Many freelancers in Side Hustle Nation eventually grow their business into an agency that no longer ties their time to their income. What that looks like in practice is often bringing in other team members to deliver the work.
The business ideas and case studies featured in these archives are generally a little “bigger” than a traditional freelance business, even if the actual work offered is the same.
What separates a service business from a freelance business is a matter of scale. No longer are your hours directly tied to your income, and you may not even be directly responsible for doing the work; that’s what your team is for.
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.
From personal pain point to a 7-figure payday!
That’s what Donald Spann did when he started — and eventually sold — his virtual receptionist company, Vicky Virtual.
Donald took a personal pain point of his — handling incoming phone calls in his cleaning business — and built out a fully remote virtual call center.
Do you know how much cash flows through your hometown on a monthly basis?
Today I’m joined by someone who can help you answer that question; Nick Huber, co-founder of Storage Squad and host of The Sweaty Startup podcast.
Rob brought in $40k last year hosting tours in of Washington, D.C. — all on the side from his day job, and with no marketing budget.
However, if you Google “Washington, D.C tour guide”, Rob Pitingolo’s TripHacksDC.com is nowhere to be seen.
So what’s secret sauce?
He’s been creating helpful tourist-friendly content on YouTube, and outlet largely ignored by his better-funded competitors.
He knew his $12 an hour gig at Walmart was a dead-end job.
His escape route was a business idea you probably walk past at least a couple times a year without even thinking about it.
What’s he do?
Today, Larry McGee’s the guy who takes care of the aquarium at the dentist office and other commercial waiting rooms.
And it earns him around $70,000 a year, doing something he enjoys and working just 15-hours a week.
Can you get paid to breathe? Well, that’s certainly part of Michele Mattix’s guided meditation Airbnb Experience. Airbnb Experiences are activities led by locals, and Michele jumped at the chance to reach a new audience for her meditation instruction. When travelers book a stay in Arizona using Airbnb, they are also offered one of Michele’s meditation … Read more
WTF man!?
Are you willing to fail!Let that be your new mantra.
It’s the only way to get up the courage to get started.
That’s the rule Brian Scudamore — the founder and CEO of 1-800-GOT-JUNK — lives by.
Question: When Seattleites comment, “the mountain is out,” to which mountain are they referring?
Answer: Mount Rainier.
How many of you that aren’t Seattle natives knew the answer to that one?
“It’s a business with training wheels,” Timika told me.
Timika Downes is a school nurse by day but was looking for ways to add income after hours, and ended up licensing someone else’s business idea.
Chris is the founder of ThinkMaids.com, a residential house cleaning service in the Washington DC area he started on the side while still a university student.
Less than two years later, the business is doing $60k a month worth of cleaning work, all without Chris ever lifting a mop or dusting a shelf himself.
