/ how-to
How to Make Money Offering Local Services (and Keep 100% of It)
The fastest way to earn from a skill you already have is to offer it as a service. What you actually keep comes down to one number — the platform's commission. Here's how to set up in about a minute and keep all of it.
The short answer: pick a skill people pay for, list it as a service on a marketplace that connects you with customers near you, and keep your prices honest. The single biggest factor in what you take home isn't how many jobs you do — it's how much the platform skims off each one. On Gig, that number is 0%: the customer pays you directly, and you keep 100%.
You don't need a website, a registered business, or any money up front. If you can clean, tutor, fix things, move furniture, cut hair, take photos, or walk dogs, you already have something to sell. The rest is just getting seen by the people who need it.
Step 1 — Pick a service you can already deliver
Start with what you're genuinely good at and could do this week. The services that get booked fastest are practical and local:
- Home & hands-on: cleaning, handyman work, furniture assembly, moving help, gardening.
- Knowledge: tutoring, music lessons, language practice, coaching.
- Personal & creative: hair and beauty, photography, pet care, car detailing.
You don't have to niche down forever. Pick one thing to launch with, and add more to the same profile later.
Step 2 — Create your profile (about a minute)
This is the part people overthink. On Gig, one free profile works both sides of the marketplace, so the same account lets you offer a service and hire for one. Setting it up takes about a minute:
- Download Gig and sign in.
- Add your name, a photo, and the service you're offering.
- Describe what you do in plain language — the way a customer would say it.
- Publish. You're now discoverable to people searching nearby.
Step 3 — Get found by people nearby
On Gig, customers describe what they need in plain language and the strongest matches surface — ranked by relevance, rating, and how close you are. So a clear, specific profile does the marketing for you. "Deep clean for a two-bed flat, same-week availability" gets found; "cleaning services" gets lost.
The one number that decides what you keep
Here's the part that quietly determines your income. Most services marketplaces charge a commission — a cut of every completed job — and often add fees on top. It adds up fast:
| Platform | Typical take rate | You keep on a $100 job |
|---|---|---|
| Traditional gig marketplaces | ~15–30% commission + fees | $70–$85 |
| Freelance marketplaces | ~20% commission | $80 |
| Lead-based platforms | Pay per lead (even ones that don't book) | Varies — can be negative |
| Gig | 0% commission, no per-job fee | $100 |
Ranges above are typical published rates for the category, not exact figures for any one company. The point stands: a 20% take rate turns fifty $100 jobs a month into $4,000 instead of $5,000 — a thousand dollars gone, not for tools or marketing, but for being listed.
Gig charges 0% and never touches the payment. The customer pays you directly, and you keep 100%.
That last part matters as much as the zero: Gig has no in-app checkout, no wallet, no payout waiting to clear. When you and a customer agree on a job, you settle it directly, however suits you. Gig connects you and gets out of the way. (If you're curious how a free, commission-free app keeps the lights on, we explain the model here — short version: a built-in store, not a cut of your work.)
Frequently asked
What is the easiest way to make money with a skill I already have?
Offer it as a service on a marketplace that connects you with people nearby who need it. No website, licence, or startup money required — just a profile describing what you do. On Gig you can create that profile in about a minute and start receiving requests the same day.
How much commission does Gig take?
Zero. Gig charges 0% commission and never touches the payment — the customer pays you directly, so you keep 100% of what you earn. Most other services marketplaces take 15–30% of every job.
Does it cost anything to join?
No. Gig is free to download and free to create a profile on, for both offering services and hiring. There's no subscription and no per-job fee.
What kinds of services can I offer?
Anything people pay for locally — cleaning, tutoring, handyman work, moving help, hair and beauty, photography, pet care, car detailing, and more. If it's a skill someone near you needs, you can list it.
Start today
The barrier to earning from your skills has never been lower. Gig is live on iOS and Android today — download it, claim one free profile, and you can be offering a service within minutes. No commission, no middleman, no reason to wait.