A financial coach shares 4 lucrative ways she turned her personal brand into side-hustle income and how you can too in an uncertain economy

• Patrina Dixon started her financial-coaching business in 2016 with a book and one-on-one sessions.
• Today, she runs her business, It's My Money, as a side hustle.

Patrina Dixon has worked at the same company for 28 years. She's climbed the ranks to senior national account manager at her insurance company, earned raises, and taken on more responsibility, because for most of her life, that's how success was defined.

Alternative ways of making money, finding financial freedom, or starting something of her own were never encouraged, she said. But after changing her money habits in 2016, her mindset shifted, too.

"I later redefined what success meant for me," she said. "I define my time, I decide the clients that I take on, and I am putting myself first."

In 2016, she combined that new outlook with her passion to help others and launched her business, It's My Money, whose name is stylized It'$ My Money to match the title of her first book.

Today, she sells books on financial guidance, speaks at corporate and university events, and runs a social-media platform under the same name. She coaches others on everything from starting their own business to managing credit. Her side-hustle brings in at least four figures a month, with the majority coming from speaking engagements, affiliate links on social media, and client courses. Insider verified these figures with documentation Dixon shared with us.

"It started with the passion for making sure others, more importantly those that looked like me, knew" how to create financial-growth opportunities for themselves, Dixon said, adding: "Because more times than not, it's not that they don't have the money or the desire — it's that nobody tells them how to do it."

Here, Dixon shares her most lucrative ways of generating that extra cash, even within a tightening economy.

Learn how to monetize your unique skills

The first step in establishing your side-hustle or passive income streams is determining your existing skills, Dixon said. For her, that meant sharing financial guidance through her first book.

"The book started to catch on like wildfire," she said of "It'$ My Money," "and locally, I became 'the Money Lady.'"

Dixon's personal brand was solidified, which made it easier for people to find her services and understand how she could help them, she said. She continued to lean into the branding on social media. Today, that's where the majority of her clients — both people looking for advice and companies looking to hire her for events — find her.

As her brand grew, she trademarked the book name to turn it into her business' moniker.

Create opportunities for your services to grow

Once you've started shaping your brand and initial offerings, growth is next, she said.

After generating some cash from book sales, she launched her one-on-one-coaching program, where she'd help people understand their financial goals. Then, as more clients signed up, she created courses for them to access online and began speaking at conferences, schools, and companies, she said.

Each time she launched a service, she took note of what people were drawn to, what was the most successful, and what her customers and follower base were still looking for. Based on those answers, she'd launch her next project.

Today, she runs a blog, produces a podcast, creates social-media content, and is hired for public-speaking engagements.

"Do one thing at a time," she said. "But don't wait for perfection, because until you do something, you don't know what to change."

Find income streams that work for you

Dixon's offerings each serve a distinct purpose, she said. Here are the multiple ways she earns her income:

1. Product sales

Dixon sells her book online for $15, the second edition of the book for $17, and separate budgeting-template envelopes for $2.

2. Speaking engagements

"By far, my most lucrative service line item is going out doing workshops or keynote speeches," she said, adding that she did both in-person and virtual events.

Today, she's hired by companies, schools, and organizations to teach their members about personal finance, budgeting, and business.

"I encourage you to do things small as you get started," she said to those looking to land their first engagement. "Put your phone in front of you, introduce yourself, do little snippets, and make those available on your social platforms."

3. Affiliate Links

Affiliate links typically bring in four figures a month, she said. She shares affiliate links in social-media captions, YouTube descriptions, her Amazon storefront, and in her podcast show notes.

"This is where it becomes passive," she said. "I establish those relationships and have those links, but some blogs were created last year and people are still purchasing."

Even in an uncertain economy or recession, Dixon encourages others to start their own gigs. Her biggest piece of advice is to be adaptable with whatever times you're in.

It can be intimidating to launch a side-hustle career, she said, adding: "But people will pay for what they want. You have to provide value and be an authentic resource."