Discover how Carter Osborne built a $100k niche consulting business without formal training. Learn about his unconventional path to success, from being a broke graduate student to dominating the college admissions essay consultant market. Explore tips on coming up with a lucrative side hustle offer, getting your first customers, and handling delivery logistics as a solopreneur. Tune in to learn valuable insights on growing a business in a competitive landscape.
Niche down for long-term success by specializing in a specific service.
Use hourly pricing and flexibility to cater to clients' needs and increase revenue.
Consistent effort in building clientele and personalized service leads to successful entrepreneurship.
Deep dives
Focusing on a Niche Service
Carter Osborne transitioned from offering a broad range of tutoring services to specializing in college admissions essay tutoring. Realizing his passion and skills in this area, he made the strategic decision to niche down, sacrificing short-term clientele for long-term gains. By becoming a college essay specialist in the Seattle area, Carter aimed to define his reputation and tap into a broader market of clients in the long run, a move that has proven successful.
Hourly Pricing and Flexibility
Carter charges $225 per hour for his services, lower than full-suite college application consultants due to specializing in essay services. He opts for hourly pricing over package deals to accommodate the non-linear nature of working with high schoolers on essay writing. This flexibility allows for personalized support and additional revenue as clients tend to add on beyond the initial scope, a strategy that has served him well.
Work-Life Balance and Seasonal Intensity
During the busy season, Carter's schedule involves early mornings for suggestions and revisions, back-to-back meetings after his full-time job, and intense weekends with multiple student sessions. In the off-season, he focuses on self-care and relaxation. While juggling a full-time job and tutoring business was challenging, Carter's careful planning and dedication ensured a successful transition to full-time college consulting.
Building a Client Base and Transitioning to Full-Time
Building a clientele base in the service industry requires effort, with no guaranteed outcomes as a business owner. However, by consistently working with more people, receiving referrals, and booking appointments early, a business can ensure a steady flow of clients. The transition to full-time entrepreneurship typically occurs when revenue from one's side business exceeds that of their full-time job, indicating financial viability and readiness to focus solely on the business.
Emphasizing the Importance of Individualized Service and Growth
In the industry of college essay consulting, maintaining a personalized approach enhances the quality of service and client satisfaction. Focusing on guiding students to express their unique ideas authentically rather than imposing pre-designed structures leads to compelling and impactful essays. Additionally, considering the expansion into related services like consulting on college applications and summer camp essays can offer new avenues for growth and diversification in the business.
When you hear "college admissions essay consultant," you might imagine some dull, overly formal academic type.
But Carter Osborne from carterosbornetutoring.com took a pretty unconventional path to dominating this niche business.
When he started providing tutoring services on the side, he was just a "broke, desperate graduate student" in need of some extra money.
Carter actually had no formal business training. His background was in political science and public administration—so not exactly the traditional entrepreneurial breeding grounds.
Not exactly the traditional path for an entrepreneur, right?
And yet, the untraditional route Carter took allowed him to build a unique $100k consulting business, with almost all the revenue coming in just half the year.
While Carter's career path didn't seem logical as a tutor, he was about to discover an untapped market niche that was waiting to be explored.
Tune in to Episode 601 of The Side Hustle Show to learn:
How to come up with your lucrative side hustle offer
How to get your first customers
How to grow the business
How to handle the delivery logistics as a solopreneur