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Side Hustle Pro

501: Laid Off: Now What? 5 Ways to Generate Income While You’re Unemployed

Side Hustle Pro

Nicaila Matthews Okome | Side Hustle Pro Media

Blackpodcast, Sidehustlepro, Blackwomenownedbusiness, Entrepreneurship, Nicailamatthewsokome, Blackentrepreneurs, Sidehustleshow, Smallbusinessshow, Smallbusinessowners, Smallbusinesspodcast, Marketing, Sidehustle, Blackownedbusiness, Blackwomenentrepreneurs, Business, Sidehustles, Businesspodcast, Blackwomen

4.7 • 1.8K Ratings

🗓️ 13 February 2026

⏱️ 21 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this solo episode, I’m sharing five real, practical ways to generate income during your in-between season. If you’re asking yourself, “I got laid off… now what? This episode will give you grounded, actionable steps to move forward and even some side hustle ideas!


Highlights Include

00:00 – If you’ve been laid off, you are not alone

02:30 – Why invisibility is the real danger during unemployment

04:05 – Using content creation as a visibility tool

07:20 – Turning alumni and professional networks into income

09:10 – Short-term projects using skills you already have

13:10 – Becoming a LifeOps consultant

16:50 – Short-term rental support as seasonal leverage

19:30 – Creating a premium career support retreat experience

21:40 – Why you should always keep side hustling

23:30 – How my unemployment season planted the seed for Side Hustle Pro


Links Mentioned in This Episode

Podcast Moguls: Start the Podcast That Builds Your Exit Plan


Watch & Listen

Watch this episode on YouTube and listen on all podcast platforms:


Announcements

If you’re ready to build a podcast that becomes your exit plan, attend my next live class: Start the Podcast That Builds Your Exit Plan

Save your seat here.


Social Media

Side Hustle Pro – @sidehustlepro

#SideHustlePro

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Transcript

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0:00.0

You're listening to Side Hustle Pro, the podcast that teaches you to build and grow your side hustle from passion project to profitable business.

0:09.1

And I'm your host, Nikaela Matthews Okome. So let's get started.

0:15.8

If you've been recently laid off or are unemployed for any reason, I know how disorienting this moment can feel.

0:22.4

One day, your calendar is full, your routine is set, and you know exactly what to expect day after

0:27.9

day. And then one day that just suddenly disappears, right? Well, you are not alone in this feeling.

0:33.2

And if you are wondering, I'm laid off, now what? In this episode, I'm going to get into five

0:38.5

ways to generate income while you're unemployed. Hey, all, welcome back to Side Hustle Pro. I'm Nikaela,

0:44.1

and this episode is about navigating the unknown. I've been unemployed before, and I figured out a way

0:50.5

to generate income while I figured out what was next. For me, that looked like

0:54.7

graduating business school with my MBA and not having a full-time role lined up. I had interned

1:00.9

between my first and second year of business school at Google and I expected to get the full-time

1:05.1

offer and I did not. So I found myself moving back home to D.C. at the time to live with my then-boyfriend,

1:11.7

now husband, with no real income, no real savings.

1:14.5

And it was not a great place to be in.

1:16.7

I was ashamed of myself.

1:18.2

And the worst part of it is I really didn't want to let people know I was in this situation.

1:23.6

And because I took so long to really navigate those emotions and navigate that shame, it took me

1:29.5

even longer to find a job and also to start making money and building back up my savings,

1:35.0

my reserves, and just my day-to-day spending income. So let me show you what I did. The first idea

1:40.5

is to become a content creator while you are in this in-between season.

1:46.8

Now, hear me out.

1:47.7

I'm not saying you have to be an influencer.

...

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