Did you know that there are sites to earn money, simply by doing what you love (say writing about subjects you are passionate about?) In his book Bullshit Jobs, David Graber writes how society is presently set up to create jobs that don’t really exist, just to create jobs (telemarketers etc). Yet there are so many talented people who would love to say write for a living but can’t afford it, as what they write about is not something that would earn money. Yet there are many people who would rather read what the people write, and donate to help them, than to go out and buy stuff they don’t need.
So these sites put two and two together. People can do what they love ‘for nothing’ and get donations from those who like to read or use what they offer. And then the money goes to a good cause, rather than to bullshit jobs that should not really exist!
Ko-fi has over a million creators getting so-far $8 million in monthly donations and sales from fans. The chap at Tiny Eco Home Life earns money from fans liking his posts. Start with a free tip jar, then share your work, receive donations, sell memberships, products or commissions, and even set up a crowdfunding goal, all in one place. You can share messages, give something back to supporters and accept one-off payments, if you don’t want people to commit to monthly memberships.
Buy Me a Coffee is a simple online ‘tip jar’ where people can tip you for reading or viewing or listening something they like. It’s very simple to use. But don’t be fooled – a few creators earn a six-figure income from this method alone, if producing quality content that helps others. Supporters don’t have to sign up and you get money instantly, Coindrop and Tippee are similar alternatives.
Patreon is the main player for writers, artists and musicians, offering monthly memberships that are giving full-time income to some. With no ads and no social media, readers can simply join your community and read and share your work, because they love it.
Medium is a site where writers can build up a reputation by offering quality posts. Those that receive the most ‘claps’ earn money. This site is about quality in a creator economy ruled by clickbait and ads. If you can’t write well, don’t bother!
can’t decide what you want to do?
The Happi Empire’s Clarity Playsheets are beautifully designed by spiritual student and graphic designer Fran, who writes ‘If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up somewhere else!’ These sheets are only £5 and you can download and print them off whenever you feel stuck or need motivation. The have 5 processes to help you get clear on what you want to become, what you want in life and how to get there. Includes a lifetime’s access. Just print, open and repeat!
an illustrated guide to Enneagram
Illustrated Enneagram is a lovely guide to understand yourself. This is not narcissism, more a charming guide to learn who you are, using the keenly accurate Enneagram personality profiling system. Take the quiz to determine your personality type, then get tailored tips to live your best life, by learning what motivates your behaviour. You can then live the rest of your life doing what you should be doing, rather than what other people are telling you!
By learning about the nine personality profiles through lovely illustrations, you will learn how to communicate effectively with others, and get to the root what you need to live more authentically. Includes 16 mini pull-out postcards:
- Type 1: The Idealist
- Type 2: The Giver
- Type 3: The Performer
- Type 4: The Romantic
- Type 5: The Observer
- Type 6: The Supporter
- Type 7: The Adventurer
- Type 8: The Protector
- Type 9: The Mediator
Once you have learned about yourself, you can share the book with family and friends, to help improve important relationships in your life.
Deanna Talwalkar is a certified Enneagram coach, who creates beautiful hand-lettered art with positive messages. She lives in Kentucky, USA.
how to set up a simple business account
Many people run a tiny business, and it can sometimes be difficult to set up a simple business account with major financial organisations, due to the difficulties in verifying identity and being able to qualify for all the checks. Here are some resources to help.
Firstly, verify your identity. This will make it simpler for everything in life. A full passport (read photo rules, there is help for disabled people) is the best form of ID, major post offices can make appointments for you to go in and they will fill in the form for you, take photos with a smartphone and send it all off, with less chance of rejection. A full birth certificate is also good, and a full driving licence a good optional extra, but not enough on its own.
Citizen Card is good to prove age and identity, and you can also use it as voter ID, entering pubs and clubs, buying age-restricted goods and taking domestic flights. Post Office Pass Card is a good alternative, which requires no existing ID and is Home-office approved.
The newer online bank are usually the simplest way to open a business account, often in around 10 minutes, as long as you know how to use phone apps. Good ones are:
If you prefer a more traditional business bank account, Reliance Bank is run by the Salvation Army (profits help the homeless) and Unity Trust Bank offers current and savings accounts to help businesses that help local communities.
TaxScouts offers a fixed fee service with an accredited accountant. It’s all simple, fast and done online and filed as little as 48 hours.
brand your business on a budget
There are lots of very talented graphic designers out there who offer affordable pre-made designs from logos to business cards to complete branding solutions. Usually you just edit them yourself (or for a small fee, most designers will change the text and/or colour schemes within a few days). You can then use these graphics for blogs, letterheads, websites, signage and even for cloth bags for shops etc.
stunning business graphics from Australia
Blog Pixie (also on Etsy) offers stunning gorgeous graphic art at affordable prices. If you run a little business, there’s no need to spend a fortune on logos and other branding. From premade logos (you’re looking at one on our site) to matching signatures and even web themes, you’ll find what you need here! The logos have stunning matching Instagram and social media templates to match.
There are lots of very talented graphic designers out there who offer affordable pre-made designs from logos to business cards to complete branding solutions. Usually you just edit them yourself (or for a small fee, most designers will change the text and/or colour schemes within a few days). You can then use these graphics for blogs, letterheads, websites, signage and even for cloth bags for shops etc.
nature-inspired pretty business designs
Emma Webb is one of our favourite designers for premade designs for creatives and crafters. If you run a little business, there’s no need to spend a fortune on logos and other branding. Emma works from her little studio cottage in England to create floral/nature themed branding.
gorgeous business graphics from South Africa
Lisa Glanz is one of our favourite designers for premade designs for creatives and crafters. If you run a little business, there’s no need to spend a fortune on logos and other branding. Lisa works from her home in South Africa to create some of the world’s best pre-made branding. Most is focused on animal friends, and super-cute!
stunning wildlife graphics from Russia
Peace ART is a lovely one-woman business, offering stunning wildlife graphics to pretty up your branding. Hailing from Russia, this artist tends to focus on wildlife and non-human creatures, and it’s pretty stunning and inspirational. If you run a little business, there’s no need to spend a fortune on logos and other branding.
pretty fonts by Nicky Laatz
Nicky Laatz is one of the best-selling artists at Creative Market, and became their first maker to pass the million dollar mark, with her incredible fonts. If you run a little business, there’s no need to spend a fortune on logos and other branding.
Nicky grew up in South Africa and now lives in England with her family (her husband runs the business side of things). She just loves making pretty things, so thought she may as well earn some beans while doing it! She has indeed done that, and now likes to use her talents to help others brand their business on a budget.
Manifesting for Beginners is a highly-reviewed book on how to create a life you love. Manifesting is not ‘magic’, it’s merely creating a series of habits using various psychological and practical techniques, in order to create a life more aligned with who you are. This beginner’s guide includes 9 steps to gradually improve your life, with key insights and useful tips and exercises to try. The steps are:
- Visualise your future self
- Set your intentions
- Connect with the universe
- Raise your vibrations
- Embrace the energy of gratitude
- Believe
- Take action
- Let go of the outcome
- Pay attention to synchronicities
about the author
Victoria Jackson is a certified coach, writer and podcaster. A journalism graduate, she is a certified mindset coach in neural energetic wiring and neural energetic coding, EFT (emotional freedom technique) practitioner and clinical hypnotherapist.
80,000 Hours is a guide based on over 10 years of research alongside academics at Oxford, on tackling one of the world’s most pressing problems – finding a job that you enjoy and does good. If you work full-time until retirement age, the average person works for 40 hours a week for 50 weeks a year for 40 years. This adds up to around 80,000 hours, so choosing to do something you love and does good, is vital to the quality of your life – and the legacy you leave.
Make the right choices, and you can help solve some of the most pressing problems, and also have a more rewarding and interesting life. But if you are working long hours to contribute to the problems we already face (climate change, animal abuse, war, unhappiness, stress, consumerism), it’s surprising that there is not much advice out there on how to change direction.
Most career advice focuses simply on how to write CV and to ‘follow your passion’. This is not always possible (your passion may be feeding soup to homeless people, but it won’t make you a living). Likewise, if you passion is building big online stores to put indie shops out of business, your passion then has detrimental effect on the jobs and lives of others (ie. they fold and the people passionate about books or whatever become unemployed, and unable to follow their passion of serving a local community).
The book covers:
- What makes for a dream job?
- Why ‘follow your passion’ can be misleading
- Why it’s not always most effective to work for charities
- .or become a doctor
- How to compare issues in terms of scale & urgency
- How to discover and develop your strengths
The book is filled with practical tips and tools. So you’ll come away with a plan to use your 80,000 hours in a way that’s good for you and others in the world.
A ridiculously in-depth guide about how to find that perfect career for you. Ali Abdaal
about the author
Benjamin Todd is co-founder and president of 80,000 Hours, an indie non-profit founded in Oxford. It performs research into career choice, and offers online and in-person advice. He has a Master’s degree in physics and philosophy from Oxford and speaks Chinese (badly). He still sounds like a clever boy!
