Latest / The Side Hustle Career Podcast with Fexingo: Second Income, Freelancing While Employed / How a Bartender Built a 3000 Monthly Side Hustle in Resume Writing
Transcript
- Lucas: So today I want to talk about something that a lot of people do informally but rarely think of as a real side hustle: resume writing. Specifically, how a bartender in Austin built it into three thousand dollars a month. Luna: A bartender? That's unexpected. What's the connection? Lucas: She'd been editing her friends' resumes for years — just for fun, over coffee. She noticed she had a knack for tightening language, pulling out the right keywords. Then during a slow shift, she posted in a local Facebook group offering free resume critiques. Within a week, she had thirty requests. Luna: So she turned a favor into a business. How did she price it? Lucas: She started at fifty dollars per resume. After ten clients, she raised it to seventy-five. Now she charges a hundred and fifty for a full rewrite, and she does about twenty a month. That's three grand on the nose, working maybe fifteen hours a week. Luna: Fifteen hours a week for three thousand? That's two hundred dollars an hour effectively. That's better than what most freelancers make on Upwork. Lucas: Exactly. And she's not a certified career coach — she's just good at pattern recognition. She realized that most resumes are too wordy, too generic, or missing the specific language that applicant tracking systems scan for. Luna: So she reverse-engineered the ATS. That's smart. What tools does she use? Lucas: Surprisingly simple: Google Docs for collaboration, Canva for a clean template, and an Airtable to track clients and deadlines. That's it. No expensive software. Luna: And clients? How does she find them beyond that first Facebook post? Lucas: LinkedIn is her main channel now. She set her profile to 'Open to Work' but as a freelancer — not looking for a job, but offering services. She also posts before and after snippets, with names redacted, showing the transformation. That builds credibility. Luna: I can see that working. People love before and after. Do you know what her background is in? Like, did she study English or HR? Lucas: Not at all. She studied hospitality management. She just reads a lot of job descriptions and knows how to match language. The key is she doesn't over-promise. She tells clients: 'I can make your resume clearer and more targeted, but I can't guarantee an interview.' That honesty builds trust. Luna: Right, because if she guaranteed a job, she'd be setting herself up for failure. So what's the biggest mistake she sees? Lucas: She says people try to cram everything into one page, but they use tiny fonts and no white space. Or they list duties instead of accomplishments. She always asks: 'What did you achieve? Not what were you responsible for.' Luna: So she's essentially a translator: from 'I did this' to 'I improved that by X percent'. That's a skill anyone can learn. Lucas: That's the beauty of it. You don't need a fancy degree. You need empathy for the hiring manager and some basic writing skills. And the market is huge — everyone changes jobs eventually. Luna: Alright, so what's the step-by-step for someone listening who wants to try this? Where do they start? Lucas: First, offer free critiques to five friends or in a Facebook group. That gives you samples and testimonials. Second, set up a simple website or LinkedIn service page. Third, decide on a pricing structure — per resume or per hour. She recommends per project because it's easier to scale. Luna: And what about the legal side? Do you need a contract? Lucas: Yes, a simple one. She uses a template from a site like HelloSign. It just outlines scope, revisions, and confidentiality. Also, check your employer's conflict of interest policy. But resume writing rarely competes with a day job. Luna: Fair point. One thing I'm curious about: how does she handle revisions? Because some clients want endless changes. Lucas: She includes two rounds of revisions in the fee. After that, it's twenty-five dollars per additional round. That keeps people focused. She also sets a deadline: 'I'll send you the first draft within three business days.' That sets expectations. Luna: Smart. And she's still bartending? Lucas: She actually dropped to two shifts a week. The side hustle became the main thing. That's the goal, right? Luna: Absolutely. So for anyone listening, the takeaway is: look at what you're already good at that others find hard. If you can write a clear sentence, you can do this. Lucas: And if today helped you think about your own skills in a new way, that's exactly why we do this show ad-free. The way that stays possible is listener support — buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Luna: Yeah, it's a small gesture that keeps us independent. No ads, no sponsors, just us and the content. Lucas: Exactly. So back to the bartender — she also told me that the hardest part wasn't the writing. It was believing she could charge for it. Luna: That's so common. We undervalue our own skills. But once she got that first paid client, the confidence grew. Lucas: And that first client came from the Facebook group. She did a free critique, the person was thrilled, and then said, 'Can you do mine for real? I'll pay you.' That's the moment. Luna: So the key is to start giving value publicly. People will naturally ask to pay you. Lucas: Right. And from there, she built a referral network. Now she gets clients from past clients, HR people she's connected with on LinkedIn, even a few recruiters. Luna: Recruiters? That's interesting. Why would they send her business? Lucas: Because they see poorly written resumes all day. If they can send a candidate to her, the candidate becomes more hirable. It's a win-win. Luna: So she's actually solving a problem for recruiters too. That's a great angle. Lucas: Exactly. And she's now thinking about expanding into LinkedIn profile optimization. Same skill set, higher price point. Luna: I can see that. A resume is a one-time thing, but a LinkedIn profile needs ongoing updates. That could be a retainer model. Lucas: That's her next step. She's testing a monthly subscription for ongoing profile tweaks and networking tips. Twenty clients at fifty bucks a month would be another thousand. Luna: So the future is recurring revenue. That's the dream for any side hustle. Lucas: It is. But even at three thousand a month, she's replaced her bartending income. And she works from home in her pajamas. Luna: Alright, I'm convinced. I'm going to update my own resume this weekend. Lucas: And maybe offer to do a friend's for free — you never know where it leads. Luna: True. Thanks, Lucas. Great episode. Lucas: Thanks, Luna. See you next time.