The most unique summer side hustle

GM. This is Work "After" Work, the newsletter sprinkled with enough witty banter to make even the most serious corporate drones crack a smile.

Happy Hump Day!

Let’s jump in:

• 🎪 Party tent rentals

• 😂 Meme of the day

SUMMERTIME IS HERE

It’s officially summer, and you know that only means one thing - parties every other week… or every week 😏

You have graduation parties, weddings, backyard barbeques, baby showers, pool parties, and the list goes on.

Here’s the thing: Ever since the pandemic, pretty much everyone has been itching to host things. But the issue is all the banquet halls, park districts, and community centers are booked for the summer so people are forced to host the parties at their homes or backyards.

That’s where you can come in - the tent rental guru.

When you look at Google Trends it’s clear this business kills it every summer.

Now what does everyone hate doing?
Other than their taxes… sitting outside under the sun all day. It’s uncomfortable, not to mention dangerous!

Plus, considering how much effort goes into putting a tent together… no one wants to do it. I’m talking about those big ones:

You will be the person they pay for not only the tent rental but the set up as well.

All you need to get started is well, a big ass tent. Amazon has perfect ones for around $1,100.

If you’re looking for cheaper options, you can find great used ones on Facebook marketplace.

This might sound like a lot for a tent. That’s because it is.

But it makes sense once I tell you how much you can charge:

Usually these large tents rent for $500+ /day. And to be honest, that’s still way cheaper than someone booking a hall or party center. Some places charge up to $3k/day for tent rentals but that also comes with tables and chairs so decide how much you want to offer.

Setting up chairs and tables isn’t that hard so I’d consider it since the pay way outweighs the workload.

You can even charge an extra delivery fee if it’s a far drive for you or a lighting fee for nighttime vibes.

Now, you might be thinking “Why would someone pay $500 for a tent rental?” and the answer is because:

#1 It’s cheaper than they would pay if they bought it themselves

#2 They don’t want to do it and have peace of mind since you’re setting it up

It’s a win-win.

Getting customers will be the hardest part

There is competition in the space just google “tent rental”. This doesn’t mean you can’t dominate your local area.

Here are 4 ways to get leads:

1. Facebook Marketplace

List your service on Facebook marketplace and local groups — trust me; you’ll get inquiries. And because it’s a service-based business, people will refer you to others if you do a good job.

This business is super in demand during the summer, so you might honestly be booked every single day. And you can make a lot of money doing it.

You can also provide additional services like chairs or flooring so it's not on the grass.

If you crush it and are booked every day, hire an hourly employee to help out. Teach them how to set up the event and take the workload off.

2. Get on NextDoor

Never heard of Nextdoor? It’s essentially the neighborhood group chat.

Everything from the best dentists in the area to eggs being too expensive now at the store are the usual topics of conversation.

Download the app, and join your area. Let people know you provide tent rentals for any parties people have coming up and send them this picture to get them excited. You can make it look like this once you’ve secured a $500 client.

3. Socials

Don’t sleep on platforms like TikTok or Instagram. They can put your business right in the face of people you’re looking to serve.

#tentrental currently has more than 4M views on TikTok, so it’s pretty obvious people are interested in this service.

• Create an IG and TikTok account for your business

• Upload high-quality photos and videos of your tent

• Engage with potential customers by posting helpful tips, event inspiration, and promotions

Pro-tip: Run FB & IG ads that target clients in your area. I bet not many competitors are.

When you go in you can target based on the radius of your location:

Include the beautiful picture from earlier in your ad and get customers excited!

4. Build a website

This doesn’t have to be anything crazy. Two buttons are all you need: book now & contact.

You just need somewhere customers can easily book a tent rental without having to call like it’s 1960 again.

If you have no idea how to do any of these things, you can hire freelancers from Upwork or Fiverr to help you out for cheap. Just request “a professional elegant website with two tabs: book now and contact.” Include a few nice photos and you’re good.

You can also use Squarespace, Wix, or WordPress if you’re somewhat savvy and build it yourself.

Now let’s do some quick math:

Whip out those notepads, class is now in session.

To show you how big this can get let’s break it down on a per-client basis.

You paid for the tent so you’re automatically down ~$1,000 (don’t buy one until you secure a client!).

Two $500 clients break you even. 5 clients net you $1,500 and 10 clients net you $4,000. You’re telling me you can’t find 5 people who are throwing parties this summer? C’mon now!

You provide the tents and pretty soon you’ll be jumping into a pool of money at those pool parties 😎

MEME OF THE DAY

😂😂

That's all I got for ya today folks!!

DISCLAIMER: None of this is financial advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. Please be careful and do your own research.