Staying home and making money is the fondest dream of millions
of people.
And why not? Most people are unhappy with their day jobs,
slaving away for a boss and not getting much in return, not
even their freedom. Many people live for the weekends and
drag themselves through the weekly 9-5 grind.
Did you know that the majority of fatal attacks happen at
9 a.m. Monday morning? Don’t believe me? Well it’s true.
It seems a lot of people would rather die than get back to
the old grind after a weekend of freedom.
Whenever someone offers an opportunity or plan for you to
take your job and shove it, yet still make enough money to
live and pay all your bills, it sounds blissfully
irresistible.
Is it really possible to land a real work-at-home job or
run a business from your own home that is more than a hobby
or source of part-time income? Can you get rich working
out of your own home? Can you really trade your cubicle
and necktie for pajamas and the comfort of your own den?
Well, home-based businesses are one of the fastest growing
kinds of enterprises in America today. Currently some 40
million Americans are doing at least some form of work out
of their homes, (telecommuting, freelancing, working as
independent contractors, or owning a business), and the
numbers are rapidly rising.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, as many as 70
million people will be working out of their homes by the
end of 2005. Government studies have indicated that as
much as 75% of all work done in this country could
eventually be moved home. The numbers are staggering.
You would actually be surprised to know that many major
companies like Office Depot, Pizza Hut, Sears, Staples,
Carnival Cruise Line, etc., hire home workers. Yes,
millions of people like myself are secretly working
from home earning enough money to pay the bills and
more.
However, the overwhelming majority of home workers are not
exactly getting rich. Only about 5% are getting rich.
Why? Well, it takes a lot of discipline, hard work,
motivation, perseverance, and your own product or service
to really start earning at least $10,000 a month like the
greedy marketers claim you can easily do.
In reality, most people are not willing to do what it takes
to make this happen. There are many people who are just
satisfied with making enough money to pay their bills and
work around their family's schedule.
Most people don't want to go through the hassle of starting
a home-based business from scratch. They would prefer to
contract with a major company like Office Depot or work at
home as an employee for a major company.
If you are like most people and would like to work from home
for a Fortune 500 company technology has made it easier to
do so. However, before you decide to work from home, you
must evaluate yourself to see if you would survive as a
home-based worker. Working from home is not for everyone.
EVALUATE YOURSELF
Following are several questions you should ask yourself
before deciding to work from home. If you can’t answer
yes to the following questions, then you are not completely
ready to work from home. The questions are:
*Am I knowledgeable about the Internet and email?
*Do I manage my time well?
*Am I easily motivated or do I need people around me to
motivate me?
*Am I disciplined?
*Can I balance family, work, and everything else at the
same time?
*Am I teachable or do I like to do my own thing?
*Am I reliable?
*Do I have a specialized skill?
*Do I have all the equipment needed to work from home?
*Does my spouse have health insurance coverage for the
family? If not, can I afford health insurance on my own?
(If you need affordable health insurance, you can
receive instant quotes from 114 different companies at
www.insureme.com. Just type in your information and they
will match you with specific companies based on your
needs.) For dental plans check out www.dentalplans.com.
*Can I actually reduce the high cost of health
insurance by joining a group health insurance plan,
reduce the level of coverage, increase my deductible, pay
annual premiums rather than monthly or quarterly, etc?
(For more information check out National Association for
the Self-Employed at www.mybizoffice.com or
www.nase.org/nase_benefits/health_benefits.asp.
*Can I contribute to a self-employed 401(k) plan?
(Visit www.investsafe.com to request a free information
kit on the self-employed 401(k) plan for the self-
employed and small business owner).
*Can I handle waking up earlier or staying up later
while the children are sleeping to meet my deadlines?
*Would I be able to make enough money to pay the bills?
If you are focused, disciplined, have a positive attitude,
highly motivated with excellent communication skills, can
answer yes to the above mentioned questions, then you are
ready to work from home as an independent contractor,
freelance or telecommuter. If not, then you can either
learn these lessons along the way or work outside the home
part time.
It is very important that before you start working from
home that you have an office set up with a good computer,
phone line (you will need a second phone line for some
assignments), and a fax machine. Some computers come with
faxing features. Most jobs are done remotely, and the
Internet is a conduit for telecommuting jobs.
About the Author
Vernette Carbon is the owner-publisher of
AmazingWorkatHomeSecrets.com, and the mother of two
children. She is also author of an amazing new e-book,
"Amazing Work at Home Secrets.” For more info about working
from home for Fortune 500 companies visit
www.amazingworkathomesecrets.com/intro_new.html or send a blank
email to mailto:carbonv@getresponse.com |
