Be a hustler: creating multiple streams of income

All your life you’ve been groomed to finish high school, go to college, get a job and live well. That is no longer valid in today’s society. In fact, encouraging our young people down that path only is a recipe for disaster, as it teaches them to be dependent upon an employer for their livelihood, instead of giving them the freedom to dream and pursue multiple ways to make a living.{{more}}

What are multiple streams of income? It is the ability to gain revenue from different sources. This is critical to ensure you have the ability to sustain yourself, in the event you lose a job or decide you no longer want to work for a particular employer. Multiple streams of income give you flexibility and options in life; you have greater control over your destiny when you have different ways to support your livelihood. Your grandparents have been doing it for generations; by day they might be labourers and by night they operate a little shop or sell homemade bread on the weekends to pay a few extra bills.

The rise in tourist activity and the anticipated international airport should be cause for many of our young people and those dissatisfied with their current careers to begin to look at the options that they can create for themselves.

Become an opportunity hound. This is the time to look at what other islands which thrive on a tourist economy are doing. Don’t copy, but adapt it and make it your own.

Learn about the tourist. All tourists are not the same. The people who go cruising every year and those who vacation on their private yachts have very different needs. Many large cruise ships carry tourists who save all year to afford the trip. Then there are those tourists who don’t need to save, as a vacation for them is only a thought away and they may hop on their yachts and spend a few days, a few weeks or even a few months traveling.

Don’t overlook the locals. Local people have needs, too. Don’t buy into the myth that locals are funny people. Think of it as locals are really discerning; they know what they want, when they want it and how they want it, and they have the right to not buy from you if they no longer like you. Your job is to create a need, so whether they like you or not, they can’t do without your product or service.

Listen for complaints. Complaints are business ideas waiting to be born. If you are smart, you will turn those complaints into cash instead of joining the masses and complaining as well.

Start with one idea. All you need is one idea to get started and then you can work your way up to five, so the day your boss at your primary jobs tells you that your services are no longer needed, you can easily say “thank you, have a great day” and leave, knowing you will be okay financially and emotionally.

Karen Hinds is “The Workplace Success Expert.” For a FREE SPECIAL REPORT on Avoiding Career Killers in the Workplace, send an email to info@workplacesuccess.com
Visit online at www.workplacesuccess.com