This as-told-to story is predicated on a dialog with GumGum Promoting CEO Phil Schraeder, who’s had a profitable aspect hustle showing as a contestant on recreation exhibits. The piece has been edited for size and readability.
I am initially from a small city outdoors of Chicago. My brother, sister and I have been on the swim staff within the summers, which meant early 6 a.m. mornings. This was again within the ’80s, the place after swim observe, you’d go outdoors and play with your folks till darkish, however within the mornings, nobody else was awake. So, once we obtained dwelling from swim observe round 7:30 a.m., my mother would make us breakfast and placed on the TV — and my siblings and I might watch recreation exhibits.
I grew to become fixated on these recreation exhibits, ones like The Value Is Proper and Sale of the Century, and I would play them with my siblings. I am tremendous aggressive. I like trivia and profitable prizes.
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Quick ahead to after I graduated from school: I labored in Chicago for a short while earlier than deciding that I wanted to seek out myself. I needed to come back out of the closet. I felt very held again from my genuine self. I needed a change, so I moved with a good friend to Los Angeles.
Once I arrived, all I had was my automotive and what I may match within it. I had no job, and I used to be in bank card debt. I wanted to determine a solution to earn cash. Fortunately, I’ve all the time been centered on accounting and finance. My background is in enterprise. So, I wasn’t anxious about with the ability to discover a job, however I nonetheless wanted a solution to make ends meet within the brief time period.
That is once I began a enjoyable and distinctive aspect hustle: competing on recreation exhibits. I ended up occurring The Value Is Proper with Bob Barker — and received. I walked away with $900 in money, an amusement park popcorn cart and a grandfather clock. I used to be like, Wow, that is unimaginable. Not solely did I like the expertise, however I used to be additionally residing out my childhood dream. I additionally beloved figuring out that my household was in a position to take pleasure in watching me do it.
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Whilst I progressed in my finance profession, finally changing into a VP, I continued with the aspect hustle and saved a pulse on recreation present alternatives. As a result of Los Angeles is the leisure capital of the world, a variety of first-time recreation exhibits have their begin there, they usually search for contestants domestically. So, it isn’t that aggressive to use; it isn’t a nationwide search.
Once I heard concerning the new present Are You Smarter Than a fifth Grader?, I knew I needed to use. And, being a 29-year-old finance and enterprise accounting skilled from Chicago, I supplied a chance for them to check out a contestant who wasn’t within the leisure business. Nonetheless, it was an extended audition course of. However I used to be invited on the present and given about 10 days to arrange.
I wasn’t going to squander the possibility. I went to the youngsters’ homeschool retailer, and I purchased all of the third, fourth and fifth-grade books. I purchased world geography. I purchased measurements. I purchased flashcards of the presidents. Day by day after my life companion Wes and I wakened, I might examine, then go to work. On my lunch break, I might examine extra. Later within the evenings at dwelling, I would examine till I used to be falling asleep on the sofa.
I ended up profitable $175,000 on the present. It gave me a variety of monetary freedom.
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This aspect hustle supplied different thrilling possibilities to earn money over time. I additionally appeared on the Dick Clark Pyramid Present, the place I received $22,500. I actually took the day without work work, known as my brother after I received and stated, “Oh, that was a great day of labor.”
However this form of aspect hustle comes with some limitations, too. You may solely go on so many recreation exhibits over the course of 10 years. Now, if the best alternative introduced itself, I would take into account taking it. I nonetheless love recreation exhibits and admire that they helped set me up financially, however at this level in my life, I am in a unique state of affairs, so if I have been to look on one and win, I would probably donate the cash.
My recreation present aspect hustle positively helped form me as a enterprise chief.
To start with, I used to be afraid that I won’t be taken severely as a seasoned government enterprise skilled in finance as a result of I loved competing on recreation exhibits. However these have been my very own concepts about societal expectations and being boxed in, and it truly helped me notice that as a CEO and chief myself, I do not need anybody to really feel that their pursuits or aspect hustles negatively affect how they’re perceived professionally. We wish to rejoice these pursuits and aspect hustles; we wish to encourage them.
At GumGum, we’re in 20 nations and have over 500 individuals, so I’ve carried out what I name “beginning lessons”: whoever began in Q1 of this 12 months could be within the Q1 2025 beginning class. And I ask them a variety of questions. What are some individuals’s aspect hustles? What are they taken with? It is superb to observe everybody gentle up. There are DJs, macrame crafters, influencers and opera singers. Then, I take into consideration how we will translate these passions into our tradition and encourage and assist one another locally.
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From my expertise on Are You Smarter Than a fifth Grader? particularly, I discovered the worth of listening to your self and following that intuition. I used to be in a state of affairs the place I used to be not sure of the reply and needed to determine if I needed to danger all of it and go together with the child’s reply. If the child’s reply was right, I may have received $300,000, but when it have been improper, I might have dropped right down to $25,000. For the reason that child wasn’t sure concerning the reply, I caught with my very own and saved the $175,000.
Because it turned out, the child’s reply was proper, so I might have received $300,000. However it was nonetheless an necessary lesson in listening to myself — as a result of though it might have felt nice to win $300,000, it might have felt far worse to lose $150,000. In the long run, I used to be utterly wonderful with not profitable extra with a view to shield what I already had. That you must keep true to what works for you and what you’re comfy with. Do not take into consideration what others may need or do, after which evaluate your self.
My recreation present aspect hustle additionally taught me quite a bit about my private motivations — and the way these values can translate to management.
On Are You Smarter Than fifth Grader?, I obtained a shock video message from my mother, who’s an educator and my fifth-grade trainer. I get emotional on the present as a result of my mother’s wishing me good luck. That second made me notice that, sure, that is tremendous enjoyable, however no matter that is, it is nothing in comparison with how fortunate I’m with the opposite features of my life. It reaffirmed what actually issues.
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Relating to enterprise, essentially the most profitable leaders are going to be those who can go very deep in humanizing us and themselves. I attempt to keep away from encouraging leaders to be “genuine” as a result of the alternative of that’s “inauthentic,” and I do not suppose individuals attempt to present up inauthentically. They’re simply making an attempt to be extra clear.
In order that’s my one massive push, particularly because it pertains to the promoting business: In case you’re a frontrunner on this area, the final word aim is connecting with somebody deeply on an emotional degree or a wants degree. The very best leaders want to point out up ready to try this each day.
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