Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Side Hustle Hero
| Titre | Date | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 189: Make Your Side Hustle Pay - What to Focus on First | 24 Mar 2026 | 00:08:16 | |
If you've been putting time into your side hustle but not seeing much return yet, this condensed episode will help you take a step back and refocus. You'll hear four simple areas to focus on so you can zero in on what actually brings in revenue, along with a practical way to start buying back your time so you're not doing everything yourself. We also get into what it really costs to get help, and why it may be more accessible than you think. If you've been struggling to get traction and make your side hustle pay, this conversation is a good place to start. Do you like what you're hearing? Consider giving it a caffeinated thumbs up. We'd really appreciate it! Need a little (and sometimes big) push to start and stay focused to grow your side hustle? Dive into my online Masterclass: How To Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things. For the full show notes head on over to the home of Side Hustle Hero. https://www.sidehustlehero.com/189 Connect with George: (at his website and for his book) Connect with Joan: Be on the show! Tell us about your side hustle success story!
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| 188: How to Earn Up to $10K/Month as a Baby Sleep Consultant (From Home) | 17 Mar 2026 | 00:49:48 | |
If you have ever wondered whether a simple service could become a profitable side hustle, this episode offers a fascinating example. Jayne Havens built a successful business as a baby sleep consultant, helping exhausted parents get their babies and toddlers sleeping through the night. What started as helping friends turned into a flexible consulting business that now supports families around the world. In this conversation, Jayne explains how the baby sleep consulting business works and how she built a client pipeline that consistently brings in new families. In this episode you will learn:
Even if you have no interest in becoming a baby sleep consultant, the strategies Jayne shares apply to almost any side hustle. From structuring discovery calls to building trusted partnerships, this episode offers practical ideas that entrepreneurs can adapt to their own businesses. If you are exploring service based side hustles or looking for a niche where expertise can translate into real income, this episode will give you a clear look at how one entrepreneur built a successful business helping families sleep better. Do you like what you're hearing? Consider giving it a caffeinated thumbs up. We'd really appreciate it! Need a little (and sometimes big) push to start and stay focused to grow your side hustle? Dive into my online Masterclass: How To Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things. For the full show notes head on over to the home of Side Hustle Hero. https://www.sidehustlehero.com/188 Connect with Jayne: Centre for Pediatric Sleep Management Becoming A Sleep Consultant Podcast Becoming A Sleep Consultant Facebook Group Connect with Joan: Be on the show! Tell us about your side hustle success story!
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| 179: Be Willing to Fail in Public (or You'll Never Start) | 13 Jan 2026 | 00:18:33 | |
Most people don't fail because they lack ideas, talent, or motivation. They stall because they're waiting to feel ready. In this episode, I revisit a powerful conversation from the very beginning of the Side Hustle Hero podcast with my first-ever guest, Joel Young. It opens with a simple but uncomfortable truth: you don't really grow until you're willing to fail ... in front of other people. Joel shares how he got started recording voiceovers in his closet with almost no experience, no studio, and no certainty about where it would lead. That willingness to start before he felt ready eventually helped him become one of Fiverr's all-time top earners, with $2.7 million in earnings at the time of our interview. In this conversation, we talk about:
If you've been holding back because you don't want to look foolish, make mistakes, or put yourself out there before you feel ready, this conversation will help you rethink what it really takes to get started. Do you like what you're hearing? Consider giving it a caffeinated thumbs up. We'd really appreciate it! Need a little (and sometimes big) push to start and stay focused to grow your side hustle? Dive into my online Masterclass: How To Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things. For the full show notes head on over to the home of Side Hustle Hero. https://www.sidehustlehero.com/179 Connect with Joel: Connect with Joan: Be on the show! Tell us about your side hustle success story!
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| 89: How To Turn Peaches Into Profits, with Shannon Houchin | 26 Mar 2024 | 00:55:41 | |
"This is the craziest ATM machine!"
That's how a friend described his roadside peach stand to today's guest, Shannon Houchin.
She was skeptical. Wouldn't you be?
Wanting to see it firsthand, Shannon travelled to see her friend and learn all that she could about the roadside peach stand business.
After that one summer, she went home and built her own "ATM."
That was 10 years ago. Shannon has fine tuned her operation and earns a solid 6-figure net income per season from her produce stands.
It's a pretty simple business to learn, and Shannon says you can get up and running for as little as $200 dollars in peaches.
Listen in to hear;
Want to thing BIG and stay on track to achieve your goals? You can live your best life. Dive into my online Masterclass: Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things
For full show notes, head over to: https://www.sidehustlehero.com/89
If you like what you're hearing, you can give it a caffeinated thumbs up...here's how: We'd really appreciate it! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/sidehustlehero
Connect with Shannon:
Connect with Joan: Be on the show! Tell us about your side hustle success story!
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| 88: Your Ticket To Luxury Travel, with Spencer Howard | 12 Mar 2024 | 00:40:16 | |
Want to fly first or business class using the least number of points?
Today's guest knows how!
When Spencer Howard realized that credit card points were his ticket to luxury travel he went all in, spending four hours a night for six months reading all the airline routing rules and credit card fine print he could find, to learn how to best navigate award travel and loyalty programs.
What started as a way to get free business and first-class flights for himself, morphed into a side hustle helping others to the same.
His company, Straight to the Points now has a subscriber membership of over 21,0000.
Could becoming skilled at points accumulation become a side hustle for you? Or maybe you could use some expert tips on finding great travel deals? Spencer shares insights for both.
Want to set and achieve the goal of luxury travel? You can make it happen. Dive into my online Masterclass: Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things
For full show notes, head over to: https://www.sidehustlehero.com/88
If you like what you're hearing, you can give it a caffeinated thumbs up...here's how: We'd really appreciate it! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/sidehustlehero
Connect with Spencer:
Connect with Joan: Be on the show! Tell us about your side hustle success story!
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| 87: Essential Intel To Co-Host Short-Term Rentals, with Sean Parker | 27 Feb 2024 | 00:51:46 | |
Today we're delving into the world of co-hosting short-term rental properties.
The start up costs can be quite minimal as you don't own the properties, but rather, you're solving a lot of problems for the property owners and you have the opportunity to serve and profit from both them and the guests staying at the properties.
Sean Parker fills us in on the details. Together with his wife Jill, they currently co-host 52 properties and look after close to 65 properties earning them gross revenues in the high 6-figures.
You'll discover,
For full show notes, head over to: https://www.sidehustlehero.com/87
Buy Joan a coffee? She'd really appreciate it! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/sidehustlehero
Online Masterclass to help you achieve your side hustle goals: Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things: https://courses.joanposivy.com/p/turn-your-thoughts-into-wanted-things
Connect with Sean:
Connect with Joan: Be on the show! Tell us about your side hustle success story!
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| 86: Write Your Way To $2,000 A Month, with Nicki Krawczyk | 20 Feb 2024 | 00:52:38 | |
"I guarantee that right now you are within an arm span of probably at least a dozen different examples of copywriting." - Nicki Krawczyk
That's a pretty big market if you're a copywriter!
Today we're exploring that world with the founder of Filthy Rich Writer, Nicki Krawczyk. She's been a copywriter for over 20 years and through her Comprehensive Copywriting Academy, trains others to jump in and thrive in the industry.
Nicki reveals;
For the full show notes, head over to https://www.sidehustlehero.com/86
Buy Joan a coffee? A soy latte would be lovely, and she'd really appreciate it! https://www.sidehustlehero.com/support/
Online Masterclass to help you achieve your side hustle goals: Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things: https://courses.joanposivy.com/p/turn-your-thoughts-into-wanted-things
Connect with Nicki: Build Your Copywriting Business podcast
Connect with Joan: Be on the show! Tell us about your side hustle success story!
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| 85: Cashing In On Being Cupid, with Siobhan Copland | 13 Feb 2024 | 00:41:40 | |
Are you that person in your friend group who likes to play matchmaker? Or maybe you know someone who does? Today's guest, Siobhan Copland, is so good at it that she grew her side hustle into the London, UK-based, award-winning dating agency Cupid in the City. Dive into today's episode for insights into;
For full show notes, head over to: https://www.sidehustlehero.com/85
Buy Joan a coffee? She'd really appreciate it! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/sidehustlehero
Online Masterclass to help you achieve your side hustle goals: Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things: https://courses.joanposivy.com/p/turn-your-thoughts-into-wanted-things
Connect with Siobhan:
Connect with Joan: Be on the show! Tell us about your side hustle success story!
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| 84: How To Start A Side Hustle, with Kaylene Langford | 06 Feb 2024 | 00:48:30 | |
Do you have within you, an entrepreneurial spark? Or maybe it's a full-on burning passion!
Wherever you are on that scale, you've landed in the right place. Why?
It's because today's guest is Kaylene Langford, author of "How To Start A Side Hustle."
In this episode she'll be sharing tips and strategies to help you get your side hustle started, and mindset hacks to ensure you don't lose confidence along the way.
Today could be thee day that you start or scale your side hustle.
For full show notes, head over to: https://www.sidehustlehero.com/84
Buy Joan a coffee? She'd really appreciate it! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/sidehustlehero
Online Masterclass to help you achieve your side hustle goals: Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things: https://courses.joanposivy.com/p/turn-your-thoughts-into-wanted-things
Connect with Kaylene:
Connect with Joan: Be on the show! Tell us about your side hustle success story!
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| 83: Why NOT To Turn Your Passion Into A Side Hustle, with Stephen Shortt | 30 Jan 2024 | 00:28:42 | |
Turn your passion into your career or side hustle! We've all heard that, right?
Today's guest takes issue with that opinion.
And he'll be telling us what instead, should be the primary driver.
Stephen Shortt has been involved in the business of matching people with their "best work" for pretty much all of his adult life. He's part of a family owned and operated business that helps match the right people to their right careers.
I wanted to draw on his expertise in this field to help you in your search of finding the "right match" for your side hustle.
Be sure to catch the end of episode wrap up where I share some examples of how you can use the assets and resources of someone else's company to help launch and assist your side hustle.
For full show notes, head over to: https://www.sidehustlehero.com/83
Buy Joan a coffee? She'd really appreciate it! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/sidehustlehero
Online Masterclass to help you achieve your side hustle goals: Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things: https://courses.joanposivy.com/p/turn-your-thoughts-into-wanted-things
Connect with Stephen: https://careerfit.com/stephen/
Connect with Joan: Be on the show! Tell us about your side hustle success story!
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| 82: My Secret Weapon To Get The Hard Stuff Done, with Joan Posivy | 23 Jan 2024 | 00:13:37 | |
To hit new milestones this year and achieve big, bold, beautiful goals, you're going to have to do some things differently than you've done in the past and push yourself to do things you've never done before.
But there's a problem.
Everyone of us is a creature of habit. And it's our habit patterns that hold us back from taking the new actions we know we need to take.
I found a solution.
And it's been a driving force behind EVERY major success I've achieved.
Sharing what it is and how you too can set it up, is the focus of today's short, sweet, yet powerful episode.
Let me know what you think. I'd love to hear your feedback.
For the full show notes, check out: https://www.sidehustlehero.com/82
Buy Joan a coffee? She'd really appreciate it! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/sidehustlehero
Online Masterclass to help you achieve your side hustle goals: Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things: https://courses.joanposivy.com/p/turn-your-thoughts-into-wanted-things | |||
| 81: Pick Up And Resell Large And Bulky Returns: An Insider's Look, with Jorja Leavitt | 16 Jan 2024 | 00:40:16 | |
Here's a scenario. You've ordered a brand-new treadmill online. It arrives, only for you to discover, it's not really your thing and you want to return it.
You contact the seller. There's a good chance they're not the ones who are going to be picking it up, but rather they'll reach out to a third party that they've contracted with to handle their returns; a company like Sharetown.
Sharetown in turn needs people to physically go to the customers homes and pick up that treadmill or other big and bulky items like mattresses and furniture.
Therein lies the side hustle opportunity.
As a Sharetown rep, you would pick up the almost brand new item, clean it, and then resell it at a profit.
Today's guest is the COO and co-founder of Sharetown, Jorja Leavitt and she reveals;
Check out the full show notes at https://www.sidehustlehero.com/81
Buy Joan a coffee? She'd really appreciate it! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/sidehustlehero
Online Masterclass to help you achieve your side hustle goals: Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things: https://courses.joanposivy.com/p/turn-your-thoughts-into-wanted-things
Connect with Jorja and Sharetown:
Connect with Joan: Be on the show! Tell us about your side hustle success story!
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| 80: The Perfect Fit: Selling Custom Suits, with Brandon Bowers | 09 Jan 2024 | 00:40:50 | |
A side hustle selling custom suits? Yes!
Did you know this was a thing? I didn't. That is, until my conversation with todays guest, Brandon Bowers who has been in the business for 12 years.
I thought you'd need an extensive background in the industry, but Brandon tells me no, that's not the case. If you enjoy looking sharp, dressing up, and have an eye for fashion, this might be the side hustle for you.
Brandon sheds light on how it all works.
Also, because of his strong background in sales, and sales training, he provides solid insights and actionable tips to build your custom suit business and wow your customers.
He also reveals,
Check out the full show notes at https://www.sidehustlehero.com/80
Buy Joan a coffee? She'd really appreciate it! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/sidehustlehero
Online Masterclass to help you achieve your side hustle goals: Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things: https://courses.joanposivy.com/p/turn-your-thoughts-into-wanted-things
Connect with Brandon: https://customclothierscollective.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-s-bowers/
Connect with Joan: https://www.instagram.com/joanposivy/ https://www.facebook.com/posivy/ https://www.sidehustlehero.com/about/ Be on the show! https://www.sidehustlehero.com/guests/intake/
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| 178: Top 10 Side Hustles To Start In 2026 | 06 Jan 2026 | 00:21:07 | |
Most "top 10 side hustle" lists recycle the same ideas with very little context. This episode takes a different approach. These 10 side hustles are drawn from real conversations with guests who are actually doing the work. Some are simple and inexpensive to start. Others require more capital or coordination. None are ranked, because the right side hustle depends on your situation and circumstances. The list includes mystery shopping, selling at farmers markets, printables, online courses, virtual assistant work, AI workflow consulting, fundraising, direct mail postcards, high-ticket dropshipping, and luxury restroom trailers. The focus is on what's working heading into 2026, what often flies under the radar, and how people are building income without chasing hype. Do you like what you're hearing? Consider giving it a caffeinated thumbs up. We'd really appreciate it! Need a little (and sometimes big) push to start and stay focused to grow your side hustle? Dive into my online Masterclass: How To Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things. For the full show notes head on over to the home of Side Hustle Hero. https://www.sidehustlehero.com/178 Connect with Joan: Be on the show! Tell us about your side hustle success story!
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| 79: Top 10 Tips For Side Hustle Success In 2024! | 02 Jan 2024 | 00:25:59 | |
In today's episode, we're kicking off the new year by unveiling the "Top 10 Tips for Side Hustle Success in 2024." As the landscape of side hustles continues to evolve, it's crucial to stay ahead of the curve.
These tips were assembled from the insights gleaned from our past "heroes" and Joan's 30+ years as a successful entrepreneur and business owner.
Whether you're looking to boost your income, escape the 9-to-5 grind, or simply pursue your passion, these tips will provide you with the roadmap to make 2024 your most successful side hustle year yet.
Tune in, take notes, and let's turn your wild side hustle dreams into reality!
Check out the full show notes at https://www.sidehustlehero.com/79
Buy Joan a coffee? https://www.buymeacoffee.com/sidehustlehero
Online Masterclass to help you achieve your side hustle goals: Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things: https://courses.joanposivy.com/p/turn-your-thoughts-into-wanted-things
Links to episodes mentioned: 77: Massive Markups For Mega Profits, with Jonathan Schuit 73: Paws, Profits, and Tails of Pet Sitting, with Lucy Slater 35: How To Succeed In Voiceover, with Gina Scarpa 67: What It Takes To Build A Multi-Million Dollar Company From Scratch, with Mellisa Mills 65: Mastering Amazon: Vital Tips From A Top Seller Other sites mentioned:
Connect with Joan: https://www.instagram.com/joanposivy/ https://www.facebook.com/posivy/ https://www.sidehustlehero.com/about/ Be on the show! https://www.sidehustlehero.com/guests/intake/
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| 78: Top Tips of 2023 To Inspire And Energize | 19 Dec 2023 | 00:27:31 | |
Want to be inspired to jumpstart or scale your side hustle?
Then this is THE episode for you to dive into.
Why?
Because it's a treasure trove of wisdom shared by our side hustle heroes over the past year.
These are not just any tips; but rather they're the crème de la crème, the best of the best they've imparted when I asked them, "what's your best tip to inspire others to start or grow their side hustle dream?
I've sifted through them all, and these are designed to ignite your journey and propel you into action.
It's time to turn your aspirations into achievements.
https://www.sidehustlehero.com/78
Joan's Online Masterclass to help you achieve your side hustle goals: Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things: https://courses.joanposivy.com/p/turn-your-thoughts-into-wanted-things
Referenced episodes, in the order they were mentioned: 42: Making It As A Rapper, with Mike Burton, aka Keybeaux 35: How To Succeed In Voiceover, with Gina Scarpa 39: Excelling On Etsy, with Rachel Jimenez 66: From Threat To Thrive: Profiting From AI, with Gabrielle Gerbus 36: Earning 6-Figures As A QuickBooks Pro Advisor 65: Mastering Amazon: Vital Tips From A Top Seller, with Annalisa DeMarta 45: What, When, Why To Trademark, with Derrick Morgan, esq 46: Cash Flow And Capital From Land Flipping, with Travis King 58: How To Succeed On Fiverr: Tips From An Insider, with Trisha Diamond 68: How To Do Your Own Brand Audit (and why you need it!), with Sierra Janisse 69: Unique Opportunity In eSports, with Titus Walker
Connect with Joan: https://www.instagram.com/joanposivy/ https://www.facebook.com/posivy/ https://www.sidehustlehero.com/about/ Be on the show! https://www.sidehustlehero.com/guests/intake/
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| 77: Massive Markups For Mega Profits, with Jonathan Schuit | 12 Dec 2023 | 00:36:50 | |
What opportunities lend themselves to massive markups and mega profits?
Today's guest Jonathan Schuit reveals many of them. His personal specialty is popcorn, and he's been doing it as a side hustle for years. He makes a comfortable living at it working just one day a week.
This episode is less about popcorn and more about learning from Jonathan, some of the elements you need to consider when embarking on a new side hustle business.
His kernels of wisdom include,
· the advantages of farmers markets · how simply being observant led to a big jump in revenues, · how another small change pumped up revenues an additional 50% · the importance of crunching (and understanding) the numbers · lessons from the "snow cone" experience
Whether you're eyeing the popcorn market or considering a completely different side hustle, Jonathan's journey reveals a goldmine of wisdom for anyone looking to maximize margins and profits.
Let me know what you think!
Full show notes at our website: https://www.sidehustlehero.com/77
Joan's Online Masterclass to help you achieve your side hustle goals: Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things: https://courses.joanposivy.com/p/turn-your-thoughts-into-wanted-things
Connect with Joan: https://www.instagram.com/joanposivy/ https://www.facebook.com/posivy/ https://www.sidehustlehero.com/about/ Be on the show! https://www.sidehustlehero.com/guests/intake/
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| 76: Profit From Your "Mental" Power Tools, with Joan Posivy | 05 Dec 2023 | 00:21:41 | |
It truly is the "start" that stops most people.
If they'd only execute and take the action they know they need to take, they could experience all the success and freedom they seek.
Since inception, my vision for the Side Hustle Hero podcast has been to craft each episode in such a way that it would inspire you to take action and win.
So in this episode, we're going to do things a little different.
I'm going to be sharing with you a select session from my game-changing course, "Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things" which you can apply to jumpstart your results in any area of your life.
For full show notes, visit: https://www.sidehustlehero.com/76
Joan's Online Masterclass to help you achieve your side hustle goals: Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things: https://courses.joanposivy.com/p/turn-your-thoughts-into-wanted-things
Connect with Joan: https://www.instagram.com/joanposivy/ https://www.facebook.com/posivy/ https://www.sidehustlehero.com/about/ Be on the show! https://www.sidehustlehero.com/guests/intake/
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| 75: Get Paid To Travel, with Ralph Velasco | 28 Nov 2023 | 00:42:13 | |
Today we explore the world of being a tour organizer!
Our guide is traveler and photographer, Ralph Velasco, who has organized and led over 120 international tours to an array of destinations around the world.
His 15 years of experience shines through in the 5-star ratings his clients have given his tours and the tips and ideas he shares with us today.
Prior to this conversation with Ralph, I thought the job of a tour organizer involved booking all the hotels, restaurants, and excursions at the destinations but it absolutely does not need to be that complicated!
So whether you're an avid traveler dreaming of turning your adventures into income, someone seeking inspiration for a side hustle that fuels your wanderlust, or just curious about how the business works, I think you'll find this episode a valuable window into the world of being a tour organizer.
What You'll Hear:
03:46 Analyzing pros and cons to make a decision 04:35 Differentiating to gain clients 07:45 Can you teach someone to have a "photographic eye?" Absolutely! 09:34 Financial crisis pushes Ralph to leave his "job" 11:36 Difference between tour operator and tour organizer 13:43 How tour organizers make money 15:28 It's the tour operators at the destination that line up all the vendors 19:49 Flights not included (except typically internal flights and ground transportation) 20:38 Biggest challenge is connecting with those awesome, reputable, tour operators 20:48 Ralph's "pain in Spain" experience 22:25 What to take into account when doing the number crunching 24:39 Be clear with the tour operator of what is included and what is not 26:50 The importance of getting testimonials from your clients 27:48 Typical amount a tour organizer might tack on as their markup 29:17 Travel tip: have a paper copy and electronic copy of your passport, visas, and other important docs! 30:12 Marketing tips to build your travel business 31:33 Check out speaking opportunities at travel and adventure shows 34:17 Best insider tip for getting the best prices for travel 35:15 Added benefit of traveling in a shoulder season 36:10 Ralph's favourite destinations 38:40 Best tip for starting or growing your side hustle WrapUp 40:01 Keep in mind the work involved 40:38 What's really holding you back? 40:52 "Let's go invent tomorrow, instead of worrying about what happened yesterday."
Joan's Online Masterclass to help you achieve your side hustle goals: Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things: https://courses.joanposivy.com/p/turn-your-thoughts-into-wanted-things
Connect with Ralph: https://continentaldrifter.co/ https://www.youtube.com/@ContinentalDrifter
Connect with Joan: https://www.instagram.com/joanposivy/ https://www.facebook.com/posivy/ https://www.sidehustlehero.com/about/ Be on the show! https://www.sidehustlehero.com/guests/intake/
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| 74: Making Money Being Santa, with Mitch Allen | 21 Nov 2023 | 00:35:12 | |
Do you have a twinkle in your eye and a genuine love of Christmas? Then consider being a seasonal Santa!
Today's guest will unwrap all the details. He's Mitch Allen, founder and Head Elf at the Santa Claus talent agency hiresanta.com
After landing a deal on Shark Tank, business really ramped up and they've now grown to be the largest Santa for Hire company in the world.
This year alone they've added 1100 Santa's to their database.
Through Mitch being deeply entrenched in the Santa community, he shares valuable insights on the business of being Santa, including;
While Mitch builds his database predominantly from Santa's living in the United States, there are Santa talent agencies in a number of other countries, as well as different versions of Santa represented around the world.
Instead of using an agency, you may choose to fly solo and seek out opportunities on your own.
Be sure to check out the end of episode wrap up where I share some ideas from my own experience about the earning potential of going solo vs. working with an agency.
What You'll Hear:
02:12 Hiresanta.com started as an accidental business 04:17 The vibrant Santa community 04:50 Mitch's Shark Tank experience 07:30 The deal with Barbara Corcoran 08:23 This year's demand for Santas 09:40 Recruiting Santa's is a year-round job 10:21 Melissa Rickard, episode 29 - you'd never know she's female 12:40 The criteria for being a Santa with Mitch 14:40 A growing demand for diversity of Santas 16:42 The process of getting a gig once you're in the hiresanta.com database 18:25 Potential earnings 20:55 Some results from the 1200-Santa survey 21:57 Younger people are Santa's too! 23:05 Start up costs 23:52 A Santa photo shoot at the self-storage facility, and other unique gigs 26:15 Mitch's most unique Santa gig - the waterpark! 27:25 Being Santa is a ton of fun, but it's work - you need to be "on" all the time 29:42 What's next for hiresanta.com? hiremariachis.com! 31:05 Mitch's best tip to start or grow your side hustle Wrap Up 32:45 Get booked through an agency, or fly solo?
Joan's Online Masterclass to help you achieve your side hustle goals: Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things: https://courses.joanposivy.com/p/turn-your-thoughts-into-wanted-things
Shark Tank featuring Mitch Allen's pitch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWhhqlTYLdY
Hire Santa 2023 Santa Survey: Shoot us a message via our website or by DM on Instagram and we'll get it to you!
Connect with Mitch:
Connect with Joan: https://www.instagram.com/joanposivy/ https://www.facebook.com/posivy/ https://www.sidehustlehero.com/about/ Be on the show! https://www.sidehustlehero.com/guests/intake/
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| 73: Paws, Profits, and Tails of Pet Sitting, with Lucy Slater | 14 Nov 2023 | 00:30:24 | |
Here's a side hustle for all you animal lovers out there…pet sitting!
If you live in an environment where you can't have pets you don't have to let that stop you.
Maybe you live with someone who is allergic or as is the case of today's guest Lucy Slater, you live in a building that doesn't allow pets.
Lucy stays at the pet owner's residence when they're away, so the pet is looked after in their own environment.
It's a double win for Lucy since her full-time work is 100% remote. While she's getting paid to stay in someone else's home to pet sit, she's also getting paid from her regular job. Nice!
Through our conversation, you'll discover,
Thanks for checking out this episode!
What You'll Hear:
03:49 Why Lucy continues to keep doing and loving this side hustle 04:47 Team Dog or Team Cat? 05:10 Discovering rover.com 06:04 Main frustration with rover.com 06:55 Feels relatively safe due to the background checks that are done 08:00 Lucy's initial pricing strategy and why she's been able to raise her rates 09:08 You can say, no! 10:21 Dog walking, drop-in visits, host dogs in your home, and/or dog boarding 13:00 Pet sitting fees and dog walking - what Lucy charges 13:28 Rover takes 20% and it also adds a fee to the buyer of the services 13:55 Why Lucy landed her first gig within a month - include a lot of detail 14:51 Earnings 17:23 Repeat clients can mean watching the animals grow up 18:43 Let the client know when the pet is not comfortable with you 19:12 Strong communication skills are a must for success 21:00 Just because you like dogs, that isn't qualification enough be a dog sitter/walker 23:05 Best advice if you want to become a dog sitter/walker 23:56 Need more experience? Volunteer at the SPCA or a pet shelter, volunteer to walk neighbour's dogs, take training 26:24 Lucy's best tip for you to start or grow your side hustle Bonus Tip 28:13 Checking out the top people in your industry for ideas and inspiration 28:50 Word of caution; they likely have teams of people behind them
Joan's Online Masterclass to help you achieve your side hustle goals: Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things: https://courses.joanposivy.com/p/turn-your-thoughts-into-wanted-things
Connect with Lucy: https://www.rover.com/members/lucy-s-your-pets-best-friend/ https://www.instagram.com/lucyyslater/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucyslater19/
Connect with Joan: https://www.instagram.com/joanposivy/ https://www.facebook.com/posivy/ https://www.sidehustlehero.com/about/ Be on the show! https://www.sidehustlehero.com/guests/intake/
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| 72: All About Being A Tour Guide, with Ed Moser | 07 Nov 2023 | 00:39:26 | |
Are there places in your local community that you think are fun, intriguing, or interesting for a visitor to discover? Locals are offering tours to all kinds of their favourite things; from historic sites and museums, to breweries and food outlets, to edible wild plant nature walks. Ed Moser is leveraging his love of history and politics to run a side hustle business as a tour operator based in Washington DC. Plus, he's taken his knowledge and vast storehouse of stories about the area, and has written multiple books providing him a nice compliment to the tours while providing additional income streams.
In this episode you'll learn,
What You'll Hear:
02:21 From an article, to a book, to the guided tours side hustle 05:16 How Ed's tours are different from the rest 06:21 He cross-promotes his books with his tours 08:29 Marketing through MeetUp 09:09 Eventbrite has been the best to receive bookings and prepayment 10:34 AirBnb Experiences also provides bookings and prepayment 11:59 What Ed charges for tours and his earnings 13:24 You can customize tours for the seasons, specific groups, and create speciality tours 18:45 Earnings will really vary depending on number of hours worked, part-time or full-time 21:45 Using the MeetUp platform and dealing with payment 23:44 A discussion of platform fees - AirBnB, PayPal, Eventbrite 25:09 The silver lining of small groups in the early days 26:22 Pros and cons of using Tripadvisor 27:24 Ed has earned a Tripadvisor Travellers Choice Award for 2023 28:16 The rise of scooters, small vans, e-bikes affecting traditional walking tours 30:29 Tips for ranking well and getting noticed on Tripadvisor 31:31 Tips for starting a tour guide business 33:44 One of Ed's most memorable moments during a tour 37:02 Ed's best tip WrapUp 37:44 Asking customers how they heard of you, how did they find you? 38:14 How did you discover Side Hustle Hero?
Joan's Online Masterclass to help you achieve your side hustle goals: Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things: https://courses.joanposivy.com/p/turn-your-thoughts-into-wanted-things
Connect with Ed: https://www.meetup.com/lafayette-sq-tours-of-scandal-assassination-spies-meetup/ One of Ed's books: The White House's Unruly Neighborhood
Connect with Joan: https://www.instagram.com/joanposivy/ https://www.facebook.com/posivy/ https://www.sidehustlehero.com/about/ Be on the show! https://www.sidehustlehero.com/guests/intake/
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| 71: Tips For Becoming A Professional Organizer, with Laurie Palau | 31 Oct 2023 | 00:40:28 | |
Do you have a knack for being organized in your space? Or in helping others be organized in theirs?
Then maybe becoming a professional organizer is the side hustle for you!
Today's guest Laurie Palau is a pro at this!
In this episode she describes;
Enjoy this conversation with professional organizer and the author of Hot Mess: A Practical Guide To Getting Organized, Laurie Palau
What You'll Hear:
01:57 Definition of a professional organizer 04:47 From doing a favour for a friend grew a side hustle 07:48 You don't need to know everything about running a business before you start 09:45 Low barrier to entry for becoming a professional organizer 12:04 Ways to make money at this 13:01 "DIY" consulting 14:50 Cautions and alternatives to offering free consultations 16:28 Figuring out what to charge 19:56 Laurie advises when starting out, not to charge less that $50 per hour 22:37 Additional income streams as your experience grows 23:15 Partnering with people in complementary industries to grow any business 26:44 Start up costs that might be overlooked, i.e. why you need business insurance 27:27 What not to spend money on in the beginning 28:50 Getting involved (or not) with affiliate marketing 30:51 Best ways and places to find clients 32:57 Remember your "why" and don't get hung up on the results others are getting 37:13 Laurie's best tip for starting or growing your side hustle Added Takeaway: 38:06 Examples from Joan's businesses of partnering with people in complementary industries
Connect with Laurie: https://simplyborganized.com/this-organized-life/
Connect with Joan: https://www.instagram.com/joanposivy/ https://www.facebook.com/posivy/ https://www.sidehustlehero.com/about/ Be on the show! https://www.sidehustlehero.com/guests/intake/
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| 70: Ways To Make Money By Being Funny, with Jan McInnis | 24 Oct 2023 | 00:45:44 | |
Do people think you're funny? Do you like to make others laugh? Maybe there's a side hustle opportunity in there for you.
Today's guest makes a very good living - by being funny.
While Jan McInnis started her side hustle as a stand-up comic, over the years she's expanded her offerings to include being a comedy writer, selling material to everything from The Tonight Show monologues and hundreds of radio stations, to greeting cards, and syndicated cartoon strips.
She also does a lot of corporate work and keynote presentations.
In today's episode,
What You'll Hear:
02:29 In the beginning, her marketing materials were better than her act! 04:45 The open mic night that was an epiphany 05:58 2 ½ years as a side hustle 06:16 Writing her 6-month plan and "throwing your hat over the fence" 08:20 Rocked a gig despite attempts to sabotage her performance 09:27 From stand up to corporate work 10:12 How Jan got her first corporate testimonials 11:20 Income streams to get paid for being funny 14:00 Really keep your eyes and ears open for new opportunities 16:16 Jan now provides "business advice from a comedian" in her corporate presentations 20:37 How about all the competition out there? 23:32 How to find gigs 27:25 Tips for learning the craft 30:19 The hard knocks are hugely beneficial down the road 31:03 In the early days, focus on getting good vs what you're getting paid 32:41 What Jan should have done early on that she didn't 36:46 Opportunities to be paid to be funny: comedy clubs, writing jokes, corporate work, keynotes 37:01 Tips on how to get into writing for others 38:15 Going rates for getting paid to write jokes 39:44 No matter how good you are, you can't compete with a chocolate fondue fountain! 40:23 Advice Jan would give her younger self 41:28 Jan's best tip to start or grow your side hustle Final thoughts: 43:43 Differentiate yourself by being you, put your spin on it, and be professional 44:53 "A pro is at their best, always"
Connect With Jan: https://www.instagram.com/jan.mcinnis/ https://www.facebook.com/ComedianJanMcInnis https://www.linkedin.com/in/janmcinnis/
Connect with Joan: https://www.instagram.com/joanposivy/ https://www.facebook.com/posivy/ https://www.sidehustlehero.com/about/ Be on the show! https://www.sidehustlehero.com/guests/intake/
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| 177: Why Most People Quit Their Side Hustle | 30 Dec 2025 | 00:14:10 | |
Why do so many people quit their side hustle, even when the idea itself isn't bad? Today I break down 3 real reasons most people walk away from their side hustle and why quitting is often more about behaviour than talent, motivation, or market demand. If you've ever started a side hustle, put in the effort, and then stopped (especially when the money didn't show up as quickly as you hoped,) you're not alone. You'll learn:
This isn't about pushing harder or working longer hours. It's about setting yourself up with the right expectations, structure, and support so your side hustle has a real chance to grow. Do you like what you're hearing? Consider giving it a caffeinated thumbs up. We'd really appreciate it! Need a little (and sometimes big) push to start and stay focused to grow your side hustle? Dive into my online Masterclass: How To Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things. For the full show notes head on over to the home of Side Hustle Hero. https://www.sidehustlehero.com/177 Share this with someone who's tried before and is thinking about giving it another shot. Connect with Joan: Be on the show! Tell us about your side hustle success story!
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| 69: Unique Opportunity In Esports, with Titus Walker | 17 Oct 2023 | 00:49:42 | |
Can you create a side hustle for yourself in the esports industry without being a skilled gamer?
We'll hear about that from Titus Walker in today's episode. He's the creator and CEO of the Ultimate Endgamers League (UEL) and according to Titus, it's a type of league that doesn't exist anywhere else in the gaming world.
He was building up this side hustle, until his then employer gave him an ultimatum - ditch the hustle, or lose your job.
He describes what he's doing for esports, to what the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has done with martial arts and other fighting disciplines.
Titus has taken what was a seed on an idea, and built it out to having 200 active gamers competing for the $100,000 team prize in this season's tournament.
What makes this league unique in the esports industry, is that its success is NOT dependent on any one single game.
What You'll Hear:
02:50 Titus's backstory 05:11 Not fulfilling his purpose, and being in a cyclical industry pushed him to find another income source 07:07 Buying a VR unit was a turning point 07:54 Past failed attempts have provided great learnings for future ventures 08:40 A new concept in the esports industry - focus on the skill set, not a specific game 10:36 Rather than "pigeonhole" himself to one game/developer/fan base, he found a way to speak to all competitive gamers - by creating UEL, the Ultimate Endgamers League 11:21 An Endgamer is "a master in the artform of gaming" 12:20 The five major genres in gaming 12:58 Titus's major inspiration - the UFC 14:34 There are 2.5 billion gamers, providing a much larger audience than any major sport 15:00 Titus explains there is no other league that is doing what the UEL is doing 15:28 A 'spin' of a large roulette-type wheel determines which of the 33 games will be played 16:30 His league doesn't depend on any specific games, and the games on the wheel can and do change 18:36 Titus never wanted to do this online 20:36 Gave up the revenue from doing birthday parties to focus solely on gaming and the UEL 21:42 Current revenue sources: team sales, merchandising, sponsors, advertising, tournament entry fees 24:05 Season 7 provides a $100,000 team prize giving other locations big prize money to market as they run tournaments as qualifiers for the UEL 25:40 From player to pro 26:29 Titus is given ultimatum by employer - shut down the UEL or leave 27:40 That gave him the push to go all in and focus 29:18 Getting interest from ROC Nation (JZ's company), the New Orleans Pelicans, Washington Commanders 30:49 From The Innovator's Dilemma, if Henry Ford had asked customers what they wanted, they would have said, "a faster horse" 31:57 Story of Michelangelo, the little boy, and the Statue of David - "how did you know he was in there?" 34:03 Every bit of money coming in that is not spend on marketing, advertising, is being put back into the players including seeking sponsors 34:27 UEL promotes diversity, especially between "strategy" players and "sports" players who historically don't mix 35:43 The community determines some of the 33 game titles 36:34 Sponsorship can be in the form of dollars for advertising, headsets, controllers, seats, etc 37:00 Age demographic is typically between 25-35, but as young as 12 and as old as 50 37:50 Community consists of over 10,000 on social, 400 gamers, 40-50 helping with productions 38:40 Why the UEL is growing 39:18 Side hustle opportunities in the esports industry 41:16 Titus suggests you can find a local community of gamers, and connect with him to host qualifying tournaments to work towards competing for the UEL grand prize 42:22 Titus describes how this could be a side hustle 43:08 30% of the entry fees would go to the UEL 43:39 Potential revenue sources might include; teaching, training and coaching fees, local qualifying tournament fees 44:58 Best tip from Titus to start or build your side hustle 46:08 His "why" - creating opportunities for others 40:00 For Season 7: 5-10,000 viewers per match, over 200 active gamers competing, and $100,000 prize! Wrap Up: 47:36 Look outside your industry for ideas and inspiration 48:38 Leverage your "learning experiences" to be smarter, wiser, better prepared to handle challenges, and enjoy the increased confidence
Connect with Titus and the UEL:
https://ultimateendgamersleague.com/ https://www.instagram.com/uelesports/ https://www.tiktok.com/@UELesports https://www.youtube.com/@UELesports https://www.facebook.com/UELesports
Connect with Joan: https://www.instagram.com/joanposivy/ https://www.facebook.com/posivy/ https://www.sidehustlehero.com/about/ Be on the show! https://www.sidehustlehero.com/guests/intake/
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| 68: How To Do Your Own Brand Audit (and why you need it!) with Sierra Janisse | 10 Oct 2023 | 00:40:28 | |
Whatever product or service you're offering to the world, you want it to get noticed, to stand out from the rest. That's what this episode is going to help you to do.
Sierra Janisse is a brand, website, and funnel designer.
In this episode, you'll learn more than just how to do your own brand audit! You'll also discover,
04:59 "Elementor," a long-time favourite 06:23 Balancing full-time teaching with a growing side hustle 07:43 The decision to leave teaching 08:32 The mistake Sierra made that cost her money 08:49 Offering free services to build your portfolio is fine….to a point 09:43 How to raise your rates 10:36 The feeling of getting paid from the first client 11:05 First contract hires - accountant and lawyer 13:16 The importance of clear, thorough contracts - it avoids "scope creep" 14:38 What "holistic" branding is 15:45 How to do your own "brand audit" 18:35 Overcoming decision fatigue 19:20 5 ways to boost client conversion…that don't require hiring a designer!!! 19:50 Your website should be making you money 20:06 What is your website goal? (yes, you need to have one!) 21:17 Have a call to action - and the best place to put it 22:04 Client/Website hospitality - how not to be annoying 23:33 When and how to use popups on your website 25:40 How and why to use the "3-step marketing method" on your website 27:15 Consider the traffic sources of your website 29:26 Breaking through email overwhelm - building your email list 30:59 What not to do in your emails 31:30 What (and how) to adjust if people are unsubscribing from your list 33:05 The value of storytelling in your emails…and guidance on how to do it 34:49 Where do I start??? It's not on improving your weaknesses 36:30 Sierra's best tip to inspire you to action Takeaway 38:18 Life is happening now - not when the goal is achieved 39:06 The secret sauce of life
Joan's Online Masterclass to help you achieve your side hustle goals: Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things: https://courses.joanposivy.com/p/turn-your-thoughts-into-wanted-things
Connect with Sierra: https://www.sierralindesign.com/ https://www.instagram.com/sierralindesign/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/sierralindesign
Connect with Joan: https://www.instagram.com/joanposivy/ https://www.facebook.com/posivy/ https://www.sidehustlehero.com/about/ Be on the show! https://www.sidehustlehero.com/guests/intake/
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| 67: What It Takes To Build A Multi-Million Dollar Company From Scratch, with Mellisa Mills | 03 Oct 2023 | 00:57:39 | |
Frustrated by years of not finding work that was a fit and perpetually being short of funds, Mellisa Mills took the $500 she received from selling a painting, and started her side hustle…making and selling dips!
Not being able to afford a car, she began making deliveries by bicycle and even public transit.
Through a lot of hard work, tenacity, and a passion for good food, today Mellisa's company Spread'Em operates out of a 20,000 square foot facility, boasts revenues of over $3 million dollars, and her products are available in over 2,000 stores.
You'll hear honest conversation about,
You'll learn from,
Be sure to catch the end of episode takeaway for inspiration to do the tough stuff you know needs to be done for your side hustle.
What You'll Hear:
05:08 Maybe "cardiac technician" isn't the best career choice for an artist 06:52 The birth of a side hustle 09:26 Melissa's new company drew on her top talents and passions 10:58 One of her paintings sells unexpectedly and funds her new dip venture 12:01 Her product started flying off the shelves 13:25 People have tried but have been unable to recreate her product 14:12 Mellisa is driven by wanting to do good, have fun, and to contribute 14:37 Spend time figuring out what you would truly, deeply, like to do 16:19 First stores were 5 in her neighbourhood 16:55 The reasons they still sell at farmer's markets 18:40 Mellisa didn't know how to start and grow a business, she just took it one step at a time 20:40 Commissary kitchens - how they work 23:22 A discussion of profit margins 26:10 The benefits of starting small and growing as demand grows 26:44 She made their first $1 million while still in the commissary kitchen 27:39 What has kept Mellisa up at night 30:04 How she got her Spread-Em products into Whole Foods (which is now owned by Amazon) 32:04 Fatal mistakes made by aspiring entrepreneurs 36:18 Sometimes what we deem to be a negative event, turns out to be the best thing to happen 36:30 Carrying 50lb bags on the bus to make deliveries - what are you willing to do for the success of your side hustle? 37:42 Ep: 51 Poncho's Tacos is a great example of bootstrapping and not overspending 38:32 Mellisa had 60 stores and was still doing the deliveries herself 39:56 She felt like she had a real product once Save On Foods signed on 40:30 3 tiers in the grocery store ecosystem (independents, small chains, big grocery chains) - differences, pros, and cons 44:34 Advantages and disadvantages of having a distributor (fees 26%-33%) 47:14 Did not hire any help until year 2 or 3 48:09 Growing slow can be the best approach 50:17 Next big growth will come from the USA market 51:04 Dips are now in over 2,000 stores in Canada 53:20 Current revenues are $3 million, with a goal of $6 million in 18 months 53:56 Advice Mellisa would give herself if she could go back to the startup days Takeaway: 56:02 What are you willing to do to ensure your success? 56:36 "If you do what is easy, life will be hard. But if you're willing to do what is hard, life will eventually be easy."
Connect with Mellisa:
Connect with Joan: https://www.instagram.com/joanposivy/ https://www.facebook.com/posivy/ https://www.sidehustlehero.com/about/ Be on the show! https://www.sidehustlehero.com/guests/intake/
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| 66: From Threat To Thrive: Profiting From AI, with Gabrielle Gerbus | 26 Sep 2023 | 00:42:31 | |
Freaked out about the negative implications of AI on your side hustle? Or to your side hustle idea? You're not alone.
As a freelance writer and copy editor, Gabrielle Gerbus had huge concerns especially once business started to drop off. But then…
She knew she needed to jump onboard and figure out HOW the proliferation of AI could work to her benefit. Then, her business grew.
Her agency now brings in over $15,000 a month in revenue. While she is paying out subcontractors, the business expenses are particularly low for this digital nomad.
I spoke to her after she had just arrived in Thailand.
In addition to hearing how she started her freelancing side hustle, scaled it, and pivoted to profit in this age of AI, you'll also hear about some unexpected benefits of life as a digital nomad.
It sounds to me like she's found her tribe.
For guidance on how to lead your best life…one that you deem to be wonderful and well-lived, be sure and check out the end of episode Wrap Up!
What You'll Hear: 05:10 Job dissatisfaction led Gabrielle to start her side hustle 07:03 Discovered she doesn't need years of corporate experience to start freelancing 07:35 Being encouraged to put up a seller page on Fiverr 08:11 In 2 months she replaced her corporate salary! 09:50 She was thankful to be told not to quit her day job without a backup plan 12:07 Being obsessed with professional and personal development fueled her success 13:54 Her offerings grew in number organically out of client requests 14:24 Gabrielle was counseled by a mentor to say "yes" to every client request, and then figure out the "how" 14:59 That led to scaling early as she had to hire talent in other disciplines 17:40 In life we have our successes and our "learning experiences" 18:54 Learning the art of delegating and managing others 20:10 Sales dropped when AI became more mainstream 22:10 Why someone using AI to write still needs an editor 23:25 Decided she had to get onboard and figure out how to use AI to her advantage 24:11 Gabrielle is part of Fiverr's "Seller Plus Program" 26:39 She charges double when editing AI as it involves much more work than if it was written by a human 27:17 Her AI editing gig gets 250,000 impressions per month - shows the demand 27:48 Websites like https://www.zerogpt.com/ and https://originality.ai/ can detect AI generated content 29:06 She'll take text that's 80%-100% AI written, edit it, and bring that down to being flagged as 10%-15% AI generated 31:36 How Gabrielle uses AI 32:55 Current revenues $20,000-$30,000 per month including passive income 36:52 One challenge spending half the year in Thailand is the different time zones 37:11 The benefits of connecting with like-minded digital nomads overseas 38:49 Gabrielle's best tips for starting and growing your side hustle Wrap Up: 40:36 "Consider the consequences of inaction" 40:45 The "Rocking Chair Test" 41:45 Don't play the "what if" game
Joan's Online Masterclass to help you achieve your side hustle goals: Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things: https://courses.joanposivy.com/p/turn-your-thoughts-into-wanted-things
https://www.instagram.com/incubix_branding/ https://www.instagram.com/gabrielle.g.p/
Connect with Joan: https://www.instagram.com/joanposivy/ https://www.facebook.com/posivy/ https://www.sidehustlehero.com/about/ Be on the show! https://www.sidehustlehero.com/guests/intake/
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| 65: Mastering Amazon: Vital Tips From A Top Seller | 19 Sep 2023 | 00:46:54 | |
The side hustle that started with buying books for $1 and selling them at a big markup on eBay, morphed into a $5 million dollar brand on Amazon. This happened through the skill and resilience of today's guest, Annalisa DeMarta. While there are 2.7 million sellers on Amazon, her company Ridgeline Insights is in the top 0.0005% of Amazon sellers. If anybody understands selling on Amazon, it's Annalisa. Soak up her insights, tips, and hard-won wisdom. In our interview Annalisa reveals,
This content was too good not to share again in this rebroadcast episode. What You'll Hear: 03:10 Buying books for $1, selling them for $5, $10, $25… 05:48 A lightbulb moment: Shifting to a scalable and dependable model 07:39 BIG lesson learned: Minding cash flow 08:29 From just the two of them, to 25 employees 10:05 If we don't try this, we'll regret it 11:13 Set yourself up for success by being fiscally conservative in your spending 12:08 A shopping trip provides the seed for a winning business idea 14:00 So many things could have gone wrong - The first shipment of boots from China 15:05 Built Lone Cone to a $5 million brand 16:40 Where to start if you want to import products 19:32 "I've literally lost millions of dollars in this business" 20:34 Amazon aggregator picks up Lone Cone 23:30 Ridgeline Insights, an Amazon channel management company 24:47 3 Most common ways to sell on Amazon and pros & cons: arbitrage (a great way to learn Amazon), private labeling/black labeling, contract manufacturing 28:17 Incorrect assumptions people make about selling on Amazon 31:31 Just like MSI's (multiple sources of income), diversification of assets is smart 32:18 A lowball offer - nothing lost if they say "no" 33:22 What it REALLY takes to be successful selling on Amazon 35:42 A "must do" for your top sellers each quarter 36:20 The sweet spot for long you should give a SKU a chance before you give up 40:42 Fear of failure - get over it because you will fail 41:35 Risk a little, learn a lot 42:33 From side hustle to multi-millionaire…you can too! Key Takeaways: 42:48 Don't play the "what-if" game 44:13 Work towards the first tier of financial success - having your base expenses covered 45:18 You're not losing, you're trading for a future payoff
Joan's Online Masterclass to help you achieve your side hustle goals: Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things
How to connect with Annalisa & Ridgeline Insights: https://www.ridgelineinsights.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/annalisad... https://www.tiktok.com/@annalisademarta
Connect with Joan: https://www.instagram.com/joanposivy/ https://www.facebook.com/posivy/ https://www.sidehustlehero.com/about/ Be on the show! https://www.sidehustlehero.com/guests/intake/
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| 64: How I Built A 7-Figure Online Clothing Brand, with Brittany Sampson | 12 Sep 2023 | 00:45:39 | |
About 4 years ago, Brittany Sampson was a partner in a side hustle that she, her sister, and her mom started. It was an online kids clothing business known as Sugar Dumplin' Kids. After buying out her two partners, she doubled-down on growing the business and grow it she did, hitting 7-figure revenues. Brittany talks about;
Psst: If you're enjoying this podcast and finding it helpful, I wouldn't object if you'd like to "buy me a coffee."
What You'll Hear: 03:46 Why an online clothing brand? 05:03 None of them had experience with an online business or kids clothes 06:09 You're typically not paying yourself much in the first year 07:05 Really big mindset shift going from employee to self-employed 10:32 The why behind Brittany buying out her partners 12:07 First steps from idea, to action 13:09 A "small batch" manufacturer will work with smaller quantities 13:33 Brittany often used a "pre-order" model to presell the collection 16:03 Platforms like Pietra do the sourcing for you 16:40 If using a platform like Alibaba you must highly vet your manufacturer 17:55 Examples of manufacturer's "bait and switch" 19:30 What to look for when vetting a manufacturer 21:51 Using creativity and honesty to sell slow-moving or not-what-was-ordered product 26:13 Careful planning or fly by the seat of your pants? 27:20 Brittany's annual review and planning sessions, including her "sales calendar" 29:00 A gross revenue number (7-figures) can sound impressive, but what's the net profit? 31:41 $360,000 profit on sales of $1.7 m in sales 32:20 What drove the growth of Sugar Dumplin' Kids 36:17 Can delegate through VA's, Fiverr, Upwork 37:10 It is particularly tough in Year 1 38:50 The real wealth lies in people willing to start a side hustle 39:54 The decision to sell the business 42:23 Brittany's Top Tip to help you start or grow your side hustle Takeaway: 44:00 Maybe it's time for you to launch or scale 44:30 "Go as far as you can see, and when you get there, you'll see how to go further" 44:35 Check out Episode 61: Best Productivity Hack to Skyrocket Your Results
Joan's Online Masterclass to help you achieve your side hustle goals: Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things
Connect With Brittany: https://www.instagram.com/digitalbrittsampson/ https://www.tiktok.com/@digitalbrittsampson
Connect with Joan: https://www.instagram.com/joanposivy/ https://www.facebook.com/posivy/ https://www.sidehustlehero.com/about/ Be on the show! https://www.sidehustlehero.com/guests/intake/
Websites mentioned in this episode: https://www.sidehustlehero.com/61-best-productivity-hack-to-skyrocket-your-results-with-joan-posivy/ | |||
| 63: Seizing Opportunity: My Path To A 6-Figure Income, with Jessica Herring | 05 Sep 2023 | 00:28:26 | |
Business ramped up for today's guest Jess Herring when an email from Twitch landed in her inbox. A new niche was opening up, and she not only recognized the opportunity, but pounced! Today Jess earns between 7000- $12,000 per month, largely through her freelance work as a video editor. She'll tell you how she did it and how she continues to increase sales. It's an inspiring story of wanting to provide for her son the opportunities that she never had growing up in extreme poverty. Give it a listen and be inspired to "pounce" on your side hustle idea. "There is no dream that is silly. There is no dream that is not worth chasing," says Jess. She's living proof.
P.S. If you're enjoying this podcast and finding it helpful, I wouldn't object if you'd like to "buy me a coffee."
What You'll Hear: 02:03 The motivation for Jess to become a video editor 03:13 A suggestion from a friend prompted her to set up a Fiverr account 03:38 The email from Twitch that opened up an opportunity 06:24 Rather than beat yourself up over a perceived missed opportunity, know that there will be more in the future! 08:13 One small decision can change the entire trajectory of your life 10:33 Biggest surprise in running this business 11:30 The most memorable gig 12:47 The importance of communication with clients 14:29 Best tip for success 15:04 "There is no dream that is silly. There is no dream that is not worth chasing." 16:58 What Jess's schedule looks like 18:48 Jess's motivation to keep going when the going gets tough 20:11 Her first gig ended up being a long-term client 23:53 Jess's best tip to start or grow your side hustle Bonus tips: 26:13 There are a lot of "dream stealers" out there. It can be fatal for your dreams 26:37 A big goal or dream you commit to is like a seed you're planting, and it needs time to grow 27:21 When you die, you want to be "all used up."
Joan's Online Masterclass to help you achieve your side hustle goals: Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things
Connect With Jess: https://www.fiverr.com/official3seven https://www.youtube.com/@official3seven https://www.instagram.com/official3seven/
Connect with Joan: https://www.instagram.com/joanposivy/ https://www.facebook.com/posivy/ https://www.sidehustlehero.com/about/ Be on the show! https://www.sidehustlehero.com/guests/intake/
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| 62: How To Buy Websites For Cash Flow, with Matt Raad | 29 Aug 2023 | 00:44:58 | |
Want to skip the start-up phase and jump right into a business that cash flows?
Today's Side Hustle Hero guest Matt Raad will tell us how.
With the help of mentors, he and his wife Liz became rock stars in Australia, analyzing the value of bricks and mortar businesses for potential buyers.
But then they realized the world was changing, and they could pivot and apply their knowledge and skill to online businesses.
Fast forward some years, and today they have an extensive portfolio of "website" businesses and earnings well into 7-figures.
And here's a fun fact…having expertise or knowledge of the industry in which you're buying the website business, is not a prerequisite.
Matt explains why.
You'll also discover,
What You'll Hear:
03:07 Matt's income is from a portfolio of investments and website businesses 05:00 First business was a small manufacturing company 06:05 Coming from a science background trained them to be curious 07:30 Rich Dad Poor Dad - a thought provoking book 07:50 Has only owned one retail business…and never again 08:19 Buying and selling businesses for high net-worth individuals and private equity firms 09:45 First website business they bought on eBay - and what they did to increase its income 12:35 "Passion" niches are Matt's favourite - crafting, pets, golfing sites, etc 13:05 You don't need to be an expert in the industry 14:38 Three good ways to monetize a golfing site 19:00 With "passion" sites, sometimes the seller will stay on to contribute content 19:44 How to determine if a website is a good buy 20:16 If you want to start, buy a "starter" site under $1,000 20:42 Flippa.com is a main site for beginners 22:12 This is not a "get rich quick scheme"...there is a learning curve 23:00 Look at a website's profit and traffic. Not sales! 23:29 How to know the numbers a seller is stating is accurate 24.41 Google Analytics is the #1 tool Matt uses for due diligence and to analyze sites 25:01 The things that look "bad" to people, are often the best opportunities 26:01 How you gain access to a website's Google Analytics 27:47 The importance of SEO in website businesses, and selling out to deep-pocket buyers 29:22 Red flags to look out for when buying a website business 31:06 A main thing to look at is keyword research 31:54 If you stick to these main big industries - health, wealth, happiness - they'll always be around 32:25 People come online to look up answers - that's why keyword research is important 34:36 A primary component of what you need to do for due diligence 36:55 The "Fallen Angel Strategy" 40:31 You can do this part-time and learn 41:33 Matt's best tip to start or grow your side hustle Pro Tip: 42:51 "The things that look bad to people, are often the best opportunities."
Platform for buying and selling online businesses: Google Analytics: https://marketingplatform.google.com/about/analytics/
Connect with Matt: https://www.ebusinessinstitute.com.au/ Connect with Joan: https://www.instagram.com/joanposivy/ https://www.facebook.com/posivy/ https://www.sidehustlehero.com/about/ Be on the show! https://www.sidehustlehero.com/guests/intake/
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| 61: Best Productivity Hack To Skyrocket Your Results, with Joan Posivy | 22 Aug 2023 | 00:08:56 | |
I get a lot accomplished in a day.
Some say I excel at time management. But that's not true.
No one can "manage" time. But all of us can manage our activities. Therein lies the secret.
Today I hit "pause" on our lineup of awesome Side Hustle Heroes to jump in and share what I've found to be the Best Productivity Hack. It has the potential to skyrocket your business and your life. But here's something you might find a bit strange…most people have actually already heard of it and they admit it's a great idea, yet they're not doing it. I'll explain why, so you don't make the same mistake.
What You'll Hear: 00:46 "I know that!" The difference between "knowing" and "doing" 01:54 Step 1: The last task of your work day 02:23 Step 2: What you need to do with your task list 02:43 Step 3: What you need to do first 03:00 Why this hack helps when you've been interrupted 03:36 How it helps overcome procrastination 04:22 How our habits hold us back 04:40 You've programed your body to drive your vehicle 05:57 Even if you agree this is a great idea, this is why you may not follow through 06:33 To change results, we must take control over our thinking 07:10 Our external world is merely a reflection of our internal reality 07:26 Turn Your Thoughts To Things
Joan's Online Masterclass: Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things, Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things Connect with Joan: https://www.instagram.com/joanposivy/ https://www.facebook.com/posivy/ https://www.sidehustlehero.com/about/ Be on the show! https://www.sidehustlehero.com/guests/intake/
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| 60: How To Earn $3000 To $5000 Per Month In 90 days As An Integrator, with Mike Dallas-Petersen | 15 Aug 2023 | 00:36:44 | |
Do you have a knack for problem-solving? Leadership? Do you enjoy tech?
Then becoming an Integrator might be just the side hustle for you.
Today's guest Mike Dallas-Petersen suggests you could be earning between $3,000 to $5,000 recurring monthly income in just 90 days.
Earning well into a mid-6 figure income himself doing this kind of work, Mike now also teaches the business to others.
An Integrator is someone who identifies the biggest bottlenecks in an online company's marketing, sales and operations, then sets up automated systems, integrations and workflows to improve profits and efficiencies. Or as Mike puts it, "I glue the internet together, one software at a time." You'll discover things like,
It's also an inspirational tale of persevering through multiple failures and reinventing oneself.
What You'll Hear: 02:00 From tires, to automation and systems specialist 05:00 Mike's first client in his role as an Integrator 07:11 Negotiates receiving profit sharing instead of a retainer (25% of net profit) 08:13 What Mike typically does for a client - case study 10:19 As an Integrator, Mike oversees all the systems 12:27 Typical level of involvement 14:29 Having a couple of big clients vs. having many smaller clients 17:46 Start with a market niche in which you have a background and knowledge 19:11 Mike's (not so secret) secret way to find clients 21:32 Meeting people in person builds trust 22:22 How Mike prices jobs 23:09 Pitching a "maintenance" retainer 24:18 Teaching others to be Integrators grew out of a need 25:23 Income trajectory for someone new to the business 26:01 Within first 3 months, not uncommon to make $3,000 to $5,000 per month 26:14 Skill set of the best Integrators 29:17 The Great Mental Model, General Thinking Concepts 30:14 Biggest challenge people face when launching as an Integrator 32:16 Mike's best tip 33:05 Getting "no's" is just math - you discover that eventually you will get a yes! Pro Tip 35:17 Do you love what you're now doing for work and money?
Connect with Mike: https://socialaimsolutions.com/ https://theintegratoracademy.com/ https://www.facebook.com/myke.dp https://www.youtube.com/@MichaelDallasPetersen
Connect with Joan: https://www.instagram.com/joanposivy/ https://www.facebook.com/posivy/ https://www.sidehustlehero.com/about/ Be on the show! https://www.sidehustlehero.com/guests/intake/
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| 176: How to Build a Profitable Business From Day One | 16 Dec 2025 | 00:41:25 | |
Building a business that is a profitable side hustle from the start is not about luck. It comes down to the decisions you make early and the discipline to stick with them. Today I revisit my conversation with Mellisa Mills, founder and CEO of Millsie, formerly known as Spread'Em. Mellisa built her "cashew dip" company that has been profitable from day one and has grown into a multi million dollar business without outside investors. This episode pulls together the most valuable lessons from our original interview, including:
Since this interview, Spread'Em has been rebranded to Millsie, a change driven by growth, clarity, and an expanding footprint in the United States. If you are building a business or thinking about starting one and want a grounded, real world perspective on profitability, decision making, and figuring things out as you go, this episode offers practical insights you can apply immediately. Do you like what you're hearing? Consider giving it a caffeinated thumbs up. We'd really appreciate it! Need a little (and sometimes big) push to start and stay focused to grow your side hustle? Dive into my online Masterclass: How To Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things. For the full show notes head on over to the home of Side Hustle Hero. https://www.sidehustlehero.com/176 Connect with Mellisa & Millsie: Connect with Joan: Be on the show! Tell us about your side hustle success story!
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| 59: Making Money With Water Vending Machines, with Dan Doromal | 08 Aug 2023 | 00:40:06 | |
The product dispensed out of these vending machines is something we all need – water!
Today's guest is Dan Doromal, co-founder of Everest Ice & Water.
He goes beyond the rosy TikTok narrative of the vending machine business to discuss the reality, including;
Be sure to check out my Pro Tip at the end which you can apply to fast track your success in any new side hustle you decide to dive into.
What You'll Hear:
05:21 The reality of running a vending machine business 05:58 Working the side hustle business with dad 07:46 The importance of location 09:30 Components of an Everest Ice & Water machine 10:50 Much improved from bags of ice sitting in a merchandiser 12:43 Ways to place a machine, the profit margins, choosing to split profits or monthly fee 14:29 Tracking sales 15:57 Sitting back and waiting for the money to roll in, isn't a recipe for success 17:10 Is vandalism an issue? 17:46 Provide education to deal with objections from property owners 18:30 Looking at a 3–5-year lease with repeat customers in year 2 19:50 To gain market penetration as fast as possible, consider giving the product away as a promotion 21:45 Initial costs of vending machine 23:07 Check out local laws, need concrete foundation, water, drain line and possibly heat depending on the location's climate 25:33 Capital recovery time 1 - 3 years, small towns can do really well 29:22 If the location doesn't work out, it's small enough you can move it to a new location 30:30 Identify your "why!" 31:20 Mistakes made by newcomers to the business 32:10 "Plug and play" doesn't tell the whole story, there's work to be done 33:44 "The Art of The Start" book - how you pre-plan and setup is key 35:20 Dan bases his success on the number of his repeat buyers 36:38 Dan's best tip for success Pro Tip 37:56 Find out who the top earners are, and interview them 39:25 Don't just ask anyone, "What do you think?"
Connect with Dan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dandoromal/ https://everesticeandwater.com/ Connect with Joan: https://www.instagram.com/joanposivy/ https://www.facebook.com/posivy/ https://www.sidehustlehero.com/about/ Be on the show! https://www.sidehustlehero.com/guests/intake/
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| 58: How To Succeed On Fiverr: Tips From An Insider, with Trisha Diamond | 01 Aug 2023 | 00:28:26 | |
For the past 8 years, today's guest has been on the inside of Fiverr seeing first hand what separates the top sellers from the rest of the pack.
This episode features Trisha Diamond, Global Senior Director of Customer Success for Fiverr.
She's in the perfect position to give insider advice on what we need to do to break through and really excel! You'll also discover a lot of her tips and insights apply to success in any business.
In the last 12 months, the platform has served over 4 million active buyers
Trisha talks about;
What You'll Hear: 03:30 There is a lot of competition, but… 04:13 What is currently trending 05:04 Mike Burton a.k.a. Keybeaux makes his living as a rapper through Fiverr 06:39 Best practices for newcomers to the platform 08:37 The snowball analogy describes how your business grows over time 09:40 The "runway" you need to give yourself for success 10:12 The "Fiverr Forum" is an invaluable peer-to-peer resource 12:11 Add value for the end user without additional costs to you 13:57 Tips for the someone who is not experiencing the growth they want 14:37 Different services will trend at different times - what to do about it 15:50 What's trending in the world? It's likely trending on Fiverr too 17:25 The range of earnings 18:10 How long it takes to get to 6-figures 19:17 Overlooked tips and hacks for success 21:22 Working with freelancers who transition to full-time agency 24:11 Resources to help grow your business 24:47 Check out Youtuber Joel Young (JoelTalks) for tips in excelling at Fiverr 25:14 Be Willing To Fail in Public Wrapup: 26:37 Keep pushing that little snowball! 27:14 Stick it out long enough to give your idea a chance 27:27 Success does leave clues Connect with Joan: https://www.instagram.com/joanposivy/ https://www.facebook.com/posivy/ https://www.sidehustlehero.com/about/ Be on the show! https://www.sidehustlehero.com/guests/intake/
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| 57: Worth The Risk: The Crazy Cookie House, With Helen McArthur | 25 Jul 2023 | 00:43:05 | |
How can we differentiate what we do and what we offer to set ourselves apart from the crowd? You're sure to get inspiration from today's episode.
While living and working in London England with her family, Helen McArthur accepted a job in Canada. They packed up, moved, and Helen began applying her background in pensions and communications to her new role.
But...she also brought with her, her talent, skill and passion for baking!
Helen McArthur is the founder and lead baker of a farm stand known as the Crazy Cookie House.
The words "whimsical" and "quirky" come up a lot in this interview. You have never seen a structure like Helen's Crazy Cookie House. Check out the photos for this episode 57 at sidehustlehero.com and you'll see what I mean. Think Harry Potter sorting hat, meets Tolkien's hobbit house.
And her cookies are just as quirky and whimsical.
When Helen started the Crazy Cookie House as a side hustle, she wanted to offer much more than a cookie. She wanted to offer an experience. The result? You'll hear about a dragon, the mouse, and cookies eating other cookies.
What You'll Hear: 03:22 The move to Canada 06:19 Helen knew she needed a USP - unique selling point 07:01 The inspiration for a "big cookie eating a little cookie" 07:55 What you call your offerings is so important 08:54 Describing a "farm stand" 10:29 The Honour system is working well 11:01 Nordstrom example of setting policy for the 98% of their honest customers 13:40 A difficult decision to give up the steady paycheque and benefits 14:31 It doesn't happen without hard work and taking risks 15:48 When making a "sacrifice," rather than look at it as giving up something, view it as a trade for something better 17:56 Media attention, a Tiktok influencer, and 300,000 views later 20:16 Exploring shipping the cookies 21:10 Creating "an experience" not just buying a cookie 21:49 Inspiration from an ice cream museum 23:23 "I love the way you dream" 25:33 Adapting the cookie recipe to Canadian tastes 27:20 Purchase of large floor stand mixer has doubled production capability 28:20 Closed for one week to go run a marathon in the UK 30:13 Helen's husband looks after social media and marketing and kids help too 30:57 Giving the recipe to an employee for the first time 31:26 Describing the building that is the Crazy Cookie House 33:30 The dragon known as "Doug H." 36:26 Engaging her fans: What should we call the mouse? 36:47 Biggest challenges were finding time to launch the side hustle, and choosing what direction to go 39:00 What's next for the Crazy Cookie House 39:11 Franchising? 40:08 Helen's top tip to start your side hustle One more tip: 41:42 Look for ideas when out in your neighbourhood and especially when traveling
Connect with Helen: https://morello.ca/crazycookie/ https://www.instagram.com/crazycookiehouse/ Connect with Joan: https://www.instagram.com/joanposivy/ https://www.facebook.com/posivy/ https://www.sidehustlehero.com/about/ Be on the show! https://www.sidehustlehero.com/guests/intake/
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| 56: How To Apply "Brain Glue" To Increase Sales, with James I Bond | 18 Jul 2023 | 00:35:57 | |
Want tips to help people easily remember your product or service? James I Bond is going to tell us how to trigger the right side, emotional side of the brain to boost the performance of our ads, emails, social media posts, and one-on-one presentations….with the ultimate goal of achieving blockbuster sales. James is one of America's leading behavioral management and business marketing specialists who over the past 30 years has worked with a who's who of American business, including Warren Buffet and Costco founder Sol Price. Drawing from his book Brain Glue, James teaches us the steps to "light the fire of desire in your buyer," with lots of real world examples where these techniques have been used to jaw-dropping success. What You'll Hear: 03:10 The idea for the book, "Brain Glue" 05:04 90% of all decision-making happens when you trigger the right side of the brain 05:44 Starting a "passion box" to deposit quotes, etc. that had an emotional impact 07:50 The backstory of John Gray changing his book title to Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus 09:55 Starting to analyze "why" the content in the passion box was so effective 10:20 Uncovering why names like "Shark Tank" and "Rocky Road" ice cream are memorable 11:29 Brain Glue tools: Metaphors, analogies, alliteration, humour 12:05 Why the name "Squatty Potty" has been effective 13:29 The "Lawnmower" example of humour in a name 14:41 The impact of changing the company name to, "Big Ass Fans" 16:20 How James came to change the name of his book to Brain Glue 18:23 Tips for left-brain, analytical type people to come up with these creative names and pitches 24:04 Because humour triggers oxytocin to be released in the bloodstream, it's a Brain Glue tool 24:43 Another tool is "chiasmus" 25:29 The downturn of Wonder Bread 27:31 The "Got Milk?" campaign and the reason it didn't increase milk sales 29:00 The origins of the hotel chain name, "Holiday Inn" 29:54 James discovers the page, "Mommy Needs Vodka" and why he became a fan 32:25 James's #1 tip Takeaway: 33:30 To rethink your product names, taglines, or to come up with a new company name, here's a recap of his steps to apply Brain Glue 33:43 Start by filling in the blank, "It's just like…" 34:02 Write out a logical title or description 34:10 Come up with words that rhyme (and alliteration) 34:28 Apply humour 34:40 Why you want to brainstorm with others Connect with James: Connect with Joan: https://www.instagram.com/joanposivy/ https://www.facebook.com/posivy/ https://www.sidehustlehero.com/about/ Be on the show! https://www.sidehustlehero.com/guests/intake/
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| 55: Putting The Wine Into Wine Gums, with Teena Gudjonson | 11 Jul 2023 | 00:56:22 | |
It started as a simple question from her inquisitive child. Is there wine in wine gums? Why not? That night, a side hustle was born. Pushed by the relentless enthusiasm from her kids, Teena Gudjonson got to work in her kitchen to, well, put the wine into wine gums. Today, her Cellar Candy website features not only "wine" gummies, but liquor-based creations like Lime Margarita and Piña Colada. Check out this episode to discover;
What You'll Hear: 03:12 The birth of a side hustle idea 06:07 Trying to figure out how to actually make gummies 07:19 The alcohol kept breaking down the gelatin 07:49 Debuting at a large wine festival, they were a hit! 08:37 Going into retail sales forced a move (a scramble actually) to find a commercial kitchen 11:43 Expanded into "liquor" gummies and private label products 12:08 Buying in bulk not only vital for pricing, it helps when dealing with supply disruptions 13:02 The decision to build a commercial kitchen on her home property 14:17 Coming up with new flavours 16:57 Determining the price point of product can be tricky - gelatin Teena used to buy at $500 for 25 kg, has been as high as $1,200 18:33 Teena will only discounts max 25% to retailers, otherwise it's not worth it 22:53 About 95% of product is sold wholesale to retailers 23:46 TikTok post resulted in an overnight surge of online orders 26:37 Why Teena's not focused on scaling up at this time 28:16 Pitching at Dragon's Den and getting a deal 34:13 "When I stop limiting myself, I think then that the possibilities are endless" 36:23 Only go to someone for advice who has already done what you want to achieve 37:15 Now has 1 full-time employee and several part-time 38:38 Keeps quality control products – some now 7-years old 40:49 She still tests every batch before it gets molded for quality control 41:42 To reduce labeling costs to something reasonable (from $3 to $0.15 per) required a $10,000 print run 45:10 Has now sold over ½ million dollars worth of gummies 45:40 From having the capacity to make only 40 packages a day, to 500 per day 49:31 Competitors are now copying her flavours, but they don't compare to Teena's real, quality, ingredients 50:50 Cellar Candy artisan gummies are a world apart from the big box bulk versions 52:54 What 'gelatin' actual is 54:13 You can create a "Life By Design" 54:51 Be sure it's what you want 55:05 Challenge your negative beliefs about yourself and your potential 55:38 You have a unique combination of talent and skills, interests and experiences that no one else has Connect with Teena: https://www.instagram.com/cellar_candy/ Connect with Joan: https://www.instagram.com/joanposivy/ https://www.facebook.com/posivy/ Be on the show! https://www.sidehustlehero.com/guests/intake/
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| 54: Landing, Loving, and Leveraging Media Interviews, with Jess Todtfeld | 04 Jul 2023 | 00:47:08 | |
Interested in free publicity? Increased visibility? Building more credibility? Today's guest can help! Afterall, he holds the Guinness World Record in a publicity / public relations category. In this episode with media expert Jess Todtfeld, you'll discover,
Jess Todtfeld has extensive experience as a TV producer for NBC, ABC, and FOX, having booked and produced over 5,000 segments, and is a leading communication and media training authority. When I was in New York City lining up interviews prior to the release of my book, The Way Success Works, Jess was one of the people I turned to for guidance and training to become media savvy. Use his ideas, tips, and hacks to improve your messaging anytime you're communicating about your side hustle.
What You'll Hear: 03:22 Jess holds the Guinness Record for being interviewed the most times in 24-hours 06:12 Remember to include calls to action in your answers, including micro ones 06:56 Get recordings of your interviews to share them with your audience to further your credibility 07:59 6 million viewers doesn't equal 6 million engaged, so take the clip and apply your own marketing 08:33 Why you want to put the effort into getting media interviews 09:04 How the sales decision-making process has changed 10:39 Going rate in USA for a publicist is about $3,000 to $5,000 per month with a multi-month commitment 11:20 Consider how much you have to sell to pay for a publicist 11:45 DIY options include buying media lists - work the list and follow through 14:45 Jess's hybrid PR agency, Media Ambassadors 15:50 Want interviews? You have to ask! 16:00 Tips for an email pitch that gets read 16:31 Why you want to have something that indicates if your sent emails are being opened 21:09 When sending a pitch email, use Jess's "above the line and below the line" strategy to increase open rate and promote engagement 22:26 Anytime you make a mistake in public, it's an opportunity to shine 24:26 Examples of what's "below the line" 28:16 You've landed the interview…now what?? 28:30 There are 3 groups that have needs: the audience, the outlet, and you! 30:35 When interviewed, give great content, and plant seeds for learning more 31:33 Strategies for how to handle any question that's asked of you 33:28 How to respond when you don't know the answer 34:20 Tips on getting to the host, the questions you want to be asked in an interview 36:00 What works for a long-form podcast doesn't work in a 2-3 TV or radio segment 37:30 Find out the length of the interview so you can strategize and prep accordingly 39:00 If asked something you don't know, admit it, then say, "Something I do know is…" 41:36 How to control and guide the interview 43:12 How to prepare in less time with better results 43:15 Don't "fake it until you make it," instead, "act it and become it" 44:25 After an interview or event, ask yourself, "what did I like" and "next time, what can I do better?" 45:35 If you're buying lists, set aside time to really work them
https://www.successinmedia.com Connect with Joan: https://www.instagram.com/joanposivy/ https://www.facebook.com/posivy/ Be on the show! https://www.sidehustlehero.com/guests/intake/
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| 53: The Best Of Year 1: Top 10 Life Lessons | 20 Jun 2023 | 00:34:56 | |
This is the episode to tune into for inspiration and motivation to start or to scale your side hustle. Here we've curated the Top 10 side hustle life lessons from our heroes of year 1. They're really a diverse group of characters including a rapper, a beekeeper, voice actor, quick books pro advisor, a gnome maker, a cookbook author, a travel writer, and more. What they have in common with each other and with you, is that they have all travelled along the side hustle path. Enjoy! Thanks so much for being part of our Side Hustle Hero community. Here's to Year 2!
What You'll Hear: 01:02 Joel Young, Ep 1: Be Willing To Fail In Public 02:22 Actions produce a result. It'll be a success or "learning experience" 03:05 Remember, every pro had their first attempt too 03:40 My performance was so bad, I couldn't watch the whole thing 04:00 Janis Doherty: Ep 2: How To Make The Right Decision For You 05:15 We make the best decisions with the info and awareness at the time 06:06 Missed an opportunity? There will be more 06:13 Nicole Buergers, Ep 9: Inspiring Beekeepers Hard Won Wisdom 07:35 What did you trade your 1,440 minutes for today? 08:07 Endured 50 bee stings to the face…and she kept going 08:35 Experiencing imposter syndrome? You're in good company - Sherry Lansing, Sheryl Sandberg, Lady Gaga 09:36 Shelley Adams, Ep 12: Cooking Up 6 Bestsellers 10:45 Googling, "how to bottle sauces" 11:00 A powerful question: "Can you help me get started?" 11:30 2 questions to ask when you sit down with your expert 12:00 The real "win" of attaining your goals 13:08 Tenille Landry, Ep 18: Painting For Profit 14:22 There'a a difference between "wishing" and "deciding" 15:15 The importance of the people you are surrounded by 16:24 Ruksana Hussain, Ep 20: Make Connections, Make Money 18:22 Giving vs Trading 19:08 When getting advice, be sure the person is achieving the results you want 19:48 When someone says no to you, say to yourself, "NEXT!" 20:26 Sam Hallburn, Ep 36: Earning 6-Figures As A QuickBooks ProAdvisor 21:42 Be cautious of who you ask for advice 23:30 Is there someone in your life telling you how to live your life? 24:10 Mike Burton, aka Keybeaux, Ep 42: Making It As A Rapper 24:50 Your people are out there! 26:30 Gary Jones, Ep 49: Lessons From The World Of Improv 27:09 "Be a problem solver, not a problem creator." 27:50 Gina Scarpa, Ep 35: How To Succeed In Voiceover 28:35 How to reframe rejection 29:03 Avoid being pushy…you need to put in the time 29:45 Stop being afraid! Take the leap of faith 30:20 There's nothing stopping you, but you 31:35 Having someone in your life who sees more in you than you see in yourself is huge 31:40 Hearing, "You can do this!" can be life-changing 33:43 Here's your weekly reminder of, "You can do this…you so got this!"
Connect with Joan: https://www.instagram.com/joanposivy/ https://www.facebook.com/posivy/
Be on the show! https://www.sidehustlehero.com/guests/intake/
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| 52: Best Of Year 1: Top 10 Side Hustles | 13 Jun 2023 | 00:25:30 | |
We're celebrating Year 1! This episode brings you the best of the best side hustles we highlighted in the last 12 months. They are in no particular order, because they each made the list for different reasons. Some are online, some need you to be out and about in the world, most are year-round. Some are seasonal, but all of them can be lucrative side hustles. What's your favourite? Shoot me a message and let me know! Thank you so much or being part of this journey. It's truly deeply appreciated.
What You'll Hear: 01:00 #1 - Litter clean up of parking lots and commercial and industrial properties 01:27 Episode 21, This Business is Cleaning Up, with Brian Winch 02:05 Use $30 - $50 an hour to number crunch projections 02:13 Why his clients are such fans 02:44 #2 - Making Money in the Sharing Economy, with J. Massey 03:50 You can establish a STR business without owning a property 04:20 J looks at his properties as a "distribution service" to maximize revenue 04:44 In Part 2 we discuss push back from cities and municipalities 05:40 "Day use" rental opportunities 06:18 #3 - Being A Paid Sports Superfan! 07:40 What's involved, what game day looks like, other offshoot income possibilities 07:55 #4 The Business of Being Santa, episode 29 - greater diversity in Santa's is providing opportunities for more people 08:57 Some of her friends make upwards of $40,000 playing the role 09:12 hiresanta.com 09:35 #5 is Serving up a Sizzling, Seasonal, Success with Poncho's Tacos episode 51 10:30 A seasonal market is an effective way to test your product, pricing, gain valuable feedback 11:36 "Pop up" stands, another smart way to test 12:10 Press releases and pitching their story landed some invaluable TV and other media coverage 12:31 #6 - Building A Review Website Business, with Chuck Temple, featuring the Electric Scooter Guide 13:21 Connect with a product or service you love and become the leading source for honest info about that industry 13:53 Look for a new industry or one with higher-value products 14:17 - #7 Excelling on Etsy, with Rachel Jimenez 14:25 You don't have to be perfect, just get it out there 15:06 After 9 months, she made $160,000 that year 15:24 This episode also stands out for her strategy for retiring early, her "there's always a solution" mindset , and the "5-minute strategy" as a path to higher productivity 15:56 #8 Scaling For Fun and Profit, with Sandra Booker episode 27 16:27 Seeing a client she helped go from earning $50/hour to $1 million a year, motivated Sandra to scale too 17:22 From $25, to $45 to $50/hr for VA services, then shifted to virtual business manager 17:51 In the episode Sandra shares her best delegation secrets, tips on when to make your first hire, and why you want to treat your client's business like your own 18:26 When you're training a remote worker, screen-share and record what you're doing so the person has something to reference again and again as needed 18:45 - #9 What It Takes To Be A Successful Seller On Amazon, with Annalisa DeMarta, episode 14 18:52 Buying books for $1 and reselling at a big markup on eBay, morphed into a $5 million brand on Amazon 19:41 Of the 2.7 million sellers on Amazon, her company is in the 0.0005% of sellers 20:02 In the episode she shares what it takes to be successful on the platform 20:10 Annalisa suggests selling via "arbitrage" as a great way to learn Amazon, 20:28 Private labelling or black labelling, and contract manufacturing are options, and she talks about the pros and cons of each 20:55 3 featured takeaways are - why and when to jump into a new venture, how to improve your cash flow situation, and how to reframe the feeling of depriving yourself when you're making those smarter choices 21:23 #10 - Reality Check: The Truth Behind E-commerce Success, with Melissa Ng 21:31 By day, she's an accountant 21:38 After Melissa found success in e-commerce, she co-founded Launchers Acadamy to help others be success in this space 22:01 What "shiny object syndrome" is and why you need to avoid it 22:40 Consistency and persistence is the "secret sauce" of being successful in ecommerce 23:11 Travis King from episode 46 Cash Flow And Capital From Land Flipping, describes how he suffered from shiny object syndrome 23:46 What commitment will you give to your side hustle? 24:12 Without a commitment, at the first sign of problems, it's too easy to doubt and then bail 24:35 Stick with it…and stick with me. I'll be here for year 2!
Podcast Website: https://www.sidehustlehero.com/ Connect with Joan: https://www.instagram.com/joanposivy/ https://www.facebook.com/posivy/ Be on the show! https://www.sidehustlehero.com/guests/intake/
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| 51: Serving Up A Sizzling, Seasonal, Success, with Poncho's Tacos | 06 Jun 2023 | 00:27:09 | |
Sell out within the first couple of hours on opening day. Ramp up inventory. Sell out again. That's been the trajectory for Poncho's Tacos during their first weeks in business. They have a Birria taco stand at a night market that is only open during the evening on weekends. It's also only seasonal, running for just over 5 months each year. Expected attendance at this year's market is more than one million visitors. The main draw is the over 110 food booths and food trucks offering more than 600 different foods items. That's a lot of competition that the new kids on the block, Poncho's Tacos, are up against. This group of 5, 18-year-olds have done so many things right it's a case study in how to successfully launch a venture, including;
Whether you're thinking of setting up a seasonal booth somewhere or you're interested in an entirely different hustle, be prepared to capture ideas that pop into mind when hearing their story, to grow your venture. Be sure to check out the 5 Success Takeaways I share at the end, which includes an action that is very simple, but one that will have a major impact on the progress you make from today on with your side hustle.
What You'll Hear: 02:34 Meet Matthew Berda, Mikito May, and Kenito Garrido (partners also include, Danny Alvarez and Henry) 04:45 Offseason time will largely focus on streamlining and scaling for next year 05:35 $20,000 - $30,000 to launch the business 06:35 They were very careful about their spending, what they bought, and sought out good used equipment 08:10 How and why they decided on tacos 09:36 Mikito knew they had to get word out so he contacted major local media 10:20 Determining price point of menu items 11:36 Every day they check their sales and expenses so they know exactly where their finances are at 12:13 The volume they are doing each day was their biggest surprise 13:09 What their typical week looks like 14:14 Despite increasing inventory, there are weekends they still sell out 15:10 Leveraging their age and marketing 16:17 Their signature menu item - The Anaconda – a 2 1/2 foot taco 17:45 A $20 tip is a nice confirmation 19:50 Find people you really want to work with and that you have chemistry 20:10 Don't overthink it, just try it 20:38 Find a mentor in your field of interest 20:50 Have an end goal - here's why Takeaways 21:40 Set a deadline. If you commit, your whole mindset will change 23:03 Seek out an accountability partner 23:16 Want more guidance on setting things up with your accountability partner? Reach out for a pdf from Joan 24:05 Know your audience and give them what they want 24:27 Get word out - don't be a best keep secret 25:42 The value of small tests 26:00 Have your end goal in mind. Do you have one? If not, get one. Use it as a guiding light for decision-making
Connect with Poncho's Tacos: https://www.instagram.com/ponchos.tacos/ https://www.tiktok.com/@ponchos.tacos ponchostacosyvr at gmail dot com
Connect with Joan: https://www.instagram.com/joanposivy/ https://www.facebook.com/posivy/
Be on the show! https://www.sidehustlehero.com/guests/intake/
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| 50: Smart Tips For Domain Investing: 101, with James Iles | 30 May 2023 | 00:26:02 | |
Is it still possible to make money buying and selling domain names? For answers I turned to James Iles, who started flipping domains when he was a teenager. Later, he became a blogger in the community. Since last December, James has taken on the role of Global Domain Investing Community Manager for GoDaddy. In this episode, James shares insights on;
What you'll hear: 01:45 What a Domain Investment Community Manager does 03:05 James started domain investing as a side hustle 03:29 Can you make money at it today? 04:35 Start with a good education in domain investing, for example GoDaddy's Domain Academy 05:30 How do you tell if a domain name is a good investment? 07:22 NameBio offers a great database of domain sales that gets updated every day (upwards of $2.3 billion in sales in the database) 08:14 GoDaddy's tool that uses its back data is called GoValue 10:27 The biggest mistake domain investors make 11:23 One of James's biggest investing mistakes 12:05 Some of the metrics to look for 12:57 Fees for buying and selling 13:50 Afternic is GoDaddy's aftermarket sales portal 14:32 James discusses what he sees for side hustle revenue potential 16:43 The .ai extension 18:05 Consider off-line learning resources like in-person conferences, ie NamesCon 20:08 James's regret in selling staycool dot com 22:03 Low barrier to entry 22:32 Reach out to James through email or Twitter 23:06 His best tip 24:42 Put in the time to learn about the industry - take James up on his offer! 25:13 Before buying what you think is an extremely valuable domain…check the spelling!!!
Connect with James: Email, jiles at godaddy dot com Connect with Joan: https://www.instagram.com/joanposivy/ https://www.facebook.com/posivy/ Be on the show! | |||
| 175: What's Holding You Back from Starting? | 09 Dec 2025 | 00:20:41 | |
If you keep telling yourself you want to start a side hustle, but weeks keep passing with no real movement, there's a reason. And it's not a lack of ideas, time, or talent. It's the silent mindset traps that play out in the background and quietly keep you stuck at the starting line. After interviewing more than 170 side hustle heroes, I've heard the same patterns again and again. Today we break down 7 of the most common thinking mistakes that stop people from ever getting traction:
You'll learn how each one shows up, how to spot it in yourself, and what small, practical shift gets you moving. By the end of this episode, you'll know exactly which mindset has been holding you back, and the next step that will move your side hustle forward today. Do you like what you're hearing? Consider giving it a caffeinated thumbs up. We'd really appreciate it! Need a little (and sometimes big) push to start and stay focused to grow your side hustle? Dive into my online Masterclass: How To Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things. For the full show notes head on over to the home of Side Hustle Hero. https://www.sidehustlehero.com/175 Connect with Joan: Be on the show! Tell us about your side hustle success story!
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| 49: Lessons From The World Of Improv, with Gary Jones | 23 May 2023 | 01:01:45 | |
I think you'll appreciate the authenticity, honesty, and humour of today's guest, Gary Jones. Having left his day job behind, Gary's career has been a rollercoaster ride of gigs and hustles, where nothing is guaranteed. He is a legendary improv performer, a seasoned actor, and prolific comedy writer. In this timely episode, Gary shares a powerful message of trusting and having faith in yourself, especially when things seem uncertain. It's a fun episode. Afterall he is a skilled storyteller. His narratives, derived from his life as an actor, hold valuable lessons that apply to any side hustle you're pursuing. Be sure to catch his hilarious recounting of performing at the home of Bill & Melinda Gates on New Year's Eve.
What You'll Hear: 03:50 The voice – you need to do this or you'll regret it 08:01 Discovering that improv is writing on your feet 09:29 Joining Second City Touring Company 11:40 Once on the road Gary found his tribe 12:28 Quit his 9-5 to immerse himself "in a world of uncertainty" 13:46 The foundation of improv is "yes, and" 15:42 Gary doesn't know what he'll make one month to the next 21:08 Ryan Stiles opens the door to Vancouver Theatresports and Punchline 23:30 Chatting over dinner turned into brainstorming ideas for a play 24:00 You've got to be able to spot opportunities then ACT 27:33 Entered the Vancouver Fringe festival with their play, "World's Greatest Guy" 32:36 Final show played to a packed house 34:40 Won the Jessie Richardson Theatre Award that year for best play 36:02 You've got to be like a hunter with a bow and arrow on the lookout for your next gig 41:05 How you value yourself is going to be reflected in what you earn and how you're treated 43:35 The original voice of Siri recommends improv classes and there are many transferable skills that'll help you in whatever industry you're in 46:01 Richard Side and the start of writing for The Debaters 51:23 Gary's advice to his film students "Don't be a dick." Be generous and be a problem-solver 53:14 The humour and craziness of performing at the home of Bill & Melinda Gates on New Year's Eve 59:00 Gary's best tip 1:00:34 If you feel inspired to take action, then take action Connect with Gary: https://twitter.com/thegaryjones Connect with Joan: https://www.instagram.com/joanposivy/ https://www.facebook.com/posivy/ Be on the show! https://www.joanposivy.com/be-our-guest.html
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| 48: Carve Out This Side Hustle | 16 May 2023 | 00:37:20 | |
When you're working in a family business and you want more money but there isn't more to go around, what do you do? You start a side hustle of course! That's what pushed today's guests Jennifer Cornelius and David Swojanovski to launch Rubble Road Soapstone Carving Kits. They've gone from selling 30 of these soapstone pieces a month, to selling thousands per month. Where once the saw that cuts the silhouette pieces ran just 4 hours a week, now it needs to run at least 12 hours a day. Is developing a business teaching students and adults soapstone carving using these kits something you'd be interested in doing as a side hustle? Then you'll want to reach out to Jennifer and David. But first, for inspiration in whatever your current or future side hustle might be, check out today's episode. What You'll Hear: 05:20 Want more money? You'll need to figure out a side hustle. 06:20 Being encouraged to teach carving in the schools 07:08 What the lesson looks like 08:50 Expanded from 6 shapes to offering 26 shapes in 3 different sizes 09:15 The overwhelming response at trade shows made them realize they were on to something 11:31 Statue of David: How did Michelangelo know he was in there? 13:20 Why all their stone comes from Brazil 14:38 Listening to customers has shapes their product line 15:48 Teacher's conventions gave Rubble Road great exposure 16:20 Piggybacking her sister's tradeshow proved lucrative for them, but not so much for her sister! 17:25 Go to where your ideal client is 17:50 40% of revenues come from other companies using their kits to teach in schools 18:53 Profit margins on kits 20:10 Potluck carving nights! 21:21 Teaching carving remotely 22:20 Remote teaching has given remote schools access to this program 26:02 Another income source: the "traveling jewelry classroom" 27:40 The biggest challenge in growing Rubble Road 30:13 Next steps for the business 32:38 Jennifer & David's best tip 35:06 The value asking questions 35:10 Being open to learning something from everyone you meet
Connect with Jennifer & David: https://www.tiktok.com/@rubbleroadsoapstone https://www.instagram.com/rubbleroadsoapstone/ https://www.facebook.com/rubbleroadsoapstone Connect with Joan: https://www.instagram.com/joanposivy/ https://www.facebook.com/posivy/ Check out Joan's #1 success course! https://courses.joanposivy.com/p/turn-your-thoughts-into-wanted-things The Way Success Works Book http://thewaysuccessworks.com/ Be on the show! https://www.joanposivy.com/be-our-guest.html
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| 47: Lessons From The Original Voice Of Siri | 09 May 2023 | 00:30:25 | |
Meet Susan Bennett, the original voice of Siri. She's moved from one gig to the next her entire working life.
With the explosion these days of all things AI, her story is timely. It's a cautionary tale of knowing what you're signing and what that could mean for you in the future. Her story also serves as a valuable lesson for saying "yes", when presented with new opportunities. Susan also talks about the process of recording the voice of Siri, what that journey's been like, and her outlook on the proliferation of AI.
What You'll Hear: 03:30 Right place, right time…and saying yes! 05:45 Susan's favourite voice 07:50 How she came to be Siri 08:50 How Apple acquired her voice 09:25 The launch of a new career 10:15 How Susan discovered she was the voice of Siri 11:15 "Flip it to your advantage" 11:44 Recording Siri 13:46 Reading street addresses 14:15 At the time, Susan had no knowledge of what her recordings would be used for 15:03 Most fun things of being Siri 15:41 Meeting Steve Wozniak was the spark for her speaking career 17:15 The original Siri had "attitude" 17:49 The possible downside of being Siri 19:35 Horrified at the discovery that Siri was her voice 20:02 Impacts of AI 24:35 The "niceties" are the lubricants of life 26:24 Susan's best tip 28:40 "Be positive and embrace the change" 29:02 Remember you have a choice 29:19 The one thing we all have control over: our attitude
Listen online at: https://www.sidehustlehero.com/
Connect with Susan: https://www.instagram.com/siriouslysusan/ https://twitter.com/SiriouslySusan
Connect with Joan: https://www.instagram.com/joanposivy/ https://www.facebook.com/posivy/
Be on the show! https://www.joanposivy.com/be-our-guest.html
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