As I mentioned in last Friday's update, I'll be doing a "mini-series" this week answering some of the frequently asked questions about The Dad Book. So set your alarms, grab the family, and get ready for a new blog post dropping Monday - Friday at 5pm EST.
"I'm unemployed!"
Two words no parent of a recent college grad wants to hear, and two words aspiring authors have likely said at one point or another. After a rewarding summer long internship with Advia Credit Union, I have been "unemployed" for a little over a month.
While unemployed, I have been looking into ways to make money while traveling the country. A quick Google search "how to make money on the road" returns over 1.5 billion results (coincidentally enough, the second result is 'start a blog'... I can assure you I have yet to make any money doing this haha). Although there are hundreds of sites that allow you to take survey's online and earn pennies on the dollar, I felt like there had to be a more rewarding route.
One of my favorite podcasts to listen to while working out (nerd level x1000000, I know) is Moving Up, where the host interviews entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. A common theme among entrepreneurs starting out in the late 90's to early 2000's, was that their side hustle was either building websites or flipping items on eBay (see Gary Vaynerchuck's "Trash Talk" on YouTube.. And yes, my girlfriend and I dressed up as Gary V. for Halloween. And no, no one understood what we were haha).
I decided to give it a shot and after learning some of the must do's when flipping on eBay, my girlfriend and I began going to garage sales and the local Salvation Army/Goodwill to look for vintage, unique, or overall popular items. Within a matter of 3 weeks, items we bought for $0.18 - $10 (or even got for free) flipped for +$20 on eBay, returning about $600 in profit.
This early success got me thinking about how viable this could be while on the road. Every city has a Goodwill and a post office nearby to ship items. Although eBay fees have crept up in recent years, making an extra $100-$200/week will help cover gas and food, allowing me to keep money from my internship and GoFundMe in a "rainy-day fund", should anything serious happen to the Dadillac.
The other "side hustle" I alluded to earlier was building websites. Although I like to think The Dad Book's website is suitable for version 1.0, it definitely needs some work (no subtle foreshadowing here or anything ;) ). Having took rudimentary computer classes in college, I have been spending my time in-between flipping items on eBay to learn basic HTML and JavaScript. Although I am nowhere near ready to start reaching out to small business owners about revamping their website, the goal is that while on the road, this could be another source of income.
My final side hustle while on the road is as simple as visiting mom-and-pop shops, telling the owners about my travels and upcoming book, and offering to sweep their floors, clean their bathrooms, etc. in exchange for gas/food money. Again, this isn't anything that will make me rich overnight, but as a kid that lasted four years in college, I like to think I know how to extend the life of a couple bucks.
So there you have it. I will be working along the way, but not in the traditional sense. eBay, websites, and cleaning are not glamorous jobs, but neither is living out of a van!
What are some side hustles you've done? Shoot me an email nate@therealdadbook.com and let me know:)
Come back tomorrow for part two of the mini-series: