203
7 min 14 sec

High School Teacher Turns Woodworking Hobby Into a 5-Figure Side Hustle

A high-school teacher turns his love for woodworking and business into lessons for his students, making a solid second income along the way.
Arts & Crafts Creativity Jewelry Product

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What It's About

A substitute teacher takes on a wooden jewelry side hustle with unexpected positive results.

Business Model
Arts & Crafts
Skills Required
Woodworking & Creativity
Complexity
Medium
Profit Potential
Medium

Words of Wisdom

Like any teacher, he shared his entrepreneurial experiences with his class and noticed that, in a rare, magical occurrence, his students actually paid attention. In fact, they were captivated by his story. He saw before him a great opportunity to teach his students, regardless of whether his business idea worked out.

You never know what kind of positive results may come from the beginning of a side hustle! Sometimes it can actually help you in your day job.

Fun Fact

It was actually Steve’s wife that helped him get his first substitute teaching job. She had just taken a position placing subs and, with no decent substitute teachers to call, she asked him if he wanted to give it a shot.

Notes from Chris

Episode 203

Steve is a high-school teacher based in Greensboro, NC. He loves teaching, but a few years ago, he also decided to make and sell something. He created some wooden snowflake earrings and ornaments and while the initial reaction to them was very positive, they totally flopped when he tried to sell them online. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that he was trying to sell Christmas ornaments in January.

It wasn’t until he attended his first craft show that he was able to experience the exhilaration of selling to somebody other than friends and family.

Like any teacher, he shared that experience with his class and noticed that, in a rare, magical occurrence, his students actually paid attention. In fact, they were captivated by his story. He saw before him a great opportunity to teach his students, regardless of whether his business idea worked out.

His business plan would have three phases, each in their own year: while he still wanted to make money, the first year would be focused on learning, the second would focus on brand awareness, and the third would about refining his products and maximizing income.

In his first year, Steve made a modest $5,000. The second year, his profits more than doubled to $13,000 and his goal for 2017, his third year with the business, is to reach $15,000-$20,000. Because Steve already had a woodworking shop to start out with, after an initial $100 investment, he has been able to invest all of his extra cash back into the business.


MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • 2Puggles: Check out Steve's unique line of wooden jewelry on his website
SEE ALSO:

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

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Resources

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

Create your online store with Shopify using an exclusive discount for Side Hustle School listeners. For a limited time, get a free 21-day trial and a 10% discount for a whole year.

Many Side Hustle School listeners are building sites using Shopify's easy-to-learn platform. Try it free today!

Learn More

GET YOUR FIRST 1,000 EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS

Social media is nice, but building an email list is still the single best way to get customers and clients for your hustle. It's not hard to get started—sign up for a 30-day trial and join the list-building challenge! You’ll be up and running in no time.


Learn More

Quote of the Day
"Just because you can make it, doesn’t mean you should. Not everything is worth trying to sell."
—Steve Smith #SideHustleSchool

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To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau