Hey y’all.

Today, we’re diving deep into a practical question: When is the money enough? How do you know when to say “I’m not taking on any more work. I’m okay chilling at these rates for a while?”

Also – last week’s newsletter got sent to spam for some of our readers ☹️ if you didn’t receive last week’s newsletter, check your spam folder and make sure to mark it as not spam. This will ensure you get all the future newsletters in your main inbox.

Okay, now let’s dive in. ⬇️

When is the Money Enough? How to Strike that Balance

You take on more work, work yourself to the bone, and end the week exhausted. But you made good money, right? So it’s worth it?

All that money stacks up in your bank account, but are you getting to enjoy it? Truth is, more work doesn’t always mean more money. And more money doesn’t always mean more happiness or freedom.

Here’s How to Find the Sweet Spot Between Work & Your Desired Income

Finding the sweet spot — where you’re working a comfortable number of hours and you’re able to support a lifestyle you enjoy living — is crucial.

So, instead of saying: I think I’ll charge $X → That means I’ll need to work X hours → Dang I’m not making as much as I’d hope

Or: I think $X is the going rate for the services I want to offer → I want to make $X per year → I’ll need to work XCrazyHours to make that much

Do this: The lifestyle I want to live looks like X → I need to make X per year to enjoy that lifestyle → I want to work around X hours per week → I should aim to charge $X or secure a job paying $X

One caveat: We can’t always have it all. (I know that might hurt to hear.) If the going rate for the service you want to offer is around $40,000 per year, but you want to make $80,000 per year to live your ideal lifestyle, there’s a chance you’ll need to get creative about how you work (ie. maybe hiring an assistant so you can focus on the revenue-generating action), reconsider your day job, or reevaluate your dream lifestyle.

Start with evaluating how you work before dipping into the other two.

Helpful Resources

One of the most successful, intelligent freelancers I know, Kat Boogard, made over $300k in revenue in 2021…and decided to take a pay cut in 2022.

She said, “Blame it on burnout, the pandemic, or becoming a mom (or all of the above), but I’m craving more time and less stress.” Instead of thinking, “What’s next?” (in the sense of "how can I make more money?”), she thought about how she could gain more time.

Read the story of her pay cut here — it’s pretty powerful to hear someone’s story in detail and hear how she found the sweet spot between income and living outside of work.

Featured Opportunities

7 new opportunities this week! If you’ve got certain roles you’d like to see, hit “reply” on this email and let us know what you’re looking for. We’re happy to fine tune our search process to find more relevant gigs for you. 🤓

✍️ Freelance Writer for Women’s Lifestyle Brand

The List is looking for freelance writers that want to “dig deep on all things beauty, style, nutrition, relationships, pop culture, and the hot-button social and political issues of today.” Compensation is $0.08/word. No location requirements – open to anyone.

🍕Part-Time Onboarding Specialist

With a startup called Restaurent. Potential for a full-time hire!

👩‍💻 Freelance Motion Graphics Designers

For NBC Spots and Olympics on Air. Looking to hire designers of all levels – “animators to senior designers.” I’d recommend applying via the linked application, but maybe sending Wade a message to connect as well. 👀

📝 Freelance Project Manager

Experience in animation and video is “ideal.” Need experience with design. The company looks after an all-female roster, and they hope to keep their team the same. 👯‍♀️

👗 Freelance Publicist for NYFW

If you’re interested in working New York Fashion Week this September, this gig is for you. Pays $175 per day. 👀 

🤑 Side Gig: Sniffspot

If you’ve got a large backyard, you can rent it out to local dogs (perfect for dogs that don’t do well at dog parks, or for owners that would prefer not to use the dog park!). Some hosts make up to $3,000 per month.

🤑 Side Gig: TaskRabbit

If you’re good at things like building Ikea furniture, moving boxes, gardening, or organizing, put up a listing on TaskRabbit. People are making $75/hour+ on simple tasks like helping people move.

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

And want more to see more job opps? Peep at the end.

What I’m Thinking About

Next week, we’ll talk more about how bringing on an assistant can help you scale your freelance business without sacrificing a ton of profit. Our own founder did it (and grew her freelance business to $500k per year, might I add). We’ll cover how outsourcing can work for you, how it can help you grow, and when you know it’s the right time to do it.

See ya next week,

Grace