Fiverr: Uni dropout makes $26,000 a month from SEO side hustles

Lucas Vitale was studying to become an accountant when he realised he could make more from his lounge room than in a regular gig.

Lucas Vitale was halfway through his uni degree when he decided to turn his back on a traditional career path – and he’s never looked back.

The 25-year-old was studying a business and commerce degree at Western Sydney University and planned to become an accountant, but he also had a side hustle – offering search engine optimisation services on global freelance marketplace Fiverr.

But demand started to grow, and he realised he could quit his study and make more money from his lounge room than he could in an office job.

He told news.com.au he could now make as much as $26,000 in a month from freelancing and from his second company, and said degrees and 9-to-5 jobs weren’t the only way to get ahead.

In fact, the only “traditional” job he ever had was a part-time gig in a factory while he was studying, which he “hated”.

He told news.com.au his side hustle was initially “intimidating” as he was not used to working with leading companies and their founders.

“I then found it quite hard to believe that my hard work and efforts paid off well enough to take the next daunting step of deciding to take a break from my university studies,” he said.

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Lucas Vitale dropped out of uni to pursue his lucrative side hustles. Picture: Supplied

For now, he plans to continue scaling up his SEO work on Fiverr and growing his new business – but his long-term goal is to “be the owner of several multimillion-dollar companies”.

“I have big plans for the future and some very interesting projects that I want to pursue. I’m constantly thinking about new ideas and planning new ventures during my free time, so I am very excited to see where my career will take me,” he said.

“In Australia, we are lucky enough to be given the chance to do almost anything we want, provided we’re driven enough to work for it.

“I used to email and call 30 to 40 businesses a day, to try and convince them that the SEO services I offer would make them more money.”

He said those who had lost their jobs during the coronavirus crisis or had their income slashed should look into online opportunities as he had.

“Being my own boss is a huge advantage to me, as it allows me to dictate how, when and where I work,” he said.

“Freelancing also provides me with the opportunity to continue to learn and develop my skills from a range of different people.

“I also love that I can travel the world and work from anywhere, provided I have an internet connection – it permits a certain kind of freedom that traditional employment doesn’t.”

Fiverr vice president of international expansion Peggy de Lange said the COVID pandemic had forced many Aussies to rethink traditional forms of employment and adopt flexible working solutions and roles such as remote work and freelancing.

“With traditional jobs harder to find, people are moving to use their skills online towards an international public to make money, either as side hustles or long-term career paths,” she said.

“Business owners moving online is driving demand for skilled freelancers in areas like digital marketing, website building, search engine optimisation and content creation.

“Small business owners looking to get online have the option of engaging skilled local freelancers rather than hiring in an uncertain environment.”