Work from Home
If you have an email, you’ve probably received at least one mail enticing you to try work-from-home schemes that promises huge returns at little or no cost. if you think it’s too good to be true, it probably is. But that’s not to say that all work-from-home offers or schemes should be trashed, after checking them out, here are are new possibilities to earn extra income from home.
First rule of thumb, money doesn’t grow on trees and you have to give some to get some. Earning money from home requires a lot of passion and creativity, when people say they just sit back and watch the money roll in, they’re not telling you the whole truth. Do your research, see what’s good for you and what you feel you’ll stick with and be able to create time for.
Having said that, here are some ideas you might want to check out:
Surveys. If you spend at least two hours online three times a week surfing, might as well, make some money off it answering surveys. Some companies, like Vocalpoint, sends freebies and coupons in exchange for consumer’s honest opinions about the products they endorse.
Others, like Global Test Market, sends out surveys with equivalent market points that you can convert into cash. When signing up, be sure to be as relevant as you can about the information you supply because it becomes the basis of the types of surveys that you’ll get.
The more targeted the survey you get, the more you fit into the category they want and the more points will be awarded to you. This is not a full time income source but a nice thing to do on the side while checking your emails or researching things on the internet. Before you know it, there’ll be a check in the mail.
Before you rush online and answer every survey email invitation you get, make sure to research what types of surveys are involved and what the company has to offer in compensation.
Freelance Work. Whether doing administrative work, web site programmer, customer support or accounting, more and more companies are turning to the internet to hire virtual assistants who work from home part time or full-time depending on the project they have.
This type of work usually pays between $10 - $150 an hour depending on complexity of the task.
You will have to spend at least 10 to 12 hours a week and some jobs, like those that involve interaction with a client (handling phone calls or emails) require you to work at a set time. Others, such as making flyers, analyzing spreadsheets or creating web sites can often be done at night or on the weekends.
You’ll need a high capacity computer, internet connection, fax, separate phone line and depending on the work, proficiency with office software or certain programming languages.
Research the industry you’d like to work with, one good resource is the International Virtual Assistants Association (ivaa.org) and the Alliance for Virtual Business (allianceforvirtualbusiness.com).
Two web sites dealing with freelance listings are Guru.com and Elance.com. They both require membership and fees so before you commit, make sure you’re choosing the right industry to work in and that it matches your capabilities.
You can also join your local business groups to network and don’t be shy about contacting your former employers! I did when I heard of an opening in a new company my former boss put up. He agreed to a telecommuting job with me working in the same capacity I did while I was hands-on in the office.
Online Auctioneer. Selling products online at auction sites like eBay, Yahoo, MSN or Amazon auctions. You can either buy items at a discount and resell them at a higher price or sell items for other people and take a cut in the profits.
You’ll need to do research on the auction sites first, to see what the “hot” sellers are and how much you can list similar items.
You’ll also need a computer, internet connection and a good digital camera for taking photos of the items you will sell online. The pay varies widely. Some, who found their niche on eBay, can easily make $5000 a year working 10 hours a week. Some takes a long time to sell. The hours are up to you.
Before you into this whole online selling career, get a feel for the process by listing some garage-sale goods you have, or items that you’re ready to move away from.
The first time I sold items online, they were used but still in very good condition textbooks that I posted on Amazon to see if I wanted to take on this type of work.
After you’ve gotten the hang of selling or if you decide you may just have a go at it, branch out to reselling new products or used ones from friends and family for a commission. You can also find used things to sell by placing ads for them in church bulletins and on public notice boards.
Direct Sales. Harking back to the original and very innovative Tupperware and Avon ladies, other direct sales products have made it into mainstream money-making ventures.
Sell products, from cosmetics to candles on one-on-one client visits or phone calls, or at parties where you can show your wares to potential friends and clients.
The hours are flexible with this type of work but you’ll need to spend time training, filling out forms, preparing and delivering orders, plus organizing sales parties and making sales calls. You’ll also need good people skills and a whole heap of motivation to keep you going.
Avoid Getting Scammed!
Most of the time, working from home means you don’t get to meet your boss personally and this type of anonymity opens an avenue for unscrupulous “businesses” (scam artists really), tricking you into signing for work and then making you pay in the form of “membership” or “application fees” without any actual work coming your way.
To prtect yourself, please:
1. Check that the company you’re interested in actually exists. Some are phony rackets with P.O. Boxes waiting for your money. Ask where the company is headquartered and see if the phone number and address is listed in that town.
2. Be wary of jobs that ask you for money to get more information. Often, these are schemes to make you shell out some $25 to $99 and all you end up with are instructions for advertising the same scam that you just fell for.
3. With direct-sales companies, you sometimes have to pay for a start up kit but anything that costs over $500 or a few thousand pesos should raise a red flag.
4. Avoid direct-sales companies that don’t buy back products you’re unable to sell - and check that there IS a product to be sold. here’s where the pyramiding scheme comes in. Pyramid schemes lures new recruits into paying exorbitant amounts of money thinking they’ll be paid in turn when they lure yet more recruits to join. These schemes are illegal.
5. In the US, check the Better Business Bureau or state attorney general’s office for complaints against any firm you’re considering. In other countries, please check with your Department of Trade and Industry or Business Listing agencies and proper government office handling industries in which companies you’re interested in are associated.
———–
Contents in this article are for information purposes only and Kalesa ni Maria does NOT endorse any of the web site/s mentioned here. When dealing with any type of business for the first time, we strongly advise to please research these companies and check them against the Better Business Bureau or government department dealing with this type of company in your area before making a decision.
