It was around this time a couple years ago that I struggled to rub two dollars together.
I was trying to ride the train of seasonal work and cash in like most post grads. I applied for all the normally seasonal jobs but the thought of standing in a retail store with people asking me about Troll dolls sounded like the worst idea in the world.
Luckily, a friend of mine who had previously hooked me up with a Big Dog mascot gig, called me up, wanting to know if I wanted some extra cash playing Santa in a Gold Coast shopping mall. I remember being Big Dog was some of the easiest money I’d ever made. I just stood around all day waving and hugging people. So, how hard is it to play Santa?
Turns out, it was the worst four days of my life.
I realise now that if you’re going to play Santa, it helps to be an older man (or woman), bearded and to enjoy kids. I was quite the opposite: 28. No beard. Didn’t like kids. This had Bad Santa written all over it. Just imagine sitting in a full Santa costume, baking in the Gold Coast sun, with parents leaving their screaming kids with you like you’re a free babysitter. What made me really chuck a berko was when my rugby mates found out where I was, each taking their turn on hungover Santa’s knee to tell me what they wanted for Christmas.
Sure, I got cash, but after those four horrific days, I pledged never to make the same mistake again. Extra cash for minimal effort was my new theme.
With Christmas and New Year’s coming up everyone is looking for an easy alternative to make that extra cash. Luckily, 2016 has been the year of the sharing economy.
What’s the sharing economy? If you’ve ever bought and sold on eBay or Kogan.com (now worth $315 million), or even used Airbnb to find a cheap place to stay while traveling instead of a hotel, well, you’ve used the sharing economy. The online market is hot and Australians are purchasing more products online than ever. All the purchases have to get from point A to B and now the sharing economy has evolved to moving things. Simple.
Become a part-time courier on uShip! I don’t have a holiday house I can rent and I don’t have anything to sell, but I do drive a lot. Mostly with an empty Ute.
Ever since I bought my Ute I receive calls from my mates on the weekends asking for help to move as they are sick of removalist prices. Sometimes the jobs are small like moving a fridge or dishwasher, but other times it was a full move. Depending on the friend they would pay me for the help, that’s when I started to look for spare jobs that could do on the weekend, holidays or after my shift.
I stumbled on uShip, it has everything large and crazy that needs transporting. I fill up the extra space in my Ute and that pays for the petrol and other times I’ll borrow a friends truck and move a car or a big load interstate for more cash. People use uShip move everything like cars, motorbikes, pets and household items, it’s a site based on normal people looking to save some money (and I’m looking to make some).
There is a change happening in Australia where people are tired of paying for services at ridiculous prices and people are looking for choices, hence the boom of UBER in Australia. It won’t be long before the sharing economy takes to transportation and enables normal people to make cash for something that they are doing anyway.
When I started uShip I was looking for weekend work. Now I use uShip full time, it has given me the financial freedom and the choice to run my own business in my time doing what I am good at.
I mean, if you have to see your in-laws for Christmas, then you may as well make money on the way. It definitely beats the Australian Summer Santa.
