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

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!

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

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!

How to Start a Location-Independent Consulting Business (Greatest Hits)

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!

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

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!

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

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!

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

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!

House Hacking 101: Live Free and Turn Your Biggest Expense into a Profit Center (Greatest Hits)

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

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

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

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

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)

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

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