Tag Archives: exoffenders

Extra Work at Home

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Hey Readers!

I thought I might compile a bit of a list of all the various online work I’ve tried out over the years. There are a lot of decent online jobs and many are fairly relaxed about who they hire (no worries fellow felons) – some are even easy ways of building your very own business where YOU get to be the boss.

Let’s dig right in:

  1. Fiverr – This is a favorite platform of mine for the beginner freelancer. Fiverr allows you to create a variety of Gigs to sell online. You can offer digital services – like writing, voice-overs, video editing, graphics, art, marketing copy and more – as well as physically shipped items like my custom runes and divination things.
  2. Observa – This is basically an inspection gig, where you get notified of stores in your area that need certain products photographed. It really helps if you live near a large city for this – as smaller towns don’t have as many opportunities.
  3.  We Go Look – Another inspection based job, get dressed up in some professional looking garb, go to your accepted job, take some photos of damaged vehicles or property and upload them in the app. It’s super simple, and you can make typically $20 per job. Again, much better results in a larger city, however, I was able to make about $100 per month even in a rural area – when the gigs were available anyway.
  4. TranscribeMe – This one is great for any of my typists out there. Got those wicked fast fingers and good hearing? This one is for you. Listen to recordings and type out what you hear – following grammar rules of course!
  5. Zazzle – If you’re into playing with PhotoShop and creating cool images – you can create all sorts of products with your designs and sell them for free on Zazzle.
  6. Writing Ebooks – If you love to create stories or if you’re a research aficionado – writing and publishing (in any way) might be a great opportunity for you! Smashwords, Amazon KDP, and many others are great places to start!
  7. UpWork – This is another freelancing site, and it’s similar to Fiverr, but tends to pay a lot better. Of course, that’s also based on your experience with your chosen projects – but you can find great clients here to build a reputation.
  8. Inbox Dollars – This is one of ‘those’ survey sites, and while it can be really annoying to go through, there is the real potential to make a decent side income here if you’re not focused on doing anything else for a while. I tend to rely on the Scratch and Win – after letting the TV section play for a while in the background. I’ve been back with them for about a month now, and I’m already up $10 with minimal effort really.
  9. PeoplePerHour – This is currently my all time favorite freelance site. It is international and you might have to change your schedule around for some clients but it’s proving to be the fastest paying freelance platform site I’ve tried so far. This also works on a % per sale you make instead of paying anything up front. It’s really helped me expand my client base and has taught me a lot in just a few months!
  10. ThumbTack – While I haven’t used this personally yet (I live in a cornfield and would have no clients) – my friend has been using this quite successfully to find side jobs in their city. They raved about it – so if you’re in a populated area – feel free to add them to your list!

Well, there you have it, a good place to start for working from home! And this is really just a small sample of what is available out there on these wide webs. 😛

Don’t forget to like, share, and comment what your favorite side job is and what has worked best for you! We’re here to help each other!

Love and Peace – Aza

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Pushing Boundaries and Developing Skills

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Hey Readers! Hope all is well for you!

 

It’s been an interesting month for me, as there have been some suggestions in the works for offering speeches.

Now, not only am I a shy and somewhat anxious person, I’ve also been trained by society in some ways to feel that my opinions are not worthy and that I’m more likely to fail than other people. Simply because I made a mistake and earned a record – over a decade ago.

It is amazing to have that sort of suggestion thrown my way, because of those reasons. And it’s rather validating in a way, even if I still have that nagging voice in the back of my head saying…”Hahahaha – you’re gonna do WHAT? That’s hilarious!!!”.

Now, do I have any idea how to create a speech from scratch? …Not really…

Do I have any experience talking in big groups? …. (falls over laughing)

Do I have any experience with videos, editing, or uploading? …. absolutely not…

Am I gonna dig in, do some research, and create the best experience for my audience as possible?? …. We have a winner!

You know why I’m saying yes? I’m saying yes, because opportunity is knocking at my door. I’m saying yes, because I believe in every felon that wants their life to be better – deserves the right to find a path to that. I’m saying yes, because growth might be painful sometimes, but it’s one of the most beautiful things in life.

It won’t be easy, and I won’t like all of it, but I know I’ll learn some new skills, some new ideas, meet new people, and have more chances to make a positive impact on how felons are viewed in society.

You and me? We’re both worth more than we realize, and we need to remember that. Start looking for opportunities to create positive interactions, and be a part of the change, not only in yourself and your life, but the life of every other struggling felon out there.

Love and Peace,
Aza

 

Who Likes Reading? (raises hand)

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Hey Readers! Back again today with a short list of inspiring reads I’ve found on Smashwords while doing a bit of research.

I’ve bookmarked them for myself too, for that rainy day that I have off every now and then. Hopefully, I’ll snag enough time to finish these before the end of the year, so I can use them as stepping stones for my goals next year!

Check them out below:

1. Smashword Reading List Book 1
I’m hoping to get into the interviewer mindset from this, to help build a workshop for local ex-offenders who need interview training.

2.  Smashword Reading List Book 2
Who doesn’t love getting pumped up with inspirational quotes? These are fuel for me, and also give additional perspective on the various situations we can encounter.

3. Smashword Reading List Book 3
This one, well, it seems a lot more blunt from the title, and yes.. you’ll have to click to find out what it is. I have a feeling that I’m going to love it, the reviews are wicked, and I can’t resist that darkly honest and slightly edgy writing style and perspective.

Thanks for stopping by again! Love and Peace
Aza

Playing Around on Canva

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Hey Readers! I’ve been working on a local marketing campaign, and came up with this. Still not sure if the links I tried to embed (not even sure if that’s the right word – I’m still learning all of this stuff) in the image using Canva’s creator page are even working. It didn’t pan out for the Facebook attempt, so I’m seeing what it will do on here. Feel free to click around on it and see if it does anything. lol

If it does, you can let me know if you have a moment to do so. Anyway, here it is, one of my most recent Canva creations …..

The Friendly Felon

Ok, well, I guess that’s what a PDF upload will do on here. (Again, still learning – mostly from trial and … obviously ….numerous errors.)

I’ll stick with the plan though, and see what it does after the post is published. If you have advice about this stuff, I would not mind hearing it. Heh.

Peace and Love
Aza

Little Laughs of a Freelancer

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Hey Readers!

I finally got around to ordering business cards for my little one woman start up here, and I had a strange little moment as I was fighting with the design, title, and whatnot.

I hadn’t really thought of it much, but as a freelancer of things that seem to not have been done before, I get to pick the title for the work I do.
Seems simple enough…. right?

Ha.

Nope.

I’ve ran through a few different titles, and all seem to be unsatisfactory. …. even the one I ended up putting on the cards and ‘officially ordered’.
Some examples of these are:

Freelance Felony Support Specialist

Relief Researcher

and the one I settled upon for now….(drum roll please….)

Rights Recovery Mentor (…….and of course, ..now I’m thinking I should have stuck with the Specialist bit… /facepalm)

And there we have it. My little laugh today.
Hope you enjoyed it as much I did, and that it helps you remember, nothing can really hold you back other than yourself.

Sometimes you just gotta toss your hat over the fence and commit yourself to an idea, even when you’re a little unsure. You never know where it might lead you 🙂

Love and Peace,

Aza

Still Seeking Interviews

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Hello Readers!

I had been hoping to have some interviews to share here by now, but it would seem that everyone is just as crazy busy as I am.
Rest assured, these will come in over the next month or so as everyone finds the time to share the details of their stories.

While we wait patiently, I want to share with you something that has finally come to fruition for me recently.

Now, I know that I’ve already shared my personal version of the book, ‘Finding Freedom’ on Smashwords and Amazon (although I’m getting really irked with Amazon, so the book will be pulled from their shelves soon).
What I present now, is the fully professionally edited and easier to read version of the book, (made available through Microcosm Publishing) — (drumroll please…)

The Friendly Felon’s Guide to Life After a Felony – by Aza Enigma.

Click here to see it in all of its glory (and maybe order a few, to reward this awesome publisher for making the book even better!)

Alright, with that out of the way, I want some input on what to research next. Post a comment on the topic YOU want more information about, and I’ll do my best to find answers and share them here with everyone. Isn’t it about time you found the answers you need?

Can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with! See you next time!

Love and Peace,

Aza

Updates!

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Hey Readers! Happy Labor Day!

As always, things are crazy busy for me! Just started an additional side job tending bar and waitressing at a local bar & grill (gotta save up for the holidays ya know!), and just got my first publishing contract (with Microcosm Publishing).

Microcosm has offered a non-exclusive publishing agreement, which will allow me to continue to publish Finding Freedom on any platform I choose. I encourage everyone to check their site out here, and to see what all they offer.

On another front, we have a couple interviews coming up for our Successful Felon Stories. We may define success differently, either as different people, or because we had to adapt to our post conviction lives, but I can’t wait to share these stories with you to help show that a happy life in society is possible and to help inspire to you find your own success!

Finally, we are slowly building up our nationwide network of after felony specialists, I hope to share some really great news with everyone on this aspect soon! We’re building towards free classes and programs that will help give our fellow felons a steady footing in society and improve our rate of success.

Enjoy your day, be safe, and above all…. RISE ABOVE!

Aza

 

 

Easy Employment Certifications

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Hey Readers! Thank you for stopping by again! As always, I have a lot in store for you!

I have a really neat interview with Lisa Forbes coming up, where she will talk about the factors that played into her conviction, and how she has turned her life around, and how she defines her success as a reformed recruiter.  I am quite excited to hear her story and learn from her experiences, how about you?

Now, while we wait for the interview, I wanted to let you guys know that there are affordable certifications that will help you improve your employability (apparently I’ve made a new word – according to Google spellcheck anyway) after a conviction.

I am all too familiar with the fact that life gets turned upside down now and again (sometimes it feels like it’s upside down every day… I get that too), and having these little additions to rely on can mean keeping your rental versus ending up homeless (or homeless again – goodness knows I’ve been there myself).

These little employment certificates are the Basset license (basically a responsible bartender) and the Food Handler license.

I completed the Basset training in about 4 hours just yesterday evening by watching video after video on the certification website, answering the practice questions, and then completing the final exam. I paid around 14 bucks for it, and now I can be hired at any bar in my state. Of course, not all states have a full requirement of a licensed server, but even if they don’t require it, it may be a good idea to invest in it, because it will show that you will go above and beyond the basic expectations and that you’ll be a responsible seller. The tips are pretty awesome too, especially on busy nights.

The Food Handler license will help you gain cooking and waitressing jobs too, and I’ll be taking this course soon as well – I’ll make an update when I have more information on the cost and the type of course that is offered online. (Update: I paid only $7 for mine, it’s the lowest level one – it’s all I needed as I was serving and not helping cook – although food manager’s licenses seem to run up to $500 around here – if you’re looking to get into cooking be prepared for an investment)

Neither course has mentioned performing any sort of background check, and I haven’t found a bar yet that runs a check for hiring purposes (maybe my area is a bit BFE though – let me know if your locale is different), so if you’re a people person and know how to defuse the situations that can come up in a bar, you might consider becoming a bartender.

The cash tips are often pretty decent – especially if you’re lucky and get the ever coveted weekend evening hours, and that’s money you can typically take home each night on top of the weekly paycheck for your hours. Tip based jobs are sort of awesome in that way, even if they are ‘lower income’.

That’s all, for now, guys, come back soon and find some inspiration in Lisa’s interview, and keep rising above!

Aza

 

P.S. – If you’re looking for a certificate to help you overcome your background – you can find it in my books! I did a ton of research on every state and put it all together in a nifty little manual for you! Print version HERE, and ebook versions at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords – see the sidebar for links. Thank you so much!