Larry Welnowski Jr.

I’ve been W-2 free for nearly 25 years. If you’ve been following me, you’ve probably noticed that I’ve been regularly posting side gig ideas that have the potential to eventually replace your W-2 income. And I’m going to keep doing it EVERY SINGLE DAY. Not get-rich-quick schemes. Not overnight millionaire promises. Real business ideas you can start while still collecting your W-2 paycheck, with the potential to grow into something much bigger. Why should you follow me? Because I’ve spent nearly 25 years building businesses and generating income without relying on an employer. Today, I have 3 completely different income streams: 1. Plastic Resin Distribution & Brokering I’ve spent 30 years in the plastics industry, building supplier relationships, finding customers, negotiating deals, and buying and selling plastic resins. 2. A Disney Media Business Built Around Facebook Groups What started as a Facebook group to help families navigate food allergies at Disney has grown into a media business reaching over 190,000 people through Facebook groups, newsletters, and social media. We generate income through sponsorships and advertising. 3. A Consumer Liquidation & Reselling Business We purchase discounted and liquidated merchandise and resell it for a profit. Three businesses. Three completely different industries. Three sources of income. And here’s what I’ve learned: You don’t need to quit your W-2 to start building your freedom. In fact, I encourage you NOT to quit until you’ve built something that can support you. Start small. Make your first $100. Then $1,000. Then figure out how to turn that into $5,000 a month. Will every idea work? Absolutely not. Have I made mistakes along the way? More than I can count. But I’ve learned that the biggest mistake is never trying. I’m not here to sell you a course or convince you that I have all the answers. I’m here to share real business opportunities, lessons from nearly 25 years of self-employment, and ideas that might inspire someone to take that first step. Follow me for the next 30 days. I’ll continue sharing a different side gig idea every day that has the potential to grow into a legitimate business. Some will require very little money to start. Others will require more time, capital, or experience. But every one will be worth exploring. You don’t have to hate your W-2 job to want something more. Maybe you want more income. Maybe you want more time with your family. Maybe you just want the freedom to decide how you spend your Tuesday afternoon. Whatever your reason, I want to help you explore what’s possible. Could one of these ideas eventually replace your W-2 paycheck? #WereGonnaFindOut

Every morning I thank God that I am alive and I haven’t received any emergency calls overnight. The very next thing I think about is how excited I am to see what AI will help me with today. I am constantly talking to my agents to further my knowledge of what they can do for my businesses. We live in an amazing time. #weregonnafindout

In less than 2 hours, my first newsletter hits 164 inboxes. There’s still time to subscribe Larrywelnowski.com

My very first newsletter drops to inboxes at 8 a.m. tomorrow... Thank you to the 150+ people who have already subscribed 🙏 Newsletters will cover side gigs, Facebook group management, and reseller corner tips(MUSE this week) I'll also be covering topics like building your personal brand on LinkedIn like I did (20,700 followers). I'm excited to share what I'm learning and what I've already learned in my 25 years as a multiple business owner. Haven't subscribed yet? Visit larrywelnowski.com and enter your email address. #weregonnafindout

Go post a dog picture on LinkedIn and see what happens #weregonnafindout

EVERY service business needs this kind of proactive communication So many are still failing at this. I don’t hire anyone unless they communicate like this

I’ve paid my mortgage through a side gig for the past 10 years. That’s why I’m showing you what’s possible. One side gig idea every day. Side Gig 📷 Leave your W2 idea of the day: START A WEDDING LIVESTREAMING BUSINESS! Here's a side gig you could start on weekends while keeping your W2. Think about how many couples get married every year. Now think about all the family members and friends who can't attend. Grandparents who can't travel. Relatives living across the country. Friends stationed overseas. What if YOU offered a service that allowed those people to watch the wedding live? And here's the interesting part. You don't necessarily need expensive professional video equipment to get started. Here's how I'd approach it. 1. START SMALL Learn how to livestream an event using a quality smartphone or camera. Invest in a sturdy tripod, wireless microphone, portable battery and reliable internet connection. Practice recording and streaming events before accepting paying customers. I'd start by offering the service for a friend's wedding or a small local ceremony. Build a portfolio. 2. FIND CUSTOMERS I'd contact local wedding planners, photographers, officiants and wedding venues. My pitch? "I help couples include family and friends who can't attend their wedding in person." I'd also advertise in local wedding Facebook groups. You don't need hundreds of customers. Start with ONE wedding. 3. MAKE MONEY Charge a flat fee to livestream the ceremony. Offer additional services like: • A private viewing link for invited guests • A recording of the ceremony • Multiple camera angles • Livestreaming the speeches and reception Make sure your pricing covers equipment, travel, preparation, setup and your time. You'll also need permission from the couple and venue, and you should understand how copyrighted music can affect livestreams. 4. SCALE IT This is where I'd get creative. Once you've developed a reliable process, hire someone to operate the equipment. Build relationships with wedding venues. Train additional operators. Eventually, you could have multiple teams covering weddings on the same weekend. You could even expand into graduations, memorial services and other private events. The goal isn't necessarily to spend every weekend operating a camera. The goal is to build a business where you eventually manage the customers and employees instead of doing every job yourself. Could a wedding livestreaming business eventually replace someone's W2 income? We're Gonna Find Out! 📷 Want more side gig ideas just like this? Subscribe to my FREE newsletter for business ideas, practical tips and strategies to eventually leave your W2. 📷 larrywelnowski.com #WereGonnaFindOut #SideGig #Entrepreneurship #SmallBusiness

Not many even know what plastic resin looks like much less think there’s a business opportunity there. I’ve been distributing plastic resin for 30 years now. Our company @Nickel_City has averaged $3-$5M in annual sales and I have 2 employees. My wife and my son. No drama. Just making money. Remember, you don’t have to scale to be successful. #weregonnafindout

Remember Anyone can change the trajectory of their lives #weregonnafindout

I'm now having @Muse run my FB Marketplace listings. I mean 100% run them. List them Price them Check every hour for messages Respond to "Is this available" message with a standard, "yes, heres the pick up address. When do you want to pick up?" Negotiate pricing with the customer with a floor of 20% off. Schedule pickups with a time and day restriction and a link to my calendar to avoid conflicts. I worked on giving Muse the correct prompts to save me an iincredible amout of time. I'll report back on how this is going. Always be learning. Always be innovating. #weregonnafindout

Wings for dinner

Last time I got a haircut it pretty much went like this. It’s why I’ve been cutting my own hair now for 15 years

I made this video to scare the hell out of you. If you are relying on one source of income, you need to pay attention. I’ve had friends who lost their only income source. Their W2. They had a family, a house, cars, daycare expenses. Income gone. They were left scrambling. Desperately looking for another job. I’m begging you. Don’t let this happen to you. Start your side gig now. I’ve been W2 free for 25 years and have multiple income streams. Why? Optionally. If one fails, I work at the others. Your W2 doesn’t even need to give you a reason. They can fire you tomorrow. Then what? I’m sharing a side gig idea every day. I’m sharing 25 years of strategy. I believe in helping others. This is my way. Karma is real. I also started a free newsletter packed with this type of info. Subscribe here 👉 larrywelnowski.com Are you going to wait around? Or are you going to find out? #weregonnafindout

I'm OK if you want to spend $7/day on a Starbucks. Do whatever makes you happy.

I’d like to welcome everyone back to their desks this morning. Time to scroll X and pretend you are working.

I started a newsletter. First issue drops Thursday morning! Here's why....... I've been self-employed for nearly 25 years. No W-2. Three different businesses. A whole lot of trial and error. Over the years, I've built businesses in plastic resin distribution, consumer reselling, and digital media through Facebook groups. I've also grown my LinkedIn following to over 20,000 people, and approximately 85% of my new business leads now come from LinkedIn. I've learned a lot along the way, and I want to start sharing more of it. So I'm launching a FREE newsletter called "We're Gonna Find Out." Here's what you can expect: 🔹 **Side Gig of the Week** — Detailed business ideas, startup costs, how to find customers, and realistic revenue opportunities. Not just an idea, but how you could actually get started. 🔹 **Facebook Group Monetization** — How I've built communities with tens of thousands of members and turned them into recurring monthly sponsorship revenue. I'll share my actual strategies, numbers, and lessons learned. 🔹 **Building Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn** — How I've grown my audience, generated leads, built relationships, and used LinkedIn to grow my businesses without spending money on advertising. 🔹 **Consumer Reselling** — Everything from sourcing liquidation inventory and finding profitable products to selling on Facebook Marketplace, automation tools, pricing, and managing inventory. 🔹 **Behind the Business** — Real experiences from running three different businesses. The successes, mistakes, challenges, and things I wish I'd known earlier. My goal isn't to convince everyone to quit their W-2 tomorrow. It's to show people what's possible when they start building something of their own. If you're interested in entrepreneurship, side gigs, building additional income streams, or eventually leaving your W-2, I'd love to have you join. 👇 **Subscribe here:** larrywelnowski.com Are you gonna find out? #WereGonnaFindOut #Entrepreneurship #SideHustle #SmallBusiness #LinkedIn

You want to leave your W2? How cool would it be to work on the beach everyday? Spoke to the beach chair rental guy on the beach. He charges $50/day for 2 chairs and an umbrella. 9am - 4pm rental He owns 5500 chairs up and down the beach. The business grosses over $5M in 4 months. Think about that. Chairs and Umbrellas paid for. Insurance and permits. Pay some employees to set up and take down the chairs. Storage cost for the offseason. Bank account building everyday with minimal overhead. Opportunity is everywhere…… go do I’m actively looking to buy a smaller version of a company just like this. #weregonnafindout

I’ve been W-2 free for nearly 25 years. If you’ve been following me, you’ve probably noticed that I’ve been regularly posting side gig ideas that have the potential to eventually replace your W-2 income. And I’m going to keep doing it EVERY SINGLE DAY. Not get-rich-quick schemes. Not overnight millionaire promises. Real business ideas you can start while still collecting your W-2 paycheck, with the potential to grow into something much bigger. Why should you follow me? Because I’ve spent nearly 25 years building businesses and generating income without relying on an employer. Today, I have 3 completely different income streams: 1. Plastic Resin Distribution & Brokering I’ve spent 30 years in the plastics industry, building supplier relationships, finding customers, negotiating deals, and buying and selling plastic resins. 2. A Disney Media Business Built Around Facebook Groups What started as a Facebook group to help families navigate food allergies at Disney has grown into a media business reaching over 190,000 people through Facebook groups, newsletters, and social media. We generate income through sponsorships and advertising. 3. A Consumer Liquidation & Reselling Business We purchase discounted and liquidated merchandise and resell it for a profit. Three businesses. Three completely different industries. Three sources of income. And here’s what I’ve learned: You don’t need to quit your W-2 to start building your freedom. In fact, I encourage you NOT to quit until you’ve built something that can support you. Start small. Make your first $100. Then $1,000. Then figure out how to turn that into $5,000 a month. Will every idea work? Absolutely not. Have I made mistakes along the way? More than I can count. But I’ve learned that the biggest mistake is never trying. I’m not here to sell you a course or convince you that I have all the answers. I’m here to share real business opportunities, lessons from nearly 25 years of self-employment, and ideas that might inspire someone to take that first step. I started a free newsletter that I will be launching this week to share everything I’ve learning plus what side gigs have huge potential. If you are interested subscribe here 👇 larrywelnowski.com

And you think my parking lot striping side gig is difficult?

I’ve paid my mortgage through a side gig for the past 10 years. That’s why I’m showing you what’s possible. One side gig idea every day. Side Gig 👉 Leave your W2 idea of the day: START A MISSED-CALL TEXT-BACK BUSINESS! 📱 Here's a side gig you could start from your laptop while still working your W2. This is desperately needed by so many service businesses. So many don't even call you back. Call Plumbers. Electricians. Landscapers. Auto repair shops. Contractors. They're busy working, and they can't always answer the phone. But that missed call could be a potential customer. What if you helped those businesses respond automatically? 1. LEARN THE TECHNOLOGY There are existing software platforms that can automatically send a text when a business misses an incoming call. Something simple: "Sorry we missed your call! This is ABC Plumbing. How can we help you?" You don't need to develop software. Learn how to configure an existing platform, connect it to a business phone system and manage customer replies. 2. FIND CUSTOMERS I'd start by approaching 20 local service businesses. Ask the owner: "What happens when someone calls your business and nobody answers?" Show them a working demonstration. Explain how an automatic response could help them reconnect with potential customers. 3. MAKE MONEY Charge an initial setup fee. Then charge a monthly fee for managing the service. You could also offer appointment reminders and basic scheduling integrations. Your pricing needs to cover software subscriptions, support and your time. Make sure the system follows applicable texting, privacy and consent requirements. 4. SCALE IT Start with a handful of local businesses. Do the setup work during evenings and weekends. As you gain customers, standardize your process. Hire someone to handle installations and customer support. Eventually, you could serve businesses nationwide. You're not selling a complicated product. You're helping business owners solve a problem they already have. And unlike a side gig where you're constantly looking for the next job, this business has the potential to generate recurring monthly revenue. I've been self-employed for nearly 25 years. One thing I've learned? You don't always need a revolutionary idea. Sometimes you just need to make someone else's business run better. Could a missed-call text-back service eventually replace someone's W2 income? We're Gonna Find Out 📩 Want more side gig ideas just like this? Subscribe to my FREE newsletter for business ideas, practical tips and strategies to eventually leave your W2. 👉 larrywelnowski.com #WereGonnaFindOut #SideGig #Entrepreneurship #SmallBusiness

Soap and a power washer will pay your mortgage payment. Get to work on that side gig! #weregonnafindout