Yesterday, over 100 million dollars was made by people without a job. How did they do it? They had something to share. Remember in grade school when you shared your sandwich with the kid next to you? Well, there are now websites that hook you up with those who want what you have (apartments, cars, theater tickets, spouses, you name it), making helping others profitable. You can earn money if you have spare time, a spare room, or a spare tire.
Now, when I travel, I stay with delightful people in their homes, use their neighbors’ car, and call on Uber to take me to the airport. I also make money on the home I’ve vacated, renting it out through a service that does that sort of thing. I’ve gone from spending money on vacation to making money on vacation. I even found a great graphic designer on Elance.com (link is external) and found my book editor from her Craigslist (link is external) ad.
So, if your Kickstarter campaign didn’t turn your venture into Google, if you’ve aged out of the workplace, or you’re waiting for your big break, here are some ways you can take advantage of the new sharing economy.
1. Airbnb (link is external) out a room — Yes, ‘Airbnb’ is now used as a verb, just like Google. If you live in or near a desirable location (you can lie about your age and your weight, but this is harder) and have an extra room (or don't mind sleeping on the couch) you can earn around $100 a night hosting travelers. Minus some fees, that brings in something like 35K a year! (Also check out: Misterbnb (link is external) (a gay-friendly take on Airbnb), VacationRentals (link is external), and VRBO (link is external)).
2. Walk a dog. According to Rover.com (link is external) (ready to be your best friend), you can make $40 a day by dog-sitting. Take in two dogs and do the math. If you commit to 4 days a week, that comes to almost $17K a year. (Other ideas: DogVacay (link is external), Care.com, (link is external) and Fetch! Pet Care (link is external)).
3. Do you look cute in a chauffeur’s hat? Drive people around. If you’ve got a full house, you may want to get out for a few hours and go for a drive. Why not get paid for it? Uber (link is external) drivers who work just a few hours a night, five nights a week earn over $26K a year. (Check out Lyft (link is external) and SideCar (link is external), as well).
4. Sell stuff on eBay. (link is external)We all have shoes we no longer wear, sweaters we’re sick of, a fondue set or Turkish coffee maker we never use. There are folks willing to buy just about anything. Got a hobby? If not, get one, and then start monetizing it on sites like eBay (link is external), Amazon, (link is external) Craigslist (link is external), Etsy (link is external), and Threadflip (link is external). Even the most unlikely hobby can fatten up your bank account. Someone I know fixes old watches and then sells them on eBay, bringing in up to $100 a week. I know another guy that made $20K one year by reselling paint-by-number kits. (Hint: People love old crap. The kitschier, the better. Earn some green for that spring clean).
5. Help someone. Lend a helping hand and TaskRabbit (link is external)will put some cash in it. This site outsources people’s errands (grocery shopping, housekeeping, repairs, etc). The user lists a task and others post bids. What you earn depends on the task, but even just a few errands a week could bring in $15K a year. FancyHands (link is external) and Craigslist (link is external) offer a similar deal. If you're great with kids, check out Care.com (link is external) and SitterCity (link is external) (I know someone who charges $25 an hour-- IN CASH!) If you're interested in branding and advertisement, Gigwalk (link is external) is a cool way to get paid for helping companies do market research.
6. Can you write? Are you tech-savvy? Got an hour or two to spare? Become a freelancer and earn money for your skills, without even leaving the couch (or putting on pants!) Sites such as oDesk (link is external), Elance (link is external), PeoplePerHour (link is external), Freelancer (link is external) and Guru (link is external) list 100,000+ jobs every month within a wide range of job categories. The best part is its flexibility: long-term, short-term, pay-by-hour, pay-by-project - there's something for literally everyone. How much you make depends on the kind of work you're doing, but even writing up a short blurb for a website can earn you $50 or more.
Now, SHARE this with your friends and followers so they, too, can cash in on the SHARING economy!
credit:psychologytoday
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