Service Businesses

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.

The Fastest and Cheapest Way to Build a Great-Looking Website for your Side Hustle Service [Case Study]

August 25, 2023February 23, 2018

A couple weekends ago I finally got around to creating a website for a new side hustle of mine; non-fiction book editing.

Now I should mention that this is something I’ve been quietly doing on the side for the last year or so without a website, landing clients via word of mouth and even a few through Fiverr.

When your service business is just starting out, you absolutely don’t need a website. In fact, it can be one big giant distraction from your primary goal of winning paying clients.

172: Case Study: Creating a $1k per Week Online Authority Business and a Service Business From Scratch

April 26, 2024May 5, 2016

Carey Green had spent the last 20 years as a pastor, before making the leap into entrepreneurship. As he studied to become a licensed mortgage broker, an idea took hold to put his study notes online.

Today Carey helps other aspiring mortgage brokers pass their certification exam, a test he says was the hardest he ever took. That business, which actually derives most of its traffic from YouTube, generates $1000 a week!

But Carey didn’t stop there.

160: Turning a Service Business into a Passive Income Stream

November 6, 2021February 25, 2016

A couple months ago, Matt Bochnak sent me a note about his motorcycle repair side hustle. As someone who is, shall we say, less-than-savvy when it comes to mechanics, I was impressed.

But Matt shared that the passive income from this service business now actually exceeds his revenue from “turning wrenches.”

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.

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.

The Complete Guide to Pricing Your Side Hustle Service

March 31, 2025January 19, 2015

So there I was in my entry-level job earning barely enough to cover car, gas, home, and all the necessary stuff, yet my friends were out 3 nights a week without me.

Frustrating.

My income just wasn’t good enough for my lifestyle.

I started coaching youth soccer, pulling from my playing experience (not coaching) from college, and I was getting a side-stream of income.

67: The Hustler’s Path: From Freelance to Agency to Product

January 10, 2023August 21, 2014

It’s been quite a while since our last discussion of a software business here on the show. Even though we touched briefly on Long Tail Pro with Spencer Haws, I really have to go all the way back to Josh Isaak in episode 12 to find an in-depth breakdown of a Software as a service business.
So that means today’s conversation with Garrett Moon from CoSchedule is long overdue! After all, the low incremental cost and recurring revenue potential of the SaaS model is such a trendy holy grail of business right now.

Usually Hustling, Occasionally Social