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 recreation exhibits. The piece has been edited for size and readability.
I am initially from a small city exterior of Chicago. My brother, sister and I had been on the swim crew within the summers, which meant early 6 a.m. mornings. This was again within the ’80s, the place after swim follow, you’d go exterior and play with your mates till darkish, however within the mornings, nobody else was awake. So, after we obtained house from swim follow 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 might play them with my siblings. I am tremendous aggressive. I like trivia and successful 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 wished to come back out of the closet. I felt very held again from my authentic self. I wished a change, so I moved with a good friend to Los Angeles.
Once I arrived, all I had was my automotive and what I might match within it. I had no job, and I used to be in credit card debt. I wanted to determine a solution to earn cash. Fortunately, I’ve at all times been centered on accounting and finance. My background is in enterprise. So, I wasn’t nervous about having 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 side hustle: competing on recreation exhibits. I ended up occurring 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 dwelling out my childhood dream. I additionally liked realizing that my household was capable of take pleasure in watching me do it.
At the same time as I progressed in my finance profession, finally changing into a VP, I continued with the side hustle and stored 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 regionally. So, it isn’t that aggressive to use; it isn’t a nationwide search.
Once I heard in regards to the new present Are You Smarter Than a fifth Grader?, I knew I wished to use. And, being a 29-year-old finance and enterprise accounting skilled from Chicago, I offered a chance for them to check out a contestant who wasn’t within the leisure trade. Nonetheless, it was a protracted audition course of. However I used to be invited on the present and given about 10 days to organize.
I wasn’t going to squander the possibility. 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. Each day after my life accomplice Wes and I wakened, I might examine, then go to work. On my lunch break, I might examine extra. Later within the evenings at house, I might examine till I used to be falling asleep on the sofa.
I ended up successful $175,000 on the present. It gave me a variety of financial freedom.
This facet hustle offered different thrilling possibilities to make money through the years. I additionally appeared on the Dick Clark Pyramid Present, the place I received $22,500. I actually took the break day work, referred to as my brother after I received and mentioned, “Oh, that was a superb day of labor.”
However this form of facet hustle comes with some limitations, too. You’ll be able to solely go on so many game shows over the course of 10 years. Now, if the proper alternative offered itself, I might take into account taking it. I nonetheless love recreation exhibits and respect that they helped set me up financially, however at this level in my life, I am in a special scenario, so if I had been to seem on one and win, I might probably donate the cash.
My recreation present facet hustle positively helped form me as a business leader.
At first, I used to be afraid that I won’t be taken significantly as a seasoned govt enterprise skilled in finance as a result of I loved competing on recreation exhibits. However these had been my very own concepts about societal expectations and being boxed in, and it truly 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 wish to rejoice these pursuits and facet hustles; we wish to encourage them.
At GumGum, we’re in 20 international locations and have over 500 individuals, so I’ve carried out what I name “beginning lessons”: whoever began in Q1 of this 12 months can be within the Q1 2025 beginning class. And I ask them a variety of questions. What are some individuals’s side hustles? What are they fascinated about? It is superb to observe everybody mild 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 help one another locally.
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From my expertise on Are You Smarter Than a fifth Grader? specifically, I discovered 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 wished to threat all of it and go along with the child’s reply. If the child’s reply was right, I might have received $300,000, but when it had been improper, I might have dropped right down to $25,000. Because the child wasn’t sure in regards to the reply, I caught with my very own and stored 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 could have felt nice to win $300,000, it could have felt far worse to lose $150,000. Ultimately, I used to be fully fantastic with not successful extra to be able to defend what I already had. You should stay true to what works for you and what you might be comfy with. Do not take into consideration what others might need or do, after which examine your self.
My recreation present facet hustle additionally taught me lots 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 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 elements of my life. It reaffirmed what actually issues.
In terms of 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 other 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 huge push, particularly because it pertains to the advertising industry: If you happen to’re a frontrunner on this discipline, the final word purpose is connecting with somebody deeply on an emotional degree or a wants degree. The perfect leaders want to point out up ready to try this daily.
