Many people living in Jamaica today find it almost impossible to make their money stretch to accommodate all their needs, wants and dreams. Even the most frugal person will have difficulty dealing with the constantly rising prices which greet them on their regular supermarket trips.

If you want to achieve more out of life, heed the words of this week’s Jamaican proverb: “Who have raw meat mus look fyah.” A person with uncooked meat must seek fire to prepare it; similarly you need to look for options to earn the money required for you to spark the fire under your goals.

Look within for possibilities

When trying to create extra income, people often make the mistake of choosing earning options that are not relevant to them. For example, some persons believe that setting up a wholesale store is a good business idea just because there are many shoppers who want to buy cheaper groceries.

While replicating a proven concept can be successful, if there are too many of the same types of businesses, the market will become saturated. This approach also does not allow you to exploit your abilities, so you need to be more introspective when thinking of what you can do to earn.

Even if your profession is not unique, you can bring something distinctive to the table that will make you an exceptional performer. Whether you are a mason, teacher, driver or an accountant, if you work at perfecting your skills, you will unearth opportunities to expand your reach and earn more.

Look for more customers

Consider the skills that you are using or have utilised in the past to generate an income and think of how you can earn more from your capabilities. Can you find additional customers who will pay for your skills? Can you find creative ways of packaging your skills to appeal to new consumers?

Let’s say that you are a physical education instructor at a high school. Perhaps you could provide after-work fitness classes to companies or host a weekend fitness boot-camp in your community. You could also develop and market a video of simple exercises to stay fit in fifteen minutes a day.

The idea is to think of who else would pay you for what you already know how do, and then figure out the best way to supply these customers with your offerings. If you are employed in the same field, ensure that your extra income ideas will not be in conflict with your contract of employment.

Look to your talents

If your current occupation doesn’t excite you, or if it would be unethical for you compete with your regular job, then you can look to your hobbies or other talents to earn more money. Most people have valuable skills outside of their work tasks, which can be turned into cash with a little effort.

A relaxing pastime such as gardening or reading could actually be your ticket to earn. So if your green thumb produces a show-stopping garden at home, you could make money by selling potted plants, providing landscaping services or producing organic compost from decayed leaves.

Let’s say you are an avid reader and got high marks for English in school. If you always find yourself circling typos while reading, perhaps you have a talent for editing. You could join a freelance site such as upwork.com or freelancer.com to locate persons who need manuscripts to be edited.

Look for gaps in the market

If no extra income options come to mind from your work or hobbies, then you may need to extend your search outwards to identify ways to earn. One way to create extra income is by supplying colleagues or community members with products or services that may not be readily available.

If everyone at work is always hungry before lunch time, then you could stock up on snacks and sell them to your co-workers. If you’re the only person in your area with a multi-function printer, you could provide photocopying and printing services or assist with completing visa applications.

Keep your eyes open for trends from other countries that could be replicated right here. You can also take advantage of the worldwide demand for Jamaican memorabilia. Use the internet to sell existing Jamaican products or design your own authentic offering that could be marketed online.

Look for people with problems

Entrepreneurial-minded people usually see earning opportunities all around them, because they are always trying to find ways to solve problems. Many of the world’s greatest inventions came from persons who had difficulties that could not be fixed with existing products or services.

Even if you don’t discover a pioneering innovation, if you train your mind to think of solutions to people’s problems, you could discover a way to earn. Be prepared to invest some time and effort into designing a solution for your own problem or a bigger issue that needs to be corrected.

Whatever route you choose to try and increase your earnings, remember that you need to develop a customer-focused approach. Consider how your skills, talents or efforts can make someone’s life more comfortable or safer, and you will have found the secret to creating independent income.

Copyright © 2015 Cherryl Hanson Simpson. No reproduction without written consent.

Originally published in The Daily Observer, November 5, 2015.

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Cherryl is a money coach and business mentor, and founder of Financially S.M.A.R.T. Services. See more of her work at www.entrepreneursinjamaica.com and www.financiallysmart.org. Contact Cherryl