few months, Hobnail held numerous meetings in outdoor retail stores in the Southeastern US and was featured in several newspapers. They also developed some strategic partnerships with other like-minded businesses. By October 2017, they had booked a full trek—15 people—including Mark and Holly—to depart in March 2018. After returning from that first amazing trek, they booked another group for the Fall 2018 trekking season. They are expecting substantially more business in 2019.

Gross annual income for Hobnail in their first year was $54,000—with start-up costs almost that much. This was in part due to initially underpricing treks and some steep costs associated with the custom gear they provide trekkers. However, Mark feels the custom gear is important to inspire confidence and trust in the company. The family has been able to start this company while Mark works as a freelance writer and Holly works as a nonprofit administrator.

Hobnail Trekking Co. is taking a bucket list item to new heights!

 


 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Hobnail Trekking Co.: Cross Mt. Everest off your bucket list—head on over to Mark and Holly’s website to get yourself on the fast track to base camp!

 

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
"The biggest lesson I can impart? Learn to recognize opportunities and then ACT on them! Even things that seem nearly impossible. The bottom line is, even if we closed shop tomorrow, we found a way to fulfill a major bucket list dream AND help a bunch of other people do the same. It has been an amazing experience."
—Mark Johnson #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Consolidate With LightStream!

Side Hustle School is brought to you by LightStream.

Have you ever looked at your credit card statement and been shocked by the interest rate? LightStream offers Credit Card Consolidation loans from 5.89 percent APR with Autopay.

Get a special discount on top of LightStream’s already low rates! 💳 Visit LightStream

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