Tag: Service

Q&A: How to grow a face painting business?

What It’s About

A listener wonders how to grow her face painting hustle.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1121

I have long had a goal of every listener who believes in the values of earning additional income, whether they want to quit their job or not, being able to earn at least $500/month. I like this number because it’s both obtainable and meaningful. You can’t live off $500/month, but for a lot of people, it dose make a significant difference in their lifestyle, especially if they’re trying to save or pay off debt.

The other reason why I like starting with a goal like that is because once you can achieve a basic level of income from most project, it’s usually not that hard to increase it. It’s not twice as hard to go to $1,000/month, or four times as hard to go to $2,000, for example.

There are two ways to grow, especially with a service like the one you’ll hear about in today’s listener question, which comes from a South Carolina woman who’s making money with facepainting, but would like to grow by selling more to her customers. What should she try?

My side hustle is facepainting, and my question is about creating more income streams from this project. Other facepainters do things like making videos or offering courses or selling paint to other facepainters. But I was thinking of going a different way and selling more to my customers. I’ve thought about pairing up with other vendors like photographers and balloon twisters, and was wondering about other ideas you have.

 

Listen to today’s episode to learn more…

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

 

SEE ALSO:

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

Sponsors & Gratitude

Learn More With Skillshare!

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

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

Student Quits Restaurant Job, Starts Moving Business

What It’s About

An enterprising college student’s Odyssey to create a successful moving company.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

It’s encouraging to hear stories of young entrepreneurs. There’s a lot to learn from their resourcefulness and willing to try different business ideas. Go towards the bottom of the page to see more episodes featuring young business people.

Fun Fact

Peter created an incentive system (known as GAST, or “Good As Shit Tickets”) that inspires employees to be on time and mindful when on the job. It instantly resulted in better employees, teamwork, and reviews.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1120

Peter Kaffen was like a lot of college students—short on cash—so he got a job working at a restaurant. It did the trick for a while. But at some point Peter heard the adage, “If you don’t work on your dreams, you’ll work on the dreams of others,” and a fire was lit.

He didn’t want to be an order-taker or a tool for someone else’s success. He wanted to build his own. Peter started toying with a few ways he could start his own thing, and it didn’t take long for him to pick house cleaning.

A lot of people hate chores and cleaning—especially his upperclassmen friends at college—so he bought a book (“How to Start a Cleaning Business”) and some supplies. In December of 2015, he started Odd Jobs Incorporated.

His childhood home was good practice for his new cleaning skills, but he really wanted to challenge himself. He talked to a few seniors in his fraternity whose house was in a state of squalidness and offered to clean it for free if he could take ‘before and after’ pictures.

They agreed and Peter labored for several hours. It was hard work, but worth it. The upperclassmen were so impressed they paid Peter anyway—then quickly referred him to their sister sorority!

After a while, he began to get consistent house cleaning gigs at $20 per hour, mostly from word of mouth, but also from a platform called Thumbtack Pro, which enabled him to bid on local jobs. After spending some time on the platform, however, he realized something: there were way more moving jobs than cleaning jobs—and they paid a lot better.

So he started bidding on these moving jobs. He still remembers the first one he got—he hired two helpers, did the job in an hour, and walked away with $100. It was good money, even at his low price. So in December of 2016, he switched the business name to “Greek Movers.” (He knew he wanted to go big or go Homer.)

Now a junior in college, Peter started being more intentional about marketing. He set up a professional Yelp page. He emailed people who were asking for help with moving on Craigslist. He dropped business cards off at local businesses.

He even started experimenting with Google AdWords, although that turned out to be the riskiest option. Running ads was a completely different skill—a fairly technical one—and Peter found that if he got cocky and tried to run too many too fast, he’d just end up wasting money. There are only so many people looking to move at any given time.

The initial strategy was simple: start off with a very low wage to quickly gain testimonials and experience, and make the customer cover the cost of the U-Haul truck. With these unreasonably low prices, Greek Movers was able to smite the competition and quickly earn a good reputation.

When Peter graduated college, he didn’t change course. Greek Movers was working—and he was going to keep growing it full-time. He opened up an Excel spreadsheet for the very first time to examine the state of his business—something we usually suggest doing a bit sooner—and discovered something that made his heart skip a beat: he was on track for a $7,000 month.

No matter how he grows the business this year, Peter’s not building someone else’s dream anymore. He’s building his own Parthenon of freedom in the form of Greek Movers.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Greek Movers: Learn more about Peter and his business at his 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

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
"Rules are essential in a service business. Your team wants to do the best they can, but they can’t read your mind. So having definite rules telling them what they can and can’t do really helps make everything clear cut."
—Peter Kaffen #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.
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

TBT: Local Food Tours Chomp Down on Profit

What It’s About

Our second Throwback Thursday episode features a Denver food tour business that has made a lot of stomachs very happy.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1118

Welcome to something new! We’re calling it Throwback Thursday / “Where are they now?” and we’re going to an in-depth look at someone who’s story has evolved considerably since we first featured them.

Last week was our first one of these. It was all about a New York City musician who creates a suite of online resources to learn jazz. It began as a hobbyist blog and is now a booming multiple six-figure business.

Today, in our second feature, we’ll hear from a woman in Denver who has an idea to offer private cooking lessons. That goes well, but she discovers an even bigger opportunity in the world of food tours. When we featured her a while back, her business was already doing gangbusters.

What’s happened since?

Listen to today’s episode to hear Jessica’s updates…

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

 

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

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

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

GET YOUR FIRST 1,000 EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS

Social media is nice, but building an email list is still the single best way to get customers and clients for your hustle. It's not hard to get started—sign up for a 30-day trial and join the list-building challenge! You’ll be up and running in no time. Learn More

Quote of the Day
"Do a deep dive on the details, make sure you’re really committed to the operational side of running the business because that is what will keep you in business. "
—Jessica Baumgart #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

CLASSROOM: Different Categories of Side Hustles

What It’s About

Is your side hustle idea a product or a service?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1115

Welcome to Week 4 of our new Classroom series!

Last week we talked where moneymaking ideas come from. I gave you a number of examples, including some suggested by listeners (my favorite: call your dog on Skype service). We looked at four ways to find high-potential ideas:

  • Observation: paying attention to the world around you, perhaps noticing something that could be improved
  • Problem solving: making lists of problems and brainstorming solutions in the form of products and services
  • Asking questions: looking for the reasons, stated or subtle, for why people spend money (and deciphering what else they might buy)
  • Experimentation: just trying out whatever comes to mind

Most business ideas fall into two broad categories: providing a service or selling a product, one way or another. A product is something you sell, a service is something you provide. Products can be digital and services can be virtual, but most of what we’ll look at this year can fit into one of those two big buckets.

Listen to today’s Classroom episode to learn more…

 

 

THIS WEEK’S ASSIGNMENT:

For every idea you’ve come up with so far, classify it as a product or service and notice if you learn anything from that process. If you’ve had five ideas, are they all products, all services, or a combination of the two?

Which of the ideas are you most excited about, which of them seem the most feasible, and which seem to have the most potential?

The answers to those questions are going to lead us straight into next week’s CLASSROOM episode, which is all about deciding on the best idea to pursue at any given time.

 

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
"Don’t get hung up on any finer distinction; just think about that general rule: a product is something you sell, a service is something you provide. "
—#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

Bartender Brews Up Brewpub Tour Biz

What It’s About

Hop on board this Brewpub tour bus … it’s on a roll!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Whether you’re starting your business or in the process of growing it, don’t be afraid to seek out help. Here’s Zach; “If I could do anything differently I would have hired a branding agency, lawyer and accountant from the start.”

Fun Fact

In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts… So in old England , when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them ‘Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down.’It’s where we get the phrase ‘mind your P’s and Q’s’

Notes from Chris

Episode 1109
If enough people ask you the same question, it might be a sign from the universe that you’ve found your moneymaking idea. That’s what happened to Zach Poole while working at a pub in Portland, Maine. Customers kept asking him what breweries they should visit—and after answering the question dozens of times, something clicked. There should be a tour for these people.

That was when the idea for Zach’s side hustle, the Maine Brew Bus, was born. These tours take guests around some of the best breweries in Portland, with Zach serving as both tour guide and designated driver.

Let’s look under the hood.

The Brew Bus tours are all-inclusive, with a flat fee that varies depending on the tour, but is typically around $70. The fee covers transport, the guide, and tastings at each brewery the bus visits. Depending on the tour, the bus will stop at three to five breweries, distilleries, and wineries. This takes place over the course of half a day, and some tours include activities like attending local hockey games.

By 2016, the Maine Brew Bus had ten staff members, and had taken more than 5,000 people on their tours.

As the business grew, the Portland brewery scene grew as well. That meant more beer to go around, and more bus tours popping up in Portland. But for Zach, it was important to never see these other tours as competitors that he needed to tear down. He was glad to see the idea grow in popularity, and went out of his way to help fellow operators.

This genorous attitude has only further increased his reputation on the Maine beer scene. In March of 2017, the Maine Brew Bus acquired Maine Beer Tours, a similar tour business that doesn’t use buses. Some of their tours are on foot, on bikes, or even by boat. This allowed Zach to offer a whole new set of tours without setting them all up himself.

By 2019, the empire had grown from one bus to three, with thirteen drivers and guides, and raked in $600,000 in sales. Zach now runs the Maine Brew Bus full-time, but on a flexible schedule, which allows him to spend more time with his family.

As for what’s next? Well, marijuana is now legal in the state, so the Maine Cannabus is one idea…

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Maine Brew Bus: Learn more about Zach and the Maine Brew Bus tours at his website.

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

WEB HOSTING @ $2.49/MONTH

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

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

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

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

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

Quote of the Day
"The lime green color of the bus was probably one of the best business decisions I made without knowing how important it was."
—Zach Poole #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

Globetrotting Sommelier Leads Popular Wine Tours

What It’s About

A wine bar owner puts a cork in his business, finding more fruit in hosting tours.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

While he hasn’t had any formal training, Heath is confident about one thing: service is something that people always notice. This nugget has allowed him to launch his own business, but also to travel around the world doing something that he loves. Now that’s something we can all raise a glass to.

Fun Fact

Heath’s business was born out of two simple questions: how would he like to eat and drink around the world, and how he could get others to pay for it.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1088
Heath Porter has been a sommelier and a food and beverage professional for more than twenty-five years. It was his passion for food and wine that led to the birth of his then-hustle, now-full time work at Heathen Wine Tours.

What inspired his love of wine? Well, Heath grew up in a dry county in North Alabama, where alcohol was not allowed. From his late teen years onward, he moved around to work at wine bars and holiday resorts in Hawaii, West Virginia, and Miami.

Traveling, meeting and tasting with winemakers was simply part of his job… a part that Heath very much enjoyed. He acquired a great deal of experience—so much so that guests, who were impressed by his tastings and classes, began to ask about the possibility of tagging along on his next wine adventure.

Heath didn’t think much about it at first. But finally, one day he simply said he would book a group trip if they would give him a credit card number. To his surprise, his regulars did so. This wasn’t cheap: at around $2,000 per person, Heath booked a trip to wine country Santa Barbara, California for his party of ten.

With tremendous positive feedback from his guests—and some of them remarking that he should charge more than he did—he organized another trip to Italy. As the guests returned to request yet another trip, he found himself visiting Spain and France … and then Chile. All of this took place from 2014 to 2018, while he was still working full-time at his last wine bar.

His first thought was to plan trips to places where he knew the most winemakers and owners. The idea was to be able to bring his guests to cellars and vineyards where they could eat and drink like family. This obviously required some degree of familiarity and comfort with others – something which Heath had cultivated over many years in his career.

Soon, friends of friends were booking tours. Those that attended enjoyed the experience so much that for the first five years about 80% of Heath’s business was from repeat customers.

In 2018, he realized that he likely had enough trips booked to look at doing this full-time. While his first trip had made him just a couple of thousand dollars after expenses, he had viewed it mostly as a fun experience he did apart from his real job. Now, he looked at what it would take to make the tours more of a steady gig.

As with other luxury products and experiences, it wasn’t easy for Heath to price his products. He did so by making comparisons with similar tours and then making sure that he could offer better value—typically by offering more while charging less. This he says, is what has allowed his business to take off. In fact, a tour he organized to essentially serve as an advertisement ended up netting him over $10,000.

On average, Heath is able to make a 40% profit margin on most tours. At the end of each one, he raises a glass or two in celebration … and then he gets ready for the next trip.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Heathen Wine Tours: Want to go on your own wine tour? Learn more about Heath and his business at his website.

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

WEB HOSTING @ $2.49/MONTH

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

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

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

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

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

Quote of the Day
"The one thing that always prevails is service. That goes for any business in the world: service is always something people will notice and come back for."
—Heath Porter #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Try ShipStation for 60 Days FREE!

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

To get a 30-day trial AND an additional month free, click the microphone at the top of their page and enter the word HUSTLE.
Get it Here

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

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

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

Keep in Touch

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


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Software Engineer Scavenges For Profits

What It’s About

A live-action photo scavenger hunt.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

When should you go all-in with your hustle? Chris has some insight regarding this: “My primary struggle was worrying I’d run out of money before the idea had a chance to grow legs. I took many side jobs as a result, consulting gigs…low paying gigs even…whatever just to slow my burn rate. I think that was all wasted time and effort actually. If I were to go back, I’d value the time put into the business more than the time refilling my savings.”

Fun Fact

Scavenger hunts have come in many different forms over the years often facilitated by new technology. The most recent scavenger hunt that took the world by storm was Pokemon Go. It has over a billion global downloads, and had over 147 million monthly active users at one point in time.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1087

It was more than fifteen years ago when Chris Germain attended his first photo scavenger hunt. That, of course, was a different time, with no smartphones, less internet access, and a reliance on good old pen and paper. Needless to say the hunt was low-fi and analog… but also a lot of fun. In fact, Chris enjoyed it so much that he wanted to arrange a hunt of his own.

A photo scavenger hunt challenges groups of people to get outside their comfort zone and explore the real world. They complete tasks from a list and take photographic proof to go along with it. The tasks include things like ‘take a photo of yourself in a candy shop’ or ‘wear a stranger’s hat.’

But Chris never did figure out a way to make it work, so he sat on the dream for a decade. Yes! Ten years! In that time he built a career as a software engineer.

It was his interest in technology, along with the rise of smartphones, that inspired him to revisit his old idea of creating a photo scavenger hunt—but with a tech-enabled twist.

Chris wrote some code to scan the email, extract the picture and use the code to assign the correct team. He could then log-in, judge all the photos and notify the players who won.

He tested this concept by planning scavenger hunts through meetup groups and his own social connections. For a while, the only people who showed up were friends or friends of friends, no one outside that network. Chris wasn’t worried. He enjoyed the process and ran his hunts on a casual basis… at least until a life change made him reassess things.

That change came when Chris unexpectedly lost his day job as a software engineer. Instead of stressing out and frantically trying to find a new job, he took the opportunity to consider what he really wanted for his life. Was it staring at a screen all day—or taking a chance on finding something that he might enjoy more?

He had savings to last him a couple of years, so instead of looking for a new job, Chris decided to ramp up his scavenger side hustle now called FrogQuest. For months the only clients Chris was able to pick up were from his second-tier network. While they paid, it wasn’t lucrative enough to live on, not by a long shot.

A stroke of luck was about to turn things around.

You see, at the end of each hunt the guests would meet in a bar and Chris would play a slideshow of the best photographs. This often involved laughter and boisterous behavior which led to others asking what all the fun was about. One of those people was a manager from a local business who asked Chris to run a hunt for their team building day. It was his first corporate client, and it brought in some real money.

As Chris began making real money from FrogQuest, he could let go of outside consulting work and focus on turning it into a real business. One of the things he’s invested in is building an app to replace the email method he’d been using for over five years. The app helped him scale. Chris could set up hunts but didn’t actually have to be there to run them. He could merely facilitate through the app from a remote location.

This has helped Chris grow FrogQuest into a money maker that allows him to continue working on it full time. Last year, he earned sixty thousand dollars, not as much as his old six-figure salary but more than he needs to live one and with a much-improved lifestyle.

While it didn’t happen in a flash, Chris eventually took the perfect side hustle picture.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • FrogQuest: Learn more about Chris’s scavenger hunts on his website.

 

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

WEB HOSTING @ $2.49/MONTH

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

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

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

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

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

Quote of the Day
"Ask yourself…how much do I really want this? it’s hard. You will doubt yourself. You need to want it really bad to push through those doubtful moments and trust yourself."
—Chris Geirman #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

Student Bytes Into Lucrative Web Host Biz

What It’s About

A college student builds a six-figure web hosting business from his dorm room.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

For many, starting a side hustle is about becoming your own boss and having more freedom and control. Corey share’s an interesting perspective when you start scaling your company, “I’d say “not having a boss” has been one of the best parts, but that’s not true. My first company had around 30,000 bosses (clients).”

Fun Fact

Playing in a band during college, Corey befriended many of the venue owners and local bands who he provided hosting services for. He calls his journey with Ubiquity his own version of becoming a rock star.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1078

While getting his degree in systems analysis at Illinois State University, Corey Northcutt found a way to combine his talents with his interests. The idea began organically … he liked building websites and he had a friend who used the Linux operating system. Without much thought, they decided that they could combine the two.

Let’s talk very briefly about web hosting. To publicly share a website (make it to where someone else can visit), you need a web host, where your web pages and other content can live. Corey realized that people were paying faceless corporations to host their hopes and dreams, which was a bit scary. In response, he and his friend decided to offer them a better experience.

The pair decided on the name Ubiquity. It seemed fitting—by creating things to put on the internet, where they would be available anywhere and everywhere. Setting up the actual hosting part was easy, as it had a low startup cost and required few resources beyond their own experience in programming. All they needed was $60 per month for a virtual private server and PayPal fees.

What happened next is what Corey calls “a series of fortunate accidents.” With no business plan, Corey decided he would try using Ubiquity to make some extra cash as a student. He spent time on forums, absorbing knowledge from others who were offering web hosting. Though he had learned some concepts from his IT degree, he had to apply them in a way that was more useful through a process of hands-on learning.

After a few more coffee shop clients, as well as a number of bands he and his friend signed up since they were both musicians, they found themselves attracting people through web searches. Since Ubiquity had no budget for advertising, they worked especially hard on their SEO.

Eventually, they moved on to higher-paying clients, discovering that charging $500 per month for the rental of an entire server was the most profitable and successful plan. As a result, they raised their rates, focusing on delivering a premium product that helped them stand out.

Five years in, Corey sold Ubiquity to his partners. After cashing out, he told himself he’d just sit on a beach and build his own sites. That didn’t last long—two weeks to be exact—as he was approached to do consulting for someone he considered a mentor in his previous business. Within a year, he had created an entirely new company, Northcutt, that focuses on SEO for e-commerce brands.

He is able to look back on this first side hustle as how he got his start. He bootstrapped that business from the ground up, his dorm room, and that local coffee shop.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Corey has since sold his web hosting business (Ubiquity) and now focuses on SEO for e-commerce brands. Learn more about his new venture at Northcutt.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

RELIABLE WEBHOST FOR $2.49/MONTH

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

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

Quote of the Day
"I’d say “not having a boss” has been one of the best parts, but that’s not true. My first company had around 30,000 bosses (clients)."
—Corey Northcutt #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

Door-to-Door Salesmen Take Out the Trash

What It’s About

While others see trash, two friends see a golden opportunity.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Are their problems or pain points in the world that you have the knowledge and skills to solve? If so, you might have found a great side hustle idea.

Fun Fact

Jesse and his partner won a gift card for a local restaurant in a raffle. They decided to use it when they got their first client. Then, they pushed it off until they hired their first employee, because they didn’t feel like they deserved to use it yet.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1074
Jesse Lear didn’t get the idea for his hustle after a long brainstorming session. There wasn’t a funny “aha!” moment either. It just came out of being frustrated with a common, daily problem. Even though Jesse and his roommate lived in a nice apartment, the trash compactor was far from their door, and the closest recycling drop-off was miles away.

When they realized that other people were probably feeling the same frustration, VIP Waste Services was born. Or at least it was born in spirit, because Jesse’s first lead was their property manager, and he didn’t go for it.

That property manager explained that Jesse and his roommate couldn’t just start picking trash for cash. They had to set up a legal business, get insurance, and so on.

So it was back to the drawing board. The two friends both worked in door-to-door sales, selling cable and internet services. This gave them a flexible schedule, which turned out to be very helpful.

They were still set on making VIP Waste Services into a business, so they worked around their jobs. In the morning, Jesse and his roommate would meet up at Panera Bread. If either of them wasn’t up and ready to go in time, they had to buy breakfast for the other. That got them motivated to get out of bed.

For the first several months, that was it. They didn’t have any clients, so Jesse’s workday ended there. After six months of prep work, however, the schedule changed. He and his partner still met up at Panera Bread in the morning, and after that came the day job. But at 8pm, they put on their shiny new hazard vests and went out collecting garbage and recycling.

It turned out there was cash in the trash—six figures of revenue in their first year—and it was a win-win for everyone. Property management companies could offer the doorstep trash service as an amenity (allowing them to increase rent prices to offset the cost). And for residents? Well instead of having to schlep a dirty trash bag, they could just leave it right outside their door at night. When they woke up in the morning, it was gone.

It wasn’t until he buckled down and focused exclusively on VIP Waste Services that the business saw its greatest periods of growth. That grind and dedication helped VIP Waste Services go from a late-night side hustle to a company with seven-figure revenue. The business even grew to span five cities across three states, and Jesse and his partner sold the company in 2018.

He’s now working on a new project that manages high-end AirBnB rentals. Whether it proves as promising as waste services or not, he’ll be able to spend his time on whatever attracts his attention next. All because he was frustrated by having to take out the trash.

  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
"Your idea doesn’t have to be original to be good. Simply find an unmet need that people actually care about, and then figure out a way to fill it to their satisfaction."
—Jesse Lear #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

Book Reviewer Finds Money In The Stacks

What It’s About

A librarian discovers income-generating ideas in making book recommendations.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Often times we are unaware of the variety of ways we can create income streams from a particular market. Michelle’s story is great because she demonstrates the multiple ways she generates revenue through publishing.

Fun Fact

While Michelle was working at Marie Claire, she wrote an article titled “Does Your Guy Need A Makeover?”, which was one of the main inspirations for the original TV show Queer Eye for the Straight Guy

Notes from Chris

Episode 1068

Michelle Zaffino had what most would consider a successful career in journalism, writing for high-profile women’s magazines. And yet, she was looking for something new. She tried freelance copywriting for e-commerce, but while creative to a point, was not challenging her in the same way her previous writing had. And so she dove into writing her first self-published young adult novel and then using a company called Smashwords to distribute it.

The novel sold a few dozen copies, at least until a prominent teen-lit librarian happened upon the book, bought it, and gave it a glowing recommendation on her book review blog. With that one recommendation, Michelle’s sales skyrocketed. She made a couple thousand dollars in short order.

Unsurprisingly, Michelle was fascinated by the power reviews had to influence a book’s success. When she shared her experience with other self-published authors, they confirmed that her one high-profile book review had shattered the returns they found on their own carefully curated marketing campaigns and paid ads.

Her book had the professional recommendation of a librarian—and that made all the difference.

Around this time, Michelle enrolled in a masters program at the University of Pittsburgh in Library and Information Science with a concentration in Information Architecture.

For her thesis, she decided to merge the world of Library Science with digital technology, and started recording video reviews of books from her librarian perspective, calling the project “In The Stacks TV.” It didn’t take a lot of equipment, beyond what she already had: her computer’s webcam, free video editing software, and a YouTube account.

She’d post the reviews from her own library of books, and put together a website that organized those videos for people to easily find recommendations. This meant breaking them out into categories, with tags for authors and genres, and back-linking everything across the website to establish an intelligent site map.

She looked into what it would cost to set up a publishing imprint, which would simply be a business entity she could publish her writing under. This would also allow her to grow by publishing other authors or projects, without giving away any of her royalties or production costs.

Michelle was surprised to find that she could simply file for a DBA or “Doing Business As” status under In the Stacks Publishing, while still operating as a sole proprietor. The registration, filing, and subsequent announcement only cost about $150.

However, this was all happening at the same time she was attending a 3 month evening coding school to learn to code. She wanted to grow In the Stacks, and to do that she would have to build a more robust internal book recommendation program.

But she couldn’t learn how to code a program, write a new novel, work on her freelance projects that were her primary source of income, and continue creating new content on the site. That’s when she began to reach out to librarians she knew or had communicated with online, asking them to start sharing some of their recommendations.

This was the beginning of the MyLibrarian portal on her site, which offers crowdsourced librarian recommendations.

After that proof of concept, she was able to build out her book recommendation program and start developing an app that will give users those recommendations from her curated network of librarians.

That’s what’s coming next: the idea that if you aren’t able to get into a library to speak with a librarian in person, at least you can get their insights while staring at the shelves in your local bookstore.

Michelle plans on continuing to build In the Stacks publishing as well, looking to add new authors and titles. With her own books making such an impact on her revenue bottom line, it seems like the next novel idea.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

    • In the Stacks TV: Get great book recommendations and learn more about Michelle and her business from her website.

Smashwords: Looking to self-publish your own book and need help with distribution? Consider Smashwords. This is the platform that Michelle used.

 

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

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

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

GET YOUR FIRST 1,000 EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS

Social media is nice, but building an email list is still the single best way to get customers and clients for your hustle. It's not hard to get started—sign up for a 30-day trial and join the list-building challenge! You’ll be up and running in no time. Learn More

Quote of the Day
"It’s amazing having creative and marketing control over your books, while also getting a large portion of the profits directly deposited into your bank account."
—Michelle Zaffino #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