The following post is contributed by Martin of Studenomics, where he tries to make personal finance fun since you have enough to stress about. You can click here to check out the wide range of content on everything from student loans to getting paid to drink coffee.
“This is the best time to be alive.”
“What are we supposed to do now? This sucks! I don’t feel like doing anything.”
I’ve uttered both of these same statements within the same hour at times. I go from existential dread to enthusiastic optimism in seconds.
2020 was one of the most interesting years ever. Many businesses struggled and entire industries were completely wiped out. We lost loved ones and many had to suffer from this terrible virus.
Who knows when we’ll ever go back to normal. We can’t assume that our jobs will return or that life will go back to normal.
This is why it’s important to find ways to make more money. How can you make more money in 2021?
“I have no idea what I’m going to do.”
When this whole pandemic began, I confessed to a friend that I didn’t know what to do. My tenant left my rental property, my Airbnb Experience was taken away from me, and I saw my investments dwindling. I thought that I was going to lose everything. It was a really humbling feeling. I felt lost and confused. The news never made things better. You thought that you were going to instantly die if you left your home.
I wasn’t sure of what I was going to do. I wasn’t ready for any of this.
After almost a year, we have to accept that this is the new reality for now. This may go on for at least another year depending on when you read this article.
I certainly don’t like it. I’m a social guy and I miss my coffee crawls. I would like things to return to normal. I know that they won’t for a long time so it’s important to look for ways to make the most out of this chaos instead of getting caught up in it.
Let’s look at different ways to get paid to ensure that you make more money this year.
Go where the demand is now.
Demand has shifted in the last year and we have to accept this. Anything with travel or in-person events is pretty much non-existent. Live events are gone and who knows when they’ll return. I can’t do my coffee crawls. You can’t even assume that in-person events (conferences, parties, and anything along those lines) will return at all in 2021.
You have to go where the demand is with the current health concerns and working situations.
You don’t have many gatherings, but you do have people bored at home looking for things to do and for distractions to stay entertained.
There’s lots of demand for the following:
- Construction-related work. Can you build things? Are you handy at all? There’s lots of money in this field since most people are at home 24/7 and they want to make this as comfortable as possible.
- Online coaching. Can you teach something? Can you offer any coaching? We need accountability and coaching more than ever.
- Delivering food/alcohol. This isn’t the most glamorous work, but it pays and people have been relying on delivery services. You can make a few extra bucks by delivering items.
- Anything that you can do online. This should be an eye-opener that you need to go digital with your offering or whatever you’re working on. The entire world is online and you should be joining in.
You have to go where the money is sometimes. There’s not much that we can control these days. Fortunately, there’s still a lot that we can control. Hopefully, the world will go back to normal, but we have to be realistic about the current state of affairs.
How do you look for what’s in demand?
I’ve come to accept that things are changing at an alarming rate. By the time you read this, everything may be upside down all over again. The trick is to try to stand on top of trends and to accept the situation instead of getting angry about it.
Learn how to use social media.
Are you on social media? Do you know how to use social media?
This would be the perfect time to learn how to use social media. We have to accept that social media isn’t going anywhere and that all eyes are on social media. Every single person that you know is on at least one platform. Most people are on about 5 different platforms (just a rough guess based on how bored everyone is).
What are the benefits of learning how to use social media?
- You can make money as a social media manager.
- You can make money with your own account.
- Most people suck at social media so you’ll stick out.
- You reach a new audience.
- You can build an audience.
- It’s easy to perform market research.
- It can be a productive hobby.
How do you learn how to use social media?
- Pick one platform that you believe you can grow on.
- Test out the features.
- Stay on top of the new updates.
- Follow industry leaders and observe what they do.
- Apply what you learn. You have to be applying what you learn to see if it works.
- Grow your account. You have to be consistent and entertaining to grow a social media page.
- Interact with people.
- Treat social media like a business tool.
What are the best social media platforms to be on right now?
- Instagram. You can have so much fun with the different features ranging from reels to stories. This is the most interactive and enjoyable platform for me.
- Facebook. Facebook wins when it comes to numbers. Everyone seems to have a Facebook account these days.
- Twitter. You can share your best ideas on here and attempt to get noticed.
- Pinterest. A very visual platform.
- Tik Tok. You may have some fun creating silly videos on here.
Please note, that social media platforms will depend on your skillset too. Some people love to write, some enjoy being in front of the camera, and others can make wonderful graphics.
Should you be on every social media platform?
NOPE.
DO NOT TRY TO GROW ON EVERY SINGLE PLATFORM AT ONCE.
This won’t work out well for you. You’ll just feel overwhelmed and exhausted. You’ll get frustrated and give up. You’ll then curse me for even suggesting that you get on social media.
Social media can be a waste of time if you let it be. Social media can also be a business tool that you use to spread your message, grow an audience, and make some money. It all depends on how you use this tool.
How to not waste your time on social media:
- Don’t respond to everything.
- Unfollow/mute negative people.
- Focus on creating.
- Don’t worry about Z-list reality show celebrities.
Teach what you know.
There will always be money to be made in some sort of teaching and coaching.
Do you have any unique skills that you could teach to others?
You’re probably thinking that you don’t possess any unique skills. That’s okay. You don’t have to be an Olympic athlete or professional athlete to coach others.
Here are examples of unique skills that could be taught for profit:
- Teaching a language that you speak well (this includes English).
- Any instrument that you can play.
- Anything that’s quirky.
- Anything that’s remotely interesting.
I met some interesting characters in the park this summer. One gentleman teaches people how to do a proper handstand. Another guy does archery on a slackline. This is the best time in history to profit from your unique interests.
How should you start with making money?
All of these ideas are great, but you’re still wondering about how you’re going to make money.
Here’s what I would do to get started right now…
You need a system.
It’s important that you create some sort of system that allows you to make money and collect money.
Here are a few things to think about when it comes to getting paid:
- Who will pay you?
- How will they pay you?
- Where will the money come from?
- How will you collect the money?
The good news is that if you provide services on an established platform (Etsy, Airbnb Experiences, Fiverr, Amazon Kindle, etc.), they do all of the work for you from finding clients to collecting money.
You have to launch one thing and focus.
You can’t jump around from idea to idea. You can’t read another book looking for inspiration. You have to act now. Success loves speed so you can’t be putting this off any longer.
If you can focus right now, then you can really set yourself up for success. See one idea all the way through. Grow that YouTube channel, start that Etsy shop, or start that coaching business.
How are you going to make money in 2021? Let us know in the comments.
