If you’ve lost your job recently as a result of a substance abuse addiction, the pandemic, or other factors, then chances are you’re experiencing a lot of stress right now. One factor that can ease stress is finding more financial security. Courtesy of Just Pray NO!, here are a few ways you can create your own small business or side gig and use it to better your financial situation and remove at least one worry during these challenging times

First, Make it Official

Whatever caused you to become unemployed, making ends meet can be difficult. But it’s not impossible. The key is to regroup and start seeking new opportunities. Starting your own small business is a fulfilling and lucrative way of doing so.

Remember, you’ll need to pay taxes on your income, so it makes sense to choose a business structure and register with your state before you go too far. Many solo entrepreneurs like the advantages an LLC brings, namely the personal asset protection. It’s easy to register when you use a formation service. And don’t forget to pay yourself. Whether you’re a solo entrepreneur or hiring staff, a program like Quickbooks is a great tool for processing payroll for small business owners. Just add it to your toolkit so that you can set up auto payments, direct deposit and auto tax filing. In just a couple of quick hours, you’ll be official and ready to go to work!

Become a Pet Sitter

Pet sitters are on the rise across the United States. Fifty years ago, pet sitters hardly existed. Today, though, they have become many pet owners’ go-to if they are planning on leaving their pet alone for an extended period of time. One of the best parts of becoming a pet sitter is that the startup cost is extremely inexpensive. As long as you have reliable transportation, you can become a pet sitter. This makes it extremely easy to get started. 

Of course, not everyone has the personality needed to be a pet sitter. You must be responsible and organized enough to handle juggling multiple clients at a time, but also flexible enough that you can change your schedule if something comes up. Obviously, you should also love dogs and other animals. If you have experience with exotic animals, you can draw in even more customers with your unique experience and know-how.

Take Up a Craft

Craftsmen are hard to come by these days. With a growing number of people taking office jobs or deciding that college is the best path, fewer and fewer people are creating things with their hands. Yet the demand for skilled craftsmen has never decreased. This has led to an extreme skilled labor shortage. It can be difficult to find someone who is qualified to renovate your house or fix electrical issues, so if you have ever wanted to get involved in a trade, now is the time to start.

Of course, there are other ways to make or fix things with your hands that don’t involve building houses or becoming an electrician. The rise of online shopping has made it particularly easy to make things and sell them to a wide variety of customers around the world. Sales platforms like Etsy make it incredibly easy to set up your own online business and use your skills to make a living.

Teach an Instrument

Now is a great time for those lifelong piano lessons to pay off. If you can play an instrument, it’s very possible that you’ll find a market of local people who are willing to pay you to teach them or their children. You don’t have to be a prodigy to teach children to play instruments; you just need to be better than those you’re teaching. Instruments including the piano and violin are the most popular, but it is likely that any instrument you know how to play will draw the interest of others.

Making ends meet while you’re in between jobs can be difficult at best. However, it is absolutely possible to leverage the skills and passions you currently have to get by while you look for full-time work.

June Lawrence is a recovering alcoholic. She’s proud of her journey and knows the incredible amount of work that goes into sobriety every single day, and she’s on a mission to support others find their way to a happy, healthy life through her site, Recovery Island.

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