How This Guy Sells $300K/Year Worth of Barbecue Seasoning He Didn’t Invent

What if you could turn someone else’s proven product into a six-figure side hustle by simply adding your own story and marketing magic?

Chris Gray from BaldBuck.com is doing exactly that with his barbecue seasoning business, generating around $300,000 annually selling a product he didn’t create — he just white-labeled it with his own branding and marketing approach.

Chris didn’t spend months in a lab perfecting his own spice blend. Instead, he found a seasoning that was already working, slapped his own label on it, and built a compelling story around it. Now he has a thriving e-commerce business that proves you don’t need to reinvent the wheel to build something profitable.

Listen to Episode 678 of the Side Hustle Show to learn:

• How to find and white-label products that are already selling
• Creative influencer outreach strategies that actually work
• Ways to build a community around any product through storytelling
• Email marketing tactics that turn customers into fans

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The “Aha” Moment That Started a Business

Chris’s journey began with a simple dinner at his brother-in-law’s house in Texas. The chicken was incredible, and when Chris asked about the secret, his brother-in-law showed him the seasoning he used.

Rather than just buying some for himself, Chris saw an opportunity.

He felt he had two choices:

1. Open a restaurant
2. Sell the seasoning

The seasoning route won because of lower overhead and the ability to work more digitally.

Chris’s tip: When you find something amazing, don’t just consume it — ask yourself how you can turn it into a business opportunity.

The White-Label Discovery

Here’s where Chris’s story gets interesting. He didn’t try to reverse-engineer the seasoning or create his own blend. Instead, he called the manufacturer and asked a simple question: “Do you white-label this product?”

White-labeling is everywhere—from Costco’s Kirkland brand to Walmart’s Great Value products. Many manufacturers have programs where they’ll put your branding on their existing products.

The manufacturer said yes, they had a white-label program. Chris just needed to:

• Create his own brand and packaging design
• Place a minimum order
• Market and sell the product

With help from his business partner (a graphic designer), they settled on the name “Bald Buck” — a playful nod to Chris’s nickname among friends.

The All-In Moment: 5,000 Units and Counting

Chris could have started small with the 300-unit minimum order, but he went big — 5,000 units for over $5,000. This “burn the ships” mentality gave him the motivation he needed.

“When you get shipped 5,000 units of seasoning, you better figure out how to move it, or you better cook a lot of chicken,” Chris jokes.

The math: At roughly $1-2 per unit wholesale cost and $18+ retail price, there was solid margin to work with for marketing and operations.

The Influencer Strategy That Changed Everything

Faced with 5,000 units to move, Chris got strategic. He researched the top barbecue influencers on YouTube and found one he resonated with: T-Roy, who has around 354,000 subscribers.

But Chris didn’t want to send a generic pitch, so he did his homework and discovered that T-Roy used to live in the same Texas city, specifically in Pflugerville. So to make things interesting, he sent him an email with a subject email line: “Bald Black Jamaican from Pflugerville, Texas.”

The strategy was brilliant:

1. Pattern interrupt: The unique subject line stood out in T-Roy’s inbox
2. Common connection: Mentioning the shared hometown showed Chris had done his research
3. Value-first approach: Chris offered something for T-Roy’s audience instead of asking T-Roy to promote the product, 

The offer: “Try my seasoning, and if you like it, I’ll give it to the first 50 of your fans for free.”

This approach worked because:

• T-Roy could try it risk-free first
• It gave T-Roy something valuable to offer his audience
• It positioned T-Roy as the hero giving away free stuff

The Ripple Effect of One Good Partnership

The T-Roy partnership created multiple benefits:

Immediate sales spike

When the video dropped, Chris got a massive traffic boost. People who missed the free giveaway often bought the product instead.

Social proof for life

The video became evergreen marketing material Chris could use in ads, on his website, and for retargeting campaigns.

More partnerships

Other YouTubers saw T-Roy’s video and reached out wanting similar arrangements for their channels.

Credibility boost

Having a major influencer endorse the product gave Chris instant credibility in the barbecue space.

Chris still gets emails from people who saw that original video years later on YouTube.

From One-Hit Wonder to Sustainable Business

After the initial T-Roy boost wore off, Chris needed a sustainable marketing strategy. He turned to content marketing with a twist: storytelling.

Rather than just writing “How to Smoke Chicken” articles, Chris would interview his brother-in-law’s dad, a seasoned pitmaster, and collect stories from barbecue competitions. These stories became the backbone of his content marketing.

The formula:

• Educational content (real smoking tips that work)
• Entertaining stories (competition tales, family traditions)
• Subtle product mentions (how Bald Buck enhances the experience)

This content was then promoted through Facebook Ads, targeting people interested in barbecue and smoking.

Pricing Strategy: Start at the Top

Chris didn’t try to compete on price. He researched the most expensive barbecue rubs on the market and matched their pricing.

His reasoning: “It’s easier to come down in price than it is to go up.” He said that he needed as much margin as possible for marketing, shipping, and operations.

At $18 for a single container (with higher prices for multi-packs), Chris had room to:

• Pay for influencer partnerships
• Run Facebook ads profitably
• Cover shipping costs
• Hire help as the business grew

The psychology: When customers discover Bald Buck through content or influencer recommendations, they’re not comparison shopping at the grocery store. They’re buying based on trust and story, making them less price-sensitive.

Creative Ways to Increase Average Order Value

Chris developed a clever strategy to boost his average order size using premiums — free gifts that cost him little but have high perceived value.

He sources items from Alibaba like:

• Barbecue slicers
• Meat thawing trays
• Bottle openers

These items might cost him a few dollars but retail for $20 to $50. His offers:

• Buy 2 seasonings, get a free slicer
• Buy 5 seasonings, get a free thawing tray

The psychology: Adding a gift helps justify the purchase. If someone buys something expensive and tells their spouse, “I bought this expensive thing,” that’s hard to defend. But if they say, “I bought this expensive thing and we got a free car,” suddenly it makes sense.

Building Community Through Email Marketing

Chris’s email newsletter has become a side hustle within the side hustle. Using Beehive, he sends a weekly newsletter that’s part recipe collection, part entertainment.

Each newsletter includes:

• Entertaining stories from people he interviewed
• Three interesting articles (not necessarily food-related)
• A recipe of the week
• Subtle mentions of Bald Buck products

With 7,000 engaged subscribers (down from a peak of 42,000 — Chris keeps the list tight by removing inactive subscribers), the newsletter is attracting sponsors. His first sponsorship was $7.20, but he expects this to become more profitable than the seasoning business eventually.

Multi-Channel Distribution Strategy

While Chris focuses on driving traffic to his Shopify store (where he keeps customer data), he also sells on Amazon.

His Amazon strategy is different from most sellers:

• No Amazon advertising
• No Fulfillment by Amazon (to preserve margins)
• Uses Amazon purely for conversion of people who already know the brand

“I only use Amazon when somebody wants to buy. If somebody finds me on Amazon, they’ve probably made their decision already, and that’s what I wanted.”

This approach gives him:

• Higher conversion rates on Amazon listings
• Better profit margins
• Control over the customer experience

Tools and Tech Stack

Chris keeps his operation lean with these key tools:

E-commerce & Marketing:

• Shopify for his main store
• Beehive for email newsletters
• Facebook Ads for traffic generation

Content Creation:

• ChatGPT and Claude for content ideation
• SEMrush for competitive research and trending topics
• Reddit for crowdsourcing ideas and stories

Operations:

• Grandma’s shed (climate-controlled) for inventory storage
• Pool house converted to shipping center
• Part-time employees handling fulfillment 1-2 days per week

The Power of Reddit for Market Research

Chris swears by Reddit for market research and content ideas. His process:

1. Find relevant subreddits (like r/BBQ or r/smoking)
2. Sort by “top posts” for the year or all time
3. Read both posts and comments for insights
4. Look for common pain points, questions, and popular topics

“It’s crowdsourcing for free. I would pay money for Reddit with the type of stuff that I learned from it.

This research helps him:

• Find trending topics for content
• Understand customer pain points
• Discover new product opportunities
• Get authentic language customers use

Lessons in AI and Marketing

Chris has become sophisticated in his use of AI tools, treating them like employees that need proper training.

His AI workflow:

• Choose the right model for the task (research vs. writing vs. coding)
• Give detailed instructions on how to “act”
• Provide examples of desired output
• Use multiple AI tools (ChatGPT and Claude) for different perspectives

If you’re terrible at writing copy and you use AI, it’s just going to multiply how terrible you are. But if you have a skill and use AI correctly, it’ll multiply your effectiveness by 100 times.

Scaling Without Losing Your Soul

As orders ramped up, Chris faced the classic scaling challenge. What started as a fun side project became a real business requiring:

• Employee management
• Inventory planning
• Customer service
• Quality control

“The surprise was that all of a sudden it’s an actual business. Now I have to actually work with people and manage people. I didn’t see that coming.”

His solution: Stay focused on what matters most — selling — and systemize everything else.

What Chris Would Do Differently

Looking back, Chris wishes he’d been more aggressive with influencer outreach earlier. “It’s not what you have to say. It’s what other people have to say about the product.”

His recommended approach for new entrepreneurs:

• Reach out to more content creators
• Focus on what’s in it for them, not you
• Consider affiliate partnerships alongside giveaways
• Remember that user-generated content gives you leverage

Platform Strategy: Playing the Algorithm Game

Chris understands that successful social media marketing requires serving two masters:

1. Your audience (people you want to sell to)
2. The platform (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, etc.)

Platforms want people to stay on their platform for as long as possible. If you play their game by keeping users engaged through shares, comments, and time spent, they’ll reward you with cheaper reach.

This means creating content that encourages:

• Comments and discussion
• Shares and saves
• Extended viewing time
• Return visits

Biggest Mistakes to Avoid

Perfectionism paralysis: Chris admits he used to get caught up in logos, website colors, and product optimization instead of focusing on the most important thing—selling.

“It’s like a running back going from sideline to sideline instead of up the field. You look busy, but you’re not doing anything.”

Waiting for the perfect product: Instead of trying to create something unique from scratch, find something that already works and put your spin on it.

Underestimating customer service: As the business grows, you’ll need systems for handling orders, customer questions, and quality issues.

What’s Next for Chris

Chris is bullish on AI and sees it as a “wild west” opportunity similar to the early internet days. He’s exploring ways to use AI for:

• Content creation and optimization
• Customer service automation
• Product development insights
• Market research and trend analysis

He’s also focused on growing the newsletter business, seeing it as potentially more profitable than the physical product business.

The Mindset That Makes the Difference

Chris credits his success partly to his “burn the ships” mentality. By committing to 5,000 units upfront, he created urgency and motivation that might not have existed with a smaller order.

Chris’s #1 Tip for Side Hustle Nation

“Find something that’s already working, then put your spin on it.”

Episode Links

• BaldBuck.com
• Chris Gray on Instagram
• Beehive Newsletter Platform
• Shopify E-commerce Platform
• ChatGPT AI Tool
• Claude AI Alternative
• SEMrush Marketing Tool
• Facebook Business Ads
• Amazon Marketplace
• Alibaba Wholesale
• Costco Kirkland Example
• Walmart Great Value
• YouTube for Influencer Research
• Reddit for Market Research

 

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