Latest / The Side Hustle Career Podcast with Fexingo: Second Income, Freelancing While Employed / How a Retired Firefighter Built a 12K Monthly Side Hustle in Emergency Preparedness Consulting
Transcript
- Lucas: If we've helped you think through a career move or a side hustle idea, that's exactly why we do this show. And we deliberately keep it ad-free — no sponsors, no commercials, no mid-roll interruptions about meal kits or shaving razors. Luna: Yeah, and that only works because of listeners who chip in. It's not a big ask — if the show's added value to your week, the link is buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. One-time, no subscription, no pressure. Lucas: Exactly. And it keeps us independent. Anyway — today's episode is about a retired firefighter who turned disaster experience into a twelve thousand dollar a month consulting business. And honestly, it's a model that could apply to a lot of public service backgrounds. Luna: I love this angle because so many people in public service retire in their fifties with decades of expertise — and then they just stop. They don't realize how valuable that knowledge is to businesses and homeowners who are terrified of wildfires, floods, active shooter situations. Lucas: Right. Our guest this week — let's call him Mark — spent twenty-five years as a firefighter in Northern California. He retired at fifty-two. Pension covers the basics, but he wanted something that kept him engaged. He didn't want to sit around. Luna: And he didn't want to be a security guard or a safety trainer in a warehouse. He wanted something that used his judgment. Lucas: Exactly. So he started Emergency Preparedness Consulting — his own firm. And he's now pulling in about twelve thousand a month. The interesting part is how he structured it: it's not just one-off consultations. He has three revenue streams. Luna: Break them down. I'm guessing home evacuation plans are one? Lucas: That's part of it. The first stream is residential — he charges four hundred to eight hundred dollars per home to do a full evacuation plan, including a walkthrough, a written plan, and a laminated quick-reference card. He's done about a hundred of those this year. Luna: That's forty to eighty thousand dollars just from homes. And that's not even the main money. Lucas: No, the main money is commercial. His second stream is small businesses — especially wineries, nurseries, and small manufacturers in wildfire-prone zones. He charges two thousand to five thousand per business for a comprehensive disaster plan that meets insurance and local fire code requirements. Luna: And he's probably the only person in that county who can do that with actual fireground experience. I bet insurers love him. Lucas: They do. He tells a story about one insurance broker who now recommends him to every commercial client in a certain ZIP code. That's how he got three of his first five clients — through a broker. Luna: So he never needed a website to start. Just relationships. Lucas: Correct. He built a simple one-page site with his phone number and a list of services, but he got his first five clients through a former colleague who was working in risk management at a local utility company, and through that insurance broker. Luna: What's the third revenue stream? Lucas: Annual plan updates. He charges a retainer — five hundred to a thousand a year per business — to review and update the plan, check for new fire codes, and run a tabletop drill with staff. That's recurring. He's got about forty businesses on retainer now. Luna: So that's twenty to forty thousand a year in recurring revenue. Plus the one-time commercial fees and the residential work. The math adds up fast. Lucas: It does. And he's not even full-time on it. He works maybe twenty-five hours a week, mostly in the spring and fall when fire season is top of mind. Summers he takes off. Luna: That's the dream, right? Seasonal, high-value consulting based on your actual expertise. Lucas: But there's a specific lesson here for anyone thinking about consulting from a public service background. The key isn't just 'I have experience' — it's packaging that experience into a service people are legally or financially motivated to buy. Luna: Meaning he's not selling 'I was a firefighter, trust me.' He's selling 'I will make your business compliant with insurance requirements and local ordinances, and you can show that to your insurer and sleep better.' Lucas: Exactly. He learned early that homeowners and business owners don't buy 'peace of mind' — they buy 'avoiding a massive insurance denial after a fire.' So his plans are written to meet specific standards. He references the California Fire Code, FEMA guidelines, and the specific requirements of the four largest insurers in his region. Luna: That's smart. He's done the homework to make his service a compliance tool, not just a nice to have. Lucas: And he charges accordingly. He's not cheap, but he's cheaper than the fine or the premium hike if a business gets caught without a plan. He tells a story about a small winery that got a notice from their insurer saying they needed a certified emergency action plan within sixty days or their premium would double. They called him, he had it done in ten days, charged four thousand dollars. The winery owner told him that was still less than the premium increase. Luna: So he's pricing against the cost of inaction. That's a classic consulting move. Lucas: It is. And it's replicable. Think about what other public service professionals could do this with: paramedics could consult on workplace first aid programs, police officers could consult on active shooter drills for schools, emergency room nurses could consult on home safety for elderly patients. Luna: The pattern is: take a high-stakes, low-frequency event — fire, medical emergency, active shooter — and help organizations prepare for it. The expertise is rare and valuable. Lucas: The challenge is the transition from a first responder mindset to a consulting mindset. Mark said the hardest part was learning to charge for his time. He was used to showing up and helping — no invoice. His wife actually helped him set up a pricing sheet and coached him not to discount. Luna: That's such a common hurdle for people leaving public service. The identity shift from 'helper' to 'expert for hire' is real. Lucas: He also had to learn to say no. Early on, he'd do free thirty-minute phone consultations for anyone who called. He was spending ten hours a week on the phone with people who never booked. Now he does a fifteen-minute intake and then quotes a fee for a full consultation. Luna: So he's filtering better. That protects his time and also signals that his service has value. Lucas: Right. And his conversion rate went up. When people have to pay for the initial conversation, they're more serious. He now converts about sixty percent of paid consultations into full projects. Luna: That's a strong number. Let's talk about the marketing piece. If you're not a natural salesperson — and most firefighters aren't — how do you get the word out? Lucas: He used a very specific channel: local business associations. He joined the chamber of commerce in his county and two neighboring counties. He goes to the monthly meetings, brings a one-page flyer, and offers a free twenty-minute 'emergency readiness check' at the end of the meeting. He does that live, in front of people, so they see his competence. Luna: That's a great low-pressure demo. He's not pitching, he's showing. Lucas: Exactly. And from those demos, he's gotten about a dozen clients over two years. He also partnered with a local hardware store that sells emergency kits — he gives a talk there every spring, and the store promotes him. Luna: So he's using existing platforms — chamber meetings, hardware store events — instead of building his own audience from scratch. That's efficient. Lucas: Very. And it keeps his marketing costs near zero. His only expense is the laminated cards he hands out. Everything else is his time. Luna: I want to come back to something you mentioned earlier — the summer off. How does that work with the retainer clients? Do they expect him to be available year-round? Lucas: He sets expectations upfront. The retainer includes one annual update and one drill, and he schedules those in spring or fall. For urgent issues in summer — say a new fire code passes — he handles it remotely and charges a small fee. But he's clear that June through August he's not available for on-site work. His clients are fine with it because they know he's a former firefighter and he's earned the break. Luna: That's a good reminder: your pricing and your schedule are part of your offer. If you're clear about them, clients will respect them. Lucas: Absolutely. And Mark's story shows that a side hustle doesn't have to be a grind. It can be a well-designed business that fits your life. He's making twelve thousand a month, working half the year, doing work he genuinely cares about. Luna: And he's providing a real service. In a world where wildfires are getting worse every year, his clients are safer because of him. That's a good legacy. Lucas: It is. And it's a reminder that the most valuable side hustles often come from the skills you already have but don't think to monetize. If you're a paramedic, a cop, a nurse, a teacher — you have knowledge that people will pay for. You just have to package it. Luna: And be willing to charge what it's worth. Lucas: Right. Mark's final piece of advice: start with one service, one price, and one channel. Don't try to do everything at once. He did residential plans only for the first six months before adding commercial. And he only did chamber of commerce meetings for the first year before adding the hardware store talks. Luna: That's a good takeaway. Start narrow, prove the model, then expand. Lucas: Exactly. And if you're listening and thinking, 'I could do something like that,' the best time to start is before you retire. Mark began taking on clients part-time while he was still working shift work. He had his first three commercial clients before he hung up his helmet. That gave him momentum. Luna: So the side hustle was already running when he needed it to become his main income supplement. That's the ideal scenario. Lucas: It is. And it's possible for a lot of people if they start thinking about it five years out. Anyway, that's our story for today. Mark's building something impressive, and I hope it sparks some ideas. Luna: Yeah. Thanks for listening, and we'll catch you next time.