Your Second Income!

[Alton Turner Blackwood]

Read the one article on Moneyweb, guy said he makes about R4k - R5K p.m. after costs per vehicle.

I'm keen on buying an Uber slot but not I'm quite sure if its worthwhile

Its a bit easier to join one of these take me home services where the driver of the car is too drunk to take himself home. A friend of mine does it for extra cash (thursday, friday and saturday nights).

IIRC he makes about R300 to R400 per trip and averages about 4 trips per evening so that's R1 200 to R1 600 per night. Kark is he needs to pay whoever takes his car to drops him off and pick him up at the customer's current location, as well as cover the petrol.

On the flip side, he gets to drive Porche's Lambo's, etc as most of the clients are in the upper income brackets.

 

[mercurial]

R4-R5k is about what the drivers I've spoken to, have indicated as well.

I chatted to one particular guy who reckons he is pulling in at least R40K per month. Could be much more, just can't remember the exact number. He works 12 hours a day, though. Says you can earn as much as you want doing it, if you are prepared to put in the hours. The reason why most aren't earning a lot is because most of them are driving for someone else, who enslaves them and takes most of the money. You can imagine that these drivers are mostly foreigners with no alternatives, so they just do it. I've spoken to some guys who work 16 hour days and get paid poorly but they have no choice.

 

[backstreetboy]

What's the market rate for renting that out? At R2000 per month, it will take 9 years to make a profit.

Lol this, not worth it, not to mention the rates and levies.

 

[iFan]

Had a good read through this whole thread, I love the idea!

I am really wanting to open my own business this year...in what exactly I am not yet sure. I have had a few ideas around products and importing stuff, but nothing concrete yet.

I can very simply set up a website with an online store and online payment gateway, it is a pretty straight forward process nowadays.

Another avenue I can follow is something I am very passionate about. It is business efficiency consulting. In every compant I have ever worked in I have streamlined many processes and made the business run more efficiently. I think I would do well consulting in this region and adding strategy consulting and project management.

I currently work as a project manager for software developments and have had a lot of management/team lead/business experience in the past...

Just looking to either get a product going or consult now...Only thing is the consulting will conflict with my current job a bit, so would need to discuss this with my employer until I do it full time.

 

[Tomtomtom]

Whatever you sell, sell it internationally. The SA market is a rounding error on the total opportunity available.

 

[iFan]

Whatever you sell, sell it internationally. The SA market is a rounding error on the total opportunity available.

Please could you elaborate further?

 

[zululami]

My second income for the past three years... I design cheap Wordpress, Joomla and Drupal websites for small businesses - I also provide hosting services, I assist with social media management and marketing for their businesses - I am getting good Rands per month. Most of the companies I work with have me on a retainer - at least there's some earning predictability. Some of them pay as they use me!

I am in the process of hiring top of the class graphic and multimedia design students as there has been a growing need for this service from my clients. The students get hands on experience and earning potential - I keep my clients happy!

 

[Thor]

My second income for the past three years... I design cheap Wordpress, Joomla and Drupal websites for small businesses

First problem

Then second, when you say you "Design" cheap wordpress sites do you mean you use a free theme and charge for it or do you actually design and build unique wordpress templates?

 

[Pakka]

First problem

Then second, when you say you "Design" cheap wordpress sites do you mean you use a free theme and charge for it or do you actually design and build unique wordpress templates?

I don't think small businesses care as much as you do about the themes

 

[zululami]

First problem

Then second, when you say you "Design" cheap wordpress sites do you mean you use a free theme and charge for it or do you actually design and build unique wordpress templates?

I sometimes do custom themes and functionality - can't have all websites looking and functioning the same. Th reason why it's cheap is because designs rely on existing themes and plug ins. As Pakka said - small businesses don't really care much - as long as they have a properly functioning website to advertise their services. Obviously I wouldn't design a website for Microsoft SA!

 

[Thor]

I sometimes do custom themes and functionality - can't have all websites looking and functioning the same. Th reason why it's cheap is because designs rely on existing themes and plug ins. As Pakka said - small businesses don't really care much - as long as they have a properly functioning website to advertise their services. Obviously I wouldn't design a website for Microsoft SA!

Cool cool

 

[Swa]

First problem

Then second, when you say you "Design" cheap wordpress sites do you mean you use a free theme and charge for it or do you actually design and build unique wordpress templates?

I think the main thing they care about is somebody taking care of the technical stuff and maintaining it.

 

[Thor]

I think the main thing they care about is somebody taking care of the technical stuff and maintaining it.

Then 2 weeks later we need to fix their mess and the owner doesn't understand why we ask what we ask.

 

[^^vampire^^]

While I was still in SA I used to do the cheap websites and hosting thing too. Would charge R3k-R10k per site and then the client would usually host with me too. People in this bracket are usually too cheap to do a retainer. It was nice as I used the cash to go on holidays. Never brought in nearly enough cash to make it a viable full time business though as when you are targeting the lower end of the pool then your income is very inconsistent. You're usually dealing with the type of people you have to chase to just pay their R50 hosting each month so not much point.

When I moved I shut everything down as the rand doesn't equate to anything of reasonable value for my time.

 

[DA-LION-619]

First problem

Then second, when you say you "Design" cheap wordpress sites do you mean you use a free theme and charge for it or do you actually design and build unique wordpress templates?

Those aren't problems.

 

[Tomtomtom]

Whatever you sell, sell it internationally. The SA market is a rounding error on the total opportunity available.

Please could you elaborate further?

People tend to think locally, in terms of what they can sell to the people they can meet for a coffee or find on Gumtree. But the world is 100x bigger than SA. 99% of our potential customers are overseas. And it's increasingly easy to sell to them.

The Wordpress business upthread -- no reason to be limited to SA. Throw up a PayPal button for the international clients.

 

[iFan]

People tend to think locally, in terms of what they can sell to the people they can meet for a coffee or find on Gumtree. But the world is 100x bigger than SA. 99% of our potential customers are overseas. And it's increasingly easy to sell to them.

The Wordpress business upthread -- no reason to be limited to SA. Throw up a PayPal button for the international clients.

Hmmm I see what you're saying and it's a good point.

So maybe instead of me fighting to import stuff and sell here, why don't I source local products and export and sell overseas?...I have an idea along those lines actually that would suit my heritage in Germany...

 

[Th4ndo]

Hmmm I see what you're saying and it's a good point.

So maybe instead of me fighting to import stuff and sell here, why don't I source local products and export and sell overseas?...I have an idea along those lines actually that would suit my heritage in Germany...

Its working well for people on etsy

 

[iFan]

Its working well for people on etsy

Yeah for sure!

Anyone have any idea what it would be like to start your own store or is it not worth competing with etsy and rather just list it in etsy? I'm thinking local talent/goods here and sell....

What are the export taxes etc. like?

 

[Tomtomtom]

So maybe instead of me fighting to import stuff and sell here, why don't I source local products and export and sell overseas?...I have an idea along those lines actually that would suit my heritage in Germany...

Its working well for people on etsy

Exactly. That kind of platform can give you a thousand overseas sales before you even see your first local sale. Obviously intangibles have an advantage wrt shipping, but being based in SA has an enormous advantage too -- cost-of-living in Rands. The lower costs here make even marginal opportunities possible where an American or European just couldn't afford the runway.