A SAVVY businessman quit his nine-to-five in order to pursue his side hustle full time – and now he’s bringing in up to £10,000 a month.
Richard Ford, 45, worked in various senior corporate roles for 20 years but felt like he was “unfulfilled”.
1
Looking for a way to make some extra cash and give himself something more exciting to do – the dad-of-two from Manchester decided to take up a side hustle.
Now, he’s earning up to £10,000 a month by writing wedding speeches after turning his side hustle into his full-time job.
Richard told The Sun: “While I appreciated the opportunity working in senior corporate roles, I found them to be ultimately unrewarding.
“I dreaded being asked ‘what do you do for a job?’ as it bored me to tears telling them.”
When he first started writing speeches for cash back in 2014, Richard signed up to freelancer site Fiverr to list his services.
He had no idea that it would end up being his full-time job.
He said it was “definitely a challenge” at first and that sometimes he felt like a “circus juggler”.
Richard said: “I started off slow and worked evenings and weekends.
Most read in Money
“As soon as I was off work, I’d be on my side hustle.
“A few additional hours a week quickly turned into 16 hour days! It was tough and tiring.”
Richard had himself given a few speeches at weddings and had always enjoyed public speaking.
But, he’d also seen some “terrible” speeches with a lot of tired “cringe” jokes and long pauses.
He felt that his expertise could help people who needed a bit of help writing and delivering their own speeches.
At first, the side job brought in around £3,000 a year, because his prices were low and he was just starting out.
Richard said: “Reviews are everything on Fiverr so the more great work I was delivering the better my profile performed.
“After about three years, I started to see some promising signs and my client base was growing.”
How much money can you make?
After around six years, he made to decision to leave his £75,000-a-year job and write wedding speeches full-time.
Richard now writes 30 to 40 speeches a month for struggling best men, grooms, brides and maids of honour.
Fiverr brings in most of his business and after the 20% commission it takes, he makes anything from £3,500 to £6,000 a month – with it going up to as much as £10,000 during wedding season.
His prices start from £151 but can increase depending on tight deadlines, the length of the speech and who it’s for.
Richard will even turn his talents to writing wedding vows for couples from £151.
He has written over 900 speeches for clients after working with them to decide what they want to say and then also coaching them to deliver the speech on the day.
Since he started, Richard has worked on some pretty whacky speeches, a chicken-themed wedding for example required a chicken-themed speech filled with dozens of egg-related puns.
Because Fiverr is international, he also works a lot with wedding parties in North America – leading to some pretty long hours with the time difference.
He said: “I’ve been lucky enough to work with weddings of Hollywood and TV stars and even for a former US president!
“Though some weddings are elaborate, six-figure affairs, my favourite ones are the speeches that mean so much to that individual.”
One of the most “satisfying” jobs he’s had is writing for a best man with clinical depression and PTSD and helping him to overcome his anxiety and deliver his speech.
How you can sell your skill on Fiverr
If like Richard you think you might have a special talent that could earn you some extra cash, why not give it a go?
You can sign up to Fiverr for free and create a profile showcasing your work or talent.
Some of the freelancers on the site work in roles like graphic design, video editing, voice overs, social media marketing or website developing.
How much you make will depend on how many hours you’re able to work and what you set your prices to.
The good news is that it’s flexible around your schedule – making it an ideal side hustle platform.
Once you’ve completed a client’s order, the money is transferred into your account and payments usually take between 60 and 90 days.
You’ll get to keep 80% of the money after Fiverr takes its commission.
Be aware of tax
It’s worth remembering that anything you earn with a side hustle can be taxed.
You can earn up to £1,000 without paying tax thanks to the trading allowance.
According to HMRC, the odd jobs you can claim tax-free include money made at car boot sales, online selling or auction.
It could also include money made from food delivery or by charging other people for using your equipment or tools.
Once you earn more than £1,000 a year, you need to complete a self-assessment tax return and start paying tax on your extra earnings.
How much that is will depend on how much you already earn.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected]
