Practical Income Streams
I left my reliable corporate healthcare job back in October 2023. It’s been about 5 months since then and when you turn your side gig into a full time job, you realize that it may be helpful to start adding in extra income streams or as I refer to them ‘side gigs’. Lessening the pressure on my business was really important, because I wanted to ensure I wasn’t functioning from constant need to pay my bills, instead taking action from the place of passion that had launched me to begin this business. It’s been such a priority for me to be careful as a full time business owner, to ensure I’m not setting myself back up in a corporate trap of working constantly, feeling exhausted, burnt out and perhaps a bit resentful.
With that being said, I found some alternative ways to earn extra money outside of my business. Keep in mind, what will be most successful for you will be what feels most natural and helps boost your passion and creativity itself.
SELLING CLOTHES ONLINE
Before I started RetroDenverFinds for selling furniture, I gave my income an extra boost each month by selling clothes I already had, would be gifted from others or find at thrift stores.
It’s important to keep in mind the BEST platforms for selling clothes are:
DEPOP: Best to upload/sell directly from phone. Not amazing to upload/sell from website/PC access. Provides several free options to boost listings and is fairly easy to find success selling on. Without regular maintenance though, you risk having your account deactivated. (From experience.) You do have the option to have shipping available as an additional fee or included in the cost of the item, along with choosing your shipping provider.
POSHMARK: Poshmark won’t tell you this but I will. Turn OFF all non sales related notifications, or else your phone and emails will be flooded with useless notifications about ‘poshmark parties’ which is the thing where people go live to sell clothes. This website has an app available also, with easy to use features to upload items online. I do love that the platforms creates the shipping label for you. They don’t offer multiple shipping options, and deduct the cost of the platform AND shipping from your total sale, if that’s a concern for you then I would suggest to stick to DEPOP for the versatility.
MERCARI: I’ve never sold an item of furniture nor clothing on Mercari, but I do know friends of mine like Chelly who sell home decor and clothing items successfully on Mercari. Mercari offers a range of shipping options and even local pickup options, which is something I’ve seen offered only on Mercari. It’s platform fees are lower than Poshmark’s and around the same as DEPOPs.
POP UP EVENTS
Before you consider getting a part time side job, I would consider getting a pop up job on the side. If you have a favorite local business that does pop up events, I would be sure to reach out and inquire if they need help for these events and are hiring. Let them know that you’re a loyal customer and would love to know how you can contribute to their success, what value you have to offer (even if it’s just taking orders or handing out samples, it makes a difference!)
I like this option for myself personally, as it’s offered me the flexibility of working at these events without being committed to EVERY event. It guarantees a paycheck for an event and open up to new networking opportunities with other business owners. It’s a great way to connect and contribute to your local community while ensuring your own needs are met.
U.G.C.
I posted about this on my instagram stories recently. User Generated Content (U.G.C.) is brand-specific content created by customers and comes in many forms including images, videos, reviews, and testimonials. It’s basically content creation offline for a flat fee paid by the brand to you. It does NOT require the content to be posted to social media unless specified and requested in the brand specifically. U.G.C. is something I’ve been doing for the past few months since I went full time in my business, it’s helpful considering that most of these U.G.C. Campaigns send you free products + payment for the content.
Think: free sunscreen + $200 for a 20 second video and 3 static photos of you with the product. It’s a pretty great gig, and there’s enough variety in the campaign styles that brands launch that make it easy for anybody to do U.G.C. full time. I’ve met several people who do this full time and earn a six figure income.
Don’t let the content creation side intimidate you, though. Certain campaigns provide you SCRIPTS where they give you direction on footage they’re looking for along with the exact wording they want you to say. There’s a wide variety in the content for U.G.C. campaigns, some brands will pay or offer gifted product in exchange for a simple text review on their website or amazon. The point of these U.G.C. campaigns is to humanize the brand and the product use so that it feels like organic reach to their target market.
The best platforms to start getting hired for U.G.C. campaigns are:
COHLEY: Best for diverse amount of campaign styles and offerings. I’ve done text reviews in exchange for payment/products, content creation for brands along that payout from $200 and even go as high in the thousands if you’re an established creator.
INSENSE: This one you need to filter out to ensure you’re applying for content that’s relevant to what you’re comfortable with creating. This means using the UGC only filter, and using the pay+product filter, to ensure you’re not signing up to create five videos in exchange for a free $20 skincare kit. (Unless that’s your thing!)
WESPONSORED: Great for free amazon products in exchange for text review and photo. Limited/Low rate payouts for content creation.
BILLO: Starting rate is $30 for one video with free products for beginner and increases after that. I’ve been hired regularly on
ASPIRE.IO: This one tends to be exclusive to content creators for brand partnerships, but I do suggest if you’re in the intermediate phase of content creation.
FOHR: This one has been a hit and miss for me at times, but most of the times posted are for gifted campaigns.
If you’re a content creator, these platforms are also AMAZING for looking/connecting with brands for brand partnerships to post on your social media platforms.
PITCHING TO BRAND CAMPAIGNS: Most of these apps will require you to ‘pitch’ the manager of the campaign that you’re applying to. Simplify your pitch by using Gemini chat bot. Insert something similar into the chat bot to get a pitch that is easy to copy and paste with minimal edits:
EXAMPLE:
[INPUT:] Whats a creative shortly worded pitch to a sunscreen brand on why a lifestyle content creator is a good fit for their sunscreen brand awareness campaign that is looking for creators with skincare content experience?
[GEMINI’S OUTPUT:]
Sun-Kissed Stories: Where Skincare Meets Adventure (in 140 characters)
Lifestyle creator with #skincareexpertise ready to craft sun-soaked narratives showcasing your protection & adventure potential. Let's rewrite the sunscreen story, together. #SPFspartner #sunlover
Benefits:
Concise and attention-grabbing.
Highlights relevant experience (skincare content).
Emphasizes creative storytelling and brand alignment.
Uses relevant hashtags for searchability.
Optional additions:
Briefly mention your niche (e.g., outdoor enthusiast, surfer).
Include a visual teaser (e.g., photo of you enjoying the sun safely).
This pitch sparks curiosity and showcases your value proposition within the character limit. Good luck!
Keep in mind, side gigs are never meant to forever unless it’s your intention or goal to convert it full time. There’s no shame in acquiring a side gig to get more income each month, if it’s helping you meet your financial goals and adding some extra education in your pocket then it’s a win win.
If you have any questions on any of the streams of income mentioned above, be sure to leave a comment below with what you’ve found successful in your life for additional income streams!
As always, thanks for being here friends. You are appreciated, valued and seen in this space. The money in your pocket never determines your worth or value.
-Thalia A.
