The Side Hustle Show

This week I’m excited to share a unique side hustle that’s turning hobbies into profits, through what I’m calling “local” e-commerce.

This is a story of building a following for homemade or handmade products -- without shipping anything, without advertising, and without relying on 3rd party marketplaces like Amazon or Etsy for exposure.

We’re going to explore this through the lens of So Here’s the Dough, a local cottage kitchen cookie operation run by a friend of mine here in Livermore, Jenn Fei.

Jenn is an attorney and real estate broker by trade, but those professions have now become the side hustles to her thriving cookie business.

Tune in to hear:

Full Show Notes: "Local" E-Commerce: Building a Following for Homemade Products

Create a design.

Upload it to a store.

Earn passive royalties whenever it sells.

That’s the passive income dream, and that’s the premise behind the Merch by Amazon and print-on-demand side hustles.

But does it really still work?

To find out, I invited Michael Essek on to the Side Hustle Show.

Michael has been designing and selling t-shirts online since 2013, and he’s seen how the market has changed over the years.

For the past 4-5 years, Michael's earned $100,000+ licensing and selling his designs, so he has his finger on the pulse of what’s working right now.

Tune in to hear:

Full Show Notes: Merch by Amazon and Print on Demand in 2020 and Beyond

We’re all dealt 24 hours a day. I believe how you spend that time, or maybe rather how you invest it, should give you some sort of return.

That could be a monetary return, sure. But it could also be a return in personal satisfaction or impact on others.

Today, I want to introduce a productivity framework I’m calling The Productivity Pyramid.

Like most frameworks, it’s a work in progress, but here’s how it shapes up:

Full Show Notes: The Productivity Pyramid: A Simple Framework to Make Real Progress

Starting a business doesn't have to be expensive -- in fact, low startup cost business ideas are everywhere.

Just last week, Nate and Alysha Jackson explained how they started their Amazon retail arbitrage business with just $100 -- and had since grown to over $1 million in total sales.

Inspired by their story, along with a couple of threads in the Side Hustle Nation Facebook group that asked for some real-life low startup cost business ideas, I put together this episode.

Stick around to hear how several Side Hustle Nation members got their business off the ground on the cheap. In most cases, you don’t need outside capital to get started.

Instead, my hope is you’ll use these stories as inspiration to start lean and start now.

Full Show Notes: Low Startup Cost Business Ideas from Side Hustle Nation

“It was costing me money to go to my job,” Nate told me.

That was just a year after Nate and Alysha Jackson started their Amazon FBA retail arbitrage business -- with just a $100 investment.

Since then, the former public school teachers have sold over $1 million worth of products on Amazon!

Amazon FBA retail arbitrage is the art of buying low locally and online, and reselling for a profit on Amazon.

After hearing about the opportunity on Side Hustle Nation, they turned that $100 in initial inventory into more than $180,000 in total sales in 12 months. It didn't take much longer than that before they both quit their jobs to focus on the Amazon business and their growing family.

Tune in to hear:

Full Show Notes: From $100 to 7-Figures: Amazon FBA Retail Arbitrage Case Study

If you want to start an online business, you’re probably going to need to build a website.

But could you shortcut the process by just buying one that’s already working?

In this episode, which is the fourth and final episode of our Showdown series this month, we’re comparing two ways you operate a revenue-generating website; building your own site vs buying an established website.

For this debate, I’ve got a couple of powerhouse guests:

There are pros and cons to both starting and buying websites. But, as you’ll hear discussed, there are some key differences between each method and might help you lean one way or the other.

Tune in to hear both Mark and Dom discuss the different strategies behind:

These guys both have a lot of experience in building and buying websites. By the end of this one, you’ll have a good idea which path is best for you.

Full Show Notes: Build a Website or Buy One that's Already Working?

A service business is one of the fastest side hustles to get off the ground, and you can scale it by hiring other people to deliver the work.

But is there an advantage to staying a solo operator?

In this Side Hustle Showdown we're looking at freelancing vs. building an agency.

For this debate, I invited a couple members of The Side Hustle Nation community who both run cleaning companies:

Tune in to hear both Chris and Ken discuss which business model is best for:

If you’re trying to decide which path you want to take, stick around to learn how to avoid the dreaded “valley of despair” that often afflicts service businesses, and how to get started on the right foot.

Full Show Notes: Should I Start a Freelance Business or Build an Agency?

In the e-commerce space, selling private label products on Amazon has been a popular side hustle for the last several years.

But is it still the best way to go?

Or is there a lower risk, higher reward way to turn your ideas into profits?

In this episode, which is the second episode of our Showdown series this month, we’re comparing two ways you can capitalize on opportunities in the market; selling private label products and product licensing.

For this debate, I’ve sourced two guests who have appeared on the Side Hustle Show before:

Both business models allow you to exercise our creative muscles. But, as you’ll find out, each model is suited to a different personality type and has a different balance of risk and reward.

Tune in to hear both Greg and Stephen dig into the different strategies behind:

There is some interesting insight into these business models. By the end of the episode, you’ll have a clearer idea of which business model is best for you.

Full Show Notes: Private Label vs. Product Licensing: Which is the Better Side Hustle?

Creating content online can be a super-effective way to build an audience and ultimately to make money.

If you’re just starting out or trying to grow your business, you might be wondering what type of content makes the most sense to create.

In this episode, we’re going to compare and contrast two of the most popular content channels going today: podcasting and YouTube.

This is actually the first of several friendly debate-style episodes this month I’m calling the Side Hustle Showdown series.

For each debate, I tried to source guests in a similar niche so they could best speak each other’s language.

To fire shots over the pros and cons of starting an online business with podcasts or YouTube, I enlisted the help of:

Tune in to hear both Marko and Jonathan go back and forward discussing which of the platforms are best for:

This is a fun one, and by the end, you’ll have an idea which platform is going to be best for your business.

Full Show Notes: Podcasting vs. YouTube for Building an Online Business

Businesses evolve over time, but I don’t think anyone could have prepared for the pace of change this year.

To gauge how some of you have been handling everything the pandemic has thrown at you, I reached out to Side Hustle Nation and asked what pivots and changes you’ve been making in your business over the last few months.

What I got back were some interesting and innovative ways some business owners and side hustlers have found to actually grow their businesses during the pandemic.

Here’s a look at some of the hardest hit industries, and some of the ways business owners have been pivoting and adapting.

Full Show Notes: Pandemic Pivots: How Entrepreneurs are Adapting to "Obliteration"