The Number One Secret to Getting Rich from Unconventional Jobs

Bernadette Joy, the founder of a service called Dressed, used to connect bridal gown stores with those in need of renting them. This venture helped her pay off her student loans, quit her full-time job, hire employees, and open her own store. But as the business grew, it consumed more and more time without delivering the expected results. Consequently, after three years, Joy had to close her store.

At the age of 39, Joy found herself pondering the question, “What now?” She no longer had her business to rely on. During this period of uncertainty, she learned an important lesson that she now considers the number one secret to starting a successful unconventional job.

Joy and her husband started a podcast where they shared how they paid off over $300,000 in debt. The podcast eventually developed into a money coaching program called Crush Your Money Goals. Through this side hustle, Joy earned $279,000 in 2023, averaging around $23,000 per month.

Apart from the podcast, Joy also organizes speaking events and seminars. She works around 20 hours per week while balancing her coaching program.

Joy admits that she wouldn’t have started Dressed if she didn’t have a passion for fashion. However, she realized that dealing with the complexities of scaling up the business was not her forte. Seeing her employees struggle without her supervision made her spend more time at the store, which she didn’t want.

Attending the FinCon personal finance conference in the summer of 2019 was a turning point for Joy. After listening to the speakers, she knew she wanted to inspire others to feel more confident about their finances. Consequently, she continued recording her podcast, researched how to build a coaching business, and launched her first online coaching program in March 2020. Joy’s story aligns with billionaire Mark Cuban’s advice to focus on making money from things that come naturally to you.

According to CNBC