How to Make Your First $1,000 Tentmaking

general tentmaking Dec 02, 2022

A few weeks ago I talked about how you can overcome the fear of tentmaking. You can read that blog here.

I encouraged you to focus on just making your first $1,000. I want to share a number of ways you can make your first $1,000 tentmaking.

  1. Redeem Credit Card Rewards for Cash

    I wrote a PDF guide which explains this process called "Make an Extra $1,200 Quickly" that you can download here. The gist is that you’ll apply for cards with high welcome bonuses, earn those bonuses in the first three months, and then redeem the points for cash. I think this is likely the easiest way to make your first $1,000.

  1. Earn Checking Account Sign-Up Bonuses

    It’s common for banks to offer cash rewards for setting up a checking account with them and completing certain qualifying activities. You likely won’t get all $1,000 by setting up one account but if you set up accounts at multiple institutions, you could likely come close. For example, right now at Chase, they are offering a $600 bonus if you set-up a checking and savings account at the same time and deposit a certain amount into your savings account. With a new Citi account, you can earn between $200-$2,000 depending on how much you deposit. US Bank is offering between a $300-$500 bonus depending on how much you direct deposit into your account. Combine some of these together and you can reach your $1,000. You can read more here.

  1. Monetize a Skill

    Each of you have some kind of skill that you could likely use to make your first $1,000. Find a few clients that would like to work with you. Go over the top in serving them. You’ll likely have them as a client as long as you want.

  1. Get Your Real Estate License and Complete One Transaction

    I’ve written extensively about this at TentmakingPastors.com. Click Blog on the website, and in the side column, click "Agent Hacking." There are quite a few articles there. This is a great path to get started with tentmaking. It does have more up front costs than the others I’ve mentioned, but in many cases, one transaction pays you back for your up front costs and then could give you a few thousand in extra cash. I wrote a free PDF guide which describes this process called "The 5 Steps to Earn an Extra $10k in Only 10 Hours Each Year." You can get that here

  1. Drive for Uber or Lyft in Your Spare Time

    You can drive people around or pickup and deliver food in your spare time. You can even choose the hottest times and best areas to really maximize how much you make. You can make your first $1,000 doing this also. I met a pastor on Twitter just recently who was doing this.

  1. Find an Off-Market Deal for a Real Estate Investor

    Investors are always looking for great deals. And you likely know your neighborhood better than most investors. If you know of some homes that need work with sellers who want to sell quickly to an investor, contact local investors in your area through the Real Estate Investors Association. Let them know about the opportunity in exchange for a referral fee of $1,000 if they successfully close the deal. Most investors would pay this all day long if you bring them a good deal.

  1. Mow a Few Extra Lawns

    If you’re already mowing your lawn, offer to mow 3-5 of your neighbor’s lawns while you’re at it. Charge $30-50 each, or whatever the going rate is, and you could have your extra $1,000 in a month or two.

  1. Airbnb a Space on Your Property

    I’ve written extensively about this here, so check it out. Depending on what you rent out, you could make an extra $1,000 in 1-3 months just by renting out something you already own.

  1. Rent Your Car on Turo

    Same concept as #8. If you can do without one of your cars for a day or two at a time, you could rent it out to someone looking for a rental in the area. You can do this until you make your first $1,000.

  1. Hang Your Friend's Christmas Lights

    In our area, you can make $200-300 per house when you hang and store their lights. Mention it to a few neighbors or friends and you can make an extra $1,000 this Christmas just by hanging some lights.

There are many other ways you can make your first $1,000.

The key is just getting started. Try something. Take small steps.

Once you earn your first $1,000, you’ll have proof of concept and can plan for your next $5,000, $20,000 and beyond.

What’s keeping you from getting started?

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