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?
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!
1 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/women-job-market-economy-jolts/
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!
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/
BREWING EMPORIUM – This is a story about beer. What were you expecting? Oh, you thought from the title this was going to about something else didn’t you. We were going to come up with a fancy name for this post but… we felt like the name of the homebrew alone would cause enough 🤨 to make you want to read more.
So how does beer fit in with “Promoting Total Wellness”? Done in moderation and barring any pre-existing disposition or battle with alcoholism, drinking a cold brew at the end of a long day can be one of THE BEST THINGS IN THE WORLD.
So how did this home brew get started? First, there was a love of beer. One that has driven the brewer to travel great distances to attend various festivals.
Second, there was the suggestion that he try brewing his own. He began with one of the ready-made beer brew kits (which shall not be named because they’re not sponsoring this post) to get a feel for how it’s done.
Finally after coming to understand the process, a desire to create new and different flavors arose which led to a need for more than the beginner’s home brew kit. Materials and tools became more sophisticated (like acquiring a refractometer and building the setup pictured above) which led to unique brews like Zamba Juice 2xIPA, Wascally Waspberry wheat beer, “Hey You Kids, Get Off My Lawn!” English IPA, and Ms. ME’s personal favorite, the Black is Beautiful stout. And no it’s not her favorite because of the name but because of the hints of coconut rum that you taste and a tendency to favor stouts.
Why the name Angry Black Man? According to the founder, it is to stimulate conversation. So if you want to join the conversation you can find out more about Angry Black Man Brewing Emporium at the following locations online:
Make sure to let him know you heard about him here on ECVtalks.com!
So you know how we’ve been posting more sporadically than maybe ever before? When we do post lately, we’ve given you ‘what we’ve been up to posts.’ Here’s the grand reveal of it all!
Some of our longtime readers may remember our Divorce Your Job, Keep The House #DYJKTH series. (If you’re a newer Talker, click here to check out the 1st installment from 2014.) So you’ve probably followed our journey from employees to Entrepreneurs while keeping the house. Well that last part ( the 🏠) needed an upgrade and that’s where the pictures and our hit-and-miss postings come in.
Amidst all of the chaos of 2020, we sold our primary residence and bought another larger one that actually came with a smaller home cost. Weird how that worked out! But what’s even better is that with the increase in size and the updates we’ve been posting, we finally have a guest suite to let out for short term rentals.
🎆 We divorced our jobs, upgraded the house, and added another side-hustle! 🎆 We won’t bore you with the step-by-step details unless you TALK BACK 2 US in the comments and say you’d like to read more.
Just know that we’re already expecting our first few guests within a few days of going public 😁 And expect more regular Small Biz/Side-Hustle Saturday posts going forward now that we’ve gotten this hurdle out of the way.
ECV Talks 