by Hayley Weatherburn

“Working 9 to 5, it’s a way to make a living”, Dolly Parton sang these words and are true - but is it the ONLY way to make a living. What would you do if you had passive income to support you - would you still be doing the job you are doing? Or would you be out with the family, travelling or buy that new house you dream of? Life is for living, so why not give it ago! What would you do if someone gave you 5 starting points to achieve this - would you consider aiming to live your life?

5 options to mull over and weigh up which will be your vehicle out of the rat race:

PROPERTY - Yes, I can hear you say - property NOW? In this economy! To be honest, yes property is a great one. Do the research, look in the papers, talk to real estate agents, and your bank. There are many ways of making money in property - a fantastic book to read is “0 to 150 properties in 3.5 years” by Steve McKnight. It shows you many different ways in an easy to read format! Follow this and you will be on your way!

STOCKS - Again, I hear another moan of resistance. This is where I will simply say - read the article (”Buy American, I am” New York Times) by Warren Buffet the man who has made the most in the world off stocks. He basically says right now he is buying stocks. He has survived two other stock market crashes and has done the same in each one, why do you think he is wealthy? As with property - the biggest thing here is to research, research and do more research.

TURN YOUR IDEAS INTO A PROFITABLE BUSINESS - Can’t find a business out there that suits you - why not start your own? Everything you can see around you, all started in someone’s imagination first. Or maybe you see a business that could run ten times better, start that. Although it may be hard at first, if you truly are passionate about your business it won’t seem like work. Another thing to consider is to actually make sure your business can run without you - therefore giving you the freedom you are striving for. The best book I know that can ensure you do this is called “The E-Myth” by Michael Gerber

FRANCHISES - These are proven systems that make you money. The biggest thing here is you will need to outlay a reasonable amount of money. However as these are proven, it may be easier to get a business loan for a franchise than for an unproven business of your own. Again, find a franchise that aligns with an interest of yours, which has similar values to you and yep, you guessed it, research! If you are looking for less of a risk than building your own business, then this will definitely be something to consider.

HOME BASED BUSINESS - now a day with the internet easily available anywhere and phone coverage is wide and cheap - a business can run from almost anywhere. These businesses are ideal for those stay at home parents. Also for those people who want to be able to travel with an income, or even just those that want to live their own lifestyle and fit the business around that. There are A LOT of home based businesses around these days, it is a good idea to find out all you can about the business, research them more on the internet, check they are legal and then once it fills your criteria of creating a lifestyle you want - then go for it!

So, which one? Read each of the titles again. Ask yourself - which one feels right, or sounds good to me? Pick that one to start with. You may find gold the first time, but don’t be discouraged if you don’t - I definitely didn’t and I tried practically all of them before I found my vehicle to freedom. Learn from the mistakes, and reward your successes - enjoy the journey and it won’t be long until your lifestyle of choice will be a reality.