Tag: Unique Ideas

Stylish Clothes Reseller Becomes Fashion Consultant

What It’s About

Rental duds that land jobs!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Discover who your market is and, just as importantly, isn’t. That took a bit of trial and error getting it right for Joshua and he’s still fine-tuning his message. It took him a while to turn down customers who wanted to shop at Macy’s, but it’s just not what he does.

Fun Fact

The fashion industry is one of the largest in the world and particularly in the US. Spending on fashion is 4% of total spending in the US with an estimated value of close to $400 billion dollars a year.

Notes from Chris

Episode 786

Joshua Davis was your regular cash strapped college student. Even eating at McDonald’s was a luxury. He prided himself on frugality, and once stretched twenty dollars of disposable income through a whole semester.

But, despite his penny-pinching personality, he had one vice. Joshua valued looking good and loved to wear nice clothes. The problem was he could barely ever afford them.

One day, during his freshman year, he found a designer shirt on sale at Macy’s: at an original list price of eighty-five dollars, it had been marked down to fourteen—an absolute steal! He desperately wanted the shirt, but barely had enough money for gas to get home, let alone to buy clothes he didn’t really need.

There was something about that shirt, though. His instincts told him others would be as enthralled with it as he was. So he decided to place a gamble.

He signed up for a Macy’s credit card on the spot and was given a four hundred dollar limit. With that, he bought thirty shirts and rushed back to his dorm. There, he listed twenty-nine shirts for sale on eBay, keeping one for himself. Within a week, he’d sold them all and had doubled his money after paying off the credit card.

Joshua had cottoned onto something big. He soon became hooked on flipping clothes for fun and profit.

Flipping was profitable, but it was also a lot of work. Visiting stores, finding the best deals, and buying products all took time and headspace. Then, he had to list each item individually on eBay, as well as package and ship them as they sold. On top of that, although Joshua had a good idea for what would sell, not every sale was a success. Sometimes he would just break even.

That was all about to change when a new opportunity fell into his well-dressed lap, one that would enable him to use his eye for style for something beyond flipping clothes.

Joshua’s best friend’s dad, Rodney, had recently become unemployed for the first time in twenty years. He was going to have to look for work, and that meant interviewing. For his entire career, he’d been a builder. When it came to applying for different kinds of jobs, he had no idea how to present himself, and certainly wasn’t clothes-minded.

Enter Joshua the style guru to the rescue.

After receiving a call from his friend asking for help, he grabbed some clothes from his inventory and headed straight over to help Rodney dress to impress. When he got there, he noticed a change in Rodney. Losing his business had taken a toll on him. He was feeling down and lacked confidence.

After Joshua worked his magic, Rodney’s spirits lifted, he carried himself more confidently, and in no time at all, he had landed a new job.

This impromptu fashion consulting caused Joshua to realize that he had a gift. One that he could use to help people and boost their self-confidence. For his next phase of hustling, he strolled down the catwalk to become a fashion consultant.

Joshua is now able to take on Monogram Styling full-time and earns a solid six figures per year doing it. He currently serves fifty-eight private individuals and an additional forty corporate clients. In any given month he’ll bring on one or two new clients, and typically works with around eight clients at any one time.

From his days in the dorm room, surrounded by clothes waiting to be shipped out, to his mobile showroom that he now brings to customers’ homes and offices, he continues to turn heads wherever he goes.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Monogram Styling: Looking to dress to impress? Head on over to Joshua’s website to learn more

 

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 can talk about fashion in a way that is very accessible to most people. If you can demystify a concept and speak with passion, you can build trust very quickly with an eager audience."
—Joshua Davis #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

Mom Starts Uber Easy Side Hustle Taxiing Kids

What It’s About

An uber easy side hustle a mom finds right in her backseat.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

To anyone interested in starting a mom’s taxi like Steph, she advises the first step is to let your community know you’re available. There are many people who can’t drive or have to walk. If you don’t offer, no one will know you’re providing a service.

Fun Fact

In America, it is estimated that 26 million of the 50 million students who attend school daily ride the school bus. 54 students are transported by each bus, and there are an estimated 480,000 school buses. The total mileage for all buses is 5,760,000,000!

Notes from Chris

Episode 776

People start side hustles for a lot of different reasons. Sometimes they are looking to create something that they have complete autonomy over, sometimes they are looking to leave a full-time job. And sometimes, they’re just looking to make some extra cash…

Steph Holt of sunny Brisbane, Australia fits firmly into this last category. Although she was working and going to school to be a social worker, she found herself once again on maternity leave with kid #5. This meant that she had some extra time on her hands—time that would allow her to do more stuff around the house and drop her kids off at school instead of having them take the bus or walk. And it was during this time that she found more than a few coins and some stale cereal stashed away in her backseat.

In Australia, there is a school bus service, but the stops are often public bus stops. And many parents don’t feel comfortable leaving their young children there alone. Being approximately 5-6 miles from their school, Steph was hesitant to let her kids go off on their own.

After seeing a large number of kids walking unaccompanied on their way to school one day, Steph got the idea to give rides to other kids in her neighborhood. After all, she was already dropping off and picking up her own two school-aged children—why not make some extra cash while doing so? That’s when her version of “Uber for Kids” was born.

The best part is that all the kids she taxis live en route to the school. Some only live about a half mile from the school, but as Steph points out, that is a lot for a young child to walk.

Steph’s “Mom bus” is an Isuzu MU-X, which seats 7. That means Steph can haul six passengers. Depending on how many of her own children she is hauling—of which she has four—the minimum she can charge for is two. Only two of her kids are in school. If her two younger ones are staying home, she can taxi up to four other kids.

Steph wanted it to be something that was feasible for families to do, so she decided to charge $10 per trip. So if she drops off and picks up one kid each day, that’s $20 per day. Right now, Steph’s average side hustle income is $100 per week although there have certainly been weeks when she’s brought in even more. And every penny adds up!

For Steph, this has been a super easy side hustle. She is already going to the school anyway, so it’s also uber-convenient. Steph also shares that it’s very manageable. She had no startup fees and no extra costs except perhaps a small amount of extra fuel. She is making cash in hand for doing something she would be doing regardless.

For Steph, she plans to continue to offer her “Uber for kids” while she’s at home with her youngest child.

 

 

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
"Let the community know you’re available to provide this service. There are so many people who can’t drive or have to walk, and this option helps! But if you don’t offer it, no one will know you’re offering the service."
—Steph Holt #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

Dynamic Sister Duo Bids Up Profits for Charities

What It’s About

Two sisters get in on the side hustlin’ auction!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Like it’s said in many fields, every event is an audition for your next one. Every time Katie and Missy are at one event, they receive 1-3 calls about another opportunity. She says that you never know who is in the audience and that you should bear that in mind.

Fun Fact

According to Katie and Missy, seasoned auctioneers say it can take up to six years for an auctioneer to really develop their own rhythm, sound, and filler words.

Notes from Chris

Episode 765

One night around 1 a.m., Katie Fitzsimmons received an urgent call from her sister Missy. “Buckle up, Kate. I figured out our future.” Katie and Missy grew up working in the family landscaping business. Katie now works full-time as Director of Student Affairs in the North Dakota University System. She’s also a mother to two young children. Her sister, Missy, is a Jill of All Trades, working mostly as a radio and event DJ in Bozeman, Montana.

On this particular evening that inspired the late-night phone call, Missy had been DJing a charity event. There, she watched a female professional auctioneer walk in and own the room. Missy recalls, “She was unbelievable. When it was all said and done she had raised $350,000. In Bozeman! In 40 minutes! It’s unheard of.”

The auctioneer had walked in, did her piece, walked out, and then jumped onto a plane to go home. Meanwhile, Missy had been at the event for 12 hours, setting up her gear, playing music, emceeing/warming up the crowd, and then loading out all of her gear after midnight in the snow and cold. That’s when it hit her: “Screw this. I wanna be the auctioneer!”

So that’s how it started. She called Katie at 1 a.m. that night and told her with determination, “You and I are gonna be auctioneers!”

A bold statement … but she turned out to be right on the money.

Katie had years of experience in the non-profit sector (as well as higher education) and enjoyed fundraising for good causes. Despite having zero experience in auctioneering, it seemed like it could be a perfect fit.

By the way, what IS the art of auctioneering?

“Essentially, auctioneering is like stand up comedy, mixed with selling, mixed with supporting a worthy cause.” Katie explains.

On the third day of Auction School, Missy happened to get a call from a contact back in Bozeman, wanting to book the two sisters for their first ever live auction event. The client was a nonprofit group that helps female entrepreneurs. It was the perfect first gig! They had minimal expectations and they wanted to support women, especially women in a male-dominated field.

Their side hustle was officially in bidness, and they dubbed themselves The Auctionisters.

Katie says that first gig went well, and they learned a lot.

Since then, they’ve done 40 auctions between them, and they work together whenever possible. They raise money for charities, organizations, scholarships, political groups, individuals, and specialized causes.

In 2018, Katie did 17 events. She typically charges a flat fee per event, around $300 when working locally in Bismarck. Other events that include travel have paid up to $2,500. So far, they’ve raised over $1.2 million for charities in just over two years.

So, do they hope to do it full-time? No … but that’s not the goal! Katie has a family and doesn’t want to be away from home too much.

The Auctionisters are a great example of a side hustle. It’s fun, it’s meaningful, they get to use a unique skill, charities raise a lot of money, and they get paid.

You could even say their auctions speak louder than words.

 

 

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
"Essentially, auctioneering is like stand up comedy, mixed with selling, mixed with supporting a worthy cause. It’s rad as hell."
—Katie Fitzsimmons #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

Medical Examiner Fetches New Paws-ibilities With Pet Sitting Hustle

What It’s About

A how-to guide on living in NYC rent-free!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

But what happens when Jen doesn’t have something lined up? Well, worst case scenario, Jen budgets money for nights where she doesn’t have anything booked and needs a hotel, which is usually only between five to ten times a month.

Fun Fact

Did you know? “Three dog night” is an Australian Aboriginal saying meaning it’s so cold you’d need to cuddle with three dogs to keep you warm while you sleep.

Notes from Chris

Episode 726

Jen Tserng’s rent-free living is made possible by busy New Yorkers and their pets. Originally a burnt-out physician from Seattle, Jen has now called New York City home for the past three years just by living in other people’s houses and taking care of their pets when they’re away. This is all thanks to one app, a love of animals, and a desire to earn extra money.

Jen had pets for most of her life. When she wasn’t rescuing small dogs, she was saving them from puppy mills or giving foster dogs a loving home. When she stumbled upon Rover, an app that offers on-demand dog walking, as well as other pet-related services, she saw the opportunity to get paid doing what she loved: hanging out with furry, four-legged friends. So, to supplement her income as a medical examiner, Jen signed up as a freelance dog walker and pet sitter on Rover.

One afternoon, with a cup of coffee in hand, Jen created her Rover profile. Because she had lots of experience with pets, she decided to set her rate at $45 an hour. The requests trickled in slowly, but that was all she needed to get started. It took her a while to become established as the go-to freelance dog walker in Seattle, but she quickly began to gather five-star reviews, and, eventually, referrals to other clients off the platform. Demand increased, and Jen noticed that she was enjoying her life outside of work more than she ever had before.

A year later, she decided that the alluring pull of the freedom of being able to set her own hours (and get out of the stressful career she wasn’t exactly enjoying) was too strong. So, she quit her job, packed her bag, and set her sights on New York City.

Living in New York City can be a serious financial burden. But through house and pet sitting, Jen has been able to earn between $60,000 to $100,000 a year and save $40,000 of that. All without worrying about rent, bills, or whether she forgot to buy enough toilet paper. She just needs to cover her food and cell phone bill, which runs her under $600 a month. And all she needed to get started with Rover was an initial background check that cost her $25.

She usually makes around $180 a day while working seven days a week. Slower days net about $120, while holidays like New Year’s and Memorial Day see spikes to upwards of $350 a day. Since holidays are so lucrative, she has to be strategic about when she takes time off. But all that income, combined with a very frugal lifestyle, means Jen can build a serious stash of savings. Last year, she managed to save $45,000 and still take 10 weeks of vacation.

While it might sound like fun, games, and fur, Jen’s side hustle turned real-life hustle isn’t without its challenges. Her income is steady now and she doesn’t have to pay rent, but that comes with also not having a ‘home base’ of her own. Jen is the first person to admit that her hustle might be stressful to some people but says that it is perfect for where she’s at right now. She’s single with no kids and doesn’t have a ton of stuff to cart around, so she doesn’t mind packing it all up every five-ish days.

Jen says it was initially scary to move from side hustle to full-time pet sitter, but she’s glad to went for it. Her goal is to save $500,000 and retire early. She’ll live on her savings (frugally) by making her way around the world for free using international pet sitting sites. The paws-ibilities are endless!

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Rover | Jen Tserng: Learn more about Jen and what she’s up to over on her Rover page!
  • Rover: The platform that Jen used to find people to pet sit for

 

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

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

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

RELIABLE WEBHOST FOR $2.49/MONTH

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

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

Quote of the Day
"I’m definitely more motivated every because I’m running the show, and I like the flexibility a lot more. I think I just want to be a career housesitter and travel the world!"
—Jen Tserng #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

London Clerk Hires Ghosts to Visit Boss, Earns Passive Income

What It’s About

Side Hustle School takes on a Christmas classic!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Okay, holiday specials are great and all, but what exactly can we learn from this story?

First, if your morning porridge is the most exciting thing in your life, you definitelyneed to make some changes.

Second, don’t wait on your boss to change … create change yourself!

And third, outsource however you can, even if it includes hiring your friends to dress up as ghosts.

Fun Fact

Charles Dickens started A Christmas Carol in October 1843 and wrote obsessively for six weeks. As Dickens said, he wept, laughed, and wandered around London at night “when all sober folks had gone to bed.” He finished the novella at the end of November so it could be published in time for Christmas. A Christmas Carol hit the shops on December 17, 1843, and sold out in three days!

Notes from Chris

Episode 724

Bob Cratchit, a records clerk from East London, was in trouble. He spent his days—every single day—toiling away for an ungrateful employer. Not only was his work tedious and unfulfilling, he wasn’t getting ahead. All he had to look forward to was the morning bowl of porridge (with extra raisins!) that he picked up from Pret a Manger on his way into work.

Worse of all, his son Tim was seriously ill. In these days before Britain’s National Health Service kicked in, Bob needed funds to care for him.

According to our sources, “Mr. Cratchit worked for 15 shillings a week at a rate of three pence (“thruppence”) an hour.” And according to Wikipedia, “In terms of modern-day purchasing power, this would be approximately £63.00 or about $94 US per week.”

His boss Ebenezer was a miser, and couldn’t be counted on to lift a finger … in fact, Bob had asked Ebenezer for help, only to be rebuffed. “Get back to work,” said the boss. “Be grateful you even have a job.”

There was no way around it: Bob needed a side hustle.

To find the solution he looked within himself, opening up a consultancy he called Cratchit Co. He also leaned on three friends for help. As part of a detailed delegation strategy (or was it early outsourcing?), he would send these friends to visit Ebenezer late at night in an attempt to scare him into paying up. Maybe Ebenezer would learn a moral lesson … but even if not, maybe he’d still cough up the coffers.

Bob did what consultants do best: he sent Ebenezer a bill. The bill was for a lot of money—more than he needed to cover his son’s medical costs. Thinking about the approaching holiday, he also itemized an expense for a large turkey.

When the holiday arrived, Bob was thankful. He looked around at the additional money in his bank account and the free turkey on his table. If he hadn’t taken action and started Cratchit Co., he would have continued to live on $94 a week. But he did, and now he was unstoppable.

One success tends to lead to another. Next, Bob thought he’d write an ebook about his experience. He imagined himself as a motivational speaker, traveling from town to town and turning stock clerks into consultants. Or maybe he’d just start a podcast.

 

 

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 got tired of waiting for my employer to take pity on me. When I sent him three visitors on Christmas Eve, he finally got the message."
—Bob Cratchit #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Get Your Logo Today With Logojoy!

Side Hustle School is brought to you by Logojoy, an online tool that uses artificial intelligence to help you design a beautiful, custom logo.

Try Logojoy today and get 20% off any logo package when you visit logojoy.com/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 Delivers Fresh Side Income

What It’s About

Fresh produce delivered right to your door!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

For Weekly Fig, Anju presold membership and veggie boxes and that helped fund everything else. They then worked out of a garage until things picked up. Her advice? Start small, don’t spend money on extravagant things till you build up a base.

Fun Fact

Some of Weekly Fig’s suppliers come from Amish farms well outside the city. Since these communities don’t have electricity or modern communication tools they can’t take orders over the phone or internet. To combat this problem the orders are sent to the farms via homing pigeon on small sheets of paper attached to the bird’s leg.

Notes from Chris

Episode 709

Shortly after getting married, Anju Wilson moved from Canada to Tennessee. The state of cowboy boots and country music was a world away from what she knew, but that wasn’t the only difference. In Canada, Anju worked in Human Resources, but in America, she became a stay-at-home mom… at least for a while.

Anju loved her children, but she simply didn’t want to be a full-time homemaker. Hopeful of finding a new hobby to keep her busy, she brainstormed a few ideas and sowed a few seeds. But it wasn’t until 2015 that something started to germinate.

After thinking about her interests, one thing stood out above anything else. She was incredibly passionate about good nutrition. She loved going to local farmers markets to buy in-season produce and support growers. Her hunch was that many other moms would feel the same. And to validate that hunch, Anju didn’t have to look far at all.

She created a Facebook group for fresh food loving moms in her area. Her goal for the group was to meet moms so they could pool their resources and buy artisan and fresh foods in bulk. She figured, if even a handful of other people were willing to contribute, they could save quite a bit on their weekly food bills.

It didn’t take long for the seed of her idea to sprout its first leaves. Within a couple of weeks, she had 30 members and was already organizing bulk orders. Once an order was made, they would arrange a play date to drop off the produce and socialize. She continued to nurture the group and, over the next year, the member count grew to 600!

Her small seedling was now growing into a plant and the more moms she met, the more Anju realized that there was a lot more potential with this concept. She felt she could use the existing audience to launch a food-based side hustle.

They decided to call their new venture, Weekly Fig—an online farmers market.

The day before ‘delivery day’ all suppliers ship their stock to the Weekly Fig home hub. Anju and the team pack up the individual boxes. The fleet of drivers then picks them up for delivery the next day. The delivery area is divided into seven zones, one for each driver. The zones are designed in such a way that deliveries can be done while the driver is returning home. This technique has enabled them to scale to the point of delivering to over 200 houses every week and servicing a total of 400 customers (some customers are bi-weekly and monthly). All deliveries are completed in just 4 hours.

With that many deliveries, the financial state of this side hustle is looking very healthy. In fact, in the three and a half years Weekly Fig has been running they’ve built a nice little business. In 2017 the total revenue generated was $37,000 and they are expecting much more in 2018.

Anju and her co-founder have recently rebranded their website and increased the number of products they offer. Their goal for the next year is to focus more on education and use that as an acquisition tool. They believe that teaching people the benefits of supporting local farmers and eating healthy and in season will bring in plenty of new customers. When that is up and running, they hope to duplicate the model in other cities.

She’s planted herself in fertile soil.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Weekly Fig: There are no two figs about it—this is one delectable side hustle. Learn more about it over on Anju’s 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
"Start small and don’t spend money on extravagant things till you build up a base. It can even be done from your garage short-term without a lot of overhead."
—Anju Wilson #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

Carpe Libri! Budding Book Club Baron Brings in $6,400/Month

What It’s About

A tale of two Bens and their rebel book club.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Ben recommends testing your side hustle’s riskiest assumption. In his case: that other people would want to accelerate their non-fiction reading habits and would be willing to invest £15 a month to do so. The Bens agreed that if they got 15 people to signup in month #1 they would continue. They got 24.

Fun Fact

Rebel Book Club has been able to leverage its 350 members and organically home-grown base to feature live Q & A’s with some of the authors from the books they’ve read. In December they were able to lock in the extraordinary Seth Godin to speak via Skype at their next meetup!

Notes from Chris

Episode 699

Ben Keene is a UK-based business consultant and coach. He works with startups, individuals and families, helping them to lead extraordinary careers and make an impact in the world.

However, despite all of the time Ben spends helping others, he was in need of a little help himself. He had a problem. An affliction. He found himself in the throes of the worst habit imaginable. Despite his best efforts, he couldn’t seem to break it.

The Japanese even have a name for it: Tsundoku: The constant act of buying books, but never reading them.

His pile of unfinished books was out of control. What to do?

Ben wrestled with this question while on vacation in Bali. It was there that he met someone who suffered from the same problem. Also named Ben and from London, they got to talking and decided to pick a book, set a date, and meetup to discuss it over a cocktail.

Knowing that he’d have to talk about it with someone, this reluctant reader churned through Peter Thiel’s Zero to One with Usain Bolt-like speed. When their reading rendezvous arrived, Ben and Ben, along with 12 other people all through word of mouth, attended their first meetup.

Returning to London, these two Ben’s resolved to pick a book and meet up once a month to talk about it. For fun, they decided to invite others along the way. That was April, 2015.

Ben and his co-founder decided to test their hypothesis: would people want to accelerate their non-fiction reading habit and be willing to invest $19 a month to do it? They agreed that if they got 15 people to sign up in month 1 they’d continue.

The next month, they celebrated with another meetup on the rooftop of Virgin HQ in London. This time with 24 people. Rebel Book Club was born.

Fast forward three and half years later to November, 2018. Ben’s side hustle has acquired 350 members and is earning $6,400 a month. Membership costs are £15 a month ( $19 ) per member.

Ben said starting this was cheap, costing only $13 (£10) for their domain name rebelbookclub.co.uk. With their piece of internet real estate in place, these rehabilitated bookworms were up and reading.

Since starting Rebel Book Club, Ben’s reading habit accelerated by 600%. He read 50 books last year and he’s a father of three children under five years old.

They took it one month at a time. If their concept didn’t grow or if it became too time-consuming or stressful, they’d quit.

However, because it’s grown organically every month (44 months in a row) and hasn’t taken too much time to maintain, they’re still going. After year one they had 104 members with little effort at all. All word of mouth with zero spent on marketing.

The meetups take place in co-working spaces like WeWork, Virgin, AirBnB, Work Life, Huckletree and even London parks. Ben said they’ve hustled all of these venues for free or in kind through their work relationships, friends and members.

Since its inception in 2015 they’re now putting in more than 2 hours a week (the most ever) and are already seeing positive results.

Also, Ben recently moved his family to the Thai Island of Ko Lanta. He’s got the spine for it. Since the move, he’s had many Skype calls with his rebel cohort to keep the pages turning.

 

 

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

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
"Rebel Book Club helps people accelerate their reading habits by bringing a like-minded group together to read one game-changing non-fiction book every month and meet up to turn the insights into actions whilst enjoying a book-themed cocktail. So far, we’ve read 44 books and are UK – based in three cities: London, Oxford and Bristol."
—Ben Keene #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

Proud Mainer Brings Whoopie Pies to the World

What It’s About

A sweet and creamy treat becomes a stay at home mom’s Maine hustle.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Marcia was always trying to improve on the traditional recipe and create new flavors. As a consequence, her Whoopie Pies were a huge hit. She was constantly receiving requests to bake more. Many of her friends wanted to buy some as gifts for THEIR friends.

Fun Fact

Cape Whoopies are baking up a serious amount of pies! Current operations include making 3, 80 quart batches of filling and as many as 4, 80 quart batches of cake batter and baking, filling, bagging and tagging all of it. They get every product into the freezer within an hour of baking so it’s ready for shipping.

Notes from Chris

Episode 696

For many years, Marcia Wiggins was a stay at home mom with two young kids and a pilot for a husband. In the little spare time she had, she taught aerobics at the local gym. But in 2012, things changed for Marcia. Both her kids had grown up and moved away to college, her husband was often away and there’s only so many gym classes someone can go to. She had a lot more time on her hands.

This new found free time stirred something in Marcia, and she was inspired to pick up an old hobby. She began baking delicious treats for friends. More specifically, she started baking Maine Whoopie Pies: a delicious single serve treat of a dollop of cream pressed between two small cakes.

It was the latter point that got Marcia’s mind baking. The Whoopies were already a great hobby, but perhaps should could transition them into a new side hustle.

Just like that, fresh out of the oven came her new venture, Cape Whoopies. Her mission was to share the most delicious Maine Whoopie Pies made with the highest quality ingredients with people all over the country.

From day one, Marcia knew that shipping posed a problem. How would she keep the pies looking great and tasting fresh during postage? They would also need to tolerate both hot and cold conditions in transit.

To try and solve this problem, Marcia contacted a packaging expert. Together, they devised a test to ship sample pies across the country to see if they remained intact. The expert recommended the type of packaging required to ship the pies safely.

Next, she needed an online presence so that people could order. She decided to create an online store using Shopify. Once up and running, she took high quality pictures of her Whoopies, and added several plugins to entice website visitors to buy… and then to gently upsell them.

By mid 2016, Marcia had been at work for a few years and was generating a few thousand dollars a month in revenue. That year, she was contacted directly by Amazon to list her pies on their site. She jumped at the chance, and once again, demand increased.

As luck would have it, a solution was about to present itself. She met a coffee roaster while working out of the shared space. They were both growing fast and, as a consequence, were looking to move to a larger space. Together, they decided to rent a storefront, roasting coffee in the front, and baking delicious whoopie Pies in the back. At more than 5,000 square feet, the space symbolized how much Cape Whoopies planned to grow.

It was the beginning of a match made in heaven, and the next phase of Cape Whoopies could start baking. And like baking a cake, profits began to rise.

The launch of the brick and mortar location caused quite a stir. The grand opening occurred in May 2018, but for months beforehand Marcia was warming up her existing customers to excite them for the launch. She built up hype on social media and in the local press.

This new exposure led to huge sales, which, believe it or not, haven’t slowed down since. The brick and mortar store, which was never expected to be the main source of income, now makes up nearly 50% of total sales. The remainder of the sales are generated through the Cape Whoopies website as well as Amazon.com and Goldbely.com, an Etsy-like marketplace for designer foods.

The business continues to flourish. Margins are strong in the neighborhood of 50-60%, and Marcia is currently bringing in $25,000/month! All those pies can’t be baked by Marcia alone so she now has employees.

Marcia has gone from scooping and baking all the cakes herself, to having her husband help out, to now having a team of five working together to bring Cape Whoopies Pies to the world.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Cape Whoopies: Order your own tasty whoopie pie from Marcia’s site.

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 keep my focus and don’t fall for mixes or products that may make things easier but ultimately affect the taste. So, my tip for anyone is to keep your focus on your original goal…it’s always the best."
—Marcia Wiggins #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Get Your Logo Today With Logojoy!

Side Hustle School is brought to you by Logojoy, an online tool that uses artificial intelligence to help you design a beautiful, custom logo.

Try Logojoy today and get 20% off any logo package when you visit logojoy.com/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

National Pie Judge Spreads Gospel of Sugar, Butter, and Flour

What It’s About

The pie is cast: get ready for a ful-filling helping of sugar, butter, and flour.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Catherine’s story is a good example that even if a side hustle might sound “as easy as pie,” there are still a lot of challenges — even if you’re a national pie judge.

Fun Fact

According to the American Pie Council, Americans buy more than 186 million pies at the grocery store each year. That is enough to stretch around the globe and beyond. 7% of American have also tried to pass off store bought pie as homemade.

Notes from Chris

Episode 691

Catherine earns her living as a journalist, but spends a lot of her off-the-clock hours finding excuses to bake. As if anyone needs an excuse!

A longtime baker, for many years Catherine was intimidated by pies. There was just so much that could go wrong—even though beauty is in the Pie of the beholder, you could still do something as simple as overworking the dough and end up with an absolute disaster.

It wasn’t until her 11-year-old daughter challenged her. Her daughter had been turning out delicious pies at her dad’s house, and Catherine decided she needed to raise her game.

She began CurvyMama’s Pies just as a blog, chronicling an apprenticeship she did at Bubby’s, a master pie bakers in New York City. There was just one problem.

You could read nice words and stories about pies, and Catherine wrote a lot of them … but research shows that pies are best appreciated as a more sensory experience. When she got back to the newsroom where she worked as a journalist, her colleagues asked, how can I get some of this goodness?

So she started offering pies for sale, especially around Thanksgiving. She settled on a price of $24 per pie, and put up a list for her friends and family to order from on her blog.

And that was when she learned a big lesson. Instead of giving people an option of four different flavors like any sane person would do, she let people order whatever they wanted. When you’re going to bake at scale, you can’t let everyone order whatever they want. If you have to turn out 15 pies, you should offer a limited selection so that you can bake in larger batches.

For the next several years, Catherine continued her pie hustle, peaking at an annual record of 122 pies in 2014. Not surprisingly, Thanksgiving was the busiest season, comprising up to 50% of her yearly orders.

Catherine also began teaching pie workshops, where aspiring bakers would learn from her hard-earned skills. She traveled the country, meeting pie makers near and far. And yes, she even became a judge at the Iowa state fair.

Catherine has recently relocated to the Los Angeles area. She’s now taking a break while she looks for a space to teach more workshops.

It’s been a sweet and filling adventure … no matter which way you slice it.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Curvy Mama Pies: Learn more and order your own pie at Catherine’s website!

 

SEE ALSO:

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

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

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

RELIABLE WEBHOST FOR $2.49/MONTH

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

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

Quote of the Day
"I’m thoroughly in love with pie. When I’m making the morning coffee, I’m counting the hours until I can get my hands back into dough."
—Catherine Gewertz #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

Comic Book Curator Creates Custom Crate Subscription

What It’s About

A subscription box that gets all of your favorite superheroes in the eager hands of a new generation!

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Gene’s advice to someone following the subscription box model? Don’t try to build everything from scratch. There’s a lot of heavy lifting needed upfront. Gene wanted to bring on the Incredible Hulk originally to help with all that heavy lifting. Instead, he chose to partner with Cratejoy. Apparently, The Hulk doesn’t know the first thing about web programming…

Fun Fact

The storyline that got Gene hooked on comics was the Trial of Yellowjacket (Avengers) in the early ‘80s. He loved the story because it had a flawed hero who was dealing with his own demons and was much more nuanced and complex than anything on TV or movies at the time. His current favorite comics are Avengers and Iron Man. He loves their storylines, history and long character arcs.

Notes from Chris

Episode 685

Gene Farley has been reading comics since he was a little kid. They’ve always been a source of joy for him. He even thought how cool it’d be to own a comic book store someday. Two years after he got married, opportunity came knocking. The owners of the comic shop he’d been going to longer than Iron Man’s feud with Loki, decided to sell.

At the time, Gene was a graphic designer earning minimum wage. His wife, Pam, (featured in Ep. #418) was an admin assistant. When he asked his wife about buying the store, Gene imagined her slamming the hammer of Thor down on him with an emphatic, “NO!” Instead, she said, “OK, cool.”

So, on April 1, 1998, they maxed out all of their credit cards and bought the comic book store. (Kids, don’t try this at home.)

Fast forward to 2018. Gene is still running the comic book store alongside his wife. Business is good. They survived the recession and countless comic and pop-culture fads.

One day Gene and Pam were reminiscing about the good ‘ol days when you used to bike down the street to the neighborhood 7-11, blow your week’s allowance on a larger-than-life cherry flavored slurpee, and spend the rest of your day in sugary bliss reading Avengers comic books.

This thought made Gene stop and wonder, “What if there was a way to get kids off their electronics and, I don’t know, maybe open a book or something?” He knew how important reading was to his success. He also knew that comics are a great way to spark interest in reading.

Gene says that comic book people already know where to get their comics. However, busy parents may not have the time to make a special trip to the comic book store and try to figure out which comics are appropriate for their kids. (The whole goal is to reach new readers.)

Gene’s utility belt taser struck him with an idea. What if he started a subscription box service where customers would get comics delivered to their homes once a month?

Genes’ Spidey-sense kicked in and he devised a plan. All the customer would have to do is choose a G-rated or PG-rated comic book crate. He’d use his knowledge of comic books, what was popular that comic season, and any special information about the recipient to create a crate that will match either rating.

Gene doesn’t believe in assigning age or gender to the crates because he doesn’t want kids to feel “less than” if they’re older but they want to read Disney, or if they’re boys who want to read My Little Pony.

So, did this subscription box service idea actually work? By the mighty power of Stan Lee’s pen, yes. It did. Gene was pumped because he got annual subscribers right away. ComicCrate was a hit!

Since launching in July of this year, ComicCrate has been averaging a few thousand dollars a month in sales. Gene’s focusing on organic traffic only for now. His brick and mortar store is still their bread and butter, but ComicCrate is letting him reach many more people.

So, what’s on the horizon for Gene and ComicCrate? He’s been thinking of adding another rating level to his service, rated T for Teen+ readers. Gene said this could expand his audience significantly!

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • ComicCrate: Learn more about Gene’s comic subscription box over on his website!
  • CrateJoy: The platform that Gene used to streamline his ordering system
  • Gardening Mama Monetizes Frugal Living Blog: By focusing on a specific group of readers—and understanding their core needs—a blog about natural living and saving money earns $3,000/month. Coincidentally, Pam Farley is Gene’s wife—learn more about her side hustle, 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

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
"Although we didn’t realize it as kids, comic books help improve literacy and encourage a genuine love of reading. Now that we have a family of our own, we know how important it is to be a good reader and to love reading. If our kids want to hide under the covers at night and read, we let ‘em!"
—Gene Farley #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