5 Ways to Make Ends Meet

With times what they are, many of us are looking for ways to help make ends meet. Here are 5 easy ways to jump start that process for you.

Direct Sales

There are so many options for this type of business; you simply need to choose the kind of business you would like to run – cooking products, jewelry, health or beauty products, etc.

The flexible schedule and product benefits are often a big draw for people. Make sure they are part of the Direct Selling Association and that you feel good about the products you are promoting.

One business, XANGO (www.xango.com) sells wellness products including mangosteen beverages, nutrition supplements and personal care products. They have over 30 international markets so it’s a business that can be run all over the world.

Check out www.directselling411.com for more information about direct selling opportunities.

Start Freelancing or E-Lancing

This is where you can put your skills to work during your extra time. There are tons of sites out there that help you sell your abilities including www.guru.com, www.odesk.com and www.elance.com to help you find clients and promote your skills.

Be a Tutor

You can use your skills in language, math or computers to help a young person enhance their own skills or help an adult learn a skill they don’t know like sewing, music or art – get creative!

Do Something You Love

If you love to cook, start a catering business or become a personal chef. If you are handy in crafts, make jewelry to sell at craft shows or you can sell it online through any of these places: www.etsy.com, www.amazon.com and www.google.com/checkout.

An Extra Set of Hands

If you have time, you can help out with someone’s yardwork, handyman work , housekeeping or personal shopping.  Maybe you can run errands for seniors or walk dogs for working folks. Print up some business cards and work your network of friends to help you get started.

The main thing is to think creatively about what you know and who you know and figure out how to put these two groups together into something profitable. Good luck!