A 26 year old dude makes 6 Figures just by working 20 min a Day

Forget boring tutoring gigs, This 26-year-old dude turned part-time candle designer into a six-figure business! Meet Francisco Rivera, who found a clever way to make money online selling something he doesn't even like - candles!

The Hustle Struggle was Real

Rivera, living in Orlando, used to teach online for Outschool. But when after-school activities bounced back after the pandemic, demand for tutors dipped. He needed more income, so he started looking for ways to make extra cash online.

Enter YouTube: The Land of Side Hustle Ideas

One fateful day, Rivera stumbled upon a YouTube video about print-on-demand businesses. This is where you design stuff like t-shirts or mugs, then sell them on online stores like Etsy. When a customer buys something, a printing company creates it with your design and ships it out - pretty cool, right?

Building a Candle Empire (Sort Of)

Rivera decided to create his own online store on Etsy. He went with a unique twist - plain, organic candles with funny labels. He used a free design app called Canva to create his masterpieces and a service called Printify to connect with the printing companies.

Last year, his Etsy shop raked in a whopping $462,000! This success story was so epic, he even quit his tutoring job in December 2023. (He prefers to keep his shop name a secret though, to avoid copycats.)

The Beauty of the Side Hustle

Here's the best part: Rivera says he only spends about 20 minutes a day working on his Etsy shop! Some days, he might put in a little extra time (up to two hours) to brainstorm new funny sayings for his candles. The rest of the time? He's busy chasing his dream of becoming a musician!

"I'm making more money than ever, working way less than ever before," Rivera says. Talk about living the dream!

Sharing the Side Hustle Wisdom

Rivera shared some golden nuggets of advice for anyone looking to start their own side hustle. Here are some highlights:

• Low risk, high reward: Print-on-demand is awesome because there's almost no risk involved. Listing something on Etsy costs just 20 cents! You can even use a free design tool to get started.

• Consistency is key: You don't need to be a genius to succeed. Rivera says hard work and consistency are what really matter.

• Don't be afraid to pivot: A lot of people sell t-shirts and mugs on Etsy. Rivera saw a gap in the market for funny candles and went for it!

• Skip the fancy tools: Some people recommend expensive software to track sales and competition. Rivera isn't convinced they're worth it. Instead, he focuses on creating new and exciting candle designs.

The Candle Copycat Curse

There's one downside to Rivera's success story - copycats! Some people steal his funny sayings and designs, making it tough for his own products to be seen by customers. He has to fight these copycats, which can be a real hassle.

• Embrace the unknown: Etsy's search thingy (algorithm) is a bit of a mystery. While you can tweak things like your product photos and descriptions, Rivera says focusing on creating new candles is a better use of time.

So, there you have it! The story of a regular guy who turned his dislike of candles into a successful side hustle. If you're looking for a way to make some extra cash online, take a page out of Rivera's book and get creative!