Are you looking at all the ways to make money from home and getting confused? Or, are you looking for a job or a business but don't know which is best for you?
At last, here's an overview of the different ways to earn income from home, the different types of income that are possible, and a plan to put it all together so you make money today and more in the future!
Let's get started with…
Ways to create income from home
There are lots of ways to make money from home. This list is an overview of the options; once you select a particular option you can come up with many specifics for any one of them as far as the specific product, the company you work with, and other specifics.
Take a job with someone else
This is what most people think of when they talk about making money from home. It is tough to find a home-based position, since the demand exceeds the supply. Your best bet would be to negotiate a position with a former employer or someone else who knows you. If that's not an option, read our article on "Finding a Telecommuting Job".
Sell your services
Instead of taking a position with an employer, you can sell your services to multiple employers as a consultant. The potential downside here is the amount of marketing required to keep a steady stream of income coming in - although if you can align yourself with ongoing company needs, such as accounting, administration or legal work that may reduce it. The good news is that an independent consultant can charge a lot more than an employee, which means you may be able to work less and generate the same income.
Resell products
You could purchase products which you then sell to others for more - either because you bought a large quantity and they want a smaller one, because you improved or repackaged the product in some way, or simply because you found an excellent deal and are saving them time!
You could sell items for others on consignment. This can be an excellent one for mothers at home with children, because you can sell the items on eBay or other auction web sites and can get started with only a camera. For an example of a consignment service, see http://www.income-building-blocks.com/ebaycs.html
You can join a party sales or network marketing program and market those products. The advantage is that you won't need to locate suppliers, develop marketing materials, and probably can even utilize a company web site for your online sales. Look for an excellent training program and tools when selecting a program.
You can start up an affiliate web site, where you link visitors to vendors offering products of interest to them. For more information on what it takes to develop an affiliate web site, see our article on More Money from Affiliate Programs at http://www.income-building-blocks.com/affiliat.html, or sign up for the free Affiliate Masters email course by sending a blank email to mailto:tamsibb@sitesell.com
You could take a position as an outside sales rep for a corporation or manufacturer. This could be done from home if you find a product which is appropriate for telephone sales.
Create and sell items
Why not create your own items and sell them? This allows you to make money from a hobby, which is a great way to work! Start with something you enjoy doing, and look for ways to leverage it into something you can sell. Here are a few examples:
oRefinish furniture or repair items
oCreate handmade items or crafts kits
oWrite and market a book or e-book
Investments
It is possible to make money from investments, in particular, from real estate. The most common way to do this would be to purchase a property in need of work for a low price, fix it up, and then either rent it or sell it. Making money from real estate or other investments takes more knowledge up front than many other areas; please make sure you do your homework before putting your money on the line. However there are many wealthy people in the world who became that way through investments, and most of their income is passive, meaning the checks come in whether they show up to work or not!
Types of income:
There are different types of income you can earn from your positions. If you want to have more time with your family in the future, focus on passive income streams. However, these often have a longer ramp-up time, so if you need money now you will also need some other income types to pay the bills in the meantime. Here are the types of income:
Hourly: you are paid for time spent working. To increase your income, you must increase your skills, find a new position, or work longer hours. If you stop working, income stops.
Production-based: you are paid by lines typed, or another measureable and specific task. To increase your income, you must increase your speed at completing the task or work longer hours. You might also be able to subcontract some work out to others at lower rates, but then you must often pay your subcontractors before you are paid so you need some money set aside for that. If you stop working, income stops.
Project-based: you are paid for completion of a specific task. To increase your income, you must increase your price for a specific type of work, or increase your efficiency (perhaps by developing templates). If you stop working, income stops.
Passive: you are paid for setting up the stream of income. You often make very little initially, but the checks keep coming in whether you work or not. The most likely streams which would yield passive income are real estate and network marketing.
Putting together your plan
When developing your sources of income, consider:
Including multiple sources of income. This gives you fall-back positions. If one source goes away - say, you are laid off - you still have other income streams to keep you solvent.
Including both active and passive sources of income. Passive streams often take a long time to build up, but once they do you can stop your active sources and spend your time with your family! So find a few hours a week to build your future, and spend your remaining working hours paying your current expenses.
Here is a program which covers those objectives:
Locate a home-based position or some project based work - for short term income
Create an item to sell - book or craft - for short term income. This will also benefit you in the longer term; once you've developed a book or located a supply source, you can continue to market it without much additional effort.
Join a network marketing program - to begin developing a passive income stream. You will need to commit at least 5 hours a week to it to be successful. Your income will increase over time, and you can quit your job once it brings in enough income to cover your expenses.
Begin an investment program - for even longer term benefit. Read "Nothing Down" real estate books, begin regular investments in a mutual fund, and set a goal to read one book a month in this area.
And now the final key - get started! If you don't implement your plan, you won't ever achieve the results you want. So write down your goals for the next 30 days to implement your plan and get going!
Resource List
Here is a list of resources (most free) to fill in the details of your home business income plan:
Finding a home-based job:
How to Find a Telecommute Job article: http://www.income-building-blocks.com/Telecommute.html
Starting a consulting business:
Action Plan marketing web site: be sure and sign up for their free newsletter, it is excellent http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/aftrack.asp?afid18658
Creating items to sell:
InfoMasters course: send a blank email to mailto:timsibb@sitesell.net
Selling handmade crafts article: http://www.income-building-blocks.com/market-handmade.html
Selling your products:
Improving online marketing results article: http://www.income-building-blocks.com/online.html
Selling online without a web site article: http://www.income-building-blocks.com/noweb.html
Affiliate masters course - send a blank email to mailto:tamsibb@sitesell.net
Network marketing:
Why Residual Income web site: http://www.whyresidualincome.com/healthyandwealthy/
Investments: Recommended books from Amazon.com:
Nothing Down for the 90s by Robert Allen
The Wall Street Money Machine by Wade Cook
Investing for Dummies
General home business / success
Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
The Cash Flow Quadrant by Robert Kiyosaki
The E-Myth Revised by Michael Gerber
(c) 2002 Carol Woods
About the Author
Carol Woods is the editor of Work at Home Income, a weekly publication of Income Building Blocks. IBB offers free ideas, information and inspiration for moms who work at home - or want to! For lots of free ideas to help you find a work at home job or start a home based business, visit us at http://www.income-building-blocks.com and sign up for Work at Home Income!