Do as Bruce Lee says and “take what is useful and discard what is not”.
Once a hustler, always a hustler
Do you remember that kid in high-school who went around at lunch time with a backpack full of crisps and drinks. Well my school had around 10 groups of kids doing that. I decided that if I wanted to stand out I would take a bigger risk. I started buying DVD’s of the latest movies at a good deal from a slightly shady person on Kilburn high road. I had tested the product myself (movie nights in) and made a deal with the “supplier” that if the copy was bad I could switch it (manufacturer guarantee lol”).
As I grew older, I’d like to believe that I grew slightly wiser and came to the conclusion that it was not a viable business to pursue and that I really enjoyed making money in the confines of the law. That business lasted until I was in year 7 of secondary school (12 years of age for my American readers).
As the cost of living grew quicker than any time in history, I quickly found that I needed to pick up a few things on the side. With my new job at the police (working 72 stretches and night shifts), I found that I had limited time to learn a new skill that would pay me the “big” bucks. My previous post “hobbies that pay the big bucks” had great feedback I will be listing a few more things that I found took the least amount of time to set up and gave the highest return.
Sweet Tooth
Candy Cart - Dry hire
I don’t know if you have been to a religious Muslim wedding before and although they are beautiful, they only really consist of food and the part where the couple gets married, similar to a civil ceremony or church ceremony (as seen on TV), aka no dance party. Growing up as the fat kid taught me to always look for food where ever I go and one wedding (many moons ago), my partner pointed out a Candy Cart in the corner for all the guests. I thought this was amazing and only thought to get one for our next event.
Mrs Cheat Codes was the brains behind this particular side hustle, she looked online and found on ebay there were many people building these Candy Carts and you only really needed to paint it the colour of your choice for it to be “event ready”. The cart itself was surprisingly easy to take apart and put together, making it able to fit in most cars.
Numbers
The cost of the Candy Cart was approximately £200 inc delivery, the paint was approximately £20. So all in all £220.
The average booking for a dry hire was £50 (cheapest on the market) and delivery and set up was £25 (depending on the distance). Meaning that we would only need to supply it to 3 events to recoup our investment. As it is not a perishable item, and as long as we looked after it, we could essentially keep it for years and years (As well as have it for our events).
Time commitment
It usually took 2.5 hours in total for each booking broken down as follows:
30min drive to venue
15min set up
30min drive home
30min drive back to venue (many many hours later)
15min pack up
30min drive home
Extra profit
A few years later and many events later Mrs Cheat codes and I had decided to move countries and found that we needed to get rid of the Candy Cart, so we put it up for sale for £200 and found a buyer but our friend wanted it so we gave it to them for less instead (some relationships are worth more than a quick buck).
Cons
I found out the hard way that wood expands when exposed to humidity and water. So one winter when a booking was made for the cart, I had taken it out of the shed and put it in the car and drove it to the venue. Once at the venue I found that the usually easy to place legs were too big for the hole they went in. . . I started to panic. 15min of hammering later and they finally fit - crises averted but made a mental note to shave it ever so slightly in winter time and repaint it for summer.
If you want to rent the candy cart let me know and I will put you in touch with my friend - who also makes Instagram worthy cakes
This doesn’t just work with a candy cart, it extends to so many options! A few to consider might be a bouncy castle or marquee with extra options such as adding a projector for movie nights. These are both things the Mrs and I have looked at renting. Want to go simpler? Table and chairs! Anymore ideas add them in the comment box.
The events industry as a business adds £84 billion annually to the UK economy. Now imagine tapping into that in the easiest way possible.
Click here to read the previous edition “Hobbies that pay the big bucks”
Brilliant read!