Making an extra $100 a day through side hustles might seem out of reach for many people. So how did one side hustler earn over $10,000 in just 100 days?
Jaclyn “Jackie” Mitchell (@jaclynmitchelll) set out to save for a down payment on a house by breaking a big goal into bite-sized daily targets.
By earning $100 every day over 100 days, she ended up netting a total of $10,972.
How’d she do it while working a full-time job?
By relentlessly testing quick-hitting remote side hustles, working in public to hold herself accountable, and opening herself up to unexpected income from building an audience.
Tune in to Episode 594 of The Side Hustle Show to learn:
- how to break down big goals into small, daily actions
- how to leverage communities for advice and accountability.
- how to look for passive income opportunities
- how consistency compounds over time
The $100 a Day Challenge
When Jackie shared about her challenge on TikTok, she gained 50,000 likes overnight on the first video. Clear interest from the community upped the stakes—now she was committed not only to herself but to any followers seeking inspiration or proof that side hustling can stack up.
https://www.tiktok.com/@jaclynmitchelll/video/7277904088916856107
Throughout the 100 days, Jackie provided ongoing transparency into what she was trying, how much she was making, little successes along the way, and occasional frustrations as well.
The motivation was part personal goal tracking, part public accountability, and part helpful education for anyone motivated enough to take notes.
1. Swagbucks
This popular rewards site ended up being one of Jackie’s go-to daily drivers thanks to their lucrative mobile game testing offers. For hitting certain levels or milestones within mobile games, Swagbucks pays out handsomely.
One game may reward just $5 for an introductory level, but reaching the top tier could pay $160 or more! Jackie mentions a $218 payout for one game, which is not too shabby at all.
She notes a subreddit called r/SwagBucks as an invaluable resource here. The Swagbucks subreddit often features detailed guides on the best strategies to hit those top reward levels without spending real money on in-app purchases.
This allows earning decent chunks pretty easily. Jackie says she can just set the games to auto-roll and grind up levels while binge watching Netflix!
2. Prolific
Next up is Prolific, her favorite survey site because of its boosted hourly pay rates. Prolific pays participants to take part in research studies.
Studies range from quick 5-10 minute surveys to more in-depth questionnaires taking around 30 minutes. Thanks to their academic nature, hourly rates are higher than many survey sites.
In Jackie’s experience, she averaged $10–$30 a day on Prolific when there were open studies matching her demographics. The sign-up process involves a waitlist, however, as researchers want balanced pools of participants.
Check out our full Prolific review to learn more.
3. Focus Groups
In contrast to consistent money from surveys, focus groups represent infrequent but high-value side income. Groups discussing products, brands, etc. pay out $100 to $250 for just 1–2 hours of your opinions.
The limitation here is qualifying for relevant paid focus groups as they arise.
Earn $50-150/hr, with thousands of new studies added each month.
Earn an average of $95 per project, and get notified of upcoming studies you may qualify for.