How to make money and build your business without quitting your day job

Trying to build your business without quitting your 9 to 5? Don’t worry.

You could try posting about yourself and your pursuits on sites like Gofundme, Kofi or Patreon.

You could try selling your handmade wares on Etsy.

You could build an audience by devoting your time to an email list or a social media platform, or network with people who can help make your dream a reality.

But if you don’t have the time or money to quit your job, try to at least do something to build your business every day — even if it’s only for a few minutes.

As the old saying goes, we often overestimate what we can do in a day, but underestimate what we can accomplish in a year.

Freelancing

If your business is centered around a service, you might consider freelancing as a way to build your customer base and get paid at the same time. It’s almost like the discounted trials we spoke about above from The New York Times, where potential clients can test out what you have to offer without making a long-term commitment.

Entrepreneur contributor Julia McCoy is the founder of Express Writers, and she’s written a pair of articles on our site about how you can start freelancing as a copywriter. While you might have a different skill set, many of her insights can apply to a wide range of services.

McCoy says there are five basic steps you can follow:

Find your niche. You might think that casting a wide net is your best option, but McCoy notes that within her field, “authority writers get paid up to $1 per word while building a lasting name in their industry.” And while $1 per word may not sound like very much, consider the fact that prolific writers can easily churn out several thousand words in a single day.

Decide which hard and soft skills are essential. In a separate piece, McCoy outlines three hard skills, which are more technical, that one might need to become an excellent freelance copywriter, which include SEO and content strategy. But your clients will be people, and so it’s just as important to develop more interpersonal, soft skills like empathy or curiosity.

Build your portfolio. What do you already have to offer as proof of your worth? Can you direct people to a well-designed website with customer testimonials?

Pitch for projects. McCoy recommends Upwork and Fiverr for those who are just getting started with freelancing. But, if you already have some potential clients, you might try reaching out to them directly.

Rinse and repeat. Just as a business is always iterating, so should your freelance process. More projects means a better portfolio, a better-defined niche and more lessons. Keep using each step of the process to grow your network and reputation.

There are several alternatives that might be a choice for creator content besides https://patreon.com, such as https://fanshub.id this platform also supports subscription systems where creator content can be rewarded for their work