How to Make Money When There Is No Money (Part 1)

Though, I’m not a money expert, but I have some experiences and ideas about money. People ask me all the time about how to make money and what they can do. But I always tell them, it depends. Although there are common denominators for making money which are what I’m going to share, individuals have their own peculiar situations and location.

For instance, it might be easy to make money in one location than the other. It is obvious that if jobs are available in one location, people would want to work. And if there’s opportunity to start a business, people would also want to do. But if it is hard to get any of these or they are not easily available, then, people would want to look for alternatives. 

The alternatives, sometimes might not be pleasant, depending on how hard it is for people to survive.

In a place like Nigeria, where it is difficult for an average person to get a job, one might want to explore other options like starting a business or learning a skill. However, if there is no money to start a business, or pay for learning a skill, how can one survive?

So, the first thing we need to look at about money from what we discussed last week is the fact that money is a medium of exchange. Exchange of what? 

Exchange of value!

It means someone can only receive money or make money if they have some value. What does this mean? It means that any person that is making money right now is offering one or two values to the market place.

If you have a job, you are offering your time and skill as a value to the people you are working for. If you have a business, you are offering your goods, or creating something for your clients or customers. If you are running investments, you are using your knowledge, skill or time to make money for yourself. 

There is no how you will make money without having to offer value to the market place. Those who do otherwise are called scammers or robbers.

To make money, you must have some value you want to offer to the market place. Then, how do you start that journey from no money? 

It is to look at first, what do you have? 

Maybe you have time. Maybe you have energy. Maybe you have people. Maybe you have contact. Think for a moment - what you have!

Someone once said, "you don’t need money to make money, you only need people." How true? Very true. Because all the money that we need in this world are in the hands of people. And if you can solve problems for people, you can make money from them, I mean good money. 

Anywhere there are people, there are problems. And anywhere there are problems, there are opportunities to make money.

Maybe you don’t have money, but you have time, so look at what you can do with your time, that can allow you to make money. Can you learn something for free with your time that can add value to you? Can you help someone to do something? Maybe to run errands, or do shopping, or clean house, or do laundry, or sell things, or even take care of their kids?

Look around you and see what you can do for people. Ask them if they would love you to help them. Don’t be shy with asking people. There is no harm in asking. Remember what Jesus said- "Ask, and it shall be given unto you. Seek and you shall find. Knock and it would be opened unto you." This is one of the most important scriptures I love, because it unveils the truth about life.

I believe part of solving our money problems is by asking. When you ask people, they will know what you need and how they can help you. After all, you want to offer value. Not to be a liability to anyone. Even if you ask for money, let it be that you don’t have any other options and it is for something valuable and you hope to pay them well or appreciate them later in future. 

I want to share a story about a boy, Femi. But because of time, I would continue that story next week.  

Have a blessed week, People of God.