Ben Feys and Kevin Niehoff had a problem.

As young professionals working busy day jobs, they struggled with skincare issues like acne and eczema but couldn’t find products that worked for them.

Rather than accept their fate, these best friends decided to take matters into their own hands. They dreamed of creating the “Nike of skincare” — a brand built specifically for active males like themselves.

In 2019, Ben and Kevin finally decided to scratch their entrepreneurial itch and turn this passion project into a side hustle reality.

Little did they know their bootstrapped men’s skincare line YoPrettyBoy.com would be on track to generate over $1 million in annual revenue just a few years later.

Tune into Episode 581 of The Side Hustle Show to learn:

How Kevin and Ben validated the market opportunity for PrettyBoy
The extensive research and preparations that went into formulating and launching their products
Clever branding and positioning strategies to stand out in a crowded market
Traction tactics to efficiently acquire customers and drive repeat sales
Key operational areas like manufacturing, fulfillment, and inventory management

Finding the Idea and Early Inspiration

The skincare market already had countless products from huge brands. So what made Kevin and Ben think they could compete?

As Kevin explains, “Ben and I have been going to dermatologists for over 10 years. We’ve been using products that haven’t really been what we really wanted out of skincare.”

Both founders had struggled with skincare issues since their teenage years. They had tried products from the biggest brands out there but never found something that fully met their needs and preferences as male consumers.

Ben added, “When I was younger I had kind of the acne-prone skin breakouts [and] was super self conscious about it.”

This inspired them to consider — what if they could develop a skincare line fully optimized for how men want to take care of their skin?

Extensive Pre-Launch Market Research

Ben and Kevin knew that launching a skincare brand in an already crowded market wouldn’t be easy.

“There are dozens of skincare products out there, including some from huge brands,” says Ben. “We asked ourselves, what’s going through your head? Can we really compete with the big guys?”

Rather than get discouraged, the duo leaned into the competition. As former athletes, Ben and Kevin have a competitive drive baked into their DNA.

“Innovation is best fostered through competition,” says Ben. “We knew if we could be unique enough and solve key pain points, we could break into the market.”

To find those pain points, Ben and Kevin went straight to the source: hundreds of potential male customers. Their 30-question survey uncovered some clear preferences:

Simplicity – Men wanted streamlined routines with fewer products.
Performance – Their top concern was products that actually work.
Texture – Heavy creams and greasy formulas were dealbreakers.

“So many brands were coming out with five-step routines or more,” says Kevin. “But the data showed most guys don’t want to use more than three products.”

But they didn’t stop there. To build credibility, they had dermatologists evaluate the ingredients list for their product versus competitors. As Ben shares, “We did clinical surveys where we were asking hundreds of dermatologists to rank our ingredient list against name brand competitors.”

They also estimated the total addressable market (TAM) for men’s skincare products to be massive.

Armed with these insights, Ben and Kevin finally felt confident they could compete in skincare—with the right branding and positioning.

Finding the Right Manufacturer

Turning survey feedback into an actual product still posed challenges. Kevin admits, “We didn’t know what the hell we were doing early on. We were using Google. We were calling manufacturers, just trying to get on the phone, calling people in China. And it was pretty stressful.”

After months of calls and dead ends, they finally connected with a US-based contract manufacturer via a networking connection (Kevin’s girlfriend).

This manufacturer had experience developing products for major brands and could handle sourcing ingredients, formulating products, compliance testing, and production.

The minimum order was daunting at 10,000 units and nearly $70,000. But Kevin and Ben saw it as go big or go home.

As Kevin explained, “If we’re going all in on this, it’s got to work and it’s going to work.”

Developing the Brand Identity

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With the product development underway, Kevin and Ben turned their focus to branding. They wanted to create an identity that would stand out in a sea of clinical, masculine skincare brands.

As a former football player, Kevin wasn’t always flattered by the “pretty boy” moniker.

He explains, “Now we all work out, eat healthy, want to look our best, type of thing. And you said, am I the OG pretty boy in the earlier call? Like my football coach in high school used to call me a pretty boy for one. You wear the visor, the towel, look good, feel good, play good.”

But they decided to reclaim the term to reflect their positioning.

This mentality of embracing your appearance aligned well with their target demographic. And it allowed them to have fun building out the brand aesthetic across the website, packaging, and content.

Gaining Those First Sales and Initial Traction

In mid-2021, the first 10,000 unit production run arrived at Kevin and Ben’s doorstep. Now the real work began—selling to real customers.

Their initial sales came from friends, family, and early supporters who had provided feedback. But word of mouth alone wouldn’t scale the business.

For broader customer acquisition, Facebook ads were crucial. Kevin suggests simple video ads talking to the camera about the product. They aim for cost per purchase in the mid $20s based on the $70-80 customer lifetime value.

TikTok ads were another channel they tried but learned to focus ad spend on just one platform. As Kevin advises, “Don’t try to do too many things. Stick with one, become a master of it.”

Driving organic traffic through SEO blog content has been big too. Targeting informative keywords can attract potential customers.

Lead generation tactics like offering 15% off in exchange for an email also helped capture interested website visitors.

Podcasts like Andrew Faris’ e-commerce show provided guidance on strategies to drive sales.

With a solid product and savvy marketing, PrettyBoy gained traction beyond just friends and family.

Their sales funnel and customer base expanded steadily.

Leveraging Tools and Technology

PrettyBoy leveraged various tools and technologies to streamline operations:

3PL: They upgraded to a 3rd party logistics provider for $3-3.50 per order. This freed up time for higher-level tasks.
UGC: User-generated content was more affordable than influencers.
Facebook Ads Library: Researching other top brands’ ads provided inspiration for their own ad creative.
ChatGPT – An AI that writes SEO-optimized articles that attract and inform potential customers.
Shopify – They offer a subscription option on their Shopify store. Around 60% of monthly sales now come from subscribers.
Amazon – Most product searches now begin on Amazon, which provides incredible visibility.

A Day in Their Life and Lessons Learned

During the early days, Kevin and Ben handled everything from packing orders to customer service. This gave them a hands-on understanding of the business.

Inventory management and cash flow projections were challenges they improved over time through financial modeling and forecasting. Managing an external 3PL partner also brought new lessons.

But overall, staying lean and reinvesting revenue served them well in scaling up efficiently.

What’s Next?

With strong momentum, the PrettyBoy team is excited about the future. They aim to continue exceeding sales targets through strategies like expanded Amazon distribution.

Crossing $1 million in annual revenue is within reach. And they’re getting close to being able to pursue the business full-time.

There’s still plenty of room to grow by optimizing digital marketing and expanding globally in the years ahead.

Key Takeaways for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

Kevin and Ben’s success building PrettyBoy as a side hustle offers inspirational lessons for other aspiring entrepreneurs:

Do your homework through extensive market research before and after launch.
Reinvest revenue to aggressively grow instead of taking profits too early.
Think big about the total addressable market and your potential niche.

Kevin and Ben’s #1 Side Hustle Tips

Kevin: “Get a co-founder, stay lean.”
Ben: “Be customer-obsessed, get 1% better every day.”

Links and Resources from this Episode

Ben Feys
Kevin Niehoff
YoPrettyBoy
Andrew Faris’ e-commerce show
ChatGPT
Shopify
Amazon

Looking for More Side Hustle Help?

Start Your Free $500 Challenge. My free 5-day email course shows you how to add $500 to your bottom line.
Join the free Side Hustle Nation Community. The free Facebook group is the best place to connect with other side hustlers and get your questions answered.
Download The Side Hustle Show. My free podcast shares how to make extra money with actionable weekly episodes.

What are the best side hustles for firefighters?

Given their unique schedule, just about every firefighter I’ve met has had at least one side hustle!

In this post, I’ll share my top side hustles for firefighters based on:

My 15+ years of side hustle experience
Conversations with real firefighters
Schedule flexibility and earning power

According to Career Explorer, firefighters earn an average of $78,000 a year — but have lots of downtime to pursue other money-making ventures. Here are my top picks. 

Ready? Let’s do it!

1. Hotshot Crew Firefighting

Any fireman will tell you, the fastest way to make more money is to pick up extra shifts. Demand is highest during wildfire season.

Of course, this is super dangerous work, but for many firefighters, the pay makes it worthwhile. “Hotshot” crew members receive hazard pay and overtime on top of their regular wages.

However, it may be difficult to get time off from your regular duties to join a hotshot crew.

2. Resell Furniture Returns

Reselling furniture returns is a unique low-risk side hustle.

How it works is you join Sharetown as a local “reverse logistics” rep. Sharetown partners with direct-to-consumer mattress and furniture brands to handle their return requests.

When customers decide they don’t want to keep the item, you’ll get dispatched to go pick it up. After that, you’ll:

clean it up
photograph it
list it for resale on sites like Facebook Marketplace

The Sharetown reps I’ve connected with target $150-250 per flip — and, importantly — you don’t have to pay Sharetown for the inventory until the item sells.

Check out my full Sharetown review to learn more.

3. Handyperson Service

If you’re handy and like to fix things, why not start a handyman business?

This may be a stereotypical blue collar business idea, but if you already have the tools needed for projects around the house, your start-up costs will be quite low.

Using apps such as TaskRabbit, Thumbtack, and NextDoor can help connect you will people in your area who need work done.

An app such as TaskRabbit, allows you to set your own rates plus take payment through the app, which will make getting paid easy.

4. Construction

Another common firefighter side hustle is to work construction when you’re off duty. This is physical, manual labor, and might involve:

framing houses
drywall
carpentry
installing cabinets or appliances
tile setting
and more

Typical hourly rates range from $20-40/hr, depending on your location and experience.

5. Real Estate Investing

Real estate investing is one of the oldest and most popular side hustles in the books … but houses are expensive!

Thankfully, new platforms like Arrived make it easy to invest in income-generating properties—with as little as $100.

The company pools money to buy rental properties, manages them, and then distributes the cash flow every month.

I also liked Austin Miller’s creative approach to building his rental portfolio, which was up to 17 properties worth $1.2 million when we spoke.

The kicker? They were all acquired “free”—without any of his own money.

6. Window Washing

Window-washing is another great low-cost side hustle.

Window cleaning can be done on your own timeline and can be done on both residential and commercial properties.

There are a couple of different ways you can charge: by pane, by the window, or by the hour. When I spoke with Johnny Robinson, co-founder of Orange Window Cleaning, he described flat-rate pricing of $15.75 per window.

For most providers, the hourly rate works out to be in the $40-$75 dollar range.

7. Fitness Coaching

As a firefighter, your physical fitness could literally be the difference between life and death. Since you know how to keep your body strong, others may pay for you to train them.

Side Hustle Nation has seen several examples of entrepreneurs building fitness businesses online, including:

Carey Adam, who created a running training program for moms
April Whitney, who created an online strength-training program for petite women 

8. Firefighter Career Coaching

Could you put your expertise to use helping others get started or advance their firefighting careers?

For example, Chief Dave Robertson started Fire Edge, an online career coaching service for current and aspiring firefighters.

His rates start at $100 an hour, and offers:

Resume and cover letter reviews
Interview prep and coaching
Mock interviews

9. Knife Sharpening

Firefighter Shane McKerchie started Shears by Shane, a shear-sharpening service as his side hustle. He specializes in beauty shears, grooming tools, and knives — all done in his spare time.

Similarly, Side Hustle Show guest Matt Rowell reported earning $30-$60 per hour with his knife sharpening business.

He taught himself how to do it, gathered the tools, and started getting clients.

10. Moving Service

Starting a moving business is a great way to help others, move your body, and get paid. Whether you want to help with big moves or small moves, if you’ve got a truck, you could be in business.

Using an app like Dolly or Bellhops, you can advertise your business and connect with people who need help with moving.

If you own a truck, you can earn up to $30 an hour. 

11. Build a Helpful Website

Write content on a topic you care about and build an audience in your niche. As you build out your library of helpful articles, you’ll pick up more traffic and revenue.

For example, Chris Petrie, a firefighter in the Phoenix, AZ area, runs a personal finance site called MoneyPeach.

Chris earns money from affiliate partnerships, ad revenue, and his own products and services.

Here are some inspiring examples from The Side Hustle Show archives:

Andrew earns 6-figures a year curating gift ideas
Scott earns 6-figures a year from his bird-watching website
Jodi earns $5k+ per month from her part-time blog for girl scout troop leaders
Katie earns $6k a month from her gray hair blog

Want to start a website of your own? Check out my free 6-part video course on how to start your own site.

12. Product Licensing

One of the best side hustles I’ve come across is becoming a modern-day inventor.

With product licensing, you sell your product ideas to large companies, who in turn pay you royalties for every sale they make from that idea. You don’t have to pay for manufacturing or marketing — and can take advantage of the huge distribution of existing brands.

For example, Nate Dallas earned $300,000 from Mattel after licensing them an idea for a Pictionary spin-off!

13. Pressure Washing

Firefighters are no strangers to spraying water around, which makes pressure washing a great side hustle to earn some extra cash.

Rates may range from $100-250 or more per house, which is pretty cool considering a high quality pressure washer may only cost $400.

This is one where you can breakeven and start turning a profit pretty quickly.

14. Freelance Writing

Freelance writing can be a great way to make money between shifts — or even during downtime at the station.

With millions of websites all competing for attention, freelance writing is a service that’s definitely in demand. (Even in the age of AI!)

Typical rates range from $50-250 per article, which you can research and write in your spare time.

Georgia Austin even turned her writing side hustle into a full-blown agency!

Here’s a great free resource to get started: 9 Ways to Make Money as a Writer

15. Delivery Gigs

Starting a delivery side hustle is easy and straightforward. In most cases, you’ll just need to:

Have reliable transportation (car, bike, electric scooter, etc.)
Be 18 or older
Complete a background check

Your earning power is typically in the $14-25 per hour range, and you can set your own schedule.

Here are a few delivery apps to consider:

Instacart – Pick up and deliver groceries around town. Check out our full Instacart shopper review for more.
DoorDash – Deliver takeout orders. For more, check out our full DoorDash review.
Uber Eats – Deliver takeout meals like my friend Jason, who reported earning $25-30 an hour.

The Best Firefighter Side Hustles: Your Turn

Of course, the best firefighter side hustle depends on your goals, interests, and the time you have to dedicate to it.

Most firefighters I connected with enjoyed their work and the camaraderie of their department. Plus, with a healthy pension and relatively early retirement on the table, most weren’t looking to quit their job.

Instead, they were looking for a side hustle that was fulfilling and profitable to do during their down time. 

Did any of these ideas stand out to you?

Looking for More Side Hustle Help?

Start Your Free $500 Challenge. My free 5-day email course shows you how to add $500 to your bottom line.
Join the free Side Hustle Nation Community. The free Facebook group is the best place to connect with other side hustlers and get your questions answered.
Download The Side Hustle Show. My free podcast shares how to make extra money with actionable weekly episodes.