The word "crisis" when written in Chinese is composed of two characters - wei ji - one represents danger and the other represents opportunity. The character wei came from the Mandarin wei-xien (jui-jiam in Fukien), which means "danger," and ji (on its own means "critical point"), came from ji-juey (ki-jue), which translates to "opportunity." It is said that the calligraphy of Chinese characters was uniquely derived from the illustration of its actual meaning. The philosophy is such that ancient Chinese believed that the concept of crisis has two intrinsic features - it heralds risk as well as offers opportunity.
Like the sharpest swords must pass through the hottest fire, crisis situations tend to strengthen our social and economic resolve. Thus, surviving at these times of trials and risks gives us the opportunity wisely and diligently.
Ingenuity, industry and resourcefulness are the factors that could change the Filipino lifestyle from hand-to-mouth existence into a more meaningful and productive living. Instead of looking for employment, take the opportunity to create jobs.
Here are some practical suggestions and tips on how to engage in moneymaking sidelines during this time of crisis:
Repacking
The repacking business is an easy way to earn money. As the word suggests, the key of the trade is to "re-pack" commodities. Buy certain snacks (like peanuts, squash seeds, etc.), condiments (garlic, pepper, etc.) and small hardwares (thumbtacks, rivets, beads, etc.) in bulk or large quantities and repack them in small plastic bags. include a small tag containing your business name and contact number. These items can then be sold to small stores, supermarkets or direct to consumers.
Backyard Gardening
If you have a large enough backyard, don't just leave it opened and unused. Be productive, Plant some vegetables and small fruit-bearing shrubs and trees, and raise some chicken and quails. In a span of a few months, you'll have some tomatoes, okras, eggplants, bitter gourds, sponge gourds, chili peppers, sweet potatoes, kangkong and chicken and eggs to sell. You'll also have a free source of additional fresh food for your table, and exercise on the side. It's a healthy way to earn money.
Goatraising
If your backyard is really big, you can upgrade to goat-raising. Goats can provide milk, meat, hair and skin. Goat milk is nutritious and can be easily sold to friends and neighbors. Small-scaled ice cream makers, hospitals and school canteens are prospective customers. Goat meat is easily marketable to beerhouses and restaurants. Goat's haircane sold to paintbrush-makers and certain novelty or fashion shops. Goatskins are in demand for bag and shoe-making, and other leather items. The goat's manure can be used as fertilizers.
Mini-Recycling And Junk Shop
Contact the people in your neighborhood. Teach and encourage them to sort their recyclable garbage - papers and cartons, plastics, tin and aluminum cans, bottles, iron and copper scraps, etc. Collect them regularly for free in exchange for disposal services, or pay them a minimal amount. You can then sell the accumulated and sorted by-products to bigger industrial operators. It's one way of lessening the garbage problem, and the income here is very promising.
Do Some Journalistic Work
Be a keen observer of your surroundings. You can write interesting stories about them. Write an article about crisis management, repacking, backyard gardening, goat-raising, recycling. Heck, you can even write a story of how the government is bungling down to idiocy trying to put a lid on graft and corruption in its bureaucracy. Don't just use your cellphone-camera for texting and collecting weird and pornographic pictures. If you see a police car parked on a "No Parking" zone, or someone throwing garbage in the river, take a picture. You can contribute these articles and pictures to newspapers and magazines and earn a few thousands a month. That's not bad.
Write, Write, Write
If you have some good stories or ideas, write them down. You can write essays, features articles, short stories, novels, scripts and plays. If you are good enough in grammar and syntax, you can write them down yourself. or you can ask an editor-friend to help you. Then submit them to publishers of newspapers and magazines, or to radio and television networks in need of such items.
Snacks On Wheels
Operate a mobile eatery that can easily move from place to place where potential customers converge. Park in front of schools, offices, factories, recreation areas, or along busy sidestreets where there are plenty of people. You can also supply school teachers and office workers with their daily lunch and meriendas. Go to rallies, outdoor conventions, athletic meets and school affairs where your food and services are needed.
Do Networking
Multi-level marketing (MLM) is the trend of today and tomorrow's businesses. It's a sure way of earning good money with the least capital and hard works. Choose an MLM company with very stable financial and credibility background, excellent and viable (government-approved) products, and well-compensating networking scheme. In MLM, your earnings are virtually limitless, through your sales, through your rebates and bonuses, and through percentage from your downline agent's sales. The bigger your network becomes, the bigger monthly earning you'll have. Note: Don't patronize companies mimicking MLM, selling nothing but promises, insurances, investment shares, "future earnings" and the likes. These are pyramiding scams riding on the bandwagon of MLM successes.
