KMHogarth's Home Business Blog

The Best of Both Worlds--Making Income from the Comfort of Home

The internet has revolutionized almost every aspect of human interaction, and the influence is perhaps most greatly felt in the way that we do business. Limitations of geography have been largely removed from the commercial equation, and it is now possible to do business with someone on the other side of the planet as though they were sitting right next to you. This mobile office concept has been incredibly liberating to those who choose to raise their children full time but need to earn some extra income as well. Many stay at home mothers have been pleasantly surprised to learn that there are multiple ways that they can make money while working from home, even if they have been out of the workforce for several years.

Perhaps the easiest way to break into the home based business world is to consider freelancing. If you happen to be a skilled writer, web designer, graphic artist, or have other creative skills, then you can apply those skills right away as a home based freelance professional. Many companies and individuals are always looking for skilled freelancers to assist with web pages, news releases, logo design, and many other project types.

The most important thing to consider when beginning your career as a work at home freelancer is how best to promote yourself and your services. Gather old copies of work that you have done and organize it into a portfolio. If your skills are a bit rusty, then you can brush up on the techniques of your trade by creating sample works that can also go into your portfolio. Once your portfolio has been established, it is time to start looking for clients. The cheapest method is to search for message forums that are dedicated to your field. These message forums often have special areas set aside that will allow you to advertise your services for free. The most effective way to promote your services on the internet is to look into contextual advertising. Many companies, including the internet heavyweights Yahoo! and Google, offer services that place small text ads on search engine results pages that display your ad whenever someone searches for a keyword that relates to your business. This means that your ad is targeted only to customers that are searching for the service that you offer. The great thing about directed contextual advertising is that you are only charged when a customer clicks on your link.

If your skills lie in areas that are not immediately amenable to home based freelancing, it is still possible to use the power of the internet to make money while staying at home. Many companies are looking for home based clerical workers to assist in fields such as accounting, data entry, billing, medical transcription, sales, and other areas that require little or no previous experience. The best way to find work from home jobs of this type is to visit the many internet jobs portals such as Monster.com and CareerBuilder.net and search for work at home opportunities. You will be surprised at the number of income generating opportunities that are available through these and other internet job portals.

Regardless of your skill level and experience, there are many great work-at-home opportunities available that will allow you to earn a good income working from the comfort of home. Work-at-home opportunities are great for stay at home moms, women looking to return to the workforce after years of raising their children, as well as others who just want to avoid the frustration of a commute.

Kristine Hogarth/Miller