How I Earned $12,334 in September — Launching Self-Employment

Hello everyone! This Friday I’ll publish my September goals update. In last month’s report I set a goal of $10,000 in side-hustle income. In August I just missed that target and earned $9,554 in extra income, but this month I reached and surpassed my goal.

September turned out to be an excellent month. I added several new clients and launched a couple of new services, which helped boost my earnings. That said, I know I could have earned even more if I’d pushed myself a bit harder—there were too many evenings where laziness won and I didn’t work on anything.

The strong results this month renewed my excitement about moving to self-employment. After a small dip in August, I worried my income might continue to fall, so I’m relieved it didn’t.

In September I made $13,435 in extra income before expenses. By comparison, last September I earned $3,275 in extra income. I’m proud of the progress I’ve made—what a difference a year can make. For a long time I assumed other freelancers were “just lucky,” but the growth I’ve experienced shows how effort and steady work add up.

Please note: this income is not passive. I spend many hours every day on my side hustles, and for about a year I put in full-time hours before earning anything substantial. Also remember taxes take roughly 30–40% of extra income, which significantly reduces the final take-home amount.

There were some business expenses this month, detailed below. If you’re new here, “Extra Income” refers to all income I earn from side work and does not include my full-time job in the financial services industry, nor does it include any income earned by W.

As I emphasize in every income update: this is still work. I spend enough time on side projects that it’s effectively another full-time job on top of my regular employment. Fortunately, I enjoy what I’m doing, and the goal of transitioning to self-employment keeps me motivated. For more details, read my Extra Income page.

If you have questions you’d like covered in next month’s update, let me know.

This report covers September and shows amounts before fees and expenses. September expenses reduced the total by about $1,100 (staff writers for my blog, work with FITnancials, PayPal fees, etc.).

Included above is a rent payment from my sister. After expenses and fees, I made approximately $12,334. The total reflects only my personal earnings from services and does not include income I help generate for other blogs I manage.

All past income updates are archived on my Extra Income page.

Blog News

There isn’t much new to report on the main blog, although I’ve been considering a redesign—Canadian Budget Binder’s new look has inspired me. My sister’s blog, FITnancials, continues to do well. She’s planning a move to Chicago soon and has a lot going on; if you follow her journey you’ll see updates about the move. Unfortunately she lost access to her original Instagram account with over 4,000 followers after Instagram didn’t respond to repeated inquiries, so she started anew at @FitAlexis.

My newest blog, Diversified Finances, is also growing. It gives me a dedicated space to discuss self-employment and share direct feedback from readers about my transition. If you’re interested in this topic, follow along on that site. For readers who prefer non–self-employment topics on Making Sense of Cents, I hope you appreciate that fewer posts here are focused on my career change.

If you’re thinking about starting a blog, see my How To Start a Blog post for step-by-step instructions. Another popular post that continues to help readers is How To Make Money Blogging.

Balancing transparency with privacy

I receive many emails asking for specifics about what I do. I try to be honest, but sharing too many details about my services has occasionally created problems. I’m considering keeping some aspects of my services less public until I’m more established. I don’t plan to hide everything, just certain parts that have caused issues in the past. Freelancers: have you faced similar concerns about exposing too much information?

FinCon 2013

FinCon is this month and I’m excited—this will be my first blogging conference. The schedule looks packed and great; I’m not sure how I’ll fit everything in or meet everyone I want to meet, but I’m going to try. If you’re attending, check my post about fun things to do in St. Louis—many attractions are free, which is ideal for financial bloggers. I’m thrilled FinCon is happening in my city.

Are you going to FinCon? Why or why not? What one tip would you give a first-time attendee?

Staff writing

Staff writing slowed in September but is picking up again. I added two new gigs for October. If you need a staff writer or content creator—whether a few articles each week or a single piece—I’m available. I provide timely, reliable content for blogs and advertising needs. For more on this topic, see my post “So You Want to Be a Freelance Writer?”

Blog and social media management updates

My blog management services are going well. I manage various tasks for several blogs, which helped increase my income in recent months. I enjoy both blogging and social media work; if you need someone to manage your blog for a short period—whether for travel, a break, a new job, or family reasons—email me for details.

Thank you to everyone who responded to my earlier question about blog consulting—your feedback has been valuable and I may restart that service soon. I’m also thinking about launching a niche site, though the technical aspects feel daunting. If you run a niche site, how has Google’s secure search affected your traffic?

Interested in becoming a virtual assistant? Read my posts on how to become a virtual assistant and what virtual assistants do.

Affiliate income plans

I’ve been considering ways to grow affiliate income. Readers still click older links, which is helpful, but I want to publish targeted affiliate posts to increase earnings. I signed up with several affiliate programs last month and plan to publish only one or two affiliate-related posts per month.

Offline side hustles

Lately W and I have discussed small offline side hustles—projects we enjoy that could bring in modest extra income. After I switch to self-employment, I want to scale up everything and push hard to grow my freelancing services.

What offline side hustles do you have?