SHS027:Balancing A $80,000 A Year Freelancer Business And A Full Time Job With Annie Margarita Yang
Intro
Building a side hustle is one thing…
👉 But building a successful business while working a full-time job? That’s a completely different challenge.
In this episode of The Side Hustler’s Society, Elijah Bilel dives into a topic he openly admits he has less experience with:
👉 Balancing a 9–5 job while scaling a profitable side business.
To break it down, Elijah brings in someone who has mastered this exact path.
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Intro to Annie Margarita Yang
Personal finance content creator and YouTuber with over 1 million views
Bestselling author focused on helping young professionals build wealth and escape debt
Built a side business generating over $80K/year while maintaining a full-time job
Specializes in practical, no-nonsense financial strategies for millennials
Started her business by turning her accounting job skills into freelance services
👉 Check out Annie Margarita Yang’s YouTube channel: Here
👉 Get her book The 5-Day Job Search: here
Episode Overview
In this episode, you’ll learn:
How to build a side business while working full-time
The difference between freelancing vs traditional side hustles
How Annie scaled her income without quitting her job
Why packaging your skills is key to making money
The mindset required to balance both worlds
Listen to the Episode
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Side Hustler’s Society Resources
Side Hustle to Full-Time Strategy Session
The Personalized Side Hustle Starter Kit
The Anatomy Of Financial Success Paperback
Quick Takeaways
Elijah Bilel highlights the importance of flexibility vs structure
Annie Margarita Yang shows how to turn a job skill into a scalable business
Freelancing can be more strategic than traditional side hustles
You don’t need to quit your job to build serious income
Systems and packaging matter more than hours worked
The Reality of Building While Employed
One of the biggest insights from this episode:
👉 There is no “perfect time” to start
Unlike Elijah’s journey—where he built businesses while self-employed—Annie had to:
Manage limited time
Work around a fixed schedule
Stay consistent despite constraints
How Annie Built Her Side Business
Instead of chasing random side hustles…
👉 Annie used what she already knew
She:
Worked in accounting full-time
Identified repeatable tasks
Offered those tasks as freelance services
Example services she provided:
Entering bills
Paying bills
Bank account reconciliation
👉 Simple… but valuable
The Key Strategy: Break Skills Into Smaller Services
This is one of the most important gems in the episode:
👉 You don’t have to sell the whole package
Annie explains that many clients:
Don’t need full-time help
Don’t have big budgets
Only need specific tasks completed
So instead of selling “everything”…
👉 She sold pieces of her skillset
Why This Strategy Works
This approach allowed her to:
Get clients faster
Charge monthly retainers
Build consistent income
Scale without overworking
👉 Her first client paid $150/month
👉 That alone covered her course investment
Turning Skills Into Income Streams
Over time, Annie expanded beyond freelancing:
YouTube content creation
Brand partnerships (real estate & finance companies)
Educational content
One standout example:
👉 She earns $500 per video for brand content—with minimal editing required
Balancing a Job and a Business
A lot of people assume:
👉 You need 12+ hour days to make this work
But Annie’s reality is different:
~3–4 hours on her job
~3–4 hours on her business
~8 total working hours per day
👉 It’s not about working more…
👉 It’s about working smarter
The Power of Deadline-Based Work
Another key advantage of her business model:
👉 It’s deadline-driven, not hourly
That means:
Less stress about time tracking
More control over schedule
Higher efficiency
The Mental Challenge No One Talks About
This episode also touches on something deeper:
👉 Completion anxiety
Even when everything is done…
👉 It still feels like it’s not enough
Annie shares that:
Tasks constantly pile up
There’s always more to do
It creates a subtle level of stress
Elijah’s Perspective
Elijah Bilel brings an interesting contrast:
👉 He built businesses with full control over his schedule
Which highlights a key difference:
Annie = structured growth
Elijah = flexible growth
The Big Lesson
You don’t need to choose one path.
👉 You can build BOTH
A stable income
A scalable business
The key is:
👉 Strategy, not speed
Who This Episode Is For
People working a 9–5 who want to start a business
Freelancers trying to get their first clients
Side hustlers looking to scale income
Beginners who feel stuck between job vs business
Key Topics Covered
Annie Margarita Yang’s business model
Insights from Elijah Bilel
Freelancing vs side hustles
Building income streams while employed
Productivity and time management