Off Topic The side hustle/side project/self-promo/hobby thread

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Got a side hustle that's relevant to the community? Do you do art/music/etc on commission? Or even just a hobby project you're proud of and want to show off? Post about it here!

Within this thread -- AND ONLY WITHIN THIS THREAD -- we will slightly relax our usual rules about advertising. You are welcome to link to your business website, and discuss what you have on offer with other members. (please keep this within reason; you can tell us about it, engage in discussions, post links or photos etc, but please don't post daily copypasted press releases just to drive traffic to your site). We may add or amend rules here if needed; in general our intention here is NOT to act as an unpaid advertising platform, but to allow active community members to share and discuss their side hustles.

And it doesn't need to be paid stuff; hobbies and such are fine to share as well! Wanna show us the new deck you built, the landscaping you've done over the last year, or a piece of cool artwork you made? You can share all that here, too!

 

[Coach Kate]

I got into pretzel making last fall. I started with the basics and then experiments - pizza pretzels, pumpkin spice pretzels, spinach and artichoke stuffed pretzels, and bacon egg and cheese filled pretzel rolls. Even did some pretzel buns for burgers.

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Just this past summer I started getting into home-brewing wine/beer -- generally using atypical ingredients rather than the usual grapes/grains/etc. I'm constantly tweaking my recipes, but my current favorite is a fermented blend of hibiscus, pineapple, ginger, orange, and hot pepper (jalapeño if I'm planning to share, fatalii if I'm expecting to drink it all myself, because I'm a masochist who enjoys unreasonable levels of spice).

I have a home recording studio, and I've got a few musical projects in the works; most of my currently-public stuff is on OC ReMix, but I also have some original stuff in the works as well. I can compose/produce custom floor music, though I don't currently have my website up (I suppose I should get on that now that my studio is up and running).

 

[Coach Kate]

Just this past summer I started getting into home-brewing wine/beer -- generally using atypical ingredients rather than the usual grapes/grains/etc. I'm constantly tweaking my recipes, but my current favorite is a fermented blend of hibiscus, pineapple, ginger, orange, and hot pepper (jalapeño if I'm planning to share, fatalii if I'm expecting to drink it all myself, because I'm a masochist who enjoys unreasonable levels of spice).

I have a home recording studio, and I've got a few musical projects in the works; most of my currently-public stuff is on OC ReMix, but I also have some original stuff in the works as well. I can compose/produce custom floor music, though I don't currently have my website up (I suppose I should get on that now that my studio is up and running).

That beer sounds so good! I love a nice spicy beer

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

That beer sounds so good! I love a nice spicy beer

As a side note, I'm not sure what I should properly be calling the drink at this point. I'm not sure if it should be considered wine or beer or something else entirely; taste-wise, it has more in common with wine than it does with beer, but it definitely doesn't taste like the sort of wine you'd buy at a grocery store.

I'm still experimenting to find the right amount of sugar and fermentation time.

 

[Coach Kate]

As a side note, I'm not sure what I should properly be calling the drink at this point. I'm not sure if it should be considered wine or beer or something else entirely; taste-wise, it has more in common with wine than it does with beer, but it definitely doesn't taste like the sort of wine you'd buy at a grocery store.

I'm still experimenting to find the right amount of sugar and fermentation time.

Does it feel like a radler or a shandy?

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Does it feel like a radler or a shandy?

Not really. Fruity front end sort of like wine but a little more citrusy, and a funky aftertaste that's maybe somewhere between an IPA and a strong black tea (been trying to find ways to tone down that aftertaste; I think I just need to use less sugar and a shorter ferment).

 

[raenndrops]

I am a tutor ... online and in-person.
I have tutored pre-k through college.
I was licensed in the state of Ohio to teach 7th-12th grade Math, 7th-12th grade English Language Arts, and 7th-12th grade Social Studies.

 

[Brian Meyers]

Got a side hustle that's relevant to the community? Do you do art/music/etc on commission? Or even just a hobby project you're proud of and want to show off? Post about it here!

Within this thread -- AND ONLY WITHIN THIS THREAD -- we will slightly relax our usual rules about advertising. You are welcome to link to your business website, and discuss what you have on offer with other members. (please keep this within reason; you can tell us about it, engage in discussions, post links or photos etc, but please don't post daily copypasted press releases just to drive traffic to your site). We may add or amend rules here if needed; in general our intention here is NOT to act as an unpaid advertising platform, but to allow active community members to share and discuss their side hustles.

And it doesn't need to be paid stuff; hobbies and such are fine to share as well! Wanna show us the new deck you built, the landscaping you've done over the last year, or a piece of cool artwork you made? You can share all that here, too!

Hey everyone,

Thanks for opening up this thread! I wanted to share my side project that was born out of pure frustration in the bleachers.

I’m a gym dad (my daughter competes), and for years I was "that guy"—scribbling scores on the meet program, the back of receipts, or trying to type them into my Notes app where they’d get lost forever.

Since I’m a software developer by day, I finally decided to stop complaining and build the tool I actually wanted to use.

It’s called Chalk.

It’s a dedicated score-tracking app designed specifically for us parents sitting in the stands. Here are a few of the features worth highlighting:

1. Dark Mode "Battery Saver" Interface: Designed with a black-and-chalk aesthetic that reduces screen glare and minimizes battery drain during long 4-8 hour meets.
   
   
2. Automatic "All-Around" Calculation: Instantly sums up Vault, Bars, Beam, and Floor scores to calculate the All-Around total, eliminating tired mental math in the bleachers.
   
   
3. "Road to 40" Milestone Tracking: Visual progress indicators that track the gymnast's journey toward the coveted 40.00 AA score, triggering celebrations when they break key barriers (32, 34, 36, etc.).
   
   
4. Instant "Chalkboard" Share Cards: Generates a beautiful, high-resolution digital image of the meet results (with a chalkboard texture) to share on social media or text to family instantly.
   
   
5. Season-Long History & Graphs: Automatically plots All-Around scores on a season-wide graph to visualize progress, peaks, and personal bests over time.
   
   
6. Multi-Athlete Support: Seamlessly switch between multiple gymnasts, making it perfect for siblings, teammates, or coaches tracking a squad.
   
   
7. Start Value (SV) Tracking: Dedicated input fields for Start Values alongside the final score, allowing parents to track difficulty changes separate from execution.
   
   
8. Podium & Placement Logging: Records the specific rank/placement (e.g., "2nd Place") for each event and the All-Around, complete with medal icons.
   
   
9. Offline "Faraday Cage" Mode: Fully functional without a cell signal—common in metal gym warehouses—and automatically syncs data to the cloud once you step back outside.
   
   
10. CSV Data Export: One-click export of the entire career history into a CSV file, perfect for spreadsheet enthusiasts or creating recruitment portfolios.
    
    
11. Community Give-Back: A unique feature allowing users to designate a specific gym or booster club to receive a portion of the subscription proceeds.
    
    Download it for free HERE: https://get.chalk.biz.id
    
    (or search "Chalk: Gymnastics Tracker" in your app store)
    
    It’s been a fun passion project to build, and it’s been cool seeing people actually use it at meets this season. If you’re tired of the spreadsheet/notebook life, I’d love for you to give it a spin and let me know what you think!
    (I'm open to improvement suggestions too at [email protected] )
    
    Thank you Geoffrey & the ChalkBucket Community!!