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

Parenting Tips: How to be a work at home mom

Ideas for how to be a mom and work at home. Working from home can be rewarding and challenging, and can give you more time with your family.

"I can't get any writing done because the kids are in my face!"

"I can't surf the net for my cash programs because the kids always want to play a computer game."

"How do I run these transcription projects downtown with three kids in tow?"

These are the dilemmas an increasing number of parents face who work from home. The cost of childcare is prohibitive, especially for more than one child. With more children diagnosed with disorders such as autism and ADHD, parents want to be at home with their special needs children after school.

The Internet is bursting with home based business opportunities and freelance or outsourced work. It seems like a dream: regaining some of the income lost when one parent goes to work but still being able to have a stay at home parent for the kids.

For some parents, however, it seems like a nightmare after a few weeks. Children need attention but the work at home parent needs a few hours each day to work.

Here are some tips, arranged by age group.

Infants and Toddlers

* Take advantage of their earlier bedtimes to get some busy work done in the evenings.

* If your work involves the computer, you CAN learn to type with a toddler on your lap. Keep wandering hands busy with a toy, bottle or sippy cup.

* Children age 2 and up can spend short bursts of time playing near your workspace.

* Keep a few small toys or board books in a desk drawer and use them only for times when you are working so they seem like a novelty

* Join or start a cooperative playgroup in your neighborhood with at least six children where two mothers take all of the children once or twice per week for an hour or hour and a half on a rotating schedule.

Preschoolers, age 3-5

* Clear off a corner of your workspace for your preschooler to color in coloring books or draw pictures on plain paper. Many preschoolers love the idea of "working" along with a parent at their desk.

* Keep a drawer or box near your workspace with books, paper, crayons, colored pencils, clay, or other creative materials

* Keep dry cereal, juice boxes, individual sized packages of graham cracker snacks, goldfish crackers, canned fruit cups, and other nutritious snacks handy so your children can help themselves to their morning and afternoon snack

* Add variety to the day by allowing short videos or TV breaks, and try to place your workspace near a window where you can watch your child play outside in the yard while you work.

School Age 6 and up.

* After school or on weekends have your preteen sit near your workspace and do homework while you work. If you are doing "busy work" where you can work and converse at the same time, use the time to catch up on your child's day.

* If you need a block of uninterrupted time, set up an informal coop arrangement with other neighborhood parents to host playdates or video film festival afternoons on days off from school and reclaim some of the days formerly filled with wails of "I'm bored."

* Set up a housework/special time coop arrangement with your older children. If they complete certain household chores for you, thus freeing up more time for your work, you will spend "special time" with them on a certain activity of their choice: riding bicycles or inline skating, going out for ice cream or sharing an order of french fries, seeing a movie, or anything else they choose for which you are willing to treat them.

With some ingeniuity on your part, and cooperation on your children's part, working at home can work for the whole family.

Work at home scams

Do not lose money due to a work from home scam ad. Learn what to look for.

Does the thought of working at home interest you? Have you looked at any work from home ads, while online or in a magazine or newspaper, and wondered if it could be true? Could you really get paid for that?

All work from home advertisements printed in newspapers and magazine ads seem to read the same. Though not necessarily in the same order, they all ask the same questions: Are you tired of commuting? Do you want to spend more time at home with your family? Do you want to choose the hours you want to work? Do you want a little extra income? Do you want to be your own boss?

WOW! No commuting, spend more time at home, choose the hours that I want to work, increase my savings by a few extra dollars, and be my own boss! What a deal!

OK. Let’s look at the fine print. I will be paid to stuff envelopes for an advertising agency or some other company; I just have to send a small of money to cover the cost of the material and whatnot. Wait a minute. Why should I pay them so I can start doing them a service? If I am going to be hired to do some sort of service, such as stuffing envelopes, out of my home, the company for which I will be doing the service should pay the shipping costs to send out the material with which I will be handling. I have to stuff my own envelopes without any help; they can stuff theirs. If I have to pay, no way!

What else can I do so I don’t have to commute, can be my own boss, and choose my own hours? All I have to do is buy this book that lists several work from home jobs and the contact persons of the company offering the position. It’s only $17.95 (plus shipping). Well, just be sure that this advertiser isn’t planning on ripping me off, I think I’ll ask him or her to show me the publication first . . . and maybe let me review it for 30 days before I buy it. On the second thought, I don’t think I will. If I have to pay, no way.

You cannot go by the rule of thumb that “if the company lists an address, phone number, and a name, then the company is legit” because, although the ad may list a company name and address, the company may not exist. Unless you live in the town in which the company supposedly is established, how do you know that “some number, some street, some suite” actually exists? If the ad lists a P.O. box for an address or if the address appears to be a home address, chances are the company does not exist.

If the ad lists a phone number, call the number, ask for the owner, and ask the person who comes on the line about the company, other employees, and ask for a brochure showcasing the company to be sent to you. If the company exists, the person in charge will be more than happy to send you any information and answer any questions. However, if you get a recording or a message machine, hang up; that “company” does not exist.

Let’s turn to the Internet. A search on any of the search engines will show that there are a number of “businesses” that, for a small fee, will email you a newsletter or a listing of companies searching for telecommuters. Those businesses’ websites sure make those "companies" look good! Wait a minute. If this business is truly a business or a service, the business would charge the companies to advertise in the newsletter and offer the newsletter to job seekers for free. Otherwise, the company must charge job seekers to receive the e-newsletter because:

a) the company does not charge their clients enough for their advertisement or
b) the company does not have that many job listings or
c) a and b are true.

So, if I do pay for the e-newsletter, I would essentially be paying the owners of this so-called business to find me a job. I might as well place a want ad in a newspaper or a magazine – that would probably cost less than the email newsletter.

There are also a lot of businesses that offer a free database of work from home jobs, except a user must first pay a small fee to access the database. The company will claim that the company must cover administrative costs. Wait a minute! If a company charges their clients to place an ad in their database, those charges should cover the administrative costs, shouldn’t it? Therefore, if the company needs to have their job seeking clients pay a fee, then the company (a) has a much smaller database than advertised or (b) does not charge their other clients enough to post their ads. If I do pay the fee to access the database, it would be like buying one of those books that lists work from home jobs and the person to contact. Why should I pay anyone to find me a job? That’s nonsense. Sorry companies requiring payment to view their job listings, if I have to pay, no way!

Since work from home positions – very profitable work from home positions – are available, not ALL ads are bogus. The key to finding a work from home position is being persistent. Work from home positions do exist; you just have to take the time to look for them. If you remember “If I have to pay, no way,” your chances of not getting caught in a scam and not getting ripped off increase.

If you are wondering if there are any sites that do offer free databases, there are a few out there. Be aware that not all jobs listed in these databases are legit.

If you wish to search the Internet and see if you can find legitamate work from home possibilities and conduct your searches there. Use “telecommute,” “work from home,” and “freelance” as keywords. Most reputable companies will post their openings at these sites, sites that were created to connect with job seekers. Research every company thoroughly and visit the company’s website, if it is listed.

Yahoo, Excite, Alta Vista, and Looksmart all are public search engines and allow anyone to post ads in their classifieds section. Companies (reputable ones anyway) will not post here because they may receive inquiries from people who are not really job seekers. Many work from home positions or opportunities posted in Yahoo, Excite, Looksmart, and Alta Vista are, I have found, scams.

There are volumes of valid information regarding finding work from home positions at sites created to help work from home mothers. Although those sites have been created for mothers working out of their homes, the information will help ALL job seekers. The webmasters have included message boards where you can post questions about working or finding a from home position.