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.

Scaling a Local Service Business: Multi 6-Figures in Pet Waste Removal

August 29, 2025June 20, 2024

It’s not every day you spot one of your podcast guests’ yard signs while driving, but that’s exactly what happened to me.

As we cruised the neighborhood, a bright pink “Kroopin’s Poopin Scoopin” sign caught my eye.

We first heard from this guest in 2020.

She was earning around a thousand bucks a week from her part-time pooper scooper/pet waste removal business.

And since then, it has grown to serve almost 200 weekly residential customers at an average ticket price of $99/month.

In this ‘Where Are They Now?’ episode, I have once again Erica Krupin from Kroopin’s Poopin Scoopin to talk about what this former side hustle looks like at scale.

Should I Start a Freelance Business or Build an Agency? Side Hustle Showdown

June 6, 2024June 6, 2024

A service business is one of the fastest side hustles to get off the ground, and you can scale it by hiring other people to deliver the work.

But is there an advantage to staying as a solo operator?

To find out, it’s time for another Side Hustle Showdown. This time looking at: freelancing vs building an agency.

How to Start a Service Business to Replace Your Income, Step-by-Step

May 2, 2024May 2, 2024

“I had a lot of drive underneath me, I hated my job so much,” Abbey Ashley from TheVirtualSavvy.com told me.

If you’re looking to make extra money, there’s no doubt that starting a service business is one of the fastest ways to do that, with almost no barrier to entry and minimal startup costs. In fact, it was a service business, a house painting business, that was one of my first entrepreneurial adventures.

How to Become a Loan Signing Agent and Earn $100 an Hour Part-Time

January 14, 2026March 22, 2024

“It’s the best-kept secret in the real estate industry,” Mark said, talking about working as a loan signing agent.

You can make $100 for an hour working as a loan signing agent. With the only real requirements being you know what you’re doing, and you have a notary license.

The $100k Niche Consulting Business

March 21, 2024

When you hear “college admissions essay consultant,” you might imagine some dull, overly formal academic type.

But Carter Osborne from carterosbornetutoring.com took a pretty unconventional path to dominating this niche business.

When he started providing tutoring services on the side, he was just a “broke, desperate graduate student” in need of some extra money.

Carter actually had no formal business training. His background was in political science and public administration—so not exactly the traditional entrepreneurial breeding grounds.

Not exactly the traditional path for an entrepreneur, right?

And yet, the untraditional route Carter took allowed him to build a unique $100k consulting business, with almost all the revenue coming in just half the year.

While Carter’s career path didn’t seem logical as a tutor, he was about to discover an untapped market niche that was waiting to be explored.

Instacart Shopper Review: $10,000 as a Part-Time Instacart Driver

July 3, 2025February 22, 2024

Considering a side hustle as an Instacart shopper?

With Instacart, you can make money shopping for — and delivering — other people’s groceries.

If you have a car and extra time during the week, why not put both to work? That’s the pitch, anyway.

Let’s take a closer look at how their grocery shopping program works, and how much money you can expect to make. (With insights from a side hustling Instacart Shopper earning $480 a week!)

Scaling Up a Service Business: From Idea to $400k in Monthly Recurring Revenue (in Under 3 Years)

March 26, 2024February 22, 2024

Three years ago Design Pickle didn’t exist. It wasn’t even an idea in founder Russ Perry’s head yet.

That’s why it seems crazy to me that today the unlimited graphic design service is doing $400k in monthly recurring revenue!

Back in 2014 Russ was running a creative agency, but he started to hate everything about it. “I felt like I was in a prison of my own creation,” he said.

The 15 Best Ways to Make $5k a Month (Real Life Examples)

July 3, 2025February 21, 2024

What are some of the best, most realistic ways to make $5k a month?

While still slightly below the nationwide median income, earning $5000 a month (or $60,000 a year) is a great financial milestone to shoot for.

In this post, I’ll share the best ways to get it done as either an employee or an entrepreneur.

Steady App Review: Your Gateway to the Gig Economy

June 4, 2025February 19, 2024

“Find work. Earn money,” the Steady app promises.

Steady is the first tool I’ve seen that attempts to bring all the “gig economy” and flexible work opportunities under one roof.

Yes, that same gig economy that 36% of the US workforce is already a part of. In some ways, we’re becoming a nation of side hustlers and freelancers, and the free Steady app is a gateway to hundreds of potential ways to earn extra money.

How Jacques Hopkins Sold $4M Worth of an Online Piano Course

February 8, 2024

You may remember the story Jacques Hopkins first shared on the Side Hustle Show in 2017 about his online piano course.

Over the past decade, he systematically scaled Piano in 21 Days, into a powerhouse brand that generated over $4 million in sales.

Now in 2024, I connected with Jacques again to get an update on his current projects and perspective looking back on his entrepreneurial wins and lessons learned over the past years.

Like all savvy business owners, his approach and focus has evolved quite a bit during that timeframe.

Usually Hustling, Occasionally Social