Volume 51 Issue 10 - October 2013 : Social

Article: Calviniah Kgautlhe

In today`s fast, money driven world, a wanting financial situation is inevitable, and instinctively human beings are always on course - in a quest to explore ways of making money to outsmart poverty and live well off the breadline.

To some, it comes with ease to attain that and put bread on the table while for some especially the poor it becomes a far-fetched dream as things do not come on a silver platter.

However, it has been proven over and over again that those who look beyond their situation with zeal, determination, patience, hard work and persistence can reap high yields - the silver lining.

And it is for this reason that upon reading various articles, I came to the realisation that money making can be an exciting and fun endeavour! It simply requires you to creatively meet someone`s Need OR a Want at a fee.

Below are some of the creative ideas acquired from various information sources that we can use to improve our economic status:

Grow a backyard garden and Sell: For those who enjoy gardening, creating a vegetable patch at the back of your yard and selling can be a good dime earner. Who knows? It might just be a good starter and inspire you to grow your business bigger if you succeed!

Start a small business: Starting a small business does not require large sums of money, and its cash flow can be easily managed. When you start small, you grow with the business gradually gaining practical entrepreneurship skills. If you need assistance, there are SMMEs help centers such as, Social and Community Development (S&CD) in councils nationwide who impart knowledge and skills, there are parastatals who impart entrepreneurship skills i.e. Local Enterprise Authority (LEA), and commercial banks who have tailor made products specifically for SMMEs such as First National Bank (FNB) and others.

Make handmade crafts for sale: If you have talent, skill and passion for craftwork put your hands to good use, make things and sell, i.e, artwork, bead work, sewing, painting, pottery, basketry, greetings cards etc. If you prosper, you may be inspired to start a crafts business and consider going international by selling your goods online.

Re-finish old furniture: Beautiful and wonderful pieces can be made from old and dull furniture at a fee, i.e., you can learn upholstery and if you have a creative eye, you can buy worn-out furniture and fix it for a better resale price.  

Interior Design and Décor of houses or apartments: This is an exciting way of making money, if you have a great design sense and knowledge of what is valuable in the construction of a home, or apartments consider buying, fixing up, and reselling of homes and apartments. Some home owners require beautiful spaces but have no idea of how to go about it, so use this money making opportunity.

 

Landscaping: This is one area where you can make lots of money. If you understand plants, landscape designs and spaces, gear up; get those protective clothing get working. You may look for brush-clearing, mowing, or woodcutting jobs, topiary (tree trimming) some of which may land you regular customers which is a good start.

Sell things you don`t need:  Things that we do not need tend to clutter our space, remember that someone somewhere needs something that you have but you do not need. Sell it to them or use available facilities such as pawn shops.

Rent out your space: More often than not, we have spaces that we do not use, if you have unused space e.g, a garage, spare room, or a warehouse then rent it out to others looking for space to use at a fee.

Rent out your house as a film location: Botswana`s film industry is coming up, and usually film and TV production teams are always looking for homes and areas they can shoot in. be ready for them to make money.

Photography: Photographs are in demand, baby showers, anniversaries, weddings, events, corporate functions, media houses, internet and others, if you have the photography skill go for it!  

Find lost assets: You can set up an agency that recovers lost assets. A lot of money lays unused in old bank accounts, pensions, life assurances, Premium Bonds and investments whether forgotten because someone was moving house, or a change or work place, or it was simply overlooked. The agency could recover lost inheritance if maybe a relative that's passed away had a bank account they was forgotten about.

Take up Christmas job: During this time demand for supply of various products and services rise, and there is a high likelihood of temporary vacancies around the Christmas season. Be on the lookout for opportunities-check in your area who could be looking for extra staff to cope with the extra Christmas shoppers.

Party Planner: For those who have a creative eye and enjoy planning parties and weddings, this idea could be a good money earner especially when you`ve already established rapport with clients or you advertise your services.

Tutor to students: If you are an expert on a subject and enjoy sharing information and being challenged, you can earn lots of money for helping students learn the subject at a fee. ENDS

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