A $10 Business License Turned Into a $2,800-a-Month Bookkeeping Side Hustle
3 min read · RealCase summary
Kayli Robles, a 26-year-old bookkeeping coach in Bellingham, Washington, started a bookkeeping side hustle in August 2025 after a Facebook ad for a bookkeeping business program "ignited something" in her, alongside her full-time, 40-hour-a-week coaching job.
She launched for under $300 total -- a $10 business license, a $12 domain name, and $280 in errors-and-omissions insurance she delayed purchasing until she had her first paying client. Her first client, found through the QuickBooks ProAdvisor directory in month two, paid $400 a month; by month four she'd added an $800-a-month client after completing a $4,000 cleanup project, and by month five she was averaging $2,000 a month consistently.
She now brings in $2,800 a month gross (about $33,600 annualized), netting roughly $1,977 a month after expenses like a $325 coworking membership and software (Karbon, Ignition, QuickBooks). She says the job takes more than software knowledge: "having the willingness and openness to figure things out when problems arise" matters since every client presents unique bookkeeping challenges.
Key takeaways
- ›Started with minimal upfront costs: a $10 business license, a $12 domain, and $280 for insurance
- ›Landed her first client (about $400/month) through the QuickBooks ProAdvisor directory in month two
- ›By month five, revenue reached about $2,000/month; now grosses $2,800/month ($1,977 net after expenses)
Original source
Read the original (Entrepreneur)
Next story →
She started an egg roll stand under a $1,500 tent — now it pulls in $150,000-plus a month
More Side Hustle stories
A Chef Borrowed a Camera and Learned From YouTube — His Food Photography Brought In $133,900 Last Year
Winnipeg chef Sean Audet started food photography in 2018 with a borrowed camera and Fiverr gigs, earning $8,403 that year and $133,900 (USD) in 2022, now charging $1,000 to $17,500 per shoot.
A Ford Mechanic Started Answering Car Questions Online for $500 a Month — Now He Makes $170,500 a Year
Transmission technician Chris Pyle began answering repair questions on JustAnswer in 2006, quit his $75,000 Ford job in 2012 when the side income passed his salary, and made $170,500 on the platform in 2023.
On a $40,000 Salary, Dog Walking and Freelance Writing Helped Her Pay Off $102,170 in Six Years
Mandy Velez graduated in 2013 with $75,591 in student loans; by stacking dog walking, cat sitting, babysitting and freelance writing on a $40,000 starting salary, she paid off $102,170 including interest by 2019.