2019 Dietitian Side Hustle Income Report
2019 has come to an end and it’s a great opportunity to reflect back on the financial success of my dietitian side hustle.
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2019 Dietitian Side Hustle Income Goals
When 2019 started I had 2 goals: (1) Make $300 per month in extra income and (2) Don’t spend anything on my side hustle. I have a full time job and I only work about 4 hours per week on my side hustle (not counting social media time). Some weeks I do more, some weeks I do less. I had small goals and little tiny dreams.
Over the course of the year, I had a massive shift in mindset. I learned that I was dreaming too small and was being too cheap. I discovered so many entrepreneurial dietitians crushing the online space. And I was inspired. I took the leap in the entrepreneurial world in May and spent several hundred dollars on my first course: SEO Made Simple Course* by The Unconventional RD.
It took convincing to purchase this course. But I can honestly say it was the BEST investment I’ve ever made in my career. I learned all about how to create my own website and make money online as a dietitian. This course was SO good, I also purchased the Make Money Blogging Course* and Email Marketing Magic Course* completing the Business Bootcamp series offered by The Unconventional RD.
This cheap, “I can figure it out for free” gal was reformed. I realized that in order to make money, you have to be willing to spend money. Or as they say, invest in yourself. It was so easy to spend the money on the schooling to become a dietitian… I don’t know why I had a mind block about spending money on courses. These courses are pennies compared to traditional education and you learn the real skills on how to make money.
My 2019 Income Goal was:
- Income: $300 per month ($3,600 in 2019)
- Expenses: $0 per month
2019 Actual Income
So how much did I make?? My goal was to bring in $3,600 in 2019 and I ended up bringing in…. drum roll…
$7,665 (213% higher than my goal!!)
Where did this money come from?? Let me break it down:
- Writing: $3,885.00 (50.7%)
- Webinars: $3,471.50 (45.3%)
- Work with Brand(s): $250.00 (3.3%)
- Digital Goods: $59.14 (0.7%)
Keep in mind that my full time job is 40 hours per week. My side hustle is 4 hours per week. Approximately 7% of my TOTAL income (full time job + side gigs) came from my dietitian side hustle. And being that I only spend 9% of my working time doing side gigs- that’s not too bad.
2019 Actual Expenses
In addition to exceeding my income goals, I exceeded my expense goals (LOL). My goal was to spend zero money on expenses in 2019 and I ended up spending… drum roll…
$1,333.84
Where I was I spending my money? Let’s break this down too:
- Courses: $996.00 (75%)
- Resources: $ 228.44 (17%)
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- KeySearch* keyword research tool (monthly fee)
- Canva graphic design tool (monthly fee)
- filmora Scrn recording tool
- Web camera
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- Website: $95.40 (7%)
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- SiteGround* website hosting (annual fee)
- Google Domains (annual fee)
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- Podcast: $14.00 (1%)
- Libsyn hosting (monthly fee)
What Did I Net?
So you can the math, or I can do it for you. I made $$7,665 and I spent $1,333.84. This gives me a net of… drum roll…
$6,331.16
And in case you are wondering, Yes I will have to pay taxes on this number. Whether you have a side hustle or a traditional job… we all pay taxes.
If you want to see how I fared each month (from the big picture), here is a snippet of my financial tracking worksheet. The blue section is my goals, the green is my actual numbers, and the yellow is the difference between my goal and what really happened. Even after I spend >$1K on expenses, I still made $2,731 more than planned.
What Does 2020 Hold??
You guys, I am dreaming BIG for 2020. My first goal has been to turn my side hustle from a hobby to an official business. And I’ve already started… I have me with an accountant, an attorney, created a business plan, opened a business banking account, got liability insurance, and as of January 7, 2020… drum roll…
Katie Dodd Nutrition, LCC began.
I have been able to take some of the income I made in 2019 and roll it into starting an official business this year. It’s important to me to cover all my bases, that means working with the professionals in the business space (like we would expect people to work with dietitians in the nutrition space, right?!). The Geriatric Dietitian and Dietitian Side Hustle are now all housed under my little LLC and I couldn’t be more excited.
My income goals are high for next year. I can’t wait to see what happens next!
Your Action Items
I hope you feel inspired and have a better understanding of the financial picture of one dietitian side hustler. I don’t know about you guys, I’m just getting started. There are so many opportunities for dietitians. The sky is literally the limit.
Here are YOUR action items for today:
- Set an income goal for 2020.
- Even if it’s half way through the year by the time you read this, just make a goal!
- If you are not already, start tracking your income and expenses.
- You need to know where your money is coming and going!
- Use a simple spreadsheet or purchase a financial tracking tool on RD2RD Marketplace*.
- Invest in yourself- plan on having expenses in 2020.
- Whether it’s a course, coaching, or a resource… spend the money, make the money.
Thanks for taking the time to read this post and I really hope that you start dreaming big, making plans, and start taking action.
You’ve got this dietitian side hustler!!