[Part 2/3] My First COVID Side Hustle
[3 mins] This is the second part of a 3 part mini-series about my first side-hustle during COVID. Part 1 below provides additional context, but is not required to read this article.
It’s summer of 2020. Things are still shit in the world: everything is still closed. After a very depressing few months personally and professionally, I got into a dumbbell flipping adventure (see Part 1 here). I made $20K, and it was a great way to keep my mind occupied. I was excited. I had energy. Not about the money, but about the game I just played.
While flipping dumbbells, I became very familiar with gym equipment. And since I had access to dumbbells and good relationships within the industry, I figured a good next step would be to turn my garage into a proper gym. After all, I was getting bored very fast with my workout setup:
Like the responsible adult I am, I saved half. That left $10K for the next thing. I want to transform this garage. Mom’s not only on board, she’s super supportive, as long as she can still park inside. So now I could map out where everything will go, minus one vehicle.
Phase 1: Cleaning and Mapping
The garage was previously used for storage, so we had to clear that out. Here’s a throwback to my mom helping me clean up. She was the best:
After cleaning it out, I used painter’s tape to map out where everything would go. A modular squat/bench rack, a deadlifting platform, one vehicle, and an area for free weights and barbell work:
Phase 2: Flooring
Remember, COVID was in full swing. So not only were existing gyms shutting down, but also upcoming gyms were put on pause. What does that mean? Massive discounts on gym flooring! Got a few TaskRabbits to help me:
Phase 3: Equipment
With all those gym openings on pause, equipment retailers had their inventory sitting much longer than they wanted. Not only did I get discounts on flooring, but also on bumper plates, barbells, benches, and a deadlifting platform. Next step was to install a modular squat/bench rack for space efficiency. I had to hire another TaskRabbit because..well, look at these instructions:
Phase 4 onwards: Using the gym
Okay, now I’m done. I have this beautiful garage gym. I’m using it. I’m exercising regularly and finally making some aesthetic progress. I’m back into my relationship with my gf, up for promo at work, and my family bonds are stronger than ever. I’m riding a high and life is very, very good right now. Evidence from my camera roll at the time: it’s filled with douchey selfies, videos of random street cats that visit me, and even visiting puppies and playing the “what if” game of future life.
I was proud of the gym I built, so I often left the garage open (it’s a safe neighborhood). As the neighbors came by, they told me how much they wish they had something like this - after all, their gyms were still closed because of COVID.
So I would invite them to work out. One of them came and gave it a try. He enjoyed his workout and talked about how awesome it was to finally have a place to exercise. He was so thankful and even said he’d be willing to pay for the opportunity to use it again..
That got me thinking: with all the gyms in the country closed down, who else might be willing to pay for a garage gym? What if I could rent out my garage gym? Or better, what if I could build an entire platform to connect all garage gyms in the country to people in need of gyms? That could surely take on traditional gyms across the country! Stay tuned - in Part 3, I’ll tell you about FitPad:
