Let’s talk about living life —and succeeding in a career— as a digital nomad, somebody who travels around and works remotely from wherever they are.
Many thanks to Entrepreneur.com where I first saw this topic. One of my guests on Episode 46 was a digital nomad, Tara Smith, who works from the road as an interior designer with Modsy. So we know it can be done. But how?
First of all, if you want to do this, know that you are not alone. Data from Flex Jobs shows that 43 percent of Americans work remotely at least part of the time, so the trend is going in the right direction for digital nomads.
Here are the basics:
First, get out of debt if you’re in it. It’s hard to become a digital nomad if you’re weighed down by credit card debt.
You are not on vacation. You need to respond quickly to client requests, which means having WIFI access at all times.
Ideally you would work for yourself. Or, if you work for a company and like it, you will need to “train” your manager to accept you n to being in the office. TIm Ferris’s 4 Hour Work Week is the classic step-by-step guide on this.
Now, what sorts of jobs do other people do successfully as digital nomads? Here’s a list: Blogger, Coder, Copyeditor, Consultant, E-Book Author, Graphic designer, Social media manager, Online course creator, Translator, Transcriber, Affiliate Marketer (In other words, somebody who promotes products on their blog and gets money for click-throughs), Video Editor, Virtual Assistant, Writer, Resume Writer. (My guest on Episode 6 makes 6 figures as a resume writer and often takes her work on the road.) and one more: Tutor. What other job titles could you add? All of these have a common thread: they can be done on a computer over the internet. Easy peasy.
Still not sure you could take the leap? I’m happy to tell you that there are also now job sites devoted to digital nomads, including one called Working Nomad and also remote.co and Outsourcely. I will link you to these digital nomad resources from EasyMoneyShow.com/51.
Are you a creative person, full of talent but also full of fear about becoming the stereotypical “starving artist?” I’m here to tell you that It IS possible to make it as a creative. That is our featured “make more” segment this time. My guest has made it as a creative despite some real-life challenges early in her career. In this episode I interviewed author, poet, selfcare and wellness consultant and fellow podcast host Alex Elle. Here are some of the questions I asked her. Alex’s insights can help YOU take your creative career to the next level income-wise.
I think people believe you have to focus on one thing career-wise. But you are thriving doing a long list of things. Do people have to choose?
Some of your books have traditional publishers and some are self published. Any advice for aspiring authors on which to choose and how to succeed at either?
Your other main focus is as a wellness and self care consultant. How did you get into that field and how do you make a living at it?
I know you didn’t set out to become a popular presence on Instagram. But you are. You’ve got nearly half a million followers. How did it happen and what do you try to do with this platform for yourself and your followers?
It’s wedding season as I record this and did you know you can make extra money performing weddings? Thanks to Refinery29 where I originally saw this “make more” idea. Think about it: this is a great option if you are good at public speaking, if you were a drama geek in high school, if you’re a romantic. Or if you look the part of the wise wedding officiant.
AND In many places, you do not have to be a minister or a judge to be a wedding officiant.
One option is to get ordained online as an officiant or a celebrant. The latter is a bit higher, more involved level. This can be a low or no cost process. Just google it and lots of options pop up. Then be sure to cross reference these online certifications with the state where you want to perform weddings to make sure everything is in order legally. A handful of states do not recognize online ordination.
Another possibility, in some places, like California and the District of Columbia —the cool place where I grew up and the cool place where I now live— is to pay $25 to $35 to the state for permission to perform weddings for a single day. If you did multiple weddings a day —or expensive weddings— this fee could be worth it. However you make it official, it’s important that you’ve dotted i’s and crossed t’s because if the marriage isn’t legal, the couple’s home ownership, health insurance and even future possible divorce could all hang in the balance. EEK!
People who have tried performing weddings quickly wised up to additional services you can add that are helpful to the couple and money-makers for you.
•If you meet with the couple and/or their family to plan the ceremony, you can charge for your time.
*The more you personalize or customize the ceremony for them, you can charge for upgrades that take additional prep time on your part.
•You can provide marital advice, just like a minister often does. If you’ve been married a long time yourself OR if you’re a good researcher, you can come up with legitimate, well-founded words of wisdom to share.
•You can also give guidance or even help write people’s personalized wedding vows. OR at least help them choose among the standard vows that are out there.
•Another service that comes to mind: helping couples find great, meaningful readings for their wedding. There are so many bad or overdone ones out there.
•You can also charge for travel time and mileage, if you have to go to a remote wedding location.
So, what kind of money can you make performing wedding ceremonies? Wedding officiants I researched made between $300 and $500 per basic ceremony, If you do 2 weddings a weekend, that’s as much as $4000 a month, $50,000 a year. Plus
additional fees for the add-ons I mentioned. Not bad for a “workplace” where everybody’s in a good mood!
Yes, there’s always Craig’s List or eBay, but you may be able to make more if you post your items on a smaller site where people look for nicer things and expect to pay a bit more. Here are a bunch of options that all had favorable ratings with the Better Business Bureau when I checked them out.
First, there’s Apartment Therapy Marketplace. You may recognize the name of this site that’s been providing decorating inspiration for years. But now the site also allows you to create your own furniture store and market it to the site’s apartment-dwelling audience. There’s no commission, but you can buy credits to move your postings higher on the site where they’re likely to be seen.
Next up, Chairish. That’s C-H-A-I-R-I-S-H. For this site, you take pictures and write descriptions of your furnishings and send them in. The site’s curators will give you a thumbs up or down within 24 hours. This site is meant for nicer stuff. Depending o the selling price, Chairish takes a 3 to 20 percent commission.
EBTH stands for Everything But the House. It’s more like a full-on estate sale company. In fact, EBTH even sends experts out to your house to organize, photograph and write descriptions of your available furniture. You’ll pay a 40% commission for this estate sale-style service or 15 to 50 percent for regular consignment service. The commission ranges depending how much you sell for.
Moving on, there’s The Real Real. I’ve mentioned this one for selling clothes before, but they also take high end furnishings in their “art and home” section, which gives you an idea of what they’re looking for. Customers will often pay more for items on this site because theRealReal is known for authenticating the merchandise, so people know it’s the real deal. Commission: 15-45 percent here.
And finally, allow me to introduce you to Viyet. This one is strictly for designer brands AND requires that your furniture or decor have a resale value of $1000 or more! This can also work for vintage and antique furniture. If that’s what you’ve got, Viyet will send a real live human out to your home to check out the goods. Commission: 40 to 50 percent.
There you have it, a few new-to-you options for selling furniture and other decor for more.
I want to reveal a way to get 30-50 percent more Social Security money from the government? It’s real. And it’s legal!
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All you have to do is delay when you start taking Social Security. That’s it. We told my mother-in-law this when she retired, but she didn’t listen. Will you? Here’s how it works. We’re allowed to start taking Social Security as early as age 62. But if you take the benefit that early you get a seriously reduced benefit. That’s where that 30 percent figure comes from. You get 30 percent less.
By contrast, if you wait until full retirement age, or beyond, you get way more money. To truly understand the power of waiting, let me run a sample scenario for you. Let’s say your birth year was 1965 and your annual income was $40,000. Here’s what you would receive in Social Security, if you retired at different ages:
•If this person retired at Age 62 they would get a $1,607 monthly benefit.
•If they waited until the full retirement age of 67, they would get a $2,729 monthly benefit. A lot more.
•And if they waited just 3 more years to Age 70, their monthly benefit would go up to $3,780.
Those numbers came from the government’s own calculator and they are jaw-dropping differences. In this scenario, waiting until the full retirement age of 67 gets you an additional $1,122 a month. And holding off just 3 MORE years gets you an extra $2,173 a month!
And here’s the thing: delaying Social Security is a decision with a ripple effect that lasts for years. Now let’s see how much social security the same person would receive if they started taking the benefit it at age 62 versus 67 versus 70 and KEPT taking it until age 90. Here’s how that scenario looks:
•If you start at Age 62, they will receive social security for 28 years and get a total of $539,952.
•If they start taking it at Age 67, they’ll only be cashing in this benefit for 23 years, but they’ll get MORE money: $753,204.
•And if they wait all the way until Age 70, they’ll only receive social security for 20 years, a much shorter time, but a much bigger total pot of money: $907,200. That’s $367,000 more than if they started at age 62, even though it’s 8 less years! Keep in mind, this is simplified math that doesn’t even include cost-of-living adjustments over the decades.
Now, I know what some of you are thinking because it’s what my mother-in-law was thinking. You’re sick of your job and you don’t want to stay an extra second, let alone an extra five to eight years. Well, you may not have to. If you have other forms of retirement savings, you might be able to retire and live off of those first and then sign up for Social Security later. I simply want to encourage people to actively think this through and be strategic about taking social security. We are living longer, on average, which changes the math. Check with a trustworthy financial adviser who can help you weigh the pros and cons. I will link you to the Social Security Administration’s calculator from EasyMoneyShow.com/47. so you can plug in your own numbers and see if there’s a way for you to “make more” off of social security. ?
Link: Social Security Quick Benefit Calculator: www.ssa.gov/OACT/quickcalc/index.html
If you love home decor and have always wanted to be an interior designer, but never knew how to land clients and get started, today’s Make More segment is for you.Introducing a new online service called Modsy.As a designer for Modsy you create 360-degree drawings of rooms —complete with furniture and decor recommendations— so clients can SEE how their room will look before they buy a thing. We’ll talk with a Modsy team member in a moment, about how much money you can SAVE by using Modsy instead of traditional interior design services.But first, let’s talk about how to MAKE more through Modsy.My first guest is Tara Smith, a Modsy interior designer. Welcome to Easy Money, Tara.
Tara, First of all, explain what Modsy is.
Modsy is a personalized home design solution that utilizes advanced 3D visualization technology to change the way consumers decorate and shop for their homes. Modsy designers create perfectly-scaled, 360-degree room renderings based on each customer’s individual style; complete with room layout, furniture, and decor recommendations.
And I know your title is interior designer, but give us more details about what you do for Modsy, from start to finish of a project?
I work for Modsy as an interior designer for their Style Network.I create designs for clients using Modsy’s proprietary 3D imaging technology. I create 3D, 360-degree renderings of rooms in client’s homes, so they can “try on” furniture and decor that is perfectly to scale.
What kind of background do you have, that this is a good fit for you?
In 2007 began my career by acquiring an interior design internship at Westport Yachts, assisting in the design of large scale, luxury yachts. Then I explored the area of residential design at Henredon & Schoener, a design + build company in Seattle WA. I was soon promoted to lead designer.In 2014 I went back to school at the CIDA accredited Art Institute of Seattle to acquire my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design.Going back to school fueled my passion for the tech side of design and so I shifted focus and began to specialize in 3D renderings and technical design documents.When I found Modsy and saw what they were doing with not only design but 3D technology, I knew it would be a great fit for me.
For those listening who are intrigued, what sortof background might they need to work for Modsy?
Anyone with a relevant degree (interior design, art history, graphic design, architecture, etc.) can apply for Modsy’s Style Network, making it a great side hustle for recent grads looking to build their portfolio and work directly with clients.
Are Modsy stylists employees or independent contractors or how does that part work?
All are independent contractors, which means you can work from anywhere in the world!
What kind of hours do you and other stylists put in for Modsy and how many projects might you work on during those hours?
Most stylists commit to 20-40 hours/week.Modsy stylists get to work on 20-30 projects per week (many more than the average interior designer!)
What’s your favorite thing about working for Modsy?
I’ve been at Modsy for 10 months and it’s been amazing!! It allows me the flexibility to continue traveling while utilizing my skills and background that I gained during my 10+ years in the interior design industry and fulfills my passion for tech, project management and design!
How about the money?Is this side hustle money or main gig money for you?
It started as a side hustle for me, and within a month it turned into my main gig.
How much money have you been able to make through Modsy?
It varies depending how many hours you put in.There are definitely months where I have other adventures and make less.
Is it about the money or the freedom for you?I know you and your husband are experimenting with being digital nomads…
Both.One begets the other!
Tara Smith, Modsy interior designer, thank you SO much for joining me on Easy Money!
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Tara Smith Bio:
I am a Pacific Northwest native, but in September 2016 my curiosity about the world and my desire to learn and explore got the better of me and I began living as a nomad, traveling the U.S. with my adventure-loving husband.
I have always had a passion for beautifully crafted design, art and architecture, and in 2007 began my career by acquiring an interior design internship at Westport Yachts, assisting in the design of large scale, luxury yachts. After four years and a promotion from intern to interior designer, I left Westport Yachts to explore the area of residential design and found a home at Henredon & Schoener, a design + build company in Seattle WA. I was soon promoted to lead designer and put in charge of their new hire training program. In 2014 I made the difficult decision to go back to school at the CIDA accredited Art Institute of Seattle to acquire my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design while continuing to work full-in the design industry.
Going back to school fueled my passion for the tech side of design and so I shifted focus and began to specialize in 3D renderings and technical design documents. Work that I was able to complete while being on the road! I was intrigued with the concept of E-design and started researching all the major companies out there. When I found Modsy and saw what they were doing with not only design but 3D technology, I knew it would be a great fit for me, and luckily they were hiring!
I’ve been at Modsy for 10 months and it’s been amazing!! It allows me the flexibility to continue traveling while utilizing my skills and background that I gained during my 10+ years in the interior design industry and fulfills my passion for tech, project management and design!
Brandee in Texas listened to episode 8 about making money as a mystery shopper and she wanted more resources for actually getting into the business.
I am eager to please, so here goes, Brandee.I got back in touch with Pamela Olmstead, President of the Mystery Shoppers Coalition and she very generously gave me a long list of legitimate companies that hire mystery shoppers.This is important, because this is a field where scammers have tried to charge people for lists of jobs.
Pamela’s list includes 41 different companies that are not only for real, they are also in good standing with her organization which represents mystery shoppers.So the jobs are real and these companies pay up!
Here’s a sampling of a few names of legit mystery shopping companies, in alphabetical order: About Face, Blink Research, Confero, Inc, DSG Associates, Eagle Eye Retail Intelligence Team —love that name—Falcon Video Solutions, Guest Check and the list goes on all the way through the S’s, with a company called “The Source.”
It’s such a long list and I also want to give you each company’s web address.So it doesn’t make sense to name all 41 companies here.What I’m going to do is print the whole darn list at EasyMoneyShow.com/45.
Legitimate Mystery Shopping Companies in Good Standing With the Mystery Shoppers Coalition:
For those who need a refresher, companies hire mystery shoppers to go in and test their products, services and guest experience.You can make good money as a mystery shopper AND save a ton of money, because you are often givenmoney to shop for things you need anyway, like groceries or dry-cleaning or oil changes.
One more bonus: The Mystery Shoppers Coalition is holding its annual conference in a couple of weeks, May 3rd through 6th in Atlanta.If you want to get into mystery shopping, you will learn everything you need to know at this 3 day event.AND, the best part is, it only costs $79. I know my journalism and speaking conferencescost WAY more than that.
So, especially, if you live in striking distance of Atlanta, you should give it a go!Wow, that sounded like an Ad.No, Easy Money is ad-free!I just genuinely believe this is a great opportunity to learn a fun new way to MAKE MORE.
Our featured topic today is our make more segment and today I mean that very literally!Let’s talk about how to MAKE more money by asking for and getting a raise.So many of my “make more” topics are side hustles or entrepreneurial ideas, but I also want to give you ways to make more money at your existing job. Getting a raise is the main way, but so many of us get nervous just thinking about approaching our boss for a raise.Not my guest!Steve Robbins is a Harvard MBA, a former CEO, an executive coach and host of the “Get it Done Guy” podcast.And he has promised me killer strategies for asking for a raise.
Talk about the three motivations most bosses have and how to exploit them: power, affiliation and achievement.
The late Harvard psychology professor David McClelland had an easy framework you can use.McClelland said motivation comes in three flavors: power, affiliation, and achievement. Power People want things to happen their way. Affiliation People want to be popular and liked. And Achievement People want results. We’re all part power, part affiliation, and part achievement. Interestingly, we are taught that American business is all about achievement; it’s all that matters. But guess what—people don’t actually behave that way. They’re also driven by power and affiliation. “Working smart” means getting results, but even more, it means satisfying your boss’s needs for power and affiliation as well.
Do you actually bring up how you’re helping your boss with the 3 motivations when you ask for a raise?
we rarely acknowledge power and affiliation goals out loud. Those goals are considered unprofessional, even though they drive so many of us. So you need to frame your job in terms of achievement goals that will get you paid, while making it clear that you’ll meet your boss’s power and affiliation needs along the way. Trust me—as long as you’re helping a power-oriented boss expand their empire, you’ll be able to find a meeting of the minds about what you need to do to get paid and move ahead.
Notice that I’ve said very little about meeting the organization’s needs. That’s because only an executive who understands the link between their own needs and the organization’s needs will value your attempts to do the right thing for the business. In the final analysis, it isn’t between you and the company; it’s between you and the people who will promote and pay you.
That group consists of more than just your boss. Your boss’s boss and other senior managers may be watching. Your Power boss may report to an Achievement executive. If your efforts are visible to the exec, helping your boss achieve in a way that her boss recognizes might be your best strategy.
What if there was a more targeted, refined way to sell stuff you no longer need?And to BUY stuff you want, at a good price, from people you trust?There is! It’s called Facebook Marketplace and it is both my make more AND save more topic for this show.My guests are Deb Liu, VP of Facebook Marketplace. Also joining us is Katie Mundo a successful Facebook Marketplace user.
Here’s a sample of questions of what I asked our guests:
What makes selling on Facebook Marketplace different from Craig’s List?
Is Facebook Marketplace one big store like Ebay or are there regional sections?
I always ask, so that people understand how it works: how does Facebook make money when somebody sells something on Facebook Marketplace?
If you receive a gift card from a store that isn’t your thing, you don’t have to stick it in a drawer and forget about it.You can make money off of it!And if you want to SAVE money, you can buy other people’s unwanted gift cards for as much as 30 percent off and die them as gifts or shop with them.My guest is George Bousis, founder and CEO of Raise, one of the best online gift card marketplaces.Welcome, George!
First tell us about the huge amount of wealth trapped in unwanted, unused gift cards.
Nearly $1 billion worth of gift cards go unused each year. Just as consumers wouldn’t leave a check uncashed, they don’t have to leave a gift card in the drawer unused.Consumers can use Raise to sell their unwanted gift cards and receive cash in return, to spend it on what they really want.Now more than ever, people need to get the most out of their money. Raise helps put the purchase power back into the hands of the consumer, and that’s what giving yourself a raise is all about.
Tell us how Raise works from a money-making, gift card-selling perspective first, George.
On the Raise marketplace, you can sell gift cards for cash at the price you choose. Listing your gift card is FREE!We accept gift cards and merchandise credit from any brand or restaurant, and you get paid when the gift card sells. Simply choose the selling price, and your gift card will be featured on our marketplace in front of thousands of savvy shoppers.
Do you accept ANY gift card, or only certain ones?
We accept gift cards and store credits from most brands, retailers and restaurants.Raise currently accepts gift cards from more than 3,000 different brands! Since each brand has unique redemption rules and restrictions, we may need to place your listing in review.
Which kinds of gift cards sell best?
General interest gift cards that allow people to buy multiple kinds of merchandise tend to sell the best.Niche gift cards to stores that only sell very specific things fetch less.
When somebody buys your gift card, do you have to mail the physical card to them?
Please keep in mind that if the gift card you’re selling will be listed as physical, you will need to download and print the shipping label provided by Raise.Physical cards are shipped to the buyer via USPS and can only be redeemed in store.
When I sell a gift card on Raise, how do I get my money?
Once your gift card has sold, you will receive an email when your funds are available for withdrawal.We currently have three payout options: Direct Deposit, check and PayPal.
I ask this of every company I interview.How does Raise make money when I sell a gift card?
It’s free to list your gift cards. However, once the cards sell we take a 12% commission from the selling price. If yousell in bulk this commission might be lower. Then, if you’re selling a physical card we charge the greater of $1.00 or 1% of the value of the card for shipping.
