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Working from home provides some great benefits such as the obvious - working from home, in your pajamas if you want, from your comfy sofa or bed and not having to commute. However, you need to have enough work to keep you afloat, and this can be tricky to get if you’re not out and about. However, thanks to technology, there are more ways than ever to work for yourself and to work from home - or from a cafe, the library, the park, wherever you want.
Become A Virtual PA
This job is becoming increasingly popular, and agencies which you can join and get work from are also popping up all over the place. The beauty of it is that you can have clients from all over the world, you don’t have to meet them or go anywhere, as long as you have a good internet connection then you’re away. Also, there is far more work available now than just traditional PA work, so whatever industry you’re in, it’s worth having a look at some of the agencies to see what kinds of tasks are available. A lot of people are looking for data entry, admin, and travel bookings, but others are looking for you to research restaurants in a particular town for them or manage their social media, write their blogs or help them with their CV. There is a wide variety of work available and if you feel that you’re not equipped to do it from home, then have a look online because you’ll be surprised how many free tools there are available which can help you with more significant projects, for example, look at this free project plan template. There’s free software too, so don’t worry that you, on your own, working from home isn’t enough, because it is. This kind of work benefits clients; it keeps their overheads down and means they get the job done there and then. You’ll be interviewed and vetted by the agency before they put you on their books and then tasks come through, and you can choose whether you want to go for them or not. Most of the time as well, if you impress a client, then they will come back to you again for repeat business, and you could end up with regular work to keep you going.
Blog
It may take up extra time, but when you’re working from home, then is anyone seeing what you’re doing? You need to show the world the fabulous work you can do and are doing so that you can get more and more business. Whatever it is that you do, get some testimonials from clients, blog about tips and tricks related to what you do to show that you an expert in your industry. Having a blog allows you a space to have a portfolio of work which you can direct people to when you’re telling them about what you do. It’s somewhere to show off or showcase your skills and talent. Don’t keep them hidden at home, put them out online for the world to see. Have social media accounts too, and talk about what you’re doing each day. People love to be nosey and to have an insight into what someone else does all day thrills people, especially people who have never thought about breaking the mold. People who believe that going to work in an office from 9-5 every day is the only option, so showing them an alternative means you could be inspiring people by giving them a sneaky peek into your life but at the same time, getting more business.
Network
Did you know that you could still sit at home (in your pajamas) and network? There’s the obvious way of doing it on LinkedIn, connecting with people, liking their posts, commenting and sharing and sending people messages. However, there are more ways to network and schmooze online too. Start by joining an online community; there are loads, so have a look and see which ones are right for you and get chatting. There will be people who are in the same industry as you or doing a similar job, there will be forums you can participate in, and quite often there are podcasts and training too. They can be handy for expanding your knowledge as well as your network. Be smart about what you post in conversations, try your best to add value to the conversation, recommend services, and show your knowledge and expertise so that people will recommend you too. Finally, take your online connections and suggest you meet offline. For this, you will have to get out of your pajamas, but it will be worth it to put a face to a name and have some face to face contact and see where the relationship can go.
Online Surveys
While this probably won’t bring you more business, it will bring you more money. Just a small amount, but online surveys are quick and easy, and while you’re waiting for the kettle to boil or having a quick sandwich, you could be earning a few extra pennies which all add up, and at the end of the month, you will have some extra spending money in your pocket.
Online Selling
Similarly, this won’t bring you more business, but it’s easy to do at home. It’s essentially killing two birds with one stone because you can be working while people are bidding on or just looking at your items and then as soon as someone commits to buying you can pop it in the post. You can take photos of the product at home, if anyone has any questions, you can answer them there and then, saving yourself time meaning you can sell even more stuff that you don’t want. It’s a great way to declutter too - so more like three birds with one stone.
Set Up A Side Business
Whatever job you do working from home, you could also do another one. Even if you think you don’t have time, there are some ideas for a side hustle that don’t require any extra time. Do you have a spare room? Rent it out. This doesn’t require any extra time, but it does give you a bit of extra income each month. How about getting paid to walk people’s dogs? Everyone needs a break during the day, so going for a walk at lunchtime with a furry friend and getting paid for it is a no brainer. If you have neighbors who are at work all day, offer your services. It will save them a tonne of money on doggy daycare and mean that: one, you look like a good neighbor; two, you get to go for a nice walk which is good for your mind and body; three, if you like dogs then you get to spend some time with one; and four, you get extra money in your pocket for doing something you enjoy. If dogs aren’t your thing, you could offer your ironing and laundry services? If you’re going to be doing yours for your family anyway then what’s a few extras thrown in which you get paid for? You can do it in front of the TV at the end of the day (still in your pajamas if you want). Some people find ironing really therapeutic, whereas others absolutely hate it and will happily pay someone else to do it for them. You could be that someone.
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