Exploring income diversification in response to uncertainty
Overview
It's been well over a year since I'd shuttered my (brand new) web design business after accepting that I didn't have the capacity to devote myself to growing said business PLUS wayfinding and facilitating talking circles PLUS working full time at the nonprofit.
But this past week, I received an email from a gal who'd seen a post in a forum I'd made maybe 1.5 years ago about building Squarespace websites for coaches, and she wanted to know if I was still offering this service. My knee-jerk response was I could...and it sounds fun. Let's talk!
Diversifying income streams in the face of uncertainty
Maybe a day before she emailed me, I'd been pondering how I could diversify my income sources to help me weather financial uncertainty.
You see, I'm feeling a growing sense of dis-ease about the nonprofit gig and suspect that I'll lose my job within the year.* That's because my division has aggressively rolled out agentic AI, and I simply don't have the psychic capacity to use it (CLICK HERE to read my AI Policy). And while I did receive a temporary accommodation via the Americans with Disabilities Act to abstain from using it, I sense that it won't get renewed.
*I don't know that this is a "bad" thing, given how out of alignment my current employment has become for me — but not having income in late-stage capitalism clearly poses challenges that I'd like to avoid.
The process: brain dumping, culling, and AI
So back to the question I'd been pondering: how might I diversify my income?
I began by making a list of things that I do well — things that others have already paid or might want to pay me to do for them. I then went through this list and removed the items that I very much wouldn't want to do.
I sat with this list, wondering whether any of these potential offers could compete with an AI agent or GPT. And the answer that I arrived at is that they could — with the right person. Because not everyone is on board with AI and/or wants to learn how to use it to do things they could outsource to it. And not everyone is enamored by its outputs.
The result: secret offers
And so, I opted to create a SECRET OFFERS page hidden in my footer menu. Why secret? Because I don't want to go all-in, revive my shuttered web design website, or confuse people by offering too many disconnected services. Because first and foremost, I'm a wayfinder master coach and talking circle facilitator!
Anyway, on this Secret Offers page, you'll find offers for Squarespace website design, tedious website tech management (the backend shit like injecting structured data and meta tags, setting up all DNS records, submitting sitemaps, etc. — all of which is important but often overwhelming), and spreadsheet development. My process is bespoke to each client, and integrity is my guiding value.
The timing is great, as I have a coffee chat with this prospective web design client — the gal who found me via an ancient forum post — this week.
Exploring non-tech income streams
I'm also exploring other (non-tech) ways to diversify my income. Creating whole grain regenerative organic baking and vegan soup mixes packaged in mason jars or plastic-free paper sacks is one idea I've had.
Another is soap-making using the kinds of ingredients and packaging that I wish I could consistently find in handmade soaps (e.g. no palm oil, sustainably sourced oils, no worker exploitation, no plastic or other non-compostable items, essential — not fragrance — oils, etc.).
Having fun with idea generation
To be clear, I'm currently no where near actually implementing these non-tech ideas. I haven't even researched them!
But as an idea generator, I'm having fun exploring the ways I might increase my resilience to collapse and nourish my soul in the process. And as a wayfinder master coach, I have an amazing toolbox to help me move from what if? thinking to let's make this happen! thinking.
Challenges: blind spots and distractions
One of my biggest challenges comes from a combination of my AuDHD and Reflector status (Human Design): I struggle to see an idea through. I am easily distracted by proverbial shiny objects, and I mistake other's interests for my own.
This challenge is mitigated somewhat by me letting ideas percolate for a full month before taking big actions on them. It's also mitigated by me having conversations with others (especially coaches) who recognize behavioral patterns and blind spots, ask insightful questions, and hold space for me to verbally process things.
It will be interesting for me to see what transpires from these ideas.
Circling back to you
This week's share is about increasing my resilience to collapse from a financial perspective. Not from moving money around via the stock market, but from diversifying how I generate income — often in micro ways.
It's also about recognizing my blind spots regarding what's possible for me.
With that in mind, I'd like to challenge you to consider how you might diversify your income and work through your blind spots. If you're not concerned about income diversification, that's awesome! Perhaps these prompts can be tweaked to address another life area.
On diversification:
How prepared are you to weather potential income disruptions in the coming months or years?
What are some talents, interests, or skills you could turn into income streams (of any size)?
Which of these actually interest you?
What's a turtle step that you might take towards bringing one of your ideas to fruition (now or later)?
On blind spots:
What resistance or objections appear when you consider pursuing a new (potentially exciting) idea?
What underlies this resistance or these objections? Asking why, what, or how until you get to the core of an issue can generate some powerful insights.
Once you've arrived at the core issue underlying your resistance or objections, how might you acquiesce it without giving into it?
If these prompts speak to you, or you'd like to explore ways that you might (joyfully) diversify your income in a collapsing world, I invite you to SUBMIT A WAYFINDING INQUIRY or BOOK A WAYFINDING SESSION.
That is all.
Hi! I’m Kristi.
I help humans — mostly sisters & genderqueer kin — reject capitalism’s self-blaming narrative, center joy and creativity, and navigate hard things in hard times. Click here to learn more.
A note on AI: despite my love for em dashes, I promise you that I do not use generative AI to organize, write, or edit my posts…or anything else. I encourage you to read my AI Policy to learn more about how and why I don’t use generative AI.
