149: Nonprofit Side Hustle: Give Back and Get Paid Well

Can a side hustle do good and pay well?
Andrew Hall shares how he launched a nonprofit side hustle that grew to 1M meals annually - plus what he earned and learned along the way.
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Most people think making money and making a difference are two separate paths—but what if your side hustle could do both?
In this episode, I chat with Andrew Hall, co-founder of Mealshare , a nonprofit that began as a side hustle and eventually delivered over 1 million meals per year to youth in need.
We cover:
- How Andrew launched the nonprofit Side Hustle Mealshare for less than $100
- The difference between nonprofits, charities, and for-profits—and how to choose the right model
- How a side hustle can scale into a full-time mission with real income
- His newest venture, No Story Lost , which helps families preserve loved ones’ life stories
- What it was like to pitch on Dragons’ Den (Canada’s version of Shark Tank )
So if you’ve ever wondered whether you can build something that more than pays the bills and does good in the world, tune in for some how-to answers.
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Need a little (and sometimes big) push to start and stay focused to grow your side hustle? Dive into my online Masterclass: How To Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things .
What You’ll Hear:
01:52 The Why Behind Side Hustle + Social Component
03:24 Choosing the Nonprofit Side Hustle Path
05:17 Understanding Nonprofit vs. For-Profit vs. Charities
07:56 How Meal Share Operated
10:46 Restaurant Retention Programs
12:37 Leveraging “Area Reps”
13:50 Grew To 500+ Partner Restaurants & 20 Team Members
16:21 The Mealshare Numbers: Revenues and Profits
16:47 Salary from $500/mth to $70,000/year
17:51 The Day Andrew Quit His 9-5
20:48 Oversight Requirements for Andrew’s non-profit
23:38 Biggest Challenge Faced
25:00 Challenges of Running a Nonprofit
25:58 Advice for Aspiring Social Entrepreneurs
27:58 You Don’t Need To Know It All To Start
29:42 A New Startup: “No Story Lost”
31:41 Experience on Dragons' Den
33:25 How Andrew and Jeremy Won Over One of the Dragons
36:32 Current and Future Plans for 'No Story Lost'
37:55 The Value of Using Contract Workers
42:03 Andrew’s Best Tip
43:53 Final Thoughts & WrapUp
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