How I Hit Multiple $30k Months In 2023
I read an article in Fortune with the headline,
“Many Gen Zers have a full-time job and a side hustle, partly because they’re wary of getting burned by their employers: ‘They’ve seen it happen to their parents, to millennials’”
I find it interesting because, as a Millennial, I think we paved the way for side hustles to become full-time income for that very reason.
When I was in my teens/early twenties, I made it a goal to work in an environment that gave me freedom. Growing up, I hated how employers controlled my parents’ every move. They had to ask permission to be at a school function and take us to doctor's appointments or leave early to make it home before the Trick-or-Treat traffic kicked in.
I watched my mom crawl out of bed at 2 AM to go cover a shift in the E.R. Registration because someone called off, and since she was the manager, she was expected to cover it. She was never compensated more. She worked 60+ hours a week for years on end, and it became so normal that when she was offered to come out of retirement for an 8-5 role, she thought about taking it because, at first, it didn’t seem like a full-time job in comparison to what she had worked previously.
These are the reasons I have always had at least two income streams. We call it a side hustle now, but let’s call it what it is: a second job.
When I was a hairstylist, I bartended.
When I went to work for a digital agency, I freelanced hair and makeup for weddings.
When I went to work for Paul Mitchell Schools, I contracted with the agency that ran their paid ad campaigns and became the account manager.
And it was never from a place of wanting to make more money. It was always from a place of not wanting to feel so trapped in one position that I couldn’t leave if I found myself in a toxic situation or simply in a situation that didn't work with the life I was leading outside of the office.
And now, as I’m in year three of solopreneur life, I’m prioritizing these income streams to ensure I continue to create and curate a life that works for me.
My 3 Income Streams:
Freelance: This is my accountant’s favorite income stream because she says it’s the “most secure.” And it makes me giggle because I immediately recoil in a rebellious reaction whenever she says it. But she’s so correct. When other income streams are low or slow, this is the one that stays consistent. Long-term contracts can provide a sense of stability and security for those used to a steady paycheck schedule. The biggest drawback is trading time for money.
How to find freelance work: Companies post more non-traditional roles on LinkedIn than ever. I know; I reluctantly have been spending more time over there since Twitter became so weird. But it’s working, so don’t sleep on it!
Platforms like Fiverr and Upwork allow you to create a profile, apply for jobs, and negotiate all within the platform. It can be a great marketplace for those first starting out. I have had some success and built a few great working relationships that are still active, but it can also be more bottom-of-the-barrel than the roles you really want to work on.
Short-Form Video Creation: This is more commonly known as User Generated Content (UGC), but it’s become much more than that.
Curious to know more about this? I’ve opened 1:1 consultation calls for anyone to pick my brain on how to get started, build a portfolio, etc.
My background in digital marketing helped me identify a void in the social media content market. No access to glossy photo or video shoots paved the way for creators with low followings to partner with brands and create social-first videos the brands could use on their OWN channels. Normally you think of brands only wanting to partner with big influencers with huge followings to reach a new audience. Now brands are working with creators of any size because they can never have too much content to run on their organic social feeds or test in their paid social campaigns.
In short? I get paid AND receive free products to create 10-60 second Reels, TikToks, and custom short-form videos for major global brands. And there’s no pressure to post or grow my own social media audience – Unless I want to.
Affiliate Marketing: I’ll be transparent when I say I’m just starting here. But damn, I’m excited about what is to come. I love sharing my favorite things, whether it’s other newsletter publications that I know will help along your journey or even my favorite $25 Lulu Lemon Dupe Leggings from Amazon. So if I’m sharing them, why not get paid for it?!
Affiliate marketing allows me to recommend what I’m already using and receive a small commission for every purchase made at no cost to the consumer. It’s a b2b strategy that I tend to leverage even more as we kickoff 2024.
This is where a solid passive income stream can be created.
And I have no problem stating that my next focus is creating more passive income. I hit $30,000 a month in revenue five times in 2023, but a lot of that was services that I was trading my time for money. Setting up affiliate systems is key if I want to scale while continuing to operate as a solopreneur.
How to get started today?
Inventory everything you use, subscribe to, and can’t live without.
Research those companies to see if they have an affiliate program.
Apply and begin promoting!
*The key to this is building an authentic relationship with your audience. I won’t recommend something I don’t find valuable or use daily. People are smart; they can smell a scam from a mile away.
Affiliate programs I have opted into:
Relay Financial: This bank is built for small businesses, creators, and solopreneurs. It’s easy, no fuss, no fees, no minimums, and integrates seamlessly with Quickbooks to keep all of these income streams organized.
Quickbooks: I’d use it for the invoicing alone. And you can now add Venmo and PayPal as payment options. This comes in handy more than you would know regarding UGC work.
Amazon Storefront: I’m a millennial. I need instant gratification, and while I hate my dependency on my Amazon Prime subscription, I have way too much fun sharing my finds on my Instagram stories and chatting with friends and followers about it all! I would do it anyway, so why not make a small commission if someone purchases through my links?!
Want to know exactly how I’ve set up my solopreneur business to allow myself the efficiency to build and automate these income streams? I’ve spent the last six months compiling everything that has taken me three years to learn into one comprehensive Ebook. I’m putting the final touches on it as I type this, and if you want to be the very first to know when it’s available, join the waitlist below!
Happy Creating,
Mindy
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