LinkedIn's New Features for Small Business Owners: What's New (and What It Means for Your Side Hustle)

For years, solopreneurs, freelancers, and side hustlers treated LinkedIn as a corporate job site — somewhere to keep a resume, not to find clients. That perception is now out of date. LinkedIn has spent the past year quietly rebuilding itself around independent professionals, and its latest round of LinkedIn features for small business owners is aimed squarely at people running their own businesses without a big marketing budget.

I checked my own profile this week while writing this — the newest feature hasn't reached my account yet. That tells you how early this moment is, and why now is the time to prepare. If you've been ignoring LinkedIn, here's what changed and why it deserves a spot in your weekly routine.

Sell Your Expertise with Advice Sessions

The headline feature is Advice Sessions, which lets you offer paid one-on-one consultations directly from your LinkedIn profile. A potential client browsing your profile can see your services, book a session, pay, and join the video call — all without leaving the platform.

The detail that matters most: LinkedIn takes no commission. Most booking and marketplace platforms take a percentage of everything you earn. Advice Sessions puts your full consulting fee in your pocket, which makes it a genuine alternative to stitching together a scheduling tool, a payment processor, and a video app.

Offering paid sessions also signals authority. Clients who pay for a consultation arrive more serious than cold leads, and the structure forces you to define your expertise in a way that's easy to buy.

Now the honest part. Advice Sessions is rolling out gradually to invited U.S. Business Premium subscribers only, and Business Premium runs about $60 a month. I checked my own profile and the option isn't there yet — when it appears, you'll find it under the "Add custom button" option in your profile's introduction section, labeled "Offer advice and earn money." You'll also need to verify your identity through Stripe and connect your Google Calendar before your booking button goes live, and for now, only U.S.-based clients can book. That's a real cost-benefit decision for a solo business: don't rush the subscription just for this.

If the button hasn't reached you yet, fill out the Services section on your profile in the meantime. It's LinkedIn's existing way to list what you offer, it makes you discoverable when people search for service providers, and it positions you perfectly for Advice Sessions when your invite arrives.

Ditch Paper Cards for Digital Business Cards

LinkedIn's new digital business cards solve one of the oldest networking problems: the paper card that gets lost, tossed, or left in a jacket pocket.

Here's how it works. You design your card once — it pulls your headshot and role from your profile — and save it to your phone's digital wallet. When you meet someone at an event, they scan your QR code and land directly on your LinkedIn profile, complete with your recommendations, services, and recent posts.

The card lives in your wallet app, so it works even when the LinkedIn app is closed or your phone has poor signal at a venue. For solopreneurs who do their best client-finding at in-person events, this removes the awkward "do you have a card?" fumble and makes the follow-up almost automatic.

The Network Feed Rewards Real Relationships

LinkedIn is testing a new Network feed that shows posts only from your existing connections and the accounts you follow — no algorithmic recommendations, no posts from "people you may know."

For small business owners, this shifts the strategy. Chasing broad reach with viral-style posts matters less, because the people who opted into your content will actually see it. Consistent, useful posts to a smaller audience of real relationships will outperform generic content aimed at strangers.

The feed is still in testing in the U.S., India, the U.K., and Australia, so watch for it in your app. The preparation is the same either way: build a network of people who genuinely want to hear from you.

Show Every Side of Your Work with Multiple Job Listings

LinkedIn profiles used to force a choice: your day job or your business. The updated profiles let you list multiple current roles at once.

That sounds like a small thing. It isn't. Plenty of side hustlers downplay their business on LinkedIn because it looks like a conflict with their main role. Now you can present both — the marketing director who runs a candle business, the accountant who consults for e-commerce brands — and let each one strengthen the other.

It also helps clients understand what you actually do. A profile that shows your full professional picture attracts inquiries that fit, instead of conversations that start with "so what exactly do you do?"

New LinkedIn Features for Small Business Owners: Why the Platform Is Courting Founders

This isn't a coincidence. Founder profiles on LinkedIn rose 70% in the past year, according to the company's own announcements covered by WebProNews and Engadget. For anyone tracking LinkedIn features for small business owners, the pattern is unmistakable: paid consultations, creator dashboards, video ad revenue sharing, and flexible profiles are being designed for exactly this audience.

For you, that means two things. First, your future clients are spending more time there. Second, the founders who join are potential collaborators, referral partners, and customers who understand the solo business journey because they're living it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do LinkedIn Advice Sessions work for solopreneurs? Advice Sessions let you offer paid one-on-one consultations booked and paid through your LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn takes no commission, so you keep your full fee. You'll find it under "Add custom button" in your profile's introduction section, labeled "Offer advice and earn money."

Who can use Advice Sessions right now? It's currently limited to invited U.S. Business Premium subscribers (about $60/month), and only U.S.-based clients can book. If the option isn't in your profile yet, you haven't done anything wrong — the rollout is gradual.

Do digital business cards require the other person to have LinkedIn? They need a LinkedIn account to view your full profile, but scanning the QR code works with any phone camera. Your card is saved to your own digital wallet, so you always have it on hand.

What is the Network feed, and is it available yet? The Network feed shows posts only from your connections and followed accounts, with no algorithmic recommendations. It's currently being tested in the U.S., India, the U.K., and Australia.

Why does listing multiple jobs on my profile matter? It lets you present your side business as a legitimate part of your professional identity instead of hiding it. Clients see the full picture of your skills and experience, which leads to better-fit inquiries.

Is LinkedIn still worth using if I'm not looking for a job? Yes — arguably more than ever. With founder profiles up 70% in a year and new monetization features built for independent professionals, LinkedIn is positioning itself as a client-acquisition channel, not a job board.

The Bottom Line

LinkedIn's latest updates — commission-free Advice Sessions, digital business cards, a relationships-first Network feed, multi-role profiles, and a 70% surge in founder activity — add up to a platform that actively wants small and solo businesses to succeed there.

You don't need to use every feature this week. Pick one: fill out your Services section today so you're discoverable, and turn on your digital business card before your next event. When the Advice Sessions button appears in your profile, you'll be ready to set a rate and switch it on. Then keep showing up with useful content for the connections you already have. The platform is doing the rest.

Your turn: Pick one new LinkedIn feature from this post and set it up this week — then tell me in the comments which one you tried.