Freelance Writing

Freelance writing may involve everything from blogging to writing content for clients through content marketing sites like WriterAccess and oDesk. About.com is another site for experts, and because of that, it also has rigorous application and training process, but in return for a specified amount of articles and blog posts, writers are guaranteed a certain amount of pay per month; additional pay is based on page views.

Online Employment Sites

Online employment sites like Elance offer a range of employment opportunities that range from finance to mobile development, consulting, marketing, programming, designing and writing. The International Association of Employment Websites is an excellent resource for people who are job hunting because it is like a clearing house of resources.

Telecommuting Jobs

For people who need a certain amount of flexibility, telecommuting jobs offer this in abundance. These jobs may also open the door to future long-term employment, which could mean benefits and a steady paycheck.

Freelance Work

There are countless freelance opportunities for those who are willing to search for them, but it’s important to check the reputability of each site. FreelanceFree is of the top four, according to Entrepreneur Magazine, and there are a range of different opportunities.

Typing and Data Entry

Some companies need people on a temporary basis to do typing or data entry. Arise offers opportunities for people in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. Other companies also have data entry opportunities if you take the time to search for them.

Online Surveys for Cash

There are a number of sites that pay people to take surveys, and a good way to find them is by going to one of the sites that keeps track of multiple survey sites, such as Surveys for Cash. The amount that these sites pay varies, but be sure to read the fine print. For people who are willing to invest their time or test products in return for taking surveys that allow you to review the product, this can be an easy way to earn cash.

A Final Word of Caution

Unfortunately, there’s always a chance that you’ll be a victim of a scam. Be sure to check with the Better Business Bureau to find out whether sites that interest you are reputable. When it comes to working online, there are countless great sounding opportunities that are really scams. Adopting the “buyer beware” philosophy is the best way to prevent yourself from becoming the victim of a scam.

Being unemployed usually puts you in an untenable position, with persistent money worries and frustrations. Finding opportunities to work at home or online isn’t easy. However, with a little stick-to-itiveness and more than a little elbow grease, you might soon find more work than you can handle.

Danielle Rhodes is a full-time writer who dabbles in poetry in her free time. When she was uemployed, she found many creative ways to work from home, and was immensely glad for the short term health insurance she was able to procur during such a worrisome time.

One way to handle that is to add streams that don’t require a lot of work, if any at all. If you choose the right ways and you use what you’re already using, the work you must do will be very minimal and when you’re working your business full time, that’s exactly what you need. One of the best ways to handle that is to use your blog to increase your income. There are several ways to do that and each is described below.

1. Affiliate Banner and button ads. The sides and possibly the top of your blog are a great place to put banner and button ads. You can sign up for affiliate programs that offer these types of ads to their members and then link the banner or button ad to your affiliate link. Whenever someone clicks on the ad and places an order you’ll get the credit for it. One thing to remember when you’re signing up for these types of programs is to join ones that are geared to your market. You won’t make any money if you join programs that aren’t what your market needs or wants.

2. Sale advertising. If your traffic is sufficient enough, you can offer ad placement for a fee. It’s important to charge an amount that is affordable to your market and justifiable with the amount of traffic you receive each month. It’s also important to do what you can to make sure you continue to market your blog so people that pay for advertising see the results and continue to purchase from you and refer others to you as well.

3. Paid posts. There are a number of programs you can join that offer payment for posts you make. Either they tell you what to post or they give you suggestions and links to include. Some are paid by the post and others are paid by the link. Most pay through Paypal. It’s important to read all of the details and have a complete understanding before you join so you know what you’re getting into.

Adding multiple streams of income through your blog is a good way to increase the traffic to your site and add money to your pocket. Some of these suggestions are easy to do while others may require a bit of time, but all can help you increase your income when you do them correctly and regularly.

Corrie Petersen is a successful Virtual Assistant and Ghostwriter. She enjoys helping her clients grow and reach success through the services that she offers. If you need to outsource tasks in your business, click here to see how she can help you. If you’re ready to increase the traffic to your site through article marketing and blogging, click here to see how she can help you.

Working from home offers you flexible working hours that you can fit around your family life and other commitments. There is a whole range of work jobs from home available. Nearly any business can be run from the home if needs be, but some jobs are more common than others – especially if you are only after part time hours. Still, there are over forty different job titles available that cover working from home part-time. Some of the more common ones include online surveys, freelance writing, e-commerce, delivering catalogues in your local area, commission based sales such as Avon etc. The list is quite extensive. Additionally, some home based business opportunities will involve a considerable investment on your part and these usually involve some sort of franchise. But if you are looking for a work from home opportunity that involves no investment from you, there are lots of opportunities out there.

Freelance Work

Freelance work does not just include freelance writing. If you work on a freelance basis you are self-employed. This can be in the capacity of a writer, photographer or copywriter etc. When it comes to providing freelance opportunities, there are many websites to choose from and these sites are free to join. Others are scams and should be avoided. Spotting a scam is relatively easy as they tend to make unrealistic sounding claims about what you can earn and they will also usually ask you for some sort of registration fee.

However, because the best sites out there are free, some are also hard to break into. You may have to first prove your worth by submitting a sample of your work. They will then contact you themselves when they have made a decision. Alternatively, you may be able to do freelance work for newspapers and magazines. Again, this is hard to break into but once you have a substantial portfolio of work to your name it should get easier as you build up more and more contacts.

E Commerce

Ecommerce is another way of making money from home. Whether this takes the form of your own website or selling through an online auction house is entirely your decision. To start off with most people will start selling on auction sites as setting up your own site will cost money – especially if, like most, you require the services of a web designer to get you up and running. E commerce can be very profitable when done correctly. You will have to buy in and store the stock yourself before you can re-sell it online. Alternatively, dropshipping is a good way of selling items without actually keeping stock in your home. You list the item for the dropshipping company and take a cut of the profits when the item is sold on your listing or site.

Surveys

Online surveys are a good way of making a few extra pounds in your spare time. Again, there are scam sites out there so you need to remain vigilant when signing up. You will have to sign up to few different sites to make as much money as possible. This can be done in your spare moments and can easily be fitted around family life. Payment comes in the form of cash paid into a PayPal account or as a voucher to a store of your choosing.

Other Opportunities

There are lots of other work from home opportunities available but many can depend on what skills you already have. Part-time tutoring and child-minding can all be done from home. Party planning is an area which is growing in popularity and well worth considering, as is wedding planning. Whatever your skills, you should be able to find something that you can do part-time from home and turn into a success.

Article provided by WorkFromHomeJobs.tv which is an online guide for the jobs from home seekers. Daily blog with advice, tips and news on work from home jobs.

Identify Your Expertise

The first step to starting home lessons is to isolate your areas of expertise. If you’re a jack of all trades, pick the hobby or skill that you are most suited to teach. For example, you might love playing the piano and be very good at it, but if you also love to sing and have previous training or experience with a chorale, recitals or other performances, you might be able to advertise yourself better if you stick with voice lessons. Consider your market as well, and choose an area that would appeal to a large client base.

Examples

You’d be surprised at the number of people who are interested in developing new hobbies and skills. A lot of people are intimidated by new hobbies or might have trouble learning on their own. If you have a unique hobby or skill, put it to good use by teaching lessons. For example, if you know how to knit or crochet, you could host a group lesson in your home a few times a week, with step-by-step, real life tutorials for students. Lessons will familiarize your students with the techniques, which can be confusing in diagrams and even videos.

Some hobbies and skills require use of tools, which can also be intimidating to those without experience. For example, if you are trained in woodwork, you could put together a few sessions in which students make a simple frame, or cut and etch simple designs into pre-cut blocks. The lessons can be designed to simply familiarize students with woodworking tools and introduce new techniques to those with a bit of previous experience.

Boosting Your Resume

To boost your resume, try to get a certification or other license in the area you want to teach. For example, if your passion is an area of fitness, like yoga, prenatal health, children’s nutrition, or other related topic, there are several certification organizations out there that provide affordable certificates to boost your resume. Some programs can even be done from the comfort of your home, and don’t require on-campus classes. Certification will not only increase your experience and knowledge in your field; it will also boost your overall credibility and may increase your client base.

Giving lessons at things you love and are talented at is a fun and effective way to make money. To take your lessons to the next level, make business cards and flyers to post at local coffeehouses, grocery stores, churches and schools so you can spread the word.

Danielle, who blogs on behalf of Sears and other prestigious brands, uses her proficiency with woodworking tools to teach kids in her neighborhood how to build useful, customized household furnishings such as spice racks and clocks. Wooden clothes hangers are her favorite!

1. Security system

Since you’ll be working from home, consider investing in an ADT security system. The installation of such will help protect your property and can even reduce your home insurance costs. Keeping your home, apartment, or condo safe is important, especially if you’ll be working alternate hours (e.g., late in the evening) or working alone. You’ll also want to make sure the office equipment you’ve purchased is safeguarded, especially in your absence during meetings or conferences.

2. Home expenditures

Working out of your home reduces your tax liability because you will be able to subtract a percentage of your household expenses. Understand, however, that you must have a designated office space in your house to qualify. You don’t need to add an addition on your house complete with wingback chairs and all-walnut furniture, but the IRS will expect something more than a card table in your foyer. You will be able to write off the square footage of your office space, as well as a portion of your water, electricity, heating/cooling, and telephone bills.

3. Health insurance

Medical expenses, such as doctor bills and health insurance premiums, are a high expense for everyone. Freelancers, in particular, often pass on insurance coverage because they can’t afford monthly premiums. Thankfully, as a self-employed person, you can write off 100% of your medical expenses and reduce your tax liability. Be sure to keep records of payments made to your insurance provider, and request an itemized list of expenses from your doctors to make your life easier at tax time.

4. Business equipment

Every piece of equipment you purchase for your freelance business, including computers, printers, ink, paper, pens, stamps, and envelopes, are eligible write-offs. Create a folder or spreadsheet at the beginning of each tax year. Deposit receipts into the folder and enter dollar amounts into your spreadsheet. This is a simple and effortless way of keeping record of all your business expenses and maximizing your return.

5. Travel expenses

Did you travel to attend a business seminar, meet with a client, or set up shop at a trade show? It doesn’t matter how you reached your destination – bus, train, car, or airplane. Expenses associated with your travels, such as tickets, fuel, car rentals, and mileage can be deducted.

You may need to do some research with the IRS to determine which expenses are permitted – for instance, that new plasma TV might raise an eyebrow or two if you can’t prove it’s necessary for your business – but many expenses are IRS-authorized. Once you’ve done the groundwork to start your career as a freelancer, just keep an eye out for allowable expenses that can help you breathe a little easier when it’s time to review your 1099s.

Danielle has been freelancing under the security of ADT for a year and makes the occasional cross-country trip for business reasons. For once, she’s actually looking forward to tax time! Read her eatbreatheblog.com.

While the housing market has taken a tumble in recent years, it’s soon expected to begin a gradual climb upwards as the economy and unemployment rates improve. When the housing market again begins to grow, there will be a great need for various real estate professionals to help guide buyers and sellers throughout the process.

Would Real Estate Licensing be a good fit for you? Check out the guidelines below and see if you’re cut out for the job!

The Job Description

Real Estate brokers and salespeople work with consumers who buy and sell property to keep them informed and protected during each stage of the buying and selling process.

The licensing agent works between the both the buyer and seller to moderate the process and ensure that the title transfers smoothly from one owner to the next. The agent is a resource for buyers and sellers during a process that can be harrowing and mystifying.

While the laws differ for each state for the amount of education needed, the classes can be completed online, in the comfort of your own home and at your convenience. Real estate licensing also includes room for growth and the ability to easily transition into being a Real Estate Agent or broker.

How To Get Started

While you do need to complete classes to work in real estate licensing, the skills are rewarding and transferrable to other fields. You may also have to renew your license yearly, as laws and markets in real estate tend to change quickly.

To get started, you’ll need to research the laws and requirements for becoming a real estate license agent in your state. The states differ on the laws, rules, regulations, education required, type of examination, difficulty of exam, and whether or not more courses are required for renewal each year.

With research completed, you should create an action list, with registering for classes at the forefront. Be sure to set aside any money needed for start up costs and plan to have an income for the time it takes you to complete the class. Since most classes are offered online, working while taking classes is easy to do.

Once you are a licensed agent, you can transition into other Real Estate positions and continue your career growth! It all starts with you!

Danielle has several friends who are real estate brokers that say their favorite part of the job is helping owners of commercial real estate keep their property records up to date, as well as assisting in finding tenants for the unused space. Read more of her work at eatbreatheblog.com.

In talking with friends and reading this blog and others that focus on WAH job-finding, I see that many people restrict themselves to traditional forms of job searching: career websites, job posting boards, shot-in-the-dark searches in industries of interest. These are methods with results and totally worth executing. It is, however, important to break out of the mold every now and again and use the tools that define our modern society to our advantage. Searching job boards is an arduous and sometimes successful process, but have you tried first person outreach via Twitter?

The social network encompasses nearly all of us, and is used mercilessly by businesses and corporations to generate contacts, sales and revenue. As such, it provides the perfect ground for WAH job searchers to broaden their contacts, cultivate relationships, and find leads to jobs that may not have gone through some company’s HR department and been posted to a site. If you already have a Twitter account, you’re ahead of the game. If you don’t, start one and follow these guidelines that will help you build a reputable, engaging Twitter persona, avoid spammers and scammers and eventually find openings you wouldn’t have had access to with traditional job search tactics.

Be Yourself

As long as you aren’t a basket case. Ha ha ha, but seriously, the key to cultivating your Twitter feed is to be genuine. Check out this helpful list of tips for making your Twitter more accessible and versatile. They will help you build your contact base, meet new people and create more opportunities for you.

Applications

While some contend that Twitter is largely a popularity contest, there is a great deal of opportunity for networking, generating contacts and turning those contacts into work. There are a number of applications available that are specialized for finding jobs via Twitter. TwitJobSearch is among one the best for those combing for general jobs. Thanks to a recent explosion in iPhone app development, there are a number of mobile applications available as well.

Build Relationships

It’s pretty easy to determine who is important in the field you are trying to enter. Twitter does a good job of recommending relevant contacts, but if you are trying to find work as a copywriter, there are a number of copywriters you can ‘follow’ and ask for advice. You can go further and follow the companies that they work for, demonstrating your skills and eventually seeking a position working from home.

Watch For the Liar, Watch for the Cheat

Never before in the history of the world has an innovation like the Internet made widespread anonymity so easy. If I had to guess, I would say that 30% of the tens of millions of people on Twitter are fake bots, or people masquerading as someone they’re not; in order words, fake scammers. They may try to court you with job prospects or conversation but have no intention of following through. Take extra steps in verifying that the person is the real deal before engaging them in any business conversation.

Balance Personal and Business

Leveraging your Twitter account for business means that you’ll have to post a fair amount of information relevant to the work you are trying to obtain. People who visit your Twitter will no doubt be charmed by your hilarious, thoughtful personal tweets, but you must indicate that you also mean business. This could be as simple as posting salient articles about your field published in news outlets (the bigger the better: NY Times, CNN, Telegraph, etc.). Once you start making friends on Twitter, posting blogs they write will help you ingratiate yourself towards them, which is an invaluable part of the relationship building process. If you write your own blogs or publish on other blogs about business, link to that also. Turn Twitter into your running resume.

Following general rules of Twitter etiquette and parlaying that into meaningful relationships over Twitter will yield surprising results and also offer an avenue through which you can diversify your work at home job search.

Danielle (who blogs on behalf of Sears and other prestigious brands) is a full-time blogger and part-time hobbyist who fixes washers and other household appliances in her spare time.

Read her work at eatbreatheblog.com.

Freelance

The Internet takes the hassle out of finding freelance work. Whether you’re a writer, software developer, or whatnot, there are sites dedicated to helping you find steady work. Elance and oDesk both offer employers and contractors the opportunity to conduct business, making this a viable choice for at-home work.

Tutor

Parents want their children to succeed in school, but aren’t always equipped to teach them difficult material. If you are knowledgeable in a certain subject, then you could be the answer they are looking for. Post an ad on Craigslist offering your services as a tutor.As a side note, you no longer have to limit yourself to your immediate area. Tutor.com operates an online classroom that utilizes instant messaging, file sharing, and an interactive whiteboard to connect students to tutors.

Crafts

Are you crafty? Well now you can make money while doing something that you love. Etsy offers crafters the opportunity to sell their wares from the comfort of their home. Alternately, you can list your items on Craigslist or eBay.

Childcare

Thanks to the recession, many parents have to work outside of the home, and quality, affordable childcare is difficult to come by. Call around and price other childcare providers, and find a median price; don’t shortchange yourself, and be sure to factor meals, crafts, and so forth into your price.

Surveys

Once again, the Internet plays a pivotal role in your work-from-home choice. There are oodles of sites that offer paid surveys. It is important to check these sites out with the Better Business Bureau, or by Googling reviews of them, in order to avoid being scammed. Everyone has an opinion; why not get paid for sharing yours?

Customer Service

Arise, Alpine Access, Working Solutions and LiveOps are all companies that offer positions answering in-bound customer service calls from your home. These positions pay an average of $8 to $15 per hour, and may offer incentives and commissions as well. Because these positions are in high demand, be sure to be prepared for the interview, and take it as seriously as you would an in-person interview.

Telemarketing

This is another job that allows you to work from home while getting paid. If you have a pleasant voice and powers of persuasion, then this could be a good fit. As with surveys, be sure that the company you are working for is legitimate.
As you can see, there are countless opportunities to work from home. Why pay for expensive gas and wear and tear on your car, when you can stay home and work in your pajamas?

Danielle works part-time and is a graduate student. She has been utilizing some of these creative money-making methods to purchase an ADT home security system for her brother for Christmas. Read her musings on living an active lifestyle at eatbreatheblog.com.

No matter what type of business you run, when you have a family it’s hard to get everything done in a day. You have the family, the house, and your business to focus on each and every day and that makes it really hard. Even if you’re the best organizer in the world and you create a to-do list that’s really easy to follow, it will all seem impossible if you have too many things to get done.

One of the best ways to handle everything is to outsource what you can. When you eliminate certain tasks from your to-do list you’ll be able to accomplish everything you need to and at the end of the day your to-do list will be empty.

While a traditional way to outsource is to hire a Virtual Assistant to help you, here are some creative ways to outsource to your family and still feel good about everything you’re doing for them and your business.

Of course, this all depends on the age of your children or if you have any at all for that matter. For all practical purposes let’s say your children are in the tween to early teen years and that they don’t have a job outside of the home.

One of the easiest things to outsource to your children is housework. Not only is it a good idea for them to learn how to do certain things around the house, but it eliminates certain tasks from your to-do list and that will give you more time to do other things they can’t do for you.

I don’t know about you, but my children don’t mind doing things for me, but they do things without whining and complaining when there is money involved and if you think about it, you’re the same exact way, so paying them is the right thing to do. For this age group they can help with dishes, laundry, vacuuming, and dusting just to name a few; all of which take time, but are easy enough to do.

Growing a business from home is difficult enough as it is, but it’s not impossible when you involve the family. They can help with the chores around the house, leaving you time to grow your business. Not only will this give you more time to grow, but it will also give you more time to spend with your family and that’s what working at home is all about.

Corrie Petersen runs a successful Virtual Assistant business. She enjoys helping her clients reach their goals through the services she offers. If you’re ready to take your business to the next level, click here to see how she can help you make that happen.

Benefits for the Company

When your employer allows you to work from home, not only do you experience reduced stress due to not having to commute, your company gains several benefits as well. If you plan well and establish a structured schedule for the day, you can actually accomplish much more working from home than you could in the office. When you’re not being interrupted with meetings and coworkers wanting to ask questions or make small-talk, your ability to focus on your work increases significantly. When you know you have the ability to work from home, even for just one or two days of the week, you often feel more engaged and motivated, making you more likely to deliver outstanding performance. Employers who support telecommuting have more flexibility regarding their hiring practices. Rather than being forced to hire within a certain geographical area, they can find the best candidate for their position, regardless of his or her location. Finally, hiring telecommuters allows a company to expand its business without needing to lease or build more office space.

Benefits for the Country

More businesses are becoming accustomed to their employees working from home and focusing on making it easier and more efficient for them to do so. As a result, the nation will see a positive shift in environmental impact, productivity and its ability to weather previously catastrophic events. With more people telecommuting, fewer cars will be used, leading to a reduction in pollution. Though it may not have an immediate or dramatic effect, the benefit of lower pollution could lead to a range of environmental benefits cleaner air and reduced natural resource consumption. Companies that would normally stall during a prolonged winter storm or that might shut down entirely due to a hurricane or tornado could continue to run, provided their essential data and resources were hosted separately.

The ability for companies to continue operating under adverse conditions can help prevent economic disasters regionally and will contribute to nationwide economic stability.Telecommuting is gaining in popularity with businesses around the country for a variety of reasons, all of which benefit you as an employee, the business and the country. By giving employees and the company more flexibility, telecommuting reduces costs on both ends while increasing productivity and employment options. It also provides ecological benefits and can help a region recover from a natural disaster quickly by continuing the flow of money into a region. When the benefits to all parties are taken into account, it’s easy to see why telecommuting is entering into the mainstream more and more each day.

About The Author

Danielle has been on both sides of the commuting fence- both working from home and driving to work on a daily basis. In addition to saving money and putting less mileage on her car, she always enjoying working in her pajamas from the comfort of her own home more than working on-site. Read her musings on green living and active lifestyles on http://www.eatbreatheblog.com.