Ideas From 7 Inspiring Individuals on Secondary Source of Income

Do you have a secondary source of income?

In the world today, where change happens faster than you can finish reading this sentence. And that there is an upcoming price hike is as reliable as the sun shining tomorrow, are you certain your income from your corporate job will always be enough?

Take for example a friend, “Ted”, who has been a Manager in a BPO company for many years, was recently laid off. Ted is single and didn’t care so much about finances, thus he was to live on his final pay + car and condo that he’s still pay for.

I also know someone, let’s call him “Arlo”, who has served his Company a good 22 years, when all of a sudden there was  a shift in leadership and leadership style. Something that did not work for him so he decided to quit. Arlo has 2 kids who are both in college and a wife who was fully dependent on him. However, at this age, Arlo is finding it difficult to find another job that will suite his credentials and satisfy his financial needs.

Let’s also look into the case of “Minda” who has been with the same Company for 25 years and even with that, she still was at relatively low paygrade. Until advances came, system-wise, and the Company had to let go of her. Even her severance pay would not be enough to cover all her basic necessities and that of her family’s, Minda being the bread winner of both her own and her sister’s family.

As taking on another corporate job is not ideal for Ted, Arlo and Minda (not their real names), they all decided to venture into business. There are many other similar circumstances. It’s never too late as they say. But hey, what if they started earlier?

They might have had greater financial freedom sooner, or at the very least, learned important life lessons when they were younger, finance-wise at least. And there’s more to it, something as big as pursuing your passion or as simple as breaking the monotony of your daily grind.

Now, how to get started? Is it possible to have a secondary source of income while working a regular 8-5 job? Can you do well in both and still be financially free?

Luckily, we have 7 inspiring individuals who will share some tips and ideas with us…

7 Inspiring Individuals

Ideas From 7 Inspiring Individuals

Idea 1: You can be a Financial Freedom Advocate

Merphix Astudillo, founder of BeingFreePh

Meet Merphix. He is an Associate Manager for Training and Talent Development in the BPO space.

Engagement Imperative (EI): What’s your line of business?

Merphix (M): I’m into providing financial literacy to employees and help them achieve their financial goals.

Check out his FB Account Being Free Ph

EI: How did you come up with it?

M: There was a time in my life that I was really broke. Broke in a sense that we can only eat rice with soy sauce or salt and we use the rice water or “am” as a substitute for milk for my kid. From that day on it became my mission to become financially free and I thought I can help others as well so I created BeingFreePh.

Merphix in one of his learning sessions.

EI: How did you start mobilizing it?
M: I started by offering free sessions then when I knew there was clamor for it that’s when I started asking for fees.

EI: What are the challenges of working and running something else on the side?

M: Time

EI: What are the benefits of working and running something else on the side?

M: It helps you reach your financial goals faster may it be for travel, buying a car or house, or just being financially secured.

EI: Tips for those who also want to start a business for secondary source of income?

M: Start with something you don’t mind doing for free, meaning even if you are not paid you’ll still be happy doing it.

Ideas 2 and 3: You can be an Events Coordinator and Stylist; You can be a Food Cart Couple Francis and An Bautista

Francis and An both work in a multinational firm as project managers for Information Technology projects. Francis focuses on delivery of business application (programs) requirements while An is supporting Financial Management and Resource Management.

EI: What are your lines of business?

Francis & An (F&A): We have a franchise of a food kiosk – Siomai King. We also have an Events Coordination sideline called Pixie Dust Concepts, which caters for coordinating and also styling (decorating, providing loot bags, game props, etc.) occasions like weddings (including pre and post nuptials), birthdays and christening.

Check out their FB Page – Pixie Dust Concepts

A unique Bridal Bouquet and Boutonnière created by An

EI: How did you come up with it/those?

F&A: Pixie Dust Concepts was born out of the idea that my wife, An, very much enjoys coordinating events. I have seen her done such, way way before we’ve started the sideline for both big and small events in the office and sometimes outside, too. The ones though where I had more exposure to was when we mostly coordinated for our own wedding, and, when we prepared for our first baby’s first birthday.

Seeing both the fun and the potential from those events, we crafted out the team and worked the way from there. The food kiosk basically started as we want to eventually be stay-at-home parents so we can be more hands-on in the upbringing of our first daughter who was growing up very fast. We explored ways to do that, but, we concentrated first learning and experiencing how business happens in the local scene. We stumbled upon Siomai King which very much fits the criteria.

EI: How did you start mobilizing both sidelines?

F&A: For Pixie Dust, it was easy. We invited friends whom we know has skills and interest to join the team. And then worked on marketing it and finding clients and gigs. We figured out the rest along the way. Siomai King on the other hand is a franchise, so mobilizing that was fairly guided by officers and volunteers (group of people under the franchise who work on the networking side of the business).

EI: What are the challenges of working and running something else on the side?

F&A: The demand when it comes to time is the most challenging. We have to put it on top of work time while being conscious that it also does not eat up family time.

EI: What are the benefits of having a business or in your case businesses on the side?

F&A: It breaks the monotony of work and it gives another perspective of business and people (considering customers, employees and stakeholders).

EI: Tips for those who also want to start a secondary source of income?

F&A: Find it. It has been much easier now a days to do research with smartphones and big data deals. Fund it. There are several ways in which you can fund for the business that you’d like to start up. Do it. Just get on with it while exercising caution and balance, of course. Find it. Fund it. Do it.

Idea 4: You can be a Financial Advisor and a Wealth and Estate Planner

Jerome Torres, young achiever and founder of The Smart Peso

Jerome in a financial wellness session.

Idea 5: You can be a Make-Up Maven

Sam Calub of GlamorizedPH

Sam is a CPA working in Finance for a semi-conductor company. She has been working with this company for five years now and is happy in Accounting and Finance but she is also very passionate about makeup.

Sam (S): When I was young, I was always watching my mother put on makeup every morning before going to work and was fascinated by the way these creams and powders transformed not only her superficial beauty but her inner confidence as well. Growing up with three sisters also boosted my interest in beauty and makeup. We’d always trade beauty secrets, skin care tips we’d read in magazines, makeup 411, etc. It sort of became our bonding as young teenage girls.

S: I am a Professional Makeup Artist. I studied makeup in March 2017 at Maquillage Professional School of Makeup Artistry. I do makeup for weddings, graduations or any special occasion.

Check her out on Instagram @GlamorizedPH.

EI: How did you get the business started?

I want to be an advocate of Beauty and Glamor and I want people to feel confident and look beautiful. While celebrating every milestone in their lives. I also believe that becoming beautiful and put together doesn’t have to break the bank which is why my tagline is “Glamour on a budget”.

If you’re as pretty as Sam, you can be your own model!

I created an Instagram Account and started posting the works I’ve done on myself and on other people to advertise my skills as a makeup artist.

EI: What are the challenges of working and running something else on the side?

S: The market for makeup artists is very saturated at the moment so building your clientele is a real challenge plus if you have a 5-day a week day job it’s really hard to accept clients who schedule appointments during weekdays. Also, makeup can be a very expensive hobby/passion it is really an investment of time and money.

EI: What are the benefits of working and running something else on the side?

S: You do something you love and something you’re good at while earning extra bucks.

EI: Tips for those who also want to start a secondary source of income?

S: Find your passion and work on it. Practice always. Be willing to invest extra time and  money too.

Idea 6: You can Bake

Abby Edic-Cruz in the office.

Abby is a Procurement Specialist in Goodyear Business Services.

EI: What business line/s do you have?

Abby (A): Cakes and Cupcakes, Salted Egg Chips. Anything baked.

Check out her FB Page: Happy Oven Ph

EI: How did you come up with it?

A: Passion in cooking and baking

EI: How did you start mobilizing it?

A: It all started with taste tests until I received orders from people and more and more ordered by word of mouth.

EI: What are the challenges of working and running something else on the side?

A: Time and Energy. You must be effective in time management and at the same time, be healthy. Health is wealth.

EI: What are the benefits of working and running something else on the side?

A: Extra income and savings for the future.

EI: Tips for those who also want to start a secondary source of income?

A: Find something that you’re passionate about. Identify if there is a way to monetize that passion. Start small.

Idea 7: You can be in the Yummy Mushroom Business

Ecel Cuenca, founder of CuenKabute

Last and certainly not the least, in fact I had to stop writing after Abby’s section for a “mushroom chips moment.” That’s how much I love this last inspiring idea.

Ecel Cuenca works in an IT-BPO industry as a Service Delivery Ops Manager. 13 years in the same company – 9 years in Manila, 4 years overseas and counting.

EI: What business line do you have?

Ecel (E): We have a small mushroom farm in Lipa Batangas offering fresh, dried and processed mushroom products like Chicharooms, Crispy Sisig, Ice candy and more. We also offer cultivation and processing training.

Check her out on FB – CuenKabute and Intragram Page @cuenkabute.

EI: How did you learn about it?

E: It started as a hobby, when my 2 officemates told me the mushroom story they watched, I started finding a group offering training. I joined one training in August 2016 and from then on, I became addicted to it. Until I became a mushroom hobbyist then a full blown mushroom grower.

EI: How did you start mobilizing it?

E: I started small, growing mushroon inside our house in Lipa then I have few as well in my house in QC. I studied the behaviour of these mushrooms, tried to experiment better and easier way to cultivate until one day I found myself sharing the knowledge to a group of people in the office as part of our project’s livelihood program. After that, I conducted affordable quality training in Lipa on mushroom cultivation. Then after a year, i said I needed a bigger space so we started the mushroom farm.

Ecel in one of her training and demo sessions in Lipa, Batangas.

EI: What are the challenges of working and running a farm on the side?

E: It’s difficult to manage both at the same time, at some point one has to sacrifice. what I did is I have trusted people helping me with the business and I just do the instructions on what to do everyday. Until the team in the farm is already familiar on what they need to do. I have to keep the job cause, this is still the main source of my income. The farm is more a retirement plan just in case I decide to leave the corporate life. At least I have started something.

EI: What are the benefits of working and running something else on the side?

E:  I became more motivated to work as an employee. My biggest market currently are my friends and officemates. It’s just good to see that at the end of a tiring day in the office, you know you are an entrepreneur as well. That takes all the stress away.

EI: Tips for those who also want to start a secondary source of income?

E: Do what you really love to do.  Start now and start small. Then expand when needed. It will never be easy running a business and being employed at the same time.  It’s tiring, it’s time consuming, you end up spending your personal money to run the operations of the business but I always think of this as an investment. That someday, I will be running this full time, at least the business has been established, ready to grow even more. When I look back, its all worth it!

Summary of the Ideas from our 7 Inspiring Individuals:

• Do something that even if you are not paid you’ll still be happy doing it.

Find it. Fund it. Do it.

• Find your passion and work on it. Practice always.

• Find something that you’re passionate about. Identify if there is a way to monetize that passion. Start small.

• Do what you really love to do.  Start now and start small.

Note: Watch out for articles dedicated to our features here.

Possibilities are endless! The question is, what do you want to do? What are you passionate about? Are you willing to put in a little more time and effort?

Just an HR Tip, my friends, always remember to focus on work when at work and never let your performance dip. 🙂

Hope this article helped! 🙂

For your questions, topic or feature suggestions, please feel free to write to me – emiletherese@yahoo.com. I’m always happy hearing from you.

Thank you very much for visiting and I am thrilled to catch-up with you again soon!