Tag: Social Media

Pathetic Triathlete Creates $30,000 Facebook Group

What It’s About

A man builds a safe space for Oreo consuming triathletes!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Zach describes his marketing approach as guerrilla marketing. He joined every single relevant group—triathlons, marathons, cycling races, swimming meets, you name it—and browsed for goofy for fun posts. When he found one, he would comment saying: “Nice! This post belongs in the Pathetic Triathletes Group!”

Fun Fact

To nearly eliminate financial risk, Zach created his first shirt using a Teespring campaign, set up a free Etsy store instead of Shopify and dropships most of his products. Sales and fulfillment are mostly hands-off and free!

Notes from Chris

Episode 458

Swimming. Cycling. Running. The three sequences of a triathlon. They’re difficult, strenuous, and people train for years to prepare for them. And, according to Zachary Rose, “For some reason, many people turn into total jerks once they learn how to swim, bike, and run long distances.”

Zach, a triathlete himself, was fed up with seeing those jerks dominating the triathlon Facebook groups. He thought they were condescending, way too serious, and just generally sucked all the fun out of the community. Surely he wasn’t the only person to think so.

There needed to be a place where goofy, fun, and newcomer posts could be celebrated and enjoyed—not shot down by elitists. On a bit of a whim, Zach decided to create his own Facebook group.

He called it The Pathetic Triathletes Group.

He created a quick logo, wrote a description that outlined the restrictions on elitism, and shared his group in other triathlon groups. Just a couple hours later, over 100 people had joined.

Fun posts started showing up organically. As Zach had suspected, people were holding back in the other groups, afraid to ask fun or basic questions. But here they could thrive, they could be silly, and even better, they could be honest.

In the group’s second week of existence, it hit 500 members—and it didn’t show any signs of stalling anytime soon. More and more people were posting and declaring how great it was to finally have a judgment-free zone.

Zach, a side hustler at heart, started to explore ways to monetize this group. He came to the conclusion that since the group was a source of fun and silliness, his products should be too.

And then the idea for his first product arrived. It was simple, easy, and vanilla: a t-shirt.

Not wanting to risk any of his own money on printing shirts (and not really sure how well the idea would go over), Zach created a Teespring campaign. This would allow him to effectively take pre-orders and drop ship his shirt without ever having to lay hands on one. He knew his profits would be a lot lower this way, but it was also virtually risk-free.

He set up his account and started designing his shirt. On the front, he simply wrote “PATHETIC” in big bold letters. On the back, he attached the logo for the Facebook group. Looking back, it was, according to Zach… “really bad!”

But despite the poor design, the shirt sold—30 shirts, actually. When the campaign ended, Teespring fulfilled the orders and Zach was sent a check. It was a small amount of money, less than $150, but it proved that he didn’t just have a growing group, but a group filled with at least a few people that were committed financially to the idea.

Then, like any celebrating triathlete, Zach ate a package of Oreos.

Over the last couple years, The Pathetic Triathletes Group has grown rapidly. When I looked on March 20th, the group had 45,999 members. With the exception of a few targeted Facebook ads here and there and Zach’s initial guerrilla marketing, growth’s been pretty organic. He has a good team of volunteer moderators, an automated sales and fulfillment funnel, and he’s constantly making new designs.

And all those members? They’ve made just over 3,000 purchases, all of which were somewhere between $5 and $25 each. Zach didn’t want to give away the exact number, but that likely puts The Pathetic Triathletes Group in the $30,000 lifetime sales club.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Etsy | Pathetic Triathlete: Gear up for your first triathlon with some of Zach’s gear
  • The Pathetic Triathletes Group: Do you celebrate most physical feats of strength and endurance with a package of Oreos? Zach’s Facebook community might just be a good fit for you!
  • Teespring: Zach used Teespring to upload his designs and sell shirts although he was still responsible for driving prospective buyers to his shirts
  • Shopify: Jesse used Shopify to set up his store for Kindness & Co., and they’re offering a 21-day trial and exclusive discount for all Side Hustle School listeners!

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 try to keep things laid back because I started this not as a primary source of income but as something that is FUN. The second it stops being fun is when I know I need to reconsider the strategy."
—Zachary Rose #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Create a Stunning Website With Wordpress

Today’s episode of Side Hustle School is brought to you by Wordpress.com! Whether you’re looking to create a personal blog, business site, or both—you’ll make a big impact, when you build your website on WordPress.com. 💻

Get 15% off when you build your website with Wordpress.com—use promo code PODCAST when you check out.
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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

Kiwi Coder Makes Extra $50,000/Year from Virtual Paintbrushes

What It’s About

Virtual paintbrushes for digital calligraphers.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Karin emphasizes that perfectionism is your enemy when it comes to getting a revenue-generating hustle off the ground. Fancy logos and swish websites are nice to have – but not necessary. She has found that her time is much better spent on the things that will offer value in the long run. For example, creating video tutorials on how to install brushes has saved her answering hundreds of questions, and gives customers confidence that the product works.

Fun Fact

Apple is one of Karin’s biggest fans, after spotting her handiwork with their Apple Pencil. Their PR team are keen to tell the world about her colorful creations, which has led to Karin being put in touch with journalists at the NZ Herald and Vancouver Sun who have both written articles about her work.

Notes from Chris

Episode 457

Karin Newport is a software engineer in New Zealand who enjoys her day job. But her analytical day-to-day work left her needing a creative outlet. She had always loved calligraphy, but her tiny apartment meant art supplies and canvases weren’t an option. Then, in 2016, that all changed. She got her first iPad Pro and Apple Pencil, downloaded the Procreate app, and started lettering to her heart’s content.

Using her technical skills, combined with an artistic eye, Karin began creating her own digital paint brushes to give her work the types of textures she was after. She loves bright colors and watercolor effects and wanted brushes that could capture that look and feel. She created brushes using the settings within an app called Procreate and realized that other people might find them useful too.

To test the waters, she made a basic website called iPad Lettering and posted a few brushes as free downloads. She thought: if 100 people download these for free, then maybe there’s an interest in them. One week and a hundred downloads later, it was clear that there was a demand. But would people pay? There was only one way to find out. She posted more brushes, this time with a price tag. Three hours later, she had her first sale. She jumped up and down in her apartment with excitement, realizing that she was well and truly onto something.

Now that she really knew that there was a demand, Karin started spreading the word. Instagram was where she got her artistic inspiration from, so that’s where she headed first. By splashing her beautiful lettering images across Instagram with the ‘ipadlettering’ hashtag, she quickly built up a following. She now has 153,000 followers, and her hashtag has almost 200,000 posts.

Karin brings this approach into all aspects of her customer service, and is always thinking about how she can create value. She offers free tutorial content, handy guides and grids, and even free brushes. She shares these with her growing email list of 35,000 subscribers, who can’t get enough of her ever-expanding range.

Her revenue is equally impressive. She brings in $50,000 a year, with nothing spent on advertising and zero costs outside of the iPad and Apple Pen she had already bought. She set up a free website (using Adobe Business Catalyst) and, although it’s not perfect, it’s all she’s needed to generate a significant income while holding down full-time work.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • iPad Lettering: Up your digital calligraphy game—check out Karin’s brushes on her website!
  • Procreate: The iPad program that Karin used to create her calligraphy creations and brushes
  • Adobe Business Catalyst: The platform that Karin used to create her website for iPad Lettering

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 main thing is to just start and not worry about the little things too much. I still have a crappy website 2 years later, but I run the whole thing myself and have to prioritize things. It doesn’t have to all be perfect for it to be successful."
—Karin Newport #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Travel the Globe With Cards For Travel!

Side Hustle School is brought to you by CardsForTravel.com. Use travel hacking to see the world!

When you apply for their most popular, small business rewards card, you can earn 80,000 Bonus Points—enough for three round-trip plane tickets or $1,000 in travel credits. Check out this limited time offer! ✈️ 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

Southern Couple Rolls Out Sweet Profits With Family Side Hustle

What It’s About

Sweet profits rise from the oven in the form of cinnamon rolls.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Tyson and Christa began in a simple, low-risk way that was good for both them and their family. They simply saw something that they enjoyed doing and started a path to see if others would enjoy the fruit of their labor. They were very patient and that allowed them to see if this was a product that people really liked and would continue to buy, so they were able to grow as people demanded instead starting with a lot of product and needing people to come buy. This also created little to no pressure and that has helped it continue to be something they enjoy.

Fun Fact

Tyson and Christa got inspired to start the business after one old college friend told them Christa’s cinnamon rolls were the best he’d had six years after trying them, and another friend asked if she could get a batch of cinnamon rolls to keep in her freezer. They thought, maybe people would actually buy these rolls, and that instinct has led to some pretty sweet returns.

Notes from Chris

Episode 433

The sweet smell of cinnamon wafts through the air as dough rises in the oven. Three kids race around under her legs as Christa Lee preps another pan of cinnamon rolls. What started out as a love of baking has turned into a way to bring in some extra dough on the side to the tune of $15,000 a year for this family of five.

Christa has always loved baking, but after some high praise from friends who were big fans of her cinnamon rolls, she and her husband Tyson wondered if they might be able to actually sell the rolls to other people out of their home.

To get this cinnamon-venture rolling, they made a Facebook page and an Instagram account and posted that they would be taking orders. Within the first week, they sold 11 pans, and LoveLee Rolls was born. The name is a play on the hashtag they had used at their wedding the year before—a LoveLee Wedding.

Things grew quickly once the word started getting out about LoveLee Rolls. Perhaps a little too quickly for the small kitchen they work out of from home. With only one small oven, one refrigerator and one small freezer, the prep time could get very time-consuming.

Currently, they are working under the Cottage Food Law of Mississippi, which allows them to work out of their kitchen without having to be certified by the health department. But it has a lot of limitations on how they are able to sell the product—capping their sales at $20,000 a year and putting strict guidelines on who they can sell to and how they can advertise.

Despite these limitations, their business still grew through word-of-mouth and community events they attended. But Christa and Tyson did come to a point a few years ago where the Cottage Food Law hindered how they wanted to grow the business.

They decided the next step would be to sell out of a commercial kitchen built in their backyard, where they could have more freedom but still have a home-based business. A local shop in town had recently done a Kickstarter campaign, so the Lee family thought this could be the perfect way to get the funding they needed to build a commercial kitchen in their backyard.

Once that was set, Christa and Tyson put up a campaign on Kickstarter in October of 2016. Within a few months, they surpassed their goal of $35,000.

They’re now just weeks away from finishing everything up and plan to fully launch as the springtime unfolds. Since the kitchen will be certified by the health department, they will finally be able to advertise online and are launching a new website with the ability to order online. Hopefully, they’ll send us a few here at Side Hustle School to test out!

A love-lee story that shows following your passions, especially when it involves delicious cinnamon rolls, can be a great way to cushion your finances.

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
"The best part for us has been the knowledge we have learned from starting this venture and the relationships we have established with our customers and people in our community. It has also been great to learn and flourish in the things we enjoy."
—Christa & Tyson Lee #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Get Connected Today!

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

Whether you're looking for a new job or looking to hire, you can find the right match at LinkedIn. Visit LinkedIn.com/HUSTLE today to get a $50 credit to post your first job.
Get Connected!

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

Auto Employee Earns $100,000 Selling Stickers on Instagram

What It’s About

Niche stickers sold on Instagram quickly become a huge success.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Pay attention to where this idea came from. On a trip to Japan, they see some cool stickers. Then they notice there’s a whole store that sells only this brand, right in the heart of downtown Tokyo—where rent is really expensive. In other words, they noticed that people loved stickers enough to sustain a major business. Then they came back home and got to work using their creative and marketing skills.

These are the two most important characteristics of starting profitable projects: the power of observation, and the willingness to take action.

Fun Fact

When Remi talked to his cousin in Korea about the sticker business, he mentioned that people like miniaturized things. So Remi decided to test random images to see how they perform—stuff like miniature Statue of Liberty stickers or coffee cup stickers. Some of his stickers have been home runs and others not so much, but it’s exciting to print new images and see how the market reacts to it.

Notes from Chris

Episode 380

Today’s side hustle comes from Remi Silva. By day, he’s a digital media manager for a 24-dealership auto group in Los Angeles. You may remember Remi from Ep. 109, where we discussed his meal prepping service, one of this side hustles.

At the time he had just started Blank Tag Co. another side hustle selling stickers. He started this one with his girlfriend Alondra after they visited Tokyo. On the trip, they went to a department store called Tokyu Hands and noticed that it had some really interesting stickers produced by a company called B-Side Label. A few days later while walking through the Harajuku, a famous street in Tokyo, and noticed the flagship B-Side Label store. Remi was surprised to see that a company that only sold stickers made enough money to have a physical store.

So in February, they decided to start their own sticker company, investing a few thousand dollars in product and design and $100 or so on the website and some plugins. They tried out a few designers from dribbble.com and ultimately settled on one they like.

The first few stickers they made were disasters. Remi commissioned a few pop art images to use as stickers, as well a zombie, a zombie dog, and a suspicious turtle. None of them sold and Alondra suggested making food stickers. The company only started growing after he listened to her—there’s a lesson there for someone.

Since then, they’ve been selling 2-3,000 stickers a month at an average price point of $3-5. They spend about $2,500/month in advertising, but they’re getting a great return on that investment. Since beginning last February, less than one year ago, these low-priced stickers have made more than $100,000 for Remi and Alondra. They’re not cashing out just yet—they’re reinvesting, constantly looking for new images and products and other ways to market.

They love stickers and bringing happiness to others. They also hope that everyone who starts a side hustle experiences the same joy they feel.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

    • Blank Tag Co.: Add some brightly colored stickers to you life—check out Remi’s full lineup on his website and Instagram!
    • Tokyu Hands: The department store where Remi first saw this style of stickers
    • B-Side Label: The sticker company that inspired Remi to launch a sticker side hustle of his own
    • Dribble: The online community for showcasing user-made artwork that Remi used to find designers for his stickers
    • Quick Research Leads to Meal Planning Subscription Service: Healthy meal planning can be rough. One man is on a mission to help people be more health-conscious with his subscription-based website selling meal prep recipes

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
"I don’t measure our success purely on profit, and the best part of this for me has been when my customers share with me how much they love our stickers and how it reminds them of their childhoods."
—Remi Silva #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Learn More With Skillshare!

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

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

Retail Store Manager Creates Miniature Stages for Batman

What It’s About

A man’s accidental side hustle fulfills a long-held dream to make movie sets, but not in the way he expected.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Today’s episode is a great example of why you don’t have to scale your side hustle. Lots of listeners start their side hustles for various reasons—set your own goals and do what’s best for you.

Fun Fact

Jason actually learned about Side Hustle School when a customer came into the store that he manages and encouraged him to submit his story to us!

Notes from Chris

Episode 376

During business hours, Jason Huot manages a large retail store in Kansas. His climb in the retail sector took him from Kansas City to Chicago to Mall of America for companies like Fossil and Eddie Bauer. After eight years, he returned home to settle down.

In college, Jason had imagined himself making miniature sets for the movie industry. He had grown up using his hands and imagination to fix cars and houses alongside his Dad. He was also a huge movie fan, always fascinated by anything miniature. At about the same time, filmmakers began using computer-generated imaging, or CGI, to create their miniature sets, so Jason set the dream aside to become a star in retail.

Jason didn’t set aside his love of movies or miniatures, however. He discovered the world of sixth-scale miniature figures from movies and television. Batman was his favorite.

These One-Sixth Scale figures stand 12” tall. The process of creating the figures is a long back-and-forth between the studios and the companies who create them. The figures have to be as exact as possible, and particularly in Asia, this is a billion-dollar business. The manufacturers typically post pre-production photos of the characters online and take pre-orders. It is common to wait six to nine months for delivery, with limited runs.

Collecting sixth-scale figures became popular in the US about ten years ago. The figures range from about $150 to well over a thousand dollars.

Jason loved collecting figures but didn’t like how others collectors displayed theirs. They put them on stands, as if in a museum. Jason felt his figures deserved more. He wanted to place them in a scene from their movie. On the side, working in his off-hours, he started building one-sixth scale miniature movie sets.

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

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

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

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

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

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

Quote of the Day
"It feels so good to be using my hands and creativity to make things again. It balances out my life perfectly."
—Jason Huot #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

Insomniac Dreams Up Herbal Hustle

What It’s About

Today’s story proves that even for insomniacs, side hustle dreams can come true.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

If the problem you’re experiencing is a common one, especially something that millions of other people struggle with, your search for solutions may end up being a search for a side hustle.

Fun Fact

This isn’t Aycee’s first investment in a side hustle. In past, she has also had a side hustle business sewing costumes for exotic dancers!

Notes from Chris

Episode 370

Aycee Brown has been suffering from insomnia since the age of 15. Afflicted by vivid dreams and nightmares that would leave her terrified to fall asleep, she found herself addicted to over-the-counter sleep remedies just trying to get a few hours shut-eye.

The older she got, the more she found this system of sleepless nights and synthetic solutions to be an unhealthy way to live. She wanted a reliable way of falling to sleep that didn’t involve popping pills. In order to wean herself off medication and improve her sleep naturally, she began to learn about herbal remedies and how fragrances can affect your sleep.

She learned about the herbs, flavors, and smells that promote good sleep, and began to try the different concoctions on herself. After a few months of research and experimentation, she found a handful of mixtures that helped her soothe her insomnia and drift off to sleep.

Having found a medication-free solution for herself, Aycee turned her attention to a larger community. For years, she’d been a part of Facebook groups and message boards for other insomniacs. She became driven by the mission to help these people escape their meds and sleepless nights too.

She decided to package and sell the remedies she’d created, and founded the business Goodnight Darling Co.

The combination of her great products, knowledge of her audience and being able to connect with people from first-hand experience has helped Aycee go on to earn between $2,000 and $3,000 in profits each month. After recently being laid off from her full-time job as a corporate account executive, this has helped make ends meet while she looks for another job.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Goodnight Darling Co.: Catch some z’s using some of the products on Aycee’s website
  • Shopify: Aycee used Shopify to set up her store for Goodnight Darling Co., and they’re offering a 21-day trial and exclusive discount for all Side Hustle School listeners!
  • ShipStation: The app that Aycee used to simplify her shipments. For a limited time, you can get a 30-day trial AND an additional month free! Click the microphone at the top of their page and enter the word HUSTLE

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
"Sometimes we are so afraid to fail or mess up and we never actually do anything. My advice is to just start and keep going. Failure is your friend."
—Aycee Brown #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

Designer Earns Extra $5,000/Month Posting Logos on Instagram

What It’s About

When a designer discovers that Instagram is for more than selfies, he creates a new revenue stream.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

While it wasn’t an overnight success, the specificity and focus entirely on logos is why it’s so popular. I went to look at the account and for each post, he has not only thousands of likes but also lots of designers commenting on what they like and don’t like about each logo. So in an important way, he’s created a community. More than 500k followers!

Fun Fact

The Logo Inspirations Instagram account is how Jonathan has turned curating logos into a side hustle, but Jonathan didn’t always like the social media platform. In fact, he started off hating it because he never liked posting selfies.

Notes from Chris

Episode 369

For 29-year old Sri Lankan native Jonathan Rudolph, design has always been something that he was interested in. As a child, he loved sketching cartoon characters from comics like Batman and X-Men. The love for design was cultivated further as he watched his grandfather make beautiful handmade cards. That would inspire him to create and design beautiful things as he grew up.

For a while, Jonathan thought he could become a full-time freelancer and leave his day job. But the freelance work quickly dried up as he faced increasingly stiff competition. Upwork (back then it was Elance) had grown as a platform, and more designers were competing for a limited number of projects. Jonathan’s lowest point came when he was offered $175 for a logo project, and he accepted. That project would take him three weeks to complete.

Jonathan would get a better break that led to a highly profitable project in 2014. His wife had created an Instagram account under the name ‘The Graphic Illusionist’ and posted up some of his designs. He was initially skeptical. He hated Instagram because his wife usually used it to post couple selfies. However, the account got his attention when it started to gain more likes and followers than either of them had expected.

After exploring the platform more, Jonathan found that there were a number of design curated accounts with huge followings. However, there weren’t any dedicated to finding the best logos on the web. Having collected stamps and paper clippings of exotic cars as a child, Jonathan saw an opportunity. He decided to start curating the best logos by walking the streets and taking photos.

That’s the story behind how his new Instagram account, Logo Inspirations, was born. Posting consistently helped grow his Instagram account quickly. Jonathan would post a couple of logos he saw daily, and he’d maximize the reach of each post by using the appropriate hashtags. He had done his homework and discovered that even in the design space, there were some hashtags that simply had a wider reach than others. Within the first year, Jonathan would gain 100,000 followers.

Despite this large following though, it was only when he changed his tactics that Jonathan would find any real success—and turn his curation into a growing business. He was contacted by a company named LogoCore which offered affiliate commissions for every sale of their logo design program. At that point, the Logo Inspirations Instagram account had grown to 250,000 followers. Within a few days, Jonathan made $250, which blew his mind. With affiliate marketing, he didn’t have to pitch companies at all with affiliate marketing. He realized this was the revenue model he would pursue.

With a working model in place, he began to look more seriously at the project. He scheduled more posts on his Instagram account as well as on his blog. He joined affiliate programs by companies including Skillshare and Book Depository. The income he makes from affiliate marketing has now reached $1,000/week, and shows no sign of stopping as Jonathan continues to grow his platform. By the way, this revenue is close 100% profit, since there are very few expenses in this business.

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

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

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

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
"In regards to making a successful side hustle, it’s all about mindset. The only thing that’s holding you back is the way you’re thinking. You have to focus, keep moving forward, and try different things."
—Jonathan Rudolph #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

New Dad Starts Woodworking Hustle While Infant Son Naps

What It’s About

This new father finds time between lunch and playtime to work on his woodworking side hustle.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Scott said that his favorite episode would probably be Ep. 310 about the 13-year old schoolyard lollipop hustler. He has two (very) young children, and he realized that he’d like to instill this hustle mentality in them early.

He always wished that this had been brought up to him much earlier in life, and he loves the idea of showcasing to his kids that you can really take it into your own hands and create income streams in many different avenues. You don’t need a typical career. And even if you do have a typical career, you can supplement that through other channels.

Fun Fact

As Scott develops a website for his business, he said he is definitely going to include messenger functionality. He loves the interaction he gets to have with his clients through his current channels: Facebook page, Instagram, Kijij, Letgo, and Facebook Groups.

Notes from Chris

Episode 356

Scott Lyons has combined his interest in woodworking and business to create a side hustle that allows him to express his creativity and one that also brings in almost $1,000 a month.

An Account Director at a creative advertising agency by day, Scott works on the business side, helping clients develop and organize their advertising campaigns. On the other side, Scott channels his creativity making rustic decorative ladders for blankets, towels, etc. with his side hustle, A Step Above Decor.

With the birth of his first child, Scott’s family received a ton of beautiful blankets, some even handmade. Not wanting to just throw them into a closet for storage, and looking for a way to display them, Scott stumbled across a decorative wooden ladder used for just that.

As he had learned some woodworking skills growing up—he used to build his own skateboard ramps—he figured this was something he could make himself, especially during his son’s naptime. He was right!

While his son slumbered, Scott crafted and soon he had ladders in every room of the house. Friends and family who visited noticed, and began making requests for their own. Scott thought he might be on to something. With a bit of encouragement from his wife, he posted a few of them in a local buy/sell Facebook group and garnered the interest of about 20 people. It also brought him his first sale outside of his family.

“That’s when the lightbulb really turned on and I recognized the opportunity,” said Scott. Given that it was his wife’s encouragement that got him to post, he took her out to dinner to celebrate the sale.

Since then, Scott has been taking one night a week to make the ladders and the rest of the week to work on sales. Scott typically makes five ladders a week—all in one night—and his average monthly profit is a bit more than $900.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • A Step Above Decor: Traditional bookshelves are so 1999—check out Scott’s wares on his Facebook page!
  • Kijij & Letgo: A couple of the platforms that Scott used to sell his decorative ladders

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
"Another great aspect of my side hustle is the joy that my projects bring to my clients. I don’t really create anything in my day job, so to see the reactions of people to something that I’ve build with my own hands… I’d almost do it for free! Almost."
—Scott Lyons #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Create a Stunning Website With Wordpress

Today’s episode of Side Hustle School is brought to you by Wordpress.com! Whether you’re looking to create a personal blog, business site, or both—you’ll make a big impact, when you build your website on WordPress.com. 💻

Get 15% off when you build your website with Wordpress.com—use promo code PODCAST when you check out.
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

Philadelphia Lover Maps Out $35,000/Year Side Hustle

What It’s About

A neurosurgeon tries her scalpel on a new medium and makes an extra $35,000 a year!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Because she views her side hustle as a project and not a business, Emma is able to avoid the pressures of entrepreneurship and the need for constant expansion. Which is also the same advice she’d give to anyone looking to start a side hustle themselves: view it as a long-term project and don’t get too caught up in the fact you’re now an “entrepreneur.” Keep it as a passion project and try not to focus on the end result!

Fun Fact

Emma’s first sale was a trade with a street artist she loves. She swapped a map for a faux sign saying, “Dream Big.” Pretty appropriate for what this project has become!

Notes from Chris

Episode 347

After a strange career jump from Neuroscientist to Marketing Director—and a few bad break-ups—Emma Fried-Cassorla found herself in the midst of an existential crisis. She loved her new job but felt a strong urge to make something that showed off her artistic side.

In order to force herself into extra-curricular creative activities, Emma set herself a challenge: she’d create a paper-cut map of the city of Philadelphia. (A papercut being precise incisions into paper to remove all of the sections of paper that don’t look like what you’re trying to make). She’d spent a lot of time with a scalpel performing experiments as a Neuroscientist and felt her skills would transfer across perfectly.

For the next three months, Emma spent her evenings and weekends working on the 4×3 project. She documented her progress on her Philadelphia-centric blog, Philly Love Notes, and through its associated Instagram account. Once the project was completed, and on the recommendation of a friend, she scanned the finished work into her computer.

Little did she know that this labor of love would go on to become the backbone of her entire side hustle.

Custom maps make up around 95% of Emma’s monthly orders. But while for most businesses custom means a lot of extra work, Emma has managed to refine it to a relatively painless process. In her own words, Emma says she basically makes the same map over and over again.

The sales of these maps—and that initial three months of work back in 2014 —has earned her an extra $35,000 annually around her day job. That’s almost a full-time job’s wages on the side! But, she’s not using all of that cash for herself. Lots of her extra income, like the $5,000 she raised during a recent Black Friday sale, is donated to a wide-range of projects in and around Philly.

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Etsy | Philly Love Notes: Cut a minute out of your day to check out Emma’s papercut maps
  • Philly Love Notes: Head on over to Emma’s blog for a reminder about all of the wonderful things that make Philly so great
  • NextFab: The local “makerspace” in Philly that Emma used to make her papercut maps

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
"When you don’t need something to work, you can take your time, and you’re less likely to make decisions that you wouldn’t make unless you were wholly dependent on that next paycheck."
—Emma Fried-Cassorla #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

Telecom Manager Gets Paid to Write Resumes for LinkedIn Connections

What It’s About

A business pro teaches others what it takes to stand out from the crowd on LinkedIn and get hired.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

If you have a good head for business and a decent amount of connections on LinkedIn, take a moment to look them over and ask yourself if they have anything in common. If they do have something in common, use your power of observation to come up with one service you could offer them.

Fun Fact

In addition to being a business savvy guru, Mike has also used his blog to mention the virtues of playing Acoustic Guitar and has even been featured in Acoustic Guitar magazine.

Notes from Chris

Episode 320

Mike McRitchie has devoted much of his working life to helping businesses and business people grow. From his first job at a medical company to the 20 years he spent with a telecom construction business taking them from five people to $2.5 million in revenue, he’s been fascinated with what it takes to make it in business, how to thrive and not just survive.

But after many years in the corporate world, Mike decided it was time to try a project that he had more ownership over. He felt he’d taken everything he could from his day job, and began to ask himself, what would happen if he applied some of this accrued knowledge to his own business efforts?

He looked at his network—including all 1,500 of his LinkedIn connections—and saw a pattern. All of his connections were employees and not business owners. It was here he found a problem he truly knew how to solve.

Mike began to offer services to help employees increase their income, find better jobs, and just become more attractive job candidates. He broke his ideas down to a few services: resume writing, LinkedIn profile creation, and career improvement coaching.

It was over on LinkedIn where Mike began to see his first real results. Mike offered to help some of those 1,500 LinkedIn connections by writing their resumes and re-designing their profiles—and he offered to do it for free in exchange for good faith, word-of-mouth referrals.

Mike prides himself on helping people uncover skill sets and talents they never knew they had. Because his business is highly dependant on referrals, it’s important he gets this formula right every time. But he must be doing something right because he’s now generating anywhere between $400 and $3000 per month through the business. Mike has also managed to increase his profits by 40% over the last year, and going forward he wants to increase that income by adding more services to his business.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • MikeMcRitchie.com: Learn how to take your resume and LinkedIn profile to the next level on Mike’s website
  • LinkedIn: The business—and employment—oriented social networking service that Mike helped others master

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
"Taking action on your idea is key because you can always morph it into something else later, but momentum begets momentum."
—Mike McRitchie #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