How My Side Hustle is Going to Change My Life
If we learned anything in the wake of the global health crisis of 2020 and 2021, it is that the “side hustle” has become more important than ever.
Stability in your financial situation is something that a lot of people, myself included, struggled with in the past year. Many people suffered through underemployment and looked to a side hustle to make ends meet.
My side hustle has been freelance writing. I offer services for resume and cover letter writing, blog writing, and website copy. I also do interview coaching over Zoom for people looking for a job and consult small businesses on their hiring practices to help them with high turnover.
How deciding to start freelancing will change my life is the most amazing part.
My life before freelance
My background leading up to the decision to start freelancing is just as relevant as how it will change my life.
My adult working career has been in various small businesses in positions of sales, customer service, HR/onboarding, and management. I go through a cycle that lasts three or four years where I “top out” and the business owners aren’t willing to raise my salary and can’t or won’t promote me any further. So I resign and start the cycle over. It’s exhausting and frustrating. I am never in charge of my own pay, I am usually paid less than I should be based on my performance and expertise, and I am at the mercy of approval for taking vacation or personal days.
In 2020 not only was this “top out” cycle coming to a head at my management job of four years, but there was also a health crisis that was getting worse, and my employment in-general was at risk.
I decided to start freelancing.
Liftoff!
In late January 2021, I launched my website and my imagination went wild with the possibilities.
I found success fairly early on through social media posts, customer acquisition efforts, and word-of-mouth. This is not the case with all freelancers, and I like to think my background in sales was a major factor in bringing attention to my business, and closing deals with potential clients.
As I write this article, I am exactly two months in since launching, and I am on track to earn about two-thirds of my full-time salary by the end of the year. I have decided to do freelancing full-time when I can match that salary for three months straight. This may occur in the next 12–18 months.
Life-changing possibilities
My goal with full-time freelancing would be to earn $400 per day for 250 days during the year (standard business days). This will net me $100,000 per year.
Can I do that? Absolutely! Based on my current sales and the projected growth potential, consistently earning $400 per day is very achievable, and it could happen fast.
To do these kinds of sales in Canada, I will have to register and would choose to incorporate my freelancing venture as a business to pay appropriate taxes, and in return, I can then take advantage of certain programs and the tax benefits that come with incorporating.
While the six-figure income is what makes my life comfortable, it is not what I consider “life-changing”.
What will change my life is that I will doing something I love full-time. I will be my own boss. I will be the sole officer of a registered corporation. I will determine how many sick days I get in a year. I will decide when I can go on vacation. I will decide how much my salary is per year. I will decide.
Freelancing will change my life by giving me the freedom and ownership of my life that I have always wanted.
Find your passion, and turn it into a side hustle. Change your life through freedom.
Jill Curry is a 32-year-old freelancer and small business expert who is actively working toward working for herself. Writing has proven to be a real love of hers and she hopes to continue pursuing this passion into retirement. She lives in Northwest Ontario, Canada and spends the small amount of free time she has enjoying the outdoors, hiking, and fishing. Visit www.jillcurryfreelance.com to learn more about this rising star.
