Quote Originally Posted by HumboldtGurl View Post
Oh this thread is getting good!

What IS your business, HumboldtGirl?

I never did explain what we do, did I? We work on a number of different things (we call them "projects") that make us happy and allow us to work from wherever our home is parked. After having a single-focus marketing and design business for the last 15 years, we've found that now we would rather have lots of little ventures so we can diversify our revenue sources, which helps us live anywhere as full-time RVers. Most of what we do is internet-based.

Our main project is more of a labor of love...it's our Tripawds three-legged animal community. We offer support and resources like assistive devices to people when their dog or cat is losing a leg. It makes us very fulfilled to be of help to others, but it doesn't pay all of our bills so we do other things like: paid freelance journalism, graphic design, website development, small business coaching, jewelry making, and we are also marketing executives for a health and wellness company. I know it sounds like we don't have focus but it really does all gel together in the end.

Zoebird, you sound like you are right on target with how your business is growing. I like your long-term thinking and strategizing.

Gimme...I've always been curious about secret shopping work. Have you been doing it for a long time? Do companies want people who can move from location to location? Would this be something that I could do as full-time RVers? We move around a lot.



Hi Humboldt Girl!

Sorry it has taken me a bit to get back to you here. About secret shopping, one idea I have is to check out and possibly sign up with www.mysteryshopforum.com - it is free and there is a link at the bottom to some very good (and not so good) mystery shopping companies. About your constantly being on the go - there are people who make a living doing this by doing what is called a route - driving a long distance and doing one mystery shop after another after another in a very condensed time period, and then doing and submitting all the reports involved. I think you might need to be in good with a few mystery shopping companies before you can do this - but you could sign up and ask at that forum site I gave you, they are mostly very helpful folks there. I only shop Phoenix, so I am pretty much one location only.

I find mystery shopping for me is not going to pay all my bills BUT it is a nice side income. I have been doing it for two years now for one company and am trying to branch out to others but it is quite competitive here and it is hard to get your foot in the door with a new company I'm finding, though I understand that this varies depending on location. Sometimes you get nice reimbursements too for required purchases for shops. Lately I have snagged a free Tommy Hilfiger coffee mug (destined for ebay maybe) and a free lawn and leaf fold out bag (something I can really use). There are those in mystery shopping who are content to only do restaurant shops (which I will not do as I have too much experience in the business and will automatically side with the server most times) that involve reimbursed meals for a report, and those who shop only hotels which involve reimbursed stays (with frequent hotel stay points) at hotels. All in all, it is a nice side gig I think and it seems to attract an interesting sort of person that does it. Anything else you'd like to know, let me know, I'll be glad to advise. Rob