130 Work from Home Ideas

By Michael A. Hudson

130 Work From Home Ideas If you have decided to "take the plunge", and have made the decision to become self employed, then this 270+ page compendium of work at home ideas is for you. This guide is especially made for those who may still be in the idea phase of starting their own work from home business. There are so many home business ideas in this work at home book, there is choice for practically anyone, of any background and skill set. We try to keep in mind all different types of work at home jobs for all different types of individuals searching for working from home opportunities. Perhaps you are still thinking about taking the leap into creating your own home based business, but you're not sure that your going in the right direction? Well, the collection of ideas contained within the Home Career Academy work at home books are definitely food for thought.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Healthy Lifestyles
• Release date: May 15, 2017
• ISBN: 9781630226817

Book preview

130 Work From Home Ideas

Michael A. Hudson

Copyright © 2013 Michael A. Hudson

All rights reserved.

Contents

Introduction

The Life of a Home Based Accountant

What Goes on in a Home Based Admissions Counselor’s Life

Handling a Home Based Aesthetician Business

Your Guide to Home Based Air Duct Cleaning

Aromatherapy

Astrologer and Professional Reader

Attorney Service

Auction Trader

Auto Brokering

Auto Detailing

Baking and Decorating

Beauty Service

Blogging

Bookkeeping

Putting Up Home Based Business Coaching

Putting Up a Home Based Carpet Cleaning Business

Catering Service Advertised Online

Call Center Agent Going Home Based

Putting Up a Home Based Caretaking Business

How to Set Up Your own Children’s Parties Business

How to Start a Children’s Taxi Business

How to Setup a Claims Adjusting Business

How to Setup a Home-based Child Care Service Business

How to Start Your Own Companionship Service (Household)

Computer Consulting

Computer Repair

Concierge and Errand Service

Courthouse Researcher

Customer Service and Support

Starting a Home Based Debt Collection Service

Start Your Own Desktop Publishing Business at Home

Work from Home as a Dietary Consultant

Direct Selling: One of the Most Popular Home Based Opportunities

A Disc Jockey Working from Home

Dog Training Instructor

Doula

Elder Care

Dog Walking as a Home-Based Business

Electronics Set-Up and Repair

Employee Training

Energy Conservation

Engineering

Environmental Assessment and Inspection

Estate Sale Services

Working from Home as an Event Planner

Running a Home-Based Family Child Care Business

Working from Home as a Feng Shui Practitioner

Working from Home as a Financial Planner

Starting a Home-based Gift Basket Business

Handyman

Health Aide

Handwriter

Holiday Decorating

Home Inspector

Starting Out as a Home-based Web Merchant

Starting Out as a Home-based Website Reviewer

Starting Out as a Home-based Wedding Planner

Starting Out as a Home-based Online Writer/Editor/Proofreader

Starting Out as a Home-based Yoga Instructor

Image Consulting

Indoor Plant Rental and Care Service

Interim or Contract Executive

Recruiting

Junk Removal

Lawn and Garden Care Service

Lead Generation

Legal Transcription

Life Coaching

Junk Removal

Lawn and Garden Care Service

Lead Generation

Legal Transcription

Life Coaching

Working from Home as a Locksmith Dispatcher

Home-Based Makeup Artist

Starting a Home-Based Management Consulting Business

Starting a Home-Based Meal Delivery Service

Working from Home as a Mediator

Medical Billing

Medical Social Services

Medical Transcription and Coding

Mobile Oil Changing

Notary

Mock Juror

Mortgage Closing

Mystery Shopping

Non-profit

Mobile Salon Service

Home Based Nursing Jobs

Personal Chef Employment

Career Opportunities in Home Based Occupational Therapy

Home Based Career in Office Support Services

Making Money at Home with Pay Per Task Service (Amazon Turk)

Personal Fitness Trainer

Personal Shopper

Pet Groomer

Pet Party Service

Pet Sitting

Pet Training

Photography and Video Service

Physical Therapy

Professional Investigator

Product Testing

The Real Deal with being a Professional Organizer

Real Estate Agent Basics

Repossession Service: What It’s All About

The Real Deal on Restoration Service

Earn in Resume Writing

Scientific Consulting

Scrapbooking

Screen Installation and Repair

Security Services

Sewing and Alteration

Paid Surveys

Speech Therapist

Tax Preparer

Tech Support

Technical Consulting

Patient Transportation – A Good Business You Can Do From Home

Technical Writing – A Home-based Business That Works For You

Teleradiologist - Job Well Done At Home

Tour Guide – Earn Money From Home

Translation Service – Home-Based Work

On Managing a Travel Service Business at Home

The Basics on Home-Based Tutoring

Earning from Typing and Transcription at Home

The Money behind being a Virtual Assistant

At Home Web Designer

Working from Home as an Event Planner

Running a Home-Based Family Child Care Business

Working from Home as a Feng Shui Practitioner

Working from Home as a Financial Planner

Starting a Home-based Gift Basket Business

Conclusion

Introduction

These days, many people are choosing to work from home rather than settle with a regular day job. There are many reasons someone may want to work from home. One of the main reasons is that the individual has been inspired to fire their boss, and work for themselves, with their own rules.

Or perhaps it’s too difficult to find work at the moment, or maybe there are certain requirements that require you to stay at home, looking after the children for example.

Working from home provides a long list of benefits and advantages including:

Work at home business owners can spend more time with their children and family, basically increasing quality time.

Increases your overall productivity.

Makes it easier to plan out time for events and tasks including planning out when to exercise.

Do not have to commute back and forth to work.

Can easily make your hours, have a flexible schedule allow enough time to get things done even it is during late night hours.

It's easier to schedule household and personal appointments during the day without losing work time.

Savings in your wardrobe expenses is another big benefit of working from home.  You will no longer need to get dressed up a suit and tie or formal dresses while working from home.  You can work in your pajamas if you want! 

Savings on commercial property rent. Setting up your own office in the comfort of your home. Working from home helps a person to save plenty of money on office rent.

You get to do what you want and love to do daily. If you have pets they will benefit too as they will get to enjoy extra time with you too.

Enjoy tax benefits and advantages as you will be able to make tax deductions on your home’s operating experiences as business expenses.

You will have more time to volunteer and help others who need your assistance.

You are in complete control of your income. 

No more worries about office politics, pink slips, or pay cuts as you are the boss and you’re the one handling your business.

You can use any computer platform such as Windows, Linux or OS.

Less chaotic weekends as many of your errands or tasks done during the week, allowing for more time to relax on the weekends.

You get to choose the clients you will take on and not have them assigned.

You will have less stress to deal with compared with commuting back and forth to work.  It will help you become healthier and more productive.

So jump into the world of having your own home based business and do what you want to do for a change.  It’s something that you deserve to do and the best news of it all is that you can do it.  Fight through whatever fears you’re battling with and go for it!

The Life of a Home Based Accountant

The startup cost of running a home based accounting business is low. You just need a computer with an accounting software package, a word processor, an Internet connection, and a daily planner. You may also need a fax machine. Operating expenses, however, are low because all you need are Internet and electricity costs. You can earn $15000-$25000 in being a home based accountant depending on your skills and experience. A day on the job is fairly routine. You need to keep up with deadlines set by clients, though (year-end reports, for instance). Regarding competition, it’s tough so be sure to retain your clients’ loyalty always. Your schedule is pretty much like an office schedule, though sometimes when there are pressing tasks you need to work overtime. A work week is just like an ordinary office workweek, so you have to figure out ways to make your job interesting. You can grow in the field by training more and more. You can even get some employees as your business expands! To get started in the field, though, it would be better if you have first-hand accounting experience already from a company.

If you are an accountant, you don't have to travel to an office everyday and work like an employee. You can begin your business at home, and you can use the Internet as your chief partner as you work.

There are a good-sized number of people who have an Internet business and run it well, but keeping track of finances can get really hard. Thus there are many people who hire accountants, including home based freelance accountants.

Who should be your customers when you decide to become a home based accountant? You can find small business owners nearby (those who need an accountant most) although there are also people with complex portfolios whom you can serve.

The Internet is the best means of communication for you to use. Use the Internet so when you have to say something to your client (or vice versa), you don't have to leave your home. The Internet can also be the best way for possible clients to reach you.

You may expect some hard times, however. You may not get clients immediately, especially if you are new. That is easy to overcome – just send out business cards and promote actively in the Internet. When you build up a client base, you can ask them to refer you to other clients.

Once you're set up, though, you just have to pay for the utility bills. You may also have to pay for upgrades to software packages.

Expect to earn $14,000 per year with a home based accounting business. If you're determined to work 5 hours/day, you should charge about $6/hour. Depending on your skills, you can charge higher than that. After all, you'll be working from home, and that's already a perk

To get very good health insurance, just look around and get quotes from many insurance companies out there. To plan for your retirement, save money methodically.

Because you are running a business, you might need to pay business taxes. Check with the IRS to find out how much tax you should pay. But you have many deductibles, such as costs of insurance, transportation, utilities, communications, food, education, and record-keeping.

Make sure you're licensed as an accountant, then get business licenses before beginning to operate. Get some zoning requirements too and obtain an IRS employer identification number. And don't forget to pay taxes.

Regarding outside resources that can help you - you can attend accounting seminars and also learn from more experienced accountants.

To avoid scams, don't rely on people whom you can't trust in the Internet. Don't believe words of sweet-talking people in the Net immediately.

To keep improving and growing your business, serve your clients well so that they will refer you to more clients. You should also keep a record of work that you do so that you have a portfolio to present to prospective clients.

Regarding online resources, check for online correspondence courses in universities. Through those courses you can improve your accounting skills. You can also look for websites or eBooks about general accounting.

What Goes on in a Home Based Admissions Counselor’s Life

If you want to be a home based admissions counselor, your startup costs include the costs of a computer with an Internet connection, some really good books, and training to be an admissions counselor. Your operating expenses include just utilities because you are doing your job at home. Your earnings depending on the number of clients that you have – on average it’s about $15000-$20000 per year. You need to have training in admissions counseling. On a day, you’ll deal with students and parents. You will deal with concerns like help for sending a student to college, information about financial aid, scholarship information, and so on. On a week, you expect to meet various students and parents with differing needs. Your competition is not so heavy; just make sure that you are near good schools and you establish a reputation. You’ll work weekdays though you can also work at weekends. You’ll really grow, not only in a business but also in a personal sense, because you will deal with plenty of clients. If you have a love for children and you want to begin admissions counseling, then go!

If you are a home based admissions counselor, your task is to help students go to the colleges and universities they so desire to enter. You do that by identifying the right schools and assist students in different aspects of higher education admissions.

Of course, there are many opportunities here! As long as there are students, you won't be running out of clients (who are students' parents usually). You can counsel anyone from all over the United States because you'll be doing the job through computer.

Marketing is easy here. Just show to students' parents that they can boost their children’s chances of getting into the best college or university fit for their needs. Then show them some evidence that you've done your job well with students before.

Make sure that you have Skype and instant messaging so that you can reach out to students parents in no time. Also, it pays to have a website where you'll advertise and present testimonials of good service.

When there are hard times, you just have to have something to do. Brush up on your admissions counseling skills. Increase your research skills. Familiarize yourself with the updates on miscellaneous mechanics of college admissions like testing and financial aid.

Money management in admissions counseling is easy. You just need a computer, an Internet connection, a fax machine, and some more money for your self-education.

Expect to earn $18000 year as a home based admissions counselor. At the beginning, you may charge $8/hr, but depending on additional services, you can add.

Health insurance is easy to get, since admissions counseling is a low-risk job, but you have to be methodical by checking out different insurance quotes. Regarding retirement, you can put the money you earn in a savings account.

You’ll pay taxes proportional to the amount you earn. But in a home based business, you’ll get many deductibles, like the following: transportation costs, utility costs, education costs, insurance costs, food costs, and many more. Check with some websites for advice.

Ensure that you get licensed as a counselor, then get business permits so you can begin running your business. Get an IRS number for employers, and then you're ready to go. One main Don't in admissions counseling is: Don’t guarantee results that you can't reasonably deliver.

You should always constantly be on the lookout for information regarding colleges, universities, financial aid, scholarships, and testing requirements. The Internet can help you with that. Your contacts in education can also help you.

Regarding scams, as an admissions counselor, you should know which schools are scams and which schools are legitimate. Check the website, contact people, and try to ascertain first before you recommend a school that you suspect to be a scam. Also remind students to be wary of mail-order diplomas or the like.

To keep your business growing, just keep close contacts with administration of different schools and with parents and students.

Online resources include the different websites of colleges and universities, websites for editing skills needed for editing admissions essays, websites on scholarships and financial aids, and many more.

Handling a Home Based Aesthetician Business

Being a home based aesthetician is thrilling. Your initial costs involve make-up, parlor (mirrors, chairs and all), and your education for you to be certified – a little more than $5000 on average. Your operating expenses include utilities and new equipment. You can earn as much as you can, depending on your capability. You need to be certified in being an aesthetician. You train in a school for aestheticians. You get to meet many customers every day. You don’t have deadlines pretty much but ensure that you don’t run out of equipment and make-up. A week involves knowing varieties of customers and their needs. There is competition between nearby parlors. You work when customers come – just like 9-5 although you can extend if necessary. But in a work week you’ll learn plenty of things from interaction with clients. So if you want to get started, continue on!

Do you want to begin a home based aesthetician business? The first thing you have to do is to study to become an aesthetician. Then write down a business plan, then finish all government processes and pass all the requirements to the government.

There are many opportunities that you can get. Your task is to make people beautiful – and as long as people need to look good, you'll be in business.

To obtain customers, you should advertise at the immediate locality because customers should come to your place. Make banners, distribute flyers, write ads in newspapers, etc. And make sure to satisfy customers so that they'll bring in other customers.

You can also harness the Internet's power (especially local SEO) and then begin advertising your services as well as special offers or discounts. You can show your credentials to others as well as some testimonials from delighted customers.

During hard times, take a look at your business. Do you act professionally in front of clients? Is your workplace always clean? Are there any skills that you have to master to bring you and your business to the next level?

The costs that you have to incur in being a home based aesthetician are mainly the costs of the make-up materials that you'll use, the costs of promotional materials and the costs of running a computer with an Internet connection.

As a home based aesthetician, you can charge an average of $8 per hour. Charge less for basic services and more for sophisticated services.

In getting health insurance, always look for the best deal out there by checking out many quotes. Regarding retirement – you can't manage to earn plenty of money if you are alone. Expand your business, hire some employees, and build a larger client base, and will be assured of good retirement savings.

Of course you’ll pay business taxes (check with the IRS and some websites for this). But there are many deductibles in store for you, among them costs of insurance, education, transportation, food, moving expenses, and security devices.

Check zoning laws so you are sure that your home based aesthetician business is allowed in your locality. Always make sure that you pay your taxes as a business owner. Also, don't make false claims regarding your services.

There are many books and magazines that can help you in expanding your repertoire as an aesthetician. Also, you can talk to more expert aestheticians regarding the ins and outs of being one.

If there is one type of scam that you'll face in this business, it's regarding make-up products. Be sure that you know all about the make-up products on the market before you buy them.

Always make it a point to learn new skills so that you'll grow in your business. Make sure that you are updated regarding the latest equipment, fashion trends, etc.

You can look at the Internet for many websites regarding fashion and make-up. You can also check out websites on how some aestheticians have expanded their home based businesses.

Your Guide to Home Based Air Duct Cleaning

Initial costs for home based air duct cleaning include costs of equipment such as brushes for dryer vents, hammers, clamps, screwdrivers, blockage removers, air compressors, and many more. Costs of normal operation focus on costs of maintenance and replacement of equipment, so that depends on the price of the equipment. You can earn $15000 a year (on average) with this job if you work constantly; this may increase if you have a strong base of clients. Skills you need include knowledge of cooling systems and cleaning them thoroughly so they won’t clog. Go to a vocational school that offers air duct cleaning training to know the technical details of the job. A typical day involves visiting others’ homes or establishments and cleaning air ducts. The demands are those set by the owners of other homes and establishments; deadlines are according to the difficulty of the tasks involved. A work week can take you to many homes and establishments. Your growth depends on how well you do your job, how well you can satisfy clients, and how much more knowledge you can get. From here, you can hire salaried people to help you after you’ve expanded your business. Now, if you want to get started, research about air duct cleaning from the Internet first because it’s such a demanding activity, but an activity that can pay off big time because not many people offer your services.

Air duct cleaning involves the thorough cleaning of systems for cooling and heating.

There are many opportunities for you to clean air ducts. People often want air ducts on their buildings cleaned to ensure cleaner air (even large establishments ask for air duct cleaning services).

How can be an air duct cleaning business be of use to others? That is something that you should answer when marketing. Give instances of everyday situations in which air ducts have to be cleaned, then advertise your services through banners, flyers, and many more, so you’ll find clients who need services. Also, give out business cards.

Also, there is always the Internet. You can show examples of situations where air ducts have to be cleaned as well as your approach to that. Local SEO is workable here because many clients would be using air ducts cleaning or something like that as keywords.

What if clients aren't coming? Then you just have to brush up on your marketing skills. Because cleaning air ducts is so specific a task, you should have something general to do with your skills. You can double up as a general cleaner or you can simply market your services more.

You have to mind your equipment and buy new ones if necessary so you can continue giving out high-quality services and earn money. You have a low startup cost but a frequent upkeep for maintaining your equipment, so mind that.

For each air duct cleaning job that you do, you can be charging $400, depending on the difficulty of the task. You can charge that much because hardly anyone in your local area would have your specialized skills.

You can get health insurance quotes from leading insurance companies out there. With regards to retirement – if you work hard enough, you can save up plenty of money for it.

You may have to pay business taxes, but keep in mind that you have many deductibles, especially insurance costs, transportation costs, utility costs, and communication costs.

Remember to have your business registered and pay your taxes. Remember too that you may have other skill sets, but you should only clean air ducts when a client calls you to do just that. Don't use aggressive sales methods to get the client to avail of other services, and don't charge for services that the client didn't ask you to do.

Cleaning air ducts is a technical task; you have to read manuals on doing it to keep going strong. You have to read manuals for different types of air ducts to clean so you can improve your skill set. You can also check out the Internet for useful information.

Regarding scams – there's none, really, except the occasional sales pitch to buy tools or cleaning equipment you didn't ask for. Be wary of them because you'll be replacing your equipment often and you don't want to spend too much.

To keep your air duct cleaning business going strong, just keep clients satisfied, and they will always come back to you for more services. You should also improve your expertise in your field so over time you can be of more service to clients.

Online resources include websites on air duct cleaning (look for those websites with clear instructions and illustrations) and information regarding air duct cleaning tools and how to use them.

Prepping Yourself for Home Based Apartment Prepping

For apartment prepping, startup costs include costs of cleaning equipment like carpet cleaners and sweepers, some gloves (to prevent smudges), goggles, kneepads, and other protective equipment. Operating expenses are mainly for replacement of equipment. How much you earn depends on the number of clients that you get and the work that you do, but you can expect $15000-$25000 a year. You need cleaning, interior designing, and decorating skills to be in the apartment prepping industry. To get apartment prepping skills, find a training program near you. Deadlines and demands depend on the type of work that you will do, but mostly they are short-time cleaning and decorating tasks. Competition is not so intense; there aren’t that many people willing to do apartment prepping. In a workday, you may do one task; for the next workday, you may do another. A work week involves mostly cleaning, some decorating, and one or two complicated tasks in between. You can grow in the field by taking up additional kills training. From being someone who runs a home based apartment prepping business, you can expand your client base, get some employees, and expand your business. If you want to get started, think whether you are willing to travel and make other homes beautiful.

Apartment prepping is a good home based business to start wherever you are. You just need a sharp decorative sense.

Of course, there are many opportunities for an apartment prepping home based business. People who transfer to apartments are your clients. Of course, at any time, expect that there are many of them in your locality.

Because your customers will mainly be nearby, try to advertise your services on the local paper.  Print business cards too. Also try to put some banners up and distribute many flyers. You can also take advantage of networking.

Of course, marketing through the Internet can also help you. If you can put up a website (or have someone do it for you), you can post pictures of some of your finished apartments. If prospective clients see that you're doing a good job, then they'll flock to you.

What if it seems that no one wants an apartment prepped at the present time? Then take on some other services. Since you have the cleaning instruments, you might as well do some part-time cleaning. You can also research more on apartment prepping.

To maintain your money making in apartment prepping, you should be able to secure some contracts with big apartment complexes near you. From there you can get a constant source of income. Make sure to keep marketing, though.

How much you charge depends on the level of sophistication of your chores, but you can reasonably charge an average of $15-20 per hour.

Apartment prepping entails more risk than an office job, but you can get a good health insurance package by just looking at many quotes from insurance companies. Regarding retirement, just keep a keen eye on many clients and you'll be able to keep their loyalty for years.

You still have to pay taxes in a home based apartment prepping business (check some websites for more information). There are many deductibles, though, such as transport costs, insurance costs, food, utilities, and many more.

You should get your apartment prepping business registered and you should get a zoning permit. Of course you should always keep in mind your taxes. Make sure, however, that you have no criminal record at all as you are going to enter others' homes.

Outside resources are many. They include books and periodicals on cleaning, interior designing, decorating, and many more. You can also ask seasoned interior designers (if you know some) to share their tips with you.

Regarding scams – you should avoid scams on cleaning equipment. Make sure to buy high-quality cleaning equipment. If you have training in apartment prepping, you should know which cleaning materials are worth buying or not.

Growing an apartment prepping business requires expanding your client base. Also, you should improve your expertise because apartment trends change over time.

Online resources include websites in apartment

Reviews for 130 Work from Home Ideas

[Nicole · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This was clearly not proofread before it was published. It was riddled with spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors, and the syntax was really puzzling. there were a couple of different formats, leaving me wondering if some of the articles were copied from other sources. An example pulled straight from the text: "Doulas may only need to get the trainings that they need in order to successfully become a doula. There are also some certifications that they may need to get so that they will be able to meet with the demands that they may need." What is that even supposed to mean? I ended up just skimming the headers to see if there was anything worthwhile, but honestly everything there could be found in much more reliable publications.