Money makes your business go ‘round. Whether you need the cash to launch your brilliant idea, grow your business or make it through a sales slump – getting access to more moola, without going the traditional lender route, requires some creativity.
Here are Creative Ways to Get Cash in a Pinch:
Gig: Mission Maven
What you need: Bike or car (depending on the distance or errand). Calendar.
Cost to you: A couple gallons of gas (varies).
What to do: Contact busy people you know and ask if they’ll consider tossing you some errands for a reasonable price. Plan out any particulars and get busy. You may also want to hit up elderly relatives and friends. Let them know it is really a fundraiser for your startup/business and they will be more likely to toss you some work. It could also make for a fun Instagram documentary with cool hashtags and shoutouts.
Potential Cash: Anywhere from $8 to $15/hr.
Gig: Throwback Thursday Auction
What you need: Cheesy, throwback items.
Cost to you: $0-50
What to do: Try to get your hands on cheesy throwback items. Beg family, friends and colleagues for old cool items they may have stored in attics or basements: Cabbage Patch Kids cards, Star Trek T-shirts, Berenstain Bears books, Easy-Bake ovens, The Lost Boys posters, Duck Tales coloring books. Once you’ve got a decent pile going, plan a future Thursday (with ample time for promotion) to host your cheese-fest. Hit up every fanboy blog, group or event you can find to promote your upcoming, hip auction.
Potential cash: $25 – $200 (depends on the items you find, their condition and your price point).
Gig: Egg Donor
What you need: Eggs. There is an application and screening process.
Cost to you: A few hours of time.
What to do: Look up quality organizations to donate your eggs to and do your research. Ask for references. A good place to start is eggdonor.com.
Potential cash: $5,000 to $10,000
Gig: Neighborhood Dumpster Day
What you need: Neighbors who want to get rid of junk. Rent a dumpster.
Cost to you: Anywhere from $250 to $500
What to do: Organize a neighborhood cleanup benefit. Charge neighbors at least $65 (adjust the price to make an optimum profit) to get rid of some big ticket items they’ve been hoping to ditch – all in the name of a good cause.
Potential cash: Up to $800 net.
Gig: Big Girl’s Lemonade Stand
What you need: A couple liters of vodka, rum or whiskey. A bag full of lemons. Water. Sugar. Lemon juice. Kick ass recipes.
Cost to you: $20 – $50.
What to do: Call your best friends and associates over to shop at your lemonade stand aka a groovy night at your house. Make tasty lemonade concoctions for $5 a pop and find a buddy who is willing to donate some cracker & cheese platters, chips, burgers and dogs or a party-size pizza. Then charge guests 75 cents per food item. It’s a cool way to get each guest to spend roughly $20 for a night of fun at your house while supporting your business.
Potential cash: $50 to $400.
Gig: Summer Getaway Agent
What you need: The will to make it through a weekend with kids (and possibly a pet).
Cost to you: $70.
What to do: Find couples you know who can never get away alone for the summer because they have children and charge them anywhere from $300 to $500 (depending on the house, number of children and pets) to watch the kiddies for the weekend at their house. You should be CPR/First Aid certified. You can take a class at your local American Red Cross for approximately $70-$90.
Potential cash: $300 – $2,000
Gig: Carpool Connoisseur
What you need: A valid driver’s license, car insurance and working seatbelts.
Cost to you: A couple gallons of gas (varies).
What to do: Call up every soccer, baseball, dance mom you know, tell her about your fundraiser and then ask to drive Becky, Jason and Latoya to their appointments, school, games and recitals for the month. You can also hit up the moms of your nephew’s team and offer to transport the players to and fro for the month at $12 per ride ($6 each way or more depending on distance). Make sure to have safety guidelines in place.
Potential cash: $48 – $200
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