Side Hustle School Ep. 3356 - Q&A: “I’m a professional speed skater. How can I fundraise?”
Mar 10, 2026
Justin, an amateur-to-pro speed skater from St. Paul pursuing Olympic dreams. He asks how to fund training and build support. The conversation covers focusing priorities, why Patreon is risky without an audience, creating products for sustainable income, improving social presence on one or two platforms, and pursuing brand deals and sponsorships for bigger payout.
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Make Products Instead Of Starting Patreon
- Do prioritize creating a product or resource over launching a Patreon if you lack an existing supporter base.
- Chris recommends a product because it can scale passively and avoids the slow-start problem of a small Patreon following.
Narrow Your Efforts To One Strategy
- Do focus efforts rather than juggling fundraising, product creation, and social growth all at once.
- Chris suggests narrowing to one strategy first because qualifying as an Olympian already consumes most of your time.
Focus Social Media On One Or Two Platforms
- Do improve social media only if you enjoy it and can commit to one or two platforms.
- Chris advises focusing on a couple platforms to increase your value to brands and unlock sponsorship income for athletes.