In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused the narrator to lose his office job and return to his offshore oil and gas work. His wife, who worked as a school nurse, was also at home. With the need to make ends meet, he started researching fast-growing crops, stumbled upon microgreens, and decided to give it a try. After three months of research, he invested in a shed, installed the necessary equipment, and went all-in to launch his microgreens business.
Without any customers, he cold-called restaurants and landed accounts, and gradually expanded to grocery stores and farmers' markets. Just as the restrictions started to ease, the business started to pick up. The narrator's wife resigned from her job to run the business, allowing him to focus on his offshore job and the side hustle.
In January 2021, the narrator suffered a knee injury and had to stay home for six weeks. During that time, he decided to post a video on TikTok showcasing his microgreens business as the biggest side hustle of 2021. The post went viral, and he gained over 14,000 followers and 200,000 views in just a few days. He made another post that reached over three million views and caught the attention of CNN, MSNBC, local news, podcasts, and more.
People began asking him to teach them how to grow and market microgreens, so he started offering one-on-one consultations for $100. Within a month, he sold 200 of them, which later led to monthly Discord classes. He continued to grow his TikTok community by posting new content, recycling videos, and putting back into his community.
In August 2021, the narrator received an offer to sell his microgreens company. They were making $1,400 per week while using only 10-13 hours of their time. They sold their customer base to a competitor, but kept their consults and course under a different company. With 180,000 followers on TikTok, millions of views, and his network of over 300 growers, the narrator decided to reach out to a company for a brand deal, but they declined. He started another company, sourced seeds, and tested his products for months.
As of February 2022, the narrator had 350,000 followers on TikTok, 50,000 on Instagram, and several thousand on other platforms. He also created a new company that makes him between $400 and $1,200 every day. He still works offshore and sees his side hustle as an easy way to make money.
In summary, the narrator's side hustle story is a tale of perseverance, ingenuity, and willingness to take risks. He started his microgreens business with little knowledge, but invested his time, money, and effort into making it work. Despite facing multiple setbacks, he continued to grow his business and his community on social media, resulting in millions of views and hundreds of thousands of followers. His advice to anyone looking to start a side hustle is to work hard, document the journey, and don't be afraid to take risks.
For more great Side Hustle ideas, check out "101 Real World Side Hustles."
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