How people make money working online
One of the most common complaints we receive is from people who have taken advantage of a “work from home opportunity” in one way or another. I would imagine that the idea of working from home is so appealing that I could wrap almost any business opportunity within that promise and generate a great deal of interest. I can share with you from my own personal experience that working from home is much more enjoyable than being in an office environment (at least for me). For about 20 years I worked in a typical office, woke up early, put on a suit, and drove to work. I usually didn’t come home until very late at night, usually just in time to eat dinner, visit my family for a few minutes, and go to bed.
In 2002, when I fell victim to an embezzlement scheme and ended up going bankrupt, I never thought there would be a silver lining to that terribly dark cloud. As I began to rebuild my life, I realized that I was too invested in making money and had developed a very unbalanced life. I guess after almost 20 years of hard work, ending up with nothing was a real revelation. I began to focus on the things that were eternally and truly important in my life. Through these years of rebuilding and introspection, I now have a very different lifestyle than I did before. Yes, I still have to work very hard. Hard work will probably always be a part of my life and I enjoy what I do so it doesn’t even feel like work to me. In any case, I can decide when I want to work and have complete freedom of the place from which I do my work. Being able to control my own hours and where I work has really changed my life. There are days that I feel like sleeping in a little later in the morning, so I do my work in the afternoon and at night that day. There have been countless times when I have needed to take one of my children to the doctor, go on a school field trip, or attend a parent-teacher conference. Having the ability to choose my own daily hours is worth more to me than any amount of money I could make that would put me in a 9 to 5 routine. Another thing I really enjoy about working from home is not having to shift. I have a car, but I don’t drive very often. First, I don’t need to use my car to get to work since I work from home. Second, to save money on gas, I do most of my errands during the week on a small scooter. My typical outfit is shorts and flip flops. Perhaps my favorite activity is taking a walk on the beach on my lunch break, which I get to work on almost every day.
While the idea of working from home may seem appealing, for most people it’s just a dream and something they never really see possible for themselves. Today, I want to share with you some legit ways you can earn money working from home. I can personally attest to the strength of these types of opportunities, as I personally use them to make money.
1. Start a website or blog
Well, you are reading this blog, right? You may be wondering how I get paid to write these articles every week. There is no third party sending me a check to sit down and write this. They pay me for you. That? How do I pay you?, you might be thinking. You will notice that at the top of this blog are a number of announcements. Google places these ads on my blog. One of the ways I make money is by having these ads appear on my website and blog. The name of this program is Google Adsense. If you would like more information on how this works, you can visit their website. Google AdSense It’s very interesting to read some of the success stories of people who run a simple website or blog, work from home, and earn much more than they ever did at a regular full-time job. Take a few minutes and consider these success stories. Perhaps my favorite story of all of them is Tim Carter’s. Tim has a simple website called Ask The Builder. According to Google, he is paid more than $40,000 a month for the small ads that have been inserted on his website. Tim’s site is simply an online do-it-yourself/home repair guide. As a former general contractor, he simply shares his knowledge and experience in the field of home repair.
Many people think that it is very difficult to launch your own website, and at one time it was. Now, with today’s software and technology, virtually anyone can set up a simple website and start making money from home right away. In fact, I personally got so excited about the idea of people making money from websites and blogs that I actually started an online school to teach people about this business. For more information on this, visit Christian Internet Income.
2. Become a freelancer
Many employers today cannot afford to hire additional internal employees. The latest fad is called “outsourcing.” By outsourcing projects, small businesses can pay for the work to be done per project and avoid all the additional overhead associated with hiring an employee. One opportunity that anyone looking for extra money should immediately consider is becoming a freelancer. He can keep his day job and still take on these projects that pay very well and give him the opportunity to complete them on his own schedule. One website that I have used on a number of occasions to hire freelancers to work for me is eLance. There are literally thousands of projects available on offer every day. While e Lance is the leader in bringing together freelancers and businesses from around the world, there are many other sites that offer even more opportunities like this one. For example, Rent A Coder posts projects that are specifically within the realm of computer programming. Other independent websites to visit:
Independent change work panel
lance
free agent
project4hire
DoMyStuff.com
Guru Logig
smart hunting
hired labor
Freelance Work Exchange
SmarterWork.com
3. Paid blogs
One company that I have found very intriguing is Pay Per Post. They offer bloggers anywhere from $10 to several hundred dollars to write articles and post them on their blog. This is the newest way for companies to start a “buzz” about their product or service. Paying bloggers to write reviews and articles seems to be a booming industry. One story is that of a stay at home mom who works with Pay Per Post and earns nearly $40,000 per year writing for three blogs she has created. If she likes to write, this could be a wonderful opportunity to earn some extra money or even replace her full-time income.
Other paid blogging opportunities:
check me
sponsored review
blogspublish
blogitive
strong pitch
bloggerwave
smorty
PayU2Blog
blog ads
4. Selling digital information online
Most people have information that is natural to them, but would be very valuable to someone else. This is where the Internet has really become a fantastic tool for learning. I remember not too long ago when I decided to take on the manly task of changing the spark plugs on my 2002 Ford Escape. After freaking out and worrying that I couldn’t put everything back together correctly, I went online and bought a schematic drawing of the engine from my car with instructions on how to change spark plugs for $4.95. If you are a regular visitor to my website, you will know that we offer a series of “eBooks”. These are not physical books like you would buy at a bookstore or borrow from a library. These are simply PDF files that are sent via email. For years, people have been asking me how to repair their credit, how to deal with IRS problems, or how to resolve a situation like bankruptcy or foreclosure, that’s where the idea for all these topics came from. The demand was there, I just decided to sit down and put together little summaries on each of these topics and post them for sale on my website (usually 40-80 pages). Creating an eBook is much easier than you think. Here is a great article that provides a brief overview of the process. How to create an electronic book. If you get stuck trying to create your own eBook, feel free to email me. I have done it many times and am happy to pass on my own methods.
5. Online opportunities that are problematic
I receive dozens of emails each week asking me about two particular online opportunities; Processing of refunds and payment for completing surveys. I have not found any of these opportunities to be legitimate. I’m not suggesting there aren’t some legit ones out there, just that I have yet to discover them in all my searching. On the other hand, I have received countless complaints from people who had to pay to get involved in refund processing and various survey type businesses only to quickly find out they had been scammed. I continue to keep an open mind about both of these business opportunities and if you know of any that are legit I would love to hear about them.
In closing, I know that these are very difficult times for many people. I receive emails throughout the day from families who are suffering, and in some cases struggling only for basic needs like food and shelter. The opportunities I’ve outlined on today’s blog may or may not be for you, but I urge you to share this article with people you know who need to earn extra money on a monthly basis. In our own program, Christian Internet Income, we set a very realistic goal for a student to earn $300-$500 per month working part-time with an online business. Of course, many earn much more than this. I believe there are literally millions of Christian families whose financial circumstances could be radically changed with an extra $300-$500 per month. While in most of these cases taking a second job is not a practical option, finding 10-12 hours per week to work in an online business from home is something most people can do. If you are currently making money working online, I am very interested in hearing your story. Use the comments section below to share your success stories or your own questions on the topic of making money with an online business.