By dominusmarkham 
In today’s economic climate, many people are finding it hard to make ends meet for the necessities in life. Not only has the cost of food risen dramatically, but gas prices are soaring out of control and rent has skyrocketed as well.
Many individuals are finding that one job alone is not enough to pay their bills. They have forgotten all about any intention of living the kind of lifestyle they want and are now only trying to get by.
This is happening to everyone from college students all the way to senior citizens. There are individuals struggling as well as families. You don’t have to become a statistic who is unable to afford your basic needs or even live the kind of life you dream of.
There are many online and offline income streams that you can piece together as something that will work to deliver the kind of financial peace you are seeking. Many people aren’t aware of these options, or have simply felt more comfortable sticking with what they know.
But now is the time to branch out and see what you can make out of these possibilities. Everything listed in the plan below is something anyone can do. You don’t have to have a special degree or certification.
You just need to have the drive and determination to put it into effect and enjoy the results of your hard work. This is a plan that is suitable for men and women of all ages.
In most instances you don’t need a single penny to get started, but in some cases (such as launching your own product or flipping items, for example) you may need a very small amount to get going.
Start with a Secure Pay check
When money is scarce or uncertain, the one thing you want to make sure of is that you have a secure and steady pay check. While it may sound glamorous to become an entrepreneur with your own business, and there are many perks to doing that, you also want the safety net of a weekly or biweekly pay check that can shore up your financial needs at any time.
You want to start by looking for an offline job that has either a salary or hourly wage that you can earn. Traditionally, people would look for a corporate job because it tended to pay more.
However, in this economy where retail outlets are desperate to keep their doors open, you may be able to find work at a major chain that pays far more than a corporate job would.
This may not always be the case, but if you can get in on the action during the worsening economy, you may be able to sustain that wage from here on out. If it’s an hourly position instead of a salaried one, you want to make sure that management is willing to give you enough hours to make it worthwhile.
Some companies will cut down on their employees’ hours so that they don’t qualify for health benefits. In addition to the money you will be earning, you do want to look for extra perks involved with the job, such as health benefits.
This is something you may not feel like you need right now, but you never know what can happen in life and dealing with a major medical bill would not be something you want to face when you’re already struggling with your finances.
Make sure you shop around for the best income as well as benefits that are available. Many companies will have this listed for each of the positions they have available. Research the insurance companies to see how they are rated with consumers according to what they cover and what the deductible may be.
You also want to check to see what the paid time off details are in terms of how much time you have to accrue in order to get sick pay as well as vacation pay. Some companies don’t offer that, but others offer a substantial amount that can come in handy if you ever have an emergency or simply need time away from the job to work on other aspects of your life.
There are also many work from home or remote jobs that are actually hourly and salary positions with major companies, but you are not forced to go into the workplace. This can be very beneficial for moms and dads who don’t want to be spending money on day care or gas right now.
You can look at corporations such as Tesla, social media companies, and other major corporations who are looking for work from home individuals to field calls and handle customer service issues, for example.
Map Out the Additional Hours You Want to Work
Once you secure an offline or work from home position with a company that will provide you with a steady paycheck and benefits, you want to map out any additional hours you have available to create the hybrid income stream you are seeking.
This will be different for everyone. Some will want to work more than others, while some will simply need to supplement a tiny bit. Figure out which additional hours you want to work and when.
For example, if you have one extra hour in the morning before you go to work because you wake up early, you can do a lot in that one hour. Next, look at the evenings you have available after work.
If you get home at 5 PM and eat dinner before putting the kids to bed, you may have an additional 2 to 4 hours to put in some work before you go to sleep yourself. You also have the weekends available.
Most corporations do not have their employees coming in on the weekends. They typically work from 8 AM to 5 PM with a one hour lunch break. However, if you are employed by a retail outlet, your hours may be all over the place, including days, nights, and weekends.
There are some people who also don’t mind working on their breaks. You should have an hour long break in the middle of your workday that will allow you to put in some work with your online income stream.
This is perfect if you pack a sack lunch and are working from your car or go home for lunch break. You just want to make sure that you aren’t over scheduling yourself. Many of the side hustles we will be discussing are very flexible and allowing you to work 15 minutes or an entire hour or more at a time.
You can work as much or as little as you want to. Others will require more input by you if you want to make them a financial success. These options may be slow growing for financial success, but they will eventually provide you with the extra income you need on the side.
Consider Your Best Paying Online Business Options
After you have secured an offline steady pay check and determined how many hours you want to work in addition to that position, you need to look at all of your online entrepreneurial options and see what will work best with your available schedule.
There are six primary online businesses you should focus on in the beginning. You can always opt to build more than one of these, but to start off with, you want to get the ball rolling and succeed with one at a time so that you are not spread so thin that you never gain traction in any one area.
The first option you can do to get fast money is becoming a freelancer. If you have a certain skill such as ghost writing or graphics creation, you can freelance for other online entrepreneurs and help them with tasks they don’t have the time or talent to complete.
Another thing freelancers often do is work as an administrative assistant. These individuals will handle a lot of the drudge work for marketers who are already bogged down in important tasks.
You might be uploading and publishing content for them, answering customer service emails, etc. You can post your freelance services on a website of your own if you want, or use freelance website such as UpWork and Fiverr.
Make sure you create a good profile and a stunning portfolio if you are going to be delivering written work or graphics. Never bid on jobs that are too big for you to handle based on the amount of time you have to contribute to it.
You don’t want to get a bad rating because you stretched yourself too thin and can’t complete the project on time. Affiliate marketing is another area that you might want to build a business in.
You can promote both digital and tangible products online using a website of your own such as a blog or on social networking sites like YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, and more. You will need to sign up to sites like Amazon, a ClickBank, Warrior Plus, JVZoo, Share-a-Sale, and Commission Junction so that you can get approval and begin promoting products as soon as possible.
Info product creation is another thing you might consider. This is something that takes some people only a few hours to create, and others it may take weeks. Regardless, you can pick a niche topic that you feel confident teaching in and create a PDF eBook or video course that teaches people something they need to know.
It might be how to launch a blog or it might be how to take care of a new puppy. Once you have your product created, you can list it for sale on a site like ClickBank, Warrior Plus, or JVZoo as well as Udemy if it is a video course.
You will also recruit affiliates to promote your info product for you, taking a lot of the burden off of you to get all of the traffic for your sales. PLR (private label rights) content is a big seller online you might consider creating because many online entrepreneurs need tons of content and they don’t have the time or talent to create it themselves.
If you know how to write or record videos, this might be a great business model for you to pursue. You can create content in your free time and package it together for a launch before putting it on a PLR store after the launch is over.
Again, there are many affiliate marketers who promote private label rights, so you will have the ability to build a list of subscribers and make more sales if you can recruit the right people.
Low content and printables are big sellers on Etsy and Spotify now. If you have a knack for creating things like journals, templates, checklists, calendars, colouring books, and other short, low content pages, then you may want to pursue this business model.
Look to see what is already selling on Etsy and see if you can put a spin on the same type of content that you feel comfortable creating. You can create an entire store and add to it over time.
Coaching is a great option for people who feel comfortable leading individuals or groups in their journey to achieve a goal in life. For example, there are life coaches, nutrition coaches, business coaches and more who offer individual coaching programs as well as group coaching.
You can host these on live calls that work at a time that is best for both you and your clients. You can also have them buy in bulk, such as getting a discount when they buy four or five sessions instead of just one.
Add Some Offline Side Hustles
Now, you may want to fill the gaps in your time with some offline side hustles as you begin to build your online income. For example, many people use their car as a method of earning extra income by being a rideshare driver.
You can work for companies like Uber or Lyft and pick up riders and drop them off at their destinations for a fee and tip. You can be very strategic with where you work, such as being available around your local airport or other busy spots where you know consumers are likely to want a ride home.
Some people also use their car to deliver food from restaurants or fast food places. Others will do the grocery shopping for people who may not be able to get out in that moment, or who may not want to.
You can work for a company like Instacart and go shopping for people before delivering it to their doorstep. You can also become a personal shopper to shop for clothing, house goods, and other things that many consumers may not be available to do.
There may be companies in your area where you can sign up with for personal shopper gigs, or you can start your own website for your area and use local social networking apps like Next-door to find people who would like to hire you.
Another thing you may want to do offline is begin flipping things that you find being sold cheap or given away. For example, many people go to thrift shops or estate and garage sales and seek out brand-name clothes, handbags, and shoes and then sell them on sites like eBay or Facebook Marketplace.
Before you buy anything, look on these sites and see if a similar or identical item has sold well for a profit before you purchase it and list it. Pet, child and house sitting are other options you can do for offline income.
There are many people who simply need someone to check in on their house while they are away on vacation, picking up the mail and making sure everything is secure. Some people need you to go into their home and take care of their pet while they are away, possibly giving them a walk in addition to making sure they have food and water.
And others prefer not to put their child in day care, but instead want someone to serve as a nanny or direct child sitter for a limited amount of time regularly during the week or even periodically.
Tweak Your Career for Personal Satisfaction and Growth
Once you have your hybrid online and offline jobs and gigs set up, make a plan to periodically check in and see how it’s working for you. Your goal is to increase your income, but also improve your personal satisfaction in the process.
There is no reason for you to run yourself into the ground and overwork yourself to the point that you are sick and unhappy when there are other options that can alleviate the pressure instead.
You may simply just have to alternate a few things. First of all, make sure that you are personally satisfied with whatever work environment you are in. If you are in a corporate job, and it is toxic and harmful to your mental health, see if you can find an equal paying job with a better environment.
Use sites like Glass Door to see what employees are saying about the employer and work environment before you apply. Sometimes, you may find that you don’t like working from home.
Many people find it very isolating and they would rather get out and be among other people. For others, it’s the opposite. They don’t like working in a company or office situation, so they prefer to have all of their career online.
It’s important that you check in with yourself and not be too intimidated to quit or go to another job if and when you need to. Another thing you want to do is periodically gauge your money situation.
Don’t be afraid to ask for an increase in pay. Even if you like and appreciate the current jobs you are in, you may want to pay attention to current rates being paid by other companies for similar hours or positions.
You might find something comparable where they’re willing to give you more hours and increase pay or the addition of benefits whereas the other company you started with is not.
Keep in mind that as you begin to pay off debt and the pressure of your finances eases up, you may be able to cut back on some of the hours you are working or the number of side gigs you are engaged in.
This is important if you are feeling exhausted or as if you don’t have enough time to spend with your loved ones. Analyze the jobs for growth for both the position you’re in and the income potential.
Sometimes you find a job that you truly love, and you don’t want to leave, but you may not be making quite enough in that moment. Speak with your manager to find out what the process is to advance in the job to a better position and better pay.
You won’t know until you ask, and many companies like to promote from within. With a better position often comes more responsibility, so make sure you understand how much time will be required of you if you take the new job.
You also want to do the same with your online entrepreneurial gigs. Learn how you can level up to more money. For example, you can charge more as a freelancer, up the price on your info products or private label rights, or start promoting higher ticket items as an affiliate.
Calculate how long it will take you to begin seeing the increase in profits and whether or not it is worth it for you to continue on in that direction or if you need to change course and focus on something that has a faster return.
This may depend on your current financial situation and how dire it is. Having a hybrid online, offline career with multiple streams of income is beneficial because you never know when the bottom of fall out with something.
For example, when the pandemic hit, many businesses shuttered their doors and sent employees home with no pay. Those who had entrepreneurial jobs online were able to sustain their income because they weren’t affected by the pandemic.
You want to have peace of mind that you will always have money coming in no matter what the situation is in the economy or political landscape. There are so many combinations you can make with online and offline incomes streams that you never have to stay stuck in a low-paying, or unsatisfactory job.
With both scenarios, make sure you’re being strategic in maximizing your earnings. Whether you’re job shopping offline to go somewhere better or looking to promote launches with extra contest prize money – everything you do should have the goal of adding more money to your monthly income.
Until Next Time
Dominus Owen Markham