Ever look at your bank account after Christmas and feel your stomach drop a little? Credit cards are higher than we’d like, personal property taxes and insurance renewals are rolling in, and the cost of living keeps quietly stacking up. In this episode of the Dream Doers Podcast, host Jana Marler speaks directly to that moment, the one where you start thinking about a side gig… and immediately talk yourself out of it because your plate already feels full.

This episode is not about hustle culture or doing more. It’s about creating margin. Jana reframes side gigs as passion projects, things you already love, already do, and already talk about, that can gently support your life financially without overwhelming you. She walks through five realistic, low-pressure side gigs that work in busy seasons, healing seasons, and real life, breaking down how to get started, time and cost expectations, and why having multiple income streams can bring both peace and flexibility.

If you’ve ever felt like you don’t have the time, energy, or money to start something new, this episode is a reminder that sometimes the best opportunities are already right in front of you.

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Episode Highlights

00:00 Navigating Financial Pressures and Side Gigs
02:12 Exploring Sustainable Side Gigs
05:49 Diving into Referral-Based Income
07:40 Creating Digital Templates and Assets
10:59 Functional Help Sessions and Affiliate Marketing
12:25 Print on Demand Products and Closing Thoughts
14:56 You Tube – Outro

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Resources Mentioned

Canva / Etsy / Shopify / Amazon KDP / LegalShield / Pinterest / Mailchimp / PayPal

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Follow Jana

Instagram | Facebook | TikTok | YouTube → @thedreamdoers.podcast

🌐 Visit my website at www.thedreamdoers.com

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Show Notes – “5 Side Gigs That Don’t Add More to Your Plate”

Jana Marler (00:00)
Welcome back to the Dream Doers podcast, everyone. Thank you for joining me today. I want to start this episode by naming the season that we’re in because I think a lot of people are feeling it, but not always saying it out loud. We just came out of the Christmas holiday season. Credit cards are higher than we’d like. Personal property taxes are hitting if you’re in a state that does that right around the holidays. Insurance renewals are coming due, maybe tuition payments, medical bills.

Maybe just the cost of living quietly stacking up month after month. And for a lot of people, even opening their bank account right now feels heavy. What’s interesting is that this is usually the exact moment people start thinking about a side gig and then immediately shut down the idea. We tell ourselves, I don’t have the money to start anything, I don’t have the time.

I don’t want to add anything to my plate. I don’t have the energy. I can barely keep up with what I’m already doing. I hear it all the time. And honestly, it makes sense. The power of no is incredible. So we do need to remember that and figure out what works for us. when life feels expensive and overwhelming, the idea of adding something new feels impossible.

But here’s what I want to talk about today. The best time to consider a side gig is often when things feel tight. Not because you need to grind harder, but because even a small amount of extra margin can change how heavy life feels. This episode today is not about hustle. It’s not about doing more. It’s about letting something already present in your life support you financially in a way that feels gentle and sustainable. Side gigs are my jam.

Side gigs are not meant to be extra jobs. The best ones are passion projects. They’re things that you already love, that you’re already doing, that you’re already talking about, you’re already helping people with. When a side gig is aligned, it gives energy instead of taking it. And sometimes even a few hundred extra dollars a month can change your stress level, your sleep, your ability to breathe. So today I’m walking you through five side gigs that don’t add more to your plate.

I’ll talk about why they matter, why these are some of the best options for busy seasons, what it realistically takes to start each one, how much time they require, what they cost, and where to begin.

You don’t need to do all of these. You don’t even need to pick one today. Just listen with curiosity and notice what feels like you. So gig number one, referral based income. So one of the most sustainable side gigs I’ve seen that I participate in, especially for people with full lives like mine, single mom, multiple business owner, lots of different activities is referral based income.

This works because it doesn’t require you to create something new. You’re not building a product. You’re not managing inventory. You’re not responsible for delivering a service. You’re simply connecting people to solutions that they already need.

If you’re someone who naturally checks in on others, has conversations about life or business, or is already the person people come to with question, then this fits beautifully into your real life. You’re not selling, you’re not sharing, you’re opening a door.

What makes something like Legal Shield appealing in busy seasons is that it’s low overhead. There’s a one-time set up cost, usually around $99, can engage with it at whatever level your life allows. Some people use it to cover groceries or utilities. Others grow into something larger over time. Both are valid.

A great example of this is the parents who are already sitting next to other parents and friends at their kids activities, like their sporting events or their band rehearsals or whatever it is, karate nights, and you’re talking to your friends and you guys are discussing the trials and the things you’re going through and being able to offer something that supports them. It’s a no brainer. You’re already having the conversations. So here’s how to get started.

choose a referral based service you would genuinely recommend even if you weren’t paid. why not team up with a company that you really believe in and aligns with your mission and then get compensation for the referrals.

A great example of this are the parents who are sitting at their kids activities while they’re playing or doing their instruments or karate or whatever it is. And you’re having these conversations with their parents, your friends. You guys are having natural dialogue, selling the things that you love every day in life, talking about your favorite movies, your favorite places to shop, your favorite things they must do that you had so much fun at. most of those companies aren’t compensating you for referring. So this is an amazing way to

share something that aligns with your mission in life and you get paid for it. It’s a no-brainer.

With someone like Legal Shield, you pay a one-time setup fee. You spend two to three hours learning the basics and how to explain it simply, and then share naturally in conversation where it actually makes sense. Follow up only when people express interest. And you can do that with about four different companies. Pretty cool. The initial learning is about two to three hours. The ongoing learning might be 30 to 60 minutes a week if you keep it small. The cost is usually like a one-time fee, no inventory for something like LegalShield

No ongoing overhead required to begin earning. And this matters. Why? Because gig respects your energy. You’re not performing. You’re not forcing output. You’re allowing conversations you’re already having to support your life financially.

Side gig number two, digital templates and assets, especially Canva based. I talk a lot about how to get started with Canva, how to use Canva to be a powerful online presence with visuals, photography, videography, graphics. So if you wanna head over to jannamarie.co, you can see a lot about my education for small businesses there.

But this side gig is one of the most powerful side gigs for people who like structure, organization, or creativity. A digital template is simply a shortcut. It saves someone else time or mental energy. If you’ve ever created something for yourself and thought, I wish I had this sooner, you already have a product idea.

People buy templates because they don’t want to start from scratch. They want clarity. They want something clean and usable and easy and ready to go. This can be social media templates, content calendars, client guides, pricing sheets, onboarding packets or workflows. What makes this sustainable is that you create it once and it continues to serve people over and over and over. You’re not trading hours for dollars every time you sell it.

So how to get started? You’re gonna identify something you already created for yourself or a client that solved a problem. That’s the key, that solved a problem. Rebuild it cleanly in Canva, test it by using it again yourself, add simple instructions, and then sell it on Etsy or your

or something like Shopify.

The creation phase is about 8 to 15 hours total and then the ongoing is minimal. It’s just minimal updates or customers questions. That’s it. The cost you can use Canva for free, which is amazing, or for a small fee you can get the pro version.

Platform fees depend on where you sell, but you could also do something like a TikTok shop or Facebook or Instagram account and try to do it for free. Why does this matter? This is income that works in the background. You can create when you have energy and then pause when life feels heavy. It’s ideal for busy seasons. Side gig number three, functional help sessions. Practical, not motivational.

This is one of the fastest ways to earn money without building a brand or a product. This is not life coaching. This is helping. People don’t need hype. They need clarity. I talk about clarity a lot. They need someone to sit with them and say, here’s how to do this. Hand holding is huge, especially when people are overwhelmed.

If people already ask you for help with something, that’s your signal. That’s your specialty. This might be canva help, system setup, website walkthroughs,

basics, workflow organization. Just think about the thing you love to do and that you help people with often. You don’t need a certification to do this. You need boundaries and honesty about what you know.

So how to get started, you’re gonna identify what people already ask you for help with. Decide on a clear offering, usually 60 to 90 minutes. Set pricing that respects your time. Offer sessions through word of mouth, email or social media.

help, get paid, and then move on.

The time investment is like one session equals one payout. No long-term commitment required. Work on your own terms.

The cost is none beyond your time. It’s optional scheduling software and you can text, email, phone call, whatever works for you. So why does this matter? This works well when you need income now, not later. It’s contained, clear, and it doesn’t add long-term stress. Side gig number four, affiliate marketing. This has become one of my new favorites. It’s slow, honest, and sustainable.

Affiliate marketing gets a bad reputation because it’s often done loudly and poorly, but when done well, it’s quiet and honest. This is simply earning commissions for sharing tools or products you already use and love. And we’re doing it all the time anyway. Like I said earlier, we come home from movies and we tell all of our friends, you guys have got to see this. It was so amazing. So when you think about what I’m talking about here, think about how you’re already doing that.

and we’re not getting paid for it. Pinterest is especially powerful here because people are searching for solutions. They’re not looking to be sold to, they’re looking for help. This is not fast money,

It’s slow, steady, compounding income. So here’s how to get started. Sign up for affiliate programs for products you already use and love and believe in.

explaining how to use them. Share through Pinterest, blogs, or email. Be patient and consistent. The time and investment is about one to two hours a week just creating content. And it’s long-term growth. It will pay off the more content you get. The cost is usually free to do this. It’s just fun.

and you can have an optional website. Canva does free websites now, so look into that. Why does this matter? This income grows quietly over time and doesn’t require daily output or constant engagement.

Side gig number five, print on demand products. Think about journals, planners, workbooks, teacher’s curriculum. This is where creativity meets structure. You don’t need to be an author. You need a framework, prompts, or a perspective that could help someone else.

No inventory, no shipping, no storage. How to get started? You can create your content in Canva again for free, format it for print, upload it to Amazon KDP or similar platforms, and then let it sell quietly over time. Your time investment is about 10 to 20 hours upfront, depending on how much you want to pour into whatever it is you’re designing and creating, but the ongoing is minimal.

The cost is free to upload on most platforms. You can even use something like PayPal to collect payments and then a simple free MailChimp platform if you want to send your PDFs and downloadables to them that way.

Why this matters. Your work exists without demanding your constant presence. This is ideal for people who want to create once and then rest more later.

So closing out, side gigs are not about fixing your life. They’re about creating options. They’re about allowing what you already love to support you. They’re about margin and balance. If you’re overwhelmed, choose something light. Most likely, if you are passionate about something and you love something so much, you’re already putting in all of the work to talk about it all the time anyway.

Why not make it a product or a downloadable or something like an affiliate link to make some extra income? If you’re healing, choose something gentle. If you’re tired, choose something that gives energy back. You don’t need to do more and add more to your plate.

You need something that fits. Thank you all so much for being here. This was a short and sweet, but yet powerful episode. I am a huge person who believes that we should have multiple outlets of revenue. Heaven forbid if we have one job and that one job fails us, then what? If you’ve got multiple side gigs or multiple businesses,

then you know in different seasons this one might sustain you a little longer, and then in a different season this one might sustain you where this one isn’t. So having a whole bunch of eggs in different baskets for your income is key. It also shakes things up so that you don’t have to do the same monotonous thing all the time.

This is a way that for someone like me, I stay really engaged and excited because I can shift to my creative mode. I can shift back to my sports mode when I’m officiating basketball and volleyball. I can shift to this mode and then I can pour into those things during the allotted time that I have set aside to grow those specific passion projects or side gigs. So thank you all for joining me on this episode of the Dream to Earth podcast.

I will see you in the next episode. If you guys have any questions at all about some other side gigs, my kitty’s joining for the finale. Leave it in the comments. I’m willing to let you know some of the things that I have done. I mentioned that I’m a basketball and volleyball ref. You can set your own schedule there. You can stay a part of your community and be a part of a sport that you love. There are so many options. So I’m excited to hear what some of your favorite side gigs are. Best of luck.

being a quiet and balanced and low-key side hustler. See you in the next episode.