Working from home is pretty popular and the reasons for it seem infinite. The financial crisis has forced people to seek alternative ways to make a living…people don’t enjoy working with others …they don’t like having a manager…think they can make more money…they could do with a change…these are just a few. Perhaps you have a particular hobby you think you can make a living from? Or, maybe you’d like to try working from home but don’t have a business idea? Worry not, for here are a few options to consider:
Freelance writing
If you have a way with words more than the gift of the gab, you might want to set up as a freelance writer. Companies need wordsmiths to craft content for their marketing materials, publications require articles (offline and online) and local businesses or NGOs need press releases (and maybe website content for their websites). You can diversify by proofreading materials and/or, if you’re good with languages, providing translation services as well.
Web design
Marketing in cyberspace has become just as important (maybe even more so) than offline marketing efforts such as direct mail and networking. Businesses want to project a positive online brand image and would rather hire a professional than let someone who looks as if they get dressed in the dark loose on their website. If you have computing skills and know what works well visually, there’s a market for you, but it’s a competitive one.
Baking
If you enjoy cooking, you can set up a lovable kind of business – and also indulge in a little creativity – baking biscuits and cakes. As well as making money by keeping your costs low while selling at a profit, you get to build up a rapport with the local community. This is a glorious opportunity to benefit from some free (and effortless) marketing: customers love brands and businesses they feel close to and, if your cupcakes and other baked goodies delight their palates, they’re likely to tell their friends.
Jewellery making
Kitsch as it may seem, this is another fun business to start up at home, allowing you to make some extra money from your deft handiwork. Lots of people love handmade jewellery because it allows them to develop their own individual style and feel unique in some way. You can also produce tailor-made jewellery, something which high-street jewellers do not always have the freedom to do.
Needlework
In these hectic times, clothes endure all kinds of wear and tear in the rush to work, the school run or just a night on the town. There are people who don’t have time to mend or embroider their clothes, don’t have the machinery or who just don’t have the knowhow. That’s where your nimble fingers can jump in with some sewing, knitting and embroidering services.
These are just a few of the freelance jobs that you can do from home. If you’re prepared to step out beyond your front door, you can try other methods such as market research, dog walking and child minding. If, on the other hand, you want to stay at home, these jobs can see you make a respectable living – with a decent business plan and a unique selling point. There are generally a variety of companies looking for people prepared to work on a freelance basis if you don’t fancy being your own boss as well. The best bit: no one else will turn the radio down while it plays in the background.
Images by ishane, Tracy Hunter and various brennemans, used under Creative Commons licence.