How to Work from Home


Dreams.  We all have them.  The dream of being our own boss.  The dream of making our own hours and spending more time with our family.  The dream of making enough to own a house with a fine yard, pay for our kids college or enjoy the finer things in life.

Being your own boss requires effort but, if you are willing to work smart and stick at it you can make money, set your own hours and achieve your dreams.

This blog is about being your own boss and making money online.  Why online?  Simple, it's a bit of a "Perfect Storm."   The online audience is huge, and it's the easiest to manage time-wise.  "Online" does not know if you're working at 12:00 noon or 10:30 at night when the kids are asleep.

Let's get right to it then...

Step 1.

Create a blog. Why a blog and why not a website? Easy, a blog is quick to create, requires the least amount of technical know-how and once you have created enough content, you can make money selling advertising space which is also know as affiliate marketing. You will also use your blog as a home base for your ongoing online efforts which might include a web site. Step-by-step instructions to start a blog.




Being Found

Once you decide on subject matter for your blog and are ready to write you need to incorporate keywords into your articles.  Warning!  If you skip this step you are done!  In order to make money online you have to be found.  That is your #1 challenge and goal.  There are millions and millions of blogs and websites.  You may have a million dollar idea.  Make sure you get traffic to your site.  If you do so you may well be on your way to making your millions.  I repeat, skip this step and you are done.

Good News!

SEO Book
Good news to get you started with your keyword research. Google provides free tools to help with keyword research. These tools are available in the Google Keyword ToolKit. The SEO Book is a tremendous resource or you might use the SEO Tool Searchmetrics - try for free

Making Money Online

Once you have your blog done there are a number of additional ways to make money online. It depends on your interests and skill set.

Jobs in Social Media; Facebook, Twitter and Linked In.

Social Media is very important these days and companies are hiring people to handle their social media. Here is more info and how to get started. 

Create a Niche Website

Niche websites are exactly what is implied. Highly targeted and specialized ecommerce sites selling goods or services online. It involves a high level of keyword research and closely following competitors to create a site that becomes the go-to destination for those consumers. To sell online you will need a eCommerce site. One of the best and most economical I have found is available from Big Commerce. BigCommerce makes it easy to sell online. You get a website, shopping cart, SEO, design, hosting and more. Try it for free! More ideas to get you started and how to sell products online at auction sites or e-commerce marketplaces.

Once you have your ecommerce site up you can also sell advertising space on your site and make money as an affiliate marketer advertising products or services.

Sell Your Unique Product or Service to Big Companies

Small companies can use online marketplaces such as Ariba to network with large corporations and bid on opportunities they may not otherwise be made aware of.  According to Ariba, "Over 730,000 companies around the world use the Ariba Network" so it's a tremendous opportunity to sell your products or services.

Sell on Etsy

If your skill set is more about arts and crafts than keywords and PPC you might find a great opportunity selling things you make on Etsy. The advantage of selling on a community site like Etsy is there are ready buyers looking for goods like yours. The disadvantage is you really need to differentiate yourself and make your products stand out from the crowd.

Write for Someone Else

If the idea of writing is appealing but the thought of handling the technical aspects and promotion of a blog or website are not interesting you can always write for someone else.

There are typically ongoing opportunities at Squidoo, and HowStuffWorks.com is seeking experienced, talented freelance writers to work on an as-needed, project-by-project basis. They are particularly interested in generalists with exceptional research skills and specialists who are comfortable writing outside their fields.

About.com advertises for writers constantly.  All About.com Guides are freelancers who work online and set their own schedules, giving them the flexibility to work at the time that's best for them.

Remilon.  You can work from anywhere, day or night, as long as you provide your own computer and Internet access.

Are you a Photographer or Graphics Pro?

You can sell photo's and images on iStockPhoto.  According to iStock, "iStock pays contributors a base royalty rate of 15% for each file downloaded. If you are an Exclusive contributor you can earn up to 45%."www.istockphoto.com

Home Based Jobs

This category is so huge it needs it's own page. Basically there are many companies that employ home based agents. See more about our work at home employment, virtual call center contractor or employee opportunities.

Sales Pro's Needed

If you are a seasoned sales pro or are looking to be a highly paid sales professional being an outside independent rep gives you the opportunity to be in businesses for yourself but not by yourself.  Pick products that are hot, in demand and widely used to maximize your potential and opportunities.  Here are some.  Get in on the hot daily deals industry. Be in business in an hour. No buy in / fees.

SMS Text Messaging is one of the hottest trends in social marketing and is only going to get bigger.  Here's your chance to make serious money introducing businesses to one of the best all in one social media solutions available.  Triumpia combines Text+ eMail + Voice Broadcast + Instant Messaging plus Facebook and Twitter into one easy to use platform.

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