Now you have the basics running and possibly a trickle of income, week 3 is about scaling and optimizing. We want to turn that trickle into a steady stream and get closer to our $1,000 target.
Day 15: Mid-Challenge Review and Pivot (if needed)
It’s halftime. Take a hard look at what’s working and what’s not: - Which channel brought most of your revenue so far? (e.g., a specific freelancing site, or Facebook post that got a client, etc.). Consider focusing more there for efficiency. - Are there things you spent time on that yielded nothing? (Maybe posting daily on Instagram but with no inquiries – perhaps deprioritize that and put time elsewhere). - If you haven’t made at least $200-$300 by now, analyze why. Common issues could be not enough proposals sent, pricing too low/high, or maybe your chosen hustle isn’t clicking with market. If it’s the hustle itself not landing (e.g., no one seems to bite your web design offers), you might pivot your service slightly – perhaps niche down or offer a different but related service that is more in demand (e.g., offer landing page designs instead of full sites because businesses often need that specifically).
Set revised goals for this week: e.g., “By day 21 I want to have hit $700 total” so that final week is lighter. But prepare to hustle regardless.
Day 16: Up Your Rates or Volume
To reach $1k, you either need to do more gigs or charge more per gig. Which makes sense for you? - If you’re near fully booked with work, consider nudging up your rates for new clients. Even 10-20% can make a difference and if you have some good reviews now, people may accept it. For instance, if you started at $15/hr equivalent, try $20. Many side hustlers underprice early; by week 3 you have more confidence to ask a bit more. - If you still have idle hours, then focus on filling them. That might mean sending double the proposals or creating more product listings. Essentially, treat the hustle like a funnel – fill it with more leads at the top. Example: if you were reaching out to 5 prospects a day, try 10. - If selling products, maybe add a complementary product to cross-sell. Upsell current customers: If someone bought item A, email them a coupon for item B. - Consider offering a premium tier service for more pay. E.g., standard delivery 3 days for $50, or 24h rush for $80 – some clients will pay for speed. That boosts revenue without more work time (just shifting schedule priority).
Day 17: Automate or Outsource Small Stuff
Time is money. Identify any repetitive tasks that eat time but don’t need you per se: - If you get similar inquiries, draft canned response templates (you’ll personalize, but base text ready saves time). - Use scheduling tools if you need to post content regularly for marketing (like Buffer for social media). - If you have admin tasks like entering expenses or researching leads, consider hiring a very inexpensive virtual assistant for a few hours (could be $5-$10/hr overseas). It might not be warranted yet, but keep in mind as you grow – your focus should be on high-value activities (doing the paid work, landing clients). - Tools: plenty of free/cheap tools can automate email follow-ups, proposal sending, etc. For example, if cold emailing, tools like Mailshake can send to a list with tracking (free trials might suffice during challenge). - If making products, is there part of process to outsource? E.g., you design something, maybe hire someone on Fiverr for $10 to convert it to various formats or mockups while you work on the next design.
Even automating small bits can free an hour or two – which you can use to earn more or rest to avoid burnout.
Day 18: Customer Delight & Referral Ask
By now you likely have a handful of customers/clients (even small ones). Today, focus on delighting them and turning them into referral engines: - For active clients: deliver an update or final product that exceeds expectations. Perhaps a client expected delivery tomorrow but you finish today – deliver early with a friendly note. These things wow people. - For past satisfied clients: reach out thanking them again, and simply ask politely if they know anyone else who could use your services. Something like, “I enjoyed working on your project. If you have any friends or colleagues who might also benefit from [my service], I’d be grateful if you pass my info along. I have a couple openings this week I could schedule them into.” People often refer if asked, but don’t think to do so unprompted. - If appropriate, you can even offer a referral incentive, like a discount or small finder’s fee (“$20 off your next project for any referral who books me” or “I’ll send you a $10 Amazon gift card if a referral from you hires me”). But many times, just providing great service is enough for word-of-mouth.
Referrals often convert easier and pay better because they trust you via the referrer. One or two could put you over the $1k mark faster than cold leads.
Day 19: Expand to a New Market (Optional)
If your core hustle is going well, no need to distract. But if you feel plateaued or want multiple streams: - Maybe list your service on an additional platform (if you did Upwork, also try Fiverr now and vice versa). Diversifying where clients find you is good long-term. - If you have an idea for a small digital product spin-off (like you wrote an eBook to help clients or packaged a template), you could start selling that passively too. - Just ensure it doesn’t detract from your main income activity. It should complement it. Example: a freelance social media manager might make a $5 social media calendar template to sell on Etsy or Gumroad. It’s not huge money but could add a couple hundred with little extra work (maybe in final week you launch it). - Tread carefully: better to get one engine running at full speed than have two half-built engines. Only do this if you feel on top of current commitments.
Day 20: Intensive Prospecting Day
Make today a powerhouse day for lead generation. Aim to contact an ambitious number of prospects. e.g.: - 20 job proposals/bids in a day (if freelancing). - Share content in 5 different groups or forums where your target hangs (provide value, then mention your service). - If product sales, run a flash sale or an ad campaign today to spike sales. - The idea: as we near the last week, you want a flood of potential deals so you can close strong. It’s like loading up your pipeline so the final days can be spent mostly delivering and cashing in. - This hustle challenge is short, so a day of heavy marketing can significantly boost results. It might be tiring, but think of it as sprinting near the finish line.
Day 21: Close Deals & Ensure $ Flow
End of week 3, try to close any open leads: - Send follow-ups to anyone who showed interest but didn’t finalize. Sometimes people just need a nudge. E.g., “Hi, just checking if you still need help with X. I have some availability this week and can get started immediately if you’re ready.” - Offer a limited-time incentive to close: “If you book by tomorrow, I can include an extra Y or give X% off since I’ll be scheduling next week’s work.” - Issue any due invoices for work done so far if that’s how your billing works, to get money in. Sometimes clients pay faster when prompted gently. - Look at where you stand financially. Maybe you’re at $700. With 9 days left, that means you need about $300 more – plan out specifically which activities or clients can bring that in. It could be “finish the $200 website project and hopefully get another $100 gig on Upwork,” for example.
If you’re ahead (say already $900 – awesome), still push so you exceed the goal. If behind (maybe only $400), don’t be discouraged. Many success stories had slow builds then a sudden influx. Focus on closing whatever deals you can, and consider week 4 perhaps taking on a slightly bigger project or increasing hours if possible.
By now, you’ve built serious hustle muscles. Week 4 will be about finishing strong, not burning out, and setting up beyond the challenge. So take a deep breath – you’re almost there.