Strategies to make money from home

[ERhoosier]

Quote:

Originally Posted by heeyy_joe A really good printer could get you ten to twenty.

[jim747]

Not exactly working from home but most auto dealers, rental agencies, etc. often need drivers to pick up or deliver cars.

If you are active and live in a neighborhood of homes with lawns, you might put out the word that you can do light yard work. This idea turned into a pretty good business for a friend who lost his job. You can be a busy as you want to be.

[photoguy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by heeyy_joe A really good printer could get you ten to twenty.

Speaking of printers, I know some photographers also hire out their printer. Many of the large format printers are designed for heavy use and are under-utilized when owned by individuals. The printers are at a sweet spot -- too expensive for most amateurs (a few $k) but inexpensive for a business.

I suppose one could do this also with 3d printers too.

[target2019]

I think home maintenance as a side business could work. Would be best to specialize in general maintenance, and stay away from the riskier areas, like water, electricity, appliances.

[Arifriekinel]

I have worked at home now for a couple of years doing various things. If you have ever been interested, making small flash games with ads, or with a sponsor is a good way to get a small amount of royalties. Same with developing small, free apps for mobile devices, with a thin ad bar at the very bottom.

Most of my money comes from transcription, which is an amazing job if you can land one, and I can link you to a few reputable companies if you'd like. The best thing about these type of jobs is it's very steady work that you take and complete on your own time. My boyfriend and I already live pretty much the same life as when his father was retired and mother was semi-retired (both in their 50's, they have now taken up jobs after buying a new home, and are working until they sell their current house and can leave the state to fully retire).

I also used to work an hourly job at home for a short period of time, but I just COULDN'T handle it, because it was the dreaded customer service. If that's something you can handle though, I can also refer you to companies that hire at home customer service agents. Most large companies are finding it cheap and efficient to hire American at home-ers. The hourly pay itself for me wasn't very good, but my pay was a bit more than doubled each time through commissions.

Finding my own clients to work for has been my most lucrative, but most time-consuming work as well. If you're wanting to feel a lifestyle that's really easy going, finding a work at home company that will just funnel you nice, laid back work, with a deadline however many days in the future, which you can choose however much or little of as you want, would be my recommended choice. But if you're looking for something more stressful, which also pays more, head out there and market yourself!

There are different sites better suited to different areas of skill. LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook are almost a must if you're going to come out as an individual in any area. Etsy is a great place to go when marketing your art, while other sites like Elance are better suited for business.


As far as finding those laid back jobs, I have found searching for work at home moms' sites works very well. They have good, verified information often.

The best grouping I've found so far of legitimate work at home jobs you don't need to pay for is at Working From Home - Getting Started Working From Home - Finding a Job When Working From Home

They provided me a lot of really good resources and info about what to expect when starting to work from home, and they also have links to different companies that hire people at home.

Anddd, I think I've put everything I can think of at the moment there. Honestly, anything can be a work at home business if you make it one. You can even be someone's personal assistant from your home desk. So long as you're never paying the people, you've got nothing to lose!

[Tyro]

Quote:

Originally Posted by photoguy Another option that I think is nice is dog/house sitting (never done this but we use one). I think we pay about $50 night and the agency takes a cut (not sure how much). But all you have to do is walk the dog/feed it/etc.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SumDay Honestly, I have thought about this, but accepting 1 or 2 dogs in my home instead of driving around.

I'd look into that carefully. Taking other dogs into your home for money (even 1 or 2 at a time) could be construed as running a kennel. That's not allowed in many places without zoning approval, which can be very difficult to get in some places; it all depends on local politics. Taking care of a dog in its own home is different.

[Tyro]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jim747 If you are active and live in a neighborhood of homes with lawns, you might put out the word that you can do light yard work.

...or general handyman service for that matter.

[Felix Mulier]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arifriekinel LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook are almost a must if you're going to come out as an individual in any area.

I heard that Mark Zuckerberg is spinning a new combo of YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook. It's called "YouTwitterFace"

[ducky911]

I get a lot of emails that tell you how to do it. I could forward them to anyone interested...

[Accidental Retiree]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SumDay Honestly, I have thought about this, but accepting 1 or 2 dogs in my home instead of driving around. People are nuts about their pets (as I am) and I really fret when we leave them. We have a neighbor teenager who does a great job, but they are only interested in this so long. Then you have to break in a new one. Anyway, this may be my retirement j*b.

Very good idea. I know of some people locally who board in their own home, and I nearly left my dogs with them, rather than have someone housesit. It turned out that with their rescues, their other boarders, and their own dogs, they had so many other dogs that I ended up not leaving mine there. I was worried that all those unkenneled dogs would be too much for 2 people to manage.

If you just take in a couple at a time, a family's dogs at a time, I bet you'd do very well.

[donothing]

I buy and sell some motorcycles, trucks, cars, boats, whatever I can find to turn a profit. Specialty items sell the best. High performance, sporty etc. Usually buy, ride it around for awhile, make it look and run as good as possible, then pass it on. Probably more of a hobby than a real make money thing but I usually make from $200 to $1100 (my best) Just bought a 2003 Honda VTX 1800 motorcycle in great shape for $2500. Should do well on it.

[sengsational]

There's a list of vetted work from home things on Clark Howard's site:

Clark Howard: Work At Home Guide | www.clarkhoward.com

I used to listen to his podcast when I used to be a slave to the commute. Clark always says you can make a little money with these deals, but not enough to support yourself.