Podcast
Side Hustle Suitcase
Hosted by Paul Gowder · EN
Side Hustle Suitcase is your podcast for building a side hustle that fits your real life.
Hosted by Paul Gowder, each episode brings actionable tips and simple strategies to help grow something on the side without burning out or feeling like you have to go full-time to “make it.”
Paul brings 30 years of experience building online community and turning ideas into lasting businesses.
Join Paul to unpack this suitcase of tools, tips, and strategies to explore what actually works.
Pack light. Build smart. Let’s get on the way.
Learn more!
https://gowdersareonthego.com
16episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
3 Prompts That Make Claude Work Inside Your Kit Account
2d ago00:06:32Tap to summarizeYou've probably used AI to write emails before — type a prompt, copy the output, paste it into Kit, tweak it, send it. That works. But it has a ceiling, because the AI is working blind.The new Kit + Claude MCP integration changes that. Claude can now see your broadcasts, your click data, your subscriber list, your tags — and act on all of it directly inside your Kit account. No copying. No pasting. No guessing.In this episode I'm sharing three prompts that go way beyond "write my next email" and show you what this integration is actually capable of:⚡ Prompt 1: Analyze your last 10 broadcasts and tell you exactly what's working — and what isn't 🏷️ Prompt 2: Find everyone who clicked your offers but didn't buy, tag them automatically, and start a targeted follow-up 📈 Prompt 3: Discover your highest-clicked topics and build a full email sequence around them — in your voice, ready to go in KitThis is the kind of thing that used to require complex automations or hours of manual work. Now it's one conversation.
Transcribe →How to Change-Proof Your Business Before the Next Algorithm Update Hits
1w ago00:07:49Tap to summarizeGoogle just changed search again. YouTube is rolling out "Ask YouTube." And if history tells us anything — this won't be the last time.The only thing we know for certain in social media and digital marketing is change. The question isn't whether things will shift — it's whether your business is built to handle it when they do.In this episode of the Side Hustle Suitcase, I'm breaking down two things every creator and side hustler needs to do right now to change-proof their business:✅ Diversify your revenue streams — the right way (without chasing every shiny object) ✅ Build your email list — the one asset no algorithm can take from youI'll also share why I've been digging into digital products like ebooks and paid newsletters, and why owning what you sell is more important than ever.If you've been leaning too hard on Google traffic, YouTube views, or any single platform for your income — this episode is for you.🔗 Join the On The Way Community: Get real support from creators and entrepreneurs who are building alongside you. Honest feedback, shared knowledge, and steady progress — one step at a time. 👉 https://www.onthewaycommunity.com/
Transcribe →Don’t Get Hacked: How to Protect Your Facebook Page Before It’s Too Late
2w ago00:13:39Tap to summarizeAfter two friends lost their Facebook pages to phishing scams in the same week, I knew we had to talk about it. These scams are getting more convincing, especially the fake Meta Business Suite “partner request” attacks that can look almost real.In this episode, I’ll walk through what the scam looks like, the red flags to watch for, why your personal profile is the master key to everything you own on Facebook, and the simple security steps you need to take right now.Because if your page, group, or audience disappears overnight, it’s not just annoying. It can put your whole side hustle or business at risk.
Transcribe →Customize Your Facebook Group Profile to Market Your Side Hustle
Apr 2100:07:15Tap to summarizeDid you know Facebook lets you set a completely different bio and cover photo for every single group you're a member of? Most people have no idea this feature even exists, I didn't until this week. In this episode of Side Hustle Suitcase, I break down how to turn your group profile into a targeted marketing tool that works around the clock without spamming, pitching, or breaking group rules. I'll share how I've used genuine participation, not self-promotiom, to land real clients from Facebook groups, and exactly how I'm now using customized profiles to quietly drive traffic to my offers in every community I'm part of. Simple, free, and effective. Let's unpack it.Let's Connectwww.paulgowder.com/levelup
Transcribe →How I Track Which Marketing Channel Is Actually Working (No GA4 Required)
Apr 1500:06:10Tap to summarizeAre you sharing links that look like they were generated by a robot? Long, ugly URLs are killing your click-through rates — and most people don't even realize it. In this episode of the Side Hustle Suitcase, I'm breaking down exactly how I use a free WordPress plugin called Pretty Links to fix that problem AND track which of my marketing channels is actually sending me traffic.In this episode you'll learn:What Pretty Links is and how it works on your own domainHow to turn any long, messy URL into something short, clean, and memorableHow to use multiple Pretty Links for the same destination to track Facebook, your podcast, live video, and more — without touching GA4The "poor man's UTM tracking" method that takes minutes to set upThis is the exact strategy I used on my site powwows.com — instead of sending people to a complicated landing page URL, I send them to powwows.com/powwows-near-me. Easy to say, easy to remember, easy to type.🔗 Grab Pretty Links + all my recommended tools: 👉 paulgowder.com/recommended-tools📧 Want to know how I grew my email list to over 100,000 subscribers? 👉 paulgowder.com/emailtools
Transcribe →The Kit Feature Nobody Talks About That Saves Me Hours
Mar 2500:09:05Tap to summarizeWhat if your welcome sequence could always mention your latest podcast episode, newest YouTube video, or this week’s offer... without you constantly going back in to edit it?In this episode of Side Hustle Suitcase, I’m breaking down how I use snippets in Kit to keep my email sequences fresh, relevant, and current, even when those automations were written months ago.I’ll show you:what snippets arehow to create them in Kithow to use them in broadcasts and sequencesthe strategy I’m using to inject timely content into evergreen emailsThis has been a game changer for me because it saves time and makes automations feel a whole lot more alive.If you use email marketing, welcome sequences, or automations, this is a feature worth paying attention to.Check out Kit here: paulgowder.com/kit
Transcribe →Someone Saved My Emails for 20 Years. Here’s Why That Matters
Mar 1800:09:43Tap to summarizeNot everyone in your community is loud. Some of the most loyal people you have may never comment, never reply, and never join your paid group, but they still feel connected to you through your emails. In this episode, I talk about the hidden power of those quiet readers, why they matter more than you think, and how to write emails that feel more like relationship-building and less like just another marketing message.Join our community - www.onthewaycommunity.com
Transcribe →Removing 10,000 Subscribers Improved My Email Marketing
Mar 1000:10:16Tap to summarizeWhat would you do if you logged in and saw that more than 10,000 people had unsubscribed from your newsletter?Most people would panic.In this episode of Side Hustle Suitcase, I’m sharing why that kind of email list cleanup can actually be one of the smartest things you do for your business.I break down two simple email marketing changes that can make a big difference in your opens, engagement, deliverability, and subscriber relationships.First, I talk about how adding personalization back into my emails led to more replies and stronger engagement. Then I show why pruning inactive subscribers is not something to fear, but something that can help your list perform better and even lower your email platform costs.I’ll also show how easy it is to set this up inside Kit, including using automation to identify cold subscribers, send re-engagement emails, and automatically remove people who are no longer opening.Build your newsletter on Kitpaulgowder.com/kitEcamm - ecamm.com/powwowsWant help building a strategy like this? Join the community: www.onthewaycommunity.com I'm an affiliate with Kit and Ecamm.
Transcribe →SEO Changed: Short-Form Video Is the Fastest Way to Get Indexed
Mar 300:07:23Tap to summarizeSEO has changed, and if you’re only thinking “blog posts,” you’re missing one of the fastest ways to get discovered right now: short-form video.In this episode of Side Hustle Suitcase, I’ll show you how search behavior is shifting, why Google is indexing video insanely fast, and how you can use a simple “b-roll + voiceover” format to get your content found quicker.I share two real examples:A test live stream from the Last Bear Moon Powwow that showed up in Google search results within minutesA short-form video about the 2026 Powwow Calendar that now appears when people search “2026 powwow calendar”The takeaway: take your pillar content (the topics you want to be known for) and turn it into strategic short-form videos that are easy for both people and search engines to understand.Want help building a strategy like this? Join the community: www.onthewaycommunity.comWant a step-by-step system to create content fast? Join the challenge: paulgowder.com/facebookchallenge (26 pieces of Facebook content in 10 days, delivered by email)If this helped, subscribe for more practical tips on content, community, and growth.My Studio SetupSony A6300 camera - https://amzn.to/4tSIwrl Sigma 16mm f/1.4 lens - https://amzn.to/3OvPuTe Elgato Cam Link - https://amzn.to/4azfHJ7 Ecamm Live - https://ecamm.com/powwows Shure SM7B mic - https://amzn.to/478uZ5c Stream Deck - https://amzn.to/46qcVU4 Elgato Key Light - https://amzn.to/3N1Yfnt Elgato Key Light Air - (Now called Neo) - https://amzn.to/3ZULxda VariPole - https://amzn.to/4ruoUIA
Transcribe →My Desktop Studio Setup for YouTube, Podcasts & Live Streaming
Feb 2500:06:39Tap to summarizeWant a better home studio setup for YouTube, podcasting, or live streaming?In this episode of The Side Hustle Suitcase, I break down my desktop studio setup and show you how I create a clean, professional look with:Sony A6300 camera - https://amzn.to/4tSIwrlSigma 16mm f/1.4 lens - https://amzn.to/3OvPuTeElgato Cam Link - https://amzn.to/4azfHJ7Ecamm Live - https://ecamm.com/powwowsShure SM7B mic - https://amzn.to/478uZ5cStream Deck - https://amzn.to/46qcVU4Elgato Key Light - https://amzn.to/3N1YfntElgato Key Light Air - (Now called Neo) - https://amzn.to/3ZULxdaVariPole - https://amzn.to/4ruoUIAI’ll also share a few tips on building your setup over time so you do not feel like you have to buy everything at once.Check the links below for all the gear and tools I mentioned (affiliate links).
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