If you heard about a stay–at–home mom that was struggling to make ends meet and then started making $2,000 to $3,000 in extra income each month, would you be interested in learning more about her story?
A few days ago, a Passive Panda reader reached out to me and said that she had done just that.
Here’s what happened…
From Struggling to $3,000 Per Month
A few days ago, I received an email that said the following…
Hi James!
I wanted to thank you for your post about side hustlin’.
This one: http://passivepanda.com/freelance-writer
The two links provided in that article have brought me about $2,000 to $3,000 in extra work per month. I run a few businesses and was in the middle of rebranding one to better present it to the world when my income dropped.
If it weren’t for the writing gigs I found through your post, I am sure my family would be living in a cardboard box under a bridge … or worse, with my mother–in–law.
Thanks again, I really appreciate your insight and help.
Sincerely,
Dani M.
I love hearing success stories from Passive Panda readers for two reasons.
First, it makes me feel good to know that I’m making a difference and positively impacting your life.
Second, every time I hear about someone’s success it’s proof that the principles and strategies that I share on Passive Panda actually work. In other words, when you read Passive Panda you don’t have to worry about whether or not you’re being pitched some weird scam or a useless tactic.
Readers like Dani are proof that the ideas I share will work for you. All you need to do is put them into action.
Even better, when people are using Passive Panda’s free content to make an extra $3,000 per month, you can’t help but wonder how much you could make with our premium strategies.
In other words, when I offer premium training (like The Remora Method for example), you know that it gets results. You don’t need to worry about whether or not it will work, you just need to decide if it’s a good fit for you.
Alright, let’s get back to Dani’s story.
Earning More Money is Difficult
I’ve talked at length about the benefits of freelancing and we’ve already established that it’s the best way for you to boost your income.
But knowing what to do and actually doing it are two very different things. Many freelancers struggle to get going – even when they know that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Dani was no different. After her initial email, I asked for more details and what she told me revealed some important lessons about boosting your income.
Here is what she said about her journey into freelancing…
I spent 8 years working a corporate job in IT while living in Charlotte, NC.
We sold everything we owned to move to a smaller town in the mountains and I took on a part–time, lower–paying IT job to get me through learning how to start freelancing. The whole point was for me to not have to work 24/7 like I was in IT.
I felt freelancing would give me the flexibility I needed to stay home with my 8–month–old daughter and earn enough to take care of us.
My spouse was in college and I was our sole income. I worked my day job and hustled for about a year working at night to build up my clientele so I could just dump the day job. I would stay up until 4am every night and then get up at 7am to go to the day job.
I thought all this hard work would have to pay off … right?
Notice how hard Dani is working? If you’re reading Passive Panda, then I bet you fall into the same category.
You’re not lazy. You’re not stupid. And you’re willing to do what you need to do to make it happen.
But it’s frustrating and exhausting when you don’t get the results you deserve. It’s always hard for me to hear about people battling through this cycle of struggle because everything seems overwhelming at this stage.
Let’s see how Dani deals with it…
So about a year ago I left my part–time day job and took the plunge to full–fledged freelancer. (Part–time. Ha! 37.5 hours a week so they wouldn’t have to give me benefits.)
We only had one car so this decision meant that my spouse could go from online school back to physical college to pursue his dreams of being a Paramedic.
Everything was fantastic until I realized I was doing it all wrong. I was charging too little and slowly the crappy income began to catch up to me. No longer having the steady day job paycheck really made me open my eyes. I was working super long hours and barely making any money. I realized I needed to rebrand and dump my cheapskate clients and somehow find clients who were willing to pay for my expertise.
We were falling behind on our bills for the first time in our lives. I kept thinking I was going to have to get another day job and admit to everyone I failed.
But we only had one car, lived too far to take public transportation, and my spouse was using the car to go to Paramedic school full–time, plus interning at the hospital.
What was I going to do to gain more income from home?
If you have ever battled through the initial phase of working for yourself, then you probably know how Dani felt at this point.
Or perhaps you fear the situation Dani describes so much that you’re terrified to get started at all. In that case, I recommend starting with small steps. Or you could watch this interview on overcoming fear.
At this point, I think it’s important to clarify a few things.
First, you’re not a failure if you try something new and it doesn’t work out. In fact, I would argue that you’re a success either way because you now have the courage that most people don’t have.
You see, many people avoid working hard for something difficult or putting their neck on the line for something new because they are afraid that if it doesn’t work out, then that means that they are a failure.
This is a classic reason why some students don’t try in school. If they don’t try and get bad grades, then they can simply blame it on not trying. But if they do try and get bad grades, then they assume that they must be stupid. So they avoid it all together and don’t try.
I would encourage you to take a different route. If you’re the type of person who has read this far into this article, then you’re also the type of person who cares about making a change and becoming better. And it’s good that you care.
So don’t do yourself the injustice of acting like you don’t care or avoid what could be a great opportunity because it might not work out.
There is no universal measurement of failure. Only you decide if the time you put in was a success or not. And I’m willing to bet that no matter what the risk and no matter how difficult the situation, if you put all that you have into something, then it won’t be a failure. Even if it’s not the result you were hoping for or the path you planned on walking.
Back to Dani’s story…
As a freelancer I was blogging for clients and writing ebooks for them. I also ran my own Virtual Assistant firm where I had some long–term clients who were paying peanuts because I was too nice. I really had no clue how to run a business and what to charge.
We were just scraping by and in a position where we were about to lose everything. I became the epitome of the term “starving freelancer” … except I had a family relying on me.
I just kept thinking, if I could just find something that paid a little more I could have the life I wanted and my family deserved.
I saw your article and it lead me to a whole new world of gigs and leads. I knew I wanted to write professionally but I was not a professional writer (in my eyes). I had a lack of confidence, but your article gave me motivation to just apply and see what would happen.
I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to simply try new things. This is as true for life as it is for freelancing.
Many people avoid reaching out or stretching themselves because they don’t think that they are qualified yet or they haven’t done enough.
Guess what? Everyone is figuring it out as they go along.
Dani felt like she had “no clue how to run a business” and a few weeks later she was making $3,000 per month working for herself.
Don’t disqualify yourself by not trying at all. Reach for new clients. Contact people “above your level.” Try something totally new.
If you keep searching, keep working, and continue trying new things, then eventually you’ll find something that will work…
I would say I started earning money within about three weeks after reading your article. In my initial emails, I had sent about 5 writing samples out and two people wrote me back for interviews. Then they asked me to start as soon as possible!
One job is a content idea position where I come up with content ideas for a guest blogging company. So instead of writing I get to be super creative and tease people with potential articles.
The other is a weekly job where I write five 750 to 1000 word articles a week for an IT company and it pays really, really, really well. I make more in a day doing that one job than I did in a week working with those crappy clients for the past year.
That job is only a 6–week contract but it has catapulted my confidence and I’m still using your article to find more gigs.
I can’t tell you how happy I am when I hear stories like this. Dani is living proof that if you work hard and put smart ideas into practice, then you’ll find success.
Think about how easy it would have been for Dani to give up and get a real job. I bet there were weeks on end where she felt stressed and pressured and ready to move on. But she kept at it, kept searching for new ideas and trying new things. And in the end, she turned the corner.
As with most Passive Panda tales, this story has a happy ending…
In the end, dumping my crappy clients and taking on these two gigs to fill their hours gave me 4 times more pay and about 15 more hours per week to hang out with my family.
Previously, I had found some writing gigs on Elance, People for Hire, and ODesk while trying to get more income, but they were low paying just like my crappy clients. Your article lead me to much higher paying jobs than those ever did. I took a risk by declining those lower jobs and taking the time to apply to the ones on the two links from your blog.
Before these gigs I was working day and night at the lower rate like a fool. My family was upset because I told them freelancing would allow me to have more time with them and with my early business model clearly that wasn’t the case. It changed my perspective on hustling and doing it the right way. It also taught me that some risks do pay off.
I’m happy to say that we’ve caught up on our bills, been able to pay out of pocket for my spouses next school semester, and I’ve been able to shorten my workday.
Thanks again!
Dani M.
It’s always good to end on a high note.
You can visit Dani’s website at danimagestro.com
What You Should Do Now
I want to hear from you.
Leave a comment below and tell me, “How has Passive Panda helped you?”
This could be big (like earning a few thousands dollars per month) or small (tell me a Passive Panda article that you enjoyed) … but either way, tell me how this site has helped you.
Be as specific as possible. Share your story. Just like you benefited from hearing Dani’s story, others will benefit from hearing yours.
Comments are encouraged. I’d love to hear from you right now. Leave a comment below and tell us, “How has Passive Panda helped you?”
Although I’m moving in a different direction at the moment (focusing on blogging, affiliate marketing and iOS apps, after great articles on Passive Panda
), but I LOVE the freelancing articles. Should business ever be slow, I’m going to implement freelancing to get a side income.
So, please please please, more articles on freelancing/side hustles… they’re great and super-helpful
Thanks for telling me Benjamin!
Note to everyone else: This is exactly what I want. Tell me what you like and then I can give it to you.
Hooray for success, nice work Dani and of course nice work to you too James!
Thanks Kohn. It’s always nice to pump people up with a good story.
Being a mom trying to make a successful career out of freelance work, I can definitely identify with this story. Thanks for the great inspiration Dani & James!
Thanks Parrish. Good luck in your own journey! I hope Passive Panda helps you reach your goals.
Thanks Parrish! Go for it and don’t give up!
This story knocked my socks off at the perfect moment. Just last night I had a long frustrating conversation with my partner. I was trying to explain how working from home is the answer but I couldnt explain the logical steps I’d take to get there. Dani thank you for sharing. James Clear, you save my life a little more each time I read your posts.
P.S. (The Remora Method is gaining traction!)
Yep … sometimes you just need to see the journey through someone else’s eyes for it to make sense.
I’m glad I could help.
P.S. Can’t wait to hear about your progress in The Remora Method!
Thanks Candace! I just want everyone to know that if I can do it, so can you! I feel the same way about every post James makes. I was so happy to find someone who I was able to understand and gave me information I could actually use.
Congrats, Dani! And James – you are wonderful – free with your positive ideas, confidence boosting enthusiasm and outside the small-box ideas!
Your Remora Method got me thinking – although I am a pet photographer by trade, I had just created a home-made product, aimed at the show folks (but showing promise in other applications as well). Although I have a beginning Etsy page, I really wanted to REACH the show folks. Remora solution? Reach out to a retailer that has a huge vendor presence at the shows around California. With the urging of an online photo marketing mentor, through a well-timed blog-post, I took the plunge and reached out the the Vendor – offering my product wholesale. They made a good-sized wholesale purchase before ever even seeing a photo of the product, based on my description! And when their order arrived, they were even more excited about offering it in their booth at the shows! Getting my product out in front of so many people, in my initial target audience, is something I couldn’t have done on my own (when I’m at the shows, I prefer to be ringside doing my photography, not hanging out in a booth spending extra money on the vendor space). Also, this Vendor is at many more events throughout the month than I attend with my camera.
THANK YOU, James – getting such a good response from the very first retailer that I contacted was a wonderful boost to my confidence, reinforcing what you’ve been urging here. I’m ready to find more retailers to reach out to now!
I love it! Your story is just another example illustrating that The Remora Method really does work. When you form mutually beneficial relationships everybody wins and success comes that much faster. Thanks for sharing Peggy!
And good luck!
Great story, Peggy. Thanks for sharing!
It’s amazing sometimes what will happen if we just start talking to people. Sometimes it’s the people we see everyday (in our field) but take for granted or else we assume they wouldn’t take us seriously.
Sometimes it starts with asking innocent questions or striking up a conversation. Recently, I was offered some freelance work just by asking questions to a shop owner. I NEVER asked for the work.. he offered it!
Unfortunately, I won’t begin the work because I’m moving in a few months and it’s not “portable”. But it sure opened my eyes to the possibilities.
Great post James! Thanks to you and Dani for sharing.
For me, personally, this is the best part of the whole thing:
“First, you’re not a failure if you try something new and it doesn’t work out. In fact, I would argue that you’re a success either way because you now have the courage that most people don’t have.”
This is something that has bothered me almost my entire adult life. I’m basically a “serial entreperneur”, some gigs successful, some not… or at least not profitable and not what I thought they’d be, etc. and because of those unsuccessful gigs I’ve always felt I failed somehow. But I’ve learned from everything I’ve ever done and so I just need to focus on that and on the quote above.
I’m going to print that out, blow it up, and paste it on my wall to remind me everyday that I’m on the right track here, and am not a failure.
Thanks so much!
I love hearing that! I’m glad you’re finding value here. Your thoughts are always welcome, Chris.
Great article. But what about people who can’t write at all and have $0 income. Because that’s me.
Is it possible to do something amazing with $0 income?? It cost money to start a website. It cost money to advertise. It cost money to get Internet.
Could someone help me get from $0 – $100,000 in a year? No taker? I understand. Well, I promise myself that I would go from having no job, no money, no income, …to a millionaire. I guess I will have to keep browsing. One day, you’ll see my story here, and it’ll cost $9.90 to see how it was done.
Bee,
Keep at it. 99% of us start in the same place: no money, no resources, no connections, no experience. Some people go for it anyway. Those are the ones who make it.
Wonderful for Dani, and makes me think about firing a few clients and moving on to more fun and lucrative pastures!
Great work, Passive Panda!
~ Lee
Seriously the BEST thing I’ve ever done for my business. I had my entire family relying on me financially when I did it, only a very small savings account. I know it was risky but I had to do it to save my sanity! I realize now I had been looking in the wrong places for work and clients. Even if you just take baby steps, you know which clients suck the life out of you and provide you with little joy.
Hi James!
Dani’s article really inspired me! I am not American but can truly relate to what she went thru as I’m having the same problems — in a much bigger scale unfortunately. I will definitely try the link and pray that I find a writing job fit for me. Thank you.
You will just don’t give up!
This is an awesome case study. While not a mother, I am in the same position as a freelancer myself. I struggle with being “too nice” and then feeling the burn because I feel like I’ve been stepped on as a result.
Not sure if it’s because I think commanding higher fees makes me feel like I’m mean or what, but uhm… I need an attitude adjustment pronto.
Lauryn, I have felt that exact way. I am a giver by nature and don’t really know any other way.
Then one day, I saw everything I was working towards slipping out of my fingers. I finally had to turn the table and do things for me and my family. I
ha! hit enter too soon.
Nice people sometimes have a hard time running a business. I’m here to tell you it’s not hard to still be fair and NICE. You can’t let others take advantage of you and you can’t live off peanuts.
Someone once told me if I was making what I made in corporate America ( or less ) then I was not in business. Businesses should be making more money and although they are a lot of hard work, you should feel like you are making what you deserve.
Thank you for that insight Dani!
I’ll be working toward correcting this pronto – and I look forward to adjusting my attitude
Hi James I am a continuous reader of Passive Panda and I really enjoy reading each article. I read enhance my confidence. I did my engineering, currently doing MBA, and I want to open my own software firm, but I am not getting courage.
I and my four friends who are already working at Infosys (a software firm) want to open our own, but don’t know how to go about it.
Awesome and inspiring article. For 6 months now I’ve been building my blog with my little mobile phone, though I haven’t earned a dime, no PC and occassional internet connection … one thing that I’ve learnt is never to give up.
This article is another inspiration for me to lay hold on.
Thanks for posting.
Never Never Never give up! I think one thing that has gotten me through a lot of tough times has been my determination to succeed based on my own rules. James opened a door for me and it was up to me to go through it.
Thanks James for sharing this inspiring story. It made me rethink of what I want in life. Now I’m in the same position as Dani M.
Tell me when is the next intake for The Remora Method?
I’m not sure when The Remora Method will open back up. Probably soon, but right now I’m focused on getting results for those that are in the course.
Make sure you’re on the priority notification list and you won’t miss out next time. You can sign up for that list at the bottom of this article: http://passivepanda.com/introducing-remora-method
Thank you Dani and James for this great story.
I am in the same position as Dani. Being to nice. Work for cheap. I am trying to get out of this but I am still very scare to lose everything. I know I have to take the risk and this story inspired me a lot to do so. Thank you for sharing this!
I must say that the Passive Panda newsletter is the only one I truly enjoy reading
Thanks again!
Stephanie, I’m here to help if you have any questions. You can totally do it!
This is such an inspiring story. It came at a time when I needed it the most! I can relate so well to Dani’s lack of confidence, but she proves that you just have to believe in yourself and try. Thanks for sharing your story Dani and thanks, James, for always giving us such great advice!
Thanks Sheila! I was a little scared to put myself out there but it feels good to know that I may be inspiring others to not give up!
On the days that I did not believe in myself, something always pushed me and in the end I KNEW I could do it.
Best of luck.
Hi James,
Thanks for sharing the story. I respect people like you and Dani a lot. It’s always great to hear hardworking people finally make it. But I have a few questions to put forward if you don’t mind.
The headline of the email says “…she went from struggling to pay her bills to earning $3,000/month … in 3 weeks.” I’m sorry but 3 weeks are not enough to show a sustainable trend. How did you come to $3,000/month? You mean she made 3,000 in that 3 weeks? Great, but does not mean she’s continuously making $3,000 every month?
I’ve been a freelancer, I know things can get crazy sometimes, one week I can make 2,000 dollars and the next 2 weeks maybe only 200.
I’m not trying to be difficult here, you’ve done a great job providing helpful information. I’m just trying to make sense of the claim. Thanks.
Hi Joy,
Thanks for your comment. Your thoughts are always welcome here.
I have a few thoughts…
First, to answer your primary question you can simply look at the first email Dani sent me (the first quote in the above article) where she says, “The two links provided in that article have brought me about $2,000 to $3,000 in extra work per month.”
So, that’s where the “$3,000 per month” in the title came from — straight from Dani.
Later in the article, I share more quotes from Dani where she says, “We were falling behind on our bills for the first time in our lives.” And also, “I would say I started earning money within about three weeks after reading your article.”
The title came straight from her experience. I pride myself on providing you with accurate information and avoiding marketing hype and fluff, so hopefully those quotes clarify everything.
Second, even though I have clarified where Dani’s numbers came from, I hope that most readers don’t get hung up on details like that. Your comment suggests that only making $3,000 one time isn’t worthwhile. Or that we should question whether or not it’s a success if you only earn $3,000 one time.
Obviously, I disagree and I think for many readers an extra $3,000 would make a big difference whether it happens just once or every month. But more than that, worrying about the numbers misses the overall point of the article: that it is possible to work for yourself and earn a living on your own … even if you struggle at first or don’t have a car or have a husband and child to provide for or whatever other barriers are present in your situation.
I’m not saying that doing this is easy, but people like Dani prove that working smart and hard can reap benefits and it is possible to succeed on your own. I would hate for someone that was considering freelancing to read your comment and think, “Oh, maybe she isn’t making $3,000 every month. I shouldn’t bother with this.”
Imagine if Dani had done that…
Thanks James for the clarification. I believe this type of discussion is very healthy and productive. I appreciate that. I think you may have misunderstood me. I’m not suggesting that just because freelance income is not steady we shall not even try.
I think many others who have been freelancing can relate to this – it is not making some additional income here and there that’s difficult as long as you provide a needed service. It is how to bring in a relatively consistent income that’s something many people such as myself are trying to find out.
I’m not discounting the value of this article. I’m just hoping to trigger some discussion on this topic – how to deal with feast or famine as a freelancer.
Take my profession as an example. I’m a freelance translator, on one hand I have to be available for potential projects, if I reserve all my time for this line of work, I’ll have to get used to feast or famine. But on the other hand, if I take a part time job, clients won’t call me as often because as they know my availability is limited. It’s a catch-22.
Joy, my apologies if there was any misunderstanding. You’re right. These conversations are valuable and I really appreciate your thoughts.
It’s true that the feast or famine cycle is something that’s typical for many freelancers. The best approach I know to overcoming this is to find on-going projects and long-term clients.
This can be done either by searching out bigger clients who have a more consistent need for services or you can structure your offer so that you charge in larger blocks of time (for example, one month or three month chunks). This allows you to sell less (only 12 clients per year in 1 month blocks … or less if some are recurring) and, hopefully, develop a steadier stream of income.
The feast or famine thing is VERY VERY true for Freelancers. I’m happy to report that one of my jobs has signed me on a contract for the next 12 months so I can say that it is now steady income!
I’m big on having multiple income streams and because of this extra income I’ve been able to write a book and offer coaching to baby freelancers! I’m starting to think it’s one big snowball and I am so thankful!
I was very pleased to find this site. I wanted to thank you for this great read!! I definitely enjoying every little bit of it and I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you post. Big thanks for the useful info……
James – this is such a lovely, inspirational and touching story – it really made my day.
I loved how much heart you have Dani. You deserve the success you are achieving.
I too jumped out of the corporate world for some time at home with my family for a while and I’m just about to jump into the online world too soon with a blog.
Your energy and determination to make it work Dani has inspired me.
Thanks James for sharing this story – I really like your blog.
Clare J Fitzgerald
Thanks for the kind words Clare. It’s great to hear from you and it’s nice to know that Passive Panda is helpful for you. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments anytime!
Hi there, I can’t say how much I love your Passive Panda’s articles. They are just awesome! I’ve learned a lot, and I hope I can tell you my success story in the near future.
Tks a lot, keep it up.
Thank you, thank you Dani and James.
I’ve recently started freelancing and my two major issues have been getting clients and finding the courage to really reach for what I want. I have a hard time asking for what I need, and an even harder time offering what I know I can deliver.
I’ve had a few entrepreneurial adventures and none of them ever worked for precisely those two reasons. But now I’m running out of options. At 25 I’ve decided to never have a boss again, but that means jumping hurdles I’ve been avoiding for too long!
It’s good to hear from other people that have made the leap, so thank you both for sharing!
I have to say I really enjoyed this article right here.
It gives you the confidence to just go out and try new things. For me personally testing my assumptions is the “strategy” that pays off the most. Just imagine the worst case scenario, decide if it would be the end of the world or if the possible outcome makes it worth it -and then go do it.
I also really enjoyed how you split up Dani’s mail with your own musings on her adventure -great job!
I have to say I really enjoyed this article right here. It gives you the confidence to just go out and try new things. But I don’t really know how to earn money online and really can be trust? I wish that you can teach me how to create a website and start earn money online.
Just found your site today. What everyone says is interesting and insiteful. The problem is I have just lost my job and I am in the latter part of 50. I’m hoping to come up with a way to make money from home. Blogging is something new to me, and would like to learn how to make some money at it. I guess I’m not savvy enough about the internet. Hopefully I will learn more.
Thanks for reading, Sophia! It’s nice to have you around. Browse some of the articles and see what you think. Hopefully you’ll be able to pick up some skills quickly. Good luck!
Hi James and Dani! Thank you so much for the article. It was just what I needed to read. I see so much of myself in Dani that it was quite eerie reading it. I too am from NC and I am the sole income earner in my household of myself, my 5-month old and my husband. We will be relocating to CA soon so that my husband can pursue his dreams of becoming a film actor. He will be in school as well to get him prepared so I have to continue to support all of us financially. I currently have a corporate job but we will soon have both sets of our loans to pay back so my income alone is not going to be enough. Additionally, once we move to CA, I’m need to be able to do something that allows me to work from home so that I can stay home with my son while my husband works. (Right now he stays home with him.) That’s why I joined this site. I am interested in earning more money; however I just don’t know what I can do on the side. I don’t know what skills I have that people would actually pay me to do. But I haven’t given up hope. Dani’s story is so inspiring…I’m confident that I will figure something out!! Thanks again!!
I just love belivers and brave people like Demi. Nice work.
.
I just spoke with a guy this Christmas about my entrepreneur dreams. We drink some scotch and he said “Sorry, but you don’t look like entrepreneur type – your character don’t match for me”. At first I was sad… but then I thought “and who are you to tell me what to do?”. At the end I said “maybe your right” and keep my thinking to myself. So I know what it means to be scared, but thanks to Passive Panda I also know what it means to be brave
I’m so glad I’ve found this! Dank you story is amazing and a lot like mine. My next stop will be to Passive Panza. I am intrigued and pretty sure this is something I could benefit from. James, you touch on so many important subjects relating to freelancing, and I love your perspective on fear and trying new things. I’he been “trying” to start my home biz for about 2 years now. I work full time and have a family. But, I just don’t have it in me to give up. Things progress at snail pace most of the time…but hey I’m moving. I KNOW that I’m on the road to success. Thank you. I’ll definately be in touch!
Awesome!
thanks guys for sharing. Just left this full time job in an NGO b’se i felt stressed…no money yet i have to find tuition for my masters plus sustain myself. Right now using one of my interests as a source of income but its meager, very meager. i want to try this out. where do i start James? Is it for everyone regardless of which part of the world?