"No Job? No Problem" by Jorge R

 

 

            I stand skeptically in front of this unknown man, analyzing his every word and movement. His name is Ralph. I’ve never seen him prior to this meeting, yet he seems trustworthy enough. Nonetheless, I keep my guard up and continue inspecting the motorcycle for anything that mismatches Ralph’s story. The bike was clean. I had played my cards right the entire evening and came up with a deal that was almost too good to be true.

 

One of the most beneficial lessons I have learned is that time is the most valuable commodity. As a student-athlete and multi-club member, time of my own is rarely available. I started looking for a job as soon as I turned 15 years old, though due to my lack of availability, I was rejected everywhere I applied. While spending the days trying to figure out how else I could make money, I was reminded of the “side hustles” I ran during my elementary and middle school years.

 

 Reselling is the art of purchasing goods or services to sell them at a higher price to make a profit. During my 4th grade year, fidget spinners were going viral and rapidly gaining popularity among the students at my school. It was not long before I caught onto the trend and decided to take full advantage of it.  “Brand new fidget spinner, in the color of your choice, brought directly to you the very next day for only $5”. I offered a product and service deal that was too good for any elementary school student to turn down. Although my business did eventually blemish, (due to the district-wide ban on fidget spinners) I had learned that making money without a job was very much possible through enough creativity and dedication.

 

            As I grew older, I became more and more driven by curiosity into the world of business. I had started a variety of small businesses and “side hustles” to find out which was the most profitable. While studying the concept of reselling, I came up with a strategy that inevitably changed the whole game for me. Rather than selling unfamiliar products and services to consumers whom I did not understand, I decided to resell items that were part of a niche in which I was already an expert.

 

The concept of motorized vehicles has always been a passion of mine. I started riding motorcycles at 5 years old and quickly grew obsessed with the adrenaline it awarded me with. This was the perfect category for me to focus on because it is one I have had the most experience. At the age of 13, I purchased a non-running go-kart for $300 from my neighbor. I spent 3 straight weekends getting everything working right and looking pretty and I was beyond excited. At the end of it all, I listed my go-kart for sale online and successfully sold it for $1000.

 

During the following years, I spent my free time repeating the same process with different low-risk items. Today I continue expanding my reselling enterprise by experimenting with different motorcycles and cars to find the most profitable vehicle. Though it does take lots of knowledge and dedication to succeed, time itself is not a necessity for it can be done simply during your free time.