Being an entrepreneur takes a different mindset.
Consider how you were brought up and what it was like for you as a child and as a student. Most of us were taught to follow the rules and think within the box. When you break out of the box as an entrepreneur and come up with what you think is a crazy idea, colleagues, family, or friends may shake their heads and wait for you to come to your senses. That is, until the economy changed everything. The consequence of following rules doesn’t mean you will find a job you want, keep that job, or make enough money to pay your bills.
The rules have changed.
Something’s happening now. The job market is shaky. You may have a job, but for how long?
Is your organization reorganizing? Are they discussing the bottom line?
What does that mean for you?
Jobs you qualify for may be replaced by low-paying jobs or AI (Artificial Intelligence).
How are the rules changing affecting you?
The middle class is shrinking. Some of the jobs being cut include government agencies, accounting, technology, education, or any job with repetitive tasks. This is why there are more articles, videos, and discussions about AI.
When you are out of work and there are no jobs, no unemployment benefits, you may take any job — even a low-paying job. This impacts folks who are barely making it by and don’t have enough money to spend on essentials. Many are underwater with high balances on credit cards.
Is this the trickle-down effect politicians talk about?
What happens to our communities? to the families? What if people don’t have money to spend? Does this mean local stores close, people move, and the number of children attending local schools decreases? Without enough students, will that mean schools could close, and teachers would be laid off? Could all of this lead to families not being able to pay their mortgages and losing their homes?
OH MY!
Could this also be the trickle-down effect?
Let’s rethink this.
We can sit back and watch this happen…
OR
We can take control of our lives.
How might an entrepreneur handle this situation?
What if you could make an additional $500+ a month? Could that help you? Long ago, I read, “Put More Cash in Your Pocket” by Loral Langemeir. I met her at the “Make Mine a Million $ Business” at the Count Me In Conference in 2010.
In her book, she wrote about using the skills you already have to make a business venture. This is not the idea of starting a new business around something you have no experience.
Did you ever sell lemonade in front of your house? It’s the same idea.
You can make extra money to pay off some of your bills or save for something you really want. Here are a few ideas in Langemeir’s book, plus a few I added.
- Tutoring
- Website design
- Scrapbooking
- Dog Walking or Pet Sitting
- Gardening
- Music Lessons
- Organizing Closets
- Personal Shopper
- Podcasting
- Social Media Manager
- Writing or Editing
The cool thing about social media is that you can market your skills at little or no cost.
- Create a page on social media and share a skill you would enjoy doing for others.
- Try LinkedIn, Facebook, and/or Instagram to showcase your ideas, quotes, pictures, and examples of what you can do for others, with a link to a website, your contact information, or other ways to reach you.
- Add your friends to your network and ask them to recommend/endorse you.
- Let people know when you have a sale, and don’t be shy to ask for a review. Then share the review.
You are welcome to share a skill that you have or would like to market in the comments below this post.
What is a hobby you love and cannot wait to do?
Do you have any hobbies you wouldn’t mind making money from?
- Calligraphy
- Quilting
- Knitting or Crocheting
- Woodworking
- Candles or Soap
- Ceramics or Pottery
- Glass sculptures/designs
- Painting, sketching, drawing
- Self-care baskets
- Floral arrangements
- Holiday decorations
- Costumes
- Pillows, blankets, rugs, and other home goods
Add any other hobby not listed, along with your story about making $ from it in the comments below this post.
Sell Your Products and Ideas
Check out Etsy to sell your products on their platform.
Or you can design T-shirts or mugs using one of your designs on Zazzle, or even create multiple items with your designs in your own store. Do some research. There are various T-shirt and printing companies available to choose from to showcase your brand.
How about writing a book or an eBook on how others can replicate your hobby?
Check out KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) on Amazon provides you control over your book’s content, design, price, audience, and advertising. Self-publish easily in three simple steps, and see your book appear on Amazon stores around the world in 72 hours. I self-published my last book, “Grow Your Why,” and even created an audiobook using Audible with the 23 authors narrating their chapters. If I could do it, you can too.
If you used other platforms to self-publish, please share your book and platform below this post.
Create and sell a self-paced course around your hobby or skill you shared above.
Consider creating a short self-paced course using any of the LMS or platforms listed in this article from ProPROFs Training Maker: https://www.proprofstraining.com/blog/kajabi-alternatives/
K-12 educators can become members of K12Leaders.com and set up a learning path, a micro-course, or a professional learning course.
Build Your Human Skills in an AI World
If you want a job and are concerned that AI will replace you, read below:
Be irreplaceable! AI is here to stay, so show the world what is possible.
What I mean is, be the human who knows how to use AI effectively. The Forester Report lists the following strategies for people to collaborate with AI: from building skills to earning trust, human experience is the foundation for lasting impact.
Discover how to make AI a tool that fuels growth, inspires confidence, and helps people do their best work—together.
Learn how to:
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- Build trust to drive real AI adoption
- Equip teams with future-ready AI skills
- Avoid burnout, bias, and cognitive overload
- Turn feedback into strategic insight
- Create cultures where humans and AI collaborate
6 Essential Human Skills in the Age of AI [Source: LinkedIn Talent Blog]
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- Communication
- Critical Thinking
- Creativity
- Emotional Intelligence
- Adaptability
- Decision Making
*****
You can make extra money while you have a job or build your skills to promote yourself. If you don’t have a job, try your hand at doing something you love and see what it feels like to make money off of it.
Be the human who is unstoppable and irreplaceable.
Think like an entrepreneur!
