Coronavirus vs. Gig Workers
5 Tips to Survive Financially When Jobs Fall Through
Three big things have happened since yesterday: (1) the Coronavirus was declared a Pandemic, and (2) I received five phone calls from event organizers asking about our cancellation policy, (3) one event officially cancelled, costing us $1,000 in revenue.
As photographers, 80% of our income from “gigs” — events such as charity galas, weddings, and corporate or community events. It can become pretty unnerving for photographers, caterers, florists and similar small businesses to face-off with an event like a recession or pandemic.
With economic forecasts predicting that we’ll feel the effects from this a while, here is a list of steps to take now to get us through the next few months:
Tip 1: Take a Breath
For newer businesses, it’s hard to put something like this into perspective. Especially for those with limited savings, an event like this can seem disastrous. For those of us who have been at this longer, though, we know we’ll get through this. We’ve survived 9/11, the crash of 2008, hurricanes, oil spills — you name it. With each impact we’ve had to tighten up and improvise, but it’s not the end of the world.
Take a breath, and keep as positive as you can. That positive attitude will help you in the long run.
Tip 2: Cut Your Costs
One of the most positive effects of an economic downturn is that it allows you to analyze where your money disappears off to every month. Grab your credit card statement and make a list of your expenses to see where you can scale back. Things to look for include:
- Subscriptions: How many unnecessary subscriptions do you have? Television apps, cell phone apps, beauty boxes, prepared food companies… the list goes on. Now is a good time to make a “must have” list and a “fun to have” list — and put a kibosh on those “fun to have” ones until the economy stabilizes.
- Food: I’ve been preaching this one for years, but let me say it louder for the people in the back: COOK AT HOME. I hate giving this advice right now because I know our restaurant friends are also suffering, but eating out is one of fastest ways to hemorrhage money. Simply not buying a coffee from Starbucks every day can save you at least $100 a month. And, side bonus, some of the cheapest food you can make at home is also the best for keeping you healthy. We’ll get into that more a bit later.
- Business costs: It’s time to do some comparison shopping. Cell phone plans, business (and health) insurance plans, car insurance, rent, internet service — many types of business costs can be negotiated. And if you can’t negotiate, think about switching providers completely. Last year we lowered our $150/mo cell phone bill to $90/mo with more included, simply by changing our carrier. Is the carrier less glamorous? Yes. But saving $720 a year sure feels nice.
- Home costs: Reduce your energy and water bill by shutting of lights you’re not using and taking shorter showers. Make sure your home is insulated so the AC you’re paying for isn’t escaping. Wear lighter (or heavier) clothes so you’re not running your AC or heater constantly. Use cold water when doing your laundry and lower the temperature on your water heater. All of these sound like little things, but they all add up very quickly.
- Socializing: Well this one dovetails nicely with a pandemic, doesn’t it? Cutting out “going out for drinks” or other social events can save you a good $100/week, and also prevents the spread of any type of cold/flu.
Tip 3: Find Alternative Ways of Making Money
For a lot of us, we’ve been in business for so long that we’ve forgotten how all about alternative income sources. But there’s very little we can do about events being cancelled, so it’s time to get resourceful. Two very quick and easy ways of making money fast are —
- Craigslist / FB Marketplace / Ebay / Etc: You know that one room in your house you don’t even go into anymore because it’s got so much stuff in it? Stuff you never use, but hold on to “just in case?” Time to pull an Elsa and Let it Go. Take a quick photo of it and pop it online to sell off. A quick $10 — $50 adds up fast, and clearing out your clutter will make you feel better in general.
- Part-time Work: I’ve had small business owners tell me it’s beneath their dignity to drive a Lyft or deliver groceries, but dignity never paid my bills so I don’t have much use for it anyway. If we ever got to the point that we would need to take on some part-time work, I would have absolutely zero issues with it, and ride-share or delivery services are easy enough to join and set your own hours.
There’s money to be made if you look for it. Offer to walk your neighbor’s dog, organize your friend’s closet — whatever speaks to your ability and skill set, see if anyone can benefit from your experience and be willing to hire you.
Tip 4: Now’s The Time to Revamp Your Business
Slow season in general is always a good time to revamp your branding and business plan. Take stock in what your priorities should be, and work towards making that goal something that is attainable.
Sure, marketing dollars will be tight right now, but with your slow time you can research where you should be investing your money to get the most bang for your buck, and put together a marketing strategy that you can unroll the second things start normalizing. Being prepared means you get a jump-start on your competition when it’s time to start marketing your business heavily again.
Also, you know how you’re always saying that you *really* need a social media person because your online presence is pitiful? Why not spend a the next few weeks creating content and a rollout plan for the next year. There are apps that allow you put everything into a schedule and it will automatically post for you. Create and schedule now, benefit all year long.
Tip 5: Take Preventative Measures to Stay Healthy
Nothing can break your “survival momentum” more than getting sick. The amazing thing about the type of economic hit we’re having right now, though, is that doing things that are “cost savings” are also the exact same things that can keep you from getting sick in the first place. (see: saving money on not going out for drinks with friends / also not getting sick from going out for drinks with friends.)
One of the best ways to save money and fortify your heath is my secret bullet: SOUP. There is something magical about a good soup. First of all, you can make a soup from practically anything sitting around in your refrigerator. Add it to some boiling water and voilà: you’ve got supper.
But even better than that kind of “scavenger soup” is a recipe I use from www.theforkedspoon.com that’s very similar to phở. I love this recipe because it’s packed with ginger and garlic which are both SO great for fighting off infection. I make it the second I start feeling like I’m getting sick, but it’s delicious enough that I also include it into my normal weekly meal plan. Here is that recipe for your cooking pleasure:
Ginger Garlic Noodle Soup with Bok Choy
Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
3 shallots — diced
1 bunch green onions — chopped, green + white divided
4 cloves of garlic — minced
2 tbsp ginger — fresh, minced
5.5 cups (44 ounces) low sodium chicken broth (substitute water if vegan)
2 whole star anise
2 tbsp soy sauce (substitute Tamari for gluten free)
10 oz crimini mushrooms — sliced
6 oz rice noodles
1.5 heads bok choy — roughly chopped
Optional: chopped chicken or shrimp for protien
Garnish with: sesame seeds + red pepper flakes
Directions:
- Heat 1–2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium-sized stockpot over medium heat.
- To the oil add the diced shallots and mix well. Cook over medium heat for 4–5 minutes, or until the shallots turn translucent and start to soften. Stir often.
- Chop the end off of each green onion- dividing the white part from the green part. Chop and set aside the green part for topping. Meanwhile, finely chop the white part of each green onion.
- Add the white part of the green onions, minced garlic, and ginger to the shallots and mix. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 1–2 minutes or until garlic and ginger is fragrant.
- Carefully pour the chicken stock or water (or mix) into the pot and bring to a simmer. To the pot add the star anise and soy sauce. Cover and continue to simmer for 10 minutes.
- Remove lid from the pot and carefully remove and discard each star anise from the soup.
- Add the sliced mushrooms, uncooked noodles, and bok choy to the pot and simmer for 5–8 minutes, or until noodles and bok choy are tender. Season to taste.
- Divide soup between bowls and garnish with sesame seeds, the green parts of green onions and red pepper flakes (if desired).
Love. It.
By now, everyone knows what to do to keep themselves healthy. Washing hands has never been so popular, and hugging has become passé. We’ve got all the health tips we could ever possibly need, so I’ll leave my “sickness prevention” tips to the soup.
Most importantly, though, just remember that we’re all in this together. If you DO need a product or service, try to give your work to a local company rather than a big corporation. Think about trading services with people who could really use whatever it is you offer. And, if nothing else, use your influence to spread positivity in what can be hard times for a lot of people.
We’ll get through this.
Now go wash your hands.
