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Featured Side Hustler: Nobles Crawford
Twitter // Instagram // LinkedIn
Side Hustle: PeepsOut (Twitter // Instagram)
How did you know it was “safe” to leave your full time job, and how did you prepare?
Rational planning and patience. Patience. Patience.
We also received a half-seed of investment. After having a very thorough conversation with our wives over the course of years, we all knew it was time to focus on growing PeepsOut. It should never be a unilateral decision.
Tell us about your hustle:
PeepsOut is a livestream technology company, with a focus on marketing services for bars/restaurants. For venues, PeepsOut is a way to showcase their venue through livestreaming in an effort to appeal to new, larger audiences while maintaining a relationship with their “regular” patrons. For users, PeepsOut’s livestream mobile app allows people to “know-before-they-go” to a venue or area of town.
What motivated you to start it?
Location based check-in services did not give a full picture of what was going on at a venue at a particular time. Additionally, my business partner and I were tired of being held back and discouraged by people who claimed to be innovators, but were clearly your average box-thinkers.
While building your side hustle, who has helped/supported you the most?
My business partner and best friend.
Who is your biggest side hustle role model?
For me, my parents. Both received their masters and doctorates while working and having me.
How much time on average do you spend on your side hustle per week?
When I was working, about 20 hours a week was dedicated to PeepsOut.
What was the biggest element holding you back from starting and how did you overcome it?
Start-up money. We found a perfect rich guy to invest in us.
What is an example of a time you hit a rough patch? How did you handle the situation?
Honestly, rough patches happen every day before striking out on your own and every day after. We stay vigilant, focused and confident in what we have to offer people. If our idea/business was not so strong, it may have been tougher to do this.
What has been the biggest benefit of having a side project?
The best benefit to having a solid side hustle is knowing that one day you’ll be able to live the life, that people can’t. Because you lived the life that people won’t.
What are your favorite apps/books/productivity hacks?
My favorite book is Sun Tzu’s “Art of War”. Which leads into my favorite productivity hack – think fast and prepare. Bend with adversity, strike the mark with solid and confident resolve.
For someone starting out, what is your biggest piece of advice?
Be patient. Know when the right time to “go” is – and bring your army (the right people to envelope yourself with) with you.
One more: Ideas are only ideas. If you have an idea, DO IT! Don’t wait until someone else figures it out. Everyone else does that.
Anything else you’d like to share?
Crush life. Stand by your decisions – and make them with decisiveness. If anyone wants to hate, guaranteed they had no dog in the fight anyway. Nothing wastes time more than someone with only ideas that doesn’t know how to do.
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