Earning from home
Previously, Pinching Pennies looked at the pay offered for salaried individuals as a gauge for determining if you are being paid what you are worth.
However, sometimes in order to really earn what you are worth, you have to work for yourself. Now what business will put you on the road to riches? That will be your call but is usually determined by what you love and what you know.
Even with the technical experience under your belt, you will still need to get training on the various aspects of forming a business. Before starting a home business, invest in small-business education. At the University of the West Indies Continuing Education Centre, there are classes offered in small business management that will take you through topics such as stock planning, risk management, bookkeeping and the like. It’s just a few thousand dollars for six weeks that can make a real difference in the levels of success that you could have as a budding entrepreneur.
According to the website, Work At Home Moms, “the following list of jobs contains things that people are currently doing from home in one form or another. Read through this list with an open mind. Let the ideas wash over you. Some of the items on this list are very creative . . . maybe as you read through these things, something will click for you. Maybe you’ll see something you could do or maybe something on the list will trigger your imagination and you’ll come up with something unique that only you can do at home.
Now take a deep breath, clear your mind, and see what happens . . .”
Ask yourself the following questions and consider the businesses than can come from what you really enjoy doing.
Do you enjoy office work, but not actually being in the office?
* Administrative Assistant
* Bookkeeping Service
* Database administrator
* Database designer
* Financial Analyst
* Organizing Business
* Personal Assistant
* Desktop Publishing
* Errand Service
* Event Planner And Organizer.
* Personal Organizer (teach people how to organize their life, their closets, anything that gets messy)
Are you handy with needle and thread?
* Alterations
* Children’s Clothing
* Tailoring
* Designing custom clothing
Do you enjoy collecting items?
* Antiques Buying And Selling
Want to help automobile owners get the best deals?
* Auto Appraising
* Claims Processing
Are you good with your hands?
* Artist
* Basket Weaving.
* Batik Creation.
* Calligraphy
* Candle Making
* Ceramic Flowers
* Ceramics
* Custom Patterns for sewing clothes, dolls, or other crafts
* Doll Making
* Jewellry Creations
Do you have a green thumb?
* Artificial Plants. Make your own brand of artificial flowers and plants. Sell a selection of arrangements, baskets and special occasion creations; take custom orders.
* Bonsai Plants. Grow (or buy) and arrange into attractive pots or arrangements. Retail from your home – through Ads, or wholesale – to flower shops, greenhouses and nurseries.
* Miniature gardens. Create various sizes of garden-like displays of live plants for hospital sick rooms, boxes for balconies, rooftop planters, office and residential arrangements.
* Spices and herbs – grow in your greenhouse or other space and sell fresh, dried, or as plants
Do you enjoy food and its many aspects?
* Baking
* Banquet decorating
* Cake decorating
* Candy making
* Catering service
* Cooking lessons
* Freelance hot food delivery
* Personal chef
Want to get into the hotel business, but only have one spare room?
* Bed-and-breakfast proprietor
Handy with a hammer?
* Home inspector
* Home repairs and landscaping
Do you enjoy helping other people through the different stages of their lives?
* Adult day care centre
* Baby sitting service. (You line up the jobs and match-up with a baby sitter. You may or may not do baby sitting yourself.)
* Child pickup service
* Childcare
* Genealogy
* Hospital grooming. Assist patients with nails, hair, skin care in hospitals and nursing homes.
* Make-up artist
* Personal coach (trainer)
* Talent agent
* Wedding consultant
Are you a technology wizard?
* Graphic artist
* Graphic illustrator
* Internet webmaster
* Software developer
* Web site designer
Enjoy sharing knowledge?
* Dancing school teacher
* Tutoring a subject you love and know well
Do you have a way with words?
* Book reviewing-write reviews to be quoted in book promotions or media reviews; work towards your own column.
* Buyer’s guide. Publish and sell or give away your guide to best prices and products. As it gains in popularity, charge more to list the businesses!
lients.
* Technical Writing
Have a panache for sales?
* Book Sales – sell general subject or specialized books wholesale or retail.
* Children’s products and programs.
* Garage sale aervice
* Used books sales
Speak another language?
* Translator
