Sideline Money-making Gigs I’ve Had Since I Was 11

Poor Man Survival

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Sideline Money-making Gigs I’ve Had Since I Was 11

   I grew up in a lower middle-class family.  We didn’t have much money and we were not given allowances.  In those days I shoveled snow, cut grass and raked leaves for neighbors to earn extra money.  That’s what kids did.

There was a country club for the wealthy tucked away at the end of our street however and for a kid, it was an adventure to hike around.  Before long I was retrieving golf balls that I found along the roughs and sand traps and bringing them home.  Almost all were in perfect condition and expensive brand names.

I cleaned them up and stored them in a box.  One day my father discovered my treasure and offered to sell them to his golf buddies for me.  At that age I had no idea just how expensive these little balls were.  I was delighted when I got wads of cash from my Dad.  I tore down to the country club in search of more ‘treasure.’

That became my first business.  The next year as a result of my mother’s friendship with the gol pro’s wife, I got a job as a glorified gopher working inside the proshop and remained there until age 18.  During those summers I managed to get my hands on a lot of ‘surplus’ golf equipment the rich club members no longer wanted either free or very cheap and turned them around at a very nice profit to friends of my Dad or to the golfing members at my school.  By the time I was 16 I averaged $200 a week profit-not bad for a kid!

During the winter I usually made extra cash as bus boy at a local pancake house [sometimes they even let me cook, something I enjoyed and it was a skill that I enhanced and it would come in handy later in life for another successful business that I owned].

 

 

My First Government Run-in

My first car was a Kharmann Ghia or what I called the ‘poor man’s Porsche.  It was made by VW and mine was a convertible and I thought the VW was a great vehicle as parts were interchangeable for several years which made repairs cheap and easy.  Before long I was buying and repairing VWs [primarily ‘cosmetic’ repairs and then reselling them.]  In those days one could even get a cheap paint job at the old Earl Scheib for $29.95!

Once could buy VW parts new at a local store or even cheaper or at a junk yard.  

At 16 I sold five VWs at a tidy profit in one year before I got a letter from the state [of OH] telling me that if I sold anymore I would have to obtain a dealer’s license!  That put an end to my refurbishing business.

I was learning more about free enterprise during this time as I became the local president of Junior Achievement, something my Dad had been a leader of and had taken me to for the previous few years.

After high school I elected to join the Navy before going to college…

   Throughout my college years I supplemented my GI Bill by working as a bartender, bouncer, cook or other part time job to put myself through school without debt as my family wasn’t in a position to help with tuition.  One little venture netted some extra cash for us, but it took some doing.  Park n Swap was a huge area flea market in Phoenix at the time and my weekend destination.

Since I had been studying Native American culture I was pleased to find two Navajo men at the market who made their own jewelry. After spending several weeks talking to one vendor I purchased a large amount of handmade silver and turquoise pieces at a wholesale price.  On my next return trip home to Cleveland to visit family I partnered up with a buddy who would resell this lot to shops at an area which catered to the area ‘counter culture’ and could appreciate such hand crafted Native American work.

Long story made short:  my friend was more interested in getting wasted and it fell to my own Dad to resell the jewelry [had to give my Father credit, he unloaded it quickly and at least made a small profit for us, while keeping a few pieces for himself for his trouble…indeed, he wore the ring that he liked until the day he passed]!  I learned a lot about Native American turquoise jewelry that year and even more about friendships and business partnerships…although I have to admit, the summer prior to moving to AZ, this friend had worked with me in a summer house painting business that I owned which was very profitable! [Again, I had to thank my Dad for the use of his station wagon that summer for our painting business].

 

Books, Storage Wars, Auctions

My Love of reading since elementary school led to an accidental profit center for me.  By the time I had met my current wife I had accumulated nearly 10,000 volumes in my personal library and an 18,000 sq. ft. mansion to go with it which featured a lot of bookshelves.  I had worked in the publishing business for much of my life and traveled extensively in the United States and overseas and visited used book stores and antique shops at every opportunity to satisfy my collection.

Even though a divorce had cleaned out most of my personal assets [and a former business partner cheated me on the sale of the publishing venture I owned] thankfully, my ex didn’t have any interest in books.  I was pretty broke at the time after losing so much and was forced to start selling off parcels of my antiquarian and first edition book collection.

eBay was at its beginning and I took a chance and listed a first edition hardbound copy of Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged which I might have paid a dollar for.  I was floored when it realized slightly more than $100!  Knowing I had so many first editions and signed editions in my collection I knew I had ‘found money’ lying about!

Between eBay, other sites and antiquarian book dealers that friends had introduced me to, I began selling in earnest and started making a very nice profit and learned more and more about what to seek in books.  Over nearly twenty years I’ve made thousands selling my personal collection and more from additional books that I picked up along the way via auctions and thrift shops, garage sales and the like.  [Goodwill and Salvation Army used to be good sources, but no longer as they now bypass their retail customers, effectively cheating them, and sell directly online now].

Another blow to selling books is that fewer people, especially younger folks, actually crack a book today.  It’s reported that those under 30 seldom read one book a year!  I did find one, somewhat viable alternative market that is still profitable…how-to books, especially vintage material.  Recently, for example, I sold a signed edition from 1950 of a book on raising pigeons by a man famous in that field.  I found it for a dollar at a flea market and it sold for $39.

Overall however, like any other niche, bookselling soon peaked and sales fell.  Finding books became increasingly difficult, especially at thrift stores due to the reasons mentioned above [indeed, most ‘junk and collectible’ hunters have given up on the above thrift stores to which they now refer to as:  illwill and starvation army!  In reality, they truly are no longer thrift stores as most tell me they can buy new items, such as clothing, cheaper at WalMart

[NOTE:  Another small niche which has since peaked…once my book inventory was nearly gone and my health was failing, I sold my book related domain name for $4,000 and a few others which I had reserved, but for quite this much money.  Domain name selling still takes place, but it too is harder to do as people jumped all over this niche and reserved names by the thousands in hopes someone would want that name & would be willing to shell out large dollars for it…it has become somewhat of a bigger gamble].

It seems every niche gets over worked such as the one made popular by the TV show Storage Wars.  This southern CA program follows several entrepreneurs around who bid on abandoned storage units and hope they find treasure inside, enough to recuperate the often ludicrous amounts of money they pay out for these units. 

Either Californian’s are idiots for what they pay for these lockers or the rest of the nation just doesn’t go along with their trajectory -- I’ve attended 100s of these auctions in the Great Lakes areas and very rarely have I seen such prices realized. Now I know the cost of living in CA is significantly higher in the high-tax state of CA and perhaps that is why bidding prices are so high.  The exceptions are when vintage vehicles, motorcycles, snow mobiles, jet skiis or such are visible. 

Can you make money doing this?  Yes!  Like anything else, it is in large part the luck of the draw and bidding LOW!  The old adage of buy low, sell high applies to nearly every business.  The one exception seems to be Starbucks.  It has always amazed me that people pay big bucks for crappy coffee…Dunkin’ Donuts offers a much better product in my opinion, but I guess some younger people in particular, who have little money, feel a little boost to their ‘status’ when they swill this cup of rust.

I seldom attend these auctions because I am lazy and no longer own a truck or suitable outlet for selling or storing large amounts of goods…but it does cross my mind.  The reason is because of a skill I picked up in AZ.

As a means of learning a new skill and increasing my knowledge base, I attended an auction and appraisal school in AZ for several weeks*.  It proved worthwhile and I have earned dozens of times its cost back.  In fact, I drove out there with a mini-van filled with antiques which we sold at the auction school and came back with a load of horse tack for resale!  The appraisal skills I learned allowed me to earn fees from bankruptcy courts, the Phoenix Police, the IRS, insurance firms and others!

While living in AZ we rented booth space inside a large upscale antique mall which did well for us and periodically set up at an area flea market to sell antiques and collectibles and even held garage sales at our 5-acre mini-ranch to earn extra cash.

I’ve auctioned off private estates, antique arms, antiquarian document and book lots and other specialized items over the years, all earning some handsome commissions.  Because of a move back home to assist family during their health challenges [and eventually my own heart attack], I no longer engage in such auctions except for twice a year.

What I do now is use the service of an area auctioneer that I’ve known and trusted for more than a decade to consign items to which I’ve acquired from area flea markets, thrift stores, garage sales, etc.  I participate in his monthly online auction.  I also consign items I no longer want or items which didn’t sell on eBay or items that are too large to ship. We sold off my Dad’s collection of antique pellet rifles and pre-1930 rifles through this auctioneer as well.  I average $250 monthly net return from this.

Creating something you can do from home and without incurring a lot of government oversight and interference, especially in the beginning, are some of the criteria I look for.  When I was on the board of directors and speaker at the Council of Smaller Enterprises [COSE] and its annual Entrepreneurship Conference, the number one obstacle indicated by participants to starting a business was our own government!

Finding a niche you like that makes money can be a challenge.  If you can make it a family enterprise,  so much the better.  I would encourage you to start it as a part time venture to test the water.  For the most part it has been my experience that regardless of what you launch, it appears successful, you will have a host competitors in no time.  I’ve seen that [and friends of mine have also] in today’s cut throat marketplace where it is very difficult to create and/or maintain a unique selling proposition.

Developing several sources of income has always been the smartest advice I’ve ever received…something to do with never putting all of your eggs into one basket theory!

P.S.  I’ve received many awards for business over the years including the Presidents’ Award for Entrepreneurship and have been profiled in Nation’s Business, Entrepreneur Magazine, Inc., and others…that flame was sparked my Dad who got me started with Junior Achievement at a young age.  I later conducted their program at area high schools where I lived in OH.  It is a worthwhile program to introduce young people to.  

https://www.juniorachievement.org/web/ja-usa/home

Further, I find it ironic Democratic candidates are pushing socialist ideals while slamming capitalism YET Communism China has been sidelining it providing massive subsidies to its free enterprise industries such as robotics, cell phones, electric car and other industries [and military] in its goal toward world domination and to surpass the United States by 2025…and US citizens and industry such as Apply and Facebook are helping them to achieve their goals!  Another reason why US industries MUST resume making goods in this country again.

An economics professor once told our class that when a nation ceases producing goods, that usually indicates the end of its reign.

*[I’m a strong believer in self-improvement.  When I owned my publishing and seminar business I took a college class on business contract law for para-legals so I would have a firm understanding of contracts. This was helpful in the business world as you can imagine.

I launched my publishing concern after reading an over-priced manual geared to small business owners which supposedly would help them market their businesses better.  It motivated me to write a better tome which I self published.  It sold 50,000 copies [pre-internet days] and developed additional profit centers by way of workshops and a profitable newsletter AND it generated a lot national publicity for business.

  Later, I took our state’s real estate licensing course and exam not to be an agent but to have a full understanding of the law.  Both came in handy as I engaged in several purchases of personal real estate, fixer-uppers and some speculative ventures.  As one might gather, I am ambitious and willing to learn what I can to further myself rather than always be in a position to rely on others and pay for their services].

Freedom Self-Reliance Action

Support hero pups!

If you have a Visa or Amex gift card in any amount consider donating it to the nonprofit Project Paws Alive [ProjectPawsAlive.org] – they’ll use the gift card to fund supplies for active police, fire, rescue and military K-9s.  Send them to:

1193 SE Port Saint Lucie Blvd., Ste. 289, St. Lucie, FL 30017

 

Burton Morgan helped encourage and champion my publishing venture.  Now deceased, his group still encourages others:

https://www.bdmorganfdn.org/about

 

Perhaps we need to resurrect the use of ‘war’ bonds to help pay off our national debt and/or to help pay for the many new ‘projects’ being suggested by socialists.

 

Few people realize that you can actually make money as a prepper. They think prepping is just a way to prepare for potential disasters (or merely a hobby for the super-paranoid).

 

Well, it is, but at the same time, you can earn a decent amount of money as a prepper. In fact, there are multiple ways to make money as a prepper, to the point that it’s not unrealistic to make a few hundred extra dollars a month…if not a few thousand, depending on your circumstances.

 

Here are the top ways that you can make money as a prepper...

10 Ways To Make Money As A Prepper

 

 

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Yours for smarter living,

Bruce ‘the Poor Man’

 

 

Additional FREE Resources

 

Living Frugally In Suburbia
You live differently than your neighbors.

 

 

14 Frugal Food-Rescuing Tips from Grandma
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8 Simple Ways to Put More Money in Your Pocket
Have more money without working harder!

 

Knowing When and How to Stockpile Groceries
Stocking up could save your grocery budget!

 

Emergency Preparedness on a Budget 
Affordable ways to prepare for an emergency.

 

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