This as-told-to story relies on a dialog with GumGum Advertising CEO Phil Schraeder, who’s had a profitable side hustle showing as a contestant on sport 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 had been on the swim group 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 mates till darkish, however within the mornings, nobody else was awake. So, once we received house 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 game shows.
I turned fixated on these game shows, ones like The Price Is Right 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 faculty: I labored in Chicago for a short while earlier than deciding that I wanted to search out myself. I needed to return out of the closet. I felt very held again from my authentic self. I needed a change, so I moved with a pal to Los Angeles.
Once I arrived, all I had was my automobile and what I may match inside it. I had no job, and I used to be in credit card debt. I wanted to determine a option to earn cash. Fortunately, I’ve at all times been targeted on accounting and finance. My background is in enterprise. So, I wasn’t frightened about with the ability to discover a job, however I nonetheless wanted a option to make ends meet within the brief time period.
That is once I began a enjoyable and distinctive side hustle: competing on sport exhibits. I ended up happening The Worth 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 cherished realizing that my household was in a position to take pleasure in watching me do it.
At the same time as I progressed in my finance profession, in the end changing into a VP, I continued with the side hustle and saved a pulse on sport present alternatives. As a result of Los Angeles is the leisure capital of the world, numerous first-time sport exhibits have their begin there, and so they search for contestants domestically. So, it is not that aggressive to use; it is not 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 a protracted 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 prospect. I went to the children’ 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. On daily basis after my life associate Wes and I awoke, I might examine, then go to work. On my lunch break, I might examine extra. Later within the evenings at house, 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 numerous financial freedom.
This aspect hustle supplied different thrilling probabilities to make money over time. I additionally appeared on the Dick Clark Pyramid Present, the place I received $22,500. I actually took the time off work, referred to as my brother after I received and stated, “Oh, that was an excellent day of labor.”
However this type of aspect hustle comes with some limitations, too. You possibly can solely go on so many game shows over the course of 10 years. Now, if the precise alternative introduced itself, I would take into account taking it. I nonetheless love sport exhibits and respect that they helped set me up financially, however at this level in my life, I am in a unique scenario, so if I had been to look on one and win, I would seemingly donate the cash.
My sport present aspect hustle positively helped form me as a business leader.
To start with, I used to be afraid that I may not be taken significantly as a seasoned govt enterprise skilled in finance as a result of I loved competing on sport exhibits. However these had been my very own concepts about societal expectations and being boxed in, and it really helped me understand that as a CEO and chief myself, I do not need anybody to really feel that their pursuits or side hustles negatively affect how they’re perceived professionally. We need to rejoice these pursuits and aspect hustles; we need to encourage them.
At GumGum, we’re in 20 nations and have over 500 individuals, so I’ve applied what I name “beginning courses”: whoever began in Q1 of this yr can be within the Q1 2025 beginning class. And I ask them numerous questions. What are some individuals’s side hustles? What are they interested by? It is superb to observe everybody mild up. There are DJs, macrame crafters, influencers and opera singers. Then, I take into consideration how we are able to translate these passions into our tradition and encourage and help one another in the neighborhood.
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From my expertise on Are You Smarter Than a fifth Grader? particularly, I realized the worth of listening to yourself and following that intuition. I used to be in a scenario the place I used to be uncertain of the reply and needed to resolve if I needed to threat 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 had been flawed, I might have dropped right down to $25,000. Because the 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. But it surely 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. Ultimately, I used to be fully fantastic with not profitable extra to be able to shield what I already had. It is advisable to stay 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 examine your self.
My sport present aspect hustle additionally taught me loads 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 instructor. I get emotional on the present as a result of my mother’s wishing me good luck. That second made me understand that, sure, that is tremendous enjoyable, however no matter that is, it is nothing in comparison with how fortunate I’m with the opposite facets of my life. It reaffirmed what actually issues.
Relating to enterprise, probably the most profitable leaders are going to be those who can go very deep in humanizing us and themselves. I attempt to avoid encouraging leaders to be “authentic” 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 large push, particularly because it pertains to the advertising industry: When you’re a pacesetter on this subject, the last word aim is connecting with somebody deeply on an emotional stage or a wants stage. One of the best leaders want to point out up ready to try this day by day.
