Latest / The Side Hustle Career Podcast with Fexingo: Second Income, Freelancing While Employed / How a Customer Service Rep Built a 6000 Monthly Side Hustle in Process Documentation
Transcript
- Lucas: So last week I was talking to a customer service rep named Maria. Works at a mid-sized insurance company in Ohio, handles claims calls all day. She told me about her side hustle — and I have to say, it is one of the most quietly brilliant things I have heard in a while. Luna: Okay, I am intrigued. What is she doing — selling call scripts? Lucas: Close, but better. Maria writes process documentation for small businesses. You know those little businesses — a local bakery, a plumbing company, a boutique marketing agency — where one person runs everything and has all the knowledge in their head? She creates the official version of that knowledge. Step-by-step guides for every task, from onboarding a new client to ordering supplies to handling a refund. Luna: So she is basically building the instruction manual that the business never had. That is really smart. How did she even get into that? Lucas: She started completely by accident. Her cousin owns a small landscaping company and was about to hire his first employee. He asked Maria to write down how to do the basic jobs — mowing, trimming, billing — so he could train someone without having to explain everything himself. She wrote it up in an afternoon, he paid her $150. And she thought, wait, I could do this for other people. Luna: And that is exactly where a lot of side hustles begin — someone asks you for help with something you are good at, and you realize there is actually a market for it. Lucas: Right. And if this episode helps you think about your own skills in a new way, honestly, that is the best outcome. If it was worth a coffee to you, you can find us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. No pressure — just a small way to keep this show ad-free and focused on real stories. Luna: Yeah, listener support really does make a difference for us. Every little bit helps us keep bringing you these concrete examples. Lucas: So Maria started asking around — posting in local Facebook groups, talking to friends who owned small businesses. She offered to write up one process for free, just to show what it looked like. That was a smart move, because most of those business owners had never even considered that they needed documentation. They just thought, 'I know how to do it, that is enough.' But once they saw a clean, written process, they got it. Luna: What kind of businesses did she end up working with? Lucas: Over the first few months: a dog grooming salon, a residential cleaning service, a small accounting firm, a food truck. All very different, but the core need was the same. The food truck owner, for example, only had a mental checklist for setting up at events. One time he forgot the propane tank. He was done losing money on preventable mistakes. Maria wrote a 12-page manual covering setup, menu prep, cash handling, and breakdown. He paid her $200 for it and said it saved him at least that much in lost sales the first month alone. Luna: So what is the actual pricing model? Is she charging per page, per project, by the hour? Lucas: She settled on a flat fee per process document. Most businesses have between five and fifteen core processes that need documenting. She charges $150 to $250 per process, depending on complexity. For a simpler one like 'how to answer the phone and take a message' — $150. For something like 'how to reconcile daily sales and deposits' — more like $250. On average, she does about 40 documents per month. That adds up to around $6,000 in revenue, usually working 15 hours a week — mostly evenings and weekends. Luna: That is a solid return for writing down what people already know. But is there a risk that after she documents everything, the business does not need her anymore? Lucas: Great question. That is actually a common concern, but Maria found it is not really an issue for two reasons. First, businesses change. They add new products, new software, new staff. So she offers a maintenance retainer — $50 per month to review and update up to three processes. About a third of her clients take that. Second, referrals. Happy clients tell other business owners, so she has a steady stream of new projects. She has actually had to start turning people down because she cannot handle more than 15 clients at a time. Luna: So it is not a gig, it is a recurring service model. That is a smart way to build a side hustle that does not burn you out. What skills does someone need to do this? I am guessing you do not need to be a technical writer. Lucas: Not at all. Maria has no formal writing training. What she has is the ability to watch someone do a task and then explain it step by step in plain English. That is a skill that a lot of customer service reps actually develop naturally — you learn to simplify complex information for people who are stressed or distracted. The other thing is empathy. When you are writing for a small business owner, you are writing for someone who is already overwhelmed. They do not want jargon or corporate language. They want bullet points and clear instructions. Luna: That makes me think — there is probably a huge untapped market here. I bet there are thousands of small businesses that have never formalized their processes. Lucas: Exactly. And the need is growing. As boomers retire from small businesses, they are selling to buyers who do not have decades of institutional knowledge. Those buyers need documentation to keep things running. Maria actually got a client recently — a retiring plumber who sold his business to a young couple. They paid her $3,000 to document everything he knew about the business before he left. She spent a month interviewing him and shadowing him on jobs. The couple says it was the best investment they made. Luna: That is a perfect example of a side hustle that is solving a real problem. And it is not something you need a special certification for. So if someone listening thinks, 'I could do that,' what is the first step? Lucas: Maria's advice: start with one process you already know well. Could be from your day job, could be from a hobby or volunteer role. Write it up. Then give it to someone who has never done that task and watch them try to follow it. You will quickly see where your instructions are unclear or incomplete. That practice run is invaluable. Then offer to write one process for a small business you know — a friend, a family member, a local shop you frequent. Do it for free or a low price to build your portfolio and get a testimonial. Luna: And then how do you find paying clients beyond your immediate network? Lucas: She says the best channel is local business groups on Facebook or Nextdoor. Search for 'small business owners ' and join. Do not pitch immediately. Just read the conversations. You will see people asking things like 'Anyone have a template for employee handbooks?' or 'How do I train my new hire when I am too busy?' That is your cue. Send a private message: 'Hey, I actually help small businesses with exactly that. Here is a sample of what I do. Happy to chat if you are interested.' Low-key and helpful. Luna: I love that it is so low-tech. No fancy website needed, no marketing degree. Just a willingness to write clearly and talk to people. Lucas: Right. Maria still does not have a website. She has a simple Google Doc portfolio with links to anonymized samples and a list of testimonials. That is it. Her clients find her through word of mouth and those local groups. She says the hardest part was realizing that she had a valuable skill. Once she saw herself as a 'process documentation consultant' instead of 'someone who is good at writing stuff down,' the whole thing clicked. Luna: That mindset shift is so important. So many people undervalue things they do every day. If you are organized and clear in your communication, you probably have a side hustle sitting right there. Lucas: And the beauty is, you can start without quitting your job. Maria does her side hustle in the evenings and weekends. She uses screen recording software to capture processes as she watches clients do them, then transcribes and edits later. It takes discipline, but the first few clients are slow. She says to expect to earn maybe $500 your first month as you figure out your process. By month three or four, if you have three or four clients, you can hit $2,000. Luna: What about the legal side? If you are documenting proprietary processes, do you need a non-disclosure agreement? Lucas: Great point. Maria uses a simple one-page agreement she found online for free. It says she will keep all client information confidential and that the final documents belong to the client. She also has a clause saying she can use anonymized versions as samples. She has never had any issues, but she says the agreement makes clients feel more comfortable sharing the nitty-gritty details. It is worth the few minutes it takes to set up. Luna: And how does she handle the actual documentation process? Does she interview people, watch them work, look at existing materials? Lucas: She does a mix. For a new client, she starts with a discovery call — about 30 minutes where she learns the business, the main workflows, and what is most painful. Then she asks for any existing materials: emails, old manuals, notes. She reviews those first. Then she schedules one or two 90-minute observation sessions where she shadows someone doing the task. She records the screen or takes notes. After that, she writes the first draft and sends it to the client for review. Usually one round of edits, and it is done. Luna: So a typical process takes maybe three to four hours of work? At $150 to $250, that is a pretty good hourly rate. Lucas: It is. And she gets faster over time. Her first few took maybe six hours each. Now she can do a straightforward process in about two hours of active work. The key is building templates. She has a template for 'software task' processes, one for 'physical task' processes, one for 'customer interaction' processes. She just fills in the blanks. That is another tip for anyone starting — invest a little time upfront to create a reusable structure. It pays off immediately. Luna: Let me ask you this: is there a risk of burnout? Fifteen hours a week on top of a full-time job is a lot. Lucas: Maria says she is careful about that. She does not take on more than 15 clients at a time, and she caps her weekly hours at 15. She also batch processes — she does all her discovery calls on Monday evenings, all her observation sessions on Saturday mornings, and all her writing on Sunday afternoons. That way, she is not switching contexts constantly. She also says the work itself is actually energizing for her, because it is so different from her day job. She gets to be creative and solve problems, which her claims calls do not always let her do. Luna: So it is not just extra income, it is also a creative outlet. That is the dream side hustle. Lucas: Exactly. And she has started to think about turning it into her main business eventually. She is saving a portion of every check to build a cushion so she can go full-time in about two years. But she is in no rush — she likes the stability of her day job for now, and the side hustle gives her a sense of control and progress. Luna: I think that is a really healthy approach. A lot of people feel like they have to go all in immediately, but Maria shows you can build something gradually, on your own terms. Lucas: Yeah. And the numbers are compelling. She has earned over $50,000 in the last 10 months. That is not life-changing for everyone, but for her it means paying off student loans faster, taking a real vacation, and knowing she has options. That is the kind of side hustle story I think a lot of people need to hear — not a get rich quick thing, just a smart, repeatable way to leverage a skill you already have. Luna: So if someone wants to start tomorrow, what is the single best piece of advice? Lucas: Pick one business you know — maybe the coffee shop you go to every morning, or your friend's side gig — and offer to document one process for free. Not because you are cheap, but because you need to learn. The first one will teach you more than any book or course. You will figure out what questions to ask, how to structure the document, and how to handle feedback. After that, you can confidently charge for the next one. That is exactly how Maria did it. Luna: That is such simple, actionable advice. I feel like I could go out and do this right now. Lucas: Me too, honestly. And that is the best signal — when the hosts themselves are tempted to start a side hustle after an episode. Luna: Right? Well, maybe we will have to bring Maria back for a follow-up in a few months to see how her business is growing. Lucas: I would love that. For now, if you try this out, let us know how it goes. We are always here for your stories.