Podcast Summary: The Side Hustle Show | Episode 699 Title: Creative Side Hustles That Make Real Money — Part 8
Host: Nick Loper
Guest: Blake Hutchinson (CEO of Flippa.com)
Date: October 2, 2025

Episode Overview

This eighth installment of the "Creative Side Hustles" series delivers a fresh batch of inventive, actionable ways to earn extra income. Host Nick Loper welcomes Blake Hutchinson, CEO of Flippa.com, to share their favorite recent examples of side hustles, many of which originated from younger entrepreneurs and leverage the power of platforms like Amazon, YouTube, and newsletters. The duo uncovers the strategies, challenges, and opportunities behind each idea, with a focus on creativity, scalability, and building communities or recurring revenue streams.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. 3D Printed Croc Charms — "Soulfully" by Michael Satterley [01:37–04:27]

• Description: 17-year-old Michael Satterley sells custom 3D printed Croc charms with creative, eye-catching designs on platforms like TikTok Shop and Instagram.
• Business Highlights:
  • On track for $300,000 annual revenue
  • Product costs: ~25¢ in filament per charm; sale price $10–$16
  • Massive margins due to low production costs
  • Over 109,000 Instagram followers and 390+ five-star reviews
  • Sales primarily driven by TikTok and Instagram, high impulse-buy appeal

Quote:
"He's clearly a very creative guy because he's got a really large number of designs...109,000 followers, which is actually, well, very impressive." — Blake Hutchinson [03:40]

Takeaway:
Creativity plus effective social media marketing can turn niche products into viral successes with minimal upfront investment.

2. Amazon Kindle Self-Publishing — Outdoor & RV Guides [04:31–09:41]

• Description: An anonymous entrepreneur creates a portfolio of 12 Kindle books on topics like RVs, national parks, and outdoor adventures, netting $4,000 in monthly profit.
• Key Strategies:
  • Multi-title approach for steady, diversified revenue
  • Targeting evergreen and annually refreshed topics
  • Potential content production via self-writing, ghostwriters, or AI
  • Leveraging Amazon's built-in search engine and customer base

Quote:
"If you've got a passion for something, you can publish a book and then you work the Amazon ecosystem much like you would a search engine." — Blake Hutchinson [04:31]

Insight:
Tapping into platforms with active customer bases (e.g., Amazon, Substack, Etsy) can fast-track exposure and sales for solo creators.

3. Creative Service Packaging — "The User is Drunk" Website Audits [10:29–13:14]

• Description: A creative twist on website usability audits—offered by a "drunk" reviewer to highlight navigation simplicity. Achieved viral status and commanded far higher rates than traditional audits.
• Takeaway:
  Uniquely positioning an ordinary service can boost pricing power and virality.

Quote:
"Maybe that's the takeaway...what is a service that already exists that I could put a unique spin on?" — Nick Loper [12:18]

4. "Faceless" YouTube Channels — Latest Hoops [16:17–20:49]

• Description: "Latest Hoops" curates NBA/hoops content by compiling and editing existing video clips into new packages — without ever showing the creator.
• Business Model:
  • Rides trends by studying viral content and producing in-demand topics
  • Low overhead by utilizing existing footage and AI for scripting or editing
  • Social Blade estimates up to $40k/year in ad revenue
  • Channels like these can be sold as digital assets

Quote:
"If you are able to produce content...you can find that in short order you can amass a community of followers, and then start to earn income from the YouTube ad engine." — Blake Hutchinson [16:17]

Tip:
Constant content production and algorithm mastery are still required; competition is fierce, but viral hits can be lucrative.

5. Claw Machine Profit — Selling Plush Toys Won at Arcades [20:49–22:45]

• Description: An adept arcade player wins plush toys from claw machines, reselling them for profit.
• Revenue:
  • Average session costs: $150–$200; resale revenue: $300–$500 per session
  • Relies on both skill and the novelty/collectibility of certain toys

Quote:
"It could be that the reason he's selling them and having the success...is the story behind how he gets [the plush toys]." — Blake Hutchinson [21:54]

6. Newsletters & Curation Businesses [22:57–29:19]

• Examples:
  • "Remote Work Opportunities" on Beehive: Curated tips and job links for digital nomads, monetized through ads and affiliates, consider hiring writers to scale
  • "Local Newsletters": Daily local updates, sold for up to $500k; legacy of Daily Candy selling to Comcast for $125M

Quote:
"Between YouTube channels, KDP and newsletters, they are three fast growing categories generally in the world, but also for Flippa." — Blake Hutchinson [25:10]

Idea:
AI-powered curation tools could automate the discovery and summarization of trending side hustle ideas or news for such newsletters.

7. E-Commerce Innovations — "Nude Socks" [32:49–37:13]

• Description: Young entrepreneur builds nudesocks.com, offering skin-toned socks; on track for seven figures, partnership with QVC drives massive sales.
• Startup Details:
  • Founded with $10k at age 18
  • No outside funding, steadily bootstrapped through reinvested profits
  • E-commerce (especially DTC/Shopify) seen as resilient and in high demand by buyers on Flippa

Insight:
Physical e-commerce, especially with creative branding and diversified distribution, is currently more defensible than SaaS/content, given AI disruption concerns.

8. Hidden Gaming Portal — Geometry Spot [37:24–41:57]

• Description: A 16-year-old creates geometryspot.com, disguising a games portal as an educational site, now generating $50k/month from 5M monthly page views.
• Strategies:
  • Engagement driven by virality, school word-of-mouth, and direct/organic search
  • Listens to user feedback to pivot product and features
  • Monetized successfully via display ads

Memorable Story:
"I was in class and some kid was on my website...I'm like, oh my God, you're on geometry spot. And my geometry teacher looked up and he says I made that one. And my geometry teacher said so you write stuff about geometry? And he said no, it's a gaming website. And she started laughing." — Blake [40:56]

9. Subscription Boxes — Consecrate [42:42–44:05]

• Description: Monthly subscription box for ministry professionals, ~500 subscribers at ~$30–$50/month, curated niche service for a specific demographic.
• Industry Note: Platforms like Cratejoy make launching curated subscription products straightforward.

10. Mobile Sauna Rental — Bywater Sauna [44:05–46:54]

• Description: Rentable mobile sauna parked at Seattle-area beaches; Kickstarter-funded, customers book hot-cold session cycles for $35–$40/hour.
• Expansion Ideas:
  • Partner with wellness studios, yoga centers, or Airbnb hosts
  • Pop-up events to test markets before expanding locations

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Tapping Existing Platforms for Speed:
  "Tapping into an existing platform that has a large community is a really good way to fast track access to a customer base." — Blake Hutchinson [09:41]
• On Building Sellable Side Hustles:
  "Sometimes it's hard to come up with the idea. So you can actually just buy a side hustle, actually skip the idea and the zero to one phase." — Blake, on Flippa's acquisition marketplace [48:17]
• On Content Longevity:
  "There's something to self publishing or publishing in general, where a book can have a really long shelf life." — Nick Loper [07:04]
• On Entrepreneurship at Any Age:
  "Everything from Jerry, the 16 year old founder, from Geometry Spot all the way through to...we recently sold a YouTube channel for a 75 year old retiree." — Blake Hutchinson [47:29]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 3D Printed Croc Charms: 01:37–04:27
• Kindle Book Publishing: 04:31–09:41
• Viral Website Audits ("User is Drunk"): 10:29–13:14
• Faceless YouTube Channel: 16:17–20:49
• Claw Machine Resale: 20:49–22:45
• Newsletter Businesses: 22:57–29:19
• E-Commerce ("Nude Socks"): 32:49–37:13
• Geometry Spot Games Portal: 37:24–41:57
• Subscription Boxes (Ministry): 42:42–44:05
• Mobile Sauna Rentals: 44:05–46:54
• Wrap-up/Buy vs. Build Side Hustles: 47:25–49:21

Conclusion

Nick and Blake offer a packed list of creative, legitimate, and scalable side hustle ideas, with each example displaying how resourcefulness, clever positioning, platform leverage, and community building can turn simple concepts into serious income streams. Whether starting from scratch or buying an existing business, the episode provides valuable inspiration and actionable ideas for both novice and experienced side hustlers.

Listen to discover which of these offbeat side hustles might spark your next venture!

Links Mentioned:

• Flippa.com
• Nude Socks
• Geometry Spot
• Cratejoy Subscription Boxes
• Soulfully Croc Charms (Satterley’s business)

Host shout-out: "Thank you so much for tuning in. Until next time, let's go out there and make something happen—and I'll catch you in the next edition of The Side Hustle Show. Hustle on!"