How I Earned $14,156 in Business Income in August

Hello everyone! Welcome to my August business income report, where I share how my business performed last month and reflect on progress, wins, and areas to improve.

Background information:

This started as my “extra income” report back when I still had a day job before October 2013. Those reports included all income I earned outside of my regular job. In September 2013 I gave notice at my position as a financial analyst and left that job in October. Since then, my monthly reports reflect my full-time freelance business and other income streams related to my online work.

Some people think it’s odd that I publish these income reports publicly each month. I’ve even received messages calling me crazy. I don’t see it that way. I share these reports for several reasons.

First, I was inspired by other bloggers who published their monthly income reports. Reading those reports motivated me to start side hustling and eventually build my own business. I still read income reports from bloggers like Smart Passive Income, Retire By 40, Matthew Woodward, and others—those reports were instrumental in changing how I thought about earning additional income.

Before I started blogging, I didn’t know much about side hustles or making money online. I believed the main path to higher income was through promotions and raises at a day job. I was wrong. If not for others sharing their monthly online income, I might never have tried side hustling.

I also publish these reports as a tool for accountability and reflection. Writing up the month’s income helps me review performance, learn from mistakes, and set priorities for the coming month. When I can see progress (or the lack of it) laid out, I know what to focus on next.

I say this every month because it’s true: life has improved significantly since I started doing work I enjoy. I look forward to each day, and that’s a major benefit of building a business around work I care about.

How was August?

August was another strong month—my second best after expenses. I had hoped for slightly higher results, especially after several long 16-hour days, but the month still performed very well and I expect some of the effort to pay off later.

I’ve been busy and a bit scattered, so better time management is a priority. Working from home makes it easy to keep working and hard to take breaks. That’s the main downside; otherwise I wouldn’t trade this lifestyle for anything.

In August 2014, my business income before expenses was $15,051.

This figure is before fees and expenses. After typical fees and expenses (about $895, including virtual assistants, staff writers, technical assistance, PayPal fees, etc.), I made approximately $14,156 in August. The amounts reported reflect my earnings from services; I do not include the total revenue of client websites I manage, only the payments I receive for my services.

To read my posts about extra income, see the category on my site. Below are links to previous monthly updates and income history that show how income has evolved over time.

• $672 extra in May (2012)
• $994 extra in June (2012)
• $1,425 extra in July (2012)
• $1,603 extra in August (2012)
• $3,275 extra in September (2012)
• $3,700 extra in October (2012)
• $5,114 extra in November (2012)
• $5,770 in December (2012)
• $6,523 in January (2013)
• $5,983 in February (2013)
• $7,862 in March (2013)
• $7,859 in April (2013)
• $7,641 in May (2013)
• $10,192 in June (2013)
• $11,117 in July (2013)
• $9,554 in August (2013)
• $12,334 in September (2013)
• $11,927 in October (2013)
• $13,387 in November (2013)
• $12,160 in December (2013)
• $12,640 in January (2014)
• $13,454 in February (2014)
• $12,100 in March (2014)
• $13,493 in April (2014)
• $12,747 in May (2014)
• $12,787 in June (2014)
• $14,937 in July (2014)

I love self-employment, but this is still a job, a career, and a business.

I want to remind readers that freelancing is a real job. I spend many hours every day and treat this as a full-time business. While I hope to build more passive income streams over time, most of my current income is active work.

Taxes take roughly 30% of my income, and I must also pay for retirement, health insurance, vacation time, and other benefits that employers typically provide. For a few years I juggled a full-time job while growing my business, which meant many sleepless nights and hard work. It paid off, but those early years were intense.

If you have questions about what I report each month or want me to include additional details in future posts, leave a comment or send an email.

Blog news

There isn’t anything huge to announce on Making Sense of Cents. I did make my Instagram public recently. I’m also excited for FinCon this month in New Orleans — it’s a great conference for meeting other bloggers and learning new skills. Wes will travel with me but won’t attend the conference sessions. I look forward to reconnecting with folks from last year and meeting new bloggers.

If you’re starting a blog, check my guide on how to start a WordPress blog and my post about how to make money blogging for step-by-step help.

We’re creating a blog for Wes

We’re in the early stages of launching a blog for Wes. He’s drafted post ideas, written a few pieces, and we’ve purchased a domain. The blog won’t be about personal finance, and we hope to publish posts soon.

Working on the road

I took one trip in August, to Colorado. We love visiting and are considering living there someday, but want to make sure before making any big decisions. We’re also thinking about a travel trailer to make travel easier; that plan is likely on hold until 2015 so we can save up.

Working remotely has gone well overall. I wrote about one travel-related mishap in a post titled “When Being Cheap Backfires – My Hotel Mistake.”

My plans for the website and business

1. Start an eBook — This is still on hold for now.
2. Build my brand — Progress is slow but steady.
3. Promote more — I’ve been improving promotion and image quality, which boosted Pinterest clicks to over 4,000 last month—my best to date.
4. Accept more interviews — I completed five interviews in August and continue to use HARO and other opportunities.

Staff writing

Staff writing income improved slightly in August. I’m in talks with a potential new client and hope to secure that contract. I haven’t actively hunted for new clients recently, which I plan to change.

How to find more staff writing or virtual assistant work

This is a frequent question, so I’ll repeat the essentials: there are two ways to find work—either clients find you or you find them. Waiting for clients to discover you can take time, so proactively searching is often faster if you want new work soon.

To help clients find you, have a clear “Contact/Hire Me” page on your site and make your services easy to discover. Post in relevant job forums and communities, promote your services, and network. If you need a writer or VA, consider offering clear service descriptions and examples so prospective clients can evaluate you quickly.

If you need writing support, I’m available for staff writing or one-time content projects. I can deliver reliable, timely articles for ongoing or ad-hoc needs. For readers interested in freelance writing, check my guide “Do You Want to Be a Freelance Writer.”

Buying websites

So far I’ve bought two websites and built four, giving me ownership of six sites. I also manage other sites for clients. I’m considering acquiring additional websites to grow and monetize. If you have a site for sale, feel free to reach out—I’ll consider new opportunities.

Blog and social media management services

In August I managed several client websites and social accounts. Some clients hire me for full management—handling emails, updating old posts, and implementing monetization—while others need limited support like email management or social media. Pricing varies based on the scope of work. If you’re interested in these services, contact me through my website’s contact page. For aspiring virtual assistants, read my guides on becoming a virtual assistant and what virtual assistants do.

Affiliate income — still slow

Affiliate income is growing gradually. I’m cautious about overloading the blog with product reviews because I want to maintain trust and a balanced mix of content. Feedback is welcome—would readers prefer one review per week or a different cadence?