We all have a definite number of hours in a day and so what we do with them determines, to a significant degree, what we end up becoming.
A lot of us have an image of what we want our lives to look like. We want a good education, and a good job, to move up the corporate ladder and become great leaders. For some this ideal world does not necessarily happen in that sequence and so we need to think more and see how best to grow ourselves and make a difference while at it.
We have seen a lot of advice on starting and running a business, side hustles if you are employed, or even how to actively earn passive income.
The aim is to ensure that we are using the time we have to get closer to our goals and ensure we are having a good time while doing it. We defined active income last week as the income or investments that you have to spend much of your time on to gain returns.
Some key active investments options include:
- Employment: Most of us get the bulk of our income from our employees and it is for this reason that it becomes a key investment. The key while working on this is to ensure that you are doing that which you enjoy and gain the maximum results from it. Making sure that you are making a difference in the place of work automatically leads to much better outcomes in terms of salary and bonuses. If the current employer can’t see your value, it is just a matter of time and you shall get a fair share of what you truly deserve. The key here is to ensure that you are the most qualified for the job and you can outwork most people given the same opportunity;
- Entrepreneurship: Starting and running a business to cater to a need that you see in the market is the starting point for any sound business. When getting into entrepreneurship ensure that they are a true need for your good or service, get the best and most efficient solution for the problem, and get the solution to the right people (customers/clients). If one had the best product that no one knew of, then it does not exist in their world. There has been a lot that has been written about entrepreneurship, the key is to sieve and know what works for you. Joining some support groups helps in getting the right advice and accountability partners;
- Actively investing: having looked at the various passive investment options and entrepreneurship as a key investment option, it is good to note that we have a lot of investors who invest in other people’s businesses, take significant bets in some listed companies or actively trade in the fixed income market.
When taking on active investing one needs to ensure that they have sufficient knowledge and have reduced the key things that matter to them and that is the basis upon which they invest.
There are a couple of companies that provide platforms where one can choose which companies to invest in and with the crowdfunding regulations, this is meant to become even much easier.
Given the risks that come with investing in private companies which one has no control over, a lot of screening and care needs to be employed to get it right.
When selecting the active investment to focus on, the key considerations include:
- Time availability: If one is busy on one they might not be able to actively manage another venture. The skills and knowledge: Some of these investments might require some specialized skills and it is for this reason that one either acquires the required knowledge or focuses on something else.
- Specific circumstance: Some investments would be good but might not be ideal for the individual. It is for this reason that one’s key goals and objectives should come first as one start the investment journey.
The Wealth creation journey is continuous and one should be guided by their goals. It is however important to ensure that we are continuously investing in the appropriate investment knowledge so that we select the investments that suites us under the various circumstances.
Article by the team at LIZ Consulting.
Liz Consulting offers bespoke personal finance and wealth management solutions as well as business advisory. The firm has designed products that best serve all the needs of a diverse clientele in the areas of Personal Wealth Creation Masterclass, Wealth Management, Business Structuring Masterclass, and Advisory