Greetings, SHC visitors.

Last Thursday, I posted a last-minute link to a free Chris Guillebeau Q. and A. session. 

Below are some of the notes I took. Note: I did do my share of paraphrasing, but I’m confident I was on-target. 

There are some valuable ‘thinking points’ here for side hustlers.

In a later post, I will review the Zoom chat transcript and pull out some of the attendees’ website and resource suggestions.

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Parentingchampions.com: Treating autistic children with love and respect.

I have my website started. Now what? I want to level it up to getting paid for it.

Chris G: Have you looked into Facebook groups? Send a note to group moderators to ask permission to connect.

Chris G: Can you do three or four small things each day to get the word out? 

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Participant: Home school demographic. Teach a geology class in person and then we’d go rock climbing. During school year. I started at $5 per student.

Chris G: Consider a summer time camp, maybe? Pricing: I don’t know what others are doing, but the group says you should raise the price. [Note: The attendees were suggesting $15 or more.]

Chris G: You were offering babysitting for $5.

Chris G: Where did the first 15 kids come from? Answer: Local FB group.

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Participant: Mantramedallions.com: I don’t like social media, but I need to educate visitors about the nature of the product. Asking for feedback re: the website and on the concept/products.

Chris G:  Headline font should be bigger. Pricing is good. I like the idea and the website. Is there an ‘About’ page? Is there a story behind it? A happy customer? Connect it to your own values.

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Participant: Organization and leadership development. https://www.sarahscala.com

Asking for general feedback on her course: https://sarahscala.thinkific.com/courses/optimism-resilience-and-grit

Chris G: I like the 2-hour course package. Short enough, but with plenty of content. Sounds like you’re doing just about everything right.

Good ‘About’ page—people want to learn about their instructor.

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Participant: Creating morning routines to build self-confidence and self-respect. Uncomfortable experiences. I wrote an ebook and an accountability practice. My challenge: How to reach out. 

Chris G: How is this just not like a blog post? Have you expanded this idea? 

What is the benefit you’re offering? 

Participant: These practices got me unstuck, strengthened my relationships with fears. 

Chris G: I have no concerns about the program. My main question: How am I [the customer] being helped?

This is more feature-oriented than benefit-oriented.

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Participant: Herbal organic teas aimed toward treating insomnia, stress, etc. Very successful in the country of origin. There is lots of competition. How do I evaluate this as a side hustle option?

Chris G:  Yes, this IS a tough market. Aim for some unique branding, story, twist.

Is this the side hustle option you’re most excited about? But it may not be THE one. Consider other options if you have other ideas that you’re more interested in.

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Participant [current day job as a consultant]: I want to help people at ‘end of life’ stage. Haven’t created a website yet. Looked at end-of-life doulas. Need ideas on getting started.

Chris G:  What is your exact purpose? Educate? Inform?

Answer: To help people die well. 

Chris G: As for website: There are lots of plug-and-play options like SquareSpace, Weebly, Wix, WordPress.

Chris G ideas:  

• — Even if you’re providing a local service, consider providing lists of resources for folks outside of your area.
• — Would you consider a one-off Skype session for families to talk through the issues?

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“For it isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.”

Eleanor Roosevelt

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My Manifesto

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