So what is it that I have been doing to generate an
income? Well, for years I have worked
for a small air conditioning company.
The owner has been semi retired for years. He made enough money to support himself, but
it did not provide me with a living wage.
I got good enough to where the owner allowed me to work under his
license, but I was told to "stay under the radar." I could do work for friends and family, but I
couldn't "advertise." I still
don't advertise, but my "circle of friends" has grown.
But still it doesn't provide a living wage, but it's more
than it was. I'll get back to the AC
business in a future post. Big things
may be about to happen and I don't want to jinx anything by talking about it
publically... yet.
I also use all of my previous experience and work as a
handyman, a photographer, a mobile disc jockey, and basically anything for a
buck. But in these trying economic
times, now I will do anything for TWO bucks.
I'll be covering some of the other "anything for two buck"
ventures in future posts. But you'll be
amazed at the different ways one can earn money.
There are those who say you have to
"specialize." To them I say
POPPYCOCK. Unless you are either VERY
good, live in a LARGE market, or have a HUGE customer base, you probably can't
make enough money to live on if you specialize.
There was a time when I was making nice money. I was DJing bars and private parties, doing
assembly work for several discount stores in the area, a little bit of
photography (enough to buy a few new toys,) and a few odd jobs on the
side. Life was good. So I decided to take the advice of those who
say to "focus."
Then the bottom fell out of the DJ business. The anti drunk driving campaign hurt the bar
business in my area, and kids were coming into the business offering to
"play all night for $100."
Granted, that was what I made on my bar gigs, but they were offering to
do weddings and private parties at the same low rate. At that time, I was making over $100 an hour
for my basic package. Some would say:
"Just ride it out." Their
thinking was that they would soon fall out of the business and life would again
be good. The problem is that in a
situation like that, you can't live AND maintain your equipment AND keep your
music library updated if you aren't getting the business. It was then that the trouble began, so I
doubt I will ever "specialize" again.
I also say poppycock to those who say: "Do what you
love and the money will come." I
don't have any statistics to back this up, but I think that philosophy fails
more than it succeeds. What if someone
LOVES snorting coke and watching porn? I
don't think money will come from that.
In fact, those two loves are losing propositions. I know that's an extreme example, but it
makes the point. How about something a
little less extreme and unhealthy.
Suppose someone likes drinking coffee and watching television? I'm sure there is SOMEONE out there who gets
paid to do just that, but there probably aren't a lot of job openings.
Next time, I'll talk about a few ways to get more work when
you are a self employed individual.
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