Tag: Social Media

Holiday Body Butters Become $1,000/Month Side Hustle

What It’s About

Holiday gifts for family lead two friends to a lucrative side hustle selling body care products.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Meredith and Yolanda’s most successful online marketing strategy has surprisingly been through Facebook. They asked their friends and family to like their page in order to build social proof and began sharing images of the products and their benefits. After a few weeks, the organic likes began slowly flowing in. The Facebook page, five months after launch, has just over 500 likes—and the Instagram following is quickly catching up.

Fun Fact

At the moment, Meredith is in the process of creating 200 balms for an Olympic stylist who gives the athletes she works with an “essentials for athletes” bag to help them get through the grueling Olympic season.

Notes from Chris

Episode 213

The Christmas season was swiftly approaching quickly. Meredith Moseley-Bennett wanted to give her family gifts that reflected her personality and would be more practical and meaningful than random stuff they didn’t need.

She called up her neighbor, Yolanda Grbic, who became a partner in the endeavor. Together, they sourced some ingredients, bought some gift tins, and created a few batches of all-natural body butter and lip balm.

The families and friends of Meredith and Yolanda loved the gifts. They worked well and didn’t contain obscure chemicals. Impressed, they encouraged the two women to consider going into business together.

Their first products ranged from $6 for lip balm and $18 for body butters, but two products just weren’t enough. They wanted to be able to cross-sell other products to their customers.

Once things were up and running, the pair quickly created and launched two new products, Mosquito Minders (an all-natural mosquito repellant) and Tickety Split (an all-natural tick repellant), which have since become Oh My Balm’s best sellers. In the first three months, Oh My Balm saw about $1,300 in online sales and another $1,000 from local pickups.

But in May they booked their first craft show—and everything changed. In one weekend they brought in $850 at a small-scale show. They quickly booked two more shows and made $2,000 more.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Oh My Balm: Get the full list of Meredith and Yolanda’s line of skincare products on their Etsy page
  • Global Mamas: The community that Meredith and Yolanda decided to source their shea butter through due to their shared values of wanting to create a life of prosperity for African women and their families
  • SquareSpace: The website building platform that Meredith and Yolanda used to create the Oh My Balm 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

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
"Our mission is to show our two daughters that you can do anything as long as you are brave, smart and strong—and not afraid to work hard."
—Meredith Moseley-Bennett #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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To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Designer Illustrates Success with Personalized Wedding Products

What It’s About

The need for a creative outlet leads a woman in advertising to a lucrative design side hustle serving wedding parties and special events.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

In Kristin’s experience, social media has been the best way to spread the word about Miss Design Berry, especially as brides spend hours upon hours on Instagram and Pinterest getting ideas for their own weddings. Kristin has found those sites in particular to be good places to advertise, run sales, and offer giveaways to expand the company’s reach and engage with its target audience.

If you really want to use your marketing resources efficiently, find out where your audience is and market to them directly. Focus your attentions intentionally instead of spreading them out across multiple avenues.

Fun Fact

Miss Design Berry founder and graphic designer Kristin Berry first got her start in being an entrepreneur in college when she and her friends competed against large companies for a website design bid.

Against all odds, they ended up crushing the competition and winning the bid! Kristin says she’s been hooked on the entrepreneurial bug ever since.

Notes from Chris

Episode 178

When Kristin Berry first moved to New York City after college in 2011, she had secured a promising job with a pharmaceutical advertising agency. She ended up loving it and making good friends in the process. But despite the job checking lots of boxes, Kristin found she still needed extra money to pay the bills. She also found herself wanting to exercise her creativity more. Though her job was demanding, it didn’t use her creative design skills, and she wanted to keep those honed and fresh.

Kristin wanted to take her passion for design—something she says she can do day and night without getting bored—and launch her own hustle.

So, in 2012, she gave it a try. She launched an Etsy store to sell her services such as logo design, illustration, and some wedding items. This involved almost zero startup costs, as she already had a laptop and the needed software from college. Launching the Etsy store only cost $0.20 to list a product, and then Etsy takes a small fee from the purchase price.

This hustle gradually evolved into what is now Miss Design Berry: an e-commerce website featuring unique designs for weddings and events.

The fun illustrations are infused with bright colors and quirky elements, and everything is designed in collaboration with the customer. The products cost from $30 to $900 and up, depending on the item and quantity.

The business growth has been nothing short of impressive. In 2014, the company made $40,000. In 2015, this quadrupled to $160,000, and in 2016 profits shot up to $700,000. This year, Miss Design Berry is on track to make close to $1 million.

To take a closer look at what Miss Design Berry is all about, check out the video below:

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Miss Design Berry: View more of Kristin’s customized designs on her website!
  • Miss Design Berry Inc. | Etsy:Kristin started out on Etsy, and after looking over her page, it’s easy to see why Miss Design Berry has been such a success
  • KristinMastoras.com:Kristin’s new side hustle that focuses on helping others achieve the kind of success she’s experienced with Miss Design Berry

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
"Identify what it is that makes you happy because you can’t start a side hustle purely for the money. It has to be something you love doing or, at the very least, something that you don’t mind working on after a full day’s work!"
—Kristin Berry #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

Put a Cap in It: Architect Makes the Write Choice; Starts Luxury Pen Hustle

What It’s About

How a shared hobby turns into a niche, high-end pen side hustle with International attention.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

From sharing the six-hour creation process, showcasing his latest designs and sharing updates from the workshop floor, Jason learned how to tell the story of his pens. Taking inspiration from other luxury Instagram feeds like @Newtonpens, @Ryankrusac, and @Nibspotter, the J&N Woodworks Instagram has a level of class that would never seem like it’s being run out of a homely Texas garage.

Social media is a strong driver of traffic—use it to your advantage by posting quality pictures of your product and reaching out to influencers!

Fun Fact

Some of Jason’s work was recently picked up by British GQ, and The Gentleman fountain pen line he offers was featured in their May issue—which was just published. In anticipation of this, Jason moved into a larger shop with plenty of room to expand. This affords him the ability to explore new methods of creating his products, which he hopes will push his brand to the next level.

Notes from Chris

Episode 172

Jason Miller’s side hustle started 16 years before he ever needed it. Hunched over a woodworking table with his grandfather, Jason learned the art of making luxury wooden writing implements from a true craftsman.

But, like many childhood hobbies, Jason’s woodworking fell by the wayside and was replaced by the trials and tribulations of real life. Studying architecture at college, followed by going directly into his full-time job as a retail architect, there wasn’t much time left for creation.

One day, during a particularly stressful period, Jason decided he needed an outlet. Something he could do that would release those pent up stresses from the working world and bring him some joy. Drinking red wine was looking like a strong contender, but in the end, he decided to go back to what he knew—woodworking.

Jason started off by asking people he already knew if they’d be interested in buying any of his pens, and he had immediate interest. Using only his laptop, his phone and a small workspace in his garage, Jason set about creating social media updates that were as unique and handcrafted as the pens themselves. And he used a Squarespace site—combined with his own eye for graphic design—to create a website to promote the pens. J&N Woodworks was born!

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • J&N Woodworks: Check out all of the intricate pens Jason creates—in mediums from wood to marble—on his website
  • GQ | May 2017: The popular fashion and lifestyle magazine that featured Jason’s pens in their May issue
  • SquareSpace: James used Squarespace to setup his website for J&N Woodworks

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
"Create a brand for your side hustle that people begin to recognize and associate with quality. Also, find others who are more successful than you (regardless of their hustle or focus) and learn from them. Surround yourself with greatness, that will push you to go beyond yourself."
—Jason Miller #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Try Thumbtack for FREE and consider the job done!

Side Hustle School is brought to you by Thumbtack. From house painting to personal training, Thumbtack makes it easy to find exactly what you’re looking no matter what project is on your list.

Download the app or try it now at Thumbtack.com 📌 Get Started

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

A Side Hustle with Succulent Growth Potential

What It’s About

A love for succulents leads a full-time mother to a side hustle creating unique succulent arrangements.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

When you’re thinking of what kind of side hustle you should start, a good rule of thumb is to pick something that is highly feasible or something that you could begin experimenting on within a short period of time.

Ayde’s story is a perfect example of this. Tenacious Leaf started in December of 2016, and they’re already bringing in around $1,200/month!

Fun Fact

People have experienced the pleasant power of plants for quite some time: ancient Chinese cultures used plants for their ornamental features, aesthetics and as signs of wealth from as early as 1,000 BCE, and the ancient Egyptians potted their plants as well.

From the magazine Evolutionary Psychology: “Flowers have immediate and long-term effects on emotional reactions, mood, social behaviors and even memory for both males and females.”

Notes from Chris

Episode 168

Some side hustles call for getting your hands dirty. Seeing how forgiving succulents were in her own garden, Aydé Navarro-Urteaga’s mind was seeded for a business around succulents.

Ayde started going to thrift stores and vintage shops in search of unusual objects—odds and ends, glassworks, a drum—to carry the plants, and the possibilities bloomed. After a local vendor invited her to sell her wares at the Houston Music and Arts Hall of Fame event, she had to come up with a name: Tenacious Leaf was born.

The drum’s odd appropriateness inspired Ayde to see the potting possibilities as a treasure hunt—a chance to unleash her creative imagination toward the quirky and bizarre. That unleashing includes potting up succulents in the 100-year-old chamber pots of a friend’s mother. She now finds housing for succulents in metal, glass, ceramic, clay, wood and plastic objects, and even removes the guts from electronics to make habitations for her greenery.

Ayde’s startup costs were reasonable: around $1,000 to buy an initial stock of succulents, purchasing growing supplies and paying for the LLC business license. Their profits have increased month to month, and since this past January, they are pulling in $1,200 of profit. That’s a truly succulent stream of cash!

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Tenacious Leaf: Check out Ayde’s customized succulent creations on her Instagram and Facebook pages!

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 is ‘thinking outside the pot.’ Custom orders are my favorite, as I am able to bring a piece of family history back to life, or create something that I wouldn’t have thought of without someone else!"
—Ayde Navarro-Urteaga #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Get a FREE Audiobook from Audible!

Audible is offering SHS listeners a free copy of the Born For This audiobook with a 30-day trial membership. 📚

Just go to aonc.co/bftaudible and browse the unmatched selection of audio programs and start listening.
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

Orthodontist Spends $500 in Facebook Ads; Produces $65,000 in New Revenue

What It’s About

$500 worth of Facebook Ads leads an orthodontist to major revenue increases.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Once a lead filled out the form in exchange for the coupon or other lead magnet, the front desk of the orthodontics office called the lead within five or ten minutes to schedule an appointment. As Seth is quick to point out, the magic isn’t in just offering a coupon, but using it as a lead magnet and sending traffic to a landing page that captures personal contact information.

Coupons are great, but capturing information and following up is what brings in that extra income!

Fun Fact

Growth has been Seth’s biggest challenge. Although he’s received more interest since publishing his case study and promoted it on Facebook targeting dentists and orthodontists, it’s been slow moving. He’s emailed dental offices and only received one to two leads from that, and says in general that it’s hard to get past the office manager’s gatekeeping. He is now cold calling, too, since he has a results-backed case study to talk about.

Notes from Chris

Episode 144

Medical professionals operate high-value practices but don’t usually know much about bringing people in the door. Naturally, there’s an opportunity there, at least for the right person.

Seth Ollerton has three brothers and two brothers-in-law in medicine. He watched them push through years of medical school while being married with children. He said they spent so much time and energy studying to pass the board exams to become doctors, that they had no time to learn anything about business, let alone marketing.

Meanwhile, at his day job, Seth had acquired the skills of managing Google AdWords and Facebook Ad campaigns. Because he saw a need for local healthcare professionals, he began approaching ones he knew about their online marketing services.

One orthodontist took Seth up on his offer, and they spent just under $500 in the month of February, mostly towards Facebook ads’ clicks and impressions, offering a $400 off coupon for braces. The campaign brought in 13 new patients, with each spending $5,000 for braces, bringing in approximately $65,000 in new revenue, minus overhead and other expenses.

Seth’s startup costs were minimal: $99/month for a landing page software provider, $69/month for Adobe Creative Cloud for graphic design and video editing. After the free trial, he charges $800 to $1000/month for his services, which don’t include the ad spend on Google AdWords or Facebook Advertising. With two paying clients, he brings in an additional $1,800/month on top of his day job.

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Ollerton Marketing: Learn more about Seth and his online marketing strategies on his website!
  • Keyword Planner: This tool helps you reach the right customers with the right keywords and helps you to better build your SEO and ad campaigns
  • Facebook Advertising: Find the right people, capture their attention, and get results
  • Adobe Creative Cloud: The software that Seth used for graphic design and video editing purposes

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
"By not trying to be a one-stop shop for every digital marketing need and every business under the sun, it has relieved me of extra stress and time. I’m happy and focused."
—Seth Ollerton #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Cook with Blue Apron!

Supporting the sponsors keeps the show free. Today’s episode of Side Hustle School is brought to you by Blue Apron. 👩‍🍳

Check out this week’s menu and get your first three meals FREE, with free shipping. Get ready to say mmmmmm.
Get Yours 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

Oncology Nurse Creates Products to Regrow Hair After Chemo; Earns $80,000

What It’s About

An all-natural haircare line that promotes hair growth inspired by personal experience.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Tee is continuing to grow her presence on social media but is working on being more intentional in her marketing. She says that last year she was a bit all over the place—trying to be on every network, but found she couldn’t maintain a consistent presence on all of them.

She’s now narrowed her focus to be consistent on Facebook and Twitter in a way that combines product promotion, spreading knowledge, and sharing more about her own journey.

Fun Fact

Tanieka created her hair care products to help regrow her hair after finishing chemotherapy. As her hair grew back thick and healthy, her friends and family wanted to know how she did and what products she used. When they started asking if they could buy the products she was using, she realized she had her very own side hustle.

Notes from Chris

Episode 140

I make Side Hustle School for people like Tanieka, featured in this day’s story. She’s an oncology nurse who works 12-hour shifts, yet has been able to start a project that helps people while making money for her, not an insignificant amount of money.

Her story is all about growth—growth she’s experienced in her personal life, her professional career, and even hair growth. Tanieka, or Tee, as she’s more commonly known, has created a side hustle selling natural hair products that promote healthy hair while also stimulating follicle growth.

She used LegalZoom to get her LLC set up, and by October 2014 she attended her first event as an official vendor.

It was a local women’s networking event that also had a few tables of vendors, and as she describes it, “I made a few hundred dollars at that first event. While that’s nothing to some people, to me it was a lot.” More than just making some money, she saw that there was a real market for her products.

Tee took that first few hundred dollars in revenue and put it right back into her business. In total, she spent $1,500 to get going. $800 of it was recouped as it went to buying ingredients and supplies directly related to creating her products.

All of these investments paid off. In 2015 Tee cleared more than $20,000. Aside than spending a few thousand dollars on ingredients, to prototype potential new products, she managed to keep costs low.

Tee also joined networking and entrepreneurial groups in her area. Through all these efforts she cleared $80,000 in sales in 2016.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Tee’s Hair Secret: Learn more about Tee and her magical hair elixirs on her website
  • Volusion: The e-commerce platform Tee used to set up her online store
  • LegalZoom: The company Tee used to get her LLC and all of her legal paperwork set up

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
"I’m simply amazed at all the people, from all over the world, that I’ve been able to meet through this business. Having a positive impact on their lives has been both humbling and inspiring."
—Tanieka Randall #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Try Harry's for FREE!

Side Hustle School is brought to you by Harry's. Get the close, comfortable shave you deserve!

Sign up by clicking the button below, and you’ll receive their most popular Trial Set—a 13 dollar value—for FREE when you cover the shipping.💈 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

Hip Hop Glitter Pendants Sell $60,000 on Instagram

What It’s About

A duo sell blinged out pendants after getting some traction with Instagram.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

After receiving very little social media traffic, Chris “decided to go old school” and started giving away the pendants for free to people with a lot of followers, on the off chance that someone would pose with it on their social media account. This slowly started working. Now instead of getting 5 likes on a post he’d get 50 or more likes and was finally getting a handful of orders coming in.

Fun Fact

Lisa Loeb was the first celebrity that Chris approached about wearing his pendants. When she actually responded that she’d like a Hello Kitty pendant, Chris knew he had to get this right. He created a custom Hello Kitty with Lisa’s glasses and a guitar in her hands. Lisa loved it, and Chris credits her star power with helping to launch his business.

Notes from Chris

Episode 138

Today’s hustle story is a two-for-one. It begins with Oliver Calaminus, an IT director for a law firm in Florida. One day in 2015 very shortly after the social network Periscope launched, he was watching a channel and saw a guy showing off some flashy wooden pendants that he handmade and sold. The company was called BigHead Custom and when Oliver saw them he immediately wanted to know how to get one. When he asked the guy what his website was, he learned that he only sold through his social media channels, mostly Instagram and Periscope, and billed through PayPal.

When he heard that, Oliver immediately saw an opportunity. As a web designer, he could make this guy a website, so that BigHead Custom could take orders online.

Oliver used a free template on Shopify to get the online store going. He did some research on SEO, but for the most part stepped back and let Chris do his thing on social media.

With the new website, Chris didn’t have to take orders over social media or via phone calls anymore. As he put it, “I could get orders while I was sleeping, which created a noticeable increase in sales and decreased the amount of time I was on the phone.” In 2015, with the website up for only about half the year, they cleared $40,000 in sales.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Big Head Custom: Learn more about Oliver, Chris, and their blinged out wooden pendants on their website
  • Periscope & Instagram: The two main social media platforms that Chris used to promote Big Head Custom
  • PayPal: The money exchanging service Chris used when he started to accept orders on social media
  • Shopify: Oliver used Shopify to create the Big Head Custom website, and they’re offering a 21-day trial and exclusive discount for all Side Hustle School listeners!

SEE ALSO:

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

A new show is starting called Happier in Hollywood, featuring Gretchen Rubin’s sister Elizabeth. It’s a podcast about how to be happier, healthier, saner, more creative, more successful, and more productive in a back-biting, superficial, chaotic, unpredictable, and fundamentally insane world.

It has the benefit of being both funny and interesting, and you can subscribe in Apple Podcasts!

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
"Fake it till you make it. If you see a better way to do something, go after it. Do what you need to do to promote yourself. I went from not knowing what a hashtag was to having thousands of loyal followers. If I can work it out, there’s no excuse for anyone else."
—Oliver Calaminus #SideHustleSchool

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To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Bikini Model Creates Multi-Million Swimsuit Line

What It’s About

No longer content with being in front of the camera, a swimsuit model launches her own swimwear line bringing in millions.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Early on, Candice realized she had positioned herself at the intersection of two extremely competitive industries—ecommerce and swimwear—and that she needed to find a way to stand out from the pack. To accomplish this, she took to social media. Once she figured out social media, everything snowballed. The business quickly outgrew Candice’s living room and was upgraded to a large warehouse, providing shipping worldwide.

Fun Fact

Two years after launching, Bikini Luxe’s annual sales are close to $5 million. Candice’s challenges include working 18-hour days at what was supposed to be a side project—it’s now a full-time job—and dealing with occasional customers who order thousands of dollars worth of merchandise only to return it.

Notes from Chris

Episode 108

Candice Galek was working as a model, staying busy with shoots for agencies throughout South Florida. While she had long dreamed of being a model, she began to realize she wasn’t entirely fulfilled by only being in front of the camera.

She found that what really excited her the most about her job was the brands she was modeling—particularly the swimwear. As she delved further into the high-end brands she was sporting, she learned more about them and noticed that many of them weren’t sold online. Candice decided to leverage her passion for swimwear to launch an e-commerce website, selling those brands and telling their stories, as a side business.

It’s been almost two years since she first launched her e-commerce store on Shopify, but she’s already bringing in around $5 million annually and has been chosen for Forbes’ 30 under 30 list for Art & Style. This kind of success may sound a little premature for a company still less than five years in, but Candice had several things going for her and her side hustle, Bikini Luxe:

1. Being a fashion model, she had many connections within the industry and, as a result, had an easier time breaking into it than someone without this experience.

2. Despite how seasonal the swimwear business is, her website managed to quadruple sales in the first December in part because Candice had invested more in advertising in Florida, where suits can be sold all year, and also in Australia for the Southern Hemisphere’s summer.

3. She was intentional about the brands she featured for swimwear focusing heavily on selecting those with strong missions, not just those with the highest profit margins.

4. Candice understood early on that she needed to find a way to stand out from the pack and used social media to accomplish this.

As you’re thinking of how you can create a side hustle of your own, consider what you’re excited about and what you’re good at—you may be surprised to see how some of those things overlap!

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Bikini Luxe: Learn more about Candice and the swimwear lines she features
  • Shopify: Candice used Shopify to create her website. They’re offering a 21-day trial and exclusive discount for all Side Hustle School listeners!
  • Pinterest: One of the social media outlets that Candice found a lot of success with
  • LinkedIn: The social media platform for professional networking that ended up boosting Candice’s sales by 20 percent after she intentionally posted a controversial bikini photo

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

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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
"Make sure that you choose a niche that you are both passionate and knowledgeable about. Look for gaps in the market in an area that you excel at."
—Candice Galek #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

Instagram Calligraphy Project Earns $9,000 in Year One

What It’s About

After creating a keepsake for a friend, a woman in Texas starts posting her artwork on Instagram and ends up with a calligraphy side hustle.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Caddy’s husband, Jarik, watched her work like crazy every night after her day job, and after a couple weeks stepped in with a proposal. He would take care of the financial, legal and general management so that Caddy could focus on the creative side of the business. This division of labor has been one of the best things for the business.

Fun Fact

By January 2016, only 3 months into officially doing business, Caddy and Jarik had their very first client that wasn’t connected to them through any social circle. This felt like a big milestone for Caddy because it meant that not only was her art reaching beyond her own circles, it was also resonating with them.

Notes from Chris

Episode 96

With over 400 million users spending time on Instagram each day, it’s no surprise that it has become a major jumping off point for many people looking to start and promote a new business venture or project. While you can find accounts for virtually any niche topic you can imagine, there are certain topics that have really taken off on the platform.

In today’s story, we feature a woman in Texas who had never had an Instagram account…until she registered one to start a side hustle.

Without trying several different approaches, she wouldn’t have found the best fit. However, without eventually becoming selective, she wouldn’t have been able to grow her side hustle. These days, Caddy is bringing in several thousand dollars each year ($9,000 as of last month), and in a few months, she’ll be well on track to double or even triple that within the year.

Do you use Instagram? You can follow me @193Countries!

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

Chris Guillebeau

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
"Sharing your ideas, processes, and clients isn’t ‘giving away your secrets’ but instead helps build each other up. It actually opens up more doors. This realization was a huge turning point for me."
—Caddy Jurica #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

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

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

Oil & Gas Sales Rep Makes $40,000 Reposting Online Photos

What It’s About

After joining Pinterest for fun, a busy mom and sales rep learns how to pin for dollars in her spare time.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

It pays to pay attention to trends! Whenever there’s something a lot of people are interested in, there’s probably a way to make money from it. Gabby jumped on Pinterest (here’s her Pinterest page!) in the early days and never looked back.

Fun Fact

In addition to being a Pinterest master with over 1.4 million followers, Gabby is also a sales rep, photographer, yoga teacher, and a mom. With such a busy schedule, any new hustle would need to be relatively easy to start. Making money from brand campaigns on Pinterest was the perfect option for her.

Resources

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

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Quote of the Day
"A lot of people are addicted to Pinterest, and it’s a great way to get paid doing what you love. I had well over $1,000 for the first month and was in disbelief!”"
—Gabby Orcutt #SideHustleSchool

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