September Online Income: $15,272 From Outsourcing and Passive Streams

Welcome to the September online income report. Each month I publish a detailed breakdown of my business earnings so I can track progress, analyze what’s working, and share lessons learned with readers.

Background information on my monthly income reports.

These reports began as “extra income” summaries back when I still had a full-time job. Before October 2013 I reported income I earned outside my day job. In September 2013 I gave notice at my financial analyst position and left in October, and since then my reports reflect the different income streams that make up my business.

I publish monthly income reports for a few reasons. First, other bloggers’ reports motivated me to start side hustling — reading their transparency helped me believe that earning meaningful extra income was possible. Second, writing these reports forces me to review the month, learn from mistakes, and set goals for improvement. Finally, sharing my journey helps others who are curious about building online income.

Before blogging I didn’t know much about side hustles or making money online; I assumed career raises and promotions were the only reliable path to higher income. If it weren’t for bloggers openly sharing their monthly income, I might never have tried working online.

I still say this all the time because it’s true: life is better now that I’m pursuing work I enjoy. I wake up excited for each day, which is a wonderful feeling. It’s also been nearly one year since my last day at a traditional job — I’ll share a post about that milestone soon. For now, let’s dive into the report.

Now onto my income report!

 

How was my online income in September?

September was my best month yet. I finally surpassed the $15,000 mark in net income.

I’ve been working hard, and I’m also outsourcing more so I can enjoy life outside work. Over the past few months I hired my sister to handle recurring tasks. That arrangement helps me reduce workload and gives her a way to earn money online using only a laptop. She plans to take on more work gradually, and I expect to continue delegating tasks to free more of my time for higher-value work.

Outsourcing is still a work in progress for me. For years I was trapped in a “work all the time” mindset — at one point I worked up to 100 hours per week. These days 50 hours feels like a lot, and I sometimes feel guilty when I step back. My goal is to delegate smaller tasks that don’t need me so I can focus on strategic work and enjoy life more.

In September 2014 my business income before expenses was $16,621.63.

This total is for September before fees and expenses. Most fees and expenses that reduce the gross figure total around $1,350, including virtual assistants, staff writers, technical assistance, PayPal fees, and similar costs.

After fees and expenses, I earned approximately $15,272. The amounts listed are my actual earnings and do not include revenue that flows through the client sites I manage.

Below are a few past income updates I’ve published (I post many more on my extra income page):

• $672 extra in May (2012)
• $1,425 extra in July
• $3,275 extra in September
• $6,523 in January extra income (2013)
• $11,927 in October income — I finally left my job
• $12,640 in January business income (2014)
• $14,256 in August business income

Blog News.

One highlight last month was appearing live on a Huffington Post segment to talk about buying a house in our early 20s. It was a fun and valuable experience, though I was extremely nervous beforehand. Cat from Budget Blonde encouraged me to do it, and I’m glad I accepted — it went well despite my jitters.

I also attended FinCon, which was a fantastic networking opportunity. I enjoyed meeting people in person and already bought my ticket for next year.

If you want to start a blog, read my post How To Start a WordPress Blog for step-by-step setup instructions.

We finally created Wes’s website.

Wes’s website is live and we’re excited about it. He already has several posts ready to publish. We’re waiting until we have a bit more content and polish before announcing it in full. His blog focuses on outdoors activities — hiking, trails, biking, camping, climbing, and other outdoor adventures — not personal finance.

Working on the road.

In September we traveled to Colorado and New Orleans. Working while traveling is enjoyable but different from working at home; I need to prepare content further in advance so I can relax more on trips. We’re considering a travel trailer but most options we like are pricey. There are cheap options and some extremely expensive ones — for now we’re weighing practicality against desire.

My plans for my website and my online income:

• Start an eBook — I’ve sketched several ideas and begun outlining one. Becoming a published author would be incredible, and I’m exploring possibilities.
• Promote more — I’ve improved my images which has increased Pinterest traffic and brings more post clicks. I plan to continue enhancing promotion.
• Accept more interviews — I’ve done several interviews lately and continue to use HARO (Help a Reporter Out) to find more opportunities.

Staff Writing.

Staff writing has been going well and I added a new client in September. I’m available for additional staff or one-time writing projects — whether you need recurring posts or single articles, I offer reliable, quick turnaround content. If you need a writer, please contact me.

Update On My Blog and Social Media Management Services.

In September I continued managing several websites and social media accounts for clients. I enjoy this work and plan to grow these services. Pricing is custom since each site has unique needs; if you’re interested, contact me through my site. For information about virtual assistant work, see these reference articles:

• How To Become a Virtual Assistant
• What Does a Virtual Assistant Do?

Affiliate income — what a slow process.

Affiliate income remains a slower-growing area. I don’t want my blog to become purely promotional, so I’m experimenting with a different approach: writing helpful topic posts and including a review or affiliate option at the end for readers who want more help. I recently tried this format with a post about credit scores that ends with a Credit Sesame review, and I’ll continue testing it.