Hey,

Happy Friday. Let’s dive in.

Action Step: Open a HYSA

If you don’t have a high yield savings account (HYSA), wyd?! In all seriousness, a HYSA is one of the simplest things you can do to improve your finances in less than 15 minutes.

A HYSA is a type of savings account that’s nearly identical to traditional savings accounts. The one difference: you’re able to earn more interest on your savings. For reference, the average traditional savings account interest rate is around 0.45%, as where HYSA interest rates are as high as 5%+.

Your funds aren’t invested, they’re simply stored the same way they would be in a traditional savings account. The one “downside” is that most HYSAs are at online banks, so you won’t find brick-and-mortar locations.

My personal favorite is Ally Bank because of their bucket feature, but SoFi and Marcus by Goldman Sachs are good options, too.

Quote: Being productive > being busy.

Have you ever had a coworker (or maybe you do this…) who claims their day is just so full, but in reality, it’s because they’re moving at a snail’s pace?

Source: John Spencer

It’s probably because they’re not being that productive. When it comes to work though, you’re only rewarded for one (productivity).

You can fill your schedule to the brim with nonsense, attempting to manage 10 things at once. Or, you can focus on one to two things at a time, diving into more focused, productive work.

You may find that with more productive work, you create more progress.

Source: Tech Tello

Tool: ScribeUp

I used this free tool ScribeUp around a year ago and loved it. You log in, link your credit/debit cards, and then it finds all the bills and subscriptions you're paying for (knowingly or not).

I thought I had my subscriptions pretty under control, but it caught a $200+ Canva subscription I forgot I had that I didn’t use anymore. I was able to cancel the subscription before it renewed, saving me a decent chunk of cash.

You can also utilize their ScribeUp Card option (it’s free), which is a virtual card you can use to pay for subscriptions. It will notify you 2 days before any bill, and if you want to cancel, you can do it in one slick.

Take 10 minutes to check it out and get rid of subscriptions you don’t need or want or forgot you had.

Links of the Week

Make Money

🐱 Apply to be a cat sitter on Meowtel.

📱 15 ways to make money on TikTok.

🧑🏽‍💻 7 ideas to make money using AI.

Save Money

📦 Before you buy something on Amazon, use this site to track the price.

💸 If you’ve been overspending, try a no-spend month.

😬 Americans are saving less money nowadays.

Featured Opportunities

5 new opportunities comin’ your way! For more jobs like these, check out a full list here

🤳🏼 Side Hustle: Create User Generated Content for Brands You Love

Create videos and take pictures with products you love. Brands will then use these videos in their social media content and ads. According to their website, creators earn hundreds to thousands per month.

🐶 Side Hustle: Rent Out Your Backyard to Local Pups

Sniffspot is a platform that allows you to rent out your backyard to local dog owners. It’s ideal for people with reactive pets, pets that don’t do well around other pups. According to their website, hosts make around $3,000 per month renting out their yard.

🎨 Freelance Gig: Graphic Designer

An event and experiential agency needs a US-based Graphic Designer/Artworker, starting Monday. Tasked with rolling out designs and ensuring print-ready art.

✍️ Freelance Gig: Copywriter

Join Seatfrog's team 3 days a week for 3 months, crafting engaging UX/Product copy and enhancing user experiences. Bring your creativity and put the fun in functionality!

📝 Freelance Gig: Transcriber

Verbit seeks detail-oriented Transcribers to join their freelance fold. A background in research and prior transcription experience gives you an edge.

Want to see a specific type of work? Just let us know.

Ask the Sidepiece Team

Answer: As a full-time freelancer of 2 years, my opinion is a little different than the norm. I don’t believe you need a niche at all. I offer social media marketing, newsletter writing, blog writing, LinkedIn ghostwriting, UGC, and more — all under the same business. Most of my clients are startups, but that wasn’t an intentional niche, nor do I market myself as a “freelance marketer for startups.”

I’ve found over time that clients don’t particularly care if you niche into one service. They just want good work.

Now, if you have knowledge on a particular topic that you want to use, you can leverage that. For example, if you love dogs and only want to work with pet care companies, you can market yourself as a marketer for pet care companies. That said, I think it’s better to keep your options open in the beginning.

I’d start by evaluating what feels enjoyable to you. Which of those marketing areas do you like most? Look for a free course, like ones on HubSpot, to give yourself more knowledge if you’re not confident in your skills yet.

Then, start applying to gigs as much as you can. I recommend applying on Pangea and Contra.

Once you land your first client, you’ll get some experience under your belt. This will give you more information than you can imagine. It’ll show you what you like, what you don’t like, the types of clients you want to work with, and how much you want to make to sustain your business. If you can, I’d do this alongside your full-time role (although I recognize you’ve got a packed schedule as-is).

See ya on Tuesday,

Grace