I’m in the Navy and Have a Home-Based Side Hustle Making $8,000 to $11,000 a Month. It’s Better Than Uber.

This as-told-to story is based on a conversation with Monalisa Escobedo, 38, of Chula Vista, California. Escobedo, a personnel specialist in the U.S. Navy, was on active duty when she stumbled upon an intriguing side hustle: Poplin, a wash-dry-fold personal laundry service platform. She started her side hustle in 2025. To date, she’s completed about 1,200 orders. She currently averages $8,000 to $11,000 a month and is on track for nearly $90,000 this year. The piece has been edited for length and clarity. 

 In 2022, I read an article about someone doing Poplin as a side hustle. They were making $2,000 a week. I was on active duty at the time but figured when I was back on shore duty, I could give it a try. Although I signed up for Poplin when I was still at sea duty, I wasn’t available at that point. I was just curious to see how it looked. 

Starting Poplin as a side hustle in 2025

I started taking orders in April of 2025. Like every business, I had some startup costs. I had to buy detergent, things like that. I didn’t really make money the first month. It was very, very slow — not that many orders. 

Also, when you first start, you’re restricted. You have to move up in ranks to be able to take more orders. Initially, you can only take one order, and new people get all the orders people probably don’t want. So I had to take faraway ones, which meant spending more on gas. Now, I’m not limited with how many orders I can accept. 

I use two washing machines at my house to process orders. It’s a quick turnaround: If I picked up an order today, I would return it by 8 p.m. tomorrow. But if it’s over 100 pounds or they added two bags or more to the initial order, I can always ask for an extension. I average from five to 12 orders a day. Because I’m in California, I’m allowed to set my own prices. The company charges about $1.53 per pound; I get $1.16 per pound. My income ranges from $8,000 to $11,000 a month. 

Regulars make it easier to plan order routes

I have regulars, so I already know which orders to expect on certain days. If I see a new name, I usually pick them up if they’re in the area that I’m already going to, so it’s not so much driving. If it’s multiple orders in one area, then I try to stick to that area. That’s how I make the side hustle profitable. 

Luckily, I haven’t run into too many challenges with this side hustle. Once a customer sent me to an address that didn’t exist and wasn’t happy, but I just canceled the order. So that was a waste of time, but that’s very rare. The customers are normally great.

Growing the business after retirement

I plan to retire from active duty in three years. That’s why I started this side hustle. I want to pay off my debt and retire without that. I’d probably like to continue with Poplin because it’s consistent and easy. The app tells you what to do and where to go.

After I retire, I could see myself buying more washing machines and scaling the business. Poplin is like an agency finding me customers. I could promote myself, put my code out there so more people see it, but Poplin does that pretty effectively for me already. They do a lot of good advertising. 

It’s better than Uber.

I’d encourage anyone who wants to start a side hustle on Poplin to be patient, especially if you’re in the San Diego area. There are a lot of laundry pros here, so it’s a slow start. But once you start and get your regulars and into a rhythm, that’s when you see the money come in. Initially you don’t, but it’s like that with any business. You’re going to put in a little bit of money before you start seeing profit. 

But it’s definitely worth it, and it’s on your own time. It’s better than Uber. I’ve tried that, and it’s so many hours I have to spend outside of the house. With the Poplin side hustle, aside from the drives to pick up and deliver orders, I can be with my kid while I’m doing it.