The Side Hustle Show

Are you struggling to get traction with your blog?Are you concerned your niche is too competitive or you’re starting too late?If so, you’re going to come away from this episode with loads of actionable tips to put those questions to the side.“I have learned, it is never literally too late to ever start anything,” today’s guest Jennifer Marx from JenniferMaker.com told me.Jennifer has taken her DIY/crafting site from a part-time hobby blog earning $33/mo to bringing in more than 6-figures every month in just a few years.She knows a thing or two about entering a competitive niche, finding, and cultivating an audience.First, she mastered Pinterest, then Facebook, and just over a year ago she entered YouTube and already has an audience of more than 225k subscribers!Dominating a source of traffic and growing an audience is something Jennifer excels at, and in the blogging world, there’s huge profit in doing so.Tune in to hear how Jennifer found her initial traction in a competitive niche, what’s driving traffic for her today, how her site makes money, and how she’s built an email list that’s almost the population of Cleveland!Full Show Notes and PDF Highlight Reel: How to Grow a Blog to 6 Figures a Month with Jennifer Maker

Do you enjoy hunting for bargains that you can buy low and sell high?Charlie William does, and his book flipping business is proof that this business model still works.He’s become a master deal-hunter, selling more than $9,000 worth of used books last month on Amazon. The best part? Anyone with access to thrift stores, yard sales, and local charity shops can get started with this side hustle for just a few bucks a month.I connected with Charlie through the Side Hustle Nation Facebook Group and invited him on the show to learn more about the book-flipping business.Tune in to hear: How Charlie got started flipping books. The tools and software he uses to run his business. Where he sources profitable inventory. What it takes to make this side hustle profitable and successful. Full Show Notes: Flipping Books for Profit: How to Make $4000 a Month Selling Used Books

Do you want to generate more leads for your business?Are you struggling to turn prospects into paying customers?If you’re saying “yes” to either of those questions, you’re going to get tonnes of value out of this episode.I invited Kai Davis of KaiDavis.com and DoubleYourEcommerce.com back onto the show as he’s a pro when it comes to this stuff.(Kai was actually guest #4 on The Side Hustle Show way back in 2013, he also had an encore performance a year later in episode 59.)This time around, Kai walks us through the 3 levers that anyone can use to grow their business: Find new customers Get referrals from existing customers or your network Sell more to existing customers With a little creativity and tenacity, you can begin to implement his strategies right away.Tune in to hear the techniques Kai is using to generate more leads for his business, how he’s turning these prospects into sales and profit, and the 3 specific actions anyone can use to generate leads for their own business.Full Show Notes and PDF Highlight Reel: 3 Ways to Get More Leads for Your Business

Melissa Fassel Dunn has built a thriving - and profitable - online community serving residents in her small town.The interesting part is that she didn't start her Facebook group or website with the goal of making money.She did so to solve a pain point she was experiencing finding information about services in her town of Milton, a suburb of Boston.“I needed information about kindergarten, I needed information about a plumber, an electrician, and I felt like there wasn’t a go-to place for any of that.“So, I thought, I’m going to start a group, I’m going to add some of my friends and we can exchange information with one another,” Melissa told me.She started Milton Neighbors, a Facebook group for residents of Milton to share information and recommend local services.That was in 2013, today the group has more than 11,000 members and is almost a 6-figure business.Tune in to hear how Melissa built up her group, how she keeps people engaged, her monetization methods, and how you can replicate her model with a Facebook group of your own in just about any niche.Full Show Notes and PDF Highlight Reel: Facebook Groups: Grow and Monetize a Community Around Something You Care About

From personal pain point to a 7-figure payday!That’s what Donald Spann did when he started -- and eventually sold -- his virtual receptionist company, Vicky Virtual.Donald took a personal pain point of his -- handling incoming phone calls in his cleaning business -- and built out a fully remote virtual call center.Tune in to hear how he found his first clients, what worked in terms of marketing and sales, and how you can apply some of the same strategies to a business of your own.Full Show Notes: How to Start Virtual Call Center: From Idea to 7-Figure Exit

What would it take to make the 4-Hour Workweek a reality?Since we last caught up, this stay-at-home-mom blogger has been on a mission to automate and simplify her business.Yes, by request, Rosemarie Groner from BusyBudgeter.com is back for a 4th round on the podcast!If you are just joining us, let me catch you up on the backstory...In her past life as a state trooper and home daycare operator, Rosemarie made an incredible transformation in her own household’s finances -- reducing expenses and paying off debt.She shared her winning money strategies on a blog for “chronically disorganized” moms. Within her first year, she was making $5k a month, mostly from ad income.A year after that, $20-25k, mostly from affiliates and her own email list.And a year after that, she’d even touched the 6-figures a month mark by creating her own products.Tune in to hear how Rosemarie: Turned her best content into a 2-year automated email sequence. Fine-tuned that sequence to earn affiliate commissions and sell her products. Drives traffic today. Decided to cut off a profitable segment of her audience. Full Show Notes: Audience Engagement, Affiliate Sales, and Automated Product Funnels

Can you build a new income stream on your lunch break?This week's guest says yes, and shares how.In this episode, I’m joined by Mike Zima from ZimaMedia.com -- a full-service digital marketing agency that got its start with a single $5 sale on Fiverr.It’s been a while since we talked about Fiverr, but the way today’s guest has used the platform to start and grow his freelance business is an eye-opener.Mike’s claim to fame: He’s the only Fiverr seller who’s mentioned in Fiverr’s IPO pitch deck.But it all started with one $5 order.He’s now doing thousands of dollars a month, perhaps tens of thousands of dollars a month in Fiverr sales.Tune in to hear what’s working on Fiverr today, Mike’s “rapid gig prototyping" strategy to test out new offers, and how to wean your reliance off of Fiverr while building your agency.Full Show Notes: Rapid Side Hustle Prototyping: A New Income Stream on Your Lunch Break?

Are you operating online fully compliant with GDPR and CCPA regulations?Do you have the right type of liability insurance to cover you should the worst case happen?If you’re unsure about any of the legal stuff surrounding you, your business, or side hustle, it should be a lot clearer by the end of this episode.This is because Mariam Tsaturyan from FreelanceandMarketing.com has graciously agreed to do some legal listener Q&A for us in today’s show.She’s a licensed and practicing attorney, who helps bloggers and online business owners navigate the often-murky waters of legal regulations and compliance.Tune in as we tackle some of the big topics like entity selection, GDPR, and liability insurance. Then we'll dive into some specific questions from the Side Hustle Nation FB group.Full Show Notes: Side Hustle Legal Q&A with Mariam Tsaturyan

Do you know how much cash flows through your hometown on a monthly basis?In this episode we explore how to get some of that cash flowing toward you!I'm joined by Nick Huber, co-founder of Storage Squad and host of The Sweaty Startup podcast.Storage Squad, a student storage service, has grown to over $3M in sales since starting it as a little part-time project back in 2011.I invited Nick on The Side Hustle Show to help walk us through his "sweaty startup" framework. That is, how you can start a low-risk, low-overhead, local, service-based business, set it up for success, and let that be the vehicle that drives you away from a lifetime of cubicle slavery.Tune in to hear Nick’s thoughts on generating service business ideas you could start today, evaluating the market and competition, and scoring your first customers.That’s why I think this is pretty exciting -- it really doesn’t take many customers to begin to make a meaningful income here.Full Show Notes: The Sweaty Startup: How to Start a Local Service Business

Early last summer I joined Teachable’s “Creator Challenge.” The premise was to research, create, and launch an online course over the next three months. On top of that, Teachable provided expert support, a community of fellow instructors, and a little friendly competition. People have been asking me about creating an online course for years — but since I tend to work better with a deadline, I jumped in on the challenge.