By Olusola Adeyegbe
A highly respected friend asked me this question this week, and I suspect many of us are quietly asking it too.
It is a fair question, and a timely one. So let us sit with it honestly.
Hard times do not eliminate money. They change where it flows. People become more cautious, but they do not stop spending. They simply become far more selective about what they will pay for.
So alongside how do I make money, it helps to also ask what problem can I solve. Income is usually the consequence of value delivered, not the goal chased directly.
Look closely at the difficulty around you. Inflation, uncertainty, inefficiency, business pressure, changing habits. Every one of these creates friction. And friction, for the person paying attention, creates opportunity.
In hard times, usefulness outweighs appearance. People postpone luxuries. They do not postpone anything that saves them money, makes them money, reduces risk, or makes a hard problem easier to carry. If you want a practical starting point, ask yourself honestly which of these four your skill or offer touches. That single question can sharpen almost any idea.
You may already hold the skill that someone urgently needs. Before searching for an entirely new venture, look again at what you already know how to do well. Write down three things people already come to you for, even informally. One of them is likely closer to income than you have given it credit for.
Do not wait for one big breakthrough. Several modest income streams, built with integrity, can carry you further than one dramatic idea that never arrives. Consulting, a service, a product, teaching, a small offer here and there. Resilience is often built quietly, stream by stream, not through a single dramatic leap.
Busyness is not the same as productivity. Hard times tempt us to chase every opportunity that appears. Before you say yes to the next one, ask a simple question. What does this actually cost me in effort and risk, and what does it realistically return? That one habit alone will save you from a great deal of wasted motion.
Cash flow deserves as much attention as income. A person can look profitable on paper and still struggle, simply because money is not arriving when it is needed. Know what is owed to you, know what you owe, and check the gap between them regularly. Managing that gap is as much a skill as earning itself.
Guard yourself against desperation. Hard times make people vulnerable to shortcuts, excessive borrowing, and schemes that promise too much too quickly. Whatever pressure you feel, do not let it dismantle the financial foundation you have spent years building. Slower and steady still outlasts fast and fragile.
Relationships still matter more than transactions. Trust, reputation, and the people who vouch for you quietly become some of the most valuable assets you carry in a difficult market. Nurture them even when there is nothing immediate to gain from them.
And learn to speak about what you offer. A good skill or a good product held in silence helps no one. Value that is never communicated remains value that is never realised. You do not need to be loud. You only need to be clear and consistent about what you do and who it helps.
But something needs saying clearly here, because money pressure has a way of making us feel powerless, as though our worth is now measured only by what we can no longer give.
That is not true.
There is a form of giving that has nothing to do with money or goods. It is giving of yourself. Your presence, your attentiveness, your respect for another person, freely offered. Abd-ru-shin writes that in this giving of yourself, in the consideration and respect you voluntarily extend to your neighbour, lies the love of which Jesus spoke, and lies also the help that enables another person to rise, drawing strength from what you gave.
If money were the only currency of usefulness, then anyone without it would have nothing left to offer. That was never the design. You remain useful even at the point of your own lack.
One caution belongs alongside all of this. A low level desire just to make money at all costs can slowly open the door to shortcuts that compromise who you are. Guard your character as closely as you guard your income.
When times are hard, do not merely look for where the money is. Look for where the problems are. Money tends to follow those who can solve problems!
And should we ever be hard pressed, even at the point of our greatest need, let us remember that when the need is greatest, the Almighty’s help is nearest to us.
And even when money is slow to come, remain someone whose presence, kindness and contribution continue to bring value to the lives of those around you.
