Making money - whats worked for you?

[emsley]

Other than the obvious one of full time employment (which is rare in my area unless its minimum wage - basically means if you are single and take a minimum waged job you suffer)

what cheeky stunts have you pulled over the years to make money?

 

My trade is a painter and decorator, I can restore old wood to look like new, and I can do solid plastering. Basically I can make the old look like the new inside the house, or I can start from fresh brickwork.

(easy on the large ceilings)

You would think that would get me a steady income, well thats wrong ATM.

You need a van to really be able to reach potential for my type of work, or you are relying on others getting a large job and you end up being the lesser paid one.

A van is just out of the question at the moment.

 

So I'm thinking about a change in jobs, the best one I come up with is barbering.

It only takes 18 weeks to learn and become qualified and you can take it wherever you have to.

Then you work for your self or get taken on by a busy barbering shop, the last one I was in they were making a MINIMUM of 30 quid an hour.

 

7 hour day, 30 times 7 = 210.

 

Thats real money, thats the kind of money when you wake up on a morning you think "Man Im so happy im going to work!" Even the Immigrants round here, they have no qualifications in their shops but there is always somebody in there! Always!

 

I'm pretty good at spotting ways to make money but you know what the problem is, you got to have money to make money and that is the hardest part.

 

What ideas have you got cooking for your cash?

 

 

[LoRd_SnOw]

In 1998, my cousin and I would sell playstation memory cards filled with saves for a slightly higher price. I'm not entirely sure how we went about doing that, it was only for 2-3 months though.

2005, I ran a website and use to force my friends to buy mugs, hats, t-shirts related to the website, It was a good thing until I graduated from HighSchool. I also worked for Little Caesars, and was part of its grand opening team at New York City.

2008, I use to sell modded Xboxes. Around that time you could get them for 60$. I was also a contracted clerical worker / Auditor for Chase and Citi Bank up until early 2010 from where I decided it was time to go to college.

2010, I was a gamestop employee for 6 months. I had a hard time working with people there and unfortunately it wasn't everything I'd hope it be. I was also an auditor for Suny Downstate Medical center in Brooklyn, I left the job after they weren't paying me correctly for my hours, from there I did absolutely nothing but school.

2012*, I worked on campus as a programmer. I found the job to be too easy, so I ended up teaching it for a semester. The pay was pretty low, but somehow I didn't mind.

Summer 2013*, I worked at a local KMart in New York City, my supervisor was treating me like crap and so I left after 4 weeks.

Right now, I'm a contracted Web developer for an accounting firm in New York City, but I'm hoping to keep the job. Also, I have my associates degree, that's how I got the job. I recently started working on my bachelors degree in Computer Science, and that's where I stand.

That's my hussle.

Edited May 4, 2014 by LoRd_SnOw

[emsley]

Gabe, the salt of the york.

 

Aim for self employed!

[emsley]

[LoRd_SnOw]

Gabe, the salt of the york.

 

Aim for self employed!

I don't think I'm brave enough for self-employment. Just some mixed experiences, hopefully one day things will get a little better.

[emsley]

I just hope you are getting what you deserve after all your hard work my friend. I know too well what its like to work hard and get zero rewards.

Right now I cant give my work away for free and im not kidding!

I volunteered to help with the homeless and fixing up their houses over 8 weeks ago. Its a charity project where they get run down houses and you help out, keeps you up to speed and you get a very good reference, plus simple perks like CSCS cards etc.

 

I have heard nothing back from them.

 

You cant give it away.

[ken_cinder]

Bartending...even in a recession, people drink, hell they drink MORE.

 

I'm a licensed bartender, but I've never even had a single job as one. Just something in my back pocket for a rainy day...

[emsley]

Bartending...even in a recession, people drink, hell they drink MORE.

 

I'm a licensed bartender, but I've never even had a single job as one. Just something in my back pocket for a rainy day...

 

Id do that if it was on the side.

[Phased]

Two things, bar's do make a lot of money however unless your the main bartender you get the crappy shifts. Most people don't go to bar's because 1. they cant smoke in them anymore, and 2. theres usually old people there. And its nearly impossible to get in at a popular place. Youth are the ones that tip better (surprisingly) they are very loose with their money in bars.

 

Another thing to add, barbering is a great profession but keep in mind if you get hired in a shop you have to pay rent to the shop. Unless its a brand like "SuperCuts" though I'm certain those are only in the US. The way most barber shops work is:

 

Your employee's are contracted and pay you per customer. Lets say a barber charges $30 per cut, but you have to pay the shop 30% of your make, so that's instantly reduced to $20.00 as per your agreement for using the space in the shop. Additionally they charge a storage fee for you to continue to use the shop which is usually a set monetary amount. Lets say $500 a month. So to really be great at it the shops got to be really popular, and secondly you have to be very good to get repeat business. Repeat business is how most barbers make their money. I used to see the same barber for 12 years, then I moved away, I still occasionally drive the distance because he cuts my hair perfectly every time.

 

Being self employed is a very big benefit. Specially for programmers, you literally only have to stamp your name on your project to retain all rights to it. And truthfully you can make anything, with the world living in their phones now a days all you need is a popular game and you could be very rich over night. It does need appeal and not everyone is artistic enough to do the design and coding.

 

I'm self employed, and my company is rather simple. No one operates their business like mine so I have originality, even in the heavily diluted market that I'm in. I make vapors for e-cigarettes. I've gotten my cost per bottle down to $0.60 each, and I can reduce it further if I chose to use lesser quality stuff or simply spent more money. My products retail for $12.99. my markup gain is over 2100%. And it sells quite easily, although I usually sell directly to shops which buy it from me for $6.00 a bottle. Still 1000% markup. I do sell them online for the full retail value. I have competitors that say they have the best pricing on the market and are spending over $1.50 to make each bottle. Its funny because their products are very generic and everyone has them. So at the end of the day if you have a product thats great, and you properly market it, you can make what you want to be making. I don't do it full time because I run another persons company, but I know people that make $5,000 a month, even $20,000 a month selling this stuff. My top competitor makes $2,000,000 a year. I could shatter their numbers quite easily. It takes smarts to do this, and some of my competitors have neglected to do things properly and it has costed all of my competitors dearly as things are currently getting tougher. There's been some deaths due to mixing nicotine incorrectly or cutting certain flavors with harsh chemicals like arsenic and lead.

 

Still my industry is flooded, theres thousands of little companies like mine starting up doing this stuff, and no real big competitors are this time. This has worked for me, it may not work for you. There is a moral side to this that prevents people from making it too.

[emsley]

The bottom line is that you have to be good at what you do.

For poor people the major hurdle is getting enough capital to expand.

If you have no credit rating, no bank will loan you.Not in the UK anyway.

 

I've known guys grow weed, nothing major just a cycle of 8 plants cutting them at £800 to £1000 per plant.

But they only had to do it twice and moved on to other things.

I couldn't do that because I know that weed is gonna find its way to a young lad or lasses life, and if you get caught you are fucked!

You will never get in to other countries with a drugs record! You might get in on a holiday VISA but emigrating can kiss its ass goodbye.

 

Barbering course does not start till september so in the meantime I have no capital and no way of getting it.

I really dont want top waste half a year when it could be a productive six months.

 

Id REALLY like to get in to property as I have enough building experience and contacts to do this so for example:

 

I buy a run down shit hole for £8000, asbestos check sorted!

I strip the guts out, back to brick, get a good deal on the doors and windows.

The three main expensive areas will be the plumbing but a good plumber will give you a good deal, he fits the pipes and the new boiler.

 

The second is the electrician, a rewire of a small home wont break the bank and you may or may not get away with existing electrics.

 

The joiner (wood) skirting boards (people dont always fit these now and just have simple plastic skirts) new doors and frames (4 tops) may have to fit new window sills most likely will have to.

 

Then the rest I can do, plastering and decorating, and i can work gardens if the property has them.

I reckon I could get a small house sorted for 2 grand.

 

Then the house sells or you make a % on rent.

I would also have to be the salesman for my own properties.

 

God dam capital!

Edited May 6, 2014 by emsley

[Robert]

You're lucky you can get places that cheap.

 

Here it is simply not possible to get even the most wrecked house for under half a million dollars. The property market here is just insane.

 

The only way to get something at a decent price is to buy something away from this city.