Extra Income Series: I Help Businesses Create Online Campaigns

Hey everyone. Today I bring to you the next edition of my “Extra Income” series. If you would like to be featured, please send me an e-mail. The first of this series was I Run a Resume Business. Today’s side hustle post is all about Candice. A lot of you have been wondering about social…

Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

Last Updated: June 4, 2023

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you decide to make a purchase via my links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. See my disclosure for more info.

Extra Income Series: I Help Businesses Create Online CampaignsHey everyone. Today I bring to you the next edition of my “Extra Income” series. If you would like to be featured, please send me an e-mail. The first of this series was I Run a Resume Business.

Today’s side hustle post is all about Candice. A lot of you have been wondering about social media management and blog management, so hopefully this interview is helpful to you! I’ll let her take it away now.

I help business owners reach their online potential by writing compelling articles for their blogs, making the boring words on their websites POP and establishing deeper and more meaningful levels of engagement across all digital media platforms.

 

How did you get started with your side hustle?

I got started with my side hustle because I was unhappy at my job. One day I almost quit impulsively but after calming down I decided to generate another source of income first and I vowed that I would never have only one source of income again.

After coming to that realization I assessed my strengths and decided to start writing and managing online content for different businesses.

 

What got you interested in this job?

I became interested in my job in college when I had an internship with a small social media firm run by a 26 year old woman. She started her business when she was 22 and had become quite successful.

I learned so much during that internship and it was so inspiring to work for a woman who took her life and career in her own hands and made a living from it. I knew I wanted to do that for myself but I thought it would take years before I could even start.

 

Tell me more about your services.

I offer blog, website and social media management to several different businesses. I also have a few blogs and I’m a freelance writer. I create editorial calendars for my clients and help them design strategies that build a cohesive brand and bring more customers to their business. I aim to bring value and increase their bottom line.

 

What has surprised you most about owning a business?

I was surprised by how fast my business grew. After landing my first client and doing a good job they recommended me to someone. After working with that person I was recommended to someone else and so on. Word of mouth is the best advertisement.

 

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned as a small business owner?

I’ve learned to go with my gut. It hasn’t led me wrong yet. I trust it when determining which clients to take on and I used it when deciding to start my own business.

 

What are the start-up costs?

My start up costs were small. I paid $35 for business cards, $25 for a domain name and website, and about $50 to go to a few networking events.

 

What’s the most positive thing about your side job?

The most positive thing about my side hustle is that I work with businesses that I’m genuinely excited about and it doesn’t feel like work. It’s a lot of fun, especially when I can go to my favorite locations and work from there.

 

What are your business goals for the upcoming year?

I have four goals that I hope to accomplish in the next year. The first is to quit my job in December 2013 so that I can continue to give my clients the best results and make them my main focus, the second is to launch a new website the day that I quit my job and turn that into something I can be proud of, the third is to triple my income in the next year and my final goal is to get more staff writing positions so that I can diversify my income a little more.

If you have any questions for her, leave them below! She will be answering them 🙂


Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

Author: Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

Hey! I’m Michelle Schroeder-Gardner and I am the founder of Making Sense of Cents. I’m passionate about all things personal finance, side hustles, making extra money, and online businesses. I have been featured in major publications such as Forbes, CNBC, Time, and Business Insider. Learn more here.

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  1. That sounds like a fun job. What kind of networking events do you go to find clients? I would imagine most clients would look for someone online.

    1. Candice

      I find a lot on meetup.com and I’m also a member of Femfessionals. I pledged a sorority in college so that brings me a lot of business as well. I always network everywhere too. The grocery store, concerts, anything!

  2. You have an inspiring story, Candice! I run my blog as a side hustle and I had similar motivations as you in wanting a second source of income so I wasn’t 100% reliant on my 9-5 job. I think social media management would be a fun side hustle (or full-time job) and I actually have a friend who started a social media consulting company that has grown quite a bit. Seems like a great area to work in.

    1. Candice

      Thank you! It’s a lot of fun!

  3. Kelsie

    Candice, thanks for the great info! Just wondering, how did you land your first client?

    1. Candice

      Although everyone says don’t do this it was Craigslist. I took a job way below what I make an hour because he knew everyone and it paid off.

  4. Love hearing stories about different side hustles. I am looking to pick up more gigs in 2014, so this seems really interesting and like you can do it with a job. Thanks for the inspiration!

  5. Jayon Park

    Good job Candice. I look forward to that day I can work for myself!

  6. Crystal @ Prairie Ecothrifter

    You sound happy. I know what you mean about how fast an online business can grow. I started a service to manage advertising placements between bloggers and advertisers…it went from 10 clients to more than 400 in less than 2 years. It’s nuts…

  7. stacy smith

    Congratulations on the feature. Very inspiring. Wishing you the best in 2014.