Global term

Profit margin

What you actually keep after costs, expressed as a percentage of revenue. The number that matters for a side hustle, not gross income.

Profit margin equals (revenue minus costs) divided by revenue. A freelance copywriter with low overheads can run at 80 to 90 percent margin. A reseller, agency or productised service may run at 30 to 50 percent. When members compare two side hustles only on revenue they often pick the lower margin one and end up working harder for less. Always compare on profit per hour worked.

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