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What It's About
Where people only see parking lots and lines, one estimator sees major profits.
Business Model
Service
Skills Required
Organization & Marketing
Complexity
Medium
Profit Potential
High
Words of Wisdom
Dan share's some advice on how to start striping lots; "I say start small. Look for the pizza shop that opens at 4PM, has 14 stripes and a handicap stencil. Look for the truck dock that has 20 lines or the beauty salon that has 6. One nice thing about striping is that it's all the same. Once you've striped a few jobs, you've striped them all."
Fun Fact
Dan was offered a $3000 loan from his mom to start the business. Around the same time he received a $700 bonus from his day job. The cost to purchase a striping machine was exactly $3700. If that's not a sign to get started, we don’t know what is.
Notes from Chris
Episode 1576
It was the early nineties when Dan Zurcher first thought about starting a side business. He was an estimator in the asphalt industry, making pretty average money in Columbus, Ohio. On top of that, the industry ground to a halt every winter leaving him jobless for several months. He felt like the job was going nowhere—but it was his mom who put him on the path of the straight and narrow. (And yes, I do mean that literally.) One day, Dan was describing his work to her on the phone. He explained how they were finishing a few large parking lots he’d estimated for and all that was left was striping and stenciling the white lines and shapes on the asphalt. “Why aren’t you doing the striping?” his mother asked. “We don’t do that, asphalting companies contract that work out to someone else,” he replied. “No, no, why aren’t YOU doing the striping?” She asked again, and by YOU she meant Dan himself. That question, phrased in that way, changed the way Dan thought about work. He was looking for a side business, and here was one staring him right in the face. He made a few calls and received quotes for striping machines that cost around three thousand seven hundred dollars all inclusive. He’d just received a seven hundred dollar bonus at work, and his mom agreed to loan him the remaining three thousand dollars. Soon, he had everything he needed to become a professional striper… it was time to earn his stripes! Working after hours and in between other commitments became the norm for Dan. He still worked his full time job and was married with a young family. He had to take the side hustle time wherever he could get it. And, by the end of his first year operating he’d found time to generate four thousand dollars from his venture. Enough to pay back his mom and put a little money aside. It was then that he decided to quit his job and take his striping business full time, where he was able to grow his income to one hundred and sixty five thousand dollars per year in the next few years. A figure which remained the same as he maintained his business over the next decade. And he didn’t stop there. Dan branched out into creating a website, American Striping, where he manufactures and sells stencils for others doing exactly what he does. On top of that, he’s distilled his knowledge into a book teaching others to do the same. He shows anyone that if they put the work in, they can earn their side hustle stripes.MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
- Learn more about Dan and his striping businesses at his website, AmericanStriping.com.
- Car Enthusiast Sells DIY Tune-Up Kits: A longtime side hustler creates a series of products for fellow car enthusiasts.
- Car Enthusiast Races Towards Reselling Success: A former product manager sees the potential in importing specialty car parts.
- Delaware College Students Place Ads on 450,000 Cars: Two enterprising students start a business that connects advertisers with car owners. They now pay thousands of drivers up to $500/month, and are on track to earn $5 million in revenue.
Quote of the Day
"One nice thing about striping is that it's all the same. Once you've striped a few jobs, you've striped them all."
—Dan Zurcher #SideHustleSchool
