When The Bookings Slow Down, The Bills Keep Coming, And Getting The Hell Out of Your Current Living Situation Becomes The Biggest Motivation To Find Another Source of Income.
There comes a point when you start questioning your career choices.
Not because you do not enjoy what you do, but because sometimes the bookings slow down, the enquiries dry up, and the money coming in does not quite match the enthusiasm with which the bills continue to arrive.
Welcome to the wonderful world of being self-employed!
One minute you are happily looking after people’s beloved pets, walking dogs, feeding cats and making sure everyone’s furry little family members are taken care of. Then next, you are sitting down looking at your finances, wondering whether there might be another way to bring in some extra money.
And lately, I have found myself considering something rather unexpected.
OnlyFans.
Yes. You read that correctly.
OnlyFans.
Now, before anyone gets carried away, let me explain.
I am not suggesting that I am about to abandon pet sitting, throw away my sneakers and embark on an entirely different career involving a camera and questionable life decisions.
Although, given the current cost of living, I am beginning to understand why people explore alternative income streams.
The Problem Is That The Bills Do Not Care Whether You Have Bookings
When you work for yourself, income is not always predictable. There are busy periods, quieter periods and those moments when you realise that your bank account is not quite as enthusiastic about your business as you are.
And then there is the cost of living.
Rent prices are becoming increasingly ridiculous, particularly when you are trying to find somewhere decent to live. Moving sounds wonderful in theory, but in reality, it requires money. Quite a lot of it.
And without the extra income, moving somewhere else becomes increasingly difficult.
I do not particularly want to spend another year dreaming about a different home while remaining exactly where I am.
I want to move. I want my own space, my own peace and a living situation that does not make me question my sanity on a regular basis.
So, naturally, my mind has started exploring alternative possibilities.
And apparently, those possibilities involve fruit & veg.
An OnlyFans Business Plan Involving Supermarket Produce
I should probably explain that I have absolutely no intention of showing my face.
If I were to ever entertain this idea, it would be anonymous. Hands only.
And this is where things start to get interesting.
I have been joking with my mum, of all people, about the whole idea, and the more I think about it, the more I find myself developing what could loosely be described as a business concept.
A supermarket shopping trip might never be quite the same again.
Imagine walking down the fruit and vegetable aisle with a completely different purpose.
Peaches? Potentially.
Figs? Interesting.
Cucumbers? Well, Obviously.
Bananas? Naturally.
Aubergines? Now we are getting to more adventurous territory.
Who knew that the humble fruit and vegetable section could offer so many creative possibilities?
And then there is the question of presentation.
I usually prefer short, neatly manicured nails with a little colour. Nothing particularly dramatic.
But if I am going to put my hands on display, perhaps I need to rethink my styling choices.
Maybe instead, long, dramatic, stiletto-shaped press-on nails.
Apparently, even an anonymous fruit-themed content creator needs to consider her image.
I can just imagine myself standing in the supermarket, examining the produce and wondering which items might have the greatest photographic potential.
I went in for groceries, I came out wondering whether I needed to invest in a new content creation strategy that included a set of stiletto press-on nails!
Honestly, what is happening with my life?
The Million-Euro Question: Have I Actually Got The Guts To Do It?
Here is where comedy meets reality.
I can joke about it. I can come up with ideas. I can imagine the content, the anonymous account and the potential audience.
But actually going through with it?
That is an entirely different matter.
There is a difference between sitting around discussing a ridiculous idea and actually creating an account, capturing footage and putting your content out there.
I am not entirely convinced I could bring myself to do it.
And yet, I keep coming back to the idea.
Not necessarily because I have some burning desire to become an OnlyFans creator, but because I am looking at my circumstances and wondering whether I need to be a little more adventurous when it comes to generating income.
I am already trying to build additional income through digital products, printables, blogging and Youtube.
I have ideas. I have projects. I am putting in the work.
But these things take time to build, and sometimes you need to see a little more progress than a handful of views and the occasional sale.
I need things to pick up the pace.
Because wanting to change your circumstances and actually having the financial means to do so are two very different things.
Is This The Side Hustle I Never Knew I Needed?
I suppose the funniest part of all this is that I started out wanting to build a business around looking after animals.
And now I am contemplating whether there is a potential second income stream involving cucumbers, peaches and a set of rather dramatic fingernails.
I have no idea whether I will actually do it.
Perhaps I will decide that the whole thing is far too embarrassing. Perhaps I will lose my nerve before I even get as far as choosing a username.
Or perhaps one day I will find myself in the supermarket, filling my basket with an assortment of fruit and vegetables, and realise that I have finally crossed over into a completely different business venture.
For now, I am keeping my options open.
After all, a girl has to pay her bills.
And if the pet sitting enquiries do not start picking up, who knows?
Maybe those aubergines are about to become a business expense.
The Diary of a Petsitter.
Professional pet sitter by day. Potential anonymous fruit & veg content creator by night. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be considering this additional career path.