What’s a ‘Side Hustle’? A way to gain additional income.
Since the beginning of time folks have found a way to make extra income. In the Old Testament Exodus 2:9 tells us how Moses’ mother took wages for babysitting her own son! Then there was Lydia in Acts 16:14 NT, who made and sold purple dye for extra income.
My Grandma Hattie sold fresh brown eggs, butter and sweet cream for extra money.
Today media is a buzz about folks looking for new ways to earn extra income.
I know a little about this kinda thing.
It began when we were living on post at Fort Jackson. We purchased a new Plymouth Fury convertible. I was making payments from my salary at Colonial Stores. But when orders came for deployment to Berlin, Germany. I worried how I would be able to continue making those payments. I knew Grandma would say.
“Pray”
Today cost of living has increased and there are many folks, through no fault of their own, who are working two or three jobs just to make ends meet. What to do next. How? I dunno. Maybe moonlighting, otherwise known as a ‘side hustle‘. ‘Keep Your Day job’ until you establish a plan. If you have no working capital you’ll have to use Brain Dust and Elbow Grease.
Before you start, get a State sales tax ID. You’ll need it eventually anyway.
Maybe you’re good at repurposing discarded furniture. That’s a possible “Side Hustle” Back to my story.
Once we settled in Berlin, Hubby found a way to supplement our tiny monthly military paycheck. The troops were issued ration books with stamps for gas, alcohol and tobacco. Hubby bought stamps from nonsmokers and drinkers which he redeemed for cigarettes and Vodka and resold them on the German economy. Not a good idea!
After a slap on the wrist, Ben’s company commander suggested we shop in the East and sell in the West.
That’s when we had a fortuitous meeting with a neighbor and future mentor, Airman French Canadian, Lou Goodreaux, who Immediately took Ben under his wing. Since we lived in the same building, we would soon be getting OTJ training: dating porcelain, Hallmarks, assorted Hummel marks Dresden figurines, artists hidden signatures and more.’ Lou took us to centuries old cobblestone side-streets, so narrow only a cart could travel. We also learned the names of makers of Black Forest clocks.
Lou, a devout Catholic, taught us how to find honest irregularities in items and instructed us in the area of reasonable profit margins. Where did Lou get his savy? Buying and selling at Canadian Flea Markets! Lou was also an experienced frequent flier. Haha!
So I went to work at a Berlin laundry for a dollar a day ..Ugh. but again we had some cash for shopping.
Meantime we located the European Exchange System Complex where we exchanged American dollars for West Marks, crossed the horseshoe to exchange them for East marks. After that process, one American dollar became more than ten dollars. Completely legal and profitable.
There was security clearances to go behind the infamous Berlin wall.
After a few years, when our tour of duty ended we returned to live in Columbia, ready to buy and sell. We retrieved our Plymouth from the Charleston Harbor. Hubby found work at Cate McLauren Appliance Company and I was hired at a local hospital. We borrowed my Dads old truck and with a few dollars in our pockets, we were ready to spend weekends and evenings practicing our ‘Side Hustle”
At first we called it roadkill; free, abandoned items left along the roadside. That was how it started. We we’re on a new kind of search and rescue mission. But how would we find buyers? There were no flea markets in our state, so we rented a vacant West Columbia building on Meeting Street next to the “What a Burger“ and began running ads in the trader papers. Thank the Lord we found our niche, the ‘side hustle’ would soon become full-time.
Details of our humorous business adventures in Part II next week, Y’all!
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