How to make money like a boss.

[AquaAscension]

It's sad that no one wants to actually share knowledge, and only concentrate on being smartasses. :/

Because the truth is there is no "easy" way to make quick money. You could get lucky and get picked up into a singing contract or something, but you'd either have to have the talent or the work time hours spent investing in your voice/instrument. You could try to focus on doing something you love (for me it's martial arts, music, poetry/writing, and teaching sometimes), but you have to be willing to put in the time in order to do that.

Take Day9 (Sean Plott, Starcraft 2 commentator and, seemingly, all around great human being) for example. I'm currently watching him play Amnesia: The Dark Descent and piss himself because it's kind of hilarious (him... not the game; the game is terrifying). However, you have to look at the before picture of how he can get eighteen thousand (18,000) people to watch him scream and stream: because he invested a lot of time in analyzing a game (up to 5 hours a day putting his show together) that people seem to find valuable. Fortunately for him, his love of the game and current demands for content coincide, but not everyone is that fortunate.

The truth of the matter is that he had to go through a lot of crap (I think? I don't know his full story, but I'm turning him into a metaphor for everyone now) in order to get where he's at. The overarching point to take away from all this is that unless you're born into money, you have to work hard to get it.

As the Mighty Mike McGee says (slam poet extraordinaire), "If I can give as good as I get, then I've got a gift worth giving." So, go out and get some life, figure out what is worth working towards, and then give yourself to that work. Only way to do it.

I'm still figuring out how to make money this way. I'll probably have to be a slave to retail or restaurants before I'll have the adequate experience to write about life though. Although, who knows, maybe something will happen out of the blue, but I can't hold my breath waiting for it.

And, yeah, internet forum is probably not the best place to ask for straight-laced money making like a bawss endeavors. I mean, your first reply was a troll face comment.

 

[xDarc]

At 29, I've mostly just worked for other people so far, but I've got plans.

I started doing any kind of job I could get and kept trading up whenever I got a chance. I learned a lot about many different types of work. I used to joke that the only thing I had never touched was banking. Early this year, I finally snagged a job with a bank doing simple IT work. I'm getting 36,000 a year and that's a good start in my new career.

The best advice I can give with jobs is this: You never want to take steps back, take less money- but sometimes it takes having a job to get a job. The only reason I got the job at the bank is because I had 6 months with best buy's geek squad and also performed a technical role at my last private security job. I never even got a degree, I didn't believe in picking something I wanted to be when I grew up. I have an associates that I spent a decade to get.

My plan is to buy a home, build up equity/collateral and take out a small business loan and open a cafe. I can always see where I go with the bank- but the advancements in pay come slower than the costs of the consequences of life. I believe whatever it is, you have to take a chance at pouring yourself into something... not to be confused with a gamble you are powerless over.

 

[Slash Dementia]

Not as much money as you'd think and it's not very consistent, but go to the thrift store, look at their games, buy some, then put them on Amazon. It's not without doing work, but it's far less work--far less work for far less money than working at a job.

You have to test the games out, and if not, you have to put that you're selling it "as is" so that you won't be responsible if the game doesn't work.

Get the Pokemon games if you can. I've sold about 15 games and have gotten around $200 (USD) in two months (make that $170 because of all the shipping). It's not much money, but it's something--and something is better than nothing.

 

[Wuggy]

Pretty easy. Become a manager/CEO/whatever of a company. You'll be literally a boss. This is the only way I can understand the question because I'm a humourless jackass.

 

[qeinar]

Phase 1: Collect underpants
Phase 2: ???
Phase 3: Profit!

That SP episode was awesome.

 

[MeChaNiZ3D]

Buy a mint.

Seriously.

[Well, either that or sell a book titled "How to Make Money" that has only one real page that says "Congratulations! I made money!"]

 

[SwimmingRock]

It's sad that no one wants to actually share knowladge, and only concentrate on being smartasses. :/

I'm sorry, but did you really expect better?

OT: Daytrade. Especially with the volatile economy, there are a lot of opportunities for profit. Or devastating loss. I think it's worth the risk.

I expected escapist to be at least a bit more mature than 4chan.

You want mature?
Get a job, quit expecting life to just hand you crap and go and earn it.

How was that kid?

I pretty much love you right now. The 100 Bullets avatar helps, but the words seal the deal.

OT: Be born to rich parents.

 

[Indeterminacy]

I would like to open this as a discussion about ways to make money.
Pointless comments like "get a job" should be ignored, since selling labour is not a proper way to make money, rather a way for other people make money off you. So, my fellow escapists, share your wisdom and/or experience.

I'm ordering a hit on the use of the phrase "Like a Boss". Eliminate it for me and it shall be worth your while.

 

[Blunderboy]

I would like to open this as a discussion about ways to make money.
Pointless comments like "get a job" should be ignored, since selling labour is not a proper way to make money, rather a way for other people make money off you. So, my fellow escapists, share your wisdom and/or experience.

I'm ordering a hit on the use of the phrase "Like a Boss". Eliminate it for me and it shall be worth your while.

Thanks. You have excellent taste.

OT - Sell fake Dragon eggs, seeing as you seem to be living in a fantasy world.

 

[Ghaleon640]

I think I may have found a guy that shared some info that may be of interest. It was a few months ago, so I'll see if I can dig the information up sometime. It basically involved making your own webpage and doing something people wanted. For him it was writing articles. Of course, this requires a lot of knowledge and experience. The guy wrote a guide and noone had success with it, so he had someone else point out some of the things he didn't explain properly, and the second guide seemed to be more successful. (I think that was how it went. Been a while.)

Long story short, I'll try to get around to finding the advice and posting it here in the next few days, but it would take a very smart person and a lot of hard work to pull it off successfully.

 

[intheweeds]

It's sad that no one wants to actually share knowledge, and only concentrate on being smartasses. :/

Agreed.

Anyway, my answer? I'm not really sure what you are looking for here. I'm going to assume your talking about being your own boss or being an entrepreneur because as others have stated, there is no such thing as a free ride. Getting rich quick is just not going to happen. My two cents will be directed towards that.

Be driven first off. I mean it. You need at least a minor vision of where you want to be and then you need to not give up until you get there. You WILL fail over and over until you succeed. Do not give up. This will take a lot of time and energy. Nothing is free or easy in this world.

You will need start-up capital no matter what you do. Step one. If you know step one for you is - save money to fund step two, then get the best job you can that has something there you can learn from. You will need to work, but it is bearable when you know you are working as step one in a larger plan.

Some people might laugh at you or react negatively. It's not that people don't want you to succeed, they have never known you as 'successful you' that owns stuff, they are having a hard time imagining it and since you aren't there yet, they can't see it.

Learn from everyone you see. You will have bosses, watch them. Keep what you think they are doing well with people and the business and try and preemptively learn from their mistakes. You will probably not get access to their books, so start managing your life like a business to practice. Get familiar with Excel. Excel is your friend. If the business you work for is doing well, you are not going to see many obvious flaws to learn from. Learn from the ones in your own life!

Also - I think it's human nature to actively distance ourselves from our own confidence. What's one thing that all successful people have? Confidence. Being confident and being a narcissistic douchebag are two different things, but I don't know that people realize that as much as they should.

A note:
Anyway, I'm only just about to launch my business so who knows what will happen? I still don't have any money yet. I'm actually in the hole, but prospects look good for launch.

As others have noted, no matter what, this is going to take time and energy. I'm 33 now, I've been learning for quite a few years. At 21, OP, you are going to probably have to work or go to school for a while longer before you know enough of anything to strike out on your own. Unless you began learning your craft as a child labourer, you do not have enough work experience let alone life experience in any industry. You have to completely understand every job underneath of you if you want to run any kind of business and make money at it. You want to throw money at something you don't completely understand?

 

[MorphingDragon]

Learn to draw and draw "Art Commissions"/

 

[Simon Pettersson]

-snip-

It's funny how you immediately assume that I never worked in my life. I'm 21 at the time and I started working since 14. That said, as a person with experience in a LOT of different fields of work, I can safely say that I got milked dry every time. If YOU sir had worked a day in your life you would know that this kind of making money does not "pay off". Or maybe your standards and ambitions are low enough for you to be fine with that kind of exploitation.
kthnxbai

You should know this. IF anyone here had a really good plan to make money. The most likley would not share that, giving away your business plan is not a really smart move.

But if I am going to give tips on things you could start making money on.

1. Open a store that sells things, anything you think can sell in your area (or sell things on internet) Buy low sell high.
2. Stock market
3. Do something your good at juggling, acting
4. Ilegal things (don´t recomend it tho)

5. Swallow your pride and get an ordinary job, really if anything this can make you most money. Get a good job and be stingy with what job you get.
Make sure there is room for you to grow and have a plan for a new job if the work doesn´t work for you. Get a side job with the money you make and grow it steadly (do not think it will go on plus for the first 1-2 years.)

Hope this help.

 

[Sgt. Dante]

A) Get a job you hippy
B) Find a neice in a market and fill it (takes some investment)
C) Date a wealthy but lonely older person (usually widowed)
D) Find a rich "long lost aunt"
E) Sell everything that isn't nailed down
F) Turn to a life of crime
G) Win the lottery


This list is ordered in likelyhood (or in F's case legality) from high to low, and speed low to high.

 

[Ghaleon640]

I would like to open this as a discussion about ways to make money.
Pointless comments like "get a job" should be ignored, since selling labour is not a proper way to make money, rather a way for other people make money off you. So, my fellow escapists, share your wisdom and/or experience.

Hey I know that no one is checking this topic anymore, but I thought this link and the links he poasts have some interesting points. Hope you can find some good use from it because I believe he has the same mindset as you. This can be a very good thing if you work hard.

http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2006/07/10-reasons-you-should-never-get-a-job/