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Times, they are a changing!
COVID-19 has put the economy in flux, and its taught a number of folks that having a diversified skillset – and more than one stream of income – to be a wise choice.
In this blog post, i’ve shared 7 hacks or initiatives you can undertake to earn an extra $1,000 a month.
[Heads up! This post uses affiliate links, and you help me earn $$ when you use my links. More on affiliate links here!]
Why $1,000 a Month? Why not $10,000?
There are a lot of different money making gigs that can help you earn $100 a month, or even a few hundred a month. I chose THIS number because $1,000 is a number where adults pay attention.
If you can make $1,000 a month with a new venture, you’ve leveled your skillset up a LOT – and will likely be able to scale it and grow it into $10,000 a month if you so desire.
No Dog Walking or Driving
While dog walking, nannying and driving for meal delivery services can be a good way to earn an extra income, I don’t cover these here.
Firstly, I’ve never made money as a dog walker or driver. And most folks I know who have done this have not made a longterm sustainable income.
Secondly, those side gigs have pretty strict cap on the amount of money you can make. In this post, I focus on side gigs or jobs that help you up your skillset, and make it easier for you to level up and continue to increase your hourly rates and the amount of $$$ you bring home.
The items on this list MADE IT to this list because as you get better at your side gig, you can swap out clients and continue to raise your rates.
BUH-BYE, glass ceiling.
Who TF Am I?
I’m a career coach and big fan of money, I’ve worked with clients across industries and timezones – helping
I’ve been self-employed for a hot minute, and being self-employed means that I take on new projects and clients – with zero initial know-how or background. Being able to do that has helped my income steadily increase over the past ~5 years.
Being nosey as heck has helped me uncover new places and ways folks can earn an extra $1,000 a month. No going back to get a different degree or huge time investment required.
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Quarantine Money Making Venture #1: Manage Facebook Ads
I’ve written quite a bit about social media marketing, including what a social media marketer should charge per month. I also have a class on becoming a social media marketer.
Hourly rates can vary WILDLY for a social media marketer, and it’s a “bottom heavy” role, meaning a lot of people are undercharging and making peanuts.
But you know who doesn’t make peanuts to start out with?
The people managing and building ads.
Social Media Ads Have ROI
Because a marketing client can SEE the exact return on their investment (ROI), ads managers tend to make a chunk of change over folks who only do organic social media.
This is a fit for you if:
- You love the internet and memes
- You’re super nosey and like to delve into data
- You’re a funny writer/can write copy
- LOVE social media
Laptop Empires Course – Charge Clients $1,000 a Month
Laptop Empires has some great courses on Facebook marketing, and one of their courses TEACHES you how to manage ads for a few side hustle clients a month. You’re already on the internet, you may as well make money doing it!
They advise charging no less than $1,000 a month, and the course clearly explains how to structure your fees!
Check out the course here.
Quarantine Money Making Venture #2: Become a Virtual Assistant
Thanks to the internet, there’s a whole wide world of people who work remotely with their laptop – pre-social distancing! From startup founders to solopreneurs to bloggers, all of these people need to be able to maximize their time – and spend their time on the activities that earn them the most $$$.
Because of this, many successful people hire virtual assistants (VAs) to handle a variety of tasks.
A virtual assistant can do a variety of activities like:
- Organizing email inbox
- Managing family and household tasks (researching plumbers, scheduling doctors appointments, etc)
- Proofreading
- Following up with clients and customers
A virtual assistant is a jack-of-all-trades, and being a VA is a great way to transition your career into the business world if you’ve felt stuck in retail or serving people IRL!
They’re paid between $20 and $50 per hour, and you want to be sure NOT to go under $20 per hour, as you’ll likely be a 1099 contractor and pay 30% in taxes.
Being a Virtual Assistant is a fit for you if:
- You’re organized
- You can continuously follow up with a frazzled entrepreneur or solopreneur who will probably have control issues at first
- You can communicate boundaries effectively with firmness (you’re going to have to be clear about your working hours to avoid a “Devil Wears Prada” situation)
Where to Get a Gig as a Virtual Assistant?
I would check business Facebook groups for your area or a specific niche/industry. You can also use UpWork, a freelancing website, to pitch clients. (My guide to UpWork is here.)
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Quarantine Money Making Venture #3: Teach a LIVE Online Course in a Facebook Group
I’ve made thousands of dollars teaching online courses in Facebook groups, on topics I’m an expert in. From influencer marketing to social media management, I’ve taught a number of courses.
But here’s my secret: I don’t make the content until the course is half-full.
That’s right. I write up a sales and signup page and outline what I’ll teach each day (about an hour of content for five days), and then I promote it all over the internet.
Once a course reaches 7 registrants (I cap mine at 12 ish), I make the course power points.
Teaching Courses Is For You If:
- People frequently ask you for help, popping in your texts and FB chats
- People tell you should teach a course
- You have niche knowledge
Why Facebook Groups?
There are online platforms out there you can use to teach a course, but I prefer to use Facebook for a few reasons:
- People already know how to use it
- Students are on FB throughout the day, and they’ll see their peers post questions in the group
- I can film and post directly in the group
Hot Tip: Choose to Teach a Course Tied to Money $$$
People are REALLY motivated by money (that’s why you’re here, isn’t it?), so for your first course I recommend that you tie it to earning or saving money. Can you teach people how to make bomb logos in Photoshop? Can you teach people how to update their bathroom and save money?
I charge $60 – $240 for my courses, and you really start seeing ROI your third session.
Quarantine Money Making Venture #4: Get a Technical Certification and Get $50ph++
Okay, I cannot tell you the number of artists and actors I know who are able to focus on their art NEARLY full-time because of this hack.
Technical skills and know-how pays, which isn’t fair but it’s LIFE. If you can get a certification in a cybersecurity or IT (no, you don’t need to learn how to code) you can charge a HIGH hourly rate. I have creative friends who work 10-15 hours a week and then focus on their creative pursuits with the rest of their time, bc they replaced their FT income as a sales clerk or waitress with technical work.
I’m not saying to go get a DEGREE, rather find a certification that’s in-demand to make $$$.
You can check out Pluralsight for courses on getting specific certifications, and then use LinkedIn Jobs or UpWork to find gigs. You can also ask your current employer(s) if theres a skillset they need, and then negotiate a higher hourly rate or salary if you take over that initiative!
Getting a Technical Certification Is For You If:
- You like computers and learning how to fix things
- You’re a more chill person and don’t get frustrated easily
Quarantine Money Making Venture #5: Photo Retouching ($50+ per hour)
If I could go back in time, I would find my 16-year-old self and force her to learn Photoshop.
Alas, here we are!
Photo retouching is a great gig for folks who don’t want to talk to other people, and you can charge per image – making it so you can work while watching Netflix!
There are lots of youTube tutorials, but they can be overwhelming. I’d use Pluralsight to finish a course!
Quarantine Money Making Venture #6: Offer “Pick My Brain” Sessions
This one is kind of related to #3, but it’s a bit different. If you find that people are continuously asking to “pick your brain” or “get coffee” it may be time to start offering 1:1 consulting sessions.
Generally, a consultant with niche knowledge charges starting at $100 USD. 10 sessions a month, and bam! $1K.
I wrote more about using Acuity HERE to set all of this up, and it’s a very easy way to get that income coming in!
Quarantine Money Making Venture #7: Manage a Pinterest Account & Create Content Using Canva ($25 per hour)
Pinterest recently changed its algorithm, and its prioritizing new content. This may not seem like a big deal, but it’s a HUGE deal. People who have had content perform well for years on the site have seen their profits and traffic DROP because they need to make more content.
Because of this, a lot of businesses are hiring Pinterest Managers, people who make graphics and engage on Pinterest to keep traffic moving to their website.
A virtual assistant could be asked to do this (#2 on this list), but there are folks out there who ONLY do Pinterest.
You don’t even need to learn photoshop! You can just load up Canva and make ready made templates, and then use Tailwind to schedule them out.
Don’t know anytthing about Pinterest? Check out the Simple Pin Podcast and Simple Pin Collective to hit the group running!
BONUS: What About Starting a Blog?
Looking around on the internet, a lot of websites recommend starting a blog to earn an extra $1,000 a month.
But here’s the thing. Blogging is a LOOOOONG game. You’re going to have to set a lot up and do a LOT of upfront work to get it going. It’s definitely doable, but you’re probably not going to hit $1K the month you start blogging.
My guide to starting a blog HERE!
What to Read Next —>
- Streaks App Review – – Worth the Money?
- Blog Income Report – $3,541.23
- How to Sell Your Clothes on Instagram & Make Money
- Career Mistakes Millennials are Making
Thanks for Reading!
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