From Tiny Home to $23K a Year — Here’s How She Did It


After her divorce, Melody Morton-Buckleair wanted something simpler — a way to work at her own pace, on her own land, without the overhead of a commercial lease.

The answer was sitting in her backyard.

She transformed a tiny home into a fully equipped Pilates studio, now netting $23K a year while keeping a part-time schedule.

In our latest success story, Melody shares:

  • Her exact startup costs (and how she avoided spending $20K on equipment)
  • How she gets new clients without spending hours on marketing
  • The smart systems she uses to run her studio solo
  • Advice for anyone starting a wellness business on a budget

👉 Read Melody’s full story here: https://dollarsprout.com/tiny-home-pilates-studio/

DollarSprout

We help everyday people earn more on their own terms. Since 2015, our team has tested hundreds of legit side hustles, small business ideas, and income apps to help readers boost their income and gain more financial freedom. Join our 200,000+ community and get proven, actionable ways to make extra money online or offline — no fluff, no hype.

Read more from DollarSprout
Man securing a large red bow onto a new bicycle on a decorated front porch, preparing a Christmas gift.

Every year around this time, my household starts to feel the holiday squeeze. Gifts, travel, random school events, food… it all piles up faster than I’d like to admit. And because of that, I’ve unintentionally fallen into this routine where my income always spikes in November and early December — not from some grand plan, just from habit. For example: My Pokémon flipping side hustle always picks up. Collectors buy vintage packs as Christmas gifts, and demand pushes prices up on the singles...

Woman in a bright home studio packaging handmade products for shipment, with a laptop showing order and sales growth charts beside her.

Hey there, If you’ve ever felt like you’re working harder on your side hustle but not earning more… you’re not imagining it. We just published a breakdown I think every gig worker and online seller should read: 👉 Who Really Profits From the Side Hustle Economy?https://dollarsprout.com/who-profits-from-side-hustle-platforms/ Platforms like Fiverr, Uber, Etsy, Upwork — they’ve made it incredibly easy for people to earn. But once you dig into the fees, algorithms, promotions, and “visibility...

A tired man sits at his desk late at night, staring at his laptop with a cup of coffee nearby — representing the burnout many side hustlers feel after long hours of extra work.

I’ve started more side hustles than I can count — and burned out on plenty of them. When I was a teenager, I used to buy computer memory wholesale and resell it on eBay. It made money… but daily post office trips (before I could even drive) wore me -- and mostly my mom -- out, fast. Later, I flipped Pokémon cards — still do, actually — but the market’s gotten so volatile that finding inventory feels like gambling. More recently, I tried launching another blog while raising four kids, running...