Work at Home Opportunities – Are They Real?
Posted by Gail | Filed under Uncategorized
I’ve received a lot of requests from people who want to work from home but just don’t know how to go about finding that job or business opportunity. I asked Angela Wills if she’d share her expertise and she was very kind to provide this guest blog for you as a starting place. For more you can go to Angela’s website www.MarketersMojo.com. Enjoy! Here’s Angela:
Working online from home can be a convenient way to earn a little or a lot of money. There’s so much freedom to working on your own schedule. It’s pretty cool having the ability to turn any coffee shop or library into an instant office or to spend a day on a field trip if it suits you.
A quick search of the term ‘work at home’ brings up a myriad of opportunities from paid surveys to direct sales companies to advice on how to start your own business. So how do you know what to choose and what’s a scam? Here are some questions to ask yourself as you evaluate a work at home opportunity. Use them to determine if it’s legit and if it’s for you:
Could you turn your current job into a work at home opportunity? Before you go looking too far abroad, look around you and see if there’s a way to work from home through your current job or other people you know. Ask around. You never know what you’ll find out.
Is it a business or a job? There’s a big difference between an online job and an online business. Figure out what you’re looking at and what you’re looking for.
Do you have to pay? A job should never cost you money. If someone asks you to pay for a job or for materials to start a job, just say no. A business, on the other hand, usually costs money (although, with the internet it’s now cheaper than ever to start a business).
Can you find anyone else doing it? Search Google, facebook, twitter and other social sites to see what other people are saying about this opportunity.
Is it paid, commissions or make your own? A job pays you for work you do, usually hourly and sometimes per project. A direct sales business will typically pay you commissions for products sold and people recruited to your team. A business you start on your own will be paid in whatever ways you decide on.
What is the pay? If the pay scale is too cryptic to figure out, it’s probably a scam. You should get a straight answer to the question of what you’ll be paid. If you don’t, get outta there.
How much money can you make? This is a question you might need to figure out for yourself. If working a job, decide how many hours per day or week you can work. For a commission-based business opportunity, find out what the real average sales are and be realistic about what you can do. If it’s your own business, you’ll need to figure out how you’ll bring in money, what your profits will be and how long it could take until you’ll be profitable.
What do I know about this business? It’s great to get referrals of others who are happy working with the company and call them. You could look the company up on the Better Business Bureau and Ripoff-report websites too.
Can you really do this? Short-term or long-term? Whether you’re looking for a job or a business you need to take a hard look at yourself and figure out if it’s really for you. Is this something you want to do short-term or are you committed for the long haul? It takes dedication to build a business or work from home because you are the only person managing your time. However, you can absolutely do it!
Is it too good to be true? You know what they say about opportunities or offers that sound too good to be true. Need I say more?
Finding legitimate work at home opportunities and businesses to start takes effort. You need patience and some time to sort through the junk to find the great things that are out there. I’ve been working from home full-time for five years and it’s worth every bit of effort. I absolutely love what I do!
My best advice for you on how to find the right opportunity is to go with your gut. Never do something that feels wrong from the start. There are way too many legitimate work-at-home opportunities out there to take on something that creates with even an inkling of suspicion in your mind.
Angela Wills loves helping entrepreneurs make smart choices that result in greater profits from the internet. She is the owner of www.MarketersMojo.com the ‘hub’ of her business that provides marketing products, coaching programs, website design services and more. Angela has been featured in two print books about small business, been a guest tech expert on a local hour-long TV show, featured on numerous internet events and has worked with hundreds of clients and customers to market their businesses online.
Now that she has been running a full-time business from her home office since 2007, Angela is absolutely unemployable and darn proud of it!
April 19, 2012 at 7:40 am
I work from home as an insurance broker. With the internet, I can do just about everything that someone at an office can do, except see clients. I absolutely love it. I make less since I don’t have the stress of taking clients, but the cost savings more than make up for it. My only advice for people wanting to do something like this from home is that you have to be disciplined. If you have kids, you still need to have some sort of daycare. Your employer isn’t paying you to stay home and look after your kids. You need to be productive and show that it pays to have you in your home office, and not theirs.
April 19, 2012 at 7:56 am
Google is your BFF. Google any opportunity along with words like “scam” and see if anything pops up.
April 19, 2012 at 8:13 am
I second Ann’s comments – I work at home half-time for my job, and you have to make sure you’re still working as you would at the office. You can’t just take half a day to run errands and do the laundry, unless you would do that at the office. Time for appointments has to be scheduled and made up for, the same as it would at the office. The only thing different is that you are not physically beside everyone at the office, but with instant-on features like “in-office” time indicators and web cams, you might as well be. You just don’t have the commute. I love working at home and in some ways wish it was full-time, but don’t treat it like vacation time, or you’ll turn it into unemployed vacation time!
April 19, 2012 at 8:34 am
I just started a job two months ago working from home doing membership coordination and admin work from home. It’s great – although it does take a bit to get used to working from home and not doing housework, etc. when you should be working at your job! With the internet and Skype, all the work can be done over the computer. We meet occasionally, but it is nice not having to pay for a commute – or business clothes!
For those who are interested in working from home selling, Regal Greetings and Gifts is still around, and I sell for them as well. If you are interested in starting, go to http://www.regal.ca for more info.
April 19, 2012 at 8:48 am
I’ve worked at home for about a year. I love it. I’m doing the same job I’ve done for six years and was lucky enough to find a way to make it happen from home. Like the others, I had to learn to work at home, and not just be at home during work hours. I moved my desk from the office (where I was used to surfing and chatting) to a spare room where I rarely used to go. When I go into that room now, its easier to be in work mode and set aside the distractions. On the flip side, though, working from home also means that you need to be able to step away from it at the end of the day. If you’re a workaholic, having your office at home can make it even more tempting to let work interfere with your personal life.
April 19, 2012 at 8:52 am
I work from home part time as a search engine evaluator. There are several legit companies that do this, although getting hired can be challenging and will require a time commitment – there’s generally two tests you have to pass before you are hired, so you will have to spend time studying and then taking the tests, and you won’t be paid for that.
I don’t get enough hours for it to be a full time job, but it works for providing a bit extra each month to put into my RRSPs and supplement my income from my regular job.
April 19, 2012 at 9:22 am
I work at home and love what I do just like Angela.
An online business does take a lot of work, discipline, and prioritizing, but the flexibility can’t be beat.
Thanks for this post and all your great articles Angela.
Adina
April 19, 2012 at 9:22 am
I think setting up a work at home opportunity is one of the best ways for skilled workers today to create security for the future and extra income for the present!
I work from home part-time as an online content producer and consultant and that work complements my full-time job in public relations. So I’m really building on the skills I’ve developed throughout my career and this helps me AND my employer.
What ends up happening is that become more current on trends and best practices in my field BECAUSE I put so much time into it during the day for my employer and during the evening for my projects and clients.
At this stage in my life I have the time for this kind of work/business. My kids are in college so I can put those evening hours to good use for my business and still enjoy quality time with my family. Given the uncertainty of this economy and employment everywhere it just makes good sense to create your own financial options with a flexible work at home career.
April 19, 2012 at 9:25 am
I have been working at home for the last two years as a freelance writer. I write for others and myself and have a private labels store which offers content for people to use on their website and blog. I highly suggest rewriting it before publishing.
I have written for several top internet marketers and am currently working on a Kindle book. I have always enjoyed writing and it has been wonderful to turn this love into something that allows me to work from home. My kids are grown but we currently have a 16 year old dog that needs lots of care, so I am grateful that I can be here for him.
April 19, 2012 at 9:29 am
Over twenty-five years ago I worked from home for a short time. I have an engineering degree, but was home raising my kids when I realized I still had some free time (during their naps and in the evenings and on the weekends when my husband spent so much time with them). I phoned up a company that did drafting work (back when people did drafting by hand–not on a computer!) and went for an interview and landed way too much work, LOL! The first week was tough (putting in 40 hours of drafting during naps, after the kids were in bed, the whole weekend), but when I asked to cut back to 20 hours/week, that worked well. The odd time I did have an interruption so I always gave the company 10 minutes “free” when I went back to work (I figured it took that long to get back into the swing of things). I was really lucky because my boss brought the work to me every week and picked up the previous week’s work. The job only lasted 2 months (the boss who gave me the work left for another job & the work disappeared), but it paid me enough to put in central air.
April 19, 2012 at 9:38 am
My partner worked from home for two years – his employer let him work remotely when we moved out of the city. The one major downside was that he actually was way more efficient at home than he was at the office – without the distractions, structured breaks, and in-office meetings, he was able to do all his work in way less time. While this was great for the employer, our income went down dramatically because he only had to work 25 hours to accomplish what took 40 hours in-office. Granted, life expenses went down also, but we still had to do some re-configuring of expenses.
April 19, 2012 at 9:41 am
Sigh. My husband wants to start a part time work from home, selling weight loss shakes that are seemingly very popular right now. I am against it, from the moment he said “once I recruit three people I make my money back…but its not a pyramid, it’s NOT!!” Riiiight…. Its hard always being the one to put my foot down on his ‘ideas’. But, we did apply for Gail’s new show – maybe
if we are selected she could set the man straight!!!
April 19, 2012 at 9:42 am
I love seeing the variety of work at home options being discussed here.
Angela, you gave a great foundation of info for someone thinking about going for it!
I’m been working at home full time since 2006 and so appreciate the freedom it gave me to enjoy more choices. Where to live, what to do, who to do it with. Hope I never have to go back to a J O B!
April 19, 2012 at 9:59 am
I’ve been working from home for almost 5 years. It started as an act of desperation when I realized that my dream of being a stay at home mom was not going to work because we had too much debt. But I wasn’t willing to put my infant in daycare, and since my husband is disabled and home most of the time, it has worked out well for us. My son is now getting ready to enter Kindergarten and I wouldn’t change a thing, except perhaps not let him watch so much tv–that tends to be the downfall of the whole thing. I started out doing customer service for a large company that hires at-home-workers and pays just slightly above minimum wage. That worked well until my son got old enough that he stopped taking naps. By that time I had transitioned into being a virtual assistant with a company that helps real estate agents. That was a great experience too, although it was pretty low on the pay scale, after taxes it evened out to close to minimum wage as well. I learned alot though and it was well worth it! Now I have my own business doing WordPress and graphic design, I also contract through some other businesses doing the same thing, and my pay level is well above anything I could get in a regular job around here. I am free to volunteer as needed, I am free to tend to my child when he needs me and not on a bosses schedule, I am free to help my disabled husband when he needs it, etc. The downside is that I have way too many distractions and since we have moved into an inherited home that needs alot of work, I find it very hard to separate home life and work. Having a dedicated office space (something I no longer have!) that you can escape to if you need/want to is very important if you live with other people who are around during your work time.
April 19, 2012 at 10:07 am
I worked from home for about 12 years with my web design business. I moved to an actual office last August and that’s been great for me but working from home definitely has advantages.
Great post Angela!
Glennette Goodbread, Owner
Premium Web Design and Hosting
April 19, 2012 at 10:31 am
I started working from home as a temporary arrangement when my husband’s truck decided to retire itself. My office had always allowed the arrangement, but I’d never really considered it. I suggested he drive my car while he shopped around for a “new to us” replacement vehicle. I loved working from home and it meant he was under no pressure to rush his vehicle shopping. Five months passed before we finally bought something and by then there was no way I was going back to the office. I worked for a global company and my department coworkers were scattered around the globe with only my manager and I in the same city. All our team meetings were held by conference call and using meeting software to share viewing of the agenda and slides our our managers computer screen. Many of the other members of the team were home-based but since they were all in different cities it made no difference to me if they were in an office or their spare room.
All the people I know who work from home, had office jobs with companies which allowed for or even encourage home-based arrangements (cuts down on office realestate requirements).
I’ve changed companies and my new company supports us occasionally working from home but not as a full-time arrangement. I’d prefer to work from home but it’s only a 20 minute drive and when I need to I can just announce I’ll be working from home on any particular day (while waiting for a delivery or repair person, sick child). Of course the downside is you never really get to take a sick day, you’re just expected to work from home so you won’t infect everyone at the office.
April 19, 2012 at 10:52 am
I left my corporate job six months ago to work from home full time, and it’s the best thing I ever did. Every day I’m thankful that I get to choose who to work with, what I do, and when I do it. But it took a lot of planning to get there – including paying off all our debts and making sure we had enough money in the bank to cover our expenses for a good long time, just in case.
And make no mistake – working from home is still working. In fact, I work more hours now than I ever did when I had a job, and while that gets old after a while, I still think it’s a small price to pay for the freedom I have.
April 19, 2012 at 10:57 am
Great post Angela! I’ve been working from home for the past 11 years. I started off as a marketing consultant and web designer and then learned the term “virtual assistant”. I grew my business to beyond 6 figures running a multi-VA firm, own 3 associations for virtual assistants, and am founder of the VA Training Academy.
I have moved into coaching and consulting businesses in online marketing strategy and planning and wouldn’t dream of ever taking a J.O.B. again! The freedom and flexibility offered by owning your own business certainly cannot be beat.
There have been great points made though – especially about self-discipline. It can be difficult to shut out the outside world and really hunker down sometimes. I found that having a designated office in my home works well to let family and friends know that when I’m there, I’m working and am off-limits for casual conversations. Having a schedule can also be helpful.
Angela outlines some very wise thoughts about evaluating an opportunity and learning all you can before diving in through networking and online searches. This can pay off in spades, helping you to avoid scams and missteps.
April 19, 2012 at 11:57 am
I am a licenced daycare provider and have 5 kids in my home for daycare. It is hard work, but I LOVE it. My own children aged 7-8 can socialize with other children when they get home from school, and it also allows me to be home for them. Other bonuses- I choose my holidays every year. I am sometimes lucky enough (such as THIS summer) to have clients that are teachers or student mothers and don’t want daycare for the summer. SO…..I am choosing to take this summer off and get more kids in the fall!! I don’t think most “regular” jobs would allow that!!! I am fortunate that I am financially secure enough that this is an option for me at the age of 38.
I also have alot of write offs for my business, so tax time I keep more money in my pocket. And of course, I spend alot of time with the kids outside. This job fits into my life perfectly. I previously worked in an office for 10 years and certainly don’t miss things like office politics, bosses, or having to dress up in the morning and commute. There are also challenges with my job some days, but I am very fortunate. I recommend home based businesses. You just need the inner confidence and desire to make that change to get out of the “Rat Race.”
April 19, 2012 at 12:08 pm
I like this post.
Getting to the basics of evaluating if a work at home opportunity is okay. And not just okay, but okay for me.
There are some things that Angela and Gail do that I really don’t want to do. (Rest easy, no competition here. LOL)
But that doesn’t mean working at home is not right for me. I believe everyone can find their niche.
The main thing is, like Angela said, “go with your gut.” It works for me.
Take care,
Donna
April 19, 2012 at 12:57 pm
Great post today. Ten years ago I was a writer for someone else’s home-based business where I spent the large majority of my time interviewing other small business owners and the number one lesson I learned is the myth of working from home is far far different from the reality. It takes a special kind of person to have that kind of dedication and drive.
Personally, I’m too introverted for a work from home position. If I worked from home I’m pretty sure that the only other person I would talk to most days is my husband.
April 19, 2012 at 1:32 pm
Incredible information, Angela!
Yes, it’s possible to leave a j-o-b that you don’t like and work at home doing something you DO like – and earn money! I am taking the eased-in approach. I was overwhelmed with all the possibilities of internet marketing so, instead, decided to work as a ghostwriter and virtual assistant. I could understand that! AND I make a very good income doing just those two things. THEN I was also encouraged to publish a cookbook, which I did and made some money on that. I’m learning every day about how I need to promote more efficiently and more effectively to make even more money. My mentors are fabulous in that they walk me carefully through the process so I can understand what I’m doing.
So, that’s my advice. If you feel overwhelmed with all the possibilities, just take one thing that you would like to do and do that one thing. Even if you do just that, you will eventually learn more and want to stick your toe in the water… and maybe wade out. Not everyone (me for instance) feels they can dive right into a huge opportunity to make money. The learning curve is not comfortable. But, with your guidance, Angela, I know everyone can learn how to make money online!
Thanks for this informative guest post!
April 19, 2012 at 2:39 pm
I’ve recently left a job that caused huge headaches, and am thinking about starting my own business. But like other people it’s the first step that scares me the most. Unlike the others, my business doesn’t require the use of the internet (for the most part).
I’m not sure that I am ready to head back into the workforce to work for someone else anymore.
April 19, 2012 at 6:02 pm
I have worked from home for over 7 years and really like it. The big up side to this was the fact that the job I do can be done anywhere, but my employer wasn’t so flexible, so it took me nearly a year to find a job at home doing the same thing, and I have never looked back. I do not miss office politics or being passed over for a raise or more responsibility because the hiring manager didn’t like me – I actually have had more success at home being judged solely on my work and merits, and not who I knew and didn’t know. Don’t be afraid to do it; there are a ton of legitimate jobs to do home, and if you need training, get it! Good luck to all.
April 19, 2012 at 9:31 pm
I really like this post. I’ve been thinking of doing part time work from home, because I will lose 3 months of work every winter, starting next December – I’m part of the workers being cut off by the federal budget.
My plan would be to work part time from home in spring, summer and fall, and then in the winter go to full time. I have skills that I could put to good use. I’m sure I can find something and make it work. I have a few months to plan for this, not like some of colleagues who are leaving very soon!
April 20, 2012 at 12:40 am
I worked as a self employed engineer when my daughter was home, working primarily from home. My advice: get disability insurance, take breaks, learn to say no.
When you start out, you will find it difficult to turn down work. Sometimes you should. If you work at an office, a 50 hour work week may be seem reasonable, especially if you get over time or equivalent time off. If you’re asked to work on too many projects, you can get help. When you work for you’re the only one doing the work. And those kind of hours will be tough to maintain.
It may seem silly, but rarely do you spend 8 hours at an office working the entire time doing one thing – there are meetings, discussions, coffee breaks, etc. At home, you may find yourself working non stop in front of the computer. They may be billable hours, but physically, it can take a toll on you. Spend some time figuring out how you will charge your time. Include reasonable breaks. And get that disability insurance.
April 20, 2012 at 12:57 am
Any work at home opportunity that offers a get rich quick theme is a scam.
April 20, 2012 at 5:00 am
[...] Do those work-at-home opportunities sound too good to be true? Gail Vaz-Oxlade delves into the question surrounding Work At Home Opportunities – Are They Real? [...]
April 20, 2012 at 8:56 am
I work from home for a major IT corporation and I love it. A few pointers for those considering it:
-I echo the sentiment that this is still a job, treat it like an office. Fixed start and end time, lunch break etc. Do not think you can run errands during the day, stop to watch your favorite TV show, ect. This will not work.
-Have a separate area that is your work area. When you are done for the day, shut the door, turn the phone off, and do not go back in until the next work day. Having that separation is important.
-Be prepared for the lack of social interaction with co-workers. Taking away the lunch breaks, hallway talk and casual communication is an adjustment. It’s easy to feel isolated, and I’ve found it important to be more social outside of work.
-Speaking of hallway conversations, if you are not working alone (IE sales), be prepared to work twice as hard to keep on top of what is going on. You don’t realize how much these matter
Above all – if you don’t think you have the discipline to actually work – you think the TV, or doing laundry, or whatever will be too big of a draw, don’t bother. You won’t last long.
April 21, 2012 at 7:41 am
Taking Angela’s Website Design Mojo course helped open my eyes to the many internet opportunities one has at their fingertips once you learn the basics of putting together a solid Wordpress website. Though my site is still in construction, I am continuing to build on it and am slowly acquiring the confidence to know for sure I can make a living from the internet. This article points out the many additional opportunities as well which just confirms my long-time conviction that the possibilities, for men or women, to work from home and to have a chance at a saner life-style is very possible. Thanks Angela for your efforts to help other entrepreneurs.
April 21, 2012 at 12:25 pm
Must be just me…I found her website confusing and about her getting paid for alot of stuff that she offers that can be found anywhere….similar to other sites offering “make money at home”. Probably just me…but I couldn’t make much out of her site aside from alot of ads and articles/blog stuff.
April 29, 2012 at 3:35 pm
Working at home! Who wouldn’t love it. It takes alot of discipline and knowing WHY you are doing it!
I have a home based business that is helping people reach their goals. Obtaining financial, physical,environmental and personal wellness is the way to go I have a Residual income that is the absolute best.
May 2, 2012 at 1:15 am
Excellent piece! The author is spot on about there being tons of legit ways to make money from home. You just need to look at the right places. For example, responding to suspicious looking ads for online jobs is a big no-no. If it looks and sounds dubious, it most likely is.
You can explore options like medical transcription that are known to be and accepted as genuine work-at-home jobs. You can study medical transcription at Career Step – one of the top career schools – in case you require formal training in the field.
May 5, 2012 at 1:50 pm
[...] Work at Home Opportunities – Are They Real? [...]
May 25, 2012 at 5:28 am
Nice post, I really searching for such a kind of post which has stuffed with informations’ regarding your title, keep on track I will be back soon.
April 17, 2013 at 7:28 am
\adultos\”
April 21, 2013 at 7:59 am
Work at Home Opportunities – Are They Real?
Is also my question, In recently I know briefly about this and today I know detail about work home opportunity. Exactly I don’t imagine that I can earn money from home. It seems to me that as like a scam but for your article I learn and i also realize my misunderstanding. thanks again for your such types of Great article.I also learn from here
work from home
May 4, 2013 at 10:58 pm
great opportunity for anyone to work from ,see my success