An acquaintance called me today about being made redundant and asked for some advice. I informed him he was already doing the right thing - telling everyone that he's out of a job and is looking for opportunities.
In full time employment, I've missed lots of possible self-employment opportunities or turned down some by choice because I wanted to focus on my job responsibilities. I was also unprepared for self-employment then. For instance, a friend called at the beginning of the property boom asking if I would like to invest in a piece of development land. The idea was to buy it and get planning permission for houses on the land and sell it off for a profit. I said 'no' because I was very happy with my employed status then and didn't want to take any risks.
A way of getting self-employment opportunities to come to you is to advertise your availability. Once people know that you are available, especially between the hours of 9 to 5, they'll approach you with employment opportunities and projects.
There are many opportunities out there that specifically require availability during the workday- childcare, applications for permits, licenses and approvals, deliveries, etc. Others include seasonal work and holiday cover employment.
For instance, a friend asked if I could manage a 3-month construction job he'd just been offered. He thought of asking me after I mentioned I was unemployed and because he has a full time job so cannot visit the site nor manage the builders during the day. Another friend also asked if I could manage her e-store (sending out orders and responding to questions and requests) while she was away at an expo.
This applies even if you have a full time job. Advertise that you would like to do some extra work on the weekends or take on one-off projects.
Advertising your availability may lead to short term employment and opportunities but they have great potential to lead to something bigger. It gets you out there meeting different people and learning new things, and can provide insight into different fields. As an added plus, will help you refine your self-employment ideas. Don't be embarrassed about telling people your are unemployed and looking for opportunities - get real, it's a deep recession. Open doors to opportunities and let them find you while you come up with that big self-employment idea and get paid at the same time!
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