Published on 12, July, 2020
Okay, my first thread...
I need some money, not much. I know I cannot work or rather regular work doesn't suit me. I'm not particularly skilled in anything and that makes things even more difficult.
I have no social connections and so asking for cash-in-hand work is likely out of the question. I'm only receiving JSA and would have to starve without it. A few months ago my rent had increased and my computer broke down and so took measures to account for these, and the result is not much money left. I'm in a better position than most since I only eat one male a day on most days, and do intermitten fasting, and that saves some money.
So I was thinking about dog walking because I like dogs and I could charge £3 per hour and make a few quid. A lot of people have dogs in Wigan, but I see a lot of dogs getting walked too.
My first hurdle is getting the word out. I need a business card but I am told that they can get expensive.
Nothing is certain in life so I've given up seeking certainty. Everything is a wild stab in the dark, like throwing a dice and seeing if you'll get a six.
But why am I asking you this? Why do I need external validation? I am not sure. Perhaps there is a part of me that still clings to the illusion that people can help?
As people have said, Vistaprint do cheap business cards - they do offers every now & then.
Dog walking - this is almost entirely done via facebook these days - find your local area facebook pages and see what people are offering. You will need insurance. Are you any good with dogs?
There are other local, low start-up cost businesses like washing cars down your road - not much fun in this weather but it's easy to do, only requires buckets etc.
Window cleaning is much harder - balancing on ladders while working is hard on the legs.
Casual gardening is easy too - but disposing of the debris is hassle these days.
Offering something simple like weeding or painting sheds & fences is easy too.
Putting new felt on a shed roof is straight forward too.
There's lots of small jobs that people will pay cash for - you might want to make your business cards a bit more versatile listing lots of services that you can offer. Most are outside, heavy or dirty so nicer to do when the weather warms up a bit.
Will putting yourself 'out there' risk your benefits?
I forgot about insurance. I'm okay with dogs. I owned a dog once. I don't have DIY skills or anything like that. I like the idea of expanding my services though. Will it risk my benefits? Yes most likely, but what other option is there?