A friend recently emailed me after being fired and wanted my input on what to do. Below is part of the list that I emailed them. The actions are for anyone, whether you’ve just been fired, just quit or you are employed. They all help work out the entrepreneurial mentality, and are aimed at getting the body into motion making money for itself.
Importantly: if you were fired please find out whether or not you are eligible for unemployment. Beyond that step, here’s a list of 10 things to do after you’re fired from your job.
Most Immediate Income Sources
Thanks to the gig economy and the power of our cellular devices, it’s easier than ever to begin earning additional income almost immediately. If you don’t have a car, these allow bike delivery. Postmates does walking, driving and bike delivery, and you can switch your preference.
There are people who use Uber and Lyft as their primary income source, but know that you will need a vehicle and the vehicle will take on considerable wear and tear. A great blog if you’re curious about ride share programs is the ride share guy.
1. Postmates
With postmates, you pick up food from restaurants, groceries from the store and other miscellaneous errands for app users. My experience with the app is in the Seattle market and the hourly rate can be hit or miss. I’ve used postmates with a vehicle and as a bicycle courier. My non-mathematical opinion is that using a vehicle with Postmates, long run, is not a good deal.
But, if you need income immediately, this is a great option.
You can use my email as a promo/referral code: timo.way@gmail.com
2. UberEats
This is Uber’s version of Postmates with a focus on food delivery. Uber, like Postmates, allows both bicycle and car users.
If you have yet to use Uber and Lyft as a passenger, I highly recommend it. These apps save people time, and if you have a vehicle these two options will be the best paying of the above options.
5. Sell your stuff
Craigslist, Ebay, a yard sale. If you’ve lost your job and have no income on its way, it’s time to Audit Yourself and purge the stuff you don’t need. Gary Vaynerchuk explains a tried and true method of selling on Ebay with the 2017 flip challenge. For example, I’ve purchased books from Goodwill and sold them on Ebay for 10 times the purchase value.
It’s simple: Go to the thrift shop, buy undervalued things like disney memorabilia, records, etc and sell them on eBay.
Check out the video below for inspiration from the legend, @garyvee:
6. End Subscriptions | Go to the Library
I love reading and I love Amazon Prime. Why wait 6 weeks for your local library to remove a hold on a new release when you can order it on Prime and have it delivered by tomorrow? Because you need money. Cash is oxygen and the library, if you’re in the United States, offers audio books, movies and books for free.
Check out this article on how I made back $293 in 24 hours with a library card.
Options that take more time
7. Freelance
What skills do you have? What skills can you use to help others? Can you create logos, revise resumes, edit term papers, or setup a WordPress site? To put your skills to work, head over to the freelance marketplaces at upwork, fiverr, and freelance.com.
8. Linkedin
As a pro: Not just the boring version of Facebook and a meat market for recruiters, LinkedIn now allows professionals (freelancers) to offer their services in the marketplace. To get work on LinkedIn as a pro head here: https://www.linkedin.com/profinder/pros
As a job seeker:
Set your LinkedIn profile to show you are open to being recruited. This will light your beacon to recruiters. To do this at LinkedIn.com, go to Jobs > Preference > Let recruiters know you’re open.
And be sure to update your profile!
Search the ‘Gigs’ and ‘Jobs’ listings for anything relevant to you. In Craigslist gigs you can find anything from being a hair model, to helping someone move a couch, to working as a marketing freelancer for a small business. There’s tons of opportunity to be had here. Again, think about what you can do for other people and search those terms on Craigslist (e.g. “Facebook Marketing”).
I have had the most success with Craigslist having found my last 3 Freelance clients there.
10. Ideas
With the job no longer a part of your life, your schedule is now wide open. You have the blessing of time that you did not have before, and that is where the danger is. This is where the danger of a lack of discipline comes into play.
What I’ve found is that if I schedule a non-negotiable morning routine for the first 1-2 hours of the day, it creates the momentum I need to be successful in the day.
Start writing, reading, blogging or whatever comes naturally to you. If you don’t have a personal website, build one. If you don’t exercise, move. If you play video games, stop. If you love going out and drinking, will that serve your purpose of generating income? I’ve been down that rabbit hole and while it was fun, it gave me a lot less financial runway to work with. And less runway means stress. Stress means sick and panicky. No good.
What other ideas do you have for the day you get fired, or quit, or retire? Have you tried any of the above methods? Let me know!