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Work from home ideas

work from home ideas

You have already probably replied to one or two of the more common work from home advertisements: selling water filters, answering telephones, stuffing envelopes etc.

And surprise, you've found that it doesn't work for you. Thank goodness you came here, because we won't charge you anything for ideas. We have a few here, and we will be expanding this section soon so that you have a continual stream of work from home ideas and suggestions. Surely one will make you a millionaire!

I have to say there is a caveat. No-one owes you a living. You are going to have to do some work. However, there is no need to work for anyone else.

 

Here are a few suggestions that will get your brain cells pulsating, but you need to act on the idea to make it happen. Who knows... you could get rich (and happy!).

1. Set up a web site, and turn it into a web business. What? You don't know anything about setting up a web site? So what! You don't need to. There are plenty of web hosting solutions out there that include a free web building package as part of the hosting deal. If you know a web designer, sweet-talk him/her into building a site for you. If you don't talk, to one anyway and suggest cutting them into a share of the profits in return for handling all the technical requirements. How about buying a website that is already running? Tip: Just make sure that the content is something that you understand and, better still, you have some knowledge and enthusiasm about.

2. Write articles for others. There is a growing demand for people that can write articles on a host of diverse topics. People will even pay you for compiling lists and directories. You can get paid for posting onto web logs (blogs). I came across a great site the other day that is looking for writers now! It is payperpost.com. Why not check it out? If you're a qualified journalist with commercial writing experience, London-based online news agency Newsvend will pay you a premium rate for articles that you can write from home. 

3. Are you a collector? Are you interested in stamps, antiques, posters, comics, dolls? Buy and sell online. Apparently there are tens of thousands of people in the UK alone who make their entire living working from home just buying and selling on eBay alone. 

4. Instead of buying and selling online, make stuff yourself and sell it online. A friend of mine took some embroidery lessons. Next thing you know she was selling velvet cushions on eBay making as much for 20 hours work a week as she was as a bank manager working 40+ hours a week. Now she even employs someone to help her meet demand. 

dog home  office - work from home

5. Have a hobby? Convert that hobby into a money-making venture! It doesn't even have to be internet-based.

  • Are you into animals? Set up a dog-walking business, or do they call that pet-minding? Pet-grooming then?
  • Make plates and pots - or charge to teach other people your craft
  • Knit a lot? Charge to knit for others. Do alterations
  • Like baking? Buy a £9 book about themed birthday cake ideas and put your pinny on! This is truly viral. Once mums see your incredible creations at a birthday party, they'll all be asking where the cake came from. Word gets around fast.
  • Handy with a video camera? Buy a video editing package (iMovie is free if you have a Mac) and set up a video editing service. How many people do you know with hundreds of hours of unedited family footage? Charge them £x per hour for viewing and £y for editing time. You can even charge for burning the DVDs.
  • Love kids? Do some child care or child tutoring.
  • Love reading? Plenty of proofreading work out there.
  • Speak a foreign language? Translation pays well.
  • Are you a computer 'tecky'? Then you'll know how easy it is now  to remotely administer other PCs. Providing remote PC support is a rapidly growing business, and one that can be done entirely from your own home office.

6. Put people together. My Dad is a very clever bloke. He made a small fortune putting local foreign language tutors in touch with students. They either used the student's or tutor's own home, so he didn't even need to provide premises. Tutors supplied their own teaching materials. He charged students X, paid tutors Y and made profit Z on every single hour of tuition. 

7. Explore a local opportunity. Check out your area for some service that isn't being offered. Remember, if there is no competition for supply, then you can generally charge a higher price. Ideas include cleaning homes and offices, house-minding, leaflet distribution, cleaning windows.

8. Become a virtual assistant. Virtual assistants are self-employed contractors who remotely (usually working from home) support clients with administrative, technical and creative services. If this is a path you want to follow, be sure to join the non-profit ivaa.org (International Virtual Assistants Association), who provide  a great networking service and can also bring you new business leads.

More work from home ideas coming soon!

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