Holidays for many side hustlers the holidays are a time when they’re putting in the extra time. But these not-so-normal times may well generate a few extra rationalizations for easing off the gas pedal.
Some favorite takeaways:
Your brain is programmed to accomplish short-term tasks for more immediate gratification.
I like the Warren Buffett strategy of listing several goals, then paring it down to five goals, and then to one goal.
I had heard, but never really learned, the term, ‘kaizen’–small steps toward continuous improvement.
Chris uses Trello for his ‘break it down’ strategy. I went ahead and signed up. I had done so four years ago and never followed up. Gee, seems procrastination really is hard-wired into some people.
“You have to pick carefully. I’m actually as proud of the things we haven’t done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things.” –Steve Jobs [I just installed the Escape 2 app to keep me focused.]
I liked the quick bullet-pointed review at the end of the post.
Of course, the enduring notion rattling around in my head is: “Am I creating these posts to put off my other projects?”
Just a thought: While you may have an entirely different approach to side hustle success, you have to give Chris credit for his versatile and ever-evolving strategies to reach listeners/viewers/readers. He IS a prime model for this niche.
Skip to the 14:30 mark to listen to him embellish these five suggestions:
Identify potential problems in advance.
Always know your next step.
Impose an artificial deadline.
Look for an alternative way forward.
Try something totally different.
[Note: Each of his 30+ minute Periscope sessions also feature a live participant Q. and A. that nails down many of the universal concerns of side hustlers.]
Yep, I’ve never really spent time looking at online entrepreneurs’ income reports. A lost opportunity to learn. [Challenge: Get past the ‘Geez, I’m getting left in the dust!’ reaction and strap on your thinking cap.]
Net profit: $19,356.67 [a drop in revenue! I’m thinking a number of you might endure that kind of decrease.]
Affiliate earnings from Bluehost: $16,750 [whoa!]
Blog traffic: 321, 352
New email subscribers: 2,476 [also a decrease, which tells you he’s still doing a lot of things right.]
Look for yourself and check out both his earnings and expenses. You may well learn of some new digital tools and pick up hints about Ryan Robinson’s approach and strategies.
All I can say is, gee, if I had youth, looks, tech and design skills, and knowledge of the fashion industry, well, I might be living pretty well right now. %:->
I had two Economics degrees and no economic/business experience. I almost felt like a fraud. I decided to start the photography business to a.) prove it to myself that I could run a business, b.) put my degrees to use, and c.) pay off the camera.
Advice and Lessons: Four key questions: “What skill set do I have that I can market?” “What am I so passionate about or interested in that I wouldn’t mind pursuing this interest the rest of my life regardless if I got paid?” “With this skill, what problem can I solve?” “How can I add value to my customer beyond what others are doing?”
Turning point: My first solo wedding once I started the business, I charged $2100, which was almost how much I was making in three weeks. If I could make three weeks worth of income in a weekend, I knew something was there.
Lesson: Volunteering introduces you to great people and supports great causes.
Lesson: Seek information and feedback from veterans in your industry.
As I get older, I value and am protective of my sleep. As soon as I feel my productivity slowing, I shut down for the night and go to bed. No Netflix, no Instagram, just bed.
The Golden Rule is really the only rule you need in business, “Treat others the way you want to be treated.” Be kind. Delight your customers. Listen with intention.
What could have gone better? Marketing. Sometimes, your competition will be marketing or branding experts even though their product or service is sub-par. Doesn’t matter. Something they are doing in their marketing resonates with the customer.
You’re greeted by a looping slide show of various side hustles showcased on his website, short book promos, and a video-burst of advice straight from Chris himself.
As of Monday, June 8, 2020, his channel offers 18 broadcasts and has 8649 followers. Niiiice. Click on his name in the lower right corner for a slide-in with that information.
An interesting promotional strategy, SH’s, don’t you think?
***
Other stuff on my mind…
“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.”
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?
***
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.
***
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.
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.
***
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.
***
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.
***
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?
***
“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.”
Today [June 4] at noon Pacific Time/3:00 Eastern Time], meet with Chris Guillebeau as he offers feedback on side hustle ideas. All are welcome and he promises there will be no upsell at the end.
Let’s revisit–in more detail–resources I’ve suggested in previous posts.
Today, I’ll condense the first ESI Money interview suggested in this post. Lots of valuable information in the interviews, but I can’t very well copy/paste acres of the content, so I’ve provided a short background followed by advice and lessons learned.
Background: At the time of the interview [May, 2019], three main side hustles—house hacking, consulting and freelance web design—made up the majority of his side income.
Advice: 1. Creation of something new seems to be a lot harder than stepping into a role which already exists. 2. Focus is incredibly important in life. I was trying to do too much, and when I started, I didn’t have the time to fully dive in and give it my all. 3. Luck doesn’t happen unless you put yourself in those situations where you can “get” lucky. 4. For my subscription box, which I started in 2017 and have since closed down, I ended up closing out with a loss of roughly $20,000. I did make roughly $15,000 in revenue, but I wasn’t passionate about it. 5. Think about this for a second: in 5 years, you’ll be on this Earth for 43,800 hours. How many hours does it take to implement your idea? 100?
Side Hustle Curator 