Lacking a Nail

Disclaimer: This series reflects my personal journey of readiness and resilience. I’m not forecasting outcomes or commenting on corporate decisions. The way I think about it, preparing for uncertainty at work is a lot like preparing for a storm: you always hope it won’t reach you, but you take precautions so you and your family stay safe if it does. My focus is on staying steady, calm, and ready for whatever may come.

Phase 0: It’s only writing on the wall

A couple weeks have passed and the ripple from the most recent development has come and gone. The workplace gossip has come and gone and we’re back to work again. I’m reminded of the band playing as the Titanic sank. I’m thinking, this could be a case of the chicken saying the sky is falling. I would like to be wrong in how I feel. It would be awesome if this time next year we’re getting ready for the end of the year again. Which is why Phase 0 isn’t me actively searching for future employment, it’s preparing for the possibility of having to search for future employment.

The plan developed by myself has two prongs; the grind and the hustle.

The Grind

I am heavily leaning on ChatGPT for the planning and implementation. Two fields of interest have been identified; bookkeeping/admin and logistics/supply chain. I (meaning ChatGPT) have made a general resume, a resume that is skewed toward bookkeeping/admin and a resume that supports logistics/supply chain. The main thing to note; one of these is something I’ve had some level of interest in (I do have a blog heavy on the personal finance) the other is in the same family as my current position.

My LinkedIn account has seen some activity, updating and improving. I need to work on this aspect more. I hate, and I mean loathe, this process. Unless I’m in a cocky mood, which is rare, I feel like every bullet point ranges from exaggeration to technically not a lie. I tried doing the STAR technique on a couple bullet points. If you use ChatGPT or another AI for this keep an eye on what it suggests. Without any basis or support for any statistical claim ChatGPT was wanting me to say I had “99%+ accuracy”, “15% error reduction”, etc. I had to argue with the system to come up with STAR bullet points that weren’t bald faced lies.

I’m also pursuing certifications, looking for free courses. I’m starting with what my company has to offer. Then I will expand into certifications that pique my interest. This is about making an effort to improve myself in ways that would also function to improve my marketability.

All of these are things people should be doing on the regular. They’re all things that are better done before any air of desperation poisons my perspective. With how much I loathe and avoid resume work, the first two are things that take me a lot longer to complete.

The Gist of The Grind
1. Get your resume in shape – should be done annually
A. Have three versions; any job, a field of interest, a field in the family of your current position (preferably also of interest)
2. Get your Linked in account updated – this is your virtual resume / CV respect it.
3. Personal improvement – start with certifications and trainings available where you work, expand from there.

The Hustle

The other prong is attempting to develop some income streams. Income independent of a job. The ever present fantasy of waking up one day finding myself independently wealthy. I even tried my hand at the lottery one time, but after barely getting a 12% return I realized it wasn’t a smart move. I digress.

The choice is simple, on paper, increase what you get paid at work or increase the sources of income. I don’t think the former is going to be happening which means the latter needs to be pursued. Which leads to the next question; active or passive income. My loose definition of active income is where you are paid by hour work or item produced. It is a one – to – one ratio with no real scalability. It includes second jobs, dog walking, yard work, Uber, DoorDash, seasonal work, doing hair, baking, creating physical art, teaching a class, etc. Whereas passive income doesn’t have the direct relationship between work put in and income earned; digital products, books, online course, rental property, investing, etc.

Due to the logistical nightmare additional active income may pose, the desire to to produce something that “works when I’m not working”, and wanting to spend my weekends and evenings with my family. Passive income is what I’m pursuing; specifically printables on Etsy.

So with the help of ChatGPT I have set up an Etsy shop with product ($29 set up, $0.20 listing fee) . I utilize Canva (free version) and I get directions from ChatGPT. The directions range from answering questions on how to accomplish what I am thinking of to being told specific steps for creating a product.

The price point I’ve established is $2. The idea being what I’m making so far are convenience items. Things that a person could “just make themselves”. As I grow in skill, the products grow in complexity, or bundles are made the price may increase. I’m also going for the “it’s just $x” effect, when you buy something because it piques your interest and is a low enough amount it won’t have a negative impact.

I have sticker ideas that I will expand to, after researching print on demand services. They will allow me to expand what I offer without immediate sacrifice of my resources. Specifically money (to buy inventory, mailing supplies, or a P.O. Box rental), space (to store said inventory and mailing supplies), or time (to stay on top of orders, pack orders, go to the post office to send out delivers and check the P.O. Box).

The Heart of The Hustle
1. You can either increase the income rate or increase your sources of income.
2. Active income streams – second jobs, side gigs – increase sources, still tied to others schedules.
3. Passive streams – can be front loading the work – printables, books, stock photos

Status

I swing from feeling like these are the desperate acts of a drowning man trying to find something, anything, to grab hold of. To feeling like I’m being productive and proactive. That I’m doing things that will help us out regardless of what happens with my job in January. Time will tell if any of this does anything to help.

What have you looked into for side hustles?

Is there anything that has caught your eye?

P.S. If this was useful my one-page Sinking Funds Tracker is in the shop, or you can tip on Ko-fi or PayPal. One tiny move is progress.

This post reflects my personal experience and opinions. I share our real-life money – rounded numbers, personal choices, (tiny) next steps. It is not financial advice. I’m not a financial advisor. Budgeting and money topics are shared for education and entertainment only. Your situation is unique; verify details before acting. Small steps count.

Personal experiences only—this isn’t professional advice. See Disclosures and Terms.