Should I quit my job and become a striper?

And the anti-Black Friday deal you've all been waiting for  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ​[view in browser](=)​ ​ ​ Hello there, loyal reader. I know you read this not-so-little newsletter every single week and I just wanted to say that on this Thanksgiving Day, we're thankful for YOU. Now go get your gobble on, spend time with the fam, and let’s get into today's story. Today in 10 minutes or less, you’ll get: - How one Zillennial is making $20k+ each month just by painting lines on the pavement - How commercial services could be your ideal weekend side hustle - Why tech + boring biz’s = THOUSANDS in your pocket if you help them innovate - How to leverage a start-up budget and why brand new equipment isn’t always necessary --------------------------------------------------------------- But first: What’s the Deal with Anti-Black Friday? Maybe you've seen us triggering some people on [Twitter with our "anti-Black Friday" stance.]()​ If not, TLDR: Historically, Black Friday is designed to separate you from your hard-earned money, and spend it on liabilities – something that will not return you much monetary value (if any) in the future. Well, we're not about that. So we’re doing a lil somethin to help your money MAKE you more money with assets inside of our [premium membership](). We normally don’t do anything like this, but our goal for you is financial freedom. In light, we’re offering $250 off of our premium community, Cashflow. Simply use BLACKFRIDAY22 at checkout and you’ll get instant access to our private community with over 1,700 members, all of our passive income-generating playbooks, our vault, and weekly calls. ​[ We're only offering this through Monday, so click here for all the deets and we'll see ya inside. ]()​ --------------------------------------------------------------- TO STRIPE OR NOT TO STRIPE So, I met this kid on the internet He may be a Zillennial but don’t let his age fool you. [Jacob]() is bringing in a solid $20k+ a month from a side hustle that’s turned into his full-time gig. By doing what you ask? Painting lines on the pavement. Look at that sh*t-eating grin. ​[Photo source: Jacob Allen]()​ Okay, okay. There’s more to it than that. Have you ever stopped to wonder how you know where to park (and also how you know when that car next to you is being an a-hole)? It’s thanks to blue-collar people like Jacob. He works mostly in partnership with local commercial spaces as a paint striper. Also, no. You didn’t read that wrong. If you’re looking for strippers, please consult Craigslist and get your Contrarian mind out of the gutter. Sheesh. If you’re unfamiliar with this industry, join the club (we have snacks). Here’s how it works: - A commercial space gets built from the ground up - Asphalt and concrete are poured - An empty parking lot is born, but chaos, anarchy, and a little road rage commence until… - Someone draws some lines that tell you where to park This job was created by the powers-that-be who are responsible for constructing a new building or strip mall. They must have the lines drawn on the parking lot, but they don’t want to worry about such a small job. So, they subcontract out to smaller service providers. Big fish problems. What you get is a big pond that’s naturally created for smaller fish, aka a highly profitable biz or side hustle that’s ideal for a one-person show or a small team that doesn’t take a lot of bells and whistles to do well. (P.S. I call that boring-ly profitable.) ​[Twitter Source: Jacob Allen]()​ --------------------------------------------------------------- LET'S BREAK IT DOWN So, let’s do some simple math here Jacob is making $700 an hour doing a job that you don’t need a college degree for. He started this as a side hustle (it’s now his full-time gig), and so far, his numbers have looked like this: Two or more jobs a week depending on the season. Let’s call it: ~$3.5k in revenue a pop (2x a week) ~$500-750 for expenses (since he does the job himself, it’s largely gas and paint) ~$15-25k+ a month or more in your pocket Average monthly salary is about $6k/month so I’m loving those numbers. If it were us, we’d turn this into a business and employ others, but you do you. Oh, and another thing? Jacob started this biz from scratch. $0. No equipment Instead of spending a ton of capital upfront on things like a brand new fancy paint striper or a bunch of other tools he didn’t know he’d need, he started small. Like free.99 small. He had some friends in the parking lot maintenance industry and got their professional opinions on what equipment worked well. Then he did what any bootstrapping GenZer would do and hit up Facebook Marketplace. That’s when he found The King™, aka a striping machine that’d been through hell and back. Paint clogged the pipes, and it barely worked. Key word: barely. The previous owner listed the price as “free if willing to repair” (understatement of the year—this b*tch needed some major TLC), but Jacob had a vision. He said “no thanks” to the $10k price tag of a new machine and went secondhand. He sent the owner a message and a few hours later, the machine was his. After spending many (!!!) hours repairing this in his dad’s garage, it was good as new. If you’re not the handiest when it comes to machine repair or you can’t find a reliable reseller, you can also stick to the basics. All you need for this side hustle is a couple of paint rollers, an extension pole, and some painter’s tape. This side hustle—with a 77%+ profit margin and under $50 in start-up costs—could be yours after a quick trip to Home Depot for a few supplies. ​ Other reasons I love this business model - Boomers R Us— most of the current market is owned by people who are in their late 60s, early 70s, aka prime retirement age. Once these owners prep to exit, they’ll be ready to sell to the next generation. - Tech glow up = 1,000 steps ahead — ever walked into a small mom-and-pop business like this? You’ll probably notice that their ENTIRE ops department is run on ~ record scratch ~ a whiteboard. As in “hope you didn’t lean over and rub off our list of routes and jobs and who still owes us money this week”. There’s a lot of upleveling that could happen in this industry just by bringing them into the 21st century with a little tech (or even a Google doc). - Saved by the CRM — similar to above, but most of these businesses aren’t using a CRM tool. When it’s time to follow up with that job from two years ago to see if they’re ready for a fresh coat of paint? Yeah, you guessed it. They’ve written the date into their paper calendar. ​[Photo Source: Jacob Allen]()​ --------------------------------------------------------------- HOW I'D PLAY IT If this were me, here are a few things I’d keep an eye on - Rain and weather delays make this business model highly seasonal. For example, Jacob lives in Southern California and considers his biz “offline” during winter. Not the end of the world, just make sure you have a cash flow plan for the slower months and ramp your team up during the busy season to line your pockets. - Get your leads to 50%+ retention or referral by setting up a subscription option or referral program. Chances are that your customers are builders with LOADS of contacts who need exactly what you do. Give your future self the gift of MRR and an easy customer acquisition process. - Request full payment or a deposit upfront, especially if this becomes your full-time job or you want a little insurance for if/when you’re faced with a weather delay. No sense in feeling your purse strings tighten up just because it rained that day. It’s not the sexiest (again… STRIPER not stripper, geez. Spoiler: There apparently is [paint STRIPPING](=)) but it’s profitable. What do you think? Should I make a trip out to SoCal and try paint striping for myself? Never used a paint striper before, but it’s oddly therapeutic. Codie Written by Kendall Cherry and Codie Sanchez, Edited by Rananda Rich and the Contrarian Team PS - We're not going to hammer you with emails about our Anti-Black Friday deal. This is our only reminder! If you want in with 1,700 other Contrarians who are creating passive income streams with assets, not just spending on liabilities, save $250 by using BLACKFRIDAY22 at checkout. [See you in the group](). (Deal ends Monday.) --------------------------------------------------------------- CONTRARIAN FINDS F mainstream media, read this instead: Work Smarter, Not Harder 💰 You know that at Contrarian Thinking we believe strongly in being well informed. Well, our friend Litquidity is publishing a daily newsletter called [Exec Sum](=), which is an excellent resource for finance professionals and retail investors alike. Exec Sum curates the most relevant financial news spanning Wall Street to Silicon Valley daily to get you up to speed in under 5 minutes. Plus, it’s free! And with 200k+ subscribers reading it five days per week, it’s clear that Litquidity and Exec Sum are onto something. [Sign up here!](=)​ --------------------------------------------------------------- CONTRARIAN EXTRAS The Not So Boring Section: 🍻A dry cup: In the most recent development, [FIFA bans beer sales]( at the World Cup in Qatar this year amidst culture clashes. 🕊 Is Twitter about to fly into the big blue: Or can it become [financially viable](=) with all the right ticks? 🍽Don’t eat yourself into oblivion this Thanksgiving: No such thing as a free lunch [says Elon](=). --------------------------------------------------------------- What Did You Think of This Week's Newsletter? ​[💲💲💲💲💲F*cking Killer]()​ ​[💲💲💲Meh]()​ ​[💲Do Better]()​ --------------------------------------------------------------- ​Disclaimer – This is the “Be an adult” section. Everything mentioned above isn’t advice, just a recount of what I did. That said: This article is presented for informational purposes only. The opinions stated here are not intended to recommend any investment or provide tax advice. Neither are they an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to purchase an interest in any current or future investment vehicle managed or sponsored by Codie Ventures, LLC or its affiliates. All material presented in this newsletter is not to be regarded as investment advice, but for general informational purposes only. Day trading and investing do involve risk, so caution must always be utilized. We cannot guarantee profits or freedom from loss. You assume the entire cost and risk. You are solely responsible for making your own investment decisions. We recommend consulting with a registered investment advisor, broker-dealer, and/or financial advisor. If you choose to invest with or without seeking advice from such an advisor or entity, then any consequences resulting from your investments are your sole responsibility. 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