$90,000 In Side Hustle Income
How I plan to double my income in the next six months
I’m taking on a massive challenge and want to bring you along for the ride. My husband and I recently signed a contract to get new windows for our house. While it’s exciting (our old windows are a moldy, cracking mess), it also means we’re diving back into debt, which feels overwhelming after we worked hard to become debt-free. We also had some unfortunate events that led to us starting over on our 6-month emergency fund.
So, here’s the deal: I’ve set a bold goal to make $90,000 in six months through various side hustles, content creation, and more. And I’m doing this publicly for that extra push and to hopefully share my wins, losses, and all the lessons to be learned.
We aim to pay off the windows and refill our emergency fund by June 1st, 2024.
The Starting Point
First, let’s talk numbers. I’ve been on YouTube for a few years, run a blog, and have some affiliate income streams, but it’s not as much as you might think. Here’s a breakdown:
- Affiliate Earnings: $344 from five different programs.
- YouTube Revenue: $213.05 for the year, with 29 videos posted in 2023.
- Medium Earnings: I am on track to earn about $200 this month, but past earnings were below $5. I got lucky and had one of my posts go viral in late November.
In total, these channels have brought in $632.57 this year. It's not a fortune, but it’s a start and something to build on. I have a decent audience here and on YouTube, so those two channels will be my focus to start. However, I want to explore other side hustles such as Etsy shops, short-form content, sponsored content, surveys, and whatever else we can stumble upon.
Strategy Time: Affiliate Marketing and Consistent Content
I’m dusting off my affiliate marketing strategy to boost these numbers. I’ve got a range of affiliate programs I’m a part of, and I plan to create content around these links to start. If done right, affiliate marketing is a goldmine — it’s about selling others’ products and earning a commission. I sign up for programs of products or services I already use and love, so it’s easier to promote when I actively use them.
Affiliate Programs
I’m using tools like Partner Stack, LemonSqueezy, and Impact for affiliate programs and focusing on products I genuinely use and love, like Sunsama and Podia. I have posted a lot of affiliate content in the past, just given the nature of my planning and goal-setting niche, but I want to be more intentional with it and focus on the programs that really fit my content the best.
Ramping Up the Content
The plan is to post consistently on Medium and YouTube. I’m thinking of starting with weekly posts. Plus, I’ve got some podcast episodes ready to launch. The goal is to create and schedule content for the next two months, especially since I’ll be recovering from carpal tunnel surgery soon.
Organizing with Notion
To keep everything streamlined for this challenge, I’m using Notion. It’s my go-to for planning content and business tasks. I’ve set up an affiliate list and content calendar and have a clear view of the upcoming content for different platforms, including potential new YouTube channels and a revived podcast.
I have also set up a public page where you can see what tasks I’m working on, exactly how much I’ve earned, and from which channels, and read my daily logs on what I worked through and any challenges I faced.
Join Me on This Journey
I’ll be updating regularly on YouTube and exploring other revenue streams like AI-generated content and an Etsy shop. I’m open to trying different side hustles, so drop your suggestions in the comments if you think I should test an idea.
Here’s to a potentially $90,000 richer future or, at the very least, an exciting learning experience 🤩
