The Moonroad #21
Moonlighting, side hustles, extra income, being frugal and more. The newsletter should come out every Friday, but that depends on what I can find. No affiliate links.
Misc
These look like second jobs to me. Still, something to check out.
7 Easy Ways to Make Passive Income with Large Language Models - KDnuggets
If you need to learn to code, then check out - Learn to Code — For Free — Coding Courses for Busy People.
This guy started his camper van business as a side hustle on the weekend. He just converts cargo vans into camper vans. Easy, right?
$3M/Year Rental Business Built on Weekends & Credit Cards?! - YouTube
Step By Step Process of Building A Van | DIY Ford Transit Camper Conversion - YouTube
How I Turned $3 Fence Boards Into $1.2 Million on Etsy - YouTube
Start these next two businesses as side hustles and see where you go.
Plant Nursery Side Hustle earns $10,000 per year - Growing Our Retirement
How to Start a Lawn Care Business in 106 Minutes [$0 to $1M+] - YouTube
Learning to weld might be a possible side hustle.
How I started my Welding Business Side Hustle
If you don’t know how to weld, your community college probably has a class for that. Udemy.com has courses on welding. Apparently, any place with metal handrails, like apartment complexes, can use welders. Handrails come up over and over during my search for welding side hustles. They break, and there are insurance issues if not fixed in a timely manner.
$23K/Month Side-Hustle You've Never Heard Of... - YouTube
That’s a trash valet service. People in apartment complexes put trash just outside their door at night. The trash valet guy/gal would come along in the very early morning and take away all the trash.
The next set of links are from Side Hustle Nation:
This section is about starting a side hustle with a laser printer. You can do the same thing without a laser printer by just using a laser printer service. Here, April is using a Glowforge Pro laser printer which costs about $7,000. Skip the $7,000 by farming out the work. Once you actually have a viable little business, then start thinking about buying an expensive laser printer.
April was actually successful in her little side hustle which focuses on gifts for golfers. More specifically, gifts based on golfer milestones and preferences. A stupid pencil holder showing preferred golf courses was her best seller. Watch her little series here:
My New Side Hustle | Will It Make Money? - YouTube
3D Laser Side Hustle | My Numbers Revealed! - YouTube
Inside My Laser Business | Financials, Tips and Lessons Learned - YouTube
Whether you succeed or fail is often determined at ground zero. Picking the right niche was a key factor in April’s success.
I’m blown away by the Glowforge Pro laser printer. Check out this video:
Introducing Glowforge - The 3D Laser Printer - YouTube
I want one. It seems to accept many different file formats. Bitmap formats (JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIFF and other similar file formats) are only used for engraving. A vector format (SVG and PDF) is used for cutting. Note that SVG and PDF can contain both vector and bitmap data. So they can both cut and engrave. You can convert bitmap to vector or pay someone on Fiverr.com to do it. This may require tracing the image by hand or with an auto-tracer. Welcome to Inkscape (free) or Affinity Designer (cheap).
I watched a video on one guy who farmed out his laser business for two years before actually buying a laser printer. He did the work but just rented the machine. But the “work“ is just downing the file, putting in the material and starting the machine. So the work part is not much. The machine time is what counts.
This guy:
If I started another laser business, I'd do this - YouTube
Don’t buy a laser until you get your act together. I think this concept of farming out work applies to other areas as well, like a CNC machine. Just farm out until your little side hustle works, then buy.
He mentions that he started out using a laser printer at the local make space. What is that? The website below shows a worldwide directory of maker spaces:
The one near me is not cheap, but there are other options available. I asked Grok AI to recommend some (laser printer) places for me and got a nice list.
Laser Projects That Sell - Google Search
On the topic of getting your act together before spending big bucks, I want to talk about food-trucking*. My friend bought a food truck and started a little business without much planning. He just kind of did it. And it failed. He probably lost on the order of $10,000. This could have been avoided by planning and being cheap. Things to consider:
Ideally, hire a food truck expert/consultant.
Rent a food truck or trailer before you buy one.
Copy a menu from a successful food truck business.
See if you are competent enough to make this work.
Don’t spend big bucks until you are competent.
Finally, buy a food truck only after your little business works, or quietly fold.
A successful food truck business will often have big line of people waiting. Copy that menu, but maybe only offer 20% of the options at first. In my area, the Korean corn dog food truck always has big lines.
* Food-trucking: Going out to eat at food trucks.
Side hustles with a focus on women:
Must-Have Skills (Training) for Virtual Assistants | Udemy
Become a Lyft driver through Lyft’s Women+ Connect program.
Women+ Connect is a feature introduced by Lyft, aimed at enhancing the safety and comfort of women and nonbinary individuals in the ridesharing experience. Here's an overview based on available information (Grok AI):
Purpose and Functionality: Women+ Connect is designed to match women and nonbinary drivers with women and nonbinary riders more frequently. This feature allows users to opt into a preference setting that prioritizes these matches but does not guarantee them. If no matching riders or drivers are nearby, the system will still match with male users.
Rollout and Expansion: Initially, this feature was rolled out in five major U.S. cities (Chicago, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, and San Jose) in September 2023. Due to positive feedback and demand, Lyft expanded Women+ Connect to more than 240 markets across the U.S. by early 2024.
Impact and Reception:
Safety and Comfort: The feature has been well-received for providing an added layer of safety and comfort, particularly for nighttime rides. Both drivers and riders have reported feeling safer and more at ease with this option.
Wedding Photography: Complete Guide to Wedding Photography | Udemy
Make Money with Canva : Turn Creativity into Income | Udemy
The Complete Guide To Becoming A Babysitter | Udemy
How To Start a Pet Sitting & Dog Walking Business in 7 Days | Udemy
How to Start & Market a Food Business from Your Home Kitchen | Udemy
Card Making with the Brother ScanNCut | Udemy
You can sell cards made with the Brother ScanNCut. The Brother ScanNCut machines, including models like the SDX125EGY and SDX85C, are designed for crafting, which includes making custom cards, stickers, and other paper crafts. Here's how this applies by Grok AI:
Crafting Capabilities: The ScanNCut series is equipped with features like a built-in scanner for precision cutting, which allows you to design and cut intricate patterns, shapes, and even personalized images for cards. This capability makes it ideal for creating unique greeting cards, birthday cards, or any custom card designs you might want to sell.
Market Use: Many users on platforms like Reddit (r/ScanNCut, r/cardmaking) have discussed using their ScanNCut for business purposes, specifically for creating items like stickers and cards for sale. They confirm that the machine can handle the materials typically used in card making, such as cardstock, vinyl, and even fabric for more unique designs.
Legal and Ethical Considerations: While the machine itself allows for commercial use, make sure any designs or patterns you use are either your own creations, in the public domain, or you have the appropriate licenses or permissions for copyrighted material. This is crucial if you plan to sell the cards.
Business Aspect: If you're looking into selling these cards, consider the quality of the material you use, the uniqueness of your designs, and how you can market your products. Etsy, local craft fairs, and custom orders are some avenues where ScanNCut users have successfully sold their handmade cards.
Tips for Selling:
Customization: Use the ScanNCut's features to offer personalized or custom orders, which can be a significant selling point.
Material Quality: The quality of the cardstock or other materials will impact the final product's appeal and price.
Packaging: Good presentation can increase the perceived value of your cards.
In summary, selling cards made with the Brother ScanNCut is not only possible but also popular among crafters looking to turn their hobby into a small business or side hustle. Just ensure you respect all legal aspects concerning design usage and copyrights.
This guy wants you to build up a small vending business in order to sell it for 2x to 4x annual net profit. Then do it all over again. The key is healthy snacks. Locations with regular snack vending will open their doors to healthy snack vending (that’s you).
VEND ACADEMY: Build A 6-Figure Vending Business in 12 Months | Udemy
The event rental business:
How I grew my event rental biz to $110k in Year 1 without spending a dime on ads : r/sweatystartup
Make big bucks being a food photographer or product photographer:
How I Turned My Photography Side Hustle Into A $134K Business - YouTube
Try to buy your equipment used if possible.
These courses at Udemy only require a smartphone or digital camera and some kind of lighting. The lighting doesn’t need to be expensive.
Food Photography From Beginner to Pro: A Complete Guide | Udemy
You Found It! Foodies Ultimate Food Photography Masterclass | Udemy
How To Take Product Photos With a Phone + AI | Product Photography On a Budget - YouTube
Product Photography: Beginner's Guide to Captivating Visuals | Udemy
Product Photography: Simple Composition for Instagram | Udemy
Getting the first job: Make a portfolio of the kind of work you want, post pics to website, social media and Pinterest, according to the Reddit post below.
How did you find your first jobs? : r/productphotography : Reddit
You will need to master some photography software like Affinity Photo:
Creating a Product Ad in Affinity Photo - YouTube
Frugal
This is about saving big-money on weight-loss drugs by using compounded semaglutide injections.
Hims & Hers Big Game Commercial: “Sick of the System” - YouTube
“The list price of Wegovy clocks in at $1,349 for a monthly supply, sans insurance coverage or Novo’s own savings plan. Hims & Hers, meanwhile, began offering compounded semaglutide injections to its customers last May with prices starting at $199 per month.”
Hims & Hers tackles high GLP-1 prices in Super Bowl ad
Start your weight loss journey.
More on compounding:
Compounding involves a licensed pharmacist or physician who mixes or alters ingredients according to a prescription. This process must be done in a controlled environment to ensure sterility and accuracy.
In the U.S., compounded medications are regulated by state boards of pharmacy, not the FDA like mass-produced drugs. However, the FDA does oversee the use of bulk drug substances and has guidelines to ensure safety. Compounding pharmacies must adhere to standards known as the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) <795> for non-sterile preparations and <797> for sterile preparations.
Is compounding legal? Yes, when a drug is in short supply then compounding becomes possible. Once the shortage disappears then the compounding stops.
Without drugs, here are a couple of the best ways to lose weight and keep it off are these:
A food log: Nutritionix - Largest Verified Nutrition Database. Track everything you eat and get the calories.
Eat no more than two meals a day and no snacking.
Weigh yourself every day. Get a more expensive digital scale: INEVIFIT Bathroom Scale,Weight up to 400 lbs (+-.2lbs) .
Unfortunately, you have to do them for the rest of your life, or you’ll gain all the weight back.
My Seven Favorite Apps for Getting Free Stuff | Lifehacker
I love this idea. Just copy and paste:
Post from The Koerner Office: Business Ideas & Growth Advice - YouTube
“The longer I'm in business the more I realize this to be true: If you want to be a billionaire you have to innovate. But to be a millionaire you simply need to copy/paste. Don't even try to copy something that works and put your own twist on it. No twists. Stop twisting. Just copy what's working. … .”
For this section, I asked Grok AI to generate a list of expensive hobbies. Some of these can be used for interesting side hustles. My thinking is it that you wait as long as it takes to get the expensive equipment used, then see if you can make a side hustle out it. In the meantime, rent the equipment or pay for a service.
Use some AI program to suggest side hustles, or see if Udemy.com has a class. Check this out:
How dinnerware designer turned his (pottery) side hustle into a lucrative business
How to Make Ceramic Plates in Multiples - Tips for Making Lots of Plates!
Here's a list of hobby crafts that generally require expensive equipment:
Expensive Gear: High-end cameras (DSLR or mirrorless), professional lenses, lighting equipment, tripods, and editing software.
Expensive Gear: High-quality power tools like table saws, band saws, planers, jointers, lathes, and CNC machines, plus a variety of hand tools.
Pottery -
Expensive Gear: Kilns, pottery wheels, high-quality clays, glazes, and tools for shaping and decorating.
Expensive Gear: Furnaces, torches, annealing ovens, specialized glassworking tools, and safety equipment.
Expensive Gear: Advanced 3D printers, filament or resin materials, post-processing equipment, and software for design.
Expensive Gear: Precision tools like jeweler's saws, soldering stations, anvils, mandrels, and specialized machinery for casting or forging.
Expensive Gear: Detailed model trains, tracks, transformers, scenery materials, and sometimes custom-built layouts or dioramas.
Expensive Gear: Printing presses, exposure units for screen preparation, inks, and various screens for different projects.
Expensive Gear: Heavy-duty sewing machines, leather cutters, stamping tools, high-quality leather, and finishing equipment.
High-End Audio Equipment Building -
Expensive Gear: Components like amplifiers, speakers, tubes, and specialized tools for assembly and testing.
Expensive Gear: Dive gear including regulators, BCDs, dive computers, tanks, and specialized equipment for different types of diving.
Virtual Reality (VR) Development -
Expensive Gear: VR headsets, powerful computers to run VR software, development kits, and possibly motion capture systems.
These hobbies can be pursued at various levels of investment, but the equipment listed tends to be on the pricier side for those looking to engage seriously or professionally. Remember, the cost can also vary widely depending on whether you're buying new, used, or opting for professional-grade versus hobbyist equipment.
Here's another list of hobbies that can involve expensive equipment:
Expensive Gear: High-quality sewing machines, sergers, embroidery machines, fabric cutters, pattern making software, and possibly a machine knitter for more complex projects.
Expensive Gear: Precision tools like jeweler's saws, soldering stations, high-quality gemstones, metals, and possibly a kiln for enamel work or metal casting.
Expensive Gear: Professional ovens, mixers (like stand mixers), specialized baking tools, decorating equipment, and high-end ingredients or molds for cakes and pastries.
Gardening (with a focus on exotic or large scale) -
Expensive Gear: Greenhouses, irrigation systems, high-quality tools, soil amendments, and rare or exotic plants which can be costly.
Expensive Gear: DSLR or mirrorless cameras, lenses tailored for portrait or macro photography, studio lighting, backdrops, and photo editing software.
Scrapbooking and Memory Keeping -
Expensive Gear: High-end scrapbooking tools, die-cutting machines, custom paper and embellishments, and sometimes professional printing services.
Pottery -
Expensive Gear: Personal pottery wheels, kilns, clay, glazes, and tools for sculpting and finishing.
Knitting or Crocheting with High-End Yarns -
Expensive Gear: While the basic tools are inexpensive, high-end yarns (like alpaca, silk, or hand-dyed varieties), spinning wheels, and knitting machines can add significant cost.
Quilting -
Expensive Gear: Long-arm quilting machines, fabric cutters like rotary cutters or fabric dies, and premium quality fabrics.
Interior Design and Home Decor -
Expensive Gear: High-end furniture, custom decor pieces, specialized tools for DIY projects, and possibly software for 3D room planning.
Aromatherapy and Candle Making -
Expensive Gear: High-quality essential oils, candle molds, wax melters, and packaging for professional sales.
Expensive Gear: Wine presses, fermentation vessels, barrels for aging, and the cost of high-quality grapes or juice.
Yoga or Pilates with Advanced Equipment -
Expensive Gear: Reformers, towers, or other specialized equipment for home use, plus certifications for teaching if that's part of the hobby.
The costs can escalate with the quality of the equipment and the ambition of the projects undertaken. Remember, the price of engaging in these hobbies can vary significantly based on whether one opts for entry-level, mid-range, or professional-grade tools and materials.
Why expensive equipment? Less competition.
There you go.
This is for educational purposes only. Do your own research, so you know the risks.