Lou Rice was breastfeeding her son Archie one night when disaster struck—she dropped her Kindle on his head! While that experience was upsetting for both of them at the moment, it sparked an idea for Lou and her husband Ben to create a solution. Ben fashioned a silicone strap with staples to attach Lou's Kindle to her hand and prevent any future dropping incidents. Lou tested it out over the next month and absolutely loved having the grip and security of the strap for comfortable one-handed reading during those long middle-of-the-night feeds. And thus, their side hustle, strapsicle.com was born—a company now generating over $50k a month selling their innovative Kindle straps. Not only that, but Strapsicle is on pace for its first-ever 6 figures after recently going viral on TikTok and Instagram. Tune in to Episode 589 of The Side Hustle Show to learn: How an accident sparked a successful product idea Why micro-influencers were key for visibility How early demand was validated before production How diversified sales channels have inherent strengths Full Show Notes: 589: How a Simple Idea Turned Into a $50k a Month Side Hustle New to the Show? Get your personalized money-making playlist here! Sponsors: Ladder – Get instantly approved for term life insurance—no doctors, no needles, no paperwork! Masterclass — Get 15% off an annual membership! Factor — Get 50% off America's #1 ready-to-eat meal delivery service w/ code sidehustle50! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Side Hustle Show

589: How a Simple Idea Turned Into a $50k a Month Side Hustle

Making money in real estate typically requires owning the property, right? Coming up with a large down payment, securing financing, dealing with tenants, handling maintenance and repairs. The barriers to entry aren’t exactly low. But what if you could skip all that and still bring in serious cash flow by renting out apartments and homes without buying them? When Richie Matthews and his wife were looking to supplement their seasonal events business in late 2019, rental arbitrage seemed like an ideal side hustle. Little did they know that just a few months later, that tiny side hustle would quickly scale into a business managing 60 units and generating over $2.5 million in revenue and $700k in profits. He now runs his company, iStayUSA.com. Tune in to Ep 588 of The Side Hustle Show to: Test unfamiliar models with tiny experiments before going “all in” Stay nimble and embrace opportunities, even in uncertainty Build scalable systems and processes early on Diversify marketing channels and revenue streams Focus on profitability metrics rather than solely revenue growth Full Show Notes: Rental Arbitrage: $700k Renting Out Other People's Properties Get your personalized money-making playlist here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

588: Rental Arbitrage: $700K Renting Out Other People's Properties

It’s that time of year again—Thanksgiving! For the past years, I’ve celebrated the holiday with an annual roundup of some of the most creative, outside-the-box side hustle ideas and stories that have come across my desk. These unique money-making side hustles stand out not just for their ingenuity but for the impressive income generated by ordinary people putting their skills, passions, and sheer determination to work. This is the 6th installment of the series, so I encourage you to go check out the other episodes if you like this format: 10 Creative Side Hustles Part 1 – 2018 10 Creative Side Hustles Part 2 – 2019 10 Creative Side Hustles Part 3 – 2020 10 Creative Side Hustles Part 4 – 2021 10 Creative Side Hustles Part 5 - 2022 This year’s list features an awesome mix of unconventional side hustles spanning cleaning, gardening, rentals, social media, and more. Each profile contains key stats, actionable ideas, and an inside look you won’t find anywhere else! Full Show Notes: 10 Creative Side Hustles that Make Real Money - Part 6 Get your personalized money-making playlist here! Sponsors: Gusto - Hire, pay, and manage your team all in one place! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

587: 10 Creative Side Hustles that Make Real Money - Part 6

Can you really get paid to be curious? When Harry Duran launched the Vertical Farming Podcast in 2020, he had zero experience or connections in the industry — he just wanted to learn more about vertical farming. Yet through strategic partnerships and consistency, he has established himself as a leading voice in this emerging space. Fast forward just over three years later, the show generates over $80,000 in annual revenue. Harry is now seen as a leading authority in the space. His show generates thousands in sponsorship revenue from companies eager to get in front of this highly targeted audience. Tune into episode 586 of The Side Hustle Show to learn: What made him interested in vertical farming Tactics for landing high-profile guests Creative approaches to securing sponsors Strategies for expanding into a media network And much more Full Show Notes: Monetize Your Curiosity: How a Part-Time Podcast Generated $80k in Revenue Listener Bonus: 20 Hobby Niches to Build a Side Hustle Around Free Bonus: Your Podcast Starter Kit Sponsors: Indeed – Start hiring NOW with a $75 sponsored job credit to upgrade your job post! Masterclass — Get 15% off an annual membership! Gusto - Get 3 months free the leading payroll, benefits, and HR platform for small businesses! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

586: Monetize Your Curiosity: $80k in Revenue from a Part-Time Project

We've got another round of 20 Questions from Side Hustle Nation listeners on the agenda today! I always enjoy tapping into your collective experience and the challenge of providing helpful answers off the cuff. As is customary on these episodes, I’ve filtered through a stack of questions from the Side Hustle Nation community over the past few months. Though we usually hit 20, this time around we've got 18 questions to explore. This is the 15th installment of this series, making it probably the longest-running series in the Side Hustle Show's history, so feel free to check out the older ones: 556: Pricing, Podcasting, Permission to Quit, and More: 20 Questions with Nick 498: Profitable Podcasting, Getting Clients, and $50k/mo in Passive Income: 20 Questions with Nick 451: Affiliate Marketing, Early Retirement, and Side Hustle Shifts Over 8 Years of Podcasting: 20 Questions with Nick 431: Fear of Selling, Protecting Ideas, Podcasting and More 412: Side Hustle Ethics, Charging Your Friends, the Side Hustles I’m Most Excited About, and More 365: Market Saturation, Mind Mapping, Miracle Mornings, and More 346: The Con of the Side Hustle, Beanie Babies, Affiliate Marketing, and More 320: Multiplying Money, Morning Routines, and $100k Side Hustles 291: Email, Ebooks, Platforms, and Conferences 271: Brilliant Blogging, Ruthless Productivity, and Guaranteed Success 245: Network Marketing, Imposter Syndrome, My Side Hustle Mistakes, and More 219: Growing Traffic, Monetization, List-Building, a Day in the Life, and More 198: Blogging, Branding, Book Writing, and Finding the Right Side Hustle for You 181: SEO, Affiliate Marketing, Self-Publishing, Udemy, and More Topics covered include podcast advertising, SEO resources, deciding which side hustle to focus on, and much more. You'll hear me reflect on getting sponsors for the show, recommend tools for affiliate marketing, give advice on turning a skill into a money-maker, and share what I've been reading lately. There's a little something for everyone in this episode, whether you're just getting started on your first venture or looking to take an existing business to the next level. Let's jump right into the questions! Full Show Notes: Giving Away Ideas, Getting Great Guests, Growing Your Business, and More: 20 Questions With Nick New to the Show? Get your personalized money-making playlist here! Sponsors: Kajabi — Start your 30-day free trial today! Ladder – Get instantly approved for term life insurance—no doctors, no needles, no paperwork! BetterHelp — Get 10% off your first month! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

585: Giving Away Ideas, Getting Great Guests, Growing Your Business, and More: 20 Questions with Nick

A location-independent consulting business that replaces your day job income in a matter of months? That's what Paul Minors achieved with his virtual software consulting side hustle. You might recognize Paul’s name. Paul is a productivity blogger and consultant from New Zealand. He was part of a fun productivity roundtable episode we did towards the end of 2016 -- that was episode 197 if you want to go back and check it out. At that time, Paul was putting the wheels in motion on his consulting business centered around specific software tools. If you can hitch your cart to a rising tide of interest in a particular tool, and become the go-to expert in that space, you can do really well. Paul was able to leave his day job within a couple of months of starting his business. He was then able to go traveling with his wife for 6-months while working 15-20 hours a week from his laptop. After arriving back home, he started working full-time on his consulting business. “I noticed the impact of that straight away, within a couple of months I had doubled my income,” Paul told me. It's clear Paul has figured out this business model. This episode is packed with ideas you might be able to apply to your own areas of expertise. Maybe you’ll even uncover some areas of expertise you never really considered that special before. Tune in to episode 344 hear: How Paul came across the idea of offering his first consulting services “by accident.” The several different marketing channels that drive targeted traffic to his website How he’s added more products and services to his portfolio Full Show Notes: Virtual Consulting: How to Start a Location-Independent Consulting Business New to the Show? Get your personalized money-making playlist here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

GH: Virtual Consulting: How to Start a Location-Independent Consulting Business

It's one thing to teach a toddler to read; it's another entirely to transform that skill into a 7-figure business. Spencer Russell built Toddlers Can Read from the ground up and achieved tremendous success in just 2 years. Despite early setbacks with initial sales, he adapted by refining the course experience and struck gold with viral content on TikTok. As Spencer innovates, scales, and plans a rebranding, he remains deeply committed to his mission—helping children everywhere unlock their reading potential. Explore his strategies, learn from his experiences, and discover why he believes in giving your side hustle full-time energy. Tune into episode 584 of The Side Hustle Show to learn: How Spencer Russell found his niche in early childhood education Strategies for delivering value and engaging customers Leveraging social media for business growth Expanding reach through blogging and paid advertising Full Show Notes: Building a 7-Figure Online Business in Just 2 years New to the Show? Get your personalized Side Hustle Show playlist Sponsor: BetterHelp — Get 10% off your first month! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

584: Building a 7-Figure Online Business in Just 2 Years

David Paxton earns $1000s a month sharing the best golf gear deals on the Internet. And unlike most affiliate businesses, he didn't wait around in the Google sandbox waiting for SEO to take hold. In fact, he made $2000 in his first month! Tune in to the interview to learn how he: sources the deals gets the word out monetizes the business Could you borrow the idea in your own niche? Full Show Notes: $1000s a Month Sharing the Best Deals in Your Niche Your Listener Bonus: 20 Hobby Niches To Create A Promotional Business Sponsors: Masterclass — Get 15% off an annual membership! BetterHelp — Get 10% off your first month! Kababi — Start your 30-day free trial today! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

583: $1000s a Month Sharing the Best Deals in Your Niche

Becky Beach’s side hustle journey began like many others—with an unhealthy relationship at a day job. After being fired from her toxic work environment, Becky was inspired to start her own business. She launched the blog MomBeach.com in 2015, but it took 6 long years of blood, sweat, and tears before it became a full-time income source. When COVID-19 struck, Becky's blog exploded from 20,000 pageviews a month to over 250,000. Riding the growth, she took the leap into full-time blogging and digital product creation. Just two years later, Becky now earns $30,000 a month, largely from digital product sales. She sells printables, courses, planners, workbooks, and more through her website, Etsy store, and TeachersPayTeachers. Tune into Ep 582 of The Side Hustle Show to learn how to: Build an audience and digital products around problems you can solve Research demand thoroughly before creating any product Funnel free content into paid digital product purchases Drive consistent traffic to maximize your sales funnel potential Full Show Notes: How to Use AI to Create Digital Products: $30k a Month New to the Show? Get your personalized Side Hustle Show playlist! Sponsors: Ladder – Get instantly approved for term life insurance—no doctors, no needles, no paperwork! Indeed – Start hiring NOW with a $75 sponsored job credit to upgrade your job post! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

582: How to Use AI to Create Digital Products: $30k a Month

What if you could make your rent or mortgage payment go away? Or, what if instead of paying that expense every month, your living situation actually paid you? It’s not as far-fetched as it may sound. In fact, that’s exactly what today’s guest, Craig Curelop, has done by intentionally "house hacking" over the past few years. He’s even written a book on the topic, and it's one I wish I’d had when I was 18 or 19! I would have definitely done some things differently. The basic idea is to use other people’s rents to offset, or even profit from your own housing costs. On top of that, you'll begin building wealth through real estate and earn tax benefits as well. If you have a spare room or two in your home, or you're interested in house hacking, this episode is going to get the gears turning for you. Tune in as Craig runs through some examples of how you can do this. Whether you’re a young professional, or you have a family of your own, you can offset some or all of your mortgage payments. But keep in mind, this isn’t a common path -- this is living for a period of time like others won’t -- as you’ll hear from Craig’s story. Full Show Notes: House Hacking 101: Live Free and Turn Your Biggest Expense into a Profit Center Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

GH: House Hacking 101: Live Free and Turn Your Biggest Expense into a Profit Center

Ben Feys and Kevin Niehoff had a problem. As young professionals working busy day jobs, they struggled with skincare issues like acne and eczema but couldn’t find products that worked for them. Rather than accept their fate, these best friends decided to take matters into their own hands. They dreamed of creating the “Nike of skincare” — a brand built specifically for active males like themselves. In 2019, Ben and Kevin finally decided to scratch their entrepreneurial itch and turn this passion project into a side hustle reality. Little did they know their bootstrapped men’s skincare line YoPrettyBoy.com would generate over $1 million in annual revenue just a few years later. Tune into Episode 581 of The Side Hustle Show to learn: How Kevin and Ben validated the market opportunity for PrettyBoy The extensive research and preparations that went into formulating and launching their products Clever branding and positioning strategies to stand out in a crowded market Traction tactics to efficiently acquire customers and drive repeat sales Key operational areas like manufacturing, fulfillment, and inventory management Full Show Notes: Bootstrapping a $1M Direct to Consumer E-Commerce Brand as a Side Hustle Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

581: Bootstrapping a $1M Direct to Consumer E-Commerce Brand as a Side Hustle

I’ve got a couple Plug and Play Side Hustles for you today that are quick and easy to start. In the first side hustle, we dive into mattress flipping through Sharetown. Find out how it works, what you need to get started, and how much you can expect to make. For the full details, check out: Sharetown Review: Inside the Mattress Pickup and Resale Side Hustle For our second side hustle, we talk with a veteran mystery shopper. Get the details on how to get started, how to avoid scams, and the best companies to work for.  For the full details, check out: How to Become a Mystery Shopper: 10 Best Companies (2023) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

580: 2 Quick and Easy to Start Side Hustles to Make Extra Money

Making extra money on the side often requires finding ways to create leverage. Leverage means getting paid multiple times for work you only have to do once, and making money without having to actively do the work yourself. One side hustler who has cracked the code on leveraged profits is Steve Slagle. By day, Steve works construction jobs. But outside of his 9 to 5, he now earns over $2500 a month from Beachside Ice, his ice vending machine business. In this episode, Steve takes us through the world of vending machine location negotiations, landowner compensation, and the importance of maintaining positive relations. We explore the finer details of partnering with manufacturers, securing permits, and overseeing installation and delivery. Tune into Episode 579 of The Side Hustle Show to learn: Ideal locations for steady demand with ice vending machines Financing options for starting an ice vending operation Local customer promotion with grassroots marketing Maximizing profits through maintenance strategies Scaling ice vending for semi-passive income Full Show Notes: Ice Vending: $2500/Month in (almost) Passive Profits Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

579: Ice Vending: $2500/Month in (almost) Passive Profits

What are the quick, simple, and maybe a little “weird” productivity tricks entrepreneurs use to get more done? Well, I’m always curious about that myself so I decided to ask 26 of my most productive and successful friends for the “hacks” and tools they use every day. (And I added in one of my own to round out the list.) This episode was a ton of fun to put together and I owe a huge thank you to everyone who participated! I know I learned of a few new tools to try and I’m sure you will to. If you like this style of show, you might consider checking out last year’s round-up episode as well, which asked 25 people how they made their first side hustle or business income. You can see the participants and the approximate timestamps of their advice below. Enjoy! Full Show Notes: 27 "Weird" Productivity Hacks You Can Try Today Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

GH: 27 "Weird" Productivity Hacks You Can Try Today

Starting a side hustle is all about finding new ways to make extra money outside of your regular 9-5 job. And in today’s digital world, there are two primary paths people take — starting a local business or building an online business from your computer. But which strategy should you pursue to start earning real income as a side hustler? That’s the discussion in which Nick Huber, co-founder of Storage Squad and host of The Sweaty Startup podcast, and Miles Beckler, an online business expert, share their perspectives on both approaches. Tune into episode 578 of The Side Hustle Show to learn how to: Leverage your existing skills and interests Identify underserved needs to fill Commit for the long haul Delegate extensively Provide real value to others Full Show Notes: Side Hustle Showdown: Sweaty Startups vs. Laptop Lifestyle Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

578: Side Hustle Showdown: Sweaty Startups vs. Laptop Lifestyle

The entrepreneurship podcast you can actually apply! The award-winning small business show covers creative ways to make money online and offline, including blogging, online business, freelancing, marketing, sales funnels, investing, and much more. Join 100,000+ listeners and get the business ideas and passive income strategies straight to your earbuds. No BS, just actionable tips on how to start and grow your side hustle. Hosted by Nick Loper of Side Hustle Nation.

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The Side Hustle Show

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