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perfectirishgifts · 4 years ago

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Creative And Experience Economy Freelancers See Growth Ahead For Freelancing In 2021

New Post has been published on https://perfectirishgifts.com/creative-and-experience-economy-freelancers-see-growth-ahead-for-freelancing-in-2021/

Creative And Experience Economy Freelancers See Growth Ahead For Freelancing In 2021

There are many differences between marketing, PR, communications, copy writing, event, photography / videography, and hospitality industries, but they come together as constituent parts of what many freelancers call creatives. I prefer to think of this work as comprising the largest part of an experience economy. Joe Pine and James Gilmore were among the first to spot and talk about this shift, and are certainly worth a read. As a Forbes colleague wrote, recently, Millenials and GenZs strongly reflect this valuing of experience over “stuff”.

“Why do millennials value experiences over things? Because it makes them happy. And they aren’t wrong—studies have found that spending money on experiences brings more lasting joy than spending money on things. Experiences are also more shareable, which is important to younger generations.”

Pundits Gurleen and Chanpreet Kaur point out that the experience economy has been impacted and accelerated by Covid 19, ironically by diminishing recent opportunity for experiences (at least those outside the home). Clearly, the pandemic has impacted experience economy freelancers differentially. But, I’ve tried in this survey to recognize and combine the views of experience economy freelance platform CEOs and thought leaders, as well as across geographic markets.

What we know is that, more and more, these areas of expertise need to work together to grow the larger freelance potential. Collaboration in areas like marketing transformation is clearly increasing, but not fast enough for all parts of this freelance community. While Covid 19 has opened up significant avenues for freelancing on the marketing side both in brand work and in digital marketing transformation, and continues to disrupt traditional agency work, the events and hospitality business has been sheltered-in-place in most developed countries, and has been challenged to reinvent almost every aspect of the business to stay afloat. Event freelancers are optimistic about 2021 but especially glad to turn the page on 2020.

Here’s what experience economy freelance platform CEOs and thought leaders have to say about the coming year:

Hans-Ulrich von Freyberg (Vicoland, Germany) “Two trends shape the marketing services business in 2021. They seem contradictory but both go after efficiency. One trend is clients, especially larger corporations, deepening their relationships with suppliers but not all. The goal is streamlining and cutting out low value work. The other trend: openness to use freelance resources to benefit from the efficiency of working with the right talent, when needed, and without overhead cost attached.”

Peter McPartin (Indie.list, Ireland) “After a major hit to revenue this year, marcomms agencies are quietly filling talent gaps with freelancers. This will generate business for experienced independents. Simultaneously, major brands are supplementing marketing teams with freelancers on contract. For our clients, agility, diversity and originality are even more essential requirements. The collapse of geographic barriers and use of project management platforms to help coordinate teams, will favour greater direct use of freelancers. The skills in greatest demand are currently around all aspects of e-commerce, UX/UI design, social media management, AV content creation and copywriting skills.”

Marlon Rosenzweig (WorkGenius, US) “There are numerous tailwinds and structural characteristics that make the freelance marketing sector one of the most attractive ones. Marketing teams are digital and embrace innovation. Creative marketing talent seeks the flexibility of freelancing. Marketing is growing as an industry. Most marketing work can be done remotely. This was true pre pandemic and has been accelerated by the pandemic.“

James Sandoval (Measurematch, UK) “2021 will be a year of growth for professional services marketplace platforms. We see growing demand for customer experience analytics, data visualization and CRM systems and data capabilities, but also enterprise cloud computing, cyber security and marketing campaign execution. I’ll also make this prognostication: there will be one or more acquisitions in 2021 that sees consultancies take a bite out of the independent professional services market.”

Steve Dormon (Speakeasy, US) “The freelance market will be flooded with high quality professionals either furloughed, made redundant or by choice. This coincides with clients confidence in remote work and an increased appetite for external expertise. Brand Strategy, consultancy and analytics freelance work will increase. CPG companies are adopting a more ‘fluid’ approach to independent talent-based contractors and businesses, given the pressures they face from startups. Healthcare, Hospitality & Travel industries will boost growth in strategy, graphic, and services. Entertainment is in the midst of a strategic re-set and need the fresh perspectives of outsiders and reinvent themselves. Leaner, faster, freelance-based models will take a larger bite of the total pie.”

John Ashton (Write Arm, UK) “The opportunities for freelance businesses are as never before. Prior to Covid there was an understandable tendency among clients to view kitchen table agencies and other flexible remote-based enterprises as a tin pot version of bricks and mortar businesses. The explosion of enforced home working has opened their eyes to the fact that such businesses are viable and should be taken seriously. We see marketing services growth tech continuing. The sector is very robust and subsectors like fintech and e-commerce tech are mushrooming. We’re busier than ever and 80% of our work is in tech – as if Covid never happened.”

Hugo Finkelstein (Rise, US) “While advertising and PR budgets have been reduced, 2021 demand is rising. Businesses from all sizes are looking for independent talent to produce content cost efficiently. When businesses are strapped for cash, they’re open to alternative ways to get what they need for cheaper while maintaining quality. Turning to freelancers is becoming normal. While content like animated videos and blogs has strong demand, we’re seeing demand growth in audio branding and production (jingles & podcasts).”

Alok Alström (Appjobs, Sweden) “We see a new potential set of clients that have not been working with freelancers before and are now actively exploring it. In advertising, marketing and PR, we see an increased shift to freelancers thanks to traditional companies starting to explore the use of freelancers. But this shift is slower and will take place during a longer period of time. Even though the total market spend might decrease, the share captured by freelancers is already increasing significantly and will continue to do so throughout 2021.”

Helen Dibble (Incredibble, UK) “Freelancers are already stepping in to fill the void left by Covid-related redundancies. These opportunities are about more than doing the job. Companies need partners able to fully integrate into the business, offer strategic insight and deliver the goods while retaining the flexibility and agility. Too many freelancers are leaving money and opportunity on the table by not thinking beyond the project. This thwarts freelancer growth and teaches companies freelance talent is transactional.”

Tash Menon (Mash, Australia) “To win in this new world of coexisting with COVID, marketing and advertising leaders will look for agile, efficient, results-focused creative solutions via the curation of freelancers. COVID-19 has accelerated openness to remote working.”

Anna Yudin (Marteamo, US) “2020 has forced all of us to change how we work and interact. Many companies in 2019 wouldn’t accept remote work, but Covid has changed that. For the freelance industry it means that there will be more opportunities, but competition will be even more intense. Personal branding will be especially important in 2021. And digital marketing will be more human-oriented than ever: people need people, not just products and names.”

Elina Jutelyte (Endo-exo.net, Belgium) “In event marketing, I see that in 2021 marketing will become more smarter and more personalised. I believe we will make a big step forward in machine learning and data analytics. The event marketeers therefore will be required to be not only digitally savvy but also have strong technical and data analytics skills. This all reflects greater opportunity for freelancers in digitalisation, data analytics, AI, AR/VR, and distance learning. We see advertising, marketing and PR freelance business expansion in most industries.”

Sarah Townsend (Sarahtownsendeditorial, UK) “Freelance creatives have a bright year ahead. The inherent unpredictability of self-employment means we’re used to being adaptable and resilient. And with newly lean businesses waking up to the skills, flexibility and cost savings that come with hiring freelancers, the world has changed in our favour. The outlook is positive.”

Daphne Hoppenot (The Vendry, US) “When it’s safe to have in-person events again, freelancers are going to be one of the biggest drivers of the corporate events and experiential marketing industries. With so many event professionals being laid off, furloughed, or having their hours cut, they’re taking this time to develop their own personal brands – we’ve seen more members of our community than ever market themselves as freelancers. Brands, on the other hand, are going to want to jump back into live events the minute it’s safe to do so. Their clients, customers, and employees are sick of being all virtual all the time, but many no longer have the in-house resources they need to produce a live event. When that time comes, this burgeoning community of event freelancers is going to be there, ready to get to work.”

Teodora Nikolovska (Vrootok, Macedonia) “If there is one good thing that the pandemic has shown us, it’s that digital marketing is among the key areas which are not tied to a physical location. As business goes digital, hiring freelance, on-demand talent in 2021 will become essential for companies that want to work with the best talent and get the best results.”

Chandrika Pasricha (Flexing It, India) “Marketing, including communications and PR, is one of the top 3 skills in demand on Flexing It. Post COVID, there is a strong shift to digital and we expect this to continue with large firms as well as SMEs looking to leverage the best talent in the market, and seeing value in the high quality, niche skills and agile mindsets of independent marketing talent with cross-sector expertise. FMCG, healthcare and Education are three sectors in particular where we expect to see strong demand.”

Gideon Stein (WriteLabel, US) “While marketing budgets are likely to remain depressed in 2021, demand for personalized ad copy is rapidly expanding due to broadcast and digital requiring hyper-targeted messaging to connect with specific audiences.”

In sum, what do these platform CEOs and thought leaders see as the near future for the freelance creatives helping to build the experience economy? The expectation is for transformation both in how client companies tell their story and create events – digital now, in hopefully back in the physical world in 2021 – that will carry and reinforce their brand message. But very likely, the transformation will also prove a growth tsunami for freelancers in this space.

Viva la revolution!

From Careers in Perfectirishgifts

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dontdropthedoughnut · 6 years ago

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14 March 2019 - The starting point: a little past insight and where I am now?

Them art gift sets...

Childhood Christmas presents from friends and family were always combined beginner art sets consisting of oil pastels, wax crayons, coloured pencils and watercolour pans because I liked to doodle and was constantly told by others that I had talent or natural ability for it.

High school arting...

However aside from doodling I didn’t actually pursue art actively until my final year of A-Levels where I decided to take the class instead of the mandatory General Studies for everyone else. Then suddenly in the last 6 months of the year when it was time to decide what happens after A-Level and secondary school, I decided art was the right way to go along with the support of my art teacher who helped me apply for a foundation art and design course at my local college.

I found the course helpful and I had more flexibility in the choice of topic compared to what I had during that one year of art A-Level. But there was still a sense of frustration through the year watching others who seemed to already have an established sense of style with strong ideas whilst I struggled to find a ‘style’ that I liked and could draw consistently in.

The year rushed by and it was time to apply for university and I decided on an undergraduate degree in Illustration with Falmouth University being my first choice.

Finally, I graduated from the foundation course with very high grades however the imposter syndrome is strong in me as looking back I still don’t think the work submitted then was coherent.

That uni life...

Looking back at the three years spent at Falmouth University studying and drawing at the Woodlane Campus, I really enjoyed the course and the experiences there.

However, from an artistic gains point of view I also do see it as a missed opportunity where the mindset I had going into the course was not as focused as it could have been (especially sitting meters away from other students who were passionately working away at their crafts and developing their skills).

Often, I missed project deadlines due to procrastination and had large amounts of art block where I started the same drawing repeatedly to reach that ‘perfect’ drawing stage (there were many ripped pages out of sketchbooks until I figured it would be easier to just draw on loose sheets of paper and bind them all together when finally completed and time to hand the work in for assessment).

Throughout the course, another under-appreciated aspect was the lectures in art history as I often struggled to stay awake during the slides which now is something I do want to expand my knowledge on. Sometimes whilst browsing Tumblr or Pinterest I stumble across a piece of art history knowledge on the old masters, especially Michelangelo a lot and the fascinating tales of his sass whilst his painting of the Sistine Chapel.

Ultimately, I finished the course with a slight lower mark than wanted and definitely with a quite a few missed opportunities, which would have been very helpful for a student graduate fresh into the industry in receiving commissions.

Art diversions....

After university I wandered off the art path by getting a job in the sales industry selling products and services door to door. What started off as a stepping stone with intentions of staying only 1 month to build up enough work experience to put on an empty CV turned into a 2-year job. During that time, I completely put aside all drawing or art to focus on being a businesswoman ‘being self-employed and in charge of my own business’.

But towards the last few months I was there, I increasingly found myself questioning what I was still doing there when my ultimate career goal tied back into the creative and art industry. Even worse was often wondering how I could squash my dream of working as part of the production of a feature length animated film around the demands of ‘running an entrepreneurial sales business’.

Back on that art path...

Finally, in the summer of 2018 I left the sales job to focus more on the artwork I want to make. However, with bills to pay I have now found work again unrelated to the creative industry, but this time my intentions are different; I don’t see my current job as anything I want to pursue as a long-term career (a mistake I made my previous work in the sales industry). I am using my current job to save away funds as a safety net making the jump to working freelance as an artist.

And this is where you as the reader are caught up to my current situation at the moment starting out on my journey to reaching a career in the illustration and animation industry.

#mypastexperiences #wanderedoffthatartpath #wanderedbackontothatartpathnow

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laramercadoportfolio · 5 years ago

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Why millennial renters are far more common than homebuyers

Situated in the heart of D.C. with the Wharf and the National Mall just a few steps away, George Mason graduate Kevin Lin begins every morning at 8 a.m. sharp in the comfort of his home.

The first cup of many coffees he will have throughout the day sits on top of his kitchen counter. Its surface is riddled with papers for all three of his jobs, one of which is a full-time office position. Despite his crazy schedule, Lin is living his dream city life.

There’s only one catch for him: he’s sharing his apartment with two other roommates.

“I rent a 2B2B with my roommates,” said Lin. “It can get pretty hectic with only two bedrooms, but I use a divided curtain to change the living room to my private space in order to share my rent. I’ve saved nearly $500 this way.”

The popularity of 2B2B’s---or two-bedroom apartments—is rapidly skyrocketing among millennials today. With the inflation of housing at its highest in decades, renting is becoming the most affordable option.

A 2019 home affordability report conducted by real estate firm Unison calculated that it took nine years to save for a down payment in 1975. Today, it takes 14. The national homeownership rate for people under 35 has declined by 7.2% from a peak of 43.6% in mid-2004.

According to Professor of Real Estate Finance Anthony B. Sanders, student debt and government policy play a major role in the steady increase of housing prices.

“The federal reserve has helped create a housing bubble or a price bubble,” said Sanders. “Housing is extremely expensive, and part of that is due to the federal reserve’s low interest policies. Then there’s the issue of crippling student debt.”

To cope with heaps of student loans after graduation, most millennials like Lin opt for renting with roommates and working multiple part-time jobs. For Lin, this means balancing his dream career with “side hustles” to bring in the extra cash.

The 2018 U.S. Census reports that half of millennials have part-time jobs to make ends meet. These often entail short-term contracts and freelancing work, much of what Lin is currently balancing within his busy schedule.

“After my office job ends at five p.m., I typically rush home to a nearby café to do my remote work at six,” said Lin. “I answer emails for a couple of hours, work on projects, then do some freelancing photography on the side. Lots of people think I’m crazy for working three jobs, but I’m honestly just happy for all the opportunities and of course, the extra cash.”

Aside from renting and endless working hours to make ends meet, other millennials opt for living at home. U.S. Census data from a 2016 report reveals that 1 in 4 millennials still live with their parents.

Like many other college students, third year student Marwah Tokki chose to live off-campus instead of paying extra for housing. Living closer to college also allows her to create a flexible schedule with school, work and social activities.

“I just love the vibe of Northern Virginia and our communities,” said Tokki. “Everything that we need from shopping malls to hospitals to grocery stores are so easy to get to. Living off-campus lets me meet up with friends and at the end of the day, go home to the comfort of my own bed without worrying about endless bills to pay.”

Student debt currently sits at number one as the top reason why most millennials can’t afford to buy homes. But even after graduation, why can’t adults well into their late 20’s or early 30’s catch up with their loans?

The increasing gap between income and housing prices may be to blame. Median home prices have risen in recent years up to four times the rate of household incomes since 1960. Renters face the same dilemma in conglomerated cities.

“Wage rates in the DC area are pretty good,” said Sanders. “But unfortunately, house prices have outgrown your ability to pay. Texas has inexpensive housing but doesn’t have the DC area job networking. In the end, it all depends on location, which is why renters find themselves squeezing into city apartments with many roommates.”

The future of housing for millennials and even Gen Z’s certainly looks bleak; many economists and real estate experts predict the continued inflation of housing prices for the next several years. However, society also continues to evolve and adapt to these financial hurdles.

Whether the solution calls for renting with roommates, working multiple jobs, or opting for off campus living, millennials are taking the problem into their own hands for the benefit of their futures.

“Once I’ve made enough money, my dream is to buy a big house close to the Potomac River,” said Lin. “Whenever I feel tired or less energetic, I’ll think about how much it’ll be worth it in the end.”

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coolrr1455us · 5 years ago

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New Post has been published on Retire Without Worries.com

New Post has been published on http://retirewithoutworries.com/2019/11/20/4431/

How Baby Boomers Can Stop Worrying About Retirement

I want more info, help me

Think you can’t afford to retire? Here’s what you can do

BY CAROL M. KOPP

Updated Oct 28, 2019

Are you getting close to full retirement age and worried that you can’t afford to retire? You’re not alone. Many older adults are working longer and finding other ways to make sure those nest eggs will be enough to last throughout retirement.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Sixty-nine percent of baby boomers expect to be working during retirement.

Increasingly, employers are adapting work schedules and responsibilities to keep older employees working past full retirement age.

More and more baby boomers are starting to freelance on their own after retiring from full-time work.

Defined Contribution Plans

One reason baby boomers are working longer is that pensions have largely disappeared—which puts the responsibility on individuals to save for their own retirements.

“Many baby boomers were raised to believe in a pension obligation from an employer with whom they spent 25 or more years. So their focus was not on ‘maintaining’ the wealth they created through working by investing,” says Dominique J. Henderson, founder of DJH Capital Management in Desoto, Texas.

“They were largely dependent on someone subsidizing their retirement through monthly payments until they died. This is rarely the case now with the transition from defined-benefit plans to defined-contribution plans. With bad or no advice, you have a generation of people faced with working longer, as they have lost nearly three decades of overall stock market growth.”

Of course, there are other reasons people stay at work longer. Life expectancies are higher and many older adults want to keep working to stay engaged, to name two.

If you’re a baby boomer, here are tips to help you boost your nest egg and make your money last—and reasons to stop worrying about retirement.

1. Baby Boomers Set the Trends

As a baby boomer, you’ve seen plenty of trends come and go, and retirement at age 65 is one that has come and gone. The full retirement age is now 66 for people born in 1954. It rises on a sliding scale of two months per year to reach age 67 for people born in 1960 and later.

Pensions have become rare. Healthcare remains expensive. Individual retirement accounts (IRAs) and 401(k) accounts were supposed to be modern alternatives to a pension.

However, according to the 19th Annual Transamerica Retirement Survey of Workers, published by the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies (TCRS) in April 2019, the median baby boomers have set aside for retirement is estimated to be $152,000.

That’s a nice chunk of change, to be sure. But a baby boomer’s life expectancy as of 2017 is 76.1 years for a man and 81.1 for a woman, according to PRB.org’s “Fact Sheet: Aging in the United States.”

You may be wondering how this is supposed to help you stop worrying. Here’s how: Consider the sheer size of the baby boom generation. If you’re a member, you’re one of a group that sets the trends, and, out of choice as well as necessity, the trend is about staying active, at work and at play, after full retirement age.

$152,000

The estimated median amount of money baby boomers have saved for retirement.

2. Retirement and Working Are Not Mutually Exclusive

Who retires these days, anyway? In the TCRS survey, 69% of baby boomers said they plan to work after age 65 or don’t plan to retire ever.

That’s a radical change in thinking from their parents’ generation, but it should be expected. “[Baby boomers] are overturning long-standing assumptions about working until age 65,” said TCRS president Catherine Collinson, “calling for dramatic changes in current employment practices and proving that retirement and working are not mutually exclusive.”

The survey shows that many actually want to work in retirement because they enjoy what they do. That said, most think they will have to work to maintain an adequate income and decent health benefits.

Fortunately, “you can work and receive full Social Security benefits just as long as you are full retirement age,” says Mark Hebner, founder and president of Index Fund Advisors, Inc., in Irvine, Calif. “You also need to be careful if you are receiving Social Security disability or supplemental security income payments.”

3. Adjust Your Work Schedule

As they reach or approach the full retirement age, workers want to continue to use the skills and experience they learned over a lifetime. Still, they may want to shift to fewer hours or more flexible hours, a more rewarding role in a related field, or even a second career, the survey shows.

That sounds appealing, but the biggest barrier may be your current employer. In the TCRS survey, employers paid lip service to the invaluable contributions of their older workers.

However, the older workers weren’t always so sure about their boss’s real level of commitment. In fact, only 53% of baby boomers considered their employers to be “aging-friendly.” So you may need to take a chance and look elsewhere for alternatives.

53%

Percentage of baby boomers who consider their employers to be “aging-friendly.”

4. You Can Start to Freelance

If you’re not sure about working longer at your current job, you might want to consider building a freelance career. And you don’t have to go whole-hog and quit your day job to get started.

Present your skills on any of the many websites that match freelance professionals with clients and test the waters. Entrepreneur.com has a list that is not comprehensive, but it will give you an idea of the opportunities that are now at your fingertips, thanks to the web.

5. You Can Lower Your Cost of Living

Your lifestyle may well have been established decades ago when you were beginning or anticipating a successful career, a family, and a comfortable home. Take a look around you and consider: Is this where you want to be, for what you’re now beginning or anticipating in the future?

Your priorities are, after all, quite different. Being in a good school district may not be important anymore. Being near cultural attractions and recreational facilities may be. Your home probably has too much space—and too much stuff. The stairs may well be a challenge for your knees. And, really, mowing the lawn isn’t as easy (or fun) as it used to be.

Find a new way of living that’s right for you now. It will probably cost less, taking a little of the pressure off you and yours. This downsizing trend among older Americans has long been predicted, but once again the baby boomers have defied expectations by staying put.

In a blog posting, realtor Kevin B. Morrow suggests that many baby boomers think about it, even daydream about it, but in the end, they can’t quite take the plunge. A columnist for the Wall Street Journal, on the other hand, speculates that the big wave of downsizing just hasn’t arrived yet.

“Research has indicated that most retirees end up needing only 60-80% of their preretirement income in retirement,” says Hebner. “Nonetheless, looking to further downsize can eliminate mortgage payments—which is one of the biggest expenses for most investors—property taxes, and even the stress that comes with owning a large home.”

6. Retirement Abroad May Be an Option

According to the Social Security Administration’s own figures, it was sending 1,379,829 payments to beneficiaries overseas as of July 2019. For most, the initial motivation for retiring abroad is a need to live more cheaply, but it shouldn’t be.

Living abroad isn’t just about cheaper living; it’s about living well. There are many places around the world where Americans can live at a fraction of the cost, with first-world amenities.

“Living overseas is becoming a smarter choice for many retirees, especially those living on a tighter fixed income,” says financial planner Carlos Dias Jr., founder of Excel Tax & Wealth Group in Lake Mary, Fla.

“European countries such as Portugal have lower-cost expenses, such as food, healthcare, and even energy. Even though taxes are a bit higher than in the U.S., sales tax is often included in the price of goods, which is actually lower than here.”

The Bottom Line

You may be tired of hearing the mantra about “thinking outside the box.” Nevertheless, the thought of retiring when you reach full retirement age may be one of those boxes you don’t want to get trapped inside. Consider your many options and go from there.

#about retirement #Baby Boomer can Retire #baby boomers #how much do you need to retire #retire as a baby boombers #retirment plan

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kennethherrerablog · 6 years ago

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29 Totally Flexible Ways to Make Money in College Without Dropping Classes

Working through college is one way to reduce the amount of debt you’ll have after graduation. You know, make some money now and take out fewer student loans. Big. Win.

But finding a job with decent pay that’ll allow you to schedule shifts around your classes and extracurriculars can be harder to find than a healthy taco bar. And maybe you’re not too keen on flipping burgers at your local fast-food joint.

Well… have you thought about ditching the demanding work schedule and finding flexible work instead? You’ve got options, after all.

29 Ways to Make Money in College — Without a Fast Food Gig

From part-time jobs to apps and websites that let you make money online from your dorm or apartment, you have plenty of options that won’t cut into your study time.

1. Get Rewarded for Your Good Grades

Don’t have a lot of spare time outside of studying?

Check with the dean of your college or university to see if your school offers incentives for getting good grades. Some actually offer cash bonuses to college students who maintain a good GPA.

2. Drive With Uber and Lyft

Need a fun, flexible way to earn money while also meeting lots of new people?

Try driving with Lyft!

Demand for ride-sharing has been growing like crazy, and it shows no signs of slowing down. To be eligible, you’ll need to be at least 21 years old with a year of driving experience, pass a background check and own a car made in 2007 or later. You can drive days, nights or weekends — it’s up to you!

Because it’s simple to switch between apps, many Lyft drivers also sign up with Uber.

As a partner driver with Uber, you’re an independent contractor. You create your own schedule and work as much or as little as you want.

If you want to give Uber a try here are a few of the things to keep in mind: You must be at least 21 years old, have at least one year of licensed driving experience in the U.S. (three years if you are under 23 years old), have a valid US driver’s license and pass a background check.

Finally, your car must be a four-door, seat at least four passengers (excluding the driver), be registered in-state and be covered by insurance.

And if you aren’t sure which is better for you? Here’s our guide to Lyft versus Uber.

3. Share Your Opinions

No, you won’t make a ton of money doing online surveys, but you also won’t have to spend a lot of time or effort. Heck, you won’t even have to leave your dorm room.

One survey site we love is MyPoints. It rewards you in gift cards for taking polls and answering surveys. It’s a great way to pass time while you wait in long lines at the dining hall. You’ll earn a $5 bonus when you complete your first five surveys.

Then there’s also the reader favorite Swagbucks, which offers a wide variety of ways to make money beyond taking surveys. Plus, you get a $5 bonus when you sign up and earn 2,500 SB within your first 60 days.

If you’re looking to make a bit of money in those free minutes between classes, it doesn’t get much easier than this.

4. Be a Human Guinea Pig

From medical tests to market research, being a test subject can be an interesting, educational and — above all — lucrative way to spend your time.

Some tests, like clinical trials, may be more taxing and require a greater time commitment. But they just might pay a pretty penny; we’ve seen as much as $600 for some studies.

But other opportunities, like market research, may just take a couple hours of your afternoon, and you’ll earn free samples and some extra cash.

Here are a few resources to help you get started:

Use AcurianHealth to find clinical research studies.

Find studies by searching the Clinical Trials database.

Keep an eye out on campus for opportunities at your university, too. These are usually quick gigs that could yield $10 to $20 for less than an hour’s work.

5. Buy and Resell Textbooks

When you were in high school, you had no idea how much money textbooks cost, did you? Ouch. You know you can earn a little cash back for selling your textbooks at the end of the semester.

But you can go beyond that — and actually start profiting from textbook sales.

Instead of relying on your own collection, buy textbooks online from sites like eBay and resell them on a site like BookScouter.

Before you shop, you can look up a book’s ISBN on BookScouter and find out how much it’s worth. That way you’ll only buy books you know you can sell for more than what you pay.

Profit margins aren’t huge on textbook reselling, but if you can average $5 per book and sell five per day, you could earn $750 each month. That’s a solid side hustle!

6. Turn Saving Money Into a Team Sport

If you’re a fan of friendly competition, start recruiting team members to join you on Ibotta, a free app that’ll grant you cash back on just about everything. Yeah, if you’re 21, you can even earn cash back from the bar.

If you’re not yet an Ibotta member, go ahead and sign up. Once you claim your first offer, you’ll earn a $10 bonus.

Then start building your team. You can refer friends and earn a $5 bonus. The more team members you have, the more shopping bonuses you’ll likely accrue. Can you say passive income? Plus, Ibotta ranks your earnings against your friends, which turns saving money into a friendly competition.

Just think how much you can earn if you get your whole dorm or sorority involved!

7. Sell Your Old Cell Phone

You know that old cell phone you have sitting in your junk drawer or perhaps your bedside table? It’s time to give it up and pocket some cash.

Gazelle is an online trade-in site that makes the process super easy.

Enter your device’s information, and Gazelle will give you a trade-in estimate. For qualifying devices, it’ll even send you a free box for shipping.

If you need money more quickly, see if an affiliated kiosk is located in your area. You’ll be able to get an estimate on your device, and if you agree to sell, you’ll immediately get cash.

8. Become a Tutor

Are you looking for on-campus jobs? Have you ever considered becoming a tutor?

Look for programs through your university or specific departments where you could get paid to work with other students.

For more flexibility, consider becoming an online tutor. Through a platform like Wyzant, you can browse tutoring jobs and set your own rates.

9. Get Refunds on Your Online Orders

It turns out deleting your emails could be costing you money. Intrigued?

One of our secret weapons is called Paribus — a tool that gets you money back for your online purchases. It’s free to sign up, and once you do, it will scan your email for any receipts. If it discovers you’ve purchased something from one of its monitored retailers, it will track the item’s price and help you get a refund when there’s a price drop.

Plus, if your guaranteed shipment shows up late, Paribus will help you get compensated.

Disclosure: Paribus compensates us when you sign up using the links we provide.

10. Find Money You Didn’t Know Was Yours

State treasuries throughout the U.S. have more than $43 billion in unclaimed funds, according to The New York Times. Just sitting around! Waiting for you to come play lost and found.

Check for your unclaimed money with the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators. Click your state on the map, and it’ll redirect you to your state’s appropriate search site. (Beware: There are several look-a-like sites out there. Be sure you’re searching legitimate ones.)

Penny Hoarder reader Kelli Howell heeded our advice, performed a quick search and found unclaimed money in her husband’s name.

“As I was scrolling through, I saw his name and his middle initial,” she says. She asked him to confirm his old Florida address; he grew up in Tampa. Sure enough, Mark Howell was entitled to $56 from a “matured insurance policy.”

Not bad for an unexpected check, right?

11. Become a Virtual Employee

If you want more steady work and income still offering the flexibility you need to get to class and rest after pulling all-nighters, look online.

Not sure where to start your search for a remote gig? Turn to ZipRecruiter. Click here, and it’ll send you to a list of geo-tailored work-from-home job openings.

Because you don’t yet have a degree and aren’t seeking full-time employment, we suggest looking into these jobs:

Virtual recruiter: Put your networking skills to use and connect employees or freelancers to the right jobs. You’ll do things like post available jobs, screen resumes, conduct preliminary interviews and negotiate salaries.

Virtual assistant: Are you super organized? Get paid to help a busy professional stay on track. You can use the organization and communication skills you’ve developed to help out with data entry, social media management, website maintenance, research and customer service needs.

Transcriber: Know how to type speedy fast? Transcribing requires little to no prior experience and offers flexible hours and workloads. The work can be demanding, but the pay is a pretty good selling point: about $15 to $25 per hour for general transcription, and more if you specialize in a legal or medical field.

12. Advertise Your Skills as a Freelancer

Freelancing is a wonderful, flexible way to make money on the side. You set your own rates and your hours. It also can be a great way to gain experience and connect with potential employers before you even graduate.

Whether you’re a graphic designer, a writer, an editor or a computer programmer, you can find virtual gigs through platforms like Upwork, Fiverr and other freelance websites.

13. Sell Crafting Supplies on Etsy

Maybe you love crafting, but you simply don’t have the time to knit scarves, quilt blankets or cross-stitch sassy sayings to sell. Well, here’s some good news: You can make money simply selling craft kits and supplies.

Look for supplies, kits and patterns at thrift stores and garage sales. Find good deals, and resell these items to crafters on Etsy. Take note from Janet Berry-Johnson who was able to make an extra $200 a month by selling supplies on Etsy.

14. Get Paid for Completing Small Tasks on Amazon

Have you heard of Amazon’s Mechanical Turk?

Create an account, and start performing “human intelligence tasks.” These tasks range from answering surveys to transcribing interviews to creating spreadsheets. You can pick and choose what you want to do.

Penny Hoarder contributor Michael Naab shared that he made an average of $500 a month through Mechanical Turk.

15. Hang out With Dogs or Cats

If you’re looking for a flexible, independent way to earn money — and you love hanging out with dogs — Rover might be your perfect gig.

The online network connects dog walkers and sitters to local dog owners through its 4.9-star-rated app, so you don’t have to staple flyers on every utility pole across town.

Rover says sitters can earn as much as $1,000 a month.

Rover dog-sitter requirements vary by location. In general, you must:

Be 18 years or older.

Pass a background check.

Have access to the Rover app (iOS or Android).

Here’s how it works: You’ll create an online sitter profile where you’ll answer questions about your experience with puppers and your schedule availability.

You can choose to offer a variety of services, including dog walking, overnight boarding at your home or theirs, and daycare. Boarding is the app’s most popular service, so offering it can get you more gigs. You set your own rates. (Rover keeps a small percentage as a service fee.)

Dog owners will reach out to you. Accept which gigs you want, then start snugglin’ pups. As soon as you complete a service, you’ll be paid within two days.

16. Braid Horse Manes

Are your friends always asking you to do their hair? Put it in a French braid or a fancy knot?

Well, you can get paid to put your skills to use — on horses.

Kat Tretina worked on weekends braiding horse manes for shows. She had zero experience and invested an initial $20 for a supply kit. Then started banking $1,000 a month.

You’ll find some small shows in the fall and winter months, but spring and summer are the most popular.

And because the work happens almost exclusively on the weekends, you should have no problem fitting it around your class schedule.

17. Help Your Neighbors With Odd Jobs — the Modern Way

Odd jobs and side gigs are an awesome way to earn extra money without committing to a full-time job or fixed schedule.

Sure, you could always find work the old-fashioned way — have your parents ask their friends if they need help with anything. But modern technology and our infatuation with the sharing economy have made gigs a much more effective way of earning a living.

Use an app like TaskRabbit to connect with people in your area who need help with cleaning, assembling furniture or installing a new faucet.

If you’re not as handy around the house, you can use Instacart or Postmates to deliver groceries and takeout orders to people who don’t have time, resources or ability to do it on their own.

18. Pick up House-Sitting Gigs

If you’re not keen on babysitting or pet sitting, why not house sit? It could be a great way to escape your shared dorm room while also making some extra money.

There are tons of websites out there that’ll help you find the perfect gig. Check out a few of these house-sitting marketplaces.

19. Get Paid to Exercise

Bottom line: HealthyWage will literally pay you for losing weight.

Not only are you getting more healthy, you’re also making some money. How’s that for motivation?

Here’s how it works:

Read our full HealthyWage review, and sign up.

Define a goal weight and the amount of time you’ll give yourself to achieve it.

Place a bet on yourself ranging from $20 to $500 a month.

Depending on how much you have to lose, how long you give yourself to do it and how much money you put on the table, you could win up to $10,000!

Wondering if it can really work? We talked to one woman, Teresa Suarez, who lost 68 pounds — and made over $2,400.

20. Be on Your Favorite TV Game Show

Do you watch “Jeopardy!” or “Wheel of Fortune” every evening and feel like you’d crush the contestants?

You can be part of these shows more easily than you might think, and it can be a cool way to boost your budget.

To get started, read our full guide to becoming a game show contestant for details on joining “Jeopardy!,” “Wheel of Fortune,” “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, “The Price is Right” and more.

21. Claim Class-Action Settlements

Class-action lawsuits are a simple way to make some extra money on the side.

Heck, you’re probably already part of a class-action suit you don’t even know about. They come up more often than you might realize.

We share open settlements here when we hear about them, so keep an eye out.

To file a claim, you’ll usually just have to fill out an online form. Some settlements also require proof of purchase of a relevant product or service.

How much you get depends on how many claimants are part of the case settlement and the amount of the settlement. You could get anything from free tuna to a check for $5,000 from California hotels.

22. Deliver Packages for Amazon Flex

You know when you order a package through Amazon and receive it the same day? It’s not magic — it’s your friendly Amazon Flex delivery partner.

As an Amazon Flex delivery partner, you’ll deliver goods to consumers via Amazon.com, Prime Now, AmazonFresh and Amazon Restaurants.

Amazon Flex says you can make $18 to $25 an hour as a Flex associate, though that’ll depend on how much you’re able to deliver. It processes payments on Tuesdays and Fridays through direct deposit, so you should see your money on Wednesdays, Saturdays or both.

One of the biggest perks of this part-time gig is that you get to set your own schedule, using the Flex app to claim delivery blocks (or shifts) you want to work. You’re an independent contractor, though, so you’ll be responsible for expenses, including gas, parking and tolls.

To qualify, you’ll need a phone with the Flex app and a car. If you’re delivering Prime Now orders, any car will suffice; however, if you’re delivering for Amazon.com, you’ll need a four-door midsize sedan or larger. In some areas, bikes are acceptable.

The program recruits in various areas across the country based on need. If you don’t find your city on the list when you go to sign up, you can always join the waitlist.

23. Play Free Scratch-offs for a Chance to Win Real Money

You know that feeling when you find a $20 bill hiding in the pocket of those jeans you wore last week? Yeah, that’s the feeling of a lucky day. The Lucky Day app is just like that.

You could win up to $10,000 playing digital scratch-off tickets or even a whopping $100,000 in the daily lotto. You’ll also have a lot of chances to win gift cards to cool places like Amazon, Walmart, Dunkin and Target.

It’s all free to play, with no in-app purchases. The company has already awarded more than $3 million in prizes to winners since 2014.

No, it’s not guaranteed money, but it’s a fun way to pass the time when you’re just sitting around and, who knows, you could hit a big one!

24. Sell Your Instagram-Worthy Pictures

If you have a smartphone and a photographic eye, making money may have just gotten a lot easier. Oh – you’ll also need access to marketable scenery.

An app called Foap lets you turn your smartphone photos into cash.

Here’s how it works:

Download the free app and create an account.

Take a quality photo and upload it to Foap’s marketplace.

Someone buys the license to your photo for $10. You make $5.

If your photo sells 20 times, you make $5 each time and end up with $100 in your pocket — all for about five minutes of work. Pretty cool, right?

25. Serve as a Mock Juror From Your Laptop

Who isn’t obsessed with with true-crime podcasts these days? “My Favorite Murder,” anyone?

If you want an insider look at what happens when a case hits the courtroom, you can serve as an online mock juror through a site like eJury.

As a mock juror, you’ll review evidence including documents, videos and photos. The fate of the mock-innocent, or mock-guilty, could be in your hands. The goal? Help the lawyers prepare for the real thing.

You can earn $5 to $10 per case.

26. Sell Your Clutter and Make Some Cash

Living that minimalist lifestyle is all the rage right now, so why not use this mentality to your advantage?

Start taking a good hard look at your belongings. What do you actually need? What can you make money from?

Clothes: If you have clothes you haven’t worn in the last year, why do you hang onto them? Try selling them to folks in your area through an online marketplace like Letgo. It takes about five minutes to create your account and list an item, and it’s free.

Technology: About your overcrowded entertainment center… Consider selling these items to Decluttr. It’ll buy your old CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays, video games and even cell phones and tablets. Shipping is free, and Decluttr pays you within 24 hours of retrieval.

Books: Bookshelf collecting dust? We love books as much as the next person, but see whether your treasures are worth anything by listing them on Amazon. With Amazon Trade-In, you can trade in your used textbooks, plus other items, like electronics, in exchange for an Amazon gift card.

Ready, set, purge.

27. Get Your Nanny on

Whether you want to look after school-aged kids on Saturday nights or help tired parents after school, you can find opportunities to use your child care experience to earn cash.

Look within your circle of friends and acquaintances first, as parents are more likely to trust someone they know. Ask friends if they know anyone else who could use a few hours to themselves, whether it’s to grocery shop or simply to head to the gym.

You can also let parents find you through Care.com. Rates on the platform will vary by city, but the average rate for babysitters in 2017 was $16.20 an hour, according to Care.com’s 2018 Cost of Care Survey.

28. Invest in Real Estate (Even as a College Student)

Want to try real-estate investing without playing landlord? We found a company that helps you do just that.

Oh, and you don’t have to have hundreds of thousands of dollars, either. You can get started with a minimum investment of just $500. A company called Fundrise does all the heavy lifting for you.

Through the Fundrise Starter Portfolio, your money will be split into two portfolios that support private real estate around the United States.

This isn’t an obscure investment, though. You can see exactly which properties are included in your portfolios — like a set of townhomes in Snoqualmie, Washington, or an apartment building in Charlotte, North Carolina.

You can earn money through quarterly dividend payments and potential appreciation in the value of your shares, just like a stock. Cash flow typically comes from interest payments and property income (e.g. rent).

(But remember: Investments come with risk. While Fundrise has paid distributions every quarter since 2014, dividend and principal payments are never guaranteed.)

You’ll pay a 0.85% annual asset management fee and a 0.15% annual investment advisory fee.

29. Cash in on Your Smartphone Addiction

Let’s be real: That phone habit is hard to break. So you might as well make some money while you’re scrolling instead of totally waste your time.

Download AppKarma, a free rewards app that lets you earn cash and gift cards when you try out gaming apps and watch videos.

Android users can download the AppKarma app directly through the Google Play Store.

iPhone users: AppKarma is not in the app store, but you can use it from your mobile browser. Click on the link from your iOS device to access the AppKarma web app. Complete the first offer (and earn 100 points!) to get started.

Bonus: Penny Hoarders will get 500 extra points when you sign up, plus you’ll get an email shortly after signing up with a special promo code worth another 750 bonus points.

You can exchange your Karma Points for gift cards to Amazon, PayPal, iTunes, Target, Starbucks and Walmart, among other retailers.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.

29 Totally Flexible Ways to Make Money in College Without Dropping Classes published first on https://justinbetreviews.tumblr.com/

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mikebrackett · 6 years ago

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Gig Economy: Pros and Cons of Gig Work

Gone are the days when your only source of income came from a job. Now you have the freedom and flexibility to use your skills to make money on your downtime or create a new full-time gig. The gig economy is increasing at a rapid pace. In fact, according to Upwork, nearly 56.7 million Americans freelanced in 2018. So, if you’re contemplating starting a side gig of your own, here’s what you need to know about working in gig economy.

Pros of Working in the Gig Economy

The gig economy offers an abundance of opportunities to earn extra cash or a full-time living. It can open the door to your creativity or provide a way to achieve your financial goals. Here are some other pros of working in the gig economy.

Flexibility

Working in the gig economy provides freedom and flexibility that other income opportunities may not. Those who choose to pursue gig economy employment and make a career out of freelancing have the luxury to determine their own hours, work location, clients and sometimes even rates. They’re able to shape their entire professional career around their personal preferences which enables them to pursue some of the aspects of their lives that may not provide fiscal reward. From mothers who want more time with their children to individuals who want to travel the world and maintain enough income to foot the bill, freelancing enables many professionals to pursue their passions and accommodate their preferred lifestyle.

Working in the gig economy allows you to become your own boss and live by your own rules. With the advancements to technology, you can connect to clients around your city or even the world. No longer do you have to punch in and out. With this type of employment, you can simply complete a task on your own time or log into an app to market your skills to clients. You’re in complete control of your time clock and the tasks you wish to complete.

Harry Campbell, founder of The Rideshare Guy and author of The Rideshare Guide , says, “The flexibility is by far the best part about working in the gig economy since you can literally work as much or as little as you want. I’ve worked all sorts of jobs over the years but it wasn’t until I started driving with Uber and Lyft that I realized just how flexible the gig can be.”

Alternative Career Choice

When Washington D.C resident Charlie Heck lost her government job, she turned to the gig economy for supplemental income. Instead of heading back to work, she started petsitting and walking dogs for high-end clients in Washington D.C. during her downtime. She established clients for her multimedia freelancing gig, which lead to a full-blown small business. She adds, “It was quite a balancing act in the beginning but through the trust I established with my pet clients, a few eventually became multimedia clients and connections as well.”

Like Heck, many professionals are choosing to transform their part-time gigs into full-time sources of income. According to MBO Partners State of Independence In America 2018, 3.3 million independent workers made over six figures. Depending on your skill set and the side gig you choose to pursue, working independently can offer significant monetary rewards.

For example, some of the highest paying gigs include artificial intelligence and deep learning, blockchain architecture and robotics, which all make over $70 an hour.

Variety of Work

Working in the gig economy gives professionals the opportunity to work on a broad spectrum of projects and clientele. Instead of working with one boss on a regular basis, your projects require you to juggle multiple clients and deadlines and often encourage your creativity. This gives gig workers the ability to enhance their skills and continue to stay current with the industry they work in.

If you enjoy tasks and projects that’ll challenge your creativity and problem-solving skills, the gig economy may be the best place to exercise your talents.

Working in the gig economy also gives you the ability to build your portfolio and resume. It allows you to connect with people you may not have otherwise connected with in your professional community. It opens the door to endless possibilities you may not have been aware were available.

Inexpensive Option for Businesses to Hire Talent

Many companies are seeking freelancers as an inexpensive alternative to full-time employees. This gives gig workers the opportunity to work with a variety of big companies without the commitment of a 9 – 5 position. Freelancers give companies fresh creativity and the ability to pay these gig workers what they’re worth.

Cons of Working in the Gig Economy

Even though working in the gig economy offers a lot of freedom and flexibility, it comes with a lot of hard work and responsibility. Here are some of the cons of working in the gig economy.

Lack of Benefits

Employer benefits are one of the reasons many professionals seek job security with a full-time position within organizations. Most companies provide health care, life insurance, company-sponsored retirement planning options and paid time off. When you work full-time in the gig economy, you’ll need to be creative when it comes to funding a health care plan or your savings for retirement.

Many freelance workers don’t get paid when they’re not working. So, if you plan to take a vacation, you’ll need to budget for the allotted time off. You will also have to pay your own taxes. When you work for a company, they’ll generally take care of tax payments, but when you work for yourself, you will have to set aside a portion of your income to pay Uncle Sam.

Working in the gig economy requires more responsibility and thought than working for an employer. With the freedom of freelance employment comes a lot of responsibility and a large commitment to taking your future into your own hands.

Inconsistent Income

Kevin Ha, side hustler and blogger at FinancialPanther.com, has spent the past few years partaking in almost every side hustle you can imagine. He shares, “Gig work comes with inconsistent income since you only get paid when you’re doing gigs. Unlike a traditional job where you’re guaranteed an hourly wage for the number of hours you work, gig work income is not guaranteed and can fluctuate up and down depending on how busy you are.”

Depending on the industry and gig, your income may vary throughout the year. It’s possible to find consistent clients, but you should be prepared for an inconsistent stream of income.

Burnout and Exhaustion

Brandon Ballweg, founder and editor of ComposeClick, says, “Working multiple gigs, such as Uber, Lyft, Amazon Flex, and Grubhub, can put wear and tear on your energy, car and lifestyle. You need to prioritize time off so you don’t suffer from burnout.”

If you work multiple gigs or have a full-time job and a side gig, you have to take the time to relax and refresh.

Limited Guidance

Ha continues, saying, “Since gig work is done on an independent contractor basis, you don’t have a boss or a company teaching you how to do your work efficiently. In many cases, you’re given instructions on how to use the apps or equipment and then essentially told to figure out the rest on your own.”

It’s up to you to succeed in the gig economy and to navigate your own path to success. You have to figure out the ins and outs of the industry you’re venturing into.

Takes Longer to Gain Experience

Because it may take you longer to build up your clientele or navigate the industry of your choice, it can take you longer to gain experience. For example, if you decide to become a freelance writer, it may take you a few years to find consistent clients. Whereas if you worked as a professional writer for a company, you would receive experience with each new assignment, and in turn would build your clientele. It may take you a little longer to achieve success when starting your side gig.

Increased Responsibility

Campbell says, “A lot of people get started in the gig economy looking to make a few hundred bucks a week but what they may not realize is that since you’re an independent contractor, you’re also now running your own business. So, in addition to the income you’re bringing in, you need to think about things like paying estimated taxes, tracking your mileage and expenses, insurance and more!”

How to Succeed in the Gig Economy

If you’re ready to make the leap into the gig economy, surround yourself with experts in the industry who can help you succeed. You want to reach out to people who understand what it takes to make it in the field. Through connecting and engaging with these professionals you will begin to build a community of people you can trust and ask for guidance. They may also be able to refer you to jobs or gigs that they no longer have time for.

Also, take the time to enhance your skills. For example, if you want to be a freelance writer, take writing classes to sharpen your talents. The better you become, the better paying gigs you may receive. Prioritizing value and continuing to network are both great ways to help you succeed in the gig economy.

Bottom Line

Working in the gig economy is a great way to earn extra cash or even create the career of your dreams. However, it requires a lot of work and responsibility to make it more than a part-time opportunity. Before you quit your job to become a ride share driver, make sure you understand what’s required of a full-time gig worker.

Do you work in the gig economy? If so, what is the best part about your side hustle? We want to hear from you! Please leave your comments below.

The post Gig Economy: Pros and Cons of Gig Work appeared first on ZING Blog by Quicken Loans.

from Updates About Loans https://www.quickenloans.com/blog/gig-economy-pros-cons-gig-work

0 notes

aaronsniderus · 6 years ago

Text

Gig Economy: Pros and Cons of Gig Work

Pros of Working in the Gig Economy

Flexibility

Alternative Career Choice

For example, some of the highest paying gigs include artificial intelligence and deep learning, blockchain architecture and robotics, which all make over $70 an hour.

Variety of Work

If you enjoy tasks and projects that’ll challenge your creativity and problem-solving skills, the gig economy may be the best place to exercise your talents.

Inexpensive Option for Businesses to Hire Talent

Cons of Working in the Gig Economy

Even though working in the gig economy offers a lot of freedom and flexibility, it comes with a lot of hard work and responsibility. Here are some of the cons of working in the gig economy.

Lack of Benefits

Inconsistent Income

Depending on the industry and gig, your income may vary throughout the year. It’s possible to find consistent clients, but you should be prepared for an inconsistent stream of income.

Burnout and Exhaustion

If you work multiple gigs or have a full-time job and a side gig, you have to take the time to relax and refresh.

Limited Guidance

It’s up to you to succeed in the gig economy and to navigate your own path to success. You have to figure out the ins and outs of the industry you’re venturing into.

Takes Longer to Gain Experience

Increased Responsibility

How to Succeed in the Gig Economy

Bottom Line

Do you work in the gig economy? If so, what is the best part about your side hustle? We want to hear from you! Please leave your comments below.

The post Gig Economy: Pros and Cons of Gig Work appeared first on ZING Blog by Quicken Loans.

from Updates About Loans https://www.quickenloans.com/blog/gig-economy-pros-cons-gig-work

0 notes

aaltjebarisca · 6 years ago

Text

Gig Economy: Pros and Cons of Gig Work

Pros of Working in the Gig Economy

Flexibility

Alternative Career Choice

For example, some of the highest paying gigs include artificial intelligence and deep learning, blockchain architecture and robotics, which all make over $70 an hour.

Variety of Work

If you enjoy tasks and projects that’ll challenge your creativity and problem-solving skills, the gig economy may be the best place to exercise your talents.

Inexpensive Option for Businesses to Hire Talent

Cons of Working in the Gig Economy

Even though working in the gig economy offers a lot of freedom and flexibility, it comes with a lot of hard work and responsibility. Here are some of the cons of working in the gig economy.

Lack of Benefits

Inconsistent Income

Depending on the industry and gig, your income may vary throughout the year. It’s possible to find consistent clients, but you should be prepared for an inconsistent stream of income.

Burnout and Exhaustion

If you work multiple gigs or have a full-time job and a side gig, you have to take the time to relax and refresh.

Limited Guidance

It’s up to you to succeed in the gig economy and to navigate your own path to success. You have to figure out the ins and outs of the industry you’re venturing into.

Takes Longer to Gain Experience

Increased Responsibility

How to Succeed in the Gig Economy

Bottom Line

Do you work in the gig economy? If so, what is the best part about your side hustle? We want to hear from you! Please leave your comments below.

The post Gig Economy: Pros and Cons of Gig Work appeared first on ZING Blog by Quicken Loans.

from Updates About Loans https://www.quickenloans.com/blog/gig-economy-pros-cons-gig-work

0 notes

heliosfinance · 7 years ago

Text

23 Ways To Earn Extra Cash For Christmas

We are officially in November and only seven weeks away from Christmas. Seven weeks! Can you believe it?!? I don’t know about you, but time seems to go much faster for me once the busyness of the holiday seasons hits. That means those seven weeks are going to be up before we know it. If you’ve yet to save anything for Christmas, you still have plenty of time to earn some Christmas spending money.

Whether you're trying to avoid more debt, save and earn to buy something bigger than usual, or do something unexpected for your family, now's the time to get to work! Here are 23 ways to earn extra cash for Christmas this year so that you can have the holiday season you want, not just the one you see on Instagram.

Quick Navigation

1. Teach English As A Second Language

2. Sell Study Guides

3. Fill Out Online Surveys

4. Become A Brand Ambassador

5. Fiverr

6. Agent Anything

7. Do Tasks On Amazon Mechanical Turk

8. Become A Website Tester

9. Participate In Medical Studies

10. Search The Web

11. Drive For Uber Or Lyft

12. Be A Task Rabbit

13. Become A Postmate

14. Sell Crafts On Etsy

15. Sell on eBay

16. Sell On Amazon

17. Write For Money

18. Become A Virtual Assistant

19. Babysit Or Housesit

20. Become A Dog Walker Or Dog Sitter

21. Hang Christmas Lights

22. Design Websites

23. Video Editing

Profit From Your Knowledge

If you excel academically in any one area you may be able to earn some extra cash from your knowledge with these ideas.

1. Teach English As A Second Language

Are you a native English speaker? Do you have a college degree? Even better, are you a teacher? If so, you can earn great money teaching English in your own home to foreign students online. You simply login at your given appointment, and teach! It's that easy. VIP Kid is a service that connects English speakers with those looking to learn. It can pay really well if you push yourself to teach often! Check out VIP Kid here.

2. Sell Study Guides

StudySoup is a site where students can buy other student’s notes, study guides, and even webinars. If you’ve been taking excellent notes and excel in any area academically you might want to try giving a shot at profiting from the work you’ve already done.

Perform Micro Tasks/ One-Off Jobs

These type of jobs are perfect for anyone who doesn’t want to feel tied down with a side job and wants a super flexible extra income schedule.

3. Fill Out Online Surveys

Online surveys aren’t going to make you oodles of money. But if you’re looking for something that is really easy, flexible, and won’t eat up much of your time, you may be able to earn a little pocket cash before Christmas rolls around.

Here are some survey sites to check out:

Survey Junkie - One of the best online survey sites that pays for filling out surveys.

Pinecone - You can earn $3 per survey you complete

Opinion Outpost - You can earn cash for filling out surveys

Swagbucks - You can get a $5 signup bonus for signing up here.

4. Become A Brand Ambassador

As a brand ambassador you can earn $15-$20 per hour by attending events on behalf of a company and passing out free items from the company. Melanie suggests to start your search by looking up “Brand Ambassadors (In Your City)” on Facebook.

We've also put together a list of brand ambassador jobs right here for you:

var options = { container : "zipsearch_container", jobs_per_page : '5', search: 'Brand Ambassador', }; zipsearch.init(options); .zr_job{border:1px solid #eee;padding:12px;margin-top:20px;margin-bottom:20px;box-shadow:1px 3px 4px 0 rgba(155, 155, 155, 0.2)}

5. Fiverr

Fiverr is a site where you can offer almost any service you can think of starting at $5. No matter what your skillset there’s a chance someone on Fiverr will want what you offer. After you land a few clients and receive high ratings you can then start increasing the price of your service. Check out Fiverr here.

6. Agent Anything

Agent Anything is a site that outsources small tasks but is tailored to local students. You can find a wide variety of tasks to perform at varying pay rates.

7. Do Tasks On Amazon Mechanical Turk

Mechanical Turk is a site set up by Amazon that allows users to perform “HITs” which are small micro tasks. While each task might not pay a lot many take only minutes to do. Here’s a list of HITS worth looking at. You can read our full guide to making money on Amazon Mechanical Turk here.

8. Become A Website Tester

Did you know that companies will pay you to test their website for usability? You can sign up with a place like UserTesting.com and earn up to $10 for each website you test. Most tests take less than a half an hour to do.

9. Participate In Medical Studies

You can contact the psychology department of your school to see if there are any medical studies you can participate in. This could earn you anywhere from hundreds to thousands. One of our friends did this for an experimental cast. He had to get his leg casted and wear the cast for a week. He was paid well over $1,000 for his time!

10. Search The Web

Two sites that I’ve uses for years to earn extra cash for Christmas are Swagbucks and Inbox Dollars. Both of these sites will award you points for searching the internet, filling out surveys, playing games and more. Inbox Dollars also has a feature where you can “read” emails for money. While neither of these sites will make you rich I easily earn a couple hundred from each throughout the year with very minimal effort. You can sign up for Swagbucks here. And you can get $5 from Inbox Dollars by going through THIS link. (Do note that you need to earn a minimum of $30 with Inbox Dollars to request payment.)

Driving Or Delivering

If you like to drive and have spare time these side jobs will suit you!

11. Drive For Uber Or Lyft

If you live in a city where on-demand ride shares are popular and you have a car you can drive for Uber in your spare time. We recently read how Sam from Financial Samurai was able to make $100/hour with Uber. And Harry at the Rideshare Guy regularly averages over $18/hour.

Plus, a lot of these sites offer cool bonuses!

Drive For Uber: Uber is the biggest company for ridesharing, and they offer bonuses from time to time. Get started driving for Uber here.

Drive For Lyft: Lyft is the #2 ridesharing company, but they are gaining ground. Right now, they are offering a $300 sign up bonus after you complete 100 rides. Sign up and get the bonus here.

Deliver For UberEATs: If you're unsure about having people in your car, what about delivering food? Try out driving for UberEATs and just deliver food. Sign up for UberEATs here.

12. Be A Task Rabbit

Task Rabbit is a place where you can find small errands and tasks to do for others in your area. These tasks can be all sorts of things including taking someone to the grocery store or even helping someone moving.

13. Become A Postmate

Postmates is a service will pay you up to $20 per hour to deliver food. You can check on their site to see if they need drivers in your area. Another similar company is DoorDash, which we just reviewed here.

Make Money Selling

If you’re good at finding deals, have a source for wholesale products, or are crafty enough to make your own products here are some selling ideas to try.

14. Sell Crafts On Etsy

If you make homemade products like crafts, candles, clothes, soaps, or jewelry you can set up an Etsy store and make your handmade items. You will need to market your business to draw customers into your store, but Etsy is huge during the holiday season.

Check out Etsy here and get started.

15. Sell on eBay

At one point Robert was making around $3,000 per month selling on eBay as a side business. He scoured garage and estate sales and bought the items he thought would bring a profit.

Every year, hot toys, consoles, and other things hit the store shelves. If you're savvy, you can spot these items, buy them early, and then resell them for huge profits on eBay as it gets closer to Christmas.

Get started on eBay here.

16. Sell On Amazon

Amazon’s FBA service has become quite popular with side hustlers and small business owners. With Amazon FBA you can send in products directly to Amazon (for a small fee) Amazon will store your inventory, ship when it’s purchased, and handle returns on your behalf. You, of course, will need to find a source of profitable products to make this work. I tried my hand at Amazon FBA this year and almost everything I sent in sold within a month.

Freelance Income Ideas

Freelance income is my favorite source of active income. As a freelancer you can turn your skills into a very profitable side business.

17. Write For Money

There are a ton of ways to earn money by writing. And the good thing is that once you find yourself some clients the income is pretty immediate. Here are 14 ideas to make money by writing. If you want to do this full time (or a big time side hustle), consider taking this class on how to get paid to write.

18. Become A Virtual Assistant

Virtual assistants do things like setting up appointments, editing blog posts, posting on social media and more. If you’re skilled in several areas and want a flexible side job that you can do from home, start contacting businesses who may need your help and pitch your services. You can also set up a profile on a place like UpWork, just don’t take less money than you’re worth.

Two areas that are booming right now for virtual assistants are proofreading and transcription services.

Many bloggers and authors leverage proofreaders to check their grammar and more. You can learn how to be a proofreader and find jobs here.

If you're a fan of podcasts, you've likely heard the term "show notes". Well, these are basically a transcription of the podcast. With the rise of video and audio shows, transcription services are at an all time high. Learn how to transcribe and get jobs here.

19. Babysit Or Housesit

Tried and true, babysitting and housesitting are known ways to earn some extra income. During holiday breaks when kids are out of school babysitting is more in demand. Plus, many parents will have work holiday parties, or simply will need a break! Take advantage and earn some extra money.

20. Become A Dog Walker Or Dog Sitter

While you wouldn’t traditionally think that dog walking or dog sitting is a profitable side business endeavor, it really can be. Especially in the colder fall and winter months. Many dog owners are willing to pay to have their pooch walked on a daily basis.

21. Hang Christmas Lights

Here’s an idea specific to Christmas – advertise a Christmas light hanging service on Facebook or Craigslist. Many busy and/or older people would love to decorate, but can't do it anymore. You can help them, and get paid for it!

22. Design Websites

If you’re good at graphic design you have a skill that is in demand. To make good money from your skill you just need to make sure you’re marketing your services to the right people.

23. Video Editing

If you have video editing skills put them to use and offer your services to those who need them. Video content is becoming increasingly popular on the internet and you could help everyone from small businesses to popular bloggers. Pick a market and pitch your services.

You Still Have Time to Earn Cash for Christmas

There are millions of way to earn extra income. If you took any some of these ideas and spend a few hours per week on them you should be able to earn enough cash to cover your Christmas expenses this year.

Also, remember, you can use a cashback credit card to earn extra cash on the gifts you'd normally be buying. I bring this up because some credit cards sweeten the deal right before the holiday season. Check out these top cashback credit cards to see if it makes sense.

Do you actively earn extra cash for Christmas or save all year?

The post 23 Ways To Earn Extra Cash For Christmas appeared first on The College Investor.

23 Ways To Earn Extra Cash For Christmas published first on http://ift.tt/2ljLF4B

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yes-dal456 · 8 years ago

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8 Ways To Save More Money In Retirement

If you’re getting close to retirement age, it’s perfectly normal to be excited. One day, you’ll hand in your resignation at work and begin counting down the hours (instead of the weeks or years) until you’re living life on your own terms. You’ve worked your entire life for this moment, so it’s only natural to look forward to this change with gratitude and enthusiasm.

But, if you’re like most Americans, there may be an issue. You may dream of restful mornings reading the newspaper and late night card sessions with friends, but that doesn’t mean your bank account agrees.

A recent study from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) showed that, as of last year, the average household nearing retirement (ages 56–61) had only $163,577 in retirement funds stashed away, while the median was only $17,000. This is a far cry from what most people will need to truly retire, at least if they hope to quit working completely.

8 Ways to Boost Your Income in Retirement

If you’re nearing retirement and finding the math doesn’t work out, it may be possible to find a semi-retirement solution that lets you leave your traditional job while earning money on the side. If you’re already retired, on the other hand, there are plenty of ways to boost your cash flow so you’re not struggling every month.

According to some of the top financial advisors I know, some of the best ways to create multiple income streams in retirement require nothing more than some skill and outside-of-the-box thinking.

Need more money in retirement? Here are some options to consider:

#1: Rent out your home — or a room — on AirBNB.

If you want to earn money in a non-traditional way and you live in an area with appeal for tourists, you could earn some side cash by renting out a room — or your entire property — on AirBNB.com. The best part about this strategy is that you get to set your rates and make all the rules. The downside is, you’ll occasionally deal with an upset renter or an issue that needs fixed during a stay.

New York-based financial advisor Joseph Carbone of the Social Security Teacher Blog says some of his retired clients have had especially good luck renting out their primary residence in certain locations.

“Many of them rent out their home for the whole summer,” says Carbone. “They use the rent they receive to pay their mortgage for the whole summer if they have one, or use the income to help supplement their retirement.”

While their house is being rented, they can slow travel through cheaper parts of the country, visit kids and grandchildren, and use their profits to pay for their summer travel expenses. Doing so helps them create cash flow without having a traditional job, which allows them to keep their retirement accounts intact longer.

#2: Drive for Uber.

During retirement, you’ve got greater flexibility to enjoy your time, run errands, and take in more of your surroundings. How about making your own hours to earn some extra cash as you go along?

“If you have a 2001 or newer model 4-door sedan and pass a vehicle inspection, you can make extra cash in retirement by becoming a driver for Uber,” says Anthony Montenegro, Founder of Blackmont Advisors and author at FinancialHealthGuide.com.

The average hourly earnings for an Uber driver is $19.04. That’s nearly 40 percent more than the $11.68 per hour median pay for taxi drivers and chauffeurs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“If you’re up for giving someone a ride to the mall, a park, or the airport, it’s a great way to earn as you go and maybe add an adventure along the way.”

#3: Participate in focus groups and surveys.

If you’re looking for ways to make easy money from your own home, it’s hard to beat focus groups and surveys. Dozens of websites will pay you to provide feedback on various consumer products and services, although the details on each can vary quite a bit.

“Sites like MySurvey.com and OpinionOutpost.com offer a good way to earn extra cash just by filling out surveys,” says Sacramento financial planner Grant Bledsoe. “And if you can find one, participating in a live focus group can earn you a few hundred dollars just for a few hours of your time.”

This may not lead to a huge income, but any extra money you can earn in retirement will certainly help. Best of all, these opportunities are easy to take advantage of at home, and in your spare time.

#4: Become an independent consultant.

If you loved your former career and have an established area of expertise, it’s possible to use that experience to build a part-time consulting gig. The best part about consulting is that you can usually work on your own time, do your work in whatever way suits your talents and skills, and charge as much money as the market will bear.

Depending on your former career and expertise, your knowledge may be in huge demand — even if you don’t realize it. The key is, you may never know until you break out on your own and try.

Also, “don’t be afraid to charge a premium price for you experience and expertise,” says Arizona financial planner Charles C. Scott. “Since you’re not on anyone’s payroll, companies don’t have to include all the employee benefits, so you could still look like a bargain to them.”

#5: Become a handyman (or handywoman).

If you worked in a blue-collar position before retirement, you may have honed some trade skills throughout the years. That could include a wide range of repairs around the home, odd jobs that can fill up your day, or any type of home maintenance work.

“Market your areas of expertise by word of mouth and let people know that you’re good at tasks such as painting, hanging shelves, installing drywall, etc.” says Cedar Rapids, Iowa financial planner Anthony Reynolds. “Additionally, you can search your local area for “odd jobs” and get an indication of what tasks people are willing to pay for.”

#6: Become an online freelancer or virtual assistant.

“Many retirees still have valid skills they can utilize to work as an online freelancer to generate an active income stream,” says California financial advisor Michael Frick of Promenade Advisors LLC.

The big difference in today’s world, however, is that there are a lot more opportunities to market yourself online. Websites like Upwork.com, Freelancer.com, and Fiverr.com allow in-demand freelancers with skills such as accounting, marketing, customer service, or copywriting to connect with potential clients around the globe.

“Freelancers can set their own rates for work, and they can decide whether they wish to select a particular project,” says Frick.

With the rise of professional bloggers, working as a virtual assistant has also become a popular option, notes Colorado financial advisor Matthew Jackson of Solid Wealth Advisors, LLC.

For the most part, these jobs require basic knowledge of web-based tools like email and Wordpress, along with ability and desire to learn new skills quickly. Most virtual assistants make at least $15 per hour working from home, but many charge a lot more.

#7: Teach a class.

Teaching a skill or hobby can be both fulfilling and profitable, and the opportunities may be more varied than you think.

“Skills that used to be considered commonplace might now be in great demand,” says Vancouver, WA financial planner Alex Whitehouse.

No matter what, don’t discount your “skill” as something no one wants to learn. Many talents that you learned are now lost arts — things like canning, quilting, or carpentry, for example. If you’re able to parlay old skills into a new course or class — either online or in-person — you could earn some serious side income.

#8: Pick up items at a discount, then resell them for profit online.

If you’re particularly knowledgeable about a specific type of used product — for example, antiques — you could make money buying at a discount and reselling with online websites like eBay.com.

There may be a learning curve to get started, but you could eventually hone your money-making skills with enough time and patience. And when it comes to finding discounted items to resell, it helps to know where to look.

“Shoes, vinyl records, stuffed animals, Carhartt overalls and novelty pint glasses are all items that I’ve seen picked up for next to nothing at garage sales, and sold at a profit on eBay,” says Minnesota financial advisor Jamie Pomeroy of Financial Gusto. “After a while, you’ll get a better feel for the hot selling items on eBay, and will be able to spot those at garage sales a mile away.”

While many retirees and future retirees are set for life, others need to earn some money to supplement their retirement funds, pensions, and social security payments. Fortunately, it’s now easier than ever to earn some extra cash without having to get a traditional part-time job or work for someone else.

It’s also more common than ever, says Texas financial planner Shane Sullivan of TheDedicatedInvetsor.com. According to Sullivan, one of his “retired clients” works at a golf course, another works part-time at her church, and another works as a fishing guide in his community. And, guess what? They’re all happier than ever.

The key to making work in retirement fulfilling, according to Sullivan, is for retirees to “find something they love.” And that might be the most important lesson of all — if you must work during retirement, you should strive to find something that’s fulfilling and fun.

This post was originally published on money.usnews.com

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

from http://ift.tt/2qYgyxV from Blogger http://ift.tt/2pC3OZb

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imreviewblog · 8 years ago

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8 Ways To Save More Money In Retirement

8 Ways to Boost Your Income in Retirement

According to some of the top financial advisors I know, some of the best ways to create multiple income streams in retirement require nothing more than some skill and outside-of-the-box thinking.

Need more money in retirement? Here are some options to consider:

#1: Rent out your home — or a room — on AirBNB.

#2: Drive for Uber.

During retirement, you’ve got greater flexibility to enjoy your time, run errands, and take in more of your surroundings. How about making your own hours to earn some extra cash as you go along?

“If you’re up for giving someone a ride to the mall, a park, or the airport, it’s a great way to earn as you go and maybe add an adventure along the way.”

#3: Participate in focus groups and surveys.

This may not lead to a huge income, but any extra money you can earn in retirement will certainly help. Best of all, these opportunities are easy to take advantage of at home, and in your spare time.

#4: Become an independent consultant.

Depending on your former career and expertise, your knowledge may be in huge demand — even if you don’t realize it. The key is, you may never know until you break out on your own and try.

#5: Become a handyman (or handywoman).

#6: Become an online freelancer or virtual assistant.

“Freelancers can set their own rates for work, and they can decide whether they wish to select a particular project,” says Frick.

With the rise of professional bloggers, working as a virtual assistant has also become a popular option, notes Colorado financial advisor Matthew Jackson of Solid Wealth Advisors, LLC.

#7: Teach a class.

Teaching a skill or hobby can be both fulfilling and profitable, and the opportunities may be more varied than you think.

“Skills that used to be considered commonplace might now be in great demand,” says Vancouver, WA financial planner Alex Whitehouse.

#8: Pick up items at a discount, then resell them for profit online.

If you’re particularly knowledgeable about a specific type of used product — for example, antiques — you could make money buying at a discount and reselling with online websites like eBay.com.

This post was originally published on money.usnews.com

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

from Healthy Living - The Huffington Post http://huff.to/2qYcrBX

#Healthy Living - The Huffington Post

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painless1099 · 8 years ago

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Spotlight: From the Inside

Typically, we use our Spotlight series to tell the stories of how our users have established themselves in the world of self-employment. This naturally led to us sharing a few of our own stories around the shop. After realizing we had some pretty unique stories of our own, it only seemed right to share them with you! To kick things off, I caught up with our CEO Ace to get the full story on his journey through self-employment and how that lead to helping freelancers with their taxes. From reffing soccer, to doing contract work with the US Army, to helping clients with brand-strategy and copy, to being a full-time entrepreneur; Ace has been around the (self-employed) block, to say the least.

Ace was self-employed well before he even realized it. The son of two entrepreneurs, working for himself kind of came naturally. At the age of 12, he was already collecting freelance cash through reffing soccer on the weekends. From the jump, he really like the dynamic of the work. “I never thought of it as being self-employed, it was just like ‘this is cool and I can do what I want, when I want to and make money.’”

It really hit him that he was self-employed when he turned 16 and started driving. “I was no longer relying on my mom to get to gigs so it really started to feel like I was doing my own thing.” Around the same time his friends started working more traditional jobs, is when it really started to set in that what he was doing was definitely different and surely suited for him. “While my buddies had set schedules at work, I was taking (and declining) jobs when I wanted to.” Which, he noted was his favorite part of being self-employed: autonomy. “The beauty of what we do is that you get to make the decision to work. If sticking to a 9-to-5 cadence [when self-employed] allows you to make money and connect with your folks, that’s awesome. If being flexible is your thing, picking and choosing when you work and when you play is awesome, too. If you decide to take a day off in the middle of the week because you picked your one night to go out, that’s also doable. Again, the beauty is being able to choose, which I really like.”

Early in college, Ace got the chance to work with the US Army on a contractual basis. In his words, he basically got to spend 2 weeks at a time in the woods “blowing shit up”. He fulfilled these contracts with some of his best friends, which built a sense of comradery. “Something I’ve learned to appreciate accross all of my contract work, is having folks around who you can commiserate and build rapport with.” He went on to mention that these relationships are most important when you hit “The Suck”. This refers to the reality that self-employment is hard, and going through some rough patches is pretty much inevitable. “Having other people who get it and can offer advice on how to make it through those tough times is super valuable.”

Towards the end of college, Ace began to utilize the skills he learned through the entrepreneurship program at VCU to help a few friends-turned-clients with some brand strategy work. The nature of these relationships allowed him to have overlap with some of his closest friends who were also getting into contract work, reiterating the importance of comradery in the world of self-employment. “Collaborating on this work was important because we were doing work for people who were both friends and clients. This leads to a pressure to deliver both professionally and personally. Working with people I trusted helped me to manage this pressure and provide solid deliverables.”

Another concept he picked up during this time was the idea of scheduling your day around the times when you get your best work done. “While working on my first business in school, I pulled a bunch of all-nighters and remember having a specific realization that I was getting really good work done during these hours. Over the years, I’ve been able to hone in on this concept and now make an effort to really schedule my day around it.” As a natural people person, Ace strategically schedules as many of his meetings and calls for the first half of the day. “Since working with people comes natural to me, I try to knock out all of my meetings and calls in the morning so I can focus on the most strenuous tasks - when I really have to devote brain power - when I’m most productive.” This frees up his afternoons so he can spend time catching up with emails and getting started on the days work. “Come 5pm, I’m really diving in and getting my best work done until about 1 or 2am.” A traditional 9-to-5 job would never allow Ace to take advantage of his most productive periods - another reason he loves self-employment.

As previously mentioned , Ace has been all over the self-employment spectrum. “Look, the way we think about work has shifted pretty drastically. More people are plugging in and doing things that move the needle because they’re passionate or they have a certain lifestyle they want to lead.” One thing that has remained true throughout each phase of his self-employed journey is the need to continuously get good work done. Choosing self-employment to have the freedom to pursue the life you’d life you’d like to lead comes with the responsibility of consistently delivering quality work that your clients are willing to pay for. The need to constantly optimize workflow and deliver quality work lead him and fellow co-founder Justin, to build Coffitivity, a tool that plays ambient coffeeshop sounds to help boost creativity. “We had to do really good work and Coffitivity was a tool that helped us do that.”

Like good entrepreneurs do, Ace and Justin made an effort to meet the folks that were using Coffitivity and found that many of them were also self-employed and feeling the similar pain points. “We asked Coffitivity users ‘If you could focus on the stuff that you love and do it full-time, what would someone need to be managing to enable you to do that?’” The answer they heard over and over was the financial aspect of being self-employed could be made more simple, particularly the tax portion. Around the same time, they experienced the pain of not having saved enough for self-employment taxes. Once again seeing an opportunity to optimize workflow in the world self-employment they built Painless1099, a tool that automates tax withholding for the self-employed.

As you can probably tell by now, Ace is no stranger to self-employment and is always game to chat about all things 1099. Hit him up on on twitter at @acecallwood.

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webbygraphic001 · 8 years ago

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The Fast Way from Freelance Designer to Design Firm

Picture it: New York City, 2010; you’re working full-time as a digital designer for one of the world’s largest advertising agencies. The paycheck is steady, the hours are (somewhat) flexible, and you really never have to take work home with you. To sweeten the pot, there are plenty of perks–free swag from clients and swanky company parties to enjoy. You take for granted the fact that you don’t need to worry about where the work is coming from. That’s someone else’s job.

You love your job and your co-workers, but something substantial is missing. Perhaps you are dissatisfied with what you are designing or, even more frustrating, you can’t take ownership over the end results. What is a talented, hard-working web professional to do?

…quitting your job to work for yourself is easier said than done and does require some planning

That was me a few years ago, before starting my creative digital agency, and something needed to change. In addition to the sentiments previously addressed, I wasn’t a huge fan of working typical office hours, especially at 8+ hours a day. Nor was I particularly loving the work I was doing. The only option for me was to make the jump into freelance.

I had it all planned out: I would quit my cushy full-time gig and start working with my own clients, as well as on my own web design blog. I’d control every aspect of the projects and would be able to have complete ownership over the end result. However, quitting your job to work for yourself is easier said than done and does require some planning.

Before I left the company, I needed an exit strategy. I wasn’t in a position to pull off a Jerry Maguire and just storm out. I wanted to make sure I actually had money to survive, so I could still do things (ya know, like, eat and pay rent). Before I left my job, I made a list of everything I needed to have in order before making the move to freelance. If you’re planning to make the leap, the following is essential:

Money: I made sure I had enough funds for the bare necessities to last at least 3-6 months. This way, if the work wasn’t coming in, I didn’t become homeless (which is always a plus). Do your best to plan your finances as far in advance as possible.

Clients: Over the years I’ve learned that it’s extremely important to network. Every job I’ve ever had, I made sure to leave with some connections. Whether it’s emails, phone numbers or LinkedIn connections. Upon my exit, I contacted all of these connections to let them know I was open for business. Make sure you keep in touch with your network, not only when starting a freelance business, but throughout your career.

Portfolio: probably the most important box to check was my portfolio. I wasn’t going to land new clients or temporary work if I couldn’t present my amazing skills. You may need to work some late nights or weekends, but make sure your website is on top of its game. Include all your best work, (you may need to get permission to use it), be personable, clients want to hire you, so promote yourself, include all your contact info and social media accounts.

Blog: one thing I really wanted to do was share my knowledge of web design and development. So, to me, maintaining a blog is mandatory. The idea of blogging about the industry that I loved and working on fun projects was the world to me. I can’t stress enough how important a blog is for your business. From freelancers to huge organizations, a blog will help drive traffic to your website and help your SEO. Also don’t be afraid to share your knowledge: guest post on other blogs and be active on social media.

Once I had some money saved, and my website and blog were looking great, I alerted everyone in my address book about my move to freelance. I resigned from my job and officially started as a freelancer. The newfound freedom was everything I hoped it would be. I was able to work on the projects of my choice, at my own pace. This meant more time with friends and family, as well as a nice amount of time spent on the couch with my laptop, in my PJs. Life was good.

Full Circle

The freelance life was great, and if you’re looking for more free time while working on the projects you love, you’ll be hard pressed to find the downsides. You will gain your freedom and the ability to accept or decline new clients as you see fit. However, the more I blogged and published the designs I was creating, the more clients came knocking. It was all the success I had hoped for, and I was in high demand.

There came a point where I was turning down work left and right. I had my free time and I wasn’t going broke. However, the downside to all this freedom had begun to reveal itself in the very perk I had always wanted: I was spending too much time at home. In addition, I began to wonder what would happen if I took on more work, hired some help, and really tried to build this freelance business into more of a small agency or studio. I was excited to see how this could grow.

If I took on all of the projects I was turning down, I would have more funds to allocate to projects and in turn, produce bigger and better websites. I decided to slowly move towards creating a consulting business. I didn’t just want to work from home, I wanted a team, an office space, and to actually leave the house.

Once again, I created a short list of mandatory boxes to check before officially making the leap to a consulting business.

Register your name: If you want to start your own agency or business, you’ll need a name, I chose Avex Designs, and registered an LLC. There are a few options for you here, but I felt an LLC was best for me. Depending on your situation and geographic location, another option might be best for you. I used Legal Zoom to get registered and it was around $800. Sounds expensive but once your LLC or business entity is setup, you’ll be able to set up a bank account and start accepting payments under your company name. Which is a huge plus. You can also take advantage of tax breaks as well, depending on where you live.

Office space: You can continue to work from home if you’d like, but I wanted that NYC address and I really needed a space of my own. That is where a shared office space came in. It was affordable and offered all of the amenities that I needed. The space was all inclusive with wifi, conference rooms, beer, coffee and a great location.

Employees: Now that I had an office space, I needed some employees to help take on the work load. I actually hired a close friend who was a designer, so it was an easy choice for me. However, as we started to staff up and bring on more employees, I used services such as Indeed and Krop to find amazing talent.

Wearing many hats

When making the jump from an employee to freelancer and then to an agency founder, you really start to take on various roles. I wasn’t just designing and developing anymore. Some roles I took on when first starting my agency—and continue to take on—were:

Project manager

Accountant

Creative director

Human Resources

SEO specialist

Salesman

Account manager

And more…

When you start your own agency, the first few years are going to be rough. Not only are you responsible for your livelihood, but also your employees. As a freelancer, I only had to worry about myself and occasionally where the next project was coming from. When you’re running an agency, the number one thing keeping your dream alive is revenue. As with any start up, money is what’s needed to pay the bills, payroll, and of course, pay yourself.

Lastly, if you’re looking to make that jump from a freelancer to building your own agency, there are a few things you may have to give up. Expect there to be less time to focus on implementing actual designs and understand you are taking upon more of a managerial role. Personally, I still get plenty of gratification from overseeing projects and providing creative direction. However, many will not find that as fulfilling, and that is part of discovering your personal journey. Working as a freelancer were some of my least stressful days by far. On the other hand, if you desire to build something bigger and you have the drive to actually implement that dream, you can gradually make the leap. Build your business organically, network, hire employees only when needed and most importantly, make sure your new venture is fulfilling.

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heliosfinance · 7 years ago

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23 Ways To Earn Extra Cash For Christmas

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1. Teach English As A Second Language

2. Sell Study Guides

3. Fill Out Online Surveys

4. Become A Brand Ambassador

5. Fiverr

6. Agent Anything

7. Do Tasks On Amazon Mechanical Turk

8. Become A Website Tester

9. Participate In Medical Studies

10. Search The Web

11. Drive For Uber Or Lyft

12. Be A Task Rabbit

13. Become A Postmate

14. Sell Crafts On Etsy

15. Sell on eBay

16. Sell On Amazon

17. Write For Money

18. Become A Virtual Assistant

19. Babysit Or Housesit

20. Become A Dog Walker Or Dog Sitter

21. Hang Christmas Lights

22. Design Websites

23. Video Editing

Profit From Your Knowledge

If you excel academically in any one area you may be able to earn some extra cash from your knowledge with these ideas.

1. Teach English As A Second Language

2. Sell Study Guides

Perform Micro Tasks/ One-Off Jobs

These type of jobs are perfect for anyone who doesn’t want to feel tied down with a side job and wants a super flexible extra income schedule.

3. Fill Out Online Surveys

Here are some survey sites to check out:

Survey Junkie - One of the best online survey sites that pays for filling out surveys.

Pinecone - You can earn $3 per survey you complete

Opinion Outpost - You can earn cash for filling out surveys

Swagbucks - You can get a $5 signup bonus for signing up here.

4. Become A Brand Ambassador

We've also put together a list of brand ambassador jobs right here for you:

5. Fiverr

6. Agent Anything

Agent Anything is a site that outsources small tasks but is tailored to local students. You can find a wide variety of tasks to perform at varying pay rates.

7. Do Tasks On Amazon Mechanical Turk

8. Become A Website Tester

9. Participate In Medical Studies

10. Search The Web

Driving Or Delivering

If you like to drive and have spare time these side jobs will suit you!

11. Drive For Uber Or Lyft

Plus, a lot of these sites offer cool bonuses!

Drive For Uber: Uber is the biggest company for ridesharing, and they offer bonuses from time to time. Get started driving for Uber here.

Drive For Lyft: Lyft is the #2 ridesharing company, but they are gaining ground. Right now, they are offering a $300 sign up bonus after you complete 100 rides. Sign up and get the bonus here.

Deliver For UberEATs: If you're unsure about having people in your car, what about delivering food? Try out driving for UberEATs and just deliver food. Sign up for UberEATs here.

12. Be A Task Rabbit

13. Become A Postmate

Make Money Selling

If you’re good at finding deals, have a source for wholesale products, or are crafty enough to make your own products here are some selling ideas to try.

14. Sell Crafts On Etsy

Check out Etsy here and get started.

15. Sell on eBay

At one point Robert was making around $3,000 per month selling on eBay as a side business. He scoured garage and estate sales and bought the items he thought would bring a profit.

Get started on eBay here.

16. Sell On Amazon

Freelance Income Ideas

Freelance income is my favorite source of active income. As a freelancer you can turn your skills into a very profitable side business.

17. Write For Money

18. Become A Virtual Assistant

Two areas that are booming right now for virtual assistants are proofreading and transcription services.

Many bloggers and authors leverage proofreaders to check their grammar and more. You can learn how to be a proofreader and find jobs here.

19. Babysit Or Housesit

20. Become A Dog Walker Or Dog Sitter

21. Hang Christmas Lights

22. Design Websites

If you’re good at graphic design you have a skill that is in demand. To make good money from your skill you just need to make sure you’re marketing your services to the right people.

23. Video Editing

You Still Have Time to Earn Cash for Christmas

Do you actively earn extra cash for Christmas or save all year?

The post 23 Ways To Earn Extra Cash For Christmas appeared first on The College Investor.

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