Tag Archives: #SideHustle

Is A Travel Cruise Franchise Opportunity For You?

If your entrepreneurial mind is combined with a love of travel, you may want to consider a travel franchise. Cruise franchises can be particularly lucrative as evidenced by these data: Last year, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) reported that the North American cruise industry grossed $35.7 billion, and global industry revenues were $20.6 billionóa […]

Is A Travel Cruise Franchise Opportunity For You?

You’re All Invited!

You’ve been following the blog for a while now, some of you since we moved to this platform back in 2013. You’ve see how our focus on overall wellness has from the beginning included being able to enjoy what you do for a living. So do any of these comments from people we’ve interviewed sound like something you’ve said?

  • “I love what I do but I hate the work environment. I wish I could change things/was running things.”
  • “I don’t have the money 💰 or the time ⏳ to start my own business.”
  • “I’m afraid of failing if I start my own business. What if no one supports me?” 😨
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

We’re hosting a LIVE masterclass this Sunday, January 9th where we’re going to address each of these perceived obstacles to entrepreneurship and help you create a plan to overcome them. Interested?

The objective of the class?
      + Teach you what you need to have to smoothly transition from employee to Entrepreneur.

Here’s what you’ll learn:
     + What everyone needs to know when deciding whether to become a business owner
     + What it takes to maintain the entrepreneur lifestyle
     + What should be part of your plan E (no, I’m not talking about a business plan)

Why are we doing a Masterclass?
     + Because classes change lives. Seriously.

Our blog posts, videos and social media feeds provide INFORMATION only. But here at ECV Talks we know that EXECUTION creates value. And after a decade as an educator, Ms. ME knows how to provide you with that critical support throughout the process of creating & executing your Plan ‘E’.

Join her on this FREE Masterclass, and see what being an entrepreneur can look like for you. You’ll also get our Entrepreneur starter pack FREE just for attending!

Now is the time to stop wondering, stop wishing and go ahead and take the leap. Level up that side hustle or start that dream business!

Wishing you wellness!

Entrepreneurship Will Change You

Starting your own business can be a challenge.

It will test your talents, your mental toughness, and your ability to adapt. And those tests—if you pass them—can spark extraordinary growth.

Here are four ways entrepreneurship will change you.

  1. You’ll develop self reliance. 

Entrepreneurs need to learn to solve their own problems, or fail. They don’t have a team to handle the daily grind of running a business.

Instead, new entrepreneurs handle everything from product development to accounting. It’s a stressful and high stakes juggling game. (So if you’re ever frustrated by the somewhat inconsistent posts here at ECVtalks.com, please realize that we’re entrepreneurs also and at the moment still a team of two (with a possible third soon 😉.)

But it can teach you a critical lesson: You’re far more resourceful than you thought. You’ll learn to stop waiting for help and start looking for solutions.

  1. You’ll discover loyal friends.

One of the downsides of entrepreneurship is that it may expose toxic people in your circle. They’re the ones who might…

  • Mock your new career
  • Feel threatened by your success
  • Try to one-up you when you share struggles

As you and your business grow, you may need to limit your interactions with them. They might be too draining on your emotional resources to justify long-term relationships.

Rather, your circle should reflect values like positivity, encouragement, and inspiration. Those new friends will support you through the highs and lows of entrepreneurship.

Photo by Karl Solano on Pexels.com
  1. You’ll learn how to manage stress.

Late nights, hard deadlines, and high stakes are the realities for entrepreneurs.

To cope, you must build a toolkit of skills that can carry you through the hardest times. Otherwise, you may crack under the pressure and lose any progress you’ve made.

It comes down to one key question: Why do you want to be an entrepreneur?

Are you driven by insecurity? Or by vision?

If you’re trying to prove a point to yourself or others with your business, you may fall apart at the first hint of failure.

If you’re driven by vision, you’ll see failure as part of the process.

Examine your motivations. Over time, you’ll grow more aware of your insecurities. Talk about them with your friends, families, and mentors. As you bring them into the light, you may find they have less and less power.

  1. Entrepreneurship can spark an explosion of professional personal growth.

You’ll grow up. You may start with an employee mindset, but you’ll mature into a leader. That’s how entrepreneurship will change you.

P.S. If this seems daunting, start with….you guessed it, a side hustle! It can ease you into the role of entrepreneurship without throwing you into the deep end too soon! Want tips on getting that started? Make sure to register for our free class at the end of the month.

Turn Your Hobby into a Side Gig (aka Side Hustle)

Do you have a hobby that you really love? Could you use a little extra cash?

What if you could get paid for doing something that you already enjoy doing? We’re all good at something. Many people have turned their hobbies into a side business as a way to earn extra money. And lately here in the US, it seems that more and more people are no longer settling for unsatisfying jobs as pointed out by the latest strikes and what’s been going as “The Great Resignation”.¹

And is it any wonder when the big lesson from the pandemic that everyone seems to be able to agree on is that life is too short to spend it doing something that you don’t enjoy. And for nearly everyone, there’s a topic they know well or a skill they have that many other people don’t have. That niche can spell opportunity – and a chance to turn something you enjoy doing anyway into a money-maker.

We’ve been giving you suggestions on types of side gigs to pursue for years now. And depending on the type of hobby you want to monetize, your startup expenses may be quite low. For writing, coding, or graphic design, you might only need a laptop or tablet – something you may already have. If your hobby is fixing up old cars, however, you might need a place to do the work – possibly adding to the expense. For that scenario, you could check out the possibility of putting in a couple of Saturdays per month at a local shop to help save on rent and insurance costs.

With a little ingenuity, you might be able to earn $10 to $40 (or maybe more) per hour doing work you enjoy. Artists can earn extra money by selling arts and crafts items through virtual stores on specialized websites. Freelance writers, coders, designers, and even teachers can find work as well on similar type websites that bring clients and service providers together. If you have a knack for knowing what’s valuable, you may be able to turn garage sale and estate sale buys into a rewarding online business on any popular consumer-to-consumer and/or business-to-consumer sales website. (Hint: If this is something you’d like to try, start out small. Concentrate on one type of item that might be near and dear to you, like brass musical instruments, or antique mason jars.)

The old saying that asserts “knowledge is power” applies here as well. Let’s say your childhood fascination with dinosaurs never quite went extinct. Maybe there’s a successful educational blog or a YouTube channel in your future. Technology has given us the power to reach a larger audience than ever before and to bring our knowledge to anyone who wants to learn more. Sharing what you know can be monetized in many ways and – if you love doing it – you might not feel like you’re working at all!

Do your research and understand any legal or insurance requirements that may apply to the area you want to get into. Or if you’d like some help with the legwork, get it at our next free class on Sunday, October 31st at 5 PM EDT (UTC-4). But don’t let a little legwork bar the way to your next great endeavor – even if it just starts as a side gig!

Stop waiting to make that move!
1 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/women-job-market-economy-jolts/

Why People Aren’t Going Back to Work

It’s official—Americans aren’t going back to work.

Even though there were 10 million job openings in June of 2021.¹

If you’ve been out and about, you’ve seen firsthand that jobs aren’t getting filled.

You may have noticed the signs at your local grocery store. Or the longer wait at your favorite restaurant. Or slower service from businesses you depend on.

They all stem from the same source. Americans aren’t rushing back to work.

But why? The COVID-19 pandemic caused mass unemployment and havoc for millions of American families. Wouldn’t they want to start earning money again, ASAP?

It’s not the unemployment benefits holding them back. Those dried up months ago, and the numbers still haven’t budged.

And again, it’s not that there aren’t jobs. There are millions of opportunities out there!

Photo by Anna Tarazevich on Pexels.com

Here’s an idea—many people have woken up to the fact that most jobs suck.

Most jobs leave you completely at the mercy of your boss. If they mismanage the business, your job’s in danger. If you want a bigger bonus, your job’s in danger. If another pandemic breaks out, your job’s in danger.

They give you no control over your hours, your income, your location, or your future.

Who would want to go back to that?

Instead, Americans are looking for a better opportunity. They want control of their future, their wealth, and their hours. They want to replace the insecurity of a 9 to 5 with more reliable sources of income.

If they see an opportunity that checks those boxes, they’ll be willing to re-enter the workforce.

Americans are looking for a better path. The million dollar question is, who will provide it for them?

What ideas do you have for work, be it a side-hustle or a small biz, that check all of those boxes? Comment below.

¹ “Many Americans aren’t going back to work, but it’s not for the reason you might expect,” Paul Brandus, MarketWatch Aug 14, 2021, https://www.marketwatch.com/story/many-americans-arent-going-back-to-work-but-its-not-for-the-reason-you-might-expect-11628772985
² “What states are ending federal unemployment benefits early? See who has cut the extra $300 a week,” Charisse Jones, USA Today, Jul 1, 2021, https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2021/07/01/unemployment-benefits-covid-federal-aid-ending-early-many-states/7815341002/