Four ways to make money from home - By Leah Saylor-Abney

Four easy ways to make money working from home. Freelance writing, Internet research, Merchandising, Mystery shopping and get paid to surf.

In this ever changing and growing technological world, outsourcing employee duties is fast becoming a popular trend. Many people are now searching for work from home employment. A lot of the job searches are being conducted online via jobs boards, online newspapers and similar mediums for employment information. This article will briefly highlight four ways or jobs one can do either solely from home or working as your own boss.

Freelance Writing

A person is paid usually on a per project basis for work that has received prior approval through a proposal to the company or in a jobs database where projects are posted for the public to bid a price for completing the project. Some projects will allow you to retain all rights to your work while others will require you to sell all your rights for the price of the piece or article. If you are considering going into this line of work, please do extensive research into copyright laws and statutes.

If you’re an above average writer and are an expert in a certain area or have a passion for a specific subject, you may be a good candidate for freelance writing. One suggestion before hitting the Net for possible jobs is to gather and/or prepare your resume, samples of your writing, and a few work related references. A few refresher courses on writing and grammar would also be helpful to your career as a freelance writer. Next, do a simple search using your favorite search engine or directory, like Google, type in terms like “freelance writing” or “freelance.” You’ll get an abundance of hits, which should keep you busy researching and bidding for many months. One last note, if and when you do find a project you’d like to complete, be sure to carefully read the Contract Agreement between yourself and the company you’re going to be submitting your work before you “sign” it.

Internet Researcher

Typically, an individual or a company will need research done on a certain topic or need to locate a certain source to verify information for work they’re trying to complete. People and/or Businesses that may need an Internet Researcher’s assistance are Writers, Lawyers, Paralegals, and/or a new Entrepreneur. Although this job is a little more difficult to find, you can do a search using terms like “internet research employment” or “researcher employment.” Be sure to brush up on your WWW skills and knowledge. Make sure you understand how to use search engines and how search engines gather the information that’s returned during a search. A good solid understanding of Internet terminology is also required for success in the position of Internet Researcher. You can also do a search with “internet terminology” or “search engine glossary” to help you locate a few websites to help you learn these terms.

Another option for securing this type of work from home employment is to have your own web page or website. You could simply go by your own name or create a DBA (doing business as) name. In addition, there are a lot of free homepage services that’ll provide the web space, e-mail and design tools. Or you could have your site professionally created and hosted. Do a search plugging in the keywords “website design” or “free homepage” to get started. Have a presence on the Internet may help you find business on the Net.

Merchandising/Mystery Shopping

Most of the work in the above named industries will be done as an Independent Contractor, which means you’re not an employee of the company and you’ll have to withhold your own taxes from each check you receive. See the IRS website for further information on Estimated Taxes and Withholding. Okay, that’s the downside to being an IC but the upside is you are your own boss. You decide which assignments to accept and reject. You can decide what hours you’d like to work and what time of day. You decide the areas you will and won’t drive to complete projects.

Merchandising involves all types of businesses (retail stores, grocery stores, card shops, etc) that need merchandise installed and/or setup, restocked, inventory levels maintained, displaying merchandise and reading a planogram. Majority of the hiring companies do require you have some experience with retail or merchandising in general. Experience is recommended as you will be very independent from the company and will receive little instructions prior to the assignment. You’ll receive project specific instructions but if you don’t know how to read the planogram they’ve sent for the job you’re in deep trouble.

Mystery Shopping involves a person visiting a store, restaurant or any type of business and secretly evaluating the businesses daily operations, like customer service, food service, how the company handles customer complaints, etc. Sometimes the Mystery Shopper will visit a store, purchase an item and later return it. After which time the Shopper would complete a questionnaire evaluating the store’s performance. Other times the Shopper may eat a certain restaurant and then complete paperwork on the experience. Most Mystery Shopping companies will provide their own form that will be completed after each Shop. Majority of the companies don’t require experience to be a Mystery Shopper.

Again to locate possible employment do a search using keywords like “merchandising” or “mystery shopping.” There are numerous websites that have tons of leads for this line of work.

Get Paid to Surf

These programs usually require one of two things. One, you’ll download a small advertising banner/bar that floats around your screen while you’re connected to the Internet tracking your website visits and paying you a set amount by the hour or per clicking on an ad. Or you’ll simply visit the website the paying company is advertising. Sometimes they’ll require you to register with the advertising company but it’s usually a quick and painless process. Most of the time you’ll just browse the site for a few minutes and move on to the next site. After following the companies directions and they receive notification from the sponsor that you’ve done so, your account will be credited the amount stated prior to clicking the site, usually ranging from 25 cents and up. To locate a few of these programs you’ll need to type “get paid to surf” or “make money surfing.” These types of programs are plentiful on the Net.

There are many ways to make money on the Internet while working from your home. If you have a specialized area of expertise the potential for work is even higher. This article has simply highlighted four of the easiest and most fun ways to make money from home. Beware of scams, which foretell huge profits and little effort. A good rule of thumb is if it sounds to good to be true it usually will be. Check each potential job with the Better Business Bureau to verify its legitimacy. Ask for references of other people who have completed projects before you. In other words, ask for references from people who’ve been paid for their work. Good luck! Have fun making money from the comfort of your home.

Written by Leah Saylor-Abney - © 2002 Pagewise