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What It's About
This new father finds time between lunch and playtime to work on his woodworking side hustle.
Business Model
Product
Skills Required
Woodworking & Creativity
Complexity
Medium
Profit Potential
Medium
Words of Wisdom
Scott said that his favorite episode would probably be Ep. 310 about the 13-year old schoolyard lollipop hustler. He has two (very) young children, and he realized that he'd like to instill this hustle mentality in them early.
He always wished that this had been brought up to him much earlier in life, and he loves the idea of showcasing to his kids that you can really take it into your own hands and create income streams in many different avenues. You don't need a typical career. And even if you do have a typical career, you can supplement that through other channels.
Notes from Chris
Episode 356
Scott Lyons has combined his interest in woodworking and business to create a side hustle that allows him to express his creativity and one that also brings in almost $1,000 a month. An Account Director at a creative advertising agency by day, Scott works on the business side, helping clients develop and organize their advertising campaigns. On the other side, Scott channels his creativity making rustic decorative ladders for blankets, towels, etc. with his side hustle, A Step Above Decor. With the birth of his first child, Scott’s family received a ton of beautiful blankets, some even handmade. Not wanting to just throw them into a closet for storage, and looking for a way to display them, Scott stumbled across a decorative wooden ladder used for just that. As he had learned some woodworking skills growing up—he used to build his own skateboard ramps—he figured this was something he could make himself, especially during his son’s naptime. He was right! While his son slumbered, Scott crafted and soon he had ladders in every room of the house. Friends and family who visited noticed, and began making requests for their own. Scott thought he might be on to something. With a bit of encouragement from his wife, he posted a few of them in a local buy/sell Facebook group and garnered the interest of about 20 people. It also brought him his first sale outside of his family. “That’s when the lightbulb really turned on and I recognized the opportunity,” said Scott. Given that it was his wife’s encouragement that got him to post, he took her out to dinner to celebrate the sale. Since then, Scott has been taking one night a week to make the ladders and the rest of the week to work on sales. Scott typically makes five ladders a week—all in one night—and his average monthly profit is a bit more than $900.MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
- A Step Above Decor: Traditional bookshelves are so 1999—check out Scott's wares on his Facebook page!
- Kijij & Letgo: A couple of the platforms that Scott used to sell his decorative ladders
- How To Create a Facebook Shop Page: A Step-by-Step Guide: If selling on Facebook sounds appealing to you, check out this comprehensive step-by-step party
- Substitute Teacher Earns $1,500/Month Making Wooden Signs: In a sign of the times of how popular side hustles are becoming, this substitute teacher hosts Tupperware-style parties where attendees use her stencils to make handcrafted signs. Rise and sign!
- 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
Quote of the Day
"Another great aspect of my side hustle is the joy that my projects bring to my clients. I don’t really create anything in my day job, so to see the reactions of people to something that I’ve build with my own hands… I’d almost do it for free! Almost."
—Scott Lyons #SideHustleSchool
