391: Taking Local Businesses Online: $500k in Sales in Year 1

How did a butcher shop’s side project turn into “the best snacks in the world” — and $500,000 in sales in their first year?

And more importantly, could you apply the same strategies to help local businesses take their products online?

This story features Dustin Reichmann, a long-time Side Hustle Show listener. He has a blog called EngagedMarriage.com, and with the online marketing skills learned there, started a new consulting business to help other businesses build their online presence.

One of his clients was a local butcher shop. Impressed by one of their products–a higher-end, clean-ingredient meat stick–Dustin felt there was an opportunity to reach a lot more customers online.

So, he made Ryan — the owner of the butcher shop — a low-risk offer to partner and launch the product online.

What followed was a series of wins across multiple marketing channels and through a number of innovative promotional tactics.

Tune in to hear:

• How Dustin approached Ryan with a win-win partnership.
• The marketing channels and techniques they used to sell more than $500,000 worth of FireCreek snacks in their first year.
• How they got their product into 50+ Walmart stores.
• And how anyone can apply the same online and offline marketing strategies into their own business.

Full Show Notes: Taking Local Businesses Online: $500k in Sales in Year 1

390: YouTube for Freelancers: The Surprising 6-Figure Strategy

How does a YouTube channel with less than 300 subscribers generate 6-figures a year?

In Joshua Lisec’s case, he does it by answering targeted questions, and selling high-value services to those viewers.

Joshua is an award-winning, celebrity-recommended, #1 international bestselling Certified Professional Ghostwriter. He’s also a TEDx speaker, a novelist, and has ghostwritten over 45 books for entrepreneurs, executives, and public figures.

Over the last few years, Joshua’s freelance work has gone from $1.67 an hour on his first writing project, to over $500,000 a year!

(Long-time listeners might remember him; Joshua appeared on episode 201 in late 2016. In that classic Side Hustle Show episode, we talked through the OPA strategy — tapping into Other People’s Audiences — to sell your services.)

In this episode, we’re diving into another innovative marketing strategy involving YouTube. It’s one you can apply to your own business right away.

Tune in to hear Joshua explain:

• How he’s generating high value leads on YouTube with less than 300 subscribers
• The tools and techniques he’s using to optimize his YouTube videos to rank well
• How he bundled individual low paying freelance gigs for a high-value service

Full Show Notes: YouTube for Freelancers: The Surprising 6-Figure Strategy

389: How to Host a Successful Virtual Summit for Influence, Impact, and Income

Liam Austin made $50k off his first online event, and hasn’t looked back. Since then, Liam has hosted another 17 virtual summits and online business networking events.

In total, these events have brought together more than 400 speakers and 100,000 business owners.

Virtual summits allow you to connect with industry leaders and influencers in your niche while growing your own audience.

Hosting a virtual summit sounds pretty straightforward:

• interview a bunch of influential people in your niche
• collect registrations of people who want to watch those interviews
• sell access to the recordings after they expire

But the virtual summit model has a lot of nuance and strategy, and behind-the-scenes action that all has to come together to make it a hit.

That’s why I invited Liam on the show.

If you’re looking for ways to grow your business and make meaningful connections within your industry, this episode lays out that blueprint for you.

Tune in to hear Liam talk through:

• The core benefits of hosting a virtual summit
• How he made $50k from his first summit and learned some valuable lessons
• What it’s going to take to create your own virtual summit in your industry
• And more

Full Show Notes and PDF Highlight Reel: How to Host a Successful Virtual Summit for Influence, Impact, and Income

388: From “No Skills” to $3k a Month on the Side

Are you stuck with the idea that you don’t have the skills to start a side hustle?

Today’s guest, Chris Misterek of SelfMadeWebDesigner.com didn’t let that hold him back.

He went from being in a tight spot personally and financially, to bringing in an average of $3k a month on the side through his new web design business.

With no previous experience with web design, Chris decided to start at the ground up by working through some free online courses.

Within a few months, he was introducing himself as a web designer, and within 18 months he was earning double his day job salary on the side!

Tune in to this episode to hear Chris explain how he:

• Picked up this new skillset on the cheap
• Found his first clients
• Marketed and grew his business
• Recommends you replicate this across any number of industries

Full Show Notes: From “No Skills” to $3k a Month on the Side

387: Retiring Early with Real Estate: $15k a Month in Passive Cash Flow

$15,000 a month for 30 minutes of work? The passive income dream is real for Dustin Heiner.

Dustin achieved this by following a systematic approach to buying homes and renting them out.

He started with his first property back in 2006. Within 6 years he had 19 properties, and within 9 years he had 26 properties and had retired from his day job at the age of 37.

Today he has more than 30 properties bringing in (mostly) passive income supporting him and his family.

Dustin is a serial side hustler, but once he realized the benefit of getting paid over and over again for work he did once – he doubled down on real estate.

Tune in to hear Dustin talk through:

• His approach to property sourcing
• The 6 ways he makes money with rental properties
• How he’s been able to grow his portfolio so quickly
• His advice for those looking to replicate his success

Full Show Notes and PDF Highlight Reel: Retiring Early with Real Estate: $15k a Month in Passive Cash Flow

386: $70 an Hour from Home as a Remote Bookkeeper

Side Hustle Show listener Kate Johnson started her bookkeeping business in 2017, and now serves several recurring clients. She targets an effective rate of $70 an hour, and is able to work from home.

With her youngest starting preschool, Kate found herself with an extra 9 hours a week. “I wanted to be a good steward of that time,” she explained.

Tune in to this episode to hear Kate explain:

• Why she decided to start working as a virtual bookkeeper
• How she landed her first clients
• How she’s grown her client base with little marketing
• The surprising new side hustle this work has spun off

Full Show Notes: $70 an Hour from Home as a Remote Bookkeeper

384: From Zero to $10,000 a Month with a Niche Newsletter and Directory

Reports of email’s death are greatly exaggerated.

Andrew Allemann has gone from zero to up to $10,000 a month in just 3 years with a low overhead side hustle:

An email newsletter and an online directory that helps connect podcasters with guests.

Finding it difficult to find guests for his own podcast, he wanted to create a solution that would not only help himself, but the greater podcasting community as well.

It’s a business model I’m excited about right now, and Andrew is proof that if you provide value through email, people are willing to pay for it.

Tune in to hear why Andrew decided to start a newsletter and an online directory, how he’s grown his audience to more than 19,000 subscribers and 500 paying directory members in 3 years, and how he’s turned this into a profitable business.

Full Show Notes: From Zero to $10,000 a Month with a Niche Newsletter and Directory

383: LinkedIn Lead Generation: How to Attract Your Ideal Clients on LinkedIn

Would 10 new clients solve all your business worries?

That was the position Helen Pritchard was in back in 2008.

On the back of a financial and personal crisis, Helen needed 10 clients paying £250 each to pay her bills.

She turned to LinkedIn to find those clients, and it didn’t take her long.

Since then, Helen has pivoted her business and now teaches other people how to get clients and grow their business using LinkedIn.

In fact, I found out about Helen through a listener of the show:

I do not work for Helen. Nor do I do her PR. I just want to nominate her because she changed my life. Thanks to her, I have filled my client roster and have more money coming in as an entrepreneur than I ever did working for someone else.

That’s an awesome testimonial for Helen, and solid proof that her methods work.

If your goal is to leave your job in the near future, you don’t want to miss this one. What Helen teaches is probably the fastest way to start your own business with the least upfront expense.

Tune in to hear Helen talk through:

• the processes she teaches students on her LinkedIn mastermind
• how to set up your LinkedIn profile as a landing page that converts
• how to connect with potential clients
• and more

Full Show Notes and PDF Highlight Reel: LinkedIn Lead Generation: How to Attract Your Ideal Clients on LinkedIn

382: Going to Side Hustle School with Chris Guillebeau: Planting Your Money Tree

Chris Guillebeau is a tremendous advocate for the lower risk brand of entrepreneurship we cover on the show.

He’s the bestselling author of several books including, The $100 Startup, Side Hustle, and The Art of Non-Conformity. On top of that, he’s hosted over 1,100 episodes of The Side Hustle School podcast.

His latest project is The Money Tree: A Story About Finding the Fortune in Your Own Backyard.

I’ve been a fan of Chris’ work for years, so it was about time we had a meeting of the side hustle minds!

Tune in to this episode to hear Chris’ take on:

• How you can come up with side hustle ideas
• What actions you should take next
• What may be coming down the road in the world of side hustles.

Full Show Notes: Going to Side Hustle School with Chris Guillebeau: Planting Your Money Tree

381: How to Grow a Blog to 6 Figures a Month with Jennifer Maker

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