I would be a merchant. Not trader. Merchant.
I would get a T9 with tons of cargo space, and design a route of 20-30 stops. I would buy rares here, clothes there, palladium further down, sell the rares, get resonators, sell clothes, buy fish, trade the palladium...
A mobile mini market that goes across many systems, and all the factions...make decent money to keep the business running and pay operational expenses....but I would also be gathering information on things happening in the whole galaxy: news, missions, CG. And wherever it strikes me, get a ship in the local shipyard and run the mission or whatever interest me, then taking the T9 again and continue on my route, with a promise to locals that I will be back with that "Onionhead" on my next loop the following week...