10 Work from Home Options

In a word, your work from home options are “plentiful.” Really, there are so many ways moms (and dads) can make money from home. The biggest problem is deciding what to do. Here are 10 ideas to ponder, not only in what to do but deciding when you’re ready to take the plunge.

First, let me give you a big caveat. You will never see me using the word “easy” on this site. There are no “get rich schemes” or easy-practically-no-work-involved ideas here. Working out the home or inside the home is… well, work. And to be really successful at it is, even more, work.

But here’s the important thing to remember. It is possible. Yup, it possible to make some extra dollars from home, and if you really want to, you can make it a full-time jobs and make a real income. So where do you start?

General Ideas to Keep in Mind

1. First, decide what you want to do. That’s might seem like the hardest part, but if you give it some thought, the idea might already be there in the back of your mind. Is there a hobby that you’re already doing that can be scaled up, either by selling the items or writing about it? Are you already in a career that’s can be done from home, such as customer service or IT help desk? And then there are businesses that you can start up. Want to start up. Especially something that takes little or no capital.
2. Start small or part time. Jumping into a new endeavor with both feet, only to find out you “hate” what you’re not doing, is a big waste of time. And maybe money. Starting small allows you to work out all the kinks. And learn. Then you can go from there.

Work at Home Job Ideas

3. Writing. And there are SO many ways to make money from home writing. But as I said in Idea #1, it’s the deciding. Writing can be done for brick and mortar businesses in your community and on the Internet. Business proposals and technical writing are a big need for businesses. Grant writing for charities and community organizations is another. These types of writing also need experience, so if you don’t already have it, but want to give it a try, then you need to start now. Writing for the Internet is a little easier. Writing short articles for blogs to copywriting for retail sites. Many people have found success on their own through blogging or writing and self-publishing own books.
4. Proofreading and Editing. With so many people writing nowadays, especially self-publishing, there is a big need for editors and proofreaders. Editors, of course, need experience in order to help writers produce the best books and writing possible. Proofreading is much easier to get into and gain a reputation fast (we writers love fast and accurate proofreaders). One big need I’ve seen lately is for editors/proofreaders to clean up dictated manuscripts.
5. Graphic Designers. Another offshoot of writing with a big need is for artists who can create book covers, presentations, blog covers and more. That, of course, demands an artistic background and probably some training (unless you’re a natural Van Gogh).
6. Online Selling. eBay and Amazon are two of the best online selling platforms I know. And both can be very easy to do with just minimal start-up costs. You can easily start with eBay by getting rid of your clutter and selling it to others (I have a whole magazine collection I’m working on now and I’ll talk about later). You can scale up from there to sourcing products (from thrift and yard sales to wholesalers). Same goes for Amazon. They have a program called Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) where you let Amazon do the product shipping for you. Etsy is another good place to sell vintage and handmade items.
7. Jewelry, Crafts & Designs. Speaking of Etsy, this is the number one platform for selling your handmade designs. And, as with the other online platforms, it easy to set up with very little costs to get started.
8. Virtual Assistant. If your skills are more office based, don’t worry, there’s a big need for VAs. This type of job is a catch-all for administrative tasks that can be done from home for clients. These are tasks such as email or mail list management for bloggers, research or creating special reports. In other words, anything a busy business owner needs help with.
9. Transcription. This is an offshoot of a VA, but it might be done for local clients, as well as web-based. A transcriptionist listens to recorded audio and types it into a text format. Some jobs for doctors or lawyers are specialized and may need special training (all that jargon to learn) and experience. Other less specialized transcriptions job might be transcribing podcasts, meetings or just notes for a local business.
10. Telecommute with Your Current Day Job. Lots of jobs can fall into this category. You might already work at a job where your bosses are happy with you to work at home with just and occasional in-office meeting (lucky you). There are some companies that hire work at home employees for jobs such as customer service agents and provide the training and equipment necessary. But here the thing… you have to ask! So what are you waiting for?

There are lots of other work at home job opportunities, but these should get you started.

A Work From Home Moms Resource

One of the places I use to find would what’s happening in work from home field is Work at Home Moms. Personally, I’ve found lots of writing jobs at this site. This online magazine has lots and lots of articles, a job board and best for me, forums in a variety of jobs types where real work at home moms are talking. You’ll also find this and other Work from Home Options up in my resources tab if you’re looking for more information later.

Thanks for stopping by,