The Business of the 21st Century

An acquaintance of mine made a simple, yet heartbreaking post on facebook recently. She was looking for ideas on a THIRD part-time job to support herself and her kids. Let me tell you why this is heart breaking--we, as a culture, are conditioned to believe that working a traditional job earning linear income is the only way to make a living. Issa lie, y'all. 

Hear me out....

Multimillionaire investor and author, Robert Kiyosaki, says in his book The Business of the 21st Century, "most of the U.S. population has been living for years on the knife-edge precipice between solvency and ruin, relying on the next paycheck or two to meet each month's expenses, typically with only a very thin cushion of cash savings--or more often, no cushion at all. That paycheck is called "trading your time for money," and during a recession, it is the least reliable source of income there is. Why? Because when the number of employed people starts dropping, there is less disposable income in circulation to pay for your time."

I do know a few people who love their traditional jobs. They love to teach, they love to fix cars, they love their trade...but chances are they are still NOT living their best life. No--money doesn't create happiness; there are lots of people out there who make little money, but live happy lives. Joy is most certainly a choice no matter what tax bracket you fall into. BUT I'd venture to say that the acquaintance I mentioned above is blessed because she's alive and breathing with beautiful, healthy children, but she is still looking for a THIRD job to make ends meet. Let that marinate for a second.

Here's the thing--I'm not telling you to walk away from your traditional job (unless you really feel led to). I'm asking you to consider adding a stream of income to simply create margin in your budget. In The Business of the 21st Century, Robert Kiyosaki also shares that, "Breaking away from those typical job structures and creating your own stream of income puts you in the best position to weather an economic storm, simply because you are no longer dependent on a boss or on the economy to determine your annual income. Now you determine it."

I'm here to tell you from experience that adding an extra stream of income has put our family in a much more responsible financial position. It has truly blessed us and, in turn, has allowed us to bless others. Because I can work my business anywhere and anytime (as long as I have a phone + wifi), I don't have to be away from my family working a part-time job. 

Social marketing has gotten a bad rap over time and truthfully, there are some social marketing businesses that have shady business practices AND trash compensation plans. But let me encourage you to do your research. Talk to someone (hello, me!) who has been successful in a business like this. Consider the initial start-up cost--if it's minimal, take a closer look. And lastly, if it's a product or service that works and is consumable (meaning what you're offering has to be consumed/ordered monthly), take an even closer look.

Photo Credit: Brittany Villegas Photography

I'm no salesperson. And I won't ask you to be a salesperson. But I do want to see you live. And be healthy. And not have to work a third job to survive. 

2019 is 26 days away. Rather than go into the new year doing the same thing with the same weight on your shoulders (or your waistline), let's talk about your dreams and the possibilities before you!