Category: Uncategorized

  • What Is the Best Side Hustle for Retirees?

    The best side hustle for you will depend on your skills, interests, financial needs, physical health and energy, and available time and equipment. For instance, if you have a chunk of free time and a car at your disposal, you might drive a rideshare, such as Uber. If you have deep knowledge on a certain topic, you might become a consultant.

    Before you jump into the first side hustle opportunity that comes your way, consider your goals and skill set.  What you want from your new part-time job.  Knowing your goal—whether it’s increasing your retirement income, staying active, or pursuing a passion—will help inform your choice.

    If your primary objective is to earn additional income to keep up with your living expenses, look for the most lucrative side hustle, leveraging any high-demand skills or assets you may have. On the other hand, if you want to stay active and fill your spare time, find jobs that interest you and the extra cash will be a bonus.

    Don’t overcommit.  When you find a side hustle that excites you, it can be tempting to overcommit, but you should do your best to avoid burnout and stress, especially while you’re establishing your retirement routine. Roles that offer more flexibility and fewer demands than a full-time job can help you strike the right work-life balance for your retirement transition.

    The best side hustles for seniors (and retirees of any age) are ones that fit your lifestyle and needs. What works for someone else might not make sense for you, but here are some things to think through: 

    • Schedule flexibility: Some side hustles for retirees require only a few hours a week or occasional weekend work. Others demand more consistent time. Find what works for how you want to spend your days. 
    • Pay vs. startup costs: A side hustle can provide helpful income, but earnings vary widely depending on the gig and how often you work. Consider this alongside any potential upfront costs to make sure the work is worthwhile. 
    • Nature of the work: Some retiree-friendly side hustles involve in-person work, while others can be done remotely. If long commutes or physically demanding tasks are a concern, remote or desk-based gigs may be a better fit. 
    • Your skills: Building on skills you already have can make it easier to get started. At the same time, learning new skills can expand your options and keep you mentally engaged. 
    • Risk and predictability: The best side jobs for retirees tend to be steady and low risk. While no gig comes with guarantees, you should feel comfortable with how consistent the work is likely to be. 

    Whatever side hustle you choose should feel rewarding and manageable.  With high gas prices and cooler weather on the way, we’ll explore working online and/or from home in the next blog.

  • What Motivates You to Work?

    Although some individuals do volunteer work, for most people money is a universal motivator. However, besides money, there are many additional motivators or reasons why we work and we may not even be completely aware of what motivates us.  If you are seeking to develop an encore career, start a small business, begin a senior side hustle, accessing your motivators may help in your decision making and success.

    The first time you read this list of motivators and the examples of behaviors common to this motivator, you will probably select five to ten of these 30 motivators as describing you.  Reviewing your list again, perhaps reviewing it several times and reviewing your work history and your ideas or dreams for your next potential opportunity, reduce your list to your top five motivators that will be essential in your next endeavor.  If you discover that identifying your top five motivators is difficult or confusing, you may want to discuss this exercise with someone who knows you well.

    This following list of motivators are not ranked by importance or popularity; they are listed in alphabetical order.  

    1             Accomplishments   

    • Do you feel proud when you use your education, technical training, experience, or special skills in your work?
    • Do you feel a sense of completion when you finish a work-related task or project?
    • Do you like undertaking expert tasks or special projects?

    #2          Action  

    • Do you like work assignments that are high risk or give you an adrenaline rush?
    • Do you enjoy being constantly on the go, living with tight deadlines?
    • Do you like the buzz of a busy environment?
    (more…)

  • Is a Side Hustle a Business?   Or Welcome to Tax Season 2026!

    A side hustle can be a business.  You may not see your side hustle as a business, but according to the IRS your side hustle becomes a business once you’re consistently earning income with the intent to make a profit.   The IRS doesn’t care if you call it a hustle, a gig or a hobby—they care if you’re making money and reporting it properly.  If your side hustle just supplements your main income, it is not a business, but you may owe income taxes.

    The Freelance, Gig-based Side Hustle

    Side hustles typically are freelance, gig-based, flexible, easily started and stopped.  You directly trade your time for money (e.g. driving for a rideshare, pet sitting gigs supplied by Rover) to supplement your main income.  Your side hustle is not based on making a profit, it’s basically a temporary “job”.  You do need to state this income on your Form 1040.  If you worked for an agency or business, you and IRS will most likely receive some type of 1099 form stating your income.

    (more…)

  • Side Hustles You Can Start from HOME with Limited Money – Part One     

    Why start a side hustle?  The obvious answer is to earn extra money and that may be the only reason that you want to take on extra work.  The end of unemployment compensation, wanting to purchase a house, concern about retirement savings, the current state of the economy could be your motivation.  But if you have a job and family responsibilities, you want to pick a side hustle that you can do from home on your computer.

    And there can be more to it than a need for income.  You may have developed a skill or talent that you want to share and get paid for; you are wondering if you would find another industry more fulfilling, but you are not ready to leave your current career at this time; you already own a small business and your income is unpredictable.  Flexibility and low entry cost is what you are seeking.  

    (more…)

  • The Halfpreneur Returns Again!

    Since I wrote What is a Halfpreneur almost 13 years ago, what besides my age and the world have changed?  Well, the word “side hustle” is the term that most people now use to encompass the many ways of earning money from participation in anything from the gig economy to starting a business.  However, Professionals often use the term “gig”, which supposedly sounds more professional.  Seniors may not use the word hustle but simply call their work part-time or per diem jobs.  Technology and social media have brought into being some new hustles and research indicates that having two or more side hustles has become increasingly common and that this trend will likely continue to increase across the working life span. 

    Demographics

    As might be expected, the younger generations are more likely to have side hustles, including more than half (53 percent) of Generation Z (ages 18 to 26) and 50 percent of millennials (ages 27 to 42), compared to 40 percent of Gen X (ages 43 to 58) and 24 percent of Boomers (ages 59 to 79).   However, side hustles can lead to starting a small business and the 45 to 55 age group is biggest age group starting businesses in the U.S. today, at 39 percent, with the 55 to 65 age group following closely behind at 38 percent.

    (more…)

  • How To Make Money From Home: 80 Ideas

    This information comes from Robert Farrington / the college investor at: https://thecollegeinvestor.com/22720/make-money-from-home/

    Clicking on any of the ideas will bring up the information on all of them.  I have doubts about some of the income potentials that he lists, and I suggest you do additional research before starting any of them.   A couple of paragraphs is not enough to adequately describe how to earn money on these endeavors or the problem you may face.   For instance, blogs need to have advertisers or merchandise for sale, zoning laws may prevent you from having yoga classes in your garage or doggy daycare on your property. Anyone can call themselves a coach, using Udemy a 10-hour course may provide you with a certification, but all you have is information and handouts.  Little or nothing is said about the listening skills and powerful questions that credentialed coaches use.

    If you are looking to make some money though, you can certainly use this list to jump start your own creativity.

    80 Ways To Make Money From Home

    1. Take Online Surveys And Share Your Opinion

    2. Start A Blog

    3. Get Paid To Complete Online Tasks

    4. Become A Website Tester

    5. Become A Product Tester

    6. Create Video Reviews

    7. Freelance Writing

    8. Virtual Assistant

    9. Graphic Design

    10. Social Media And Paid Advertising Management

    11. Website Management

    12. Online Proofreading

    (more…)

  • Start a Part Time Business Without Really Starting a Business – Direct Selling

    So what if you want to start a part-time business but you don’t really want to do the work of actually starting a business.  Maybe you want a business, but you are not sure you have what it takes.  You think that you would enjoy selling something that you believed in, but what if you did not?

    Consider joining the 15.6 million Americans who have turned to direct selling for part-time income or even as a full-time career.   Why is direct selling so popular?  Besides providing you with a product and training,  surveys indicate that most consultants choose direct selling because it’s uniquely flexible. You can:

    • be your own boss
    • set your own hours
    • work around other priorities such as providing care for children or aging family members
    • begin with a very limited investment and it is one of the few work ventures where women earn dollar for dollar what men earn
    • drop out easily, if you discover that it is not for you.

    Since direct selling is easy to enter and leave, it is an excellent choice for the halfpreneur that is exploring their options or the reluctant halfpreneurs – those who feel a need to start a business not because they really want to be in business but they need extra cash and/or there is some obstacle to finding another job.  For instance, you only want to be in business:

    • to bring in some extra money to afford a vacation or to pay down some debt
    • because it is a flexible way of providing income while you care for family members
    • while you are unemployed, so there will be no gaps on your resume
    • for something fun to do while you ease into retirement
    • to meet new and interesting people

    If you’re interested in finding a direct selling organization to be a part of, the best places to start are the Direct Selling Association’s website and  DirectSelling411.com.   http://www.directselling411.com/forms/CompanyFormPublicMembers/  provides information on the companies that sell specific products and services.  Direct selling is no longer just cosmetics and vitamins.   There are real estate services, educational services, home appliances, telecommunication,  craft supplies, and wine – to name a few.  But it is important to like the products you’re selling, and find a company that can give you a solid support system for a fast, smooth start.

    For more information you can take a look at:

    http://www.womansday.com/life/saving-money/9-ways-to-make-money-at-home-116635

    http://companies.directsalesaid.com/

    http://www.thebestbusinesstoday.com/top-direct-selling-companies-in-the-world-for-2013/

    http://www.butleradvisors.com/blog/2012/10/8/7-direct-selling-companies-for-men.html

    http://directsalesopportunities.net/for-men

    http://work-at-home.findthebest.com/

    http://directsellingnews.com/index.php/view/dsn_global_100_the_top_direct_selling_companies_in_the_world/P6#.Uf_8MY03sfg

    Today Direct Selling is for those who are youngdirectselling-opportunity

     

     

     

     

     

    and everyone.411 direct selling

  • Tame Your Email Monster

    Email Monster
    Email Monster

    Is the Email Monster one of your business problems?  How much time do you spend reading and responding to – or simply deleting – emails? How much unread email currently clutters your inbox? If you’re like most entrepreneurs, the answer (in both cases) is far too much!

    In fact, if you were brave enough to actually time yourself, you’d very likely find you spend two or even three hours each and every day just dealing with email. No wonder you feel like you don’t get anything done. You need some strategies for building an email system that will tame the monster.

    Auto-File Your “To Read” Emails

    We all do it. We open an email, realize it’s a newsletter we love, an important announcement, or information about an upcoming event, and we close it with a well-intentioned, “I’ll read that later.” The trouble is, when later comes, we either can’t find the email, or don’t even remember that we wanted to read it.

    What if you had a folder on your computer where all your “to be read” emails waited just for you to come by and discover them again? How empty would your inbox be then? Through the power of filters and folders, just about any email client can take care of this task for you.

    Simply set up a folder called “To Read” or something else equally clever, then create an email rule or filter (as Gmail calls them) to deliver certain messages to that folder when they come in. Make a rule for your favorite online newsletter, email from your college alumni association, your local chamber of commerce, or even your sister.

    But here’s the trick to it: You have to actually schedule time to go and read these emails. Don’t let them just pile up in there, because all that does is move the problem from your inbox to your “to read” folder. Make time to read them, then respond, file, or trash accordingly.

    Turn off Notifications

    Are you easily distracted by email? You’re not alone. That little red number declaring the number of unread emails, or the pretty little chime that announces the arrival of a new message is an invitation to click over and see what’s new.

    Turn it off. In fact, turn off the automatic checking for email if you can. That way you can purposefully decide when to go read your email, rather than being notified of a new message every 5 minutes.

    Unsubscribe

    Chances are you’re on multiple mailing lists – and most of them you probably never read.

    Click the unsubscribe button. Be ruthless. You can always sign up again if you miss the content, but for now, eliminating those emails from your inbox will save you a lot of time and trouble.

    Email Ninja
    Email Ninja

    Getting a handle on email is one of the toughest things for busy small business owners, but with a little planning and some self-discipline, you can start using email as the powerful tool it is.  As a email ninja your old monster will no longer be stealing much of your time.

  • Happy Labor Day

    1880's

    By the 1880’s life in the United States was changing from agrarian and small town to industrial and urban.   Some farmers were the original “halfpreneurs” doing both farming and running a small business (making carriage wheels, barrels, rope, from their barn or house.  In the small towns and cities, most business were run by one person or a family, things were changing.    With the growth of the industrial revolution came factories, and  a need for workers to run the machines, fix the machines, build the factories, build the roads for workers and materials to get to and from the factories.  Manufactured goods meant for the first time ever the ordinary person might buy all the premade clothes or shoes they could afford.  The day when only the self-employed tailor or shoe-makers could outfit you had come to an end.  Of course the need for a skilled tailor or cobbler never went away, but if you need one today, they might be difficult to find.  In the 1880s organized labor began to call for a holiday to celebrate the work of U.S. workers.  In 1894, Congress declared Labor Day, a national holiday.

    Consultant, picture image

    But if you are reading this blog, you probably have some type of small business of your own or want to start one.  The U.S. laborer working for organized labor certainly contributed to the building of this country, but so didn’t the village shop owner or crafts person .  So if you are one of their successors (or want to be) with your online goods or services  or a craft or service you provide from home or “office”  don’t forget to celebrate your labors as well for you may have discovered what the “employed” have never considered or taken seriously.

    ” Your real security is yourself.  You know you can do it, and they can’t ever take that away from you.”   — Mae West

    “People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are.  The people who get on in this world are those who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can’t find them, make them.”     — George Bernard Shaw

    “No amount of money, no matter how much it is, will ever compensate you sufficiently for remaining in a job that is drudgery and robs you of your spirit, or one that prevents you from fulfilling a dream.”     — John Kehoe

    “You miss 100% of the shots you never take.”     —  Wayne Gretzky

     “A musician must make music, and an artist must paint, and a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself.”    — Abraham Maslow

     “There is only one success – to be able to spend your life in your own way.”     — Christopher Morley

     

                                    So ……………………….

    labor day 14

  • Three Reasons Why a Halfpreneur Should Write a Book

    You have looked at the books on Kindle or on the shelves of a book store and think  ” I should be able to write a book about that.”  Well you probably can and should.  If you are a halfpreneur there are three good reasons to consider writing that book.

    1)   A book can generate income for you.  New clients will come from those who read your book and decide that they want to work with you.  Your e-book can contain an offer for free additional information;  at the cost, of course, of their having to give you a valid email address.  Your book becomes a way of list building.  Ever wonder why there are so many low priced and even free e-books out there?  The book is not what will make money; it is the list or the potential source of clients/customers that is of value.

    2)  A book can launch your business or a new business. Once you publish your book, digitally or traditionally, your readership  may want more information from you, or the opportunity  to talk to you.  A book is a powerful statement of your authority in your niche.

    3)  A book is a source of passive income. If you are working hard in your full-time job and as a halfpreneur, but income is not as regular or as consistent as you would like,  a book is means of passive income.