Gehring - Odd jobs: how to have fun and make money in a bad economy

Copyright 2007, 2012 by Abigail R. Gehring

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.
ISBN: 978-61608-619-0

Printed in China

To my family, for showing me that
variety is the spice of life,
and to Tim, for all you are and do.

The world is full of willing people, some willing to work, the rest willing to let them.

Robert Frost

I grew up in the one-stoplight town of Wilmington, Vermont, where my father was the Hot Dog Man. Tucking away his masters degree in horticulture and experience as a middle school math teacher, he bought a rusting metal pushcart from a man named Buzz and set up in the True Value parking lot. He worked for twenty-five years, earning enough to put four kids through college and a reputation for his chilidogs that spread down to the Carolinas. I began as Soda Girl when I was about five, diving headfirst into the blanket-lined, ice-filled plastic trashcan to retrieve Pepsis for thirsty customers.

Before I could even reach the steamer, I told everyone who asked that I wanted to be a writer when I grew up. But even then I wasnt so nave as to think Id make a living doing it, at least not for a long, long time. And, unfortunately from an economic perspective, when I wasnt scribbling in my journal I was in ballet class or at music lessons, developing more unmarketable skills with which to enter the wide world of software engineers and stockbrokers. So whether inherited from Dad, or born of necessity, it seems I was destined for a life of odd jobs.

Now, as I adjust to my first-ever nine-to-five office job (an experience not unlike culture shock, after years of odd jobbing to pay the rent), I find myself still answering calls to cater a wedding, henna tattoo adolescent girls at a bat mitzvah, or be a beer promo girl for a night. Theres an excitement in doing something totally different, in meeting people Id never encounter otherwise, and, of course, the draw to make a few extra bucks.

Yes, there is a sense of security in having a regular job that one doesnt get when she takes the freelance route. Health insurance is often sacrificed to the gods of flexible scheduling and creative thought, and the term regular paycheck is an oxymoron. Even beyond the financial difficulties of a varied work life, there are the social aspects to deal with. How many times have I been asked casually by a new acquaintance, And what do you do? and had to take an extra ten seconds pretending to chew the bite Ive already swallowed to decide how to answer? By that time, the person has lost interest, if she ever actually had any, and is impatiently clicking her wine glass with long red fingernails, glancing over my shoulder for a more promising candidate for conversation. At such moments the best response is to quickly reply that Im an exotic dancer. Or an Arab terrorist, or a foot model, or anything that will either scare the woman off quickly and painlessly or, with certain curious and risky types, resurrect an otherwise dead conversation.

But the advantages of an odd job lifestyle are not to be taken lightly. Usually, you decide when you work and when you take the morning off to sleep, or the week off to go skiing in Vermont. And the variety of people you will meet, places youll find yourself, and skill sets youll discover are sure to keep life interesting, if not always easy, safe, or comfortable. Many of the jobs described in this book are ones that I or one of my financially challenged dancer, writer, or musician friends have experienced out of desperation or fascination at various points in the last several years. But odd jobs arent only for starving artists. Anyone who could use a little extra cash, who wants to add some spice to his normal work routine, or whos ready to murder his boss and jump the next plane to New Zealand, should peruse these pages for inspiration.

Most of the jobs in this book are ones that you can get by calling up and applying to an agency or company that does the sort of work youre interested in. For example, there are hundreds of catering or party entertainment businesses out there that are always looking for friendly, responsible, fun people to join their ranks. Working for an established company means you get the cash and the experience without having to worry about the sticky logistics and constant details of running a business. Some of you, however, will realize as you begin to read these pages that you really dont want to work for anybody else. Youd rather not be told what to do or how to do it, and youre pretty sure you could do a better job than the average Joe or Jill entrepreneur out there trying to stake a claim in the capitalist frontier. You could very well be right. Its also possible that the ideas in this book will ignite a bit of inspiration in you, and suddenly youll have a fabulous idea for a new business that no one else has thought of, or thats not yet represented in your area. If that becomes the case, there are some details that you should be aware of.

Each stateand often each town or even districthas its own rules for zoning (where youre allowed to set up what sorts of businesses), taxes, insurance, busking, licenses, bedtimes... just kidding on that last one. But seriously, its important to find out what the requirements are so you dont end up paying fines or getting sent to the slammereven if it does offer free room and board, which might be worth more than what youll make in the first couple of years in business. If youre just working for tips or youre only making a few dollars here and there, theres a pretty good chance you can get by without reporting anything. On the other hand, if you turn your hobby into a legal business, you can deduct expenses on your tax forms, potentially saving yourself a significant chunk of cash. So if youre going to try flying solo, do your research. The following sites will get you started:

www.entrepreneur.com is a wellspring of helpful articles and information for starting and running a business.

www.eventuring.org is the Kauffman Foundations guide to building innovative companies, with stories, how-tos, and a glossary of terms.

www.tannedfeet.com is almost overwhelming it has so much information for entrepreneurs of all sorts.

www.benlore.comThe Entrepreneurs Mind offers in-depth profiles of successful entrepreneurs and tells the stories of how they got to where they are.

http://sethgodin.typepad.com is the blog of highly successful entrepreneurial guru Seth Godin. Read it for wisdom and inspiration.