Having worked a loathsome, minimum wage job as a bartender for a few years, I couldn’t believe my luck; an intelligent human has decided I’m worthy of being financially compensated for setting my own schedule, designing my own experiments and researching something I love. As a fresh-faced PhD student, I vividly recall telling my parents about my excitement of being granted a PhD studentship.
“I get paid to do the research I love all day!”
Now, this is entirely true: you do get paid to do the research you love and this is an incredible privilege… However, that monthly PhD salary often doesn’t stretch very far. For some of us, our salary doesn’t even meet the minimum wage. Frugality and financial minimalism are worthy endeavours, but what about that rainy-day fund?
For the majority of my PhD I found myself in a situation where, although I was afloat, even a small unexpected expense would push me further into my overdraft and leave my purse particularly light by the end of the month.
Pay-cheque to pay-cheque isn’t a good system for anyone, but how could I avoid this? My research is heavily lab-based, with strict time-scales and busy schedules. I didn’t have time to moon-light in a bar or take on extra teaching. If it wasn’t flexible, it wasn’t for me… Enter, the ‘gig economy’.
How I make money on Fiverr
For anyone who hasn’t seen the obnoxious YouTube ads, Fiverr is an online platform which connects buyers to freelance sellers. A seller lists a ‘gig’ (a task they’ll complete) and buyers can connect with them. Simple!
And so, the stars had aligned. Having recently discovered a love of writing and having long-known about my cash flow issues, freelancing through Fiverr seemed like a great opportunity. I could freelance in my spare time, have my services exposed to a large pool of clients, and I avoided all of the intricacies of actually setting up a formal business.
What do I offer on Fiverr?
With ambition and excitement at peak levels, I created my Fiverr account and set up my first gig.
“I will write an article”
And… nothing.
This is when I realised a critical factor; when you’re offering gigs or services, you really have to leverage the skills you have and break them down into tangible services. However, more importantly, you've got to get specific.
As a neuroscientist, I had to really home in on my hyper-niche skill set, and see how I could utilise these to actually provide valuable and searchable services. I emphasise searchable because there are thousands of general writers out there on the platform, in order to have any success I knew I had to stand out and find a specific, niche market… Alas, all of those hours spent watching Dragon’s Den were not in vain!
I settled on three main gigs...
Writing original content
This was the first thing that came to mind. I wanted to improve my writing, and what better way to do this by being given specific tasks from clients? However, my first, vague attempts were unsuccessful. I’m not an established writer, I had no reviews and no portfolio – so why would anybody choose me?
So, I got specific.
My PhD has allowed me not only to gain a deep knowledge of neuroscience, it has also nurtured my skills for understanding scientific research and complex concepts. With years of practice, I knew I was able to understand the complicated and distil the ideas into something a non-specialist could understand.
“I’ll write a blog-post about anything neuroscience or health-related”
That’s what I do. And, so far, it’s going quite well!
I write blog posts and original content for clients who have a specific scientific concept they’d like to cover. Sometimes this is a straight-up information-based article for my client’s audience, and other times I tailor this for use within a company or business.
One of the most exciting things for me is the variety of work. I’m constantly learning about new areas of science, health and wellbeing, and I’ve always got a project on the go. These projects can be a release from the PhD (a looming monster which likes to take over your life), and the process of constantly writing about something new has fostered an element of creativity within my daily life.
Proof-reading and copy-editing
I’m sure most PhD students have some experience in proof-reading and editing reports and manuscripts written by students, colleagues and collaborators. Proof-reading is a valuable service to businesses, online content creators, and even other scientists. Possessing skills in specialised writing styles, such as for academic papers, can actually set you apart from others doing the same job.
I love reading and writing, and as a scientist, I’m always looking to improve my critical thinking abilities. I thought, what better way to do this than objectively analysing the writing of others?
“I will proof-read and edit your scientific writing” quickly became my best-selling gig.
At first glance, this gig might seem a little bit dry, but I’ve actually found it to be very fulfilling. I feel privileged to be able to provide a helpful service to others, and I always learn something new. This type of work can also easily slot into any experimental downtime you have throughout the day, meaning gig turn-around can be relatively fast – a positive for both clients and for your wallet.
Improving talks, speeches and presentations
During my PhD, I’m lucky to have had the opportunity to give talks about my research to various audiences. I’ve spoken to scientists, funding councils, businesses and the general public. I wasn’t always good at public speaking and in the past, I definitely didn’t enjoy it! However, along the way, I’ve learned lots about how to design impactful presentations.
“I will help you create clear, impactful presentations”
I settled on this as my final gig.
Although not as popular, I’ve still been able to help a lot of clients present their work effectively. I’ve found this gig to be quite varied; I’ve taken jobs making videos, creating whiteboard animations, creating PowerPoint slides and writing scripts. Again, it’s a fulfilling gig to take on; all of us get nervous about public speaking and helping people communicate their message clearly is a wonderful thing to be part of.
3 months in…
And that’s it – over the course of around 3 months three gigs have taken me from a newbie freelancer to a ranked Fiverr seller. It’s been a fun journey, and one I hope to continue on wherever my career takes me next.
Things to consider before setting up a side hustle
You have probably already noticed a few overarching themes in the past few sections. But for the sake of clarity, I’d like to focus in on the three main factors I think are important when considering and setting up your PhD side hustle
Find your niche
In my experience, finding your niche is the most important factor for success on a crowded platform like Fiverr. This is going to look different to everyone.
It’s a good idea to take some time to think about what skill sets you have and what your expertise are. Subsequently, you need to translate these skills into tangible gigs. Perhaps you’re good at coding, writing, editing videos or using photoshop; all of these can be translated into Fiverr gigs.
Whatever you’re good at, sell it, and focus the unique expertise you hold to set you apart from the hundreds of other sellers on Fiverr.
If you’re struggling to think of ways to translate your skills into a gig, try browsing what other sellers are offering. It’s not a good idea to mimic or copy exactly what other freelancers are offering. However, it is a great way to gain some inspiration and find our what types of services are in high demand.
Do what is valuable
This piece of advice seems pretty obvious; of course, you’re going to offer something valuable, otherwise, nobody will order your services.
What I’m actually trying to get at with this point, is that when you’re coming up with gig ideas, really try to think of how your service would make a meaningful contribution to another person’s work or business.
The same goes for your approach to each client’s order. It’s crucial to have the mindset of making a valuable contribution to the client’s project.
Do what is enjoyable
You’re already busting a gut on the PhD, right? Exactly!
This is why I think it’s so important to try and find enjoyment in whatever side hustle you choose. You’re taking on extra work, and if you find no fulfilment in it, all of those extra hours are going to start to wear a little thin.
The beauty of Fiverr, and freelancing in general, is that you get to choose! You get to choose which jobs you take, which types of clients you work for, when and how much you work.
Side hustles can provide more than extra cash
Ultimately, your side hustle can provide you with more than just extra money. Personally, I’ve found the whole experience to be an incredible opportunity for intellectual and professional growth… Although it has been nice to be able to afford a fancy cup of coffee now and then!
If you’re already side-hustling on Fiverr, or doing something else, I’d love to hear about it! Reach out and let me know your experiences.
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