Everyone seems to be preaching the benefits of picking up a side hustle. But sometimes the thought of adding another task to your never-ending to-do list sounds like it could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
Personally, I jumped on the side hustle bandwagon back in 2015. I haven’t looked back!
My freelance writing side hustle has literally transformed my life.
Here’s how my side hustle helped me. Plus, how a side hustle might be able to help you.
How my side hustle changed my life
Freelance writing was my first side hustle. And it’s still my favorite. Here’s why:
My side hustle
When I stumbled across a paid writing gig on a wildlife technician job board, I thought I was dreaming. I mean, who in their right mind would pay me to write anything!
But I applied anyway because I’ve always loved reading, and thought writing about ocean conservation would be a fun way to earn a little bit of extra cash. And I was right! I really found that I enjoyed writing.
After I few months, I knew that writing would always be a part of my life.
Since then, I took Holly Johnson’s Earn More Writing course. After two years, I had built my freelancing business to the point where I was bringing in around $6,000 a month — and that was on top of my full-time job as a marine biologist.
When Johnson’s Earn More Writing PRO course came out, I immediately jumped into that course. By 2020, I was regularly earning around $8,000 a month as a freelance writer on top of my full-time job.
In 2021, I made the leap to become a full-time writer. At this point, I still worked one day a week at my old full-time job. (I couldn’t quite give up working as a marine biologist all the way.)
How this side hustle changed my life
When I graduated college, I landed a full-time job as a field biologist. And I was ecstatic! After all, I had landed a job in my field, just one month after graduation.
And I did enjoy the work, most of the time 😉
But once I job my first paycheck, it really sank in that making it work on the salary of a marine biologist was going to be difficult.
And to be perfectly honest, I didn’t want to cut down my lifestyle to the absolute bare bones. I wanted to have the option to splurge on things that I care about. Or even just pay all of my bills without worrying about whether or not I can afford to have guac with my tacos.
At first, writing on the side served as a way to get by. The extra money helped cover expenses that I needed to pay. Plus, it allowed me to have a little more padding in the good ole’ budget for ‘fun’ purchases.
At some point, I decided that working crazy hard with a demanding field schedule just wasn’t going to cut it for me. I have absolutely no problem working super hard (Y’all, a successful freelance business doesn’t just happen!). But I decided that enough was enough. I’d have to start working on something that could push me towards a brighter future that involved as many tacos as I wanted.
I should also mention, I met my future husband around this time. But we were stuck in different cities. This might have been the final straw. I was determined to have the option to leave my job so that we could *finally* live in the same city.
And so, I took my side hustle to the next level. Armed with the information from Earn More Writing, I started pursuing new leads and finding more clients. I won’t say that it was easy. But it was absolutely worth it!
I was able to move to the same city as my now-husband with a comfortable safety net in place. We took a romantic honeymoon to Scotland, consistently save for retirement, bought a house, adopted two puppies, and bought a boat.
The best part is that I’m now in complete control of my schedule. I can tackle my work any time. And get paid well enough to put my household on the path to FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early).
All thanks to writing! Without this side hustle, I’m really not sure where I’d be today.
And…I’m still side hustling!
Now, writing is how I make my living.
But I still love side hustling.
Right now, I’ve got two (possibly three) side hustles in the air.
First, I still work one day a week at my old job. Although it’s not super lucrative, I enjoy staying connected to marine biology and helping where I can.
The next one you’ve probably guessed — I started a blog. I have the goal of helping others earn more, adult better, and adventure often. Plus, I’d like to find a way to monetize my writing for myself one day.
And last but not least, I recently started an Etsy shop. I’m slowly filling it with printable products that I hope will produce an income at some point.
The bottom line
The income from a side hustle can put you in control of your financial destiny. You can use the extra money to make ends meet. Or you can push things to the next level and accelerate your progress towards lofty financial goals.
Maybe you want to retire early? Or you want take control of your working hours. Or maybe you just want to fund the amazing adventure you’ve been waiting for. Whatever your reasons are for picking up a side hustle. The right side hustle can completely transform your life for the better.
Which side hustle will you be trying? Let me know in the comments!
