Choosing A Work From Home Option – a guest post

How To Choose A Work From Home Option

That Suits You, Your Family And Your Bank Manager

There’s no point stuffing envelopes and letterboxes all day, every day if it won’t make ends meet and there’s no point taking a part-time job where most of your income ends up at the local child care centre – finding the right work from home arrangement is easier than you think – if you think a little outside the square!

Ask yourself, am I a sales person?

If the answer is no, if you are not great at balancing your check book, if you’re not great at selling ideas and cultivating relationships, if you know nothing about marketing – don’t run a sales business. Lots of stay at home moms and other home workers assume that selling something is the only option they have. Selling products is tricky work and there are literally billions of dollars pumped into the industry every year, if you don’t know much about it, it might take a very long time to start making money. It will be much easier to go with your strengths.

What skills do you have?

In your life BC (before children) what did you do? Did you enjoy it? Were you good at it? Is there a stay at home mom version? If you have the right experience, there’s probably someone out there who wants the job done without actually hiring more employees. For example, many of the freelance sites post ads for virtual P.A.s and typists, Google “freelance typist” to see just how many! How about “family daycare?” Call your local council to find out what is needed to set yourself up as a day care provider for a few children in your own home. Marketing, advertising, web design and IT staff can provide those services to local businesses and via freelance recruitment sites such as Elance, with minimal set up costs. You will be surprised how many careers can be done from home!

No skills, no college education, no problem!

First, don’t be suckered in by get rich quick schemes – if it’s advertised on a piece of card or in a phone box or by photocopied flyer, there’s probably not a rich person behind it. It doesn’t matter why you missed opportunities or why you have been unable to work, it’s now time to find out what you want to do and take steps towards it. For quick money, there is always plenty of work for contract cleaners, leaflet droppers, telemarketers and appointment setters. Once you have some income coming in, it’s time to think about what you really want. What are you good at? Are you organized? Are you charismatic? Are you determined and driven? Once you decide what your skills are, you can start looking for a new career to suit them. Don’t aim to start at the top, for example, if you dream of being a tour manager for rock stars, try seeking part time work taking tickets at the door at your local band venue – everybody has to start somewhere and the more industry people you meet, the better your chances of realizing your dreams.

How’s your English?

If you fancy yourself a bit of a wordsmith, consider writing on a freelance basis. With so many businesses trying to get to the front page of Google, there’s a huge demand for well written, insightful articles. If you can write, like doing research and can handle deadlines, you can start earning in an exciting career immediately!

 

Qualify quickly in a fulfilling career

Depending on your interests, there are dozens of careers out there that can be pursued on your schedule that are quick, cheap and relatively easy to qualify for. Depending on your skills base, consider becoming an ESL Teacher, Marriage Celebrant (Commissioner), Mortgage Agent or Broker, Auctioneer, Aged Care Worker, Beauty Therapist, Tutor, Graphic Designer, SEO Marketing Guru, Avon or Tupperware Hostess, Typist, Seamstress, Nail Technician, Website Developer, Masseuse… the list is endless.

 

Don’t get suckered in to low pay, undesirable jobs just because you want to spend quality time with your young children. There are endless options out there for moms and other home workers – all you have to do is think outside the “poorly paid” square.

 

About the Author: Susan Long is a busy work at home mom who plans to never go back to working for someone else! See her next project at Rent To Buy

 

The ideas presented in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions and beliefs of Just Our Thoughts.