Day 11: Upsell or Repeat
Do you have any existing customer from last week? If yes, is there an opportunity to upsell or get repeat work? For instance, if you delivered a logo, maybe offer them a discounted business card design as a follow-up. If you tutored someone for a trial lesson, propose a package of 5 lessons at a slight bulk discount.
The easiest sale is to someone who’s already paid you and is satisfied. You might convert a $50 job into a $200 extended gig by simply offering more value.
If no clients yet, use today to refine your offerings: maybe add a second gig on Fiverr targeting another keyword/niche, or adjust pricing if you suspect it’s too high (no bites might mean too pricey or insufficient reviews – many start slightly lower to build reputation, then raise rates later).
Day 12: Time Management & Productivity Check
By now, you might be juggling inquiries, tasks, promotion – it can get chaotic. Take a moment to organize: - Use a simple project management method (perhaps a to-do list or Trello board) to track what needs to be done for each client or task, and their deadlines. - If you have multiple small gigs, batch similar tasks together to be efficient. For example, writing two articles? Do them in one sitting to stay in the zone. - Ensure you’re setting aside time daily for both work delivery and marketing, since you need continuous lead flow. - Cut or reduce anything non-essential that’s eating time. Maybe that Netflix hour goes on pause for the rest of the challenge, or chores get optimized. You want max energy for hustle (but do sleep adequately).
Check yourself: Are you on pace for $1,000? If not, identify why – maybe a slow start is fine, but then you may need to amplify efforts or adjust strategy to catch up in weeks 3-4. It could also be that your pricing is too low to reach $1k with current volume; consider raising it for new inquiries especially once you have a few satisfied customers as validation.
Day 13: Seek Feedback & Improve
If you completed any jobs, ask those clients for feedback/testimonial. Two reasons: - You can use positive feedback as a review on your profile or as a quote on your website (social proof!). - If feedback includes critique, you can learn and address it. Maybe client says communication was slow – so you improve response time. - If you delivered via a platform that allows public reviews (Fiverr, Upwork milestones, Etsy ratings), politely encourage a good review if they seemed happy (“I’m glad you’re pleased with the result! If you have a moment, I’d greatly appreciate a short review – it helps a lot as I grow my business.”).
Also introspect on your process: Did you underestimate how long something takes? Adjust either your workflow or pricing accordingly. The goal is to not just work hard, but also work smart.
Finally, consider asking a friend or fellow hustler to look at your gig listing or website and give honest feedback – a fresh set of eyes might spot things you missed.
Day 14: Wrap Up Week 2 – Secure Another Win
Try to close out the week with another tangible win: that could be completing another project (and sending the invoice), or finalizing a couple of sales if product-based, or booking new clients for next week.
Revisit your earnings tally. How much did you make so far? Let’s say by day 14 you managed to make $300. Not $500 as mid-goal, but now you have momentum (profiles set up, some reviews, pipeline of leads perhaps). Don’t be discouraged if not halfway to $1k yet; often side hustle earnings build exponentially once you get going. Many side hustle stories have a slow first two weeks and a breakthrough later.
Plan high-level for week 3: Typically, that’s where you ramp or scale what’s working, and possibly expand channels if needed. For example, if Fiverr has been slow but Upwork got you a gig, maybe double down on Upwork proposals and pause Fiverr, etc.
Most importantly, appreciate how much you’ve done in just 14 days. You went from zero to possibly hundreds earned and a functioning mini-business. That’s no small feat! Use that confidence to propel you into the second half of this challenge, where we’ll aim to hit and surpass that $1k mark.