Oh, hey, what's up? Chris Killibout here bringing you episode 2,263 of Side Usual School.

It is almost the I'd of March here in the year 2023. Of course, we make this podcast evergreen,

meaning that you can listen to it at any point and hopefully still gain something from it.

All about practical tips, case studies, stories, inspiration that leads to action. That's always my goal.

Inspiration that leads to action in the form of a money-making project.

Side Usual School. That's what we do. Okay. Today's episode is part of a feature we call your first

$1,000. It is in fact very descriptive. It's all about how somebody made their first $1,000.

And we started this series a while back because I have noticed once you begin to earn some real money,

the steps required to go to the next level, whether that is $2,000, $5,000, $10,000, $100,000, sometimes,

those steps are often easier than that first real paycheck. Okay. So, you know, what is the origin

of an idea? How does someone go, as I mentioned, from idea to income? And with that in mind,

today's feature comes from Elaine in Wayne County, Michigan. Elaine is an accountant for her day job

and works as an engagement photographer for her side us all. So let's hear this from Elaine.

How did she make her first $1,000? What did she learn along the way? And what might you do if you

want to do something similar? All right. Here is Elaine.

So I'm an accountant by day, but on the weekends, I moonlight as an engagement photographer in Michigan.

It all started when my sister asked me to take some picks at her wedding. I was nervous,

but I had a blast. And it turns out I was pretty good at it, too. People were raving about my photos,

and I even got a few requests for family picks. That's when I realized, hey, maybe I can turn

this into a side hustle. My first paid gig came from a friend of a friend who was getting married.

I was nervous and excited all at the same time. I remember thinking to myself, this is it,

this is my big chance to show what I can do. I showed up on the day of the engagement shoot,

...