How to Make Money from Home

Working from home is a dream for many people. The idea of not having to drive into an urban area on a daily commute, deal with annoying coworkers and even potentially not having to have a boss are no doubt highly desirable benefits. Yet how to turn such dreams into reality is a challenging, and sometimes daunting, task for many. This article will address common pitfalls to working from home, along with providing a few suggestions for the types of work that lend themselves well to earning a legitimate income from home.

Pitfalls

Below are some of the common pitfalls of first transitioning to working from home.

Earnings

Many work-from-home jobs simply don’t pay what you likely earn at a 9-5 ‘city’ job. Unless of course your same company just allows you to work from home. The first thing to consider when trying to make the move to working from home is how you’re going to equal or best your current earnings. It may be a combination of things, or simply one thing that pays well. In any case, finding the right opportunity is key to being happy as a work-from-home employee or contractor.

Distractions

When working from home, distractions are a constant threat. The office space at your company headquarters is intentionally designed to eliminate or minimize distractions. From IT blocking certain sites, to the layout and color of the cubicles and walls, commercial locations are specifically designed for work. Your home is not. You may have kids running around, dirty dishes in the sink, or dogs barking. In addition, any number of other distractions can crop up when you work from home. You simply can’t allow that. Dedicating a specific space from which to work is key to shutting out distractions.

Mental Blocks

Along the same lines as the previous pitfall, working from home for many comes with mental blocks. When your home is your office there is often no mental distinction between home and work. Home to the brain is for relaxing and doing home stuff, whereas the office is for work. Like with distractions, a dedicated office space is the best remedy for this problem. Be warned however that for many, even with a dedicated space, this mental block simply does not go away, and their productivity suffers. Consider trying the work from home thing part-time first before going full-time. If you have a long commute and want to work from home full-time but simply can’t get passed this block, consider asking your company – or even paying yourself – for a co-working office space (sometimes called office sharing).

Common Jobs that Are Work-From-Home Friendly

Here are some jobs that very often lend themselves to working from home.

Freelance Writing

If you’re a good writer and don’t mind sales (more on that in a minute) this may be a good fit for you. A simple Google search for how to become a freelance writer will deliver an almost unmanageable number of viable responses so to start, be good at or at least comfortable with sales. Being a freelance writer is all about selling yourself and your writing. First you have to find your niche, then you have to sell to companies that will pay you to create content in that niche. Selling is 80 percent of this job so go into it knowing that. The good news is if you can make enough sales consistently, the money is there and the lifestyle can be incredible. With few exceptions, there are no restraints on where you can work from.

Graphic Designer

More the creative type? Got some skills with Adobe Illustrator? Consider trying your hand at freelance graphic design work. Like with writing, selling is a big part of this, but if you can find the work the money is there, and the ability to work from home is almost always included.

Bookkeeper

Freelance bookkeepers are always in high demand for time-strapped small businesses and solopreneurs. If you are good at finances and keeping the books, setting up shop from your kitchen table and plugging away all day in QuickBooks or Excel can be an excellent way to generate substantial income from home.

Call-Center Agent

While this option does not have the high-end income potential of the first three, it usually does not require any sales in your effort. Many companies now outsource through virtual call centers like Arise call-center staffing. This allows you to be your own boss, make your own hours (mostly) and yes – work from home. Pay for this is typically in the range of $10-$15 an hour and Arise does require you to either register an LLC or S-Corp or join an existing Arise IBO.

These are some ideas to get you started, and thanks to evolutions in technology there are countless other ways to make money remotely as well. Good luck with your search and thanks for stopping by.