Copyright © 2019 by Chris Guillebeau All rights reserved Published in the United States by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York www.crownpublishing.com www.tenspeed.com Ten Speed Press and the Ten Speed Press colophon are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with the publisher Hardcover ISBN 9780399582578 Ebook ISBN 9780399582585 Cover design by Zak Tebbal and Emma Campion v5.4 a Contents Introduction I Real People, Real Money Earning real money on the side isn’t a fantasy—it’s real life Consider how these people created income and security for themselves, often in surprising ways II Ideas Are Everywhere By mastering the skill of observation, you’ll learn to spot opportunities wherever you go That’s what the people featured in this chapter did—and the results speak for themselves III Use the Skills You Already Have Don’t go back to college; use what you know now The people featured in this chapter’s stories used a skill they already had to make extra money—sometimes a lot of it IV Buy Low, Sell High This business opportunity started approximately 150,000 years ago It’s evolved a bit since then, but the principles remain the same These modern-day merchants find ways to buy goods at one price, and then sell them at a higher one V Teach What You Know Your knowledge is valuable: take what you’ve learned and share it with others VI Bring People Together Have a knack for producing events or experiences? Use the power of community to connect people while getting paid VII Get Crafty, Get Paid If you have a penchant for a paintbrush or a love of making pottery, you might be able to turn your creations into money—just like the people in these stories did VIII Automate Your Income “Earn money while you sleep” is the ultimate promise—and for these people, it’s part of their daily routine These stories illustrate how working smarter, not just harder, can help you create systems that will pay out over and over IX See the World Without Going Broke If you don’t want to be confined to a desk, how about living in an RV or jetting out on a series of oneway plane tickets around the globe? For those looking for a room with a view, preferably one that someone else pays for, read on X Eat, Drink, and Be Merry Cookies, coffee, ice pops, and beer—these stories really take the cake XI Do Good and Do Well Don’t choose between profit and philanthropy—do both You can good while doing well XII There’s an App for That Social media and the “sharing economy” aren’t just about being neighborly There’s money to be made! These stories feature affiliate marketing, mobile applications, and more XIII Keep It in the Family Some side hustlers start young, and some parents involve the whole family in their entrepreneurial adventures These stories feature kids, families, or partnerships XIV Start Your Own Factory If you build it, will they come? Maybe, but first you have to build it The people in these stories learned about sourcing, manufacturing, or both Even complex projects (a boat in a backpack?) can be done part-time, without quitting your job XV Ramp Up: Million-Dollar Side Hustles Side hustles are great for earning extra cash—and sometimes they earn a lot of it These stories represent people with hustles that produce high six figures or seven figures in annual income Unemployed Author Publishes Book with Help of Good Friends About the Author Image Credits Index Introduction Each morning at 6:01 a.m eastern time, I publish a new episode of Side Hustle School, my daily podcast Every story features someone who creates a moneymaking project without quitting their job On average, forty thousand people download or stream it over the next seven days, and then many more listen later Since I started the show on January 1, 2017, the stories have been downloaded more than twenty million times But why? Why people keep listening week after week and month after month, even though the essential lessons of “starting a side business” don’t change much from day to day? I’ve thought a lot about this question, and I’ve heard a lot of feedback from listeners As it turns out, people love the idea of making money without quitting their day jobs Earning extra money without having to give up the stability of an existing job is a powerful motivator And more than anything else, we respond to stories For instance, Teresa Greenway (this page) didn’t know much about the world of online education, and she wasn’t particularly skilled with technology She’d recently hit a rough patch in life, leaving an abusive relationship, raising a son with autism, and even going on food stamps to supplement her meager income as a motel housekeeper Through it all, one of her favorite things to was bake And in particular, she loved to bake sourdough bread Everything changed when Teresa’s daughter suggested she teach a course on baking bread Instead of putting up flyers and renting space in her local community center, Teresa signed up with an online service that would allow her to sell the course to anyone online Using cheap equipment, she filmed “Sourdough Bread Baking 101,” and then released it to the world That course produced $25,000 in net income for Teresa—a truly life-changing amount for her at the time The next year, she created half a dozen other courses and made $85,000, more money than she’d ever made in her life With the profits from her courses, Teresa was able to make a down payment on the first home she’s ever owned Or consider Kyler Russell (this page), who started his side hustle with a little help from his mom, Brandi, when he was just eight years old Kyler loved baseball, but he didn’t love the uncomfortable athletic cup he had to wear Brandi and Kyler created a much better cup, one that was more comfortable but still provided the necessary protection Then they learned how to make it in bulk and sell it to parents of other young athletes The Comfy Cup is now manufactured in Hong Kong and then shipped by the case to Lenexa, Kansas, where the whole family is involved in mailing the finished product to customers It’s not just a nice story—it’s also a profitable one: the Comfy Cup is selling at a rate of more than $10,000 a month They currently have a proposal in with Walmart, and are hoping to break six figures in annual profits soon These aren’t “startup” stories of people risking it all, going around in search of investors to rescue them They’re stories of regular people with jobs, responsibilities, and busy lives, who start moneymaking projects in their limited time Most of the people featured in this book didn’t even consider themselves entrepreneurs when they started out Many still don’t They just wanted to make some extra money while holding on to the stability of the jobs they already had Some of these people might earn an extra $1,000 a month Some go on to earn much more, sometimes even multiple six figures a year—and some of them have indeed gone on to quit their jobs Whatever the outcome, most of us can relate to these inspiring stories precisely because they are about regular people doing things that almost anyone can I wanted to gather some of my favorite stories from the show and present them to you in this visual compilation Maybe they’ll give you an idea for a side hustle of your own, or maybe you’ll just enjoy seeing what other people have done Either way, I hope that you’ll find these stories as inspiring and engaging as I Yours in the hustle, TERMS AND CONDITIONS There are a lot of facts, figures, and anecdotes mentioned in this book Financial details were supplied by the people featured in the story, but with so many different case studies in dozens of locations, I probably got something wrong—and by the time you read this, some of the info may have changed In addition, some of the side hustles and websites featured here may no longer be active, or the people that run them may have switched to another focus of operations This is normal You don’t have to the same project forever, nor you have to it in the same way In other words: the details will change with time, but the principles are timeless Real People, Real Money Earning real money on the side isn’t a fantasy—it’s real life Consider how these people created income and security for themselves, often in surprising ways Index A accountability matching services, c01.1, c01.2 admissions consulting affiliate marketing, c08.1, c12.1, c12.2, c15.1 After Dark Cookies Akers, Lisa Alchemy Pops Aleksich, Jelena Alibaba, c02.1, c02.2, c04.1, c07.1, C11.1, C14.1, C14.2, C14.3 Amazon, c01.1, c01.2, c04.1, c04.2, c04.3, c04.4, c04.5, c07.1, C10.1, C14.1, C14.2, C14.3, C14.4, c15.1, c15.2 Anatomonics apps, c12.1, c12.2 Arzak Ashenhurst, James Ashland Leather athletic cups, itr.1, c13.1 B Baldwin, Julia Bali Skulls bamboo fiber socks Banayan, Ari Bang-Up Betty Bansal, Sumit Barr, Nate baseball apparel autographed balls Baseballism Baum, Justin beekeeping Benkovich, Mike Bergman, Kyle Bible app, Spanish-language biking wine tours Billmaier, Marco blogging, c12.1, c15.1 boats, folding Bonar, Ali Bong, Jill books Booze, Alexandra Borsting, Elizabeth bounce houses Bowers, Stacey Bracciale, Mike Brady, Sheena brand promotion bread baking, itr.1, c01.1 brides, accessory rentals for Brown, Jennifer Buergers, Nicole Burns, Tim Bury, Erin Bush Balm business ideas generating starter vs next-level business systems, building BuzzFeed, C11.1, C14.1 C Cagen, Sasha cakes Campbell, Harry candles Candle Science Candy Japan Cannon, Matt and Kristy Cannon Powerworks Carlson, Jodi Cashunt catering cherry “ketchup,” Chicago Comb Co Chicken Armor chicken saddles Chock, Travis chocolate cleaning services, c06.1, c15.1 coaching coffee The College Investor, c15.1 Color Cloud Hammocks Comedy Cellar Comfy Cup, itr.1, c13.1 Confetti Project cookies, c02.1, C10.1 cookware copackers, C10.1 Cordova, Dan cottage laws Country Wine Tours coupon codes courses, online, c01.1, c03.1, c05.1, c08.1, C11.1, c12.1 Craft, Elizabeth crafts See also individual crafts Craigslist, c02.1, c04.1, C10.1, c15.1 crickets Crowler, Jordan D Damianakos, Chris DaTerra Cucina Davis, Laura decluttering Delarwelle, Steve Delgado, Rene delivery services Derus, David De Stefano, Gianluca Dewane, David diamonds Dice Envy Dine Out Long Beach District Karaoke Donovan, Peg drop shipping, c04.1, c04.2 E East Coast Contessas eBay, c02.1, c04.1, c04.2, c04.3, c15.1 Ellsworth, Zach email lists, c05.1, c05.2 engagement rings engraving Enns, Jeremy Etsy, c03.1, c03.2, c07.1, c07.2, c07.3, c07.4, c07.5, c08.1, c15.1 event planning Excel tutorials F Facebook, c02.1, c02.2, c02.3, c03.1, c03.2, c03.3, c04.1, c05.1, c06.1, c07.1, C11.1, C11.2, c13.1, c13.2, c15.1 Fancy Hands Fang, Danielle Farrington, Robert fidget spinner cookies Finkle, Brittany Fiverr.com flash cards Flood, Pete Florida, Tony Fly Mouthwash FMTC (For Me to Compete) food businesses, c02.1, C10.1, c13.1 See also individual foods Food Network, c02.1, c02.2 food trucks Four Seasons Hotel, c15.1, c15.2 Fried-Cassorla, Emma Fulfillment by Amazon, c01.1, c04.1, c04.2, C14.1, C14.2, c15.1 funeral urns G Gaskins, Marc Gaylord, David Geodesium Giant Bikes Girl Scouts, resources for Gold Pan Pete Google AdSense, c03.1, C11.1 AdWords, c02.1, c06.1 Analytics Gorilla Socks Granola Butter Grant, Ryan The Graphic Illusionist Gray, Nick The Great Fantastic Greenway, Teresa, itr.1, c01.1 grip-strength equipment Grommet Grose, Jessica guitar amplifiers H Habit Nest, c01.1, c01.2 hair regrowth hammocks hand grippers Hangout Lighting Hangover Helpers Happily Ever Borrowed Haren, Tim herbs hiking tours, c06.1, c06.2 Hmong Baby Holtby, Lisa home organizing Hookway, James Huot, Jason I ice pops IKEA, c01.1, c01.2 importing, c09.1, C14.1 Indiegogo, c01.1, c03.1, c03.2, C14.1, C14.2 Instagram, c02.1, c03.1, c06.1, c08.1, C10.1, C10.2, C11.1, c12.1 Invisiband, C14.1, C14.2 J JamStack Janée, Dale jewelry, c07.1, c07.2, C11.1 Johns, Marc K Kalas, Phil Kamara, Gavin karaoke Kenin, Alexandra Kerekes, Erika Keyes, Scott Kickbike Kickstarter, c01.1, c02.1, C10.1, C11.1, C11.2, c13.1, c13.2, C14.1, C14.2 Koffel, Khara Konstanecki, Matthew, C14.1, C14.2 Kotulski, Richard K-Pak boats Kramer, Gabriel Kusi, Marcus Kween Foods, C10.1, C10.2 L La Greca, Kirsten Landers, Ben Larrea, Bry LasersMakeItAwesome.com, c02.1, c02.2 Lau, Gerald Leader Connecting Leaders Learn Jazz Standards, c05.1 Lecky, Mike Lincoln, Abraham, c07.1, c13.1 LinkedIn lip balm LogoCore Logo Inspirations Luckey, Megan Lyft Lynch, Leah M Mack, Daniel Macklemore, John Mailchimp Mammoth Bar manufacturing Marine Corps Exchange marriage proposal tours Massdrop Match.com McCoy, Maury McGhee, Charlotte McKendrick, Trevor Meeting and Market, c01.1, c01.2 membership sites Mementi Urns Mihalich-Levin, Lori Mindful Return miniatures Mommee Coffee Moore, Alex Morning Sidekick Journal, c01.1 Mouse Books mouthwash Museum Hack N Neal, Jeff Nextdoor NextFab Not Ketchup nutrition bars O Official Coupon Code onsies Ostland, Anthony P paper-cut designs parents, services for Parker, Jeff partnerships Partners in Grind Parton, Dolly party cleanup PayPal, c02.1, c03.1, C10.1, c12.1, c13.1 Peet’s Coffee Penny Portrait Permanent140.com Peterson, Amy Phillips, Carolyn phone cases Pieczenik, Sharon pillowcases Pinterest, c02.1, c05.1 Pisani, Antonella plane tickets PocketMonkey podcast production Pottery Barn Prendergast, Chris Printly print-on-demand, c08.1, c08.2 prints Project Gutenberg pubic hair oil R rabbit breeding Randall, Tanieka Rauch, Jesse Rebel Nell rentals reselling, c04.1, c04.2, c04.3, c09.1, C14.1, c15.1 Restaurant Week The Rideshare Guy Rivers, Steffanie Roosevelt, Eleanor, C11.1, C11.2 Rosa Gold Rubin, Gretchen Rudnick, Emily Rudolph, Jonathan RudSpice Russell, Brandi and Kyler, itr.1, c13.1 Russell, Diana S Santa, letters from, Savory Spice Shop Savvy Sleepers scarves, monogrammed scavenger hunts Schumer, Amy Schwab, Christopher scooter tours Scott’s Cheap Flights Sepponen, Bemmu Shafi, Adam Shemmassian, Shirag Shemmassian Academic Consulting Shopify, c03.1, c04.1, c07.1, c07.2, c08.1 SI Certs side hustles appeal of arts and crafts as big vs small definition of event planning as food businesses as, C10.1, c13.1 hobbies vs idea sources for importing and income from manufacturing and as partnerships reselling as starter vs next-level ideas for systems for travel and valuable skills for Simmons, Emilie Sindicich, Michael Slaughter, Jeff Smith, Teddy social media promotion Society6, c08.1, c08.2, c08.3 socks sourdough bread, baking Spaccarelli, Nathan and Kathrin Spanish-language Bible app spices Squarespace, c05.1, c07.1, C11.1 subscription boxes SuperBowl rentals “surprise vacation” planning Sven Delivers Swoveralls T tango Target, C11.1, c15.1, c15.2, c15.3 teaching, c01.1, c03.1, c05.1, c08.1, C11.1, c12.1 Tease Tea teddy bears Telford, Nick terrariums textbooks, c04.1, c15.1 Thao, Mykou and Touger Thek, Kat Think Maids Thompson, Brian Thumbtack Tilford, Jeannine Timewalker Toys T-Mobile Toad Busters Touchdown Rentals tours, c06.1, c06.2, c06.3, c15.1 travel, c05.1, c09.1 coaching service patches “surprise vacation” planning TripAdvisor, c06.1, c06.2 Troll Cakes T-shirts, c08.1, c08.2 Tumblr Twitter Typo Tees U Uber, c15.1, c15.2 Udemy, c01.1, c01.2 Upwork, c02.1, c02.2 Urban Hiker SF V Vaartstra, Brent Vagabond Heart Venmo W wallets Walmart, itr.1, C11.1, c13.1, c15.1 Weaver, Tianna WhatsApp Whisked Away Surprise Travel WildCard Winchell, Michael wineries, biking tours to Wix WordPress, c03.1, c05.1, c08.1 wristbands, anti-mosquito Y Yelp, c03.1, c06.1, c15.1 YouTube, c01.1, c01.2, c01.3, c02.1, c04.1, c05.1, c06.1, c09.1, C11.1, c12.1, c13.1 Z Zito, Stephanie Zootility, C14.1, C14.2 ZZZ Bears What’s next on your reading list? Discover your next great read! Get personalized book picks and up-to-date news about this author Sign up now ... part-time, without quitting your job XV Ramp Up: Million-Dollar Side Hustles Side hustles are great for earning extra cash—and sometimes they earn a lot of it These stories represent people with hustles. .. money without quitting their day jobs Earning extra money without having to give up the stability of an existing job is a powerful motivator And more than anything else, we respond to stories For. .. I publish a new episode of Side Hustle School, my daily podcast Every story features someone who creates a moneymaking project without quitting their job On average, forty thousand people download