How I built lucrative college app essay side hustle [Video]

Carter Osborne just wanted to make some extra cash. He never dreamed his side hustle, advising high school seniors on their college application essays, would give him a six-figure income.

Osborne picked up the side hustle in 2017, while getting his master’s degree in public administration at the University of Washington, a five-minute drive east of his current Seattle home. Coming from a family of educators, he’d actually enjoyed his own college application process.

He’d also met with a consultant before applying to Stanford University, where he got his undergraduate degree in political science. So, to launch his side hustle, he went back to that consultant for advice. She agreed to mentor him, and referred three clients his way, he says.

Since then, the business has “snowballed,” Osborne, 28, says. In 2021, he helped 40 students with their college admission essays. He made $113,550 from the side hustle that year, …