The Era of Disclosure

@drcasanovabrown

I don't know if you're on the same side of TikTok as I am, but there's this creator CasanovaBrown and he started something called "The Era of Disclosure". The premise is that more of us are more financially unstable than the media likes to show, but also more than we speak about it.

Too many people feel shame behind their debts, behind their feelings of failure to speak up, so it gives us all this false feeling of being alone in it all, and he wants to shine a light on this darkness we're all hiding in - encouraging us all to speak up so we don't all feel so alone in this.

Say what the media is hiding. Say what we are going through. Because it isn't just you, it's your neighbor too.

Well, this has brought a lot of videos within my feed of people talking about what they're going through, and aside from seeing so many people going through what I am or have been going through, it has also inspired me to speak up more about what I feel can help so many.

START YOUR OWN BUSINESS!!

I have said this to many, and they (typically) repeat things back to me that I have once said myself... "I can't afford to start my own business" "I wouldn't even know where to start or what to do" "I am not a business owner type - I don't want to have to start my own business, I want to be able to clock in and clock out and be able to afford to live by doing it" "And what would happen if everyone owned their own business, then no one will have anyone to work for them" WELL BESTIE I HAVE THE ANSWERS FOR YOU!

Let's address each issue one by one:

First, this is an idea formed out of doing what YOU want to do. There are zero rules to it. There is no niche that is too oversaturated, there are just niches filled with too many of the same types of people. The best way to stand out amongst those people is by being genuinely and authentically yourself.

The ideas are endless. LITERALLY anything can be turned into a job for yourself.

• "I can't afford to start my own business" babes - you know how many people have started off their own business with no moolah?! #1 most states do not require you to get a business license until you've hit a certain threshold, at most to start you can get a (most of the time free) sellers permit from your local government website. But also #2 not all businesses take money to run!

Do you like to clean but can't afford to buy cleaning supplies? Start calling around to places offering yourself as a service/self-contractor for cleaning coordinator. You'll go through the whole building and find where they're lacking or where they can improve, you'll hire people for that position and over look them for a probationary period. Places that NEED something like that are places like restaurants, hospitals (both vet and human), groomers etc. Initial cost: $0 (aside from using personal time to come up with a strategy, learning certain laws in your area and calling places). If you have money to toss down or when you get big enough to have extra cash, find a local outdoor market and sell cleaning schedules or yourself as a service.

Do you like to cook? You can advertise yourself as a personal chef, but there are also apps for it! Especially within the disabled community, personal chefs are needed. Only like to make peanut and butter sammys? Pssh I PROMISE you, you can market it in a way that fits you specifically and I promise you, you can make PB&J's and make a business out of it.

The idea is to think of your ultimate goal, if that takes money then start somewhere closer to the beginning of what you want to do and let things grow for yourself naturally. Shit - you just might end up really enjoying the beginnings and mastering that and not want to progress any further, or might end up stumbling into some other niche you never even thought of.

For instance: I was a dog bather, started drawing portraits on the side for a side hustle. I moved up to groomer and then started painting on the side. Moved up to cleaning coordinator and started a new type of painting. Moved up to Kennel Tech and started to top coat my paintings with resin. Moved up to tech and found out about resin art. Stopped working as a tech and started selling my resin art full time. Then I wanted to start making my own - unique molds, then people started wanting my molds and now here we are. I started off my art journey with a pencil and paper and now I am a mold maker.

You don't have to have all the money to start, you don't have to start where you eventually want to be... you just have to START!

• "I wouldn't even know what to do - where to start" again, my beloved, the answers are there, you just have to dig for them.

Ask yourself, what are you good at? What can you see yourself doing either A. forever or B. until you finish whatever schooling is needed to get that crazy job?

Some people say things like "oh I am good at nothing. I have no skills and no hobby. The only thing I am good at is being a couch potato." And to that I say nay. EVERYONE is good at SOMETHING. Everyone enjoys something in their life. And if not, then I highly suggest seeing a therapist because that's something deeper within you, because I promise you there is something that brings you joy.

But to tickle the pickle of the ones who say they aren't depressed they just thoroughly enjoy doing nothing -- did you know there is something called passive income? Passive income is where you do something once, set it down and it generates money for you.

And no I am not talking about AI, I am talking about things like files, online courses, or self-published books.

Do you have a cell phone? A computer? (No? Then how the hell are you reading this?) If you have either of those two then you have access to apps., apps that allow you to create these passive streams of income. Don't have time? Do it while you're on the pot. Get a protective case and do it in the shower or bath and do it just a little at a time.

One thing I have been teaching my boys since they were young - "You'll do it at the speed of which the end result is important to you. If you want it that bad, there won't be hesitation behind it and you'll make the time for it."

Don't give me an ADHD excuse either. I completely understand the "its easier said than done" and I wont invalidate that, but as an adult you have to parent yourself now. Set alarms, put reminders all around you, ask someone to call you at a specific time and refuse to hang up until you do the thing - work around and with your ADHD don't let it defeat you, don't let it lie to you (that little voice telling you its too hard, you'll do it later, you're just going to fail so what's the point etc.)

• "I am not a business owner type - I don't want to have to start my own business, I want to be able to clock in and clock out and be able to afford to live by doing it"

The best part about what I am talking about is that these people that can, are willing to, and do start these businesses will need to hire. They will need help. Quit working for that big corporation that's treating you like a number, just donated to genocide and find a small business you align with - work with and for them.

Not everyone needs to be a business owner in the sense of owning some big money making business, but I feel like the true way out of this is becoming a business of ourselves. These businesses don't want to pay us fairly? Fine. Stop applying to them and make them hire you as a contractor and pay you what you believe you and your work is worth.

Imagine a world where Wal-Mart couldn't find anyone to fill that cashier position so they had to hire a bunch of people who title themselves as Transaction Specialists and pay them their set prices. Now they would have to go and seek out the perfect person for the job.

"They'll just replace us with robots" okay - let them. You as a transaction specialist will still be needed amongst other small businesses that haven't resorted to robots.

I am not trying to suggest or give ideas on how to becoming some millionaire business owner. I am not suggesting we “escape” or pretend everything is fine. I am merely suggesting those who feel like they have lost their power take it back.

We are the workers. We are the ones keeping everything running. And yet somehow we’re the ones struggling the most?

Nah.

If they won’t pay us what we’re worth, then we decide what we’re worth.

If they won’t give us stability, then we create it for ourselves and for each other.

It’s about all of us waking up and realizing we don’t have to keep playing this game the way it was set up for us. While we're talking amongst our neighbors and finding out how the majority of us are suffering, lets build something bigger and better for ourselves.

My point is - they're trying to squeeze us out, don't let them.

Squeeze them out.

If its ideas you need help with to get started, DM me or leave a comment on this post and lets throw some ideas around!