584 8:14

Mini Foam Roller Works Out the Kinks

A San Diego project manager creates a tiny foam roller relieve pain and prevent injury no matter where you are.

8:14

Subscribe Now For A Free Five Step Tutorial

Get a free five-part email course that shows you how to find, validate, and launch your side hustle idea — no experience required.

What It's About

A side hustle that's really on a roll!

Business Model
Manufacturing
Skills Required
Design & Research
Complexity
Medium
Profit Potential
Medium

Words of Wisdom

Jessika brought up a rather unconventional action point for those of you looking to take your hustle full-time:

"If your plan is to take your side hustle to be bigger than just a hustle, spend some time connecting with your core values and sense of purpose."

Fun Fact

One of the coolest things about running this side hustle for Jessika and Jade has been the feedback they've received from their customers. These RistRollers are being used in ways they never even thought of! From being used to decrease the pain and treatment time associated with trigger finger to rolling out scar tissue for burn victims—it's pretty amazing what a little foam rolling can do!

Notes from Chris

Episode 584
By day, Jessika Jake is a Senior Project Manager at a digital marketing agency in San Diego. Fun fact: one of her clients is Rock 'n' Roll marathon, a race that I did a couple months ago. She’s had a lot of projects and side hustles in her career. I got a list from her that included at least 5 different websites offering digital services. She also tried to start a business for tourists visiting Coronado island. At the time, her daughter, Jade, was living there. That business never took off, partly because Jade took off to see the world.

Jade went to do the Semester at Sea program, which took her to several countries and on many adventures. Periodically she’d call home to report, and the news was always significant:

"I ran a half marathon in Ireland."

"I rode a camel and slept in the desert."

Another time she said something else:

"I have even more amazing news. I met someone with a foam roller."

Jessika didn’t understand. How was finding someone with a foam roller more exciting than finding a camel you could ride in the desert?

But that’s just because, at the time, Jessika didn’t understand the life-changing magic of foam rollers. Jade had scoliosis, and the foam roller helped to treat her symptoms. Merely by rolling around on this magic piece of hard foam, she could feel better.

A lightbulb came on for Jessika. She needed a life-changing roller herself, but a small one … just for her wrist.

You probably know the next part: she looked around and didn’t find anything. Then, Jessika and Jade had what they called a “time-lapsed conversation” about turning this into a project.

Jessika decided to move forward, and she did so quickly. She found a manufacturer for what she called the RistRoller, and she put up a website that cost $20. Why was the RistRoller color green? Because it was one of the few available color options. There was no shopping cart on the website, and all she had was a link to her personal PayPal account.

But sometimes that’s all you need. She was off and rolling!

Jessika says that the project has been bringing in $2,000-3,000 a month, but to her, it means so much more because she found her life's work. This side hustle is certainly on a roll, and these two are muscling their way into profits and potential.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
  • RistRoller: Get your roll on—snag a RistRoller over on Jessika and Jade's website!
 

SEE ALSO:  

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

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter
Quote of the Day
"Obstacles will inevitably pop-up like a game of whack-a-mole, but remember that there's always a path forward. Find it, and fight for it."
—Jessika Jake #SideHustleSchool

Find your side hustle

Search 450 real case studies by income, difficulty, and business model. The Side Hustle Finder helps you skip the browsing and find ideas that actually match your situation.

Explore the Finder →
Side Hustle book
From the Host

Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days

The step-by-step guide behind many of the stories on this show. Find your idea, validate it, and start earning — no experience required.

See all books →

Keep in Touch

Chris Guillebeau speaking to a packed crowd

There's a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point — I know you're busy. Be sure you subscribe to get a weekly recap of each episode!

Email hello@chrisguillebeau.com
Say Hi From your favorite airport

To infinity and beyond,
Chris Guillebeau

🚀

5 Days to Your Next Side Hustle

Get a proven step-by-step plan delivered to your inbox

  • Day 1: Find your profitable idea (even if you think you have none)
  • Day 2: Validate your idea without spending a dime
  • Day 3: Create your minimum viable offer
  • Day 4: Get your first paying customer
  • Day 5: Scale without quitting your day job
🔒 100% Free
📧 No spam, ever
👋 Unsubscribe anytime

We respect your privacy. Your information will never be shared or sold.