Freelancing

Hands down, freelancing is the one of the fastest ways to begin making extra money on the side.

You don’t need to build a website, create a product, or even come up with some killer business idea. All you need is to dig into your inventory of current skills, and find ONE client you can solve a problem for.

What kind of problems could you solve? In the archives here, you’ll find people freelancing their skills in:

For more, here are some of the most in-demand freelance skills.

No, it’s not as sexy as “passive income,” but it’s not as speculative either. You can start getting paid right away, and if your goal is to replace your day job income, there’s probably no faster way.

The Best Freelancing Podcast

I compiled a binge-worthy selection of freelancing and service business podcast episodes from The Side Hustle Show into this playlist. I think you’ll like it!

Dive into the archives here to figure out what you can sell as a freelancer and how to get it done.

Find an Expensive Problem and Get Paid to Solve It: Your First $5k Consulting Business

May 9, 2022January 14, 2016

Jonathan Stark says the key to side hustle success — for consultants, at least — lies in finding an expensive problem, and solving it.

Jonathan’s a pro at finding these expensive problems, having run a successful online consulting business for several years, focusing on mobile-ready web development.

At the recommendation of two-time Side Hustle Show guest, Kai Davis, he dropped by to share some of his insight on how to get a side hustle consulting business off the ground.

150: 5 Steps to Turn a Hobby Into a Business

May 24, 2023December 24, 2015

Three years ago, Bryn and her business partner Brooke had each made less $500 from photography — far less than they’d spent on equipment. Fast forward to this year, and they shot more than a dozen weddings and booked top-line revenue in excess of $40,000.

Listen in to hear what happened in between.

Remember, every professional starts as an amateur, and there are parallels in this conversation I think will apply to any freelance service-based side hustle.

139: Building Multiple Income Streams with For-Profit Hobbies

November 27, 2023October 22, 2015

I’m excited to introduce you to John Rouda, an IT manager near Charlotte, North Carolina. He’s built a variety of non-job income streams on the side, while still working full time.

In fact, we recorded this session from his office at work!

John calls his side businesses for-profit hobbies, which I think is a great attitude to take. He has a handful of books on Amazon, dozens of apps in the app store, is a part-time professor, and runs a local IT/computer maintenance service business.

134: Growing a Blog to 70,000 Visits a Month in One Year (and More Importantly, Turning it into a Business)

November 4, 2021September 24, 2015

Tyler Zey turned his web development side hustle into a full-time business, but not without a few twists and turns along the way. Tyler’s actually a classically trained musician (clarinet), but now runs EasyAgentPro, one of the leading marketing services for real estate agents — despite having no background in real estate.

What he lacked in real estate knowledge he made up for with hustle.

132: 7 Days to a Profitable Business

September 5, 2023September 10, 2015

A viable startup business in 7 days … sound to good to be true?

Dan Norris is the co-founder of WP Curve, a service that offers unlimited 24/7 WordPress support for small jobs for $79 per month. He went from idea to paying customers in less than 7 days.

Based on his experience, Dan penned the bestselling book The 7 Day Startup, and stopped by The Side Hustle Show to share some of his insights.

113: Earning $3000-$4000 per Month on Kindle in Just 6 Months as a “Professional” Author, with Lise Cartwright

April 29, 2024May 21, 2015

Last year, Lise “came out of nowhere” as they say, and published 13 books in 6 months, and now earns between $3000 and $4000 a month in author royalties.

Of course the truth is she didn’t come out of nowhere at all; she came out of New Zealand and had already built a successful freelance writing business. However, the hustle of delivering work for clients all day had her seeking a more time-leveraged use of her skills.

Since she already knew how to write well and write quickly, she figured book publishing was a natural next step.

111: How to Make Money as a Freelancer – Without Competing for Jobs on Elance or oDesk, with Daniel DiPiazza

August 25, 2023May 14, 2015

Freelancing or selling some useful service is one of the fastest ways to earn more money. It may not be as sexy as “passive income” but it does come with instant gratification.

Make deals, deliver awesome work, and get paid.

In today’s show, I’m excited to welcome back Daniel DiPiazza from Rich20Something.com. You may remember Daniel from Episode 35, where he talked about how his “marsupial method” took his tutoring business from $18 an hour to $1000 an hour.

Beyond $5: 5 Fiverr Gigs with High Average Order Values

December 4, 2020May 6, 2015

Fiverr may have started as the $5 marketplace, but savvy sellers know there’s potential for much higher earnings on the platform.

These opportunities come in the form of gig extras (upsells), multiple orders, and their new custom offer tool. With the custom offer tool, you can now actually make sales up to $10,000, as AnarchoFighter shared earlier this year on The Side Hustle Show.

But if you’re just starting out as a seller, it can be tough to identify which gigs have high average order values.

93: How to Start and Scale a Service Business to Quit Your Job, with Dayne Shuda

November 6, 2021February 12, 2015

Dayne Shuda runs GhostBlogWriters.com, a done-for-you blogging service that commands premium prices, and oversees a team of 20 part-time writers to deliver the work for clients around the country.

But like most businesses, Ghost Blog Writers came from some pretty humble beginnings. In fact, Dayne started it as a side hustle with $0 upfront investment.

92: Building a Location Independent Business of Freedom and Travel — Even With a Family

March 17, 2025February 5, 2015

Here’s a guy who built an online business, and had the courage to up and move to Cozumel, Mexico — with his wife and 3 young daughters.

It’s not your typical single-23-year-old-dude digital nomad type of story, though Sean’s business itself is simple enough to be replicated.

This is a fun chat about hustling for business and building a lifestyle on your own terms. I think you’re going to like it, even if you have no desire to move abroad.

Usually Hustling, Occasionally Social