The 42-year-old Indiana native is a full-time superyacht captain for the “ultra-high-net-worth,” and is currently based in Palm Beach, Fla., piloting a 108-foot yacht for a client. She joined Facebook and Instagram in 2019, but only to stay in touch with her two brothers.
She posted videos about her everyday life, including travel, boating tips and mental health, and was surprised to see how popular they were with strangers. That popularity led to an opportunity to monetize: Captain Kelly J. Gordon's business brought in $124,000 in revenue last year, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It.
The money comes from advertising, sponsorship, speaking fees and merchandise sales, with most of it going to pay salaries for a publicity manager, a video editor and three other part-time employees, Gordon said.
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She says when she's not captaining, she spends about five hours a week working on her side hustle, and her goal is to start earning money from it next year.
“I would love this to be my retirement job – traveling the world, attending events, inspiring people and continuing on social media,” Gordon told Make It magazine last week, adding that she “has no plans to stop sailing anytime soon.”
Here, Gordon talks about combining his various life experiences into one side hustle, why he outsources work rather than earning an income from scratch, and how to set healthy boundaries.
CNBC Make It: Do you think your side hustle is replicable?
Gordon: 1000%. If you can be yourself, that's the easiest and simplest thing to do. But if you're not happy with yourself, that might be the hardest thing to do.
People tell me they love my content because it's so authentic, I'm not trying to be someone I'm not.
Gordon at Compass Cay in the Bahamas
Kelly Gordon
For me, I had to do a lot of soul searching and introspection, and some of that comes with age — over time, you learn how to love yourself and be happy with who you are.
It's hard to feel good about yourself, but even harder to put that out there for the entire universe to see.
How much does it cost to start a social media side hustle?
You don't [have to make a financial investment]At first I just posted it myself, but I soon found myself laughing at myself and decided to get help.
Let's say you want to spend $100 a month on social media and you're thinking, “Well, I don't have any extra money to spend.”
Yes, it does. You don't have to go to Starbucks every day. You don't have to go shopping on Saturdays. You might have savings. You have to realize that you can't do everything.
A lot of your income goes to paying other people instead of into your own bank account. Why did you make that decision?
I'm not a videographer. I'm not an editor. I'm the captain.
This means that I only have a limited amount of time to pursue this side hustle when I'm not on the water. Plus, I'm smart. [editing] Video is not my forte.
Gordon shoots content for social media.
Courtesy of Kelly Gordon
My specialty is being in front of the camera and telling hilarious, educational, and inspirational stories. Creating good content will bring in the money, but it takes a team.
At this stage of the game, you’re putting every little thing into building your business.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to start a side hustle or change careers but doesn't have the relevant experience?
I hear young people aspire to be [yacht] Crew members always say, “You have no experience,” and I say, “Yes, you do.” It doesn't matter what you've done in the past. It has to do with something.
My background in chemistry relates to a career in yachting in two ways: chemistry is applied in a very mechanical sense, and if I can mentor hundreds of students, I can also steer a crewed boat.
My spare time has always been spent on mental health and education, so creating content was a natural easy step. [about those topics]Think about where you spend most of your free time.
How can you balance your side hustle with a full-time job sustainably?
The conversations in our heads are the most important.
I've come to realize when I'm about to burn out, and I give myself a break. Self-dialogue is also important. That's when you start blaming yourself and telling yourself, “I can't, I can't.” [not good enough]and the thought goes in a loop.
When I'm beating myself up, I do two things: I visualize an old projector tape rolling around and I visualize myself cutting it, and then I ask myself, “Would I say the same thing to my best friend?” If the answer is no, then I stop.
As the social media and public speaking portion of my business expands, I'm sure I'll eventually get a hater or two. I've tried hard to accept that I'll be hated, but I'm human. It'll still hurt, and I'm actively preparing for it.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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