Throughout September we focused on trimming expenses by having a no-spend month. While reducing spending is an important part of getting financially healthy, earning extra money (as long as you don’t equally increase your spending) can have a bigger effect on your bottom line.
In October my focus will be on earning extra income. I was invited to participate in an earning extra challenge along with some fellow bloggers. At first I was hesitant, because I knew that if I participated, I would go all in. I don’t like to do things half-way. The more I thought about it, though, the more excited I got.
My mind is full of ideas for earning extra income– many more than I would ever have time to implement. I decided that this would be the perfect opportunity to try out some income-earning ideas.
The Challenge
For the next 60 days, a team of personal finance bloggers and a team of lifestyle bloggers will be building side hustles on the Fiverr platform. While each blogger will be building his or her own separate Fiverr hustle, the earnings will be added up by team. The challenge is pretty simple– see which team of bloggers can earn the most!
Fiverr
Fiverr is a global online marketplace where sellers offer services called “gigs” that start at just $5, hence the name. The range of services is immense. There are services from logo creation and video editing to resume writing and quirky advertising. Anything that a freelancer or virtual assistant would do is there, plus loads more. Some of the services offered are pretty original and some are downright strange.
The base price of a gig is $5. Now, $5 isn’t much (and it’s actually only $4 once Fiverr’s commission is figured in), so you’re probably wondering how it could possibly be worth a seller’s time. You’re not alone. That was my thought when I bought my first Fiverr gig two years ago.
I have since learned that the way to really make your time on Fiverr worth it is in the upsell. In addition to the base offering at $5, you offer irresistible add-on services for additional fees. You can also take custom orders for which you set your own price.
My Fiverr Side Hustle Plan
One of the biggest factors in deciding on the gigs I would offer was time. I wanted to make sure that my gig would not take a lot of time. I am steering away from an actual or digital product because I know for me that would take more time. The perfectionist in me would take way too long on each gig if there was a deliverable.
Instead, I opted for sharing knowledge and expertise. I decided to stick with something I know well– Etsy. I have been selling on Etsy since 2007. A year and half ago I wrote a blog series about earning on Etsy which has become very popular. In fact, right now I’m taking a vacation from my shop while I crack down and finish writing my ebook on the topic.
My Fiverr gig is to give expert advice to improve your Etsy shop. For the basic $5 gig, I will give shop owners a customer’s perspective of their shop, a shop critique from a business standpoint, and a list of specific action items for improving their shop.
My add-on services (called “Gig Extras”) are a personalized marketing plan and/or market research on their product. You can see the specifics here. I also have an add-on for delivering extra fast (max 2 days instead of 6).
Over the next 60 days I might add other unrelated gigs, as feasible ideas come to my mind. Of course I welcome your suggestions as well.
Get Your First Fiverr Gig FREE
If you are new to Fiverr, you can get your first $5 gig free by signing up for a new account and entering the coupon code SIXFIGURESUNDER2015 when you checkout.
Note: You can purchase on Fiverr without signing up for an account, but in order to enter a coupon code on Fiverr, you need to sign up for an account (otherwise there is not a place to enter a coupon code). Please let me know if you have any trouble or questions.
Personal Finance Team
You can see what my personal finance blogger teammates are offering on each of their blogs. In fact, you are also invited to vote for the #FiverrHustle you like best (mine is the last one on the list).
| Making Sense of Cents | Couple Money |
| Studenomics | His and Her Money |
| Yes I Am Cheap | Debt Free Divas |
| The Happy Housewife | Miss Millennia Magazine |
| Mending the Piggy Bank |
How About You?
- Have you ever bought a gig on Fiverr? I’d love to hear what you bought!
- What ideas do you have for selling on Fiverr?
A big thanks to Fiverr and Kasai media for sponsoring this challenge. While I am compensated for participating, all the ideas and hustle are my own! 🙂
I’m not sure I get it. Do you get paid $5 for each thing you do? Or are you paying someone else? The coupon code is to get your first “gig” free, and I’m not sure I understand what that’s for. Sorry if this is a dumb question!
I’m doing the gig as a way to earn money. I’m doing the work (not paying someone else) so I get the money when someone buys my gig. The coupon code is for my readers to use to buy my gig or any other gig on Fiverr when they create a new account. I hope that makes sense. 🙂
the links to your gig aren’t working for me. Is it just me?
Hi Nancy, I just tried the links to my Fiverr gig and they are working fine for me. The link is a google shortened link, so it doesn’t look link a huge, long URL, but it should take you right there. Please let me know if you are still having problems. 🙂
Stephanie the links are working for me now. I went to purchase your gig but it wants me to open an account first. I don’t see a way to purchase without starting an account.
You can just put click “order now” and checkout without an account (at least with PayPal, I’m not sure if you need an account to use a credit card), but if you want to use the coupon code to get the $5 gig free, you have to open an account (otherwise there isn’t a spot to enter your code).
Knock ’em out of the park Stephanie!
Thanks Tracie! 🙂