CNBC Make It

Amber Venz Box launched RewardStyle in 2011 with a relatively modest goal: make enough money to move out of her father’s house. She did that, and more. Box’s Dallas-based marketing company, now called LTK, helped pioneer the modern creator economy, connecting influencers and bloggers with retail brands’ advertising dollars. It was most recently valued at $2 billion, after a 2021 investment from Japanese investment holding company SoftBank.

Launching a side hustle doesn’t have to be complicated if you know where to start. More people than ever are starting side hustles, data shows. And while you may — or may not — reach six-figure success, you can do specific things to ensure your second stream of income is worth the time commitment. That’s according to a group of experienced side hustlers who have done it themselves. Here are four pieces of advice, from people who started side hustles that bring in at least $100,000 in revenue per year.

There’s a lot you can negotiate in a new job offer: your salary, of course, but also your job title, start date, a signing bonus, and maybe the most fun to plan for — your paid time off. It’s one benefit Sherri Carpineto, 48, says she “always” negotiates for at this point in her career. Carpineto is currently a senior director of operations for a health-care company and lives in Boston. She also offers career coaching services and often helps professionals with their negotiation strategy. If you get a job offer and you’re not happy with the amount of PTO in the package, Carpineto says there are three ways you can negotiate for more.

For the most part, Mark Cuban is firmly anti-micromanaging. The 65-year-old billionaire entrepreneur weighed in on the common leadership style in a post on social media network X. If you find yourself constantly micromanaging the people around you, something’s wrong, Cuban noted. However, he says there is one exception.

What’s on Richard Branson’s shopping list this holiday season? The billionaire Virgin Group co-founder says there are a few items his friends and family can expect to receive from him — and that he recommends to CNBC Make It’s readers as well. Because Branson is a consummate salesman, it should come as little surprise that he recommends products from his own company and from brands with ties to the Virgin Group. Still, Branson tells CNBC Make It via a spokesperson that he genuinely endorses these products. ⬇️

If you’re anywhere past the point of entry-level jobs, Kathryn Bockman has a leadership tactic for you: Reverse mentoring. It’s an effective way to build relationships and encourage communication in the workplace, says Bockman, assistant vice president of revenue operations at telecommunications giant AT&T. At its core, the idea is simple — ask your younger colleagues about the strategies they use to do their jobs. Bockman didn’t create the idea or coin the term, but she learned its value firsthand when her son Greg — now a senior production manager — was hired by AT&T as an entry-level sales consultant in 2016. The more they talked about work, the more she realized her son was gaining skills and perspectives that she didn’t have.

Whether you call it “tip creep” or “tipflation,” it’s clear that Americans are being asked to tip more and more — and they’re tired of it. Some 6 in 10 adults view tipping negatively, and 35% say things have gotten “out of control,” according to a survey from Bankrate earlier this year. And it’s no wonder — the burden of tipping has seemingly increasingly fallen on customers even as rising prices have stretched their budgets thin. That makes the holidays a tricky season. It’s a time when many of us want to express gratitude toward the people who make our lives easier throughout the year, often in the form of a year-end gift or gratuity. But tipping everyone in the guides that circulate around this time of year means adding a couple dozen people to your gift budget. That’s hardly realistic for anyone trying to make ends meet. It’s not something you ought to feel Grinchy about. Remember, it’s not within the bounds of good etiquette to overspend in the name of holiday generosity. So how can you whittle things down to where you feel comfortable? 👇

In-N-Out or Shake Shack? Here’s what people had to say. 

 Find more on how In-N-Out turned a simple $4 burger into a cult favorite that now brings in $2 billion a year: cnb.cx/4fxDTLg

In 2006, Justin Gold was mountain biking when something struck him that changed his life: a business idea that helped make his nut butter brand, Justin’s, a household name. “I’m on a mountain bike ride right here in Boulder, [Colorado], and I’m eating an energy gel [packet],” Gold said. “And I was curious why you couldn’t put peanut butter or almond butter in that same type of squeeze pack and have an on-the-go, plant-based protein experience like an energy bar.” Within two years of introducing nut butters in tiny pouches, Justin’s was profitable and Gold soon quit his day jobs, he told Entrepreneur in 2012. The business was acquired by Hormel Foods in 2016 for $280.9 million, according to an SEC filing from that year. Here's how a simple packaging strategy changed the company’s fortunes.

The holidays are typically a time for celebration and mirth, but for many people, they’re also incredibly stressful. And if your level of anxiety is rising this December, you’re not alone. Nearly half, 41% of U.S. adults say their stress increases this time of year, according to the American Psychological Association. “I think there’s solace to be had in that you’re not alone in feeling super stressed,” says happiness expert Jessica Weiss. Weiss has spent more than a decade giving talks and doing workshops about happiness at work, including a TED talk entitled “Happiness: It’s an Inside Job.” Here are her tips for how to improve your mood this season.