Working From Home

Are you thinking of trying to work from home? Please, read on. I was working at home BEFORE I decided to homeschool, but I did, in fact, end up doing both simultaneously for years.

Is Working at Home a Good Idea?

Over the years, my thoughts about working and homeschooling have become very definite. My belief is that homeschooling families are more focused when one parent can be home full time without having to work at all. That said, if you have to make some money for bills, then hopefully this page will help you get some ideas about things to do from home, if working from home is your first choice.

How Can I Make Money From Home?

My medical terminology skills allowed me to do medical transcription from home. The money was good, but the schedule was demanding and I was often tired from working long hours at a time. Depression can be an issue when one works at home because of the difficulty in getting out of the house and breaking away from the never-ending cycle of things to be done at home. In my quest to find something I could be more passionate about, I looked into various "opportunities" that seemed to be all over the internet.

I learned some about marketing when I stumbled upon MLM (multi-level marketing) and found out that things don't "sell themselves." It was also during this time of studying at The School of Hard Knocks, that I learned there is a big difference between a business opportunity that involves sales and a true telecommute job where you are an employee and get paid per hour or based on production of work. Beware of any venture that sounds too good to be true. Also, you should never have to pay someone in order to get work. That's a golden rule. Paying for an education is one thing. Paying someone to let you work for them is a big red flag!

Starting a Business

If you are looking to start up a business, remember it takes work to create a cash flow. It also takes a little money to make money. Alas, it also takes a passion for what you are doing, whether you are selling products for someone else and getting a commission or developing your own products. I tapped into my love of language and creative writing when I began to build websites and write articles. Now I find myself in the midst of two cottage industries in which my homeschooled children can have a role. One is homemade felt sets. The other is mosaic crafts..

Affiliate Marketing

There are many companies that are looking for people to promote their products on-line. The people who sign up (and are accepted) to promote the products are called affiliates. When the affiliates sell product, they are rewarded for their efforts by being paid a percentage of the sale. One popular way of marketing as an affiliate is to take a subject, create a content-rich website about it, and then link to merchant sites to help them advertise their related products. The more you sell as an affiliate, the more you make. It is very much a win-win situation. The affiliate can provide useful information about a topic and sell related merchandise, all in one convenient shopping location. Shoppers are getting what they want and the affiliate is earning money for her efforts and knowledge.

If you want to try your hand at affiliate marketing without building a website, Squidoo is becoming a popular place to build a money-making site. (Squidoo calls them "lenses.")

Beware When Surfing

The internet is like a playground of job opportunities and ads. Everyone is vying for your attention--and your money. You must be careful. Even so, there is still room (and probably always will be) for an industrious person to carve out a little niche and earn a living from home using the internet. During my time working on line I have met some really nice people who are earning a living from home. We all have varied backgrounds and interests.

Ideas for Making Money at Home

• Build a website about a subject. Offer products as an affiliate. Display ads to other sites about the subject of your website.
• Offer child care in your home.
• Make something that you can sell at local craft shows or on line at places like Ebay or Etsy.
• Sell items such as clothes, shoes, used curriculum and books on Ebay/half.com.
• Medical or other types of transcription.
• Visit reputable Work-At-Home sites for a telecommute job.

Finally, you may be able to reduce your monthly cost of living and not have to do any type of job to bring in more money if your spouse is bringing in enough. In my opinion, it's the first place to start when there's not enough money to make ends meet. There is a really good website called Living on a Dime. They have books and tips for money-saving strategies.

More Of Our Work At Home Resources

Working and Homeschooling