We are in scary times right now. People are losing their jobs or losing hours from their job. Companies are losing money and unable to pay their employees adequately.
Even if your job is OK right now, who knows how long this will last and how long it will take for people to be willing to start spending money again. There is a lot of uncertainty at this time which can cause us to become nervous and anxious.
There are definitely some companies that are doing well right now financially. Probably Zoom, Amazon, large cleaning companies, toilet paper manufacturers… But many of us don’t work for those companies.
I recently poled my email subscribers (if you are not on the list, sign up at the bottom of this post) and one of their biggest concerns was making an income online right now. They can’t wait for business development, product development, and audience building. They are already feeling the strain.
This post is for those of us looking to make money right now. We either have already lost income or are concerned that we will in the future. We need income now, not in 6 months to a year.
The below ideas are perfect for a cash influx. They may not work as a business long term, but they can serve our immediate needs.
Become a Freelancer
Head over to google, search “freelance jobs”, and sign up on the numerous sites for freelance work. Some of these include Fiverr, Upwork, Freelancer, Cloud Peeps, Indeed, College Recruiter, Guru.com, Servicescape.com, Craigslist, and Flex Jobs.
On some of these sites you can respond to listings looking for freelancers. On others you offer your services for other people or businesses to hire you for.
Put together a list of things that you can do for other people. Maybe you can do the liking and commenting for them on social media. Maybe you can help them put together a schedule for working at home with kids. Maybe you can transcribe or proofread or organize data in spreadsheets.
Everyone can do something that can help someone else. If you can’t think of things, look at other people’s listing and see what things you can do too.
Let People Know You’re Available
You never know what other people around you might need. There might be people who you interact with everyday who could use your help but just don’t know that you’re available.
Send out emails, post on social media. Tell people you have time on your hands and are looking for work to fill your time.
Maybe you know a healthcare worker who doesn’t have the time or energy to cook for their family. Maybe you can provide a meal service for them and drop it off on their door step. Maybe you can help with tutoring someone’s kids virtually since schools are closed or create lesson plans. You can do dog walking or do yard work for others.
Start a laundry service. Have people put their laundry bag outside. You pick it up, was and fold it and then drop it off the next day. Be an organizer. Help people organize their garage either in person or virtually. Maybe create craft boxes for kids and deliver them to local families so they can entertain their kiddos.
Maybe you can do virtual online workout training. You don’t even have to be certified if you are upfront. Just let them know that you are showing the workouts that worked for you or just call your self a fitness motivator and off accountability to stay healthy while you stay home. Offer online yoga classes. Offer online music classes, voice lessons, or drawing classes. Offer language classes or art class.
All you need is Zoom or Skype to off the classes and then receive payment through Paypal or Venmo. You don’t need a full website and payment options to start. You can add that later if you want. Just start simple.
Think of what people are struggling with at this time and what you can help them with. They have too many people at home, their houses are messy and they need space and time management.
There are people around you who need help and if you let them know you are available, they can actually take you up on it.
Other
Consider signing up to be a driver on Uber Eats, Door Dash, or any other delivery service. You can deliver food with minimal contact with others.
Clean out your closets and then sell things on Poshmark, or Craigslist, or Facebook Marketplace, or Ebay or Let Go. There are tons of sites on which you can sell things you no longer want or need. Take advantage of the extra time to actually list all those things you’ve been meaning to get rid of.
These are the things I thought of or came across that can bring in an income ASAP. In general, service businesses are easier to start up quickly. Take a skill that you have and either use it to help people or teach it to people.
If you have any other ideas, definitely share them below. We are all in this together!
Cheers,
Emily
