Tag: Unique Ideas

Flipping 101: The College Textbook Edition

What It’s About

A resourceful college student finds a way to turn $20 into almost $70,000…flipping college textbooks.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

A successful strategy for Marcus when scoring books on eBay was reaching out to the seller directly with an offer. The impatience of youth often worked in his favor, and he’d use this technique early in the bidding when the bids were low since they made his offer look more desirable in comparison.

Fun Fact

Being from two entirely different countries and cultures meant that Marcus and Ashley had a little bit more of a learning curve when it came to communication, but they found healthy ways to communicate with one another and built an even stronger bond between them. The success they found even encouraged them to start their own blog called Our Peaceful Family, and together they hope to help others communicate for stronger marriages.

Notes from Chris

Episode 492

Let’s face it—college is downright expensive. Between increases in tuition and the necessities of living close to or on campus, students and their parents are often desperate to find ways to trim the fat on higher education. Sometimes one of the most surprising expenses is textbooks, which cost much more than any other books. And while second mortgages and loan sharks are popular options, there’s often no easier way to cut costs than to look outside of your money-hungry university bookstore.

And if you’ve been listening to the show for a while, you’ll know that where there’s a problem, there’s a side hustle just waiting in the wings. That’s where our story today begins, and ironically, it all starts with a book that you’re not likely to find in your typical university bookstore. You could say it’s a bit unconventional…

The year was 2012, and Marcus Kusi, found himself between a rock and a hard place. He was a full-time student at a university in Vermont heading towards a promising degree in computer information systems, but money was tight. When he wasn’t cramming for exams, he was working part-time manufacturing furniture and providing IT assistance at the university. And he was also a new father.

His wife, Ashley, stayed home with their daughter so that they didn’t have to pay for childcare (another outrageously expensive industry, by the way), and Marcus was the main breadwinner despite also being a full-time student. There had to be a better way—and that’s when Marcus stumbled across The $100 Startup.

Within its pages, he read about everyday people who were taking less than $100 and turning it into businesses that brought in six or more figures a year. It was exactly the kind of motivation that Marcus needed.

Since he didn’t have much money to spare, he took $5 every month for four months and set it aside for his startup costs—that’s right, $20. And he put on his thinking cap. Unlike some of the people he read about in the case studies from my book, Marcus needed money like yesterday.

That’s when he discovered the wonderful world of reselling. Not only was it low-risk, it was something he could start immediately—a timeframe that was quite appealing to Marcus. Now all he needed was something to flip…

College book prices are a common pain point with university students, and Marcus knew that if you were going to resell something, you had to a) make sure that what you were selling was in high demand, and b) know your product like the back of your hand.

If inflation continued to drive the price of textbooks sky high (fun fact: the avg. cost of college textbooks has risen 4x faster than the rate of inflation over the past 10 years) cheap textbooks were never going to stop being in high demand. And who knows more about textbooks than a college student? It seemed like his best bet, and Marcus was eager to close the chapter on his financial woes.

So, Marcus began his hunt where every resourceful college student finds themselves when it comes time to purchase books for class—eBay. With that $20, he purchased two books and turned around and sold them almost immediately for around $70. It seemed to be working, but was it sustainable?

Within his first year, Marcus pulled in $20,000, and in year two, those profits climbed above $48,000—that’s almost $70,000! Over the course of those two years, Marcus flipped almost 5,000 college textbooks. And it all started with $20 saved in $5 increments across four months.

Just imagine what you could do if you skipped your double shot, nonfat mochaccino with two pumps of caramel once a month!

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • eBay & Amazon: The two online platforms that Marcus used to flip textbooks
  • Our Peaceful Family: The niche blog that Marcus and Ashley started to help newlyweds communicate better

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
"If you’re going to be successful at reselling something, you need to a) make sure that what you’re planning on selling is in high demand and b) know the product like the back of your hand."
—Marcus Kusi #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

Flight Attendant Gets Paid to Help Kids Learn About the World

What It’s About

A flight attendant uses her day job to take the Tooth Fairy international!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Tiffany recommends that other first-time side hustlers be as active as possible in local meet-ups and networking events. These have helped her both in brainstorming product enhancements and in getting the word out with limited marketing.

Passport4Change’s products are currently only sold online; they won’t work in the ultra-competitive retail space just yet, as she’d need a much larger budget to occupy the shelf space and marketing required to garner enough attention to make it worthwhile.

Fun Fact

While the specific concept of a fairy is recent, cultures around the world have been commemorating lost baby teeth for hundreds of years.

In the 13th century, Islamic scholar Ibn Abi el-Hadid referenced the Middle Eastern tradition of throwing a baby tooth into the sky (or “to the sun”) and praying for a better tooth to replace it.

Notes from Chris

Episode 480

Tiffany Reimer is a globetrotting flight attendant, with a side hustle featuring a character well known to many of us: the Tooth Fairy. Except hers is likely a much more well-traveled version than the one you and I grew up with.

Tiffany explains that the inspiration for her side hustle, Passport4Change, arose when she asked her niece a simple question. “If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?” –and the then five-year-old enthusiastically responded, “Target!” (Yep, she was referring to the big-box department store.)

This wasn’t just a red flag; it was a sign that there are likely a lot of other kids out there whose worlds could be bigger, and who could benefit from learning a thing or two about other cultures. So she decided to create a product that parents and kids both love: the concept of a passport-bearing Tooth Fairy who leaves coins from all over the world. Kids get a map that they use to check off countries where their Tooth Fairy has traveled and a passport for their special coins.

Every time Tiffany travels to a new country—and she’s so far logged an impressive catalog of 50 of them—she goes out of her way to collect more coins. She’s not alone in her quest, though: Tiffany’s husband, a pilot, is her biggest supporter, and a more than willing travel partner. It’s been an adventure for them both that has involved a lot of fascinating research along the way.

Tiffany says that Passport4Change is delivering more than cash; each coin sparks kids’ interest in different parts of the world, potentially opening a dialogue about different cultures, time zones, languages, superstitions, inventions, indigenous animals, and traditions. Or, you know, what the best airline lounge is!

For Passport4Change, Tiffany sourced product names from her day job in the airline industry. Currently, the best-selling kit is The First Class Kit. It comes with a random assortment of 20 coins that typically include currencies from countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America. Tiffany has also had a few parents request coins from countries that are special to them, like where they honeymooned, or where their relatives or ancestors came from.

In 2016, the U.S. national average that the Tooth Fairy left kids was $4.66. (Too bad adults don’t have baby teeth, am I right?) At Passport4Change, Tiffany sells individual coins for $4.95 each in addition to the expanded kits. Naturally, the coins do not cost nearly that much to acquire, in fact, they cost very little. With a solid margin, this already sounds like a lucrative venture, but Tiffany’s startup costs to produce the maps, passports, and a website were $5,000.

Still, she’s been able to grow the business primarily through word-of-mouth and is now bringing in $2,500 in monthly profit.

It’s pocket change that creates real change in the hearts and minds of families. Tiffany understands this intimately; before becoming a flight attendant, she was working a 9-to-5 job at a bank. After leaving, she hasn’t looked back, and her world has definitely expanded.

When Tiffany looks at the map she and her husband have at home that has pins for every country they’ve visited, she’s excited to fill in the spaces. And she’s betting that because of Passport4Change, there will be a new generation excited to do the same.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Passport4Change: Take your child’s imagination on an adventure around our world. Learn more about what Tiffany is doing over on her 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

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 grew up being told we are all equal and the same, but my travels showed me that we should celebrate our differences! Something like this could really change the way kids view others who may look different than themselves."
—Tiffany Reimer #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

Serial Business Builder Creates Digital Checklist Tool

What It’s About

A serial side hustler creates a digital checklist to fast-track business training.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

If you’re someone who wants to start down the side hustle path, Chris recommends testing before investing. He would see time and time again clients coming up with really complex app ideas meant to solve a certain business problem. But before he would recommend they invest, they’d test a workflow of the concept using something inexpensive like index cards.

And you won’t believe how something so simple can reveal deal-breaking issues, thus saving so much time and money before building an app they didn’t need.

Fun Fact

Chris is what we like to call a “serial side hustler.” Before Trainual, he started six other projects including an organic shade-grown coffee imported from an entrepreneurship school in Honduras, a graduation video filming service called Happy Grads, an aerial videography service for auto dealerships using drones, and a side hustle selling guidebooks!

Notes from Chris

Episode 475

As side hustlers, we’ve all been there. A brilliant business idea pops into your head that you know could be a success if you could just pull it together. But all it really leads to are more questions than answers. This is what Chris Ronzio’s side hustle is all about. Getting your business out of your brain.

Chris, a former full-time consultant, was in the business of helping companies build systems and processes to improve their operational efficiency. Inspired by his professional experience and empowered by his side hustle stamina, he decided to launch Trainual.

Trainual, Chris defines as “the easiest way to organize how you do what you do.” This web app helps business owners build a how-to guide on how to run and organize their business. Imagine every role, responsibility, process, policy, and procedure within your company outlined in one simple spot.

During his day job as a consultant, Chris realized that there was one thing he kept seeing business owners struggle with over and over again. Not having a good system for putting their business on paper that other employees could reference to hit the ground running.

Say a new employee is hired at your organization. How do you get them up to speed on your business quickly and effectively? In Chris’ mind, so much of a new hire’s success within any company is about giving them the right tools and information to do their job. This is where Trainual comes into play. You could introduce them to your business using the web app so that they feel empowered and invested in every aspect of their day-to-day.

Once the digital product was developed, Chris focused on finding his audience. He reached out to the companies he had been working with already and offered lifetime access to Trainual for a thousand dollars. And four of them said yes which was totally awesome, but he was really hoping that 50 would. At the time, he didn’t know much about preparing for an online product launch, so while he did celebrate the validation of his idea, it wasn’t like the first few dollars he had made from his first business at 14, when he tried to swim in a few hundred bucks like Scrooge McDuck.

But before he knew it, six more businesses had signed up. What was surprising about that though was that some of the sign-ups came from outside of his network. That meant the word was spreading!

For the first few years with his investment in time being super slim, Trainual profits grew from about $300 per month to $2,000 per month after minor site hosting expenses. Once profits were able to cover his mortgage for a couple of years, Chris decided that it was truly time for celebration. Since December, his profits are up to $4,400 per month. He’s been able to triple their customer base over the last two months and now has users from 22 countries. Now that’s a side hustle success story!

In the immediate future, Chris is focusing on making Trainual the premier product for all businesses to document how their company works. His biggest challenge now is the same one that many of us have—too many projects! Fortunately, he’s got a checklist to help him keep up.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Trainual: Streamline your business’ training procedures—learn more on Chris’ website!
  • Evernote & OmniFocus: Some of the different organizational tools I use to organize my tasks and goals

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
"All of the income from my day job was a direct result of the time I spent physically working, but it didn’t leave much security for my family if something happened. Knowing that the mortgage would be covered for at least a couple years was a really great feeling."
—Chris Ronzio #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

FIND LOVE WITH EHARMONY

This week, Side Hustle School is brought to you by eHarmony. eHarmony is built to help you find lasting, meaningful relationships. 💕

Right now, Side Hustle School listeners can get a free month with eHarmony when they sign up for a 3-month subscription! Enter my code HUSTLE at checkout. Stop waiting and start your journey to a love-filled, compatible relationship! Sign Up 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

“Netflix of Restaurants” Side Hustle Earns $50,000/Year

What It’s About

A self-proclaimed nerd at heart makes $50,000/year answering the most important question of all—”what’s for dinner?”

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Think about your skills and your personality—what are you good at? What do you enjoy doing? For example, this is a good side hustle for someone interested in data who maybe isn’t thrilled with the thought of interacting with people. With this web app, you never really have to talk to anyone with this kind of project. You have no clients, and you don’t even need to interact with most (if any) of the people who come to the website.

There really is something out there for everyone!

Fun Fact

What’s the equivalent of the Oscars, but for restaurants? The Michelin Star. It is given to restaurants who, according to anonymous ‘inspectors,’ have created dishes that are high-quality, skillfully prepared, creative, and offer good value. The Stars were originally launched by—you guessed it—the tire company, as part of their city guides. The restaurant section was the most well-received, and the Stars have since become the highest standard for chefs to aspire to.

Notes from Chris

Episode 472

Nobody likes going into a restaurant without having some idea of what to expect. And being the person that recommended a new restaurant is like playing with fire. It could go very well… but it could also burn you. And that was a risk that Mike Van Heyde, a product manager based in Austin, Texas, got tired of taking.

Mike is a self-described “nerd at heart” who was well-versed in application algorithms. So, when Netflix launched a contest that asked people to predict the rating their 2.5 million customers would leave 100 million movies, Mike was intrigued by the challenge. The prize was for $1 million… if you could beat their algorithm by at least 10%.

Mike had a firm grasp on computer algorithms. He didn’t know much about building a recommendation system, but he didn’t let that deter him from the potentially huge winnings. Since Netflix had set up a forum for the competition, Mike found himself doing lots of research into how to begin building this kind of system. He fancied himself a “complete novice” when it came to executing his idea, so he saw immense benefit in watching people with more experience discuss their problems and process.

Although Mike didn’t win the Netflix challenge, he did come up with a flexible algorithm that he could use for other occasions. This gave him his big idea: If people could have restaurants recommended to them in the same way that Netflix recommends movies, then the entire process (and deliberation) would be simplified. So, Mike spent a day building a simple prototype to test how his algorithm responded to the restaurants he already knew he liked, and the ones he knew he wanted to go to. A few tweaks here, a little adjustment there, and one application later… Foodio54 was the life of the party.

The algorithm was complex, but the concept was simple: Users would rate a few restaurants and Foodio would learn about their tastes and suggest places they might like.

Traffic to the site slowly began to grow through word of mouth and recommendations, but Mike kept it completely non-commercial for the first year. The easiest way to help Foodio grow was through advertising, and he was hesitant to put ads on his website in case it make the site look unprofessional. But, a year into his Foodio side hustle, he decided that he was “ready enough” and turned on Google AdSense—a platform that allows owners earn money through targeted ads placed on their site.

It was almost immediately profitable. Since then, Mike’s revenue has averaged $50,000 a year… and nearly hit $100,000 in annual revenue, twice. By early 2011, the traffic to Foodio was growing so quickly that Mike was considering quitting his day job and making his side hustle his full-time job. But then…disaster struck.

It turned out that Google updated their guidelines overnight and launched an important update which changed how they showed websites in their rankings. Traffic had declined by 75% in one day. Foodio was squashed like an overripe avocado.

Mike realized he’d made a critical mistake. He had focused on a recommendation algorithm that depended on ratings, making reviews and other content secondary.

The road to recovery took months, but he slowly and steadily built back Foodie54’s prominence. Before the crash, he was on track to earning $100,000 in a single year, and he hasn’t recovered to that point yet, but he’s still hovering comfortably at around $50,000/year.

The project remains a side hustle. Mike believes that the skills he’s gained would have been unlikely working for someone else would have been unlikely. He stills hope to one day be self-employed, and one of his next steps is to grow the Foodie54 site into a standalone phone application. But for now, he’s happy and comfortable, and the world is his self-recommending oyster.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Foodio54.com: Are bad recommendations causing you to lose your appetite? Check out Mike’s app over on his website and never go hungry again!
  • Google Adsense: Mike decided to try and monetize his web app using click through ads via Google Adsense

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 once took 38 days off from my day job and traveled on a 19,000 mile road trip. I drove through 48 states and flew to Alaska and Hawaii. Along the way I had Foodio54 recommend me a restaurant in every state. I’ve never been so well fed!"
—Mike Van Heyde #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

FIND LOVE WITH EHARMONY

This week, Side Hustle School is brought to you by eHarmony. eHarmony is built to help you find lasting, meaningful relationships. 💕

Right now, Side Hustle School listeners can get a free month with eHarmony when they sign up for a 3-month subscription! Enter my code HUSTLE at checkout. Stop waiting and start your journey to a love-filled, compatible relationship! Sign Up 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

Host a Birthday Party, Drink Wine, Make $2,000

What It’s About

A birthday “paint and sip” celebration combined with a Facebook post becomes an accidental side hustle.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Here we have the right balance in art as a social activity, and one that removes inhibitions through the wine and casual nature of it. Add the clever name like “Proof in Painting” and it’s a low-risk commitment for someone to sign up for one of these events. The people who sign up are different than those who take art classes—and this is key to Chelsea’s success.

Fun Fact

A month after arriving in Oregon, Chelsea was talking to someone who asked the very common question: “what were you doing before you moved here?” She listed her endeavors and included the painting.

He said “I work at the country club and we had a meeting 3 days ago that we want to start offering these. Could you do them for us?” And just like that, she had a monthly gig!

Notes from Chris

Episode 467

Chelsea Gittle was trying to do something nice for her mother’s birthday. The former environmental consultant and life-long painter wanted to throw an artistic birthday celebration. She rounded up a few of her mom’s friends and invited them over for what she called a “paint and sip” party. They drank wine, ate food, and Chelsea led the group through an interactive painting experience. Much to her delight, everyone loved it!

When she got home, Chelsea uploaded a few pictures of the event to Facebook as a way to mark the occasion. But when she looked back a few hours later, she found lots of her friends were interested in the experience as well. So, she set up an event for the next week, and all of her friends loved it as well!

Over the next few months, Chelsea ran a couple more of these paint and sip parties for her friends, but never really thought of them as a business opportunity. It wasn’t until one whole year later, when her dog injured its knee and needed surgery, that she saw the potential as a moneymaking venture.

Instead of starting a GoFundMe page to raise the money for her dog’s surgery, she decided she would generate the income herself. She felt she didn’t want to take people’s charity if she had the skills to earn money on her own. So, she created an event called “Paint Party for Good Paws” and posted about it on Facebook.

A few people came along and helped her earn a good chunk of the money for the surgery. While she was hosting the event, a few of the attendees asked if she would host a monthly event for them and their colleagues. Chelsea agreed and set the price per event at $35 per person. This was enough to cover all of the supplies, from the wine through to the paints, and give her some profit to put towards the rest of the surgery. Which, after a few months, she was able to pay off in full.

With the surgery paid for, Chelsea felt she would keep the project going to cover her income while she was between jobs. To give the business a professional feel, she gave it the name Proof in Painting.

Chelsea spends between four and forty hours a month on her side hustle and earns up to $2,000 a month, depending on the demand.

She’s currently looking for a full-time job. She wants to keep Proof in Painting as her side hustle and continue to host events. But the stability of a full-time job would be refreshing and allow her to keep a more stable income. It just goes to show you that it is possible to paint and sip your way to a sustainable second income.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Proof in Painting: Art in front of others is always better with a glass of wine (or two)—learn more about Chelsea’s sip and painting project over on her website!
  • Wix: The online website building platform that Chelsea used to set up her website for Proof in Painting

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 you get such a great idea that you have to just go for it. Don’t get caught up in the details or bogged down with overhead costs—there are always alternatives!"
—Chelsea Gittle #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

Exercise App Encourages Fitness While Helping Sick Kids

What It’s About

Forget the expensive trainer—here’s an app that will help you hold yourself accountable!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

If you’re looking to start a side hustle involving an app, Justin and his brother recommend that you try and build an initial version yourself so that you can prove the concept before investing more for a more polished version. As he says, there is a lot you can learn from the initial version that will enable you to make precise improvements on the polished version.

Fun Fact

Asked if he’d thought about using a reverse incentive for Lazy Jar, where users have to pay some organization they disagree with if they don’t make their workouts, Justin said, “Yes, and we refused to do that. We felt that there was nothing to gain by donating money to organizations we generally don’t believe in, even if it was as a form of negative reinforcement. We prefer knowing that even when the user fails, some good comes from it.”

Notes from Chris

Episode 465

Our resolutions to get fit sometimes fizzle. Those twice-weekly trips to the gym can slow to twice-monthly slogs. For some people, they turn into an occasional walk to the corner store for beer. In North Carolina, Justin Anyanwu saw that the shine of his successive new routines—yoga, kickboxing, CrossFit—started out well, but fell away when he couldn’t maintain his commitment to the workouts.

The initial weight loss he achieved didn’t inspire him enough to establish an unbreakable fitness habit. He knew that the problem wasn’t the workouts themselves, but his lack of consistency in committing to them regularly. Multiple canceled gym memberships frustrated him to act: he designed an app to hold himself—and later others—accountable.

Justin is a full-time software engineer, so he knows that technology can solve problems. His Lazy Jar app comes out swinging: Miss your weekly fitness goals and you’ll lose weight—in your wallet. Lazy Jar works by tracking a user’s steps, calories, miles, and minutes of physical activity via a Fitbit device. Users set a weekly goal for those metrics and a financial penalty they must pay if they fail to meet the goals.

He and his business-partner brother sped up the initial work on the look and feel of the app by using a pre-made app theme from UI8, a design platform. Then he found a developer on Fiverr to code the program, which cost him a bit more than five dollars: $7,000, to be precise.

Since the app was launched publicly in October of last year, the company has been making $500 a month from users who head back to the couch rather than the exercise bike. Their user base has been growing with further publicity, like the boost given from being mentioned on places like TechCrunch, LifeHacker and Product Hunt.

Learning about how the human psyche processes interest and desire has been one of the product’s side benefits for Justin. He’s seen how it takes a fair amount of social proof from other user’s experiences to bring new people into the Lazy Jar fold. New, unusual ideas get resistance, but influencers can sway a skeptical audience.

So, the big question: is Justin missing his workouts? Has the app worked for him, or has he programmed in a cheat code? We’re not certain how much Justin is paying back to Lazy Jar these days from missing his regular workouts, but according to him, he’s feeling stronger and healthier than ever.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Lazy Jar: Fire your trainer and hold yourself accountable—learn more about this app over on Justin’s website!
  • Fiverr: The freelancing platform that Justin used to find the developer to make Lazy Jar a reality
  • UI8: The design platform that Justin found a pre-made app theme from
  • Ionic & React Native: Two of the app design platforms that Justin would likely use the next time he builds an app
  • TechCrunch, LifeHacker, & Product Hunt: Three of the tech-related media outlets that did write ups on Lazy Jar and brought it more exposure

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
"See if you can build an initial version that you can use to prove the concept before investing more for a more polished version. There is a lot you can learn from the initial version that will enable you to make precise improvements on the polished version."
—Justin Anyanwu #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

College Student Starts Historic Letter Subscription Service

What It’s About

A letter subscription service for history buffs!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Like all good historians, Michael has learned a lot from the past. His experience of running a business selling physical products on subscription has taught him a few lessons that he’ll be taking into the future.

The first is to do a test run of the product before you start selling gifts or subscriptions that lock you in. The second is to pause before you scale, just as Michael did. The third is to choose suppliers who can scale at the same pace as you do. And finally, ‘Keep It Simple, Stupid, from the Start’ (or KISSS)! Simplicity is king.

Fun Fact

Michael previously ran a daily newsletter called Morning Short, for people who wanted to read more. It was pretty successful, with 8000 subscribers. But while his audience raved about the free version, trying to make money from a digital-only product like this was a massive challenge.

It taught him that he definitely wanted to work with selling physical products in the future, which was part of the inspiration for Letterjoy being a snail-mail rather than e-mail service.

Notes from Chris

Episode 464

Michael Sitver is a college student and self-confessed history nerd from Chicago, IL. He’s always loved learning about the past and studying the great historical events and people of times gone by.

While standing at his mailbox one day, an idea struck him that would change the course of his own history. He thought how much he would enjoy receiving a letter written by a legendary figure from the past—like Einstein, Kennedy, Gandhi, or Churchill. He wondered if others would too, and set out to find out in the form of a project that he hoped would make money.

First, he crunched a few numbers—just ballpark calculations of price, profit margin, and estimated market size. Everything added up, so he knew this was an idea worth playing around with. He chose a name—Letterjoy—and bought the domain.

He used a service called Strikingly to quickly build a free landing page, which helped him to visualize the business and think through what the product and pricing would look like. Michael says that he does this with a lot of ideas that he has, as it’s a really quick and easy way to figure out whether an idea comes together. It’s also a good test to see if he still has the “Wow, this is cool” feeling after spending two hours thinking about an idea.

In this case, the feeling endured.

He was then ready to start seeking out customers, he turned to his favorite niche history podcast as a place to advertise. He spent $80 on a month’s worth of ads, and the orders started to trickle in. Within in a month, he had his first 7 to 8 customers and was mailing them weekly letters that he designed and printed himself.

The number of subscribers increases every month and is now at around 300. Growth has been fast, and revenue doubles every couple of months. Letterjoy brought in more than $10,000 last month alone! Is it destined for greatness, to be recorded in history? Even if not, it’s a most notable side hustle success.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Letterjoy: See our history in a new light—learn more about Michael’s subscription service over on his website
  • Strikingly: The website building platform that Michael used to setup Letterjoy

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
"Don’t build your product until you find your market. Know exactly who you’re going to market to, and know why they want your product. If they won’t pay for it, don’t build it."
—Michael Sitver #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

Stay-at-Home-Mom Hires Army of College Students

What It’s About

A new mom finds some much-needed release in the form of a party organization service!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Kristen’s target market ended up being affluent professionals with limited time, so she started by asking them two things: 1) what they would most want someone to help them with if they were throwing a party, and 2) what they would be willing to pay to not have to do those things themselves?

She then used this information to determine the services she’d offer and the rate that she’d offer it at. When in doubt, ask!

Fun Fact

Kristen had a friend who got married in Europe, and a combination of her PartyEase income plus her husband’s airlines miles and hotel points allowed for her and her husband to take a two-week vacation to London, Paris, and Barcelona.

Notes from Chris

Episode 460

Kristen Blanks is a Midwesterner who grew up in Akron, Ohio—a place whose claim to fame is that it is the birthplace of NBA All-Star Lebron James. While many of her schoolmates were signing up for French Club or the Debate Team in high school, Kristen set her sights on something different: The Kitchen Libby Organization. If you’ve never heard of this organization, don’t worry—you’re not alone.

For those who are not in the know, a “kitchen libby” is someone who provides services like washing dishes and serving at parties. As President of this esteemed organization, Kristen was in charge of selecting students from her roster of available kitchen libbies to work the parties. It looked great on her college application and provided her with some applicable management and organizational skills. Little did she know at the time that this would go on to be the inspiration for her side hustle.

A few years later and a whole Bachelor’s degree away from her Kitchen Libby days, Kristen was toiling away in grad school so that she could be a counselor. Since her day-to-day schedule was so demanding, she often had to rely on her parents and student loans for support. But Kristen had always had a bit of an independent streak. Not content to rely on mom and dad or loan institutions with outrageous interest rates, she started brainstorming ways that she could bring in some extra cash.

It needed to be something that would allow her to have control over her hours and provide the flexibility that her school schedule severely lacked. That’s when she started reminiscing about her high school days as part of the Kitchen Libby Organization. It definitely fit her criteria and didn’t hurt that it was something that she already had experience in.

She marketed PartyEase on Craigslist and advertised it as the solution to a host’s party-throwing woes. She’d take care of the details and allow hosts to actually ENJOY their parties instead of working them. While not hugely successful, she did end up with around 5-6 gigs a year which lined her otherwise empty pocketbook. In 2012, Kristen hung up her apron for good when she and her husband moved to Pittsburgh while he attended graduate school.

Four years later, Kristen and her husband were officially settled into their new home in Columbus, OH following the birth of their first child 2014. Life was getting back to normal.

Kristen loved being a full-time mother to her young son and was an avid volunteer through her church and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. She had always wanted to be a stay-at-home Mom, but the reality was that, well, she was bored. She missed being able to use her adult brain to contribute financially to the family.

As Kristen said to us, “After singing the ABCs for about the 100th time, I poured myself a glass of wine at noon and set out to find a way to not only save my sanity but serve my community while working from home.”

She knew she wanted to depart from her formal training as a school counselor and do something more light-hearted and above all, FUN. So, midway through 2016 she relaunched PartyEase, and started offering her party organizing services to her community in Columbus. Since this was the digital age, she launched her website with Weebly, ordered some stunning business cards, and started reaching out to friends and family for leads on upcoming events.

While this is definitely a seasonal business, Kristen says that she’ll do anywhere from 2-6 gigs a month during the party deprived periods of January and February, and upwards of 15 gigs a month during the busy wedding and holiday seasons. On average, most of her gigs end up bringing in anywhere from $200-1,500 depending on the length of the party and the number of people needed to help run it.

By the end of 2017, Kristen took home about $7,500 after paying all of her contractors and deducting any costs along the way. Not bad for a mom who had been living in sweatpants!

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • PartyEase: Let someone else handle the details for a change—learn more about Kristen’s side hustle on her website!
  • Cystic Fibrosis Foundation: The non-profit organization that Kristen spent her time volunteering for
  • Weebly: The platform that Kristen used to create her website for PartyEase

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
"While you might be able to do it alone, it’s better to have people in your corner. Set a meeting with someone who’s successfully started a similar business and pick their brain. You’d be surprised at how helpful people are willing to be!"
—Kristen Blanks #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

Acrobatic Mom Jumps Through Hoops to Become High-flying Entertainer

What It’s About

A side hustle that really takes flight!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

As you can probably imagine, starting something like this takes a lot of work, but it’s something that Emily and Brooks love. If you’re looking to start a side hustle of your own, they would recommend beginning small and just doing what you love!

Fun Fact

Emily and Brooks invested in some seriously unique equipment as the business grew. Their big showpiece is a giant chandelier, which aerialists can fly from. A classy touch for a class act!

Notes from Chris

Episode 452

Emily Tiller had always been a dancer. She trained classically, before taking up fire dancing and then aerial acrobatics as a way to keep fit. During some time in China, she began training daily and loved being up in the air.

Then in 2013, she and her husband Brooks moved to Nashville. They were looking for ways to make extra money, so Emily sought out some aerial dancing gigs. It worked well—she could fit gigs around her job at a health company, where she worked as an executive account manager. She already had some basic equipment and outfits, and soon met other performers through local circus art communities who she could bring in to different gigs. Her act was called ‘Beyond Wings Circus’—and it had lift off.

She built a free website using Webs.com, set up social media profiles on Facebook and Instagram, and reached out to venues and potential clients. By the second year, Emily was doing a gig every other weekend and bringing on an abundance of new performers.

When she had her first baby, things really started to fly. She took maternity leave from her day job at the office and doubled down on Beyond Wings while rocking her son to sleep.

Now with an army of hula hoopers, fire breathers, jugglers, aerial artists and contortionists, Emily is hitting the big time. Having taken $5,000 in their first year, Beyond Wings now brings in $60,000 a year and employs 14 performers full time.

A few weeks ago, Beyond Wings ran nine performances simultaneously across four different states. Next, they hope to take their acrobatic extravaganza outside of Tennessee and expand across the US.

They’re off to a flying start—and it looks like it’s all up from here.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Beyond Wings Circus: Learn more about Emily and Brooks’ high flying act over on their website!
  • Webs: Emily and Brooks used Webs to setup Beyond Wings Circus—learn more about it here

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
"Our growth has truly been organic. We provide over the top entertainment and great customer service, and focus on always delivering a great performance. Word of mouth along with organic social media has allowed us to be featured on local and national television."
—Emily Tiller #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

In a World of Uncertainty, Build Your Own Security

What It’s About

After being laid off, a Denver man finds security and opportunity in his side hustle.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

John’s advice to other people looking to start a similar model is to make sure you focus on the demand side primarily. It can be pretty easy to find people who are looking for work, but you have to make sure you consistently have work available in the form of clients who are needing work done.

It is indeed an unstable world out there—that’s why you need to create your own stability. John’s path from hustle to full-time income shows how even a project that earns a few hundred dollars a month may end up being your lifesaver.

Fun Fact

When John sold his first client lead, he told his girlfriend about it. She patted him on the shoulder and said, “good job, buddy.” He thought he was about to be friend-zoned, but happily for him, that didn’t happen and they’re now married.

Notes from Chris

Episode 450

John Doherty is a search engine and marketing professional who started his side hustle when he had a lead on a job that he didn’t have time for. He sent the lead to a friend and asked if he’d be willing to pay fifty dollars for it. The friend agreed, sent John the money and landed the project. John then realized that he was a connector.

After that initial success in early 2013, the idea for Credo (then called HireGun) was born. John bought a domain and put it up on a hosting account he already had. At the time, clients were coming to him for consulting jobs but he didn’t have the time to commit to them. He hoped that this platform could serve as a bridge between those clients and other experts he knew.

From the beginning, it was a win-win, although not a huge financial success. John could refer people he knew were experts, and he would get a small percentage back for the work he was doing in connecting people. He would put in around three to five hours of work a month, and that netted him anywhere from one hundred to five hundred dollars a month. Not bad for a few hours work!

Things became more interesting in September of 2015, however, when John was laid-off from his full-time job. For a lot of people, getting laid off means you have to start from scratch and figure out your next move. But John had already laid out the foundations of Credo, and was able to shift it from a side hustle he spent a few hours working on each month to a mostly full-time endeavor.

So how’s it going? When it was just a side hustle, it brought in $100-500/month… but now that he’s focused, rebranded, and devoted time to it, Credo is bringing in twenty-five thousand dollars a month in revenue. After expenses, including wages for the staff he eventually hired, that comes out to around eight thousand dollars of pure profit each month!

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Credo: Learn more about John and his referral service over on his website
  • Single Geared: If you’re interested in the great outdoors, you may want to head over to John’s other website

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

WEB HOSTING @ $2.49/MONTH

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

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

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

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

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

Quote of the Day
"If you’re not embarrassed by your first version, you launched too late. The first version of my site was absolutely embarrassing."
—John Doherty #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