DIY2FI
Blog Post
From Clueless to Side Hustle in 30 Days
- By Dad Bod FI
- •
- 22 Jan, 2019
- •
The conglomeration of great minds that is Dad Bod FI
has given us this amazing story of their side hustle success using only their wits, creativity, and some leftover pallets. There may also have been some beer involved.
Aside from mistakenly using my alter-ego "Tinian" to describe everyone's friend Captain DIY, the article they have shared with us is at once inspiring and captaivating, as they bring us along their journey from not building stuff to selling the awesome stuff they build. C'mon along, and then swing over to their website to check out more excellent stuff!
I first heard about Tinian through his Instagram page. I posted a small DIY project and he commented with some helpful advice. He did not have to take time to do this, and we could have ignored his advice, but it ended up spring-boarding our latest success. I dug deeper into the content of “Captain DIY” and was hooked. I reached out to him directly to simply thank him for the content and to share one of our recent blog posts. After talking for a bit, he asked if we would like to write a guest post on his site. I’m honored to share how our DIY story has turned into a lucrative side hustle, but first a tradition unlike any other – a Killer Beer Review.
Beer Review: FUGLI Fruit IPA – Oskar Blues Brewery, Longmont Colorado
I had no clue what this beer was when I ordered it, but as you can tell from previous reviews
I really enjoy a citrus IPA so I gave this one a whirl. My waitress told me the name comes from the Ugli Fruit – a Jamaican Citrus. At 5.8% ABV and 60 IBUs, it treated me pretty well. The aroma was really nice and the first sip went down smooth. I could have done without the notes of blueberry at the finish. Official Score: 6.5/10
On To The Article
Insourcing. Side Hustles. Debt Free. Index Funds. Savings Rate. A few months ago these words meant nothing to me. If I got a raise at work I would boost my expenses instead of increasing my 401K contributions. If I saw something in a store that looked cool I would buy it right then instead of waiting 72 hours to decide if I really needed it. If I won my fantasy football league (seldom happens) I would reward myself with a new toy instead of paying extra towards student loans. And most recently, if I needed new furniture or a renovation on my house, I would go shopping for it. I was Anti-DIY.
I decided to make a change. The art of DIY has a ton of layers. However, between your neighborhood community and YouTube, there’s really nothing that hasn’t been built before and that you cannot learn to do on your own. As I mentioned earlier, I drew my inspiration from Captain DIY.
I decided to make a change. The art of DIY has a ton of layers. However, between your neighborhood community and YouTube, there’s really nothing that hasn’t been built before and that you cannot learn to do on your own. As I mentioned earlier, I drew my inspiration from Captain DIY.
I started small – I hung some shelves. I built a work bench in my garage. I took apart an old shipping pallet and made a bar in my backyard. These were just fun projects to get my hands dirty with a bunch of scrap material. Looking back now, these projects looked pretty rough, but I still have a sense of pride knowing that I built everything on my own.
Every month the DadBodFI trio gets together for a meeting. We crack a beer and discuss our jobs, finances, recent life hacks, and the ultimate goal of reaching financial independence. At our November meeting we were sitting in a basement admiring a desk that one of us recently built. As we were celebrating this DIY project vs. purchasing in-store, a question arose: How much would someone be willing to pay for something like this? We decided to test the waters and list the desk for sale at a price we thought was reasonable. We listed it on some online commerce sites like Facebook Marketplace, NextDoor, and LetGo. Now for anyone who has ever listened to Alan Donegan (co-founder of PopUp Business School) – this next piece is key:
by listing an item that had already been built and was serving a purpose, we had zero risk. If we got radio silence from the marketplace, it was no problem. We could remove the listing and go on our way. But that’s not exactly what happened.
Within two days we had four inquires on the “handcrafted rustic style desk”. We reached out to each potential client individually and explained the situation. Each agreed to wait a few extra weeks if we could rebuild another one. We even offered different color stains and custom measurements. We asked for payment up front and received secure transactions through a PayPal business account. Another tip – securing payment before purchasing the goods needed to proceed = less risk.
Red Flag Alert
(to anyone getting in the online commerce business):
If anyone offers to purchase your items with a cashier’s check and send their own moving truck to pick up the items, disregard them and run away. This “scam” is pretty common and works like this: Customer sends you a 3rd party cashier’s check that has none of their information listed. You then cash the check at your local bank and feel secure. Your items get picked up by a random truck and the deal is done. However 30 days later your bank comes after you saying you cashed a counterfeit check. You then have to pay the bank back and your items are long gone. We learned this at the 25th hour and were able to cancel the deal. Once we mentioned PayPal we never heard from the client again.
If anyone offers to purchase your items with a cashier’s check and send their own moving truck to pick up the items, disregard them and run away. This “scam” is pretty common and works like this: Customer sends you a 3rd party cashier’s check that has none of their information listed. You then cash the check at your local bank and feel secure. Your items get picked up by a random truck and the deal is done. However 30 days later your bank comes after you saying you cashed a counterfeit check. You then have to pay the bank back and your items are long gone. We learned this at the 25th hour and were able to cancel the deal. Once we mentioned PayPal we never heard from the client again.
So now we had demand for three more desks and we had to get moving. We did an inventory of tools
and materials. Between the three of us we had a variety of drills, bits, saws, scrap wood, stains, and screws. We also had friends with tools that we could borrow. We made a Lowe’s trip for the remaining goods, organized a garage (now officially titled “The Shop”) and got to work.
All three desks were completed on time and we had a blast constructing them. There was certainly some trial and error but that’s how we learn. For example, make sure your pocket holes are drilled in the right direction before you attach the top of your desk.
As we closed the deal on the third desk we couldn’t help but feel excited. We sat down for a celebratory beverage and came to this conclusion. If you take a room full of ten start-ups/side hustles, you would be hard pressed to find one that had turned a true profit in 30 days – but that was us. On Monday we received our 7th order for custom office furniture. We now offer desks, tables, shelving, etc. We are certainly not quitting our jobs to get into the master craftsmen business just yet, but this adventure has provided a nice little income for us. Personally, I was able to cover my HOA Dues and a month of Pre-School for my son. Oh and the best part? We built these pieces while listening to good music, enjoying each others’ company, and finishing it off with a craft beer in “The Shop”. Imagine if we could do this full time instead of the dreaded 9-5?
We want to thank Tinian for providing expertise to the Financial Independence community and letting us share our story. #DIY2FI
As we closed the deal on the third desk we couldn’t help but feel excited. We sat down for a celebratory beverage and came to this conclusion. If you take a room full of ten start-ups/side hustles, you would be hard pressed to find one that had turned a true profit in 30 days – but that was us. On Monday we received our 7th order for custom office furniture. We now offer desks, tables, shelving, etc. We are certainly not quitting our jobs to get into the master craftsmen business just yet, but this adventure has provided a nice little income for us. Personally, I was able to cover my HOA Dues and a month of Pre-School for my son. Oh and the best part? We built these pieces while listening to good music, enjoying each others’ company, and finishing it off with a craft beer in “The Shop”. Imagine if we could do this full time instead of the dreaded 9-5?
We want to thank Tinian for providing expertise to the Financial Independence community and letting us share our story. #DIY2FI
Wow guys, really great stuff! I absolutely love hearing about a group of friends getting together and building cool things while they throw back some tasty brews, and the fact that they are making money off of it is icing on the cake!
Also, beer reviews at the beginning of the article? Brilliant! I will certainly be diving into some more of their work at dadbodfi.com, and I suggest you do the same! Captain out!