Online job markets can be a life-saver for many. Years ago, my business income hit a wall, dropping 80% for nearly a year as a result of the federal "sequester." I opened an account on Elance (which has since been bought by Odesk and the combined company rebranded as Upwork). It took a bit of time, but I managed to get some great gigs, including ghostwriting a sales book for $5000.

Even better, when I shared my experience with a colleague, it turned out he needed a professional technical writer/editor. That led to my business rebounding and growing even better than before.