Hustle 101

What if we looked at our businesses like professional sports teams?

That’s what Vincent Pugliese from Membership Freedom shared, drawing parallels between running a successful business and how sports franchises operate.

Vincent helps people build successful membership sites and communities around topics they care about.

He previously shared his freelance-to-freedom story of going from making $30k a year to earning $30k in a single day through freelancing.

In this episode, Vincent explains the “Stadium Model of Entrepreneurship.” This model draws inspiration from how sports franchises operate, offering various levels of access and products to their audience.

Even with the rise of digital technology, billboards remain a profitable business.

In fact, Chris Brown built his billboard side hustle to $30,000 a month (part-time!).

Chris now owns approximately 30 billboards around Bentonville, Arkansas, and retired early at the age of 42.

Tired of trading time for money at your 9 to 5 job? Looking for a way to make passive income with minimal startup costs and overhead?

Then starting a vending machine business may be perfect for you.

The vending machine industry was valued at $42 billion last year and is expected to grow at 8.1% from 2024 to 2030.

Profitable vending machines are everywhere — offices, apartment buildings, gyms, airports.

Wherever people gather, there’s an opportunity to provide convenient access to snacks, drinks, and other bestselling impulse-buy items.

And it’s a great market to get into because it’s extremely fragmented, with vast potential for growth. No national player owns more than 5% market share.

Making extra money on the side often requires finding ways to create leverage.

Leverage means getting paid multiple times for work you only have to do once, and making money without having to actively do the work yourself.

One side hustler who has cracked the code on leveraged profits is Steve Slagle. By day, Steve works construction jobs. But outside of his 9 to 5, he now earns over $2500 a month from Beachside Ice, his ice vending machine business.

In this episode, Steve takes us through the world of vending machine location negotiations, landowner compensation, and the importance of maintaining positive relations. We explore the finer details of partnering with manufacturers, securing permits, and overseeing installation and delivery.

Is a small business credit card a good option for you and your side hustle?

Whether you’re looking for a way to separate your business and personal finances, or need a line of credit to cover startup costs, this post has you covered. 

Around 72,000 people search “how to start a business” in Google every month. But that doesn’t tell the whole story.

If we dive a bit deeper into the search data, we can see the specific types of businesses aspiring entrepreneurs are looking for information on.

Here’s how the data stacks up.