A growing number of men and women are turning their backs on the corporate 9–5 positions and are opting instead to work from home. In making this change, doing your homework is a must. Assessing the skills you possess that may be used in a work from home business is a good first start, followed with tailoring those skills to meet the needs of your chosen home business.
But what do you do if you’re not sure which home business is meant for you? Here are five ideas for turning your expert skills into income.
Virtual Assistant
A Virtual Assistant (VA) provides remote help to business owners on a variety of tasks. As a VA, you can specialize not only in administrative and secretarial duties, but also in nearly every specialty area including internet marketing, bookkeeping, or real estate.
To get started as a VA, determine which skill set you plan to offer, then research free online resources such as Virtual Office Temps or legitimate low-cost resources such as Hire My Mom.
Social Media Marketer
There are many small business owners or startups looking to outsource their social media marketing duties. Those specializing in this type of marketing manage their client’s social media presence and create a buzz about the business.
Be sure to get a good understanding of social media sites, key metrics, analysis, engagement and social management tools, and then create your plan to connect with your ideal clients.
Website Designer
There were 300 million websites added to the internet in 2011 for a total of 555 million, according to Royal Pingdom, an internet monitoring company. With the numbers continuing to increase, this growth presents a great business opportunity for the technically driven. Formal training is not required, though you do need to know the basics of web design through online tutorials, user groups, and web courses.
Blog Consultant
If you love to blog, can easily explain technical terms, and are good at coaching others, then a Blog Consultant might be a role to consider. Blog Consultants specialize in providing blogging support in the areas of setup, marketing, customization, and content writing, among other things.
Though formal training is not required, there are a number of training courses available online. By developing a strong web presence through your blog, developing a plan, and marketing your services online, you can build a strong client base over time.
Etsy Shop Owner
If you are proficient in hand crafting items, then an Etsy Shop might interest you. An Etsy Shop is an online marketplace where crafty entrepreneurs can start their own business and sell their handmade items. Get started by deciding which handcrafted items you want to sell, then choose a catchy Etsy store name, register your store with Etsy, and begin marketing your items. You can also leverage social media by pinning your favorite Etsy store items on your Pinterest page.