For many people looking to make money online, getting past that initial hurdle of earning your first dollar is where you get stuck. You are unsure of your skills. You are generally unsure of this new landscape. It shows the fear of taking that risk. But great things await outside your comfort zone.
But how do you overcome that initial hurdle? How do you stop yourself and move on? Simple. You’re going to do it scared and you’re going to push yourself harder. I do my best work under pressure. Maybe you do too.
I put this challenge together because I truly believe that if you can achieve a “quick win” by working from home, you will set yourself up for success. Not only will you have a little money in your pocket, but you will also have the confidence to carry on. All the butterflies from that first date will be gone.
For our challenge, I’m breaking it down into the simplest steps. I’ve tried to make it as simple as possible so you’ll have no excuse not to follow along.
If it’s important, you’ll find a way. If not, you’ll find an excuse.
We will focus on small single or bundled services that you can offer for $50. You only need two sales at that rate to make your first $100 fast. If you can bundle a $50 package together and make 10 sales, that’s $500 in your pocket. If you can make 20 sales, that’s $1000 in your pocket. Now imagine, will this challenge give you the confidence to move forward? Priceless.
But why one-off services when I can focus on container packages?
Good argument, but this challenge is mainly for those just dipping their toes into the service industry. Maybe you still don’t know what services you want to offer and want to try a few Maybe it’s your first time working with clients and you want to get a feel for the process before committing to something long-term. Plus, it’s a great way to sample your services for a client without the pressure of a long-term commitment. I like to try people with a sample project before signing up for a container. And when your project is finished, you can always extend an invitation to work with you again and again.
What kind of things can I offer for $50?
Such a big question! And one that often hangs up newcomers.
I’ve put together a quick list to get your wheels turning and it covers a variety of skill sets. Don’t treat this as an all-inclusive list, but let it get your wheels turning.
And consider your experience and expertise in selecting and pricing your package. Some freelance writers may feel comfortable charging $50 for a blog while someone with experience and specialized knowledge would feel undervalued at that price point. Choose your offers and prices that are right for you.
I’ve broken these service ideas into categories, but I want you to explore each category regardless of whether you think you can do it or not. You might think design services are clearly out of your wheelhouse, but things like creating social media graphics become entirely possible when you’re familiar with design basics, best practices, and using an online tool like Canva.
If you’re new to something, don’t use your clients as your guinea pigs. “I can do it for you!” Test your skills before saying it might mean taking a course Udemy Or training series available for popular online tools like ConvertKit and Leadpages. There is a lot of education available online. Take advantage of it.
Writing services
- Write a blog post – 500 to 1000 words should be enough depending on your skills
- Sales Page Content – This will require some expertise
- Newsletter Content – Everyone wants a compelling and personalized newsletter these days
- Email Sequence Content – Delivering a series of emails to new subscribers is more desirable than a one-time download. Some bloggers create great content and create a 5 to 7 day series that they can send their new leads to.
- Write author bylines and bios – we all struggle with this. Create a short questionnaire that your client can fill out then get to work writing a great resume.
- Proofreading/Editing – Limit it to a certain number of pages or posts
- Article Outline/Research – Do the heavy lifting before the writing stage
- Editorial Calendar and Blog Post Ideas – Create an editorial schedule based on your client’s topics then brainstorm a few ideas to get them started.
Design Services
- Create printables – worksheets and planners are hot right now
- Social Media Graphics – Facebook prompts, Pinterest images, Instagram images
- Custom Opt-In Box – This will require some graphic design and HTML skills
- Logo design
- Simple WordPress Tweaks
- Custom Opt-in or Thank You Page – You can do this with HTML or with a service like LeadPages or Thrive Theme
Marketing services
- Older Post Optimization – Update content, make sure all links are working, add more details, add affiliate links, create a content upgrade, etc.
- SEO Quick Wins – If you’re good at SEO, take a look at your client’s site and point out a few things that will show them instant results. These immediate results can lead to long-term contracts.
- Content Repurposing – Take those popular posts and turn them into slideshows, eCourses, worksheets, etc.
- Pinterest board cleanup/optimization
- Idea generation for customer opt-ins with outline
- Online Store SEO
- YouTube Optimization
- Video or Facebook Live ideas and outlines
- Setup a recurring queue of social media content in smart row Or meet Edgar
- Custom Business Cards – You design the card and then send the approved product to your client
- Whiteboard animation
- Product mock up
- SEO Keyword List and Blog Post Ideas
- Platform Growth – Choose a platform like Twitter or Facebook and focus on getting quality followers for your client
- Submission Service – Its direction will depend on your skills. This can range from linkys to bookmarking and beyond. Keep track of where you submitted to give to your client.
other
- Strategy call
- Custom Plans – Meal plans, workout plans, pantry plans to meet food restrictions, another great idea would be to create a shopping list/meal plan based on the customer’s location and current sales at favorite stores.
- Sales Funnel Map – Sales Funnels are Hot!
- Advertisement Places – Banners, Newsletters
- Account setup – newsletter, social media, course platform, etc.
- One tutorial after another
- Gmail Optimization – Set up filters and folders to help your clients get to Inbox Zero
- Website critique and action plan
Use your tools – If you already pay for a service or tool that allows for multiple social media profiles, use that to your advantage. Many single people don’t have the budget to pay a social media manager And Pay for an expensive tool like Meet Edgar or Sprout Social. You can kill two birds with one stone and not only pay for your monthly subscription but also earn some extra cash by renting out those extra available profiles while scheduling clients’ social media updates.
last row
At the end of the day, it’s a three-step process. Don’t overthink it.
- Determine an in-demand service package. Make sure it’s measurable and easy to execute. You don’t want to lose your potential profits with a long onboarding process. They should ideally be able to pay you, answer a few questions, and you’re off to work. You don’t want a lot of back and forth for the last day.
- Set up your landing page. I’ve seen it done in several ways. You can set up a one-page WordPress site that describes you and your service offerings and includes a PayPal button, or you can set up a simple sales page. gumroad So that you can instruct people.
- Join the Facebook group. This is one of the fastest ways to find potential clients today. There are groups that allow you to share what you have to offer. But many groups will require a more lenient approach because overt self-promotion is prohibited.
A few groups where you can post your sales:
A few groups where female business owners and bloggers gather and you can introduce yourself by answering questions and offering advice:
Platform-Specific Groups – These platform-specific groups are a great place for those with specialized skills. If you can’t serve these people, it’s probably not worth the time investment.
But you can’t jump into sales. Look for opportunities to help. At that point, share a few tips and tell them how you’d like to help them further if needed. This is an easy way to set the stage and get into outsourcing mode.
Please be aware that you cannot jump on Facebook today and then not come back for three weeks. It’s a “cultivation” process – people trust you and see you as an expert. Your time and effort will be reflected. While you’re waiting for it to pay off, list your stuff in the first few buy/sell groups I listed above and consider a few to list on Fiver.
The key to success on Fiverr is upselling. You want to choose a very small offer to start and then expand it to upsells that allow you to charge up to $995 for your gig. It sounds crazy, but people are going to be more apt to click on a $5 offer and add to it than to click on a $50 gig to begin with. Human nature.
For example, several years ago when I was offering author submission services on Fiverr I would submit a buyer’s book to #site for $5. If they wanted it done faster than 3 days it was another $5 or $10. For an additional $5 or $10 I will submit an additional # to the site. That gig alone took me to Level 2 seller and earned me over $3,000. And most of my customers were repeat buyers. It took me less than 10 minutes to complete the sale so it was worth my time to list on that platform as opposed to trying to find these authors off-site. I really had no desire to be a VA to authors and perform A-to-Z book marketing services. I was happy to carve out a nice little piece of the pie, however.
Fiverr has a few examples What’s trending on the site right now. Much of this, like eBay and Etsy store optimization, is what we’ve discussed above. Spend some time digging through the site to see what’s getting a large number of reviews and what’s not.
If you need to brush up on your skills, I would recommend Udemy.
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