Fewer and fewer workers are making expensive and time-consuming commutes to their daily office jobs.
Instead, they’re convincing their bosses to allow them to work from home, or finding ways to make money from home on their own. Here are a few ways you can ditch the suits or heels and start making money on your own time, sweatpants and all.
Start an Ecommerce Site
You can sell used or hand-shaped surfboards, homemade knick-knacks and crafts, business consulting expertise, unique spice blends, SEO services, and so much more. People sell just about anything using an online site, and it’s much easier and more cost-efficient than starting a brick-and-mortar business. First, buy a domain name, and choose an online shopping cart and hosting services. Then beautify your site: just search your soon-to-be best friend Google for site-specific themes – Shopify themes for a Shopify shopping cart, etc. Then start uploading your products. You could have a fully operational eCommerce site within 30 minutes.
Becoming a Blogger
Believe it or not, there’s quite a bit of money to be made as a stay-at-home blogger, just ask the thousands of mommy bloggers who are making full-time salaries without ever stepping foot in an office. Find an angle and a niche – stories and photos from raising 15 kids, food and recipes, beautiful photos, hilarious rants about anything and everything – you name it. If you can write creatively, there are people out there who will follow your blog. If you can’t write, then you can make memes or take pictures, or compile GIFs, or something. Then start using Google Adwords or another ad network, or affiliate programs in your niche that will pay for exposure. Find online companies and marketing agencies who will pay you to let them talk about their products on your blog. The options are endless.
Freelance Writing
This is another job that requires decent writing skills. For those of you who are unsure what to do with that English, Communications, or Journalism degree, freelance writing might be for you. Even if you don’t have a lot of knowledge on a specific topic, you can find companies willing to pay you for your writing skills. Look on Elance, Craigslist, Guru, or Freelancer. Contact people in your LinkedIn network, make a Facebook page, or post a thing or two on Quora. You might have to write on some pretty strange topics, but you’re a natural researcher, so you can do it.
Online ESL Teacher
This is possible for every single native English speaker who uses proper English. Again, English, Journalism, and Communications majors can go far in this field. Set up a free Skype account or use Gmail’s Hangout feature, and you can teach English to anyone around the world. Some students might want grammar lessons and writing practice, but most only want speaking practice – which you don’t even have to prepare for. Get a headset and a webcam and just chat with a non-native speaker halfway around the world a few times a week. What could be easier than that?
eBay Merchandising
There are some serious eBay masters out there. They know when to bid, when to sell, where to post things, and how to build their seller’s credibility. They start by selling old furniture from their garage for 50 bucks a pop. Eventually they’re buying used bike parts on Craigslist and selling refurbished bikes on eBay at a 200% profit. This could be you.
Renting Your Space
If you’ve got extra rooms in your house, here’s an easy way to make some extra cash. Using sites like AirBnB, you can rent out rooms in your home at pretty decent prices. AirBnb caters to short-term rentals, mostly for tourists and travellers. This way you only have guests for a few nights at a time, and they never stay long enough to leave dirty dishes in the sink. Another option is to convert your extra space, such as a basement, garage, or spare room, into a “co-working” space. Invest in a couple of desks and chairs and make sure you’ve got high-speed Internet, and you can rent your space for $20 a day or more, per person. Many of those freelance writers and eCommerce workers will want to leave the house every once in a while, and a comfortable room filled with like-minded people might be just the thing.