Welcome to Side Usal School. My name is Chris Gillibot. Hope you're doing okay out there wherever you are in the world.

Don't forget you're not alone. There are all kinds of people out there just trying to figure out life, trying to figure out what's next and so on.

No matter what else is happening in the world they want to invest in themselves. That's what our community is all about.

So today's story, when an abbot baseball fan and player spots the subscription box trend, he steps up to the plate and hits it out of the park.

Okay, I know that metaphor was a little bit obvious, but anything else would have been a bit of a seventh inning stretch.

Okay, at the end of the episode I'll give you the three factors of a successful subscription box.

Lots to take away from this, especially if you're interested in physical products serving a niche base building something consistently over time.

Because that is in fact one of those critical characteristics. All right, we'll talk about it. Grand slam subscription box. That story is coming right up.

When Josh Bande was a kid, he set himself the goal of playing professional baseball.

He believed in betting against the odds, but he also knew the chances of getting into the major leagues were pretty low.

There are thousands of hopefuls who want to make it and only a select few who can grace the dugout of Yankee Stadium or Fenway Park.

So Josh figured he needed a backup plan and selling products online seemed to fit like a glove.

I mean, I know it's obvious, but what else is it going to fit like? It's a glove.

Back in 2015, the subscription box craze was taking off. These are those boxes where you pay a monthly fee and an exchange receive a bunch of swag and products.

That fad started with cosmetics, but Josh noticed it spreading to other niches as well.

He began to wonder why wasn't there a subscription box for baseball lovers like him?

Naturally, he decided that since there wasn't one, he could be the guy to step up to the plate and make it happen.

In the art he had the perfect name, plate crate, a monthly box of baseball gear and greatness.

He set aside $2,000 with the goal of making this dream a reality. In fact, he was so committed to hitting a grand slam that he was willing to go all in from the beginning, which to be clear is not our normal procedure or recommendation.

But Josh didn't want a regular day job because he felt that would conflict with the hours he hoped to dedicate to his hustle.

So instead, he picked up a series of odd jobs over the coming months, pouring concrete, shoveling snow and personal training.

He worked here regular hours, early in the morning or late at night, whenever he could. That way he would devote regular business hours to his new venture.

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