You want to work from home but make the same amount of money as if you worked in an office, right? benefits as well. You want a job that gives you enough freedom to work in your pyjamas and enough perks to make it worth your while. Here is what to think about.
Work From Home Jobs are in demand and often pay more
A June 2020 study by the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago found that more than one-third (37%) of jobs in the U.S. can be done from home.
The researchers say that these jobs pay more than those that can’t be done at home and make up nearly half (46%) of all U.S. wages.
So it’s easier than ever to do if you know where to look, how to stay productive, and, if you’re starting a work-from-home business, how to figure out how much money you need to make.
Working from home jobs are growing
Because many companies moved away from office environments during the coronavirus pandemic, it is getting easier to find work that you can do from home.
PwC survey of companies that are good for work-from-home employees found that most employers (83 percent) say the change to remote work has been good for their company.
With a work-from-home job, you might be able to wear (a lot) more comfortable clothes and keep little Nemo — your dog, cat, goldfish, or whatever — on your lap, but there are other things to think about. Here’s what to do first.
Ideas for jobs you can do from home
If your current employer doesn’t allow you to work from home, working in the “gig economy” could be a way to get to your next job or even start a new career.
Flexible jobs you can do from home
The freelance job market of today, as well as the growing number of full-time contract jobs, can provide extra cash, part-time income, or flexibility in full-time work. Here are some ways you can use your skills to make money at home:
- Rent out your extra room.
- As a virtual assistant, you’ll have to do things.
- Use sites like Upwork and Fiverr to find freelance work.
- Give fitness training or help with improving yourself.
- Start a service to watch children or pets.
- Start a business that takes care of gardens and yards or that cleans homes.
Sell things online.
Maybe you found a product line or product niche that you like and don’t mind packing and shipping at night and on the weekends. Or maybe you’ve found a reliable dropshipper who will get products for you and send them out.
eBay was the first place where small businesses could sell directly to consumers. But now there are a lot more options, like Amazon, Etsy, and even Facebook, as well as many platforms where you can set up your own online store.
Think about all the ways you can sell online and choose the one that works best for you.
It helps to follow your own interests, buy smart (and cheap) things, and sell them for a good profit. According to the e-commerce platform Shopify, the following items will be popular to sell online in 2022:
- Books and e-books
- There are CDs and records.
- Belt buckles.
- Accessories for false eyelashes.
- Cleaning supplies for the home.
A popular business idea is always an online boutique where you sell your favourite hand-picked clothes and accessories.
Shopify says that businesses that sell health and beauty products, subscription services, and food and drinks are some of the most profitable online stores right now.
Do some quick math to get an idea of how possible it is to sell things online:
- Find out how much your stock might cost. Find wholesale suppliers for the products you want to sell and multiply the cost of each item by the number you want to stock.
- Multiply your sale price by the number of items you’ll stock to figure out how much money you could make. Most markups are equal to twice the wholesale price.
- Think about extra costs like website hosting (if you’ll have your own website), advertising and marketing, taxes, and payment processing through PayPal or a merchant account.
Subtract the total of Nos. 1 and 3 from No. 2 (revenue) to get a rough idea of how much money you expect to make.
Become a social media influencer
Social media influencers are making it possible for many people to work from home. Most of the money is made by promoting products in some way. For instance:
- Blog posts that are paid for.
- Images or swipe-up posts on Instagram can show affiliate partnerships.
- Podcasts that have ads or plugs for sponsors.
- YouTube has a lot of shows that look like popular TV shows, like how-to videos, product reviews, fashion hauls, interviews, comedy, and more.
- On video game platforms like Twitch, viewers can donate money or partner with brands.
In the early days of online advertising, a blog with content about a specific subject could make a good amount of money just by putting Google ads on it. Over time, this strategy has become harder to use because people tend to ignore this kind of traditional advertising or use web browsers with ad blockers.
How to work from home
For those of us who set up our first work space on a side table in a bedroom or at the breakfast bar in the kitchen, we’ll need some work-from-home essentials like:
- A comfy chair and a desk that lets you sit or stand.
- A well-lit environment.
- The power to stop or lessen noise.
- A place where there are no other things going on.
- Your schedule needs to have enough structure for you to be able to go from being at home to being at work.
work-from-home jobs scams
When something is as appealing as working from home to make a living, there are bound to be scammers.
The Federal Trade Commission gives you some big clues that an opportunity you’re thinking about might be sketchy:
- To get the job, you have to pay money up front, maybe for training or materials.
- The job pays well and requires very little work.
- Your boss gives you a check, but he or she wants you to use part of it for something else.
If you see any of these warning signs, you should probably keep looking for work-from-home jobs.
