| 10. Computer skills. If you're good with a computer, advertise at stores that sell them, offices, and anyway you can afford, that you'll set up new computers and teach people how to use them. You can also offer to take people's photographs and scan them onto discs or make internet files of their family albums that they can share with email friends. To get a roll of pictures onto a disc at developing stores, you will pay about $8 a roll. Charge somewhere near that price. 11. Storyteller. Memorize a few stories or write your own, hire out to day care centers and organizations, even nursing homes - and tell the story with as much body language as you can. Act the stories out, or gesture in an interesting way as you speak clearly and loudly enough to be heard. Dress attractively and appropriately. 12. Write stories or articles for your local newspaper. You could expect to earn about 10 cents per word on an article. If you can make crafts or have some special angle, offer to do a regular column. If you like to write, practice your skills and submit your work to magazines, greeting card companies and publishers. Book publishers pay about $5,000 to $10,000 advance for a book, even for those little kindergarten picture books. You can earn $10 to $50 each for jokes, fillers and interesting anecdotes in hundreds of magazines. For more information, check the Writers Market 2001 book at your local library. 13. If you live in the south or near a company that shells and buys nuts (pecans etc.) you can contact them to shell out the nutmeats from cracked nuts. You get so many cents per pound, take 100 pd. sacks home and separate them, return just the nutmeats and collect your money. 14. Painting street numbers on curbs in cities. I know a man in Ohio who does this for a living, on a donation only basis. He made over one million dollars one year, collecting an average of $3 per house. Of course he had a crew. One man going ahead to a neighborhood leaving flyers telling homeowners when they'd be in the neighborhood. When they arrive, they ask from house to house who would like this service done, and ask for a small donation. To do this, be very careful and uniform in your work. Ask the DOT what type of paint would work best, and make your stencils. Also check for permits required and be very careful of overspray if you use spray paint. You might think about insurance if you might have an incident where you damage someone's property. 15. Sell advertising to local businesses. Pick a theme (upcoming event) and create a flyer to advertise special offers, discounts and coupons at several businesses. Include in your flyer the companies that pay you $30 for a one inch ad in the flyer. You need at least 10 businesses to participate to make a good profit. It will cost you about $150 to print up 2000 flyers at a print shop. (one color ink) If you collect $30 from 10 businesses you've got $300, minus the $150 you spend to print. Then hand out the flyers at all the participating stores (have them set the flyers out on a counter for the public to pick up), and pocket the $150 profit. 16. Candy boxes and donation boxes set out on counters where a store will allow you to leave one. Be careful with this idea, so that it's completely honest and upright. See next page for details. |