Tag: Service

Product Manager Starts “Airbnb for Dungeons and Dragons”

What It’s About

A Dungeon Master levels-up with a marketplace for fellow gamers.

Words of Wisdom

Devon offers important advice for those stuck on an idea: “Figure out your minimum viable product. You don’t need to do everything at first. Secondly, quit stalling and just start!”

Fun Fact

Tabletop role-playing games go well beyond Dungeons and Dragons. There’s a game for everyone, from Buffy The Vampire slayer through to Mad Men.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1690
Devon Chulick makes his living helping people battle monsters, cast powerful spells, embark on fantastical adventures, and even slay the occasional dragon. But no, he’s not been cast as the new lead in a Netflix series—he’s a Games Master.

You see, Devon is a huge fan of tabletop roleplaying games like Dungeons and Dragons. He’s been playing them on and off for most of his life. If you’re not familiar with the concept, these games are a little like board games … just without the board. When players roll the dice they move the narrative forward and have to cooperate with other players to get towards the end goal.

A game usually lasts two to three hours, with an average of four to six players. Games Masters like Devon are one-part storyteller, one-part game referee. They make sure the game moves along as it should. In his case, Devon got into it as a way to unwind from his busy work as a Product Manager. He quickly found he had a skill for it, and he wasn’t the only one who noticed. Soon, he was being asked to host games for other players who wanted an experienced Games Master at the helm. As his weeknights began to fill up with exciting adventures, Devon began to ask himself the all-important question: would people pay for this?

After nearly two years of hosting games, he made his move. With a budget of $100, he made a simple website with a booking form. He settled on prices of between $25 and $45 per person, depending on the demands of the game. It was enough to justify his time but also keep the games accessible to players. When the site was ready to go, he shared it on local forums.

It turned out lots of people were open to the idea of paying for a professional Games Master to run their games. In fact, the demand was so high, that within just a few months Devon was earning $2,000 a month from hosting them. After he built some initial momentum from referrals, many of his customers found him organically through Google searches.

The owners make money by taking a 10% fee from each of the transactions, a figure they decided on by looking at similar business models from AirBnB and Fiverr. Accessibility remains important, as they didn’t want the price of using the service to get in the way of playing games.

So far, Startplaying.games has brought in a combined $500,000 since launch. Devon has also been able to quit his day job and focus on the project full-time.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Learn more about Devon and join a role-playing-game online at his website, Startplaying.games.

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
"Figure out your minimum viable product. You don’t need to do everything at first. Secondly, quit stalling and just start!"
—Devon Chulick #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

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Today’s episode of Side Hustle School is brought to you by ShipStation, the #1 choice of online sellers. 📦

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To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Designer Makes Magnificent Menswear

What It’s About

A new mom becomes a freelance designer for men’s apparel.

Words of Wisdom

Amy has some advice for those thinking about trying a similar professional path: “When I was deciding to do my own thing I looked around for examples of people like me, who were doing it because they felt like they needed to. You can be happy striking out on your own and create the work life balance you need, even if it’s not a future you ever saw for yourself.”

Fun Fact

The sports apparel market was valued at $167.7 billion in 2018. That’s a lot of jackets! [source]

Notes from Chris

Episode 1683
Amy Barnhart never aspired to work for herself or even start a side hustle. As a menswear designer for Tommy Bahamas, she liked the security of working for a large company.

Or at least, that was the case until she had her first child. The fast paced environment of the big brand world had its advantages, but they quickly evaporated once Amy became a parent. What she really wanted in place of a steady paycheck and corporate lunches was more free time and autonomy.

She tried to switch to a part time role, but it soon became apparent that wasn’t an option. So instead, she did something bold… she took a leap of faith, quit her job, and began a quest to make a living freelancing in the menswear industry.

To create the list of prospects she looked at trade show exhibitor lists and scoured Instagram. She’d browse the pages of menswear companies she’d liked in the past and look at suggested accounts that were similar to their brands.

Another key point: she avoided big brands. Instead, she targeted “direct to consumer” companies who were either just starting out or early on in their journey.

Amy found that for every ten emails she sent, she’d receive a few responses. For those in the know, this is an incredible response rate which Amy puts down to choosing targeted prospects and creating custom emails for each one. In other words, mass, generic emails don’t work!

Over the next year, Amy realized she actually liked running her own business. It surprised her, considering she’d never thought about it before having her baby. But she liked it in ways that didn’t only relate to the original goals of flexibility and free time as a new parent.

Fast forward to today, and Amy doesn’t need to cold email anymore, since she gets enough business through word of mouth. So much so that she makes a consistent income working only ten hours per week. She’s gone from being an employee, to a parent, to her own boss and more.

 

 

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
"You can be happy striking out on your own and create the work life balance you need, even if it’s not a future you ever saw for yourself."
—Amy Barnhart #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.
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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

Former Lego Instructor Makes Real Play Money

What It’s About

Building off his experience with corporate workshops, this facilitator gets paid to teach adults the value of play.

Words of Wisdom

Jeff shares this advice: “The more we are willing to experiment, the more we are willing to show up with curiosity, and simply play, the more likely we will figure it out than simply following the advice of others.”

Fun Fact

The movie Big (starring Tom Hanks!) was released in 1988 to critical and commercial acclaim. This story of a young boy who ends up inside the body of a grown man reminded a generation to always stay true to childhood.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1676
Sixteen years ago, Jeff Harry landed what sounds like a dream job, working for a toy company. He’d grown up watching the movie Big and idolized the main character (played by Tom Hanks) who is a literal grown up kid who works as a toy tester.

As the business grew they began offering corporate events. Jeff ran Lego workshops for some of the world’s biggest tech companies, including Facebook, Google, Adobe and PayPal. He noticed that even in these innovative companies, they didn’t allow the time nor space for their staff to take risks and play.

So, for the first time in fifteen years, Jeff started to think about a side hustle. He knew these workplaces could benefit from advocating things he’d been doing for years; having fun at work through play and positive psychology. He just needed a hook and a platform to assess interest.

For that, he came up with a fun workshop with a fellow WDSer, Gary Ware, called “How To Deal With A-Holes At Work Through Play” and launched it at the World Domination Summit.

After receiving an enthusiastic response, Jeff pitched the workshop to some major tech conferences, expecting nothing to come from it. He was wrong: three major conferences including South By SouthWest accepted the workshop into their program. The validation gave him confidence he was on the right track.

Over the course of the next year, Jeff was featured on one hundred and fifty podcasts where he shared his story. This exposed him to business owners and representatives at companies that wanted to work with him.

In addition to this podcast exposure, Jeff started posting short TikTok videos about common HR pain points. Afterwards, he’d repost them to other social media platforms. He also writes posts to Medium and LinkedIn on a regular basis and whenever someone reacts positively he’ll reach out to them to make a new connection.

This relationship building strategy has worked well. It’s enabled Jeff to run workshops throughout the pandemic and even boost his income, earning upwards of five thousand dollars per month so far.

As great as that is, Jeff truly believes in the power of play to improve relationships and well-being. He wants to keep teaching everything he knows and build a worldwide community around play.

 

 

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
"The more we are willing to experiment, the more we are willing to show up with curiosity, and simply play, the more likely we will figure it out than simply following the advice of others."
—Jeff Harry #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

Q&A: Can you get paid for views on a popular social post?

What It’s About

Today’s caller wants to know how to monetize viral social media posts.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1670

A listener has written a viral Facebook post that went on to get millions of views. After the fact, they’re thinking about what they could have done—or what they could do now—to capitalize on all the attention.

It’s a very interesting question that reminds of a story. After you hear their question in more detail, I’ll share the story and my answer about capitalizing on viral post fame.

“A few years ago, I wrote a post on Facebook that ended up going viral. I didn’t have a business account, but all of a sudden I had tens of thousands of people viewing, sharing, and commenting on the post. It took weeks for the attention to die down. I’ve thought about this experience ever since. Was there some way to monetize all this attention that I just didn’t see at the time? Do some social networks pay people based on the number of views their posts receive? Unfortunately I haven’t been able to replicate those results since then, but I wonder if there’s a key or lesson I can apply in some other way.”

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

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

Sponsors & Gratitude

Don't Do Business Without It

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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

Seattle Couple Creates New “Income LiveStream”

What It’s About

With weddings on lockdown, one couple rides the wave of live-streaming events.

Words of Wisdom

Dale shares some important encouragement, “sometimes you can have an amazing idea, but the market isn’t ready yet or the stars haven’t aligned in such a way that your idea is immediately accepted. But by investing into your side hustle you put yourself in the position to capitalize on an opportunity and realize your dream.”

Fun Fact

By the end of the year, Live streaming is going to be a $70.5 billion industry by 2021 [source]

Notes from Chris

Episode 1669
When Dale and Lydia Wilson were planning their wedding in 2016, they ran into a familiar problem: not everybody they wanted to invite was able to attend. Some people lived far away, including older relatives with health issues who just couldn’t make the trip. Dale and Lydia wanted a way for everyone to feel part of their special day, no matter their location.

This led them to explore the option of live streaming: having someone with a camera broadcast their wedding through social media so their friends and family could just log on and tune in. But the only affordable way to live stream was through a mobile phone and the thought of having people watch on a fuzzy screen was less than appealing. Ultimately, they abandoned the idea … but a short while later, Dale and Lydia found themselves on the other side of the problem.

Unable to attend a relative’s wedding, they watched through a Facebook live stream. It was fun, but they couldn’t help wishing that the quality was better. It was hard to see and hear what was going on from the back row through a smartphone camera. This got them thinking: “Is there a service that provides high-quality live streams for weddings?”. The answer, after much Googling, was a resounding no. That’s how they found their idea for what they called Married Livestream.

The result of their hard work was … more than a little disheartening. They were only able to book a few weddings for the coming season and it seemed like the optimistic response from their friends and family hadn’t translated into live streaming demand. Dale had to venture back into his old career to supplement their income, and Lydia took extra hours as a nanny to make ends meet. It felt like Married Livestream had been a resounding failure. And, then, COVID-19 struck.

Dale and Lydia had hoped it would be the turning point for their business. It was the problem they’d faced at their own wedding but on a global scale. Almost nobody could travel anywhere. But, despite the rest of the world turning to online video for entertainment and connection, they somehow ended up with fewer bookings. There were cancellations and re-schedulings and it seemed like all hope was lost.

But, as the lockdown restrictions eased in the summer, the bookings started to flood in. Suddenly, they found themselves with forty weddings booked for the next few months. Their income skyrocketed in the space of a few weeks, and they were able to leave the work they’d taken on to make ends meet behind.

Dale and Lydia are now on track to earn over $100,000 in income from their business this year. They’ve already surpassed what they made last year in the first half of 2021.

Looking to the future, Dale and Lydia are focused on expansion. They’d like to go into online teaching by creating courses that will help others learn how to live stream weddings and events. They’re also looking to hire someone to do the live streaming for them, so they can focus on sales and marketing, all while spending more time with their daughter.

 

 

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
"Sometimes you can have an amazing idea, but the market isn’t ready yet or the stars haven’t aligned in such a way that your idea is immediately accepted. But by investing into your side hustle you put yourself in the position to capitalize on an opportunity and realize your dream."
—Dale Wilson #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

Warehouse Manager Sells Twitter-Threads-As-a-Service

What It’s About

A warehouse manager finds a way to tweet for cash. #brilliant

Words of Wisdom

Matthew saw how popular Twitter threads were and simply offered to create these for others. What side hustle idea can you come up with being observant of the world around you?

Fun Fact

Twitter is one of the world’s largest social networks, and arguably the most influential. Reaching over 300 million active users per month there’s a lot of potential selling products and services to those who want to capitalize on its immense popularity.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1662
Matthew Alexander works as a retail warehouse manager by day. When he isn’t thinking about the physical logistics of his job, he’s hanging out online looking for inspiration and ideas. Yet, as an active member of both the IndieHacking and No-code communities, he knows an idea is just the starting point; creating something and marketing it is when the real battle starts.

That was never more evident than when he first dabbled in the side hustling waters. He had the technical know-how to create an offering and build a website. But he fell short on creating an audience to market that offering. That was when Matthew began noticing Twitter threads.

Twitter threads are a series of related tweets that tell a story or elaborate on a topic when one hundred and forty characters aren’t enough. Some people share their best of tweets or connect anything they feel requires the additional text. For example, a thread might include a series of exercise tips for losing weight, or tips to improve your business in a specific way.

In relation to Matthew’s project, he’d seen a lot of Twitter threads go viral and help to significantly boost the posters profile and followers. With that audience, they could monetize their service and products. So, he set about trying it for himself with his accounts and low and behold, things did improve. He didn’t set the world on fire overnight but his followers increased after he started making threads.

Forever business minded, Matthew saw an opportunity here. If Twitter threads worked for others as well as himself, would people be willing to pay for a service that created threads for them? He set about testing the concept.

He purchased the domain name Ttaas.co—Twitter Threads as a Service—and used Carrd, a free website builder, to launch the site quickly. Carrd allowed for easy integration with Stripe, a credit card payment processor. After customers paid, Matthew directed them to a free Google Form where he asked a few questions about their business and objectives.

Matthew was featured in a newsletter that went out to fifteen thousand people, all aspiring entrepreneurs and side hustlers; exactly his target audience. That feature brought an influx of customers and a fair amount of overwhelm along with it. Matthew felt flustered, and unable to handle the volume effectively; especially while juggling his day job as well.

Yet he soon settled into it and managed the overflow just fine by outsourcing some of the work. Right in the nick of time too, because his side hustle kept growing to the point where he’s now generated two thousand dollars per month.

He’s managed to thread the needle between working a day job and balancing a side hustle. Matthew says this isn’t his first and it certainly won’t be his last.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Learn more about Matthew and his service at his website, ttaas.co.
  • Matthew used tools like, Carrd to launch his website and Stripe to collect online payments.

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
"Just start and keep going. This wasn’t my first side hustle attempt and it won’t be my last. The first one most likely won’t workout."
—Matthew Alexander #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

Cheese Connoisseur Makes Legen-dairy Creations

What It’s About

A remote worker’s gift turns into an unexpected business. You won’t get board with this story!

Words of Wisdom

When it comes to starting a side hustle, Monisha encourages people to not get swept up in what other people are doing. “Protect your brand. It’s easy to get really caught up when you’re new. Trust your gut and do what’s best for your business.”

Fun Fact

The word charcuterie is derived from the French words “char” which means “flesh” and “cuit” which means “cooked.”

SOURCE: https://corkdining.com/fine-dining/the-history-of-charcuterie-boards-and-why-you-should-drink-wine-them/

Notes from Chris

Episode 1655
Monisha Misra loves charcuterie and cheese boards. The delicious and aesthetically pleasing displays of crackers, cheese, cured meats, fruits and spreads are hard not to like, and in college Monisha and her friends began to make them for fun. Creating platters quickly became their go-to thing when guests came to visit.

Ten years later, Monisha’s college days were behind her and she was living in Boston while working in software sales. She still loved making charcuterie platters for evenings with friends, but those gatherings were about to halt. It was March 2020, and she had recently been sent home from work due to a mysterious virus.

Monisha watched from home as her friends, family members and countless strangers in healthcare worked 12-15 hour shifts trying to keep the pandemic under control. She felt lazy sitting around in her sweatpants, all while knowing so many people were working to manage the emerging crisis.

Monisha realized that after those long days, a charcuterie board or cheese platter would be the perfect way to recharge. So she contacted with a doctor friend to drop off her speciality creations to the hospital staff—all for free.

Monisha loved giving the boards away for free, and hadn’t even thought about selling them—but she decided to give it a try, starting with selling one to a friend for Mother’s Day.

She created an Instagram account called @BoardsbyMo, and planned a launch at the end of May. In her words, she had no direction, no strategy and no supplies. Instead, she began to post, tag, and hashtag to get her product in front of as many eyes as she could.

Then, she set up a website, BoardsbyMo.com. She wanted to make sure that her website was 100% ecommerce, since she didn’t have a lot of time to manage emails or write blog posts. All you could do was look at pretty pictures of food platters … and make a purchase.

Not only that, but in August 2020, she decided to add a new component to her business: online courses. Whoa, how did we go from food sales to online courses? Now on month six of the pandemic, people were craving new, safe ways to have experiences with their friends—and what better way to do that than with a charcuterie building class?

The virtual classes were a huge hit. Monisha is making about $14,00 worth of sales each month, with a 44% profit margin. Her Instagram account now has 46,000 followers and is constantly growing—she’s even partnered with companies like GrubHub and TjMaxx.

For now, the day job continues, but at some point she hopes to franchise BoardsbyMo and do it full-time.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Learn more about Mo and her delicious boards at her website,, boardsbymo.com.

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

WEB HOSTING @ $2.49/MONTH

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

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

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

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

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

Quote of the Day
"Venture out, learn what makes you uncomfortable and repeat. What I learned about myself in 15 years I could never have learned just from reading books or hearing others tell their stories."
—Eva Rosales #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.
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To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Real Estate Agent Profits from Bulk Mail Biz

What It’s About

Neither snow nor rain, nor email has stopped this bulk mail marketing hustle.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Looking to start your own bulk mail hustle? Margie has an important reminder, “the post office isn’t there to teach you how to do bulk mail. You need to do your research and buy software that will help you prepare the mail for you.”

Fun Fact

Each day, the United States Postal Service can process and deliver over 430 million pieces of mail. That’s a lot of mail! [Source]

Notes from Chris

Episode 1653
Almost two decades ago, Margie Yohn worked in the marketing department of a large law firm in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It wasn’t a great environment, so she knew she needed a way out. In February 2002, she started a small marketing company of her own. (She called it BeYohnd Services.)

Margie had originally planned to offer creative and graphic design but found that most clients wanted to do that themselves. However, she’d also learned how to put together bulk mailings. Using that knowledge, she started offering direct mail services for standard, nonprofit, and first class bulk mail. Starting out, she ran the whole operation from her computer, using software that cost about $650/year. She also placed the address labels by hand.

Later that year, Margie left her job at the law firm. She invested in a high-speed inkjet addresser so she could ramp up her business and take on larger mailings. Almost all her business came from word of mouth and activity in referral networks such as the Chamber of Commerce.

That part was surprisingly easy—her greater challenge was dealing with the post office. They had no incentive to provide help to increase bulk mail usage. Margie had to work to establish a relationship that proved she knew what she was doing. Once she was consistently dropping mail that was sorted, addressed and created the way they wanted, they left her alone. She ran the business for a couple of years, but the larger mailings—like 25,000 pieces at one time—took up a lot of room in her house and weren’t very profitable.

So what did she do? Margie got rid of her least profitable clients, stopped looking for new ones, and shut down the website. Scaling back gave her the ability to make a career change and start a new career in real estate. Now, her side business makes about $1,000—$2,000 a month which pays credit card bills and some household expenses.

For anyone interested in getting into bulk mailing as a business, Margie recommends checking out the direct mail resources on the USPS website—just note that USPS calls it “marketing mail.” Some post offices offer training on mail preparation or have what’s called Postal Customer Councils. Mailers and postal representatives can participate in PCC’s to network, offer training or educational programs and address issues that mailers may be experiencing.

Several times in her journey, Margie considered closing shop as her full-time job got busier. Fortunately, she has such an efficient system in place that one $600 job takes her two hours. She’d be walking away from easy money if gave it up and maintaining the side hustle has freed her from financial stress.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Learn more about Margie’s main hustle when she’s not mailing letters at her website, MargieYohn.com.

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

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 considered closing shop as my full-time job got busier. The reality is I have such an efficient system in place that I’d be walking away from easy money if I did that. I’m glad I never did."
—Margie Yohn #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Learn More With Skillshare!

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

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

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

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

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


Here's How

Keep in Touch

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


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Digital Marketer’s Playlist Skills Pay Off

What It’s About

A DJ spins the hits … and the crowds yells, “BINGO!!!”

Words of Wisdom

Chelsea shares an important reminder; “Charge what you’re worth. Don’t discount taking the time to make a playlist, getting to the venue, the act of hosting, etc.”

Fun Fact

Bingo originated in Italy and is descended from Lo Giuoco del Lotto d’Italia, the Italian national lottery. It’s been played in one version or another since 1530!

Notes from Chris

Episode 1648
When Chelsea Tirone was in college, she was always the one making the playlists for a night out, a road trip, or a workout. Now, she’s a digital marketer who also gets paid to create playlists for her side hustle Beats, Brews & Bingos.

It started last year when Chelsea was doing social media marketing for a local brewery in Charleston, South Carolina. The owner wanted to bring events back once COVID restrictions lifted. They’d been hosting regular bingo nights prior to the pandemic, but the host had moved away.

Chelsea was somewhat familiar with music bingo from other places, so she suggested it. The owner agreed to try it for one night, with Chelsea doing the hosting… and the music hasn’t stopped since.

Here’s how it works. Music bingo is like regular bingo but with songs. There’s a different bingo pattern each round, such as five in a row. If an attendee completes the pattern, they yell “Bingo!” really loud and they get a free beer.

Chelsea admits that she was super nervous the first time she hosted, since she wasn’t confident in her public speaking skills. However, she quickly gained confidence. In fact, it went so well that she decided to offer the experience elsewhere—and she now hosts musical bingo at five breweries and bars in Charleston. Beats, Brews, & Bingos has a loyal following of people who come every week, and earns a profit of $1,750 per month. Chelsea sometimes also gets tips from people who’ve had a fun night out.

Next, she plans to create a monthly music bingo membership for other venues outside of Charleston. The membership will include four curated playlists per week, as well as social media templates and everything they need to start hosting music bingo! She’s even going to find a roster of local hosts so all the venues have to do is host it and supply the prizes, typically free drinks.

The best part of the journey so far has been watching families and friends come in week after week. After 2020, that sounds like something we could all enjoy.

 

 

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
"Charge what you’re worth. Don’t discount taking the time to make a playlist, getting to the venue, the act of hosting, etc."
—Chelsea Tirone #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

Teen Blogger Draws Up Design Company

What It’s About

An entrepreneurial teenager now runs a full design studio as a college student.

Words of Wisdom

When it comes to starting a side hustle, Hedy has a unique perspective as a young entrepreneur, “Just go for it. Don’t think about how ready you are, it’s more about learning through the process. As a teen who was really brand new to entrepreneurship and business, I know what it’s like to have imposter syndrome thinking ‘who am I to be doing this?’. But if you really stick to it, and show the value you can bring, people will hire you.”

Fun Fact

About 77% of internet users read blogs, 61% of consumers in the United States have purchased something based off of a blog.

SOURCE: 20 Interesting Facts about Blogs

Notes from Chris

Episode 1627
When Hedy Zhou {head-y Joe} was just 15 years old, she had already been running her first side hustle as a piano instructor for about a year.

For her second, she saw an ad for Wix that said she could make a website for free. At the time, Hedy figured that if she made the website, people would simply come to her. Surprise! It didn’t happen. She only got about five visitors, and none of them wanted to give her any money.

After a break, she created a second blog. This time, she was determined to make all the right moves. She took a much more business approach, and decided to interview entrepreneurs from different industries. She also had a few guest posts on the blog.

A year later, she came across a classmate who had her own website and it inspired her to try once more. Third time’s the charm, right? She decided it would be an authentic, online space with a diary-like feel called Happily, Hedy.

This blog was indeed more popular than the first two. Moreover, as she connected with other bloggers, Hedy noticed that she kept getting comments about her website design. It got her thinking. Could she offer design as a service?

If nothing else, she would try. She soon added a “Services” tab to her blog, where she offered to do basic graphic design projects for a low price. From there, she created a portfolio with all the designs she’d made in the past—at least all the ones she was proud of. Not only that, but she started to post in various Facebook groups advertising her website. After a couple of weeks, Hedy got her first inquiry.

After that, Hedy began to reach out to brands for sponsored posts and collaborations. It didn’t take long to realize that she needed to refocus her blog. While she loved writing about whatever she was interested in at the moment, she knew that writing more specifically about design had more potential for her business.

Once she began to focus, interest picked up. Hedy joined a program that was sponsored by her city, and through that she made connections. Eventually, one of them found out about her studio and hired her to do a design initiative.

Hedy is now a student in college working towards her undergraduate degree. She makes at least $1,000/month working her own hours. While the money is nice, it’s also given her valuable skills. She has knowledge in SEO, marketing, sales and of course, has improved her design ability. Once she graduates, she plans to make it her full-time career or maybe even start a new company.

 

 

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
"Venture out, learn what makes you uncomfortable and repeat. What I learned about myself in 15 years I could never have learned just from reading books or hearing others tell their stories."
—Eva Rosales #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