FEEL LIKE EVERYONE’S GETTING RICH EXCEPT YOU?

Here’s how to join them.

The era of the ambitious side hustle is over, so write your next big idea on a piece of paper and set it alight using one of the candles you made and intended to sell on Etsy (but never got around to because you were far too busy with your day job). It’s time for a new approach to the 2.0 income stream, so you don’t get left behind while your clued-in mates head off on yet another weekender – bankrolled by their Bitcoin stash – without you. Read on. INVEST IN YOURSELF Canna Campbell, financial expert and author of The $1000 Project, suggests saving up $1,000 “parcels” (don’t worry, just one parcel is fine to start with) and then doing something to improve your financial health, such as paying off your credit card or student debt, or investing in shares, which is a clever way to start making passive income. “Most people can open a share trading account through their existing bank and you can buy shares with as little as $500, though I prefer minimum amounts of $1,000,” she says. “I stick to bluechip industrial stocks that pay dividends and grow over the long run, with normal volatility along the way.” TAKE AN EDUCATED RISK You don’t have to be a tech-head to get amongst cryptocurrency – you just need to go into it with half a clue. “Don’t invest because you think you can easily turn $1,000 into $1 million – people who are in it to buy a Lambo overnight will learn the hard way that’s not how it works,” says Aimie Rigas, community manager at Power Ledger, an energy-trading start-up with its own cryptocurrency. “Do your research and invest in projects you believe in.” It can have incredible price volatility, meaning you could just as easily lose it all as you could end up minted. But if you’re still keen, download a crypto app such as BRD, Jaxx or Mycelium, which act like a “wallet” and allow you to trade in currencies like Bitcoin and Litecoin. Rigas’ golden rule? “Don’t spend more than you’re willing to lose.” USE WHAT YOU’VE GOT Sure, you can be anything you want in this life, but there’s probably more longevity, and return on investment, in honing your existing skills to get ahead in the career you’re already in. Recently launched in Australia, Bumble Bizz is like Linkedin for the swipe-happy – you can find yourself the mentor you always wanted, or cool, equally ambitious creative types to expand your networks. If nothing else, maybe you’ll find someone who wants to buy those candles.