This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Shake. All opinions are 100% mine.
When I married John, I was giving up a career that I had worked hard to establish. I was a teacher. I had a master’s in teaching and a lot of experience that suddenly… seemed like it had evaporated.
I know that’s not exactly what happened. But that’s how it felt.
Suddenly, I didn’t have a job, and because of circumstances around John’s career path in the Navy and our PCSing timelines, it didn’t make financial sense for me to pursue teaching. At the time, the state I had my license in and the state we were moving to didn’t have license reciprocity, I was looking at thousands of dollars and a long timeline before I could begin teaching. What would happen when we inevitably moved again?
There I was: unemployed, without a network in a brand new place, and thousands of dollars in debt (thanks, student loans!). Through a series of accidents (really, I mean that!), I found my first gig as a paid writer. And then a second. I began getting recommendations from friends and clients. At the same time, Jo, My Gosh! began taking off, too. And suddenly, I had found my new career as a writer.
It was exciting.
And absolutely scary.
Because freelance writing is all about that hustle.
I’ve been freelance writing for more than seven years now. And while I still hold a full-time job, my part-time one has paid for vacations, our house, and regularly puts money into our retirement plans. I’ve learned what works and what doesn’t through a lot of trial and error.
While there are a lot of great people, there are also those who want to exploit folks who work hard. Trust me, I know– there’s a guy who still owes me for more than $2,000 of work. But that’s another story.
What I want you to know is that yes, military spouse, if you love creating content and are good at it, you can absolutely make actual, legitimate money from your laptop. And you can do it while avoiding creepy people and folks who don’t pay on time (or ever).
One of those ways to begin generating income through your content creation is new and it’s called Shake.
What is Shake?
Shake is a new, free marketplace from a company that is trusted in the content creation and influencer world, IZEA. Personally, I’ve been working with IZEA for years– so long, I’m not even sure HOW long, but it’s been a minute– and can personally vouch for the experience. IZEA cares about their creators and they care about the quality of their clients; I’ve only had great experiences with them. I’ve been paid fairly and on-time and have had long-term working relationships with members of the IZEA team. (Every single one of those things is hard to come by in the blogging world.)
How does it work?
It’s super easy. You sign up and create “Shakes” which are listings of the services you’re selling. That can include sponsored social posts, photography, photo editing, video editing, videography, audio work, and virtual appearances. You’ll set up your Shake with details, the price, the delivery timeline, and usage rights. But you’re in the driver’s seat. There’s no back and forth to barter on your pricing or what you are willing or aren’t willing to do. Your clients will purchase your Shakes and you’ll decide whether or not to accept or decline them. Then you’ll create and deliver the content within the platform, so you’re not juggling emails or the million different messaging systems.
How do I get started?
Go to shake.izea.com and create a log-in, if you’re not already part of the IZEA system. From there, you’ll create your first Shake and be on your way to creating an income stream for yourself, doing what you already love.
