101 Weird Ways to Make Money

Cricket Farming, Repossessing Cars, and Other Jobs With Big Upside and Not Much Competition

Steve Gillman

• Publisher: Wiley
• Year: 2011
• Print ISBN: 9781118014189
• eBook ISBN: 9781118085714
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Small Business
• Index: Business

Find creative ways to make money in businesses with little competition

Using interviews with unconventional entrepreneurs, the author's own wide-ranging experience with weird jobs, and extensive research, 101 Weird Ways to Make Money reveals unusual, sometimes dirty, yet profitable jobs and businesses.Whether you're looking for a job that suits your independent spirit, or want to start a new business, this unique book shows you moneymaking options you haven't considered.

Most of these outside-the-box jobs don't require extensive training, and are also scalable as businesses, allowing you to build on your initial success.

• Jobs and businesses covered include cricket and maggot farming, environmentally friendly burials, making and selling solar-roasted coffee, daycare services for handicapped children, and many more
• Each chapter features a "where the money is" section on how to scale-up and be profitable
• Author writes a popular website and email newsletter on unusual ways to make money

Whether you're seeking a new career, an additional revenue stream, or a new business idea, you will want to discover 101 Weird Ways to Make Money.

Part One

Fun Ways to Make Money

You can find fun in any work—although I don't recall finding any as a real estate agent. Of course, some ways of making money are more entertaining and exciting than others, and which ones they are depends on who you are. I enjoyed tracking people down when I was a process server, and I even made some money playing chess. Currently I have a lot of fun writing on my favorite subjects.

This section covers work ranging from bounty hunting to making a hatful of dollar bills as a street performer. The focus is on the fun, but many of the following activities hold real potential for making big money—if you approach them with the right attitude. Making beer for a brewpub is just a nice job, for example, but with experience and a few of your own recipes you can start a new brand. Some craft brewers have built multimillion-dollar companies from small starts. And tearing down or blowing up buildings might be a blast as a $12-per-hour job, but you can also use the experience to start your own successful demolition company.

Nevette Michael, Craps Dealer

Nevette Michael works at Turtle Creek Casino in northern Michigan. I worked with her many years ago (at another casino), but even after weeks of training I couldn't handle craps, so I dealt blackjack and roulette. Nevette not only can handle her job but also clearly loves the work, as you'll see in this interview:

What did you do before casino work, and how did you become a craps dealer?

I was working full-time for a commercial photographer, running the office and occasionally helping where it was needed. My coworker . . . had been hired part-time at our little local casino and was loving the job . . . both the thrill of the game and the money. . . . He told me they were still hiring, so I interviewed for the dealer position (blackjack) and was immediately asked to training class. It took me another two years (and all the other games knowledge) before I tried craps training. . . . It took me six months before I could be on the floor for an hour without making a mistake!

Do you still enjoy the work?

After 19 years working in the casino, craps is still my favorite game. Nothing is more exciting in the whole place than a hot craps game executed by competent dealers who are smooth and having fun with the entire table. There are still many days I walk out to the table and my customers say, “There she is, my favorite dealer!” Not too many jobs where you feel the love like that!

How much do you make now, and what do starting dealers typically make?

I could be making twice as much if I chose to live in a bigger market. Still, I make enough to pay the mortgage, put food on the table, and take a few adventure vacations. . . . My base rate has been topped for the last nine years at approximately $10 per hour. We average $11 per hour in tips. . . . I believe they start at a base wage of $5.50 per hour plus tips ($16.50 per hour total).

As far as you know, do most casinos still do their own training of dealers?

Certainly here in my little neck of the woods. I've heard that there are actual schools in Vegas, but I believe those are only high-paid employment services in reality. Most casinos train their own and/or hire experienced dealers.

Is dealing blackjack or craps something anyone can learn to do?

If you've got basic math skills and are sociable, you can deal blackjack. Craps is another matter entirely. Not only do you have to have superior math skills, you have to be able to multitask, listen to many people tell you what they want you to do with their bets (sometimes all at once!), keep the game secure, and still be able to entertain. It takes a special personality and special skills to be able to deal craps.

Have you had opportunities for promotion to pit boss or other positions?

I have had the opportunity to “advance” to a management position, but it does not pay as well as dealing. Still, after dealing for so many years, I was interested in running a pit/sitting box for variety and, yes, more job security. As a dual-rater I mostly deal (and mostly deal craps), and on occasion I am a pit boss.

There are opportunities to deal casino games on cruises or in exotic locations. Have you considered working elsewhere, and have many of your coworkers done so?

When I first started . . . the casino business was just beginning to open up all over the country. . . . Many went to Chicago riverboats, Florida cruise ships, Vegas, Mississippi, and other Native American casinos. . . . Of course I've fantasized about making more money, seeing other places, but Traverse City is a wonderful place in so many ways for me . . . biking, kayaking, skiing . . . and is one of the best places to raise a boy. Maybe when he's off to college I'll reconsider my options. . . . Winters are awfully long!!

What advice do you have for a person who wants to be a casino dealer?

Feel comfortable with your math skills and just love to work with people. People come to the casino to be entertained, so give 'em a good time whether they win or lose. Toughen up your skin and let any negativity roll off your back. A warm smile works wonders!

Chapter 1

Stealing Cars for Fun and Profit

Auto Repossession

“It's just the repo man,” he told his son.

“But, Daddy, why is he taking our car?” the little boy asked. His mother was digging out a mitten frozen to the floor of the trunk.

“Son, we didn't make the payments, and when you can't pay for it, you don't get to keep it,” he explained, and then he handed me the keys. It was rare for an owner to handle a repossession that well, and even rarer to see it made into a teaching moment for his children. This was one of the first repossessions I did during my brief stint as a repo man more than 20 years ago.

Often, cars were not handed over voluntarily. I snuck into driveways, yards, and parking lots to take them with keys or by tow truck. I was chased and I had guns pulled on me—all part of the adventure. It had to be fun, since the boss paid me just $15 per car. The job pays better these days, but conflict is still common.

Money

Some companies pay their agents a percentage of the repossession fee or bonuses in addition to hourly wages, so if you become good at what you do you can boost your income. To make big money, though, you have to treat the job as insider training, with the goal of owning your own company. You can do repossessions as a sideline to a normal towing business or as your specialty. Additional sources of revenue come from related services. With a fenced area to store cars for clients, you can charge a daily fee. You can also auction cars for clients, taking a percentage of the sale or a flat fee.

Some sources peg the average annual income of repossession agents at about $15,000, although this may reflect the part-time nature of many positions. Tow truck drivers average $42,000 annually, and often do repossessions. Owners of repossession or towing companies can make much more, of course, with a handful in the United States currently topping $5 million in annual revenue.

How to Get Started

Many repossession businesses don't have web sites, so look in the yellow pages under “auto repossession.” Call towing companies, too, because car repossessions are often a sideline to towing. Smaller companies may be open to your offer to help out for free on a job or two, to prove you can do the work. In fact, some outfits might require you to ride along on a few repossession jobs before you are put on payroll in any case, just to see if you really want the job and can handle it.

If you want to start part-time—whether as a way to decide if you like the work or to learn about the business before investing—a small company can be perfect. Some towing companies do just a few repossessions per week. And if you are interested in repossessions as a business, it is best to work as an employee for a few months.

Resources

• www.repoman.com: Phone numbers and links to many repossession companies—a good place to start a job search. Also has information for business owners.
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repossession: Covers the basics of the business and the relevant laws; the latter varies from state to state.
• www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/autos/aut14.shtm: More detail on the laws involved in repossession, although from a consumer perspective.
• www.campingcompanies.com: An example of a successful repossession company, and a good place to get a job (employees get full benefits).

Chapter 2

Drinking on the Job

Specialty Beer Brewer

Yes, a brewer, sometimes known as a brewmaster, really does have to taste-test the beer he makes. If you like that idea, here is more good news: Beer-making jobs in small pubs and microbreweries have become available across the country in the past decade. In addition to drinking on the job, another benefit is the exercise. Unloading and carrying sacks of grain and hops will keep you in shape. The job also requires malting, milling, mashing, boiling, fermenting, conditioning, filtering, and packaging that beer.

Large breweries often require a degree in chemistry and hire only brewers with years of experience. Microbreweries are usually satisfied with certification from one of the good craft brewing schools, such as Siebel or the Institute for Brewing Studies. Some certification courses can be completed online in as little as three months—although you should look for one that also offers on-site training for a few weeks.

There are different ways to work in brewing. Some microbreweries now have hundreds of employees and positions for brewers and assistant brewers. It is probably easier to get hired at small brewpubs though. You can also work as ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Part One: Fun Ways to Make Money
• Part Two: Making Money Outdoors
• Part Three: Dirty and Ugly Jobs
• Part Four: Internet Opportunities
• Part Five: Green Jobs and Businesses
• Part Six: Home-Basedmoneymakers
• Part Seven: Working with People
• Part Eight: Working with Animals
• Part Nine: Creative and Artisticwork
• Part Ten: Buying and Selling Things
• Part Eleven: Cleaning Jobs and Businesses
• Part Twelve: Stillmore Unusualways Tomakemoney
• Index