My Secrets to Side-Hustle Success

A woman smiling, sitting before a table covered in magazines
Writing for magazines like B-Metro, Birmingham, and Good Grit has been a key part of my side hustle success.

This year my side hustle not only helped me make money but cost me money, too.

During tax season many people use their tax refund checks to plan trips, splurge on fancy dinners or new outfits, or beef up their savings. And usually, I’m doing one or all of these things. But not this year. This year I wasn’t doing any of these things because this year instead of getting a check from the IRS I had to send a check to the IRS — a check for an amount of money that had a comma.

And I was so excited!

You see, when I talked to my accountant about why I suddenly had to pay back all this money he explained it was because I’d had such a successful year with my side hustle — See Jane Write LLC and my freelance writing. This was good news for me since I was planning to make my side hustle my full-time career, which I did last month.

Related Reading: So…I quit my job!

If you’re eager to learn my secrets to side-hustle success, keep reading.

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How to Get Picked to Speak at Conferences

Are you looking to speak at conferences to share your knowledge of writing, blogging, or brand building?

This month I’ve had not one, not two, but three speaking engagements — including the opportunity to teach a workshop on blogging at the Southern Christian Writers Conference. And in August I’ll be speaking at WordCamp Birmingham.

Today I want to share how I’ve managed to get picked to speak at writing conferences and what I’ve learned along with way.

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How to Make the Most of Writing and Blogging Conferences

Are you feeling burned out on writing and blogging conferences?

I’m not! And here’s why — this past weekend I had the opportunity to speak at and attend the Southern Christian Writers Conference for the first time and it was amazing! I left with a notebook full of useful information and feeling incredibly inspired. I made new friends, too!

But let’s be honest — sometimes attending writing and blogging conferences can be a waste of money and time. And if you’ve had this experience it may be because the conference was poorly planned and highly disorganized, or perhaps it featured subpar presenters.

However, here’s a hard truth — most of the time when we don’t get anything out of writing or blogging conferences it’s our own fault. Most of the time we were the ones who failed to plan and get organized.

My friend Randi Pink, author of the young adult novel Into White and the forthcoming novel Girls Like Us, calls herself a “conference-a-holic” and with good reason. She proudly proclaims that it’s because of the conferences held by the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators that she is published today. (SCBWI’s 48th Annual Summer Conference will be held in Los Angeles, August 9-12. Learn more here.)

I’ve been attending writing and blogging conferences for years and I’ve learned that how much I get out of a conference has more to do with me than the conference itself. To make the most of writing and blogging conferences you must ask yourself important questions before you even step foot in the venue.

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