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 It's all the rage; it's the latest fad - work from home! It's a phrase that you can see everywhere and that includes taped to street lights, stapled to utility poles. How can it miss? What's more appealing than working from home?
Working from Home Realities
While all these advertisements are extremely appealing to those that can't work outside their home - all of the ads don't exactly deliver on their promises. In this particular article, we're going to discuss the bad and the good - the realities of the work from home industry.
Work from Home Opportunities?
One of the problems with the work from home promise is that some of the companies advertising their business opportunities fail to disclose all of the costs in their advertisements. Sometimes working from the comfort of your home might require you to spend your own money to place local newspaper ads or make photocopies of information. You might have to purchase envelopes, paper supplies or stamps to complete the required work.
Other companies might even ask you to pay for instructions, start up kits or tutorials to help you get started. Legitimate work at home programs will tell you exactly what is involved with the program they are selling. And that's the dividing line you want to look for when evaluating such an opportunity.
If you're not sure how to find a good work from home program, here are a couple of questions to ask:
- What are the specific work tasks that need to be performed?
- Is payment based on a salary, hourly wage, or is it based on sales commissions?
- Who is responsible for paying the salary or commission? Where does the money come from?
- What is the total cost of the work program? Are there supplies, equipment or membership fees?
- How long after starting working should someone expect to receive their first paycheck?
How the company answers these questions should give you a good idea whether the work from home opportunity is a good deal for you or just a great deal for the person selling the program's instructional materials.
Work from Home Complaints
You can also check to see if complaints have been logged at the Better Business Bureau or Attorney General's office. Just keep in mind that the lack of complaints does not guarantee that the company is legitimate - it only means that no complaints have been filed yet.
If you think you've been a victim of a work from home scheme, there are lots of government agencies that are interested in your story. If it involves fraud through the mail, you can contact the US Postal Service. You can also contact the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-FTC-HELP.
Real Work from Home Opportunities
If you're serious about working from home, there are real opportunities out there in the working world. Although these real opportunities may involve a bit more work on your part than simply paying for a start up kit and reading some instructions.
Starting Your Own Business from Home
Certainly one viable option you have is to start your own business and work from home. You're probably the best judge of your individual skills. You might be able to write a column for a local newspaper. If you're known for your baking skills, perhaps you are only a cake decorating class away from a business.
If you're good with your hands, you may be able to make crafts that can be sold at local community fairs. If there are a lot of business professionals in your community or families with working couples, you may be able to supply simple services such as grocery shopping or running errands.
If all this sounds too simple for you here is our advice - start small and think big.
Online Resources for Business Professionals
If you're a skilled professional and like the idea of providing some added income to your household, then you might want to take a look at these online resources:
Small Business Association - this is perhaps one of the most valuable online resources for people thinking about starting their own business. You can find information on starting a business, financing its operation, and even information on how to provide goods and services to the government.
If you're a woman that's thinking about starting her own work from home business, there are websites offering specialized information just for you, including:
Online Women's Business Center - Run by the United States Small Business Association, the center provides moms with all the information they need to start their own business at home. Resources include information on financing and starting your own business.
WomenBiz.gov - the National Women's Business Council's mission is to promote initiatives, policies, and programs designed to support women's business enterprises at all stages of development in the public and private sector marketplaces.
Searching Classified Ads for Work from Home
You're not going to find classified advertisements dedicated to working from home. But you can search any of the major resume and job posting websites and look for certain keywords in their advertisements. When you search through the classifieds you should add terms such as telecommuting, freelance and part-time to your search.
Part Time Jobs at Home
If you're interested in seasonal or part-time work, then be sure to take a look at our article on Part Time Jobs. There you'll find information that can help you get started looking for a part time job including links to websites that specialize in listing part time and seasonal work assignments.
Evening Classes and Volunteer Work
Another quick way to get some experience or gain a skill is to check out the local school offerings to see if something sparks an idea. Another option you have is volunteering in your community. Volunteer work can be an extremely rewarding experience because not only are you helping your local community, but you're also gaining valuable experience.
Taking evening classes or volunteering may provide you with the added skills to make working from home or starting your own business a reality.
Final Thoughts on Working from Home
We're going to close this one out by providing you with five points to help you figure out if a work at home opportunity is really a good opportunity:
- Be skeptical if the offer promises lots of money for very little effort. The market forces of supply and demand make sure this does not happen very often. If the opportunity was that good, people would be clamoring to join and drive the amount of money offered down.
- Most legitimate work from home programs will tell you, in writing and for free, exactly what is involved with the program.
- For a realistic view of what is involved, ask for references and talk to those references yourself.
- Check with the Better Business Bureau to see if any complaints have been filed with the company offering the work from home program.
- Finally, if you're the one that's putting the business together, then you're the one that's going to reap the lion's share of the rewards. You'll have a good feel for what's involved and you've got a lot of incentive to make it work.
About the Author - Work from Home
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