Times are tough – still – and the prospect of profiting in the midst of a stagnant economy with unemployment hovering around 10% nationally seems slim indeed. Where are the career jobs to be found? The ones like dad and grandad used to have featuring a solid eight hour work day and a nice pension when you’re done? In today’s business climate, those bygone ideals seem almost whimsical. From a completely subjective point-of-view, we at Solomon Success have noticed that even though full time positions might seem to be on the decline, part time endeavors are booming.
Maybe it’s time to consider turning yourself into a part-time business. Unless you’re much younger than we are, chances are you’ve had enough seasoning in this life to develop a skill or two, one which there’s a good chance someone might pay you to do for them. Can you cook, write, pour concrete, take pictures, build cabinets, repair cars, or speak a different language? If so, you now have a jumping off point to launch a successful part-time business.
Sometimes trying to figure out whether you have a skill or not is like pulling teeth. We tend to downplay or develop an outright case of amnesia when it comes to accounting for what we’ve done in this life. Think of all the jobs you’ve had, your hobbies, or the topics you obsessively return to when spare time is available. There’s a good chance that someone, somewhere will pay you for that skill/talent/service.
The next issue is finding time to develop a part-time business if you’re already working full-time elsewhere and have a family or significant other that often makes unreasonable demands like spending at least a few daily minutes with them on a quality basis. Unless you will swear on a stack of bibles that there is not a single second wasted in your day, we have a handful of ideas that will clear time for extracurricular employment pursuits.
How about:
1. Give up television
2. Rise an hour earlier in the morning
3. Stop staring into space so much unless you’re really thinking
4. Learn to accomplish tasks in short five to ten minute bursts of effort
Of course, we do realize that nothing offered here is rocket science or a mystery to the average person. If you have to be convinced that there is spare time in your day if you look for it, chances are you spend a little too much time worshiping at the altar of the idiot box, and if that’s the case, you’ve got far larger issues to deal with in life than finding time to mow lawns for extra cash.
Good luck!
The Solomon Success Team
Flickr / Robert Couse-Baker