This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
All right, all right, what's up? Welcome to Side Hustle School. Chris Guillebeau, your host here. Excited to bring you a new episode in a segment known as Your First Thousand Dollars. Your first $1,000.
As you might guess, it's all about how somebody made their first $1,000 with a brand new side hustle. How did they in fact get going? How'd they make it happen? What they learned along the way? And really, if you can make $1,000, you can make a lot more.
That is kind of the whole principle here. The steps required to go to the next level are often easier than that first real paycheck. So let's get into the story. Today's feature comes from Emily Martin. She is an HR specialist for her day job, but has fashioned a successful after-hours hustle as the logo lady of Upwork, the logo lady.
She's gonna tell you more about that. Basically, she does only logos, which has been key to her success, and it allows her to earn a good side income in a manageable number of hours. It's also the kind of thing that she can kind of turn on and turn off. If she wants to work more, then she can do that. If she doesn't want to work for a while, if she wants to go on vacation or just not spend her after-hours side hustling all the time, she can just kind of make her account inactive and go back to it.
So that sounds like a good setup to me. Let's hear more about it from Emily. I'll come back at the end with a quick wrap-up. [Music]
Hey there, my name's Emily. I'm a corporate HR specialist, but for my side hustle, I turned to the logo lady.
This quirky nickname has made me a memorable character on contracting sites, where I design logos for fledging businesses. Here's how I made it happen. I've always had a flair for design and an ability to visualize a brand's essence into a simple yet striking image. I never wanted to be a full-time designer. This was just something I did for fun.
One day, while I was scrolling through my favorite smoothie place's Instagram and cringing at their lackluster logo, it dawned on me. Why not turn my knack for logo inspiration into a side gig? So I set up shop on Upwork, amply naming my profile the logo lady. Key point, I think this name made a huge difference in my ultimate success. It was clear, concise, and people immediately got it.
I began by offering a ridiculously competitive rate. Think fast food prices in exchange for a detailed review. The bargain bin price coupled with the promise of a custom logo piqued the interest of many a new business owner, and soon I was swimming in requests. My first client was a woman launching a yoga mat business. She wanted a logo that symbolized the connection between nature and personal wellbeing.
I whipped up a sleek design, interwinding a leaf and a yoga pose. She was over the moon with the result, and her glowing review was the first of many five-star ratings that boosted my profile. From there, it was a whirlwind. An artisanal cheese maker, a tech setup, a vintage thrift store, a hipster coffee shop, they all wanted something. I got to know their businesses, and in return, I gave them logos that reflected their identity.
Nothing beats the thrill of seeing your design become the face of a brand. Like I mentioned, I started cheap, hoping to attract clients, and it worked. But as the projects piled up, it was clear that my time was more valuable than what I was charging. So I increased my rates, explaining to my clients that a good design was an investment, not an expense. Surprisingly, most of them got it.
Those who didn't weren't the right fit for me anyway. Now you must be thinking, why only logos? Why not flyers, websites, brochures? Here's the thing. Doing one thing and doing it really well is incredibly powerful.
Plus, logos are the first touchpoint between a brand and its audience. It's the make it or break it of first impressions. Finally, I don't want to be a Jill of all trades designer. I can only work on this one or two hours a day. So I want to make it count.
Therefore, my biggest lesson from this hustle was the power of specialization. In a sea of graphic designers offering a smorgasbord of services, being the logo lady made me stand out. So if you have a knack for a specific skill, don't be afraid to focus solely on it. The world needs specialists. Thanks to everyone for the inspiration.
I look forward to hearing my story and hopefully your story as well. [Music]
Emily, thanks so much for sharing your first $1,000 story. I really appreciate it. Listeners, I hope you found it encouraging. We're going to link up Emily's Upwork profile in the show notes page.
If you've got a question or an update for us about your hustle, sidehustleschool.com/questions. This has been episode, let's see, 2,375. 2375, we're working our way towards, I guess, 2,500. Well, 2,400 first, but then that 2,500 milestone coming up in approximately 125 days. Thanks for being out there.
Thanks for joining me. New episode every day. My name is Chris Guillebeau. This is Side Hustle School. [Music]
From the Onward Project.
