America’s unemployment rate is now rivaling that of The Great Depression. Like then, Americans find themselves trying to make money during an incredibly stressful time. In 2020, however, we have many more tools, resources, and support systems at our disposal, than a century earlier.
Perhaps like you, a growing number of our nation’s workforce finds themselves in one of three situations: Working from home, laid off, or furloughed. And many more are uncertain about the future of their own job.
The Seidel Agency is an award-winning creative consulting and marketing agency that started much like you–built from necessity. Our Founder, Stephen Seidel, is a recent father who needed to find a way to provide for his family and to support his personal mission of empowering future generations.
He decided to take his skill sets and what he learned in 15+ years of marketing and media, to start his own company…and here we are four years later. Visit The Seidel Agency to see what we’ve been up to, and also what you are capable of. 🙂
You know what they say, ‘When the going gets tough, the tough gets going.”
When faced with an unfortunate situation, it’s important to realize that it might actually be the start of something bigger, better and will ultimately give you more personal success and satisfaction. How many times have you said, “I would love to write a book or design clothes, but only if I had the time?!”
Despite the stress, it is kind of a gift; You now have the freedom and extra hours away from the office to follow your passion, match it with your skill sets and build your own brand or company from the comfort of your own home.
It’s important to take a little time to reflect on where you’ve been, and what you really want going forward and how that can fuel your new venture.
Start with WHY. If you haven’t watched Simon Sinek’s TED Talk, CLICK HERE.
“What’s your Why?”
Sit down and answer these questions honestly. Why do you get up in the morning? Why do you need money? Why were you given the talents you have?
Next, take inventory on the following: Work history, skill sets, passions and long-term career aspirations.
This exercise is easy for some. But others get exasperated. You might say, “I don’t know what I like or what I’m passionate about!” That’s OK. You can figure it out.
Start raising your level of awareness and noticing what you like and dislike, as both are keys to unlocking your potential. For example, you might have certain TV shows, magazines, or books you read. They certainly can help you understand your desires.
In addition, think about what you do for extended periods of time, where you don’t realize you’ve been doing it for hours, as well as what you would do for free. Many times, these activities will lead you to a life of fulfillment.
We suggest listing out your previous positions with the skill sets you’ve acquired, and matching them with what you are most passionate about. Then you can brainstorm positions or ways to feed your desires, while also helping others with your skills and services.
Now you can focus on what’s important to help it grow, much like nurturing a budding plant. Should you want to go deeper into this process, reach out below and we can walk you through it. It is an important step to flush out what makes you happy and fulfilled.
Now that you’ve done your homework, let’s move on to the 30-side hustles you can create online. These are all quick upstart companies you can launch almost immediately on the side, and easily migrate to become your sole source of income someday. However, it will take time and require your commitment to success.
We have organized the side-hustles by certain skills/passions from fashion to tech. We suggest going through the list and noting which ones grab you right away. That ping of excitement is a sign of potential!
Enough setup, let’s get to the payoff! (BTW: We will be looking for five start-ups that we can help scale and take 10% of customers from looking-to-booking. We are here to help you succeed!)
Instagram is the fastest growing social media platform with millions of dollars in purchases happening every day. Instagrammers are posting about their lives, to deliver value, share knowledge and activate followers to make a living. We suggest finding a niche group that has a proven audience base, so that you might be specific with your mission, messaging and the market you are targeting.
For Example: Stuart Brazell is a Momtrepreneur leveraging IG for brand deals.
YouTube is the second largest search engine, and for good reason. You can find anything you want on Google’s second favorite site. Since you probably aren’t really leaving the house anyway, why not contribute to their growing DIY Library?! Leverage a site like TubeBuddy to identify gaps in content and Patreon to ask followers to donate additional resources to support you.
For Example: Paul Cantu revitalizes Air Jordans and turns trash into treasure.
Twitch is the largest streaming platform for gamers. It’s garnering A LOT of money from views, ads and merch. Yes you can make money playing games … literally. People love watching others game to gain insights, but also live vicariously through them. Game on!
For Example: TFue has millions of followers watching him play Fortnite.
Music brings people together. In addition, children are wreaking havoc at home, while moms need activities to educate and entertain them. Almost everyone knows an instrument and has the ability to sing. You can easily start a Facebook Live, Zoom call or Skype session to teach kids all over the globe how to rock and roll. Not to mention, parents are willing to pay for 30-minutes of downtime.
For Example: Candy Mountain Music is a fan favorite for kids online music classes.
English is known as the “Dominant Language”. There are always people looking to improve upon it for politics, technology, business, science and entertainment. A simple web search for English as a Second Language (ESL) will yield tons or results, or you can check out this ESL K-12 Facebook Group. All you need is a computer and you’re ready to go!
For Example: VIPKid, Teach Away, and QKids are great ways to start immediately.
Homeschooling is happening a lot now, and standardized testing is not. School may be paused, but will be back soon. We all know, those tests aren’t going to take themselves. Not to mention the fact that parents need a break sometimes. Brush up your skills at Khan Academy or GetFlashNotes to get your SAT game back in form.
For Example: Chegg, Skooli or Tutor.com make it easy to teach with technology.
Test websites and applications for bugs and usability. Beta testing is a crucial step in the growth of launching a new product or service, and it needs subjects. If you enjoy finding flaws and investigating failures, this might be a great option. And when you’re ready to build your own site, you’ll be a pro at critiquing. Holler if you need web design, we got you.
For Example: UserTesting or Respondent puts your keystrokes to good use.
Day trading and online investing can be both risky and profitable. That being said, you NEED to know what you’re doing. In a perfect scenario, you might find a proven stock or commodity that took a temporary hit, so you can buy low and sell high. Listen to Warren Buffet for more insights and trade wisely.
For Example: Robinhood, Etrade and Coinbase make it easy to invest online.
The need for masks continues to grow, as states like Kentucky and New York requires residents to wear them anytime in public. It’s basic economics, with demand far outweighing the current supply. Now is the time to take action, whether it’s sewing stylish masks from t-shirts or importing medical grade N95’s from wholesalers.
For Example: Fashion to the Frontline is making masks en masse. We like alliteration. 🙂
Sell handmade goods, vintage items and craft supplies on Etsy by building your own store. Whether it’s bags, blankets or belts, there will always be someone looking for something unique and custom in today’s marketplace. Start by making and building things you like, so it’s fun, and then you can create a community around what you are passionate about.
For Example: Chocolate and the Chip is a tasty treat of a store for homemade cookies.
Create a retail closet on Poshmark, to sell your boutique used and new fashion wear to millions across the globe. They make it easy, by giving you a printing label to place on a package for simple shipping. After all, were you ever going to wear that old 70’s outfit anyway?!
For Example: Jazmin @Violet507 is crushing it as a #PoshmarkMentor #SellerStylist!
When you feel good, you look good, and vice versa. Oftentimes when people work from home, they do not value their appearance, and end up throwing on a shirt last minute or even wearing shorts on TV like Chris Reeve’s son. You can help those in need of a good outfit by sharing your knowledge for fashion box sites like StitchFix. Or get paid for taking a peek into a client’s closet or vanity routine to help them dress for success. This would go great with pairing products using your Amazon Affiliate link. Shear genius. 😉
For Example: Scarborough tailors men’s success both virtually and physically.
You can never have enough t-shirts and chances are you keep wearing the same ones. You can upload a design to RedBubble or Threadless, while they print and fulfill products for a percentage. Visit Fiverr or Upwork if you need an affordable designer to complete your vision. Try making a few cat t-shirts sell them in Facebook Groups for Cat Lovers. Everyone loves a purr-fect and adorable shirt. 🙂
For Example: We created LexVegas shirts to celebrate our relocation to Kentucky.
Chances are you’re an expert at something … whether fitness, cooking, or simply sharing DIY demos with college friends. You can start a basic blog on sites like WordPress or Medium and write about what excites you. After building your site, you can place ads and find additional ways to drive income with newsletters, giveaways and more.
For Example: Gigi Eats Celebrities is fun for good eats and even better entertainment.
Leverage your unique skill set to connect with business owners across the globe to help them build their business, while you build yours. From marketing to design or technology there is a need for your services somewhere. Creative services such as copywriting, design and editing are extremely important for companies to showcase their success to prospective clients.
For Example: Fiverr Upwork, and MTurk are great to start sharing your specialties.
Brainstorm and build an inspirational newsletter to empower your readers. You can aggregate content or create your own, but remember it’s all about your audience. Use sites like Canva, Mailchimp or Emma to start small and grow global. Consider Facebook and LinkedIn Groups to drive additional conversations outside of your mailer.
For Example: The Skimm started as a newsletter and now it’s here … pun intended.
E-Books are the new business card. A book does NOT need to be 100 pages long, it could be 25 pages of double spaced quality content too. Is there a favorite story or additional knowledge you have that could help others? Open up your laptop and start typing, or you can dictate it with a service like Dragon Speaking.
For Example: Widow Patricia Seidel decided to share life lessons in Solo and Savvy.
What should you make your bed? Depending on who you ask, you might get a different answer, but it certainly motivates you to start your day with a ‘win.’ Everyone has questions, and is searching for answers. And there are sites that will pay you for answers, and also help you connect with others to continue to share your unique knowledge.
For Example: When you answer on Quora and JustAnswer it really pays off.
Productizing business is the future, and the sole reason people are getting passive income from packaging their skills. This offering pairs nicely with YouTube Tutorials and Blogging, as you can build a niche following, and then deliver a course too. Whether it’s parenting, origami or learning how to do a backflip, there is a course for it. Sites like Thinkific and Kajabi are great to build a simple and effective course.
For Example: Our couse MorePayingPatients.com helps physicians profit from Instagram videos from our simple 9-step tutorials.
Do you have a bunch of photos simply taking up space? Go through your camera roll and mine for some gold. Content is king and with blogs, social media posts and websites sprouting up all around us, the world needs images. Not just any images, but your images. Visit sites like iStockPhoto or Pexels to share photos for credit and cash.
For Example, PhoterLoo made $35K selling photos online.
Gyms are struggling, while social distancing is the new standard. Many are stuck at home, without a solid routine for working out and limited mobility. There is a huge opportunity for virtual training, meditation, yoga or any other movement classes. It helps maintain a healthy lifestyle, and spreads a positive message through connectivity.
For Example: Ex-football player Ramone Ellis decided to turn touchdowns into training.
Resumes require updating and mindsets need mastering, as layoffs and furloughs reach unprecedented heights. Behind every successful businessman or woman is their coach. You can find a bunch of great books about it at FlashNotes. You can provide your services on sites such as Clarity.fm and PrestoExperts.
For Example: Stephen Seidel consults companies on socially conscious campaigns.
Real Estate is one of the smartest and most reliable investments out there. Don’t take our word, take the teachings of Dave Ramsey or Grant Cardone. It’s totally up to you, whether you want to visit properties in-person or try a virtual approach from behind your computer.
For Example: Roofstock and Fundrise help use rentals to turn clicks into cash. Alternatively, you can choose to fix and flip a property. The average gross profit from property flipping in 2019 was approximately $62,900. To workout how much you can potentially make during your first flip, take a look at this detailed fix and flip calculator.
Washing cars isn’t a top priority in many of our busy lives. Not to mention we spend a lot of time in our vehicles, especially now. When you get your vehicle professionally cleaned, it looks good and is free from germs. Use Venmo, PayPal, Apple Cash or Square to avoid passing dirty bucks. You can even arrange a special car wash day with parking garages to grow your business at scale.
For Example: Use Spiffy or MobileWash to turn an old dirty ride into clean new credit.
We all love having a friendly face fix a faucet or trim those hedges. Nothing lasts forever, whether it’s your spotless house, glorious garden, or just your toilet. As quarantine lags on through Spring and Summer, it’a a great time to use your handy dandy skills like carpentry, plumbing, gardening or HVAC to help out your local community.
For Example: Nextdoor and Ring help you connect your trade to its townspeople.
In the age of consumerism and Amazon, we all have unused or older items lying around. The fastest way to make money is by selling them on eBay, Craigslist, and Facebook Marketplace.
You can also find items to flip by cleaning, painting and relisting them. Search Tempest it’s a great tool to search multiple cities at once on Craigslist. We suggest starting on eBay and working your way down on pricing as you post on localized platforms like CL and FB Marketplace.
For Example: Visionary Gary Vee shares how to flip free items from zero to hero.
Brush off the dust on your unused items and bring back their value. Whether an old bike or new car, you can rent your goods for an even greater payday. Hand sanitizer not included. 😉
For Example: FatLlama, Turo and Buro can help you make some cents out of it all.
We’ve all most likely recommended a product on Amazon, and now it’s time to get paid for it. Create customized links to share your must-haves with friends on websites and social media. When they click your link before buying, you earn reward money. It’s that simple. We do recommend letting people know it’s a sponsored link, like ours. 🙂
For Example: Shiatsu Back Massager is a must-have for all those who WFH in a chair.
We all have a friend or loved one who asked us to buy into “this cool program” that will change your life. This is called network marketing, where you build a network by sharing an amazing opportunity and profiting from subscriptions and/or purchases. There are a multitude of ways to build your community online. We recommend using a site like ClickFunnels with pre-built funnels to help you grow, or building your own like we did.
For Example: Check out sites like Rodan and Field and Mary Kay to learn more.
One of the best things to do during a time of crisis, is to give back. This helps you understand your place in the world, and appreciate what you have. Dig deep within yourself to see if there are any causes or communities to which you have a close connection. Have you lost someone close? Is there a cause you believe in or dislike? What inspires you?
For Example: Hold The Door memorialized Rob Fazio’s Dad who was lost during 9-11.
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