Video Game Writing Class Is Real-Life Gamechanger

What It’s About

A teacher levels-up by offering courses that reference popular video games.

Words of Wisdom

According to Devyn if you don’t get into Outschool on your first try, apply again and apply better. Don’t give up. Devyn also says the number one quality they are looking for on Outschool is authenticity. In addition, she says, “they’re looking for people who have a passion for education.”

Fun Fact

Devyn lived in Spain and Argentina growing up, which is where she learned to speak Spanish.

Notes from Chris

Episode 2033
Who was your favorite teacher in school? Was it your music teacher or your English teacher? Or maybe you had that one really fantastic science teacher that made chemistry come to life for you.

The legendary teacher in today’s story has everyone beat. Her subject? Video games. Her classrooms aren’t brick and mortar; they’re the magical worlds of Legend of Zelda, Banjo Kazooie, Mario Kart, and Pokémon.

Devyn Ricks uses the landscape of these whimsical games to teach creative writing and social skills, engaging her students directly through gameplay. And she does this all online from the comforts of her home. No physical classroom needed. But that’s not all! She also gets paid for this.

Four years ago, Devyn Ricks’s husband started dental school. His student loans weren’t enough to cover their family of six. Devyn, therefore, decided she needed something flexible to help with the bills.

She started teaching English to kids in China through an online company called VIPKid, but her hours were 4am to 6am, which, as she puts it, was the worst schedule ever. Nevertheless, she noticed that several teachers working for VIPKid were jumping ship to find work through another platform called Outschool.

Initially, Devyn charged $12 per student per class—on the lower end of Outschool’s recommended price range of $10-20 dollars.

Next, she had to figure out what to teach. Being fluent in Spanish, Devyn decided to start by teaching Spanish classes. There wasn’t much demand for that, however, so she changed topics. Next, she tried to teach cooking. That didn’t work well either, so she moved on to other ideas.

In short, she was throwing everything she could at it, looking to find her way. But, unfortunately, she wasn’t getting very far.

It was almost game over … until she had an all-new idea. As Devyn continued to brainstorm, she realized her two passions were creative writing and video games—so why not create a class that does both? On a whim, she wrote a description and opened it for registration, hoping that kids would enjoy her innovative mashup. She was right!

This was where she found her niche, and the classes filled up. Not just once, but month after month.

Her flagship class, “Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild Creative Writing Class,” spawned even more classes. Her roster now features Animal Crossing and Mario Kart, among others.

One year after starting at Outschool, Devyn brings in $4,000 each month, teaching just 25 hours per week. Her earnings mean that her husband can stay focused on his dental schooling, and they can avoid additional student loans.

Miss Devyn (as she’s known to her students) has big plans for the future. First, she’s wielding her gaming superpowers to continue to level-up her business. She hopes to create an organization within Outschool, meaning that other teachers will work for her teaching video game social club classes. Her next goal is to monetize her YouTube Channel.

 


 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

WEB HOSTING @ $2.49/MONTH

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

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

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

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

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

Quote of the Day
"According to Devyn if you don’t get into Outschool on your first try, apply again and apply better. Don’t give up. Devyn also says the number one quality they are looking for on Outschool is authenticity. In addition, she says, “they’re looking for people who have a passion for education.”"
—Devyn Ricks #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

Online Literacy Tutoring Proves Profitable

What It’s About

An educator predicts the importance of online education.

Words of Wisdom

Joanne shares some fun thoughts, “the formula for luck comes down to five things: Make the right choices, hold the right behaviors, practice the perfect habits, stay consistent and keep your momentum.”

Fun Fact

Online learning platforms are already making the changes Joanne envisions for the future of her business. Founded in 2018, Koala is one such program where kids turn up to their lessons as an avatar.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1879
If you’re a K through 12 teacher, the idea of making multiple six figures as an educator might sound impossible, but for Joanne Kaminiski this is her life. And she’s still pinching herself. Because it’s hard to believe, but the journey to get here was one that took her twelve years.

So how did she seize the day? To find out, we need to go back to school.

In 2010, Joanne left her long-standing job as a literacy teacher because she no longer wanted to work where she felt undervalued. She wanted more flexibility, more money, and it didn’t help that her job duties back then were 20% teaching-related (what she enjoyed) and 80% “everything else”—meetings, observations, and conferences, which contributed to stress as well as taking up so much time.

After walking away from the role, Joanne then made a number of earnest attempts at starting her own business before things started to pay off.

One night, lying in bed, her best idea yet popped into her head. “Maybe I can teach kids how to read online,” she recalls. No more eBay. No more jewelry. Back to her first love, teaching.

Now, this was the pre-Zoom era, before the days of widespread remote learning. In fact, the only common platform was Skype. Would the kids even be able to see the words on the screen? Joanne was skeptical. So she tested it out in her living room with two computers. It worked just fine!

To start, Joanne’s rate was $40 an hour. One that she believed to be a good one. It wasn’t long before a combination of bandit signs and good old fashioned word-of-mouth helped Joanne to completely book out her work week. So she raised her price. And, before she knew it, she was booked up again. So she raised her prices again. And again, until eventually her rate was $100 dollars an hour.

Before long, Joanne had another bright idea. “I should teach other teachers online to tutor their kids online!” Like a Russian doll, Joanne was able to spawn a side hustle within her side hustle. She called it Online Tutor Coach.

Today, Joanne spends half of her time coaching adults and the other half teaching children. She recalls one of her first adult students who ended up earning $30,000 in their first three months, a landmark that took Joanne almost a decade to achieve.

Today, Online Tutor Coach hasn’t stopped evolving. When imagining what it will become, Joanne’s description is reminiscent of one of her past missed steps: online travel teaching. Except this time it’s 2022 and technological advancements in virtual reality mean that this concept might be possible.

Anything is possible, with the right idea and the hard work it takes to bring that idea into reality.

 


 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

WEB HOSTING @ $2.49/MONTH

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

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

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

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

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

Quote of the Day
"The formula for luck comes down to five things: Make the right choices, hold the right behaviors, practice the perfect habits, stay consistent and keep your momentum."
—Joanne Kaminiski #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

Toronto Songwriting School Harmonizes During Pandemic

What It’s About

When the pandemic hits, this duo switches keys and takes their classes online.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Mary suggests that if you go into business to start a side hustle, you need to pick a partner who has complementary skills and be comfortable letting them do their own thing. Their company has grown into what it is today because they’ve allowed each other to shine in their respective roles.

Also, Mary highlighted the importance of supporting their community. Their network of students, teachers, and business partners was critical to weathering the worst parts of the pandemic, and they continue to be a big family to this day. If your community can rely on you, they’ll be there for you as well.

Fun Fact

The Toronto Songwriting School loves a little bit of competition, so they’re running multiple songwriting competitions per year to test your skills! All you have to do is sing into your phone and submit a $5 app fee to win it all.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1772
Musician and songwriter Murray Foster performed in the Canadian folk-rock band Great Big Sea for over a decade before the group called it quits in 2013. But Murray wasn’t quite ready to retire from his love of songwriting just because the other guys decided to move on to different things in their lives.

An idea dawned on him to monetize his passion by creating a songwriting course in the Toronto area. Even though he didn’t know much about marketing or building a business, this musician was pretty upbeat about keeping the dream alive.

He reached out to his friend Mary Krause, and they went into the project together. What project? The Toronto Songwriting School.

You know where this is going … right? COVID-19 was just starting to gain momentum. Getaway guests were still innocently sharing meals, drinks, and microphones as if life was totally normal.

Within just two weeks, they’d have to completely cancel in-person classes and fully pivot how the Toronto Songwriting School operated on a daily basis.

So what would they do? They wanted to keep their tight-knit community of students together, so they started by hosting free Sunday night song circles while developing a longer-term strategy. Each week, their students would come together, share a song or two (online!), and they’d close with a check-in to make sure the small group was doing okay with everything happening around the world.

Like the rest of us, they hoped the change would be short-lived. But as Canada continued to shut down, it became pretty clear that they’d need to adjust their courses to become online-only.

We all know that feeling of hopping on a Zoom call where everyone talks over one another. Well, how about trying to sing in harmony with one another!? The difficulty level of getting multiple singers to harmonize with each other over video chat has been … off the scale!

Still, they persevered, and their side hustle is now bringing in around $2,500 in profits each month, part-time.

Mary continues to work at her full-time healthcare social media job. Meanwhile, Murray stays busy with various artistic pursuits, such as teaching at a local college and writing musical theater.

 


 

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
"Find a partner with complementary skills and let them do their thing. By allowing each other to shine, the company has grown into something better than we could have ever anticipated"
—Mary Krause #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

Instructor Offers Online Wellness Classes for Seniors

What It’s About

A college instructor uses an all-in-one platform to offer online classes to other seniors.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Glenda share some encouragement for those also thinking about freelance teaching, “Think about what they love to do or interests that they have. Explore those interests and see if there is a way to make money from it. With the internet and social media, there are so many ways you can create your own side hustle and run it from home.”

Fun Fact

Glenda has been side hustling since her late twenties. She used to make jewelry from semi-precious stones and sell it at NYC street and craft festivals. She’s also tie-dyed fabric and sold it at cultural festivals in Brooklyn.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1744
Glenda Springer was teaching liberal arts and education courses as an adjunct instructor for two universities. She’d been teaching online for eight years after getting her Master’s degree, but her day job included lots of grading and when her students complained, she’d have to re-grade their assignments.

In February 2020, Glenda received an email about becoming a guide for a platform called GetSetUp.io. The role would involve teaching part-time classes online to seniors. GetSetUp is a place for older adults to learn and connect in small online classes, something that was about to become very popular in 2020 as the pandemic swept across the world. GetSetUp has guides and students in several countries.

When Glenda got the email, she liked the idea of teaching something online that didn’t require endless grading. Also, since she was herself sixty years old, she matched the age group she’d be teaching. So, after doing a video interview where she taught a skill remotely, she became a guide with GetSetUp and started teaching technology classes through the platform.

Could Glenda earn more teaching on her own? Possibly, but this platform made it easy for her to … get set up. Classes are offered through Zoom, and GetSetUp has a scheduling tool where she can update her availability. This means she can set her availability around her adjunct work with universities.

Startup costs were zero. Technically, you do need some equipment, but it’s pretty common: a laptop or a desktop computer, a webcam, a microphone, and some lighting. Basically, if you’ve done any video calls over the past year, you already have everything you need.

Glenda started out teaching Squarespace, then she added classes in making YouTube videos and another on using the iPad. She’s now teaching around ten hours a week and earns up to $1,500 per month.

Next, she’s developing more classes to teach online including breathwork and how to use intuition. She’s also in an online Zumba Teacher Training program. Finally, she’s considering offering more classes using the private feature in YouTube so that they would be invite-only. With her community building and technology skills combined with her new student following, she’s built a solid foundation without any marketing of her own.

 


 

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
"Think about what they love to do or interests that they have. Explore those interests and see if there is a way to make money from it. With the internet and social media, there are so many ways you can create your own side hustle and run it from home."
—Glenda Springer #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

Lawyer Moonlights Music Production Tutorials

What It’s About

An after-hours hobby leads to an extra $2,000/month.

Words of Wisdom

Evan shares some helpful advice on how to deal with trolls, “The main thing I wish I’d done earlier is turn off YouTube and email push notifications. Nothing like having a nice night when you get an alert on your phone with someone talking crap about you.”

Fun Fact

There are now over 37 million Youtube channels – that may seem like a lot until you realize Youtube has over 2 billion logged-in visitors every month. With that much traffic, there’s potential in every niche.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1697
Evan Oxhorn has a demanding day job as a lawyer. But when letting loose at night, he engages in his favorite hobby, producing beats and making music. Over the course of the last decade it’s become a true passion for him.

It’s a passion that’s easier and more accessible than ever, even for a one man band. Gone are the days where you needed a full band or sound studio. That’s been replaced by a laptop and music production software. Software that’s known as a digital audio station—DAW for short. You can think of DAW software as a recording studio in a box.

There are a lot of DAWs on the market, but Evan uses a relatively less popular one called Reason. And, over the course of ten years he became quite an expert at it. In fact, he liked the software so much that he became an active participant on their official forums. He’d often provide guidance to folks just starting out, as well as anyone who wanted to level up their skills. Overtime, he became somewhat of the go-to guy for advice.

That got Evan drumming up an idea: surely, he thought, making video tutorials about making music would be more effective at helping people than writing about it—so he started his own Youtube channel with the intent of posting how-to guides and tips for producing great music with Reason.

Startup costs were effectively zero. He already had the equipment he needed to start recording. Although, as he discovered, producing high quality videos was easier said than done. In his haste to get content out, he didn’t really focus on quality. That led to a lot of hurtful comments, including some from people claiming he shouldn’t be teaching others about audio, if he couldn’t even be bothered to touch it up on his own videos.

Eventually, his channel ended up with over ten thousand subscribers and he explored additional monetization strategies including; affiliate marketing, where he recommended products on his site and would receive a commission for each sale, as well as ad revenue from his growing views and subscriber base. He even started one-on-one consulting for those that wanted a little more instruction.

With all those streams of income, it’s little surprise Evan is now making a solid two thousand dollars per month from his musically-pleasing instructional side hustle.

 


 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

WEB HOSTING @ $2.49/MONTH

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

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

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

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

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

Quote of the Day
" I’d really recommend building a good lead magnet and mentioning it in every video and blog post so that you can build your email list."
—Evan Oxhorn #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

Peace Corps Alum Tutors U.S. Military Recruits

What It’s About

A returned Peace Corps volunteer helps military recruits with their exams.

Words of Wisdom

Mickey says that when it comes to tutoring, “Persistence is key, and you ALWAYS get more than you give. If you give as much as you can, you’ll likely get more than you need.”

Fun Fact

The National Guard is known as the “civilian soldiers.” They are meant to have full-time jobs, and help when needed. More than 50,000 National Guard Members helped during the clean-up of Hurricane Katrina, and thousands of them have aided with the COVID-19 response.

[SOURCE]

Notes from Chris

Episode 1634
Mickey Gamonal [gamma-knoll] got a degree in secondary education specifically so he could join the Peace Corps right after graduating from college.

He loved his two years of serving in Morocco so much that when it was done, he joined Teach For America. It’s a nonprofit organization focused on ensuring every child in the United States receives a quality education.

Unfortunately, this second service commitment didn’t last long. The teacher burnout hit hard, and Mickey needed a change.

But first, a friend asked for help studying for a test called the ASVAB. This is an important test: it evaluates soldier’s skills, and determines what jobs they’re eligible for.

He began to talk to army recruiters in Las Vegas, his hometown. They were impressed with his work ethic, and the conversations led to him tutoring some of their newly enlisted soldiers skills in English and math.

Mickey knew he could help. The test focused on 7th grade English and math knowledge, and as a veteran middle school teacher, this was exactly up his alley.

This started in the summer of 2020, and by November, he quit his full-time job as a security officer. Mickey knew November was a good month to quit, since he got three paychecks that month instead of two. He couldn’t stop thinking about his business, now called Gamonal Tutors, and he wanted to go all-in.

It helped that he’d recently started breaking even, meaning that he was making the same $1800/month from tutoring that he used to make from security. More importantly, the ability to grow his income over time is totally worth it to Mickey. As a security officer, there wasn’t much room for salary growth, but by running his own business, the possibilities were much more expansive.

Mickey hopes to make Captain before his National Guard six year contract is over. Meanwhile, he’s delving into online learning, eventually hoping to hire more tutors to learn the ropes.

 


 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Learn more about Mickey and his tutoring service at his website, GamonalTutors.com.

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

WEB HOSTING @ $2.49/MONTH

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

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

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

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

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

Quote of the Day
"Persistence is key, and you ALWAYS get more than you give. If you give as much as you can, you’ll likely get more than you need."
—Mickey Gamonal #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

“Bee Man of New Jersey” Buzzes Into Money Hive

What It’s About

A hobbyist turned bee-liever finds honey teaching the art of the hive.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Frank charges $15 for one pound of his honey, an intentional price point. He says that “by charging a premium price, you’re letting your customers know that you have a premium product. Some people will think it’s too much to pay for honey, but there will be even more people who think it’s a great product and will gladly pay you full price.”

Fun Fact

In its lifetime one bee will make about 1/12 a teaspoon of honey. Bees must collect nectar from about 2 million flowers to make 1 pound of honey. To visit 2 million flowers, bees fly 55,000 miles, which is twice around the earth!

Notes from Chris

Episode 1597
Frank Mortimer got his start in beekeeping the way a lot of folks do—with just one hive, a bit of research, and lifelong desire to keep bees. Fast-forward to today and he’s a busy little worker bee with speaking engagements, a forthcoming book, and naturally a sweet extra income of more than $1,000 a month.

Frank had been interested in bees since he was a child, and he set about learning as much as he could through books, attending meetings of local beekeeping clubs, and connecting with more experienced beekeepers.

After picking up hive #1 quickly realized he could enlist his bees to offset the costs of this new hobby by selling the honey they produced. He also enlisted his five year old son to sell the honey from the front yard, lemonade stand style, and in his second year of beekeeping they sold 32 pounds of honey.

Now, a number of years and fifteen additional hives later, Frank sells more than 1,800 pounds of honey a year. He decided early on not to compete with mass-produced supermarket honey and instead market his as a local, quasi-luxury product. Frank’s honey costs around $15 a jar and is sold at speciality stores and gift shops near his northern New Jersey home.

But honey isn’t the only product that has sweetened the pot for Frank. With the help of his wife, Frank branched out and began manufacturing lip balm and hand cream right in his own kitchen. They consulted online tutorials and found all the supplies they needed online, and after a few weeks of tweaking the recipes had two additional products to add to their revenue stream.

Before the pandemic he was able to attend bee club meetings and festivals where he could sometimes sell up to $1,000 of product in a single day! Now Frank relies heavily on Facebook and Instagram, posting in local groups about his honey and giving educational talks to bee groups to help get his name out there.

Wait, educational talks? That’s right. Those talks have led Frank to become known as “The Bee Man” and he eventually became the President of his local bee club. He also became a certified Master Beekeeper through a program at Cornell University, and with those credentials has taught classes at the New York Botanical Garden. Eventually Frank’s expertise and reputation even led to a book deal. That’s right, check out Bee People and the Bugs They Love wherever you shop for books.

This reputation helped him overcome the challenge of selling his honey at $15 a pound. As Frank the Bee Man becoming somewhat of a local legend in New Jersey, people are happy to pay a premium price for his quality product.

From a childhood fascination with bees to that front yard “Honey Stand” operated by his son and his first sale to a specialty store, to his cosmetic products and book deal becoming “The Bee Man,” Frank was able to harness the energy of his hives to turn a hobby into a reliable income— which as the old timers might say is just “the bee’s knees!”

 


 

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
"By charging a premium price, you’re letting your customers know that you have a premium product. Some people will think it’s too much to pay for honey, but there will be even more people who think it’s a great product and will gladly pay you full price."
—Frank Mortimer #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

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

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

Chris Guillebeau

Polyglot Conjugates Verbs for Hundreds of Clients

What It’s About

A project manager monetizes her language-learning superpower.

Words of Wisdom

Eva has some important words for anyone considering a side hustle, “Venture out, learn what makes you uncomfortable and repeat. What I learned about myself in 15 years I could never have learned just from reading books or hearing others tell their stories.”

Fun Fact

Eva’s mother has always been her number one supporter and dubbed her with the nickname “terremoto,” meaning “earthquake,” because of her intense hustler mentality.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1494
When Eva Rosales graduated from Columbia University in 2009 with a master’s degree in international affairs, she entered the job market during a recession. Graduating from an Ivy League school was a big accomplishment for Eva, who is originally from Peru, and says she wanted to make her dad proud.

At the time, she’d already lived in eight countries, spread across four continents, and spoke five languages. It got her thinking—maybe she could start a business with these skills … somehow.

When Eva got home from a trip, she created a Google Doc and brainstormed services she could offer, then researched how to fine-tune them. For example, she learned that it’s extremely beneficial to get accredited in order to be an interpreter in medicine. It’s not enough to speak the language well—the certification (at least in this case) matters.

After figuring out what certifications she would need, Eva set up a LinkedIn premium account so that her profile would have more visibility.

And, of course, she had to come up with a name for her business. On the same napkin she had used to write down her favorite topics, Eva had also jotted down words that described her: hyper, polyglot, nomad, polylingual, and fluent, to name a few. She looked at the napkin one morning and two words stood out: hyper and fluent. Eva decided to combine the two to create HyperFluent.

Soon after, she narrowed down the services she would offer, including personalized one-on-one language courses, cooking sessions in different languages, translating and interpreting, and more.

Since she started Hyperfluent in 2011, Eva has had about 650 clients. She currently profits up to $50,000 annually from the side hustle—and yes, this is still a side hustle! Her full-time job is as a project manager for the International Centers for Precision Oncology.

Eva says that some of her favorite memories have been through her business: since starting she’s learned four more languages, worked and cooked with refugees in Berlin, and visited more than 65 countries.

 


 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

WEB HOSTING @ $2.49/MONTH

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

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

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

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

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

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

Sponsors & Gratitude

Try ShipStation for 60 Days FREE!

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

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

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

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

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

Keep in Touch

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


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

TBT: Jazz Musician Becomes High Earner

What It’s About

Our first Throwback Thursday episode features updates from a musician who creates online resources to learn jazz.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1111

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

The project is a suite of online resources to learn jazz. It began as a hobbyist blog and is now a booming multiple six-figure business.

Brent’s project was interesting in lots of ways. One unique way is that this is one of the few projects we’ve ever featured where the featured side hustler didn’t start the project but rather took it over from a friend who didn’t have much time to devote to it.

We first featured Brent LONG ago in the first year of the show (Episode #69), and then once more in the 100 SIDE HUSTLES book.

So here we are two years later, checking in…

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

 


 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

 

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

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

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

GET YOUR FIRST 1,000 EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS

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

Quote of the Day
"Figure out what your zone of genius is and that means really looking at yourself and asking “who am I qualified to help the best?”"
—Brent Vaartstra #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Don't Do Business Without It

Side Hustle School is brought to you by American Express.

No matter what you do in business, from working nine-to-five to working five-to-nine, it’s easier when you don’t go it alone. Get the powerful backing of American Express—don't do business without it! 💳 Visit American Express

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

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

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

Keep in Touch

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


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

College Lecturer Makes Money by Helping Other Instructors Teach Better

What It’s About

A college lecturer discovers a knack for building curriculum.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals not only inspires you, it also allows you to make strong connections in your field and promote both yourself and what you do. It’s important to have a small group of people that you can bounce ideas off of and grow with professionally.

Fun Fact

One day, Megan stopped into the San Antonio Museum of Art and discovered the French modern sculptor, Rodin. She was entranced by a short video detailing the painstaking wax bronze casting process Rodin used in order to create his beautiful sculptures. It takes many steps, expertise in several modalities, and the talented eye of the sculptor to complete one of those masterpieces.

She doesn’t claim to be a world-class artist, but she realized that the process was similar to that of what she was beginning to embark on with her side hustle.

Notes from Chris

Episode 72

Megan’s story follows an old, tried and true business model: “Teach what you know.” By teaching what you already know, whether it’s related to your profession or a hobby, you gain a built-in advantage: not only do you have the right knowledge, it’s also probably something you care about.

You don’t necessarily have to be an “expert” on the subject, because there’s always going to be someone out there who doesn’t know as much as you do on a given topic.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • San Antonio Museum of Art: The museum where Megan first discovered Rodin.
  • Rodin: If you’d like to learn more about Rodin and his particular style of art, check out his Wikipedia page.

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
"Find as many opportunities as possible, to be involved in the things you are passionate about. Meet people who do it, learn from them, congregate in places where it occurs. Find your tribe, people who are interested in what you are interested in. They will inspire and invigorate you."
—Megan Pope #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Get a premium Indochino Suit for just $389!

Side Hustle School is brought to you by Indochino, the company that’s reinventing men’s fashion.

Go to Indochino.com to get any premium Indochino suit for just $389, plus free shipping, when you use promo code HUSTLE at checkout. 🤵 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