How to Make 6 Figures As A Customer Success Manager? (11 Best Ways in 2024)
So you want to make six figures as a customer success manager? Good for you! Being a customer success manager is a highly respectable and well-paid profession, and there's no reason why you can't earn a high income if you put your mind to it.
In this blog post, we'll look at some of the best ways to make more money as a customer success manager - business ideas you can start to achieve such income. Keep reading to learn more!
1. Start a podcast ($97.9K/month)
Starting a podcast could be a lucrative avenue to supplement your income as a customer success manager and potentially help you reach six figures. By creating engaging and valuable content related to customer success, you could build a dedicated listener base. This can open up opportunities for sponsorships, advertisements, and paid collaborations, significantly boosting your income.
Beyond direct monetary gains, your podcast could establish you as a thought leader in the field, enhancing your professional reputation. This increased credibility could lead to speaking engagements, consulting opportunities, and higher-paying job offers. With minimal initial investment in recording equipment and a free or affordable hosting platform, podcasting offers a scalable and exciting entrepreneurial venture.
How much you can make: $400 — $1,020,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $2,000 (?)
How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)
Time commitment per week: Min. 2 hours/week
A successful podcast production company that grew from one client making $15/hour to a team of 10 contractors producing over 30 shows per week with revenue of over $10k/mo, primarily through referrals and with a focus on providing high personal touch and being picky about working only with clients who are a good fit.
2. Start a career coaching business ($48.5K/month)
Starting a career coaching business could significantly boost your income potential as a customer success manager. By leveraging your expertise in customer success, you could provide personalized guidance to clients navigating their own professional transitions, helping them with resume building, interview preparation, and workplace advancement. This not only allows you to monetize your skills but also empowers others to achieve their career goals.
With the option for in-person or virtual meetings, you could build a flexible schedule that fits around your primary job. The entrepreneurial aspect of launching a coaching practice could also bring additional fulfillment as you watch your clients achieve breakthroughs through your specialized advice and accountability. The natural motivational skills and human resources expertise inherent to customer success roles can be effectively utilized to grow a profitable coaching business.
How much you can make: $1,000 — $235,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $1,500 (?)
How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)
Wall Street Oasis, the largest online community focused on careers in finance, has over 100 million visitors during its 14-year history and is currently receiving over 2 million visits per month, offering interview courses and mentorship services, in addition to building and investing in a thriving online community.
3. Start a social media marketing agency ($116K/month)
Starting a social media marketing agency could be a powerful way for you to supplement your income as a Customer Success Manager, potentially enabling you to reach that six-figure milestone. Whether you want to clear your utility bills, finance your college education, or save for a vacation, this venture offers flexible opportunities to earn extra income without a significant time commitment. By utilizing social media marketing tools to automate processes, you could handle this side business efficiently alongside your primary role.
All it takes is developing a robust social media marketing strategy and creating an agency portfolio to showcase your services to potential clients. This entrepreneurial endeavor not only offers financial benefits but also allows you to sharpen skills that are valuable in your main career, such as client relations, strategic planning, and digital marketing. This dual approach could further enhance your marketability and expertise, setting you up for long-term success.
How much you can make: $1,000 — $500,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $7,500 (?)
How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)
Time commitment per week: Min. 30 hours/week
How David Tile turned a freelance writing gig into an $80k/month business, discussing lessons learned through managing growing demands and maintaining a remote team operation.
4. Digital products ($261K/month)
As a Customer Success Manager, creating digital products could be a strategic way to supplement your income and potentially reach a six-figure salary. You could develop software-based products like customer management tools or information-based offerings such as eBooks or courses that share your expertise. Given your background, you could even consider launching a membership site or an online community for customer success professionals.
Digital products are particularly appealing because they are easy to create and distribute, often requiring no more than your current skill set to get started. With no need for physical inventory, you could sell these products directly from your website, making it a low-risk, high-reward venture. The opportunities to expand and diversify your income through digital products are virtually limitless, making it a compelling option for entrepreneurial-minded individuals in customer success.
How much you can make: $10,417 — $1,766,666/month
How much does it cost to start: $5,000 (?)
How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)
FilterGrade is an eCommerce platform offering digital assets such as photo filters and video templates; attracting over 450,000 monthly users and generating approximately 30k a month, the founders worked hard to build a valuable marketplace for creators while focusing on digital marketing, partnerships, and content creation.
5. Become an affiliate marketer ($55.3K/month)
Supplement Your Income with Affiliate Marketing
As a customer success manager, you could use your expertise in building relationships and understanding customer needs to become a successful affiliate marketer. By promoting products or services from companies in your niche and earning a commission for every sale made through your referral, you could generate an additional stream of income without the need for significant upfront investment.
With your customer insights and communication skills, you could effectively drive traffic and conversions, leveraging unique tracking links provided by affiliate programs. This entrepreneurial venture could allow you to substantially increase your earnings, potentially reaching a six-figure income by supplementing your primary job with this side business.
How much you can make: $18,000 — $83,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $100 (?)
How long does it take to build: 150 days (?)
This case study explores how Spencer Mecham founded Buildapreneur, an affiliate marketing business, and has made over half a million dollars in profit with no employees, relying solely on content marketing through platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.
6. Start a blog ($44.9K/month)
As a Customer Success Manager, starting a blog could be an excellent way to supplement your income and potentially make six figures. By sharing your expertise and insights into customer success management, you could position yourself as a trusted authority in your field. This could open doors to sponsorships, affiliate marketing, and even monetizing your content through ads.
According to Optinmonster, blogs are the 5th most trustworthy source of online information, and 77% of internet users read blogs. With a strategic content plan and consistent posting schedule, your blog could attract a substantial audience. This location-independent business allows you to creatively engage with a broader audience and can be run alongside your primary job, offering a lucrative and flexible side hustle.
How much you can make: $100 — $650,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $500 (?)
How long does it take to build: 30 days (?)
Time commitment per week: Min. 5 hours/week
Learn how one couple created a successful personal finance blog, The Savvy Couple, that now makes over $20,000 per month and has sold thousands of digital workbooks and courses, by focusing on purposeful content and optimizing their ROI with efficient time management.
7. Start an ecommerce store ($287K/month)
Starting an ecommerce store could be a lucrative side business to supplement your income as a customer success manager. With lower overhead costs and the flexibility to manage your store alongside your primary job, an ecommerce business presents an opportunity to leverage the booming online shopping trend. You could reach a wider audience and sell products or services to customers comfortable with the convenience of purchasing from their homes.
Entrepreneurial-minded customer success managers could capitalize on their existing skill set in customer relations to provide exceptional service and build a loyal customer base for their online store. Setting up a website, choosing shopping cart software, and managing inventory tracking are manageable steps that align with your analytical and organizational strengths. This venture could potentially allow you to generate a significant supplementary income, propelling you closer to your goal of making six figures.
How much you can make: $350 — $13,500,000/month
How long does it take to build: 120 days (?)
Time commitment per week: Min. 5 hours/week
Southern Elegance Candle Company, founded by D'Shawn Russell, started as a side hustle making around $200 per weekend at a local Farmers Market, but now averages approximately $20,000 per month in sales across their retail site, wholesale site, and Faire.
8. Create an online course ($91.9K/month)
Creating an online course could be a game-changer for boosting your income as a Customer Success Manager. By developing a course that addresses common challenges and success strategies within your field, you are uniquely positioned to fill educational gaps and share your specialized knowledge with a broader audience.
With flexible structures like self-paced or cohort-based formats, you could attract a steady stream of students eager to learn from your expertise, providing a valuable source of passive income. Leveraging your insights into customer success, you could transform your instructional talents into a lucrative side business, making six figures a tangible goal while serving lifelong learners seeking convenient access to emerging topics.
How much you can make: $350 — $1,000,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $2,000 (?)
How long does it take to build: 88 days (?)
Learn how one couple created a successful personal finance blog, The Savvy Couple, that now makes over $20,000 per month and has sold thousands of digital workbooks and courses, by focusing on purposeful content and optimizing their ROI with efficient time management.
9. Become a social media influencer ($57.4K/month)
Becoming a social media influencer could significantly supplement your income as a customer success manager, enabling you to achieve six figures. By leveraging platforms like Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok, you could connect with a wide audience and attract brand collaborations. Establishing credibility in a niche aligned with your interests and expertise will allow you to recommend products and services to followers, potentially earning lucrative sponsorship deals.
Given social media's integral role in daily life, brands are intensely focused on social influencers to reach their target audience. As a customer success manager, your communication skills and client empathy will be invaluable in building authentic connections with your followers. With a strategic approach, you could tap into this growing market and develop a side business—or even a full-time venture—that complements and elevates your professional career.
How much you can make: $2,500 — $166,666/month
How much does it cost to start: $800 (?)
How long does it take to build: 155 days (?)
How one mother built a profitable frugal motherhood, life, and travel blog from scratch, using Instagram, Pinterest, and paid sponsorships to grow from 0 to 18.5K followers and generate $1,500-$3,000 per month in less than two years.
10. Start a freelance writing business ($65.5K/month)
As a Customer Success Manager, starting a freelance writing business could be an excellent way to supplement your income and potentially reach a six-figure salary. With your strong communication skills and deep understanding of customer needs, you could leverage these strengths to produce high-quality content that resonates with various audiences across different niches. This flexibility could allow you to manage your time effectively, ensuring that you meet deadlines and stay up-to-date with current writing trends while working from home.
Freelance writing offers the opportunity to diversify your income streams and create a side business that could grow substantially over time. As a self-starter accustomed to staying on the cutting edge of industry trends, you could capitalize on the growing demand for compelling content, thereby significantly boosting your overall earnings.
How much you can make: $700 — $500,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $500 (?)
How long does it take to build: 56 days (?)
How David Tile turned a freelance writing gig into an $80k/month business, discussing lessons learned through managing growing demands and maintaining a remote team operation.
11. Start a youtube channel ($146K/month)
Starting a YouTube channel could be a rewarding side business for a customer success manager seeking to supplement their income and potentially reach six figures. By creating content that shares your industry expertise, such as tips on customer retention, case studies, or software tutorials, you could attract a dedicated audience that's eager to learn from your experience.
YouTube’s established monetization system means that once you achieve 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours in the past 12 months, you could start earning revenue from ads. Additionally, you could leverage your channel's popularity for sponsorship deals, affiliate marketing, or even launching premium content courses.
Utilizing platform strategies, such as regular content updates and engaging with your audience, is essential to build a successful YouTube channel. Capitalizing on YouTube’s incredible popularity and sharing your passion for content creation could transform your side business into a significant income stream.
How much you can make: $800 — $1,000,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $750 (?)
How long does it take to build: 90 days (?)
Time commitment per week: Min. 5 hours/week
Learn how this entrepreneurial couple made $5-7k a month by helping others find legitimate work from home jobs and creative ways to make money online through their blog and YouTube channel, as well as offering two flagship products designed to help beginner freelancers and new bloggers accelerate growth.
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Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
