Moola, cash, green, bucks, cheese, Benjamins: no matter what word one uses to talk about it, money is at the forefront of most people’s minds. They want more of it, always, and it sometimes seem that it is never enough. This could be good or bad, depending on a person’s motivation, but the fact remains: people want more money. With the proper determination there are several ways to go about reaching one’s financial goals, but this list is by no means exhaustive: side gigs/hustles, investing, and seeing opportunity where others do not.
Recently, side gigs have taken over as a predominant approach for one to earn more income. With the productivity offered by the Internet, coupled with the flexibility in a lot of remote-based careers, it is not unreasonable to think there are other earning opportunities outside of the typical nine-to-five career.
In fact, a recent survey revealed “that 62% of Gen Z’ers and 56% of Millennials started a side hustle since the pandemic began” (Stahl). With these two generations comprising a large portion of the labor force, especially with Gen Z’ers projected to make up 1/3 of the workforce by 2030, it is clear that this side gig environment will only increase over time, creating more opportunities to increase one’s income outside of a typical career (Nix). With determination, a side gig is a wonderful way to show off a skill that is not used in a fulltime job, while also putting more money in the bank.
Side gigs require a lot of manual focus, but another way to earn more money is a tad more passive: investing. Using money to make money is a scary concept to some, but there is not question that it could aid in bringing about a strong cash flow. Investing can seem intimidating to a lot of people, and fear is a strong motivator to stay away from even trying; however, an article from Financial IT–a journal focused on educating on financial decisions–highlights that technology has simplified the process for investing, helping with that fear factor ( If you like this theme, you can find it – “write my essay for me” and theme of the topic “How Investing”). If people can put aside their fears and insecurities, investing can be a lucrative and fun way to put more money in their pockets.
Lastly, a strong focus on market gaps, seeing things others are unable to, is another way to develop financially advantageous approaches to make more money. Most successful investors and/or entrepreneurs build their status and brand based off seeing a “gap” in the market–what is missing that people need or want, potentially making their lives easier or more enjoyable? Sergei Anikin, a Forbes Council Member, emphasizes that the ability to capitalize on opportunities is in the details: “Being sensitive enough to the signals might be all that’s needed to innovate successfully, stay ahead of the curve and avoid being a business firefighting to keep unhappy customers.” Opportunities are all around, every day, if only one could slow down and pay attention. If a person is able to do this, focusing on the little things that open up big opportunities, the money in his/her pocket will only grow, potentially to unexpected levels.
Clearly, there are a number of ways to go about adding income and cash to the bank, and these methods only increase over time, with the market shifts and innovative nature of the world. A lot of people are looking for opportunities to make their lives more financially meaningful, and sometimes they are only hindered by their imagination or determination. Whether it is a side gig, investments, or spotting opportunities in the world around them, there are lots of options out there to grow their bank accounts to gratifying levels.
1. Works Cited
Anikin, Sergei. “Council Post: Productivity, Innovation and Spotting the Signals of Change.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 23 Feb. 2022, https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2022/02/22/productivity-innovation-and-spotting-the-signals-of-change/?sh=3c1c12c230ab. Accessed 28 Feb. 2022.
“How Investing Has Become Accessible for Amateurs.” Financial IT, Financial IT, 28 Feb. 2022, https://financialit.net/news/asset-management/how-investing-has-become-accessible-amateurs. Accessed 28 Feb. 2022.
Nix, Naomi. “Gen Z Workers to Triple by 2030, Snap-Commissioned Report Says.” Bloomberg.com, Bloomberg, 10 Mar. 2021, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-10/gen-z-workers-to-triple-by-2030-snap-commissioned-report-says. Accessed 28 Feb. 2022.
Stahl, Ashley. “The Side Hustle: What Does This Mean for Corporate America?” LinkedIn, LinkedIn, 23 Feb. 2022, https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/side-hustle-what-does-mean-corporate-america-ashley-stahl/. Accessed 28 Feb. 2022.
