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Post by eyeofthestorm on Jun 13, 2020 13:36:48 GMT -6
You all know that I have worked from home for most of the time I've been at home. I worked until I had my oldest, then I worked from home until he was two. Then I had a big span of time where the places we lived weren't conducive to working from home, which worked out since we had two more babies. The other big thngs that has changed is, of course, the internet. This is especially key in this period of social distancing. I want to share a couple options I know about that might be helpful to you all. I am ONLY going to share options that I either have experience with or (one of them) my sister does.
Others, feel free to share. However, I ask that we limit this to things we personally have POSITIVE experiences with. If you don't have experience with it, maybe ask (but not recommend). Also, if you had a negative epxerience, I'm sorry, but please don't contradict someone because they had a positive experience. Just let it go and look for something else that might work for you.
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Post by eyeofthestorm on Jun 13, 2020 13:43:51 GMT -6
Tutoring.
So, with the upheaval in public and private education, lots of parents are looking for options and support. This doesn't necessarily mean they are looking for online school, per se. Sometimes parents just want help.
Many of you have experience homeschooling, or working in schools. Mountainma, I thought of this for you if you don't get called back to school. There are formal sites like Varsity Tutors, LumaLearn, Spitball (I know, but that's the name). Those places advertist, so parents know about them, but then you give them a cut of what you earn. Personally, I don't mind that. It lets me focus on the students, and I don't have to worry about having my own pro Zoom account or running Google or Facebook ads. I can just work with students. You can also list your tutoring services on Thumbtack (which can be effective, but it is expensive up front, in my experience) or even Craigslist. Maybe even something like NextDoor (I'm not sure about that). Local FB groups might be an option, too.
Tutoring can pay nicely per hours. Standard rates start at $35-45, depending on the subject and the tutor's education and experience.
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Post by eyeofthestorm on Jun 13, 2020 13:48:43 GMT -6
Transcribing
This one is really my sister's experience, but I'm sharing because if I had understood what she did, I would not have given up.
So, I tried transcribing, and I quit. Oh my word, it was so hard! And it took me so long, I figured I'd end up taking hours to earn pennies. So, I quit.
My sister explained it to me later, when I found out she was doing it as a side "hustle." She had three very young children, and she needed something where it wouldn't matter if she was interrupted. Transcribing worked because she'd just pause the recording, then go back to it. Of course, as she gained experience, she worked faster and made more money.
But, she also explained that as she grew in experience, she also became more accurate. Eventually, she was offered a "next level" option where she actually did quality control of other worker's transcriptions. She would read and listen and make corrections. She said this work went even faster and, on top of that, she made more money per job. When we last talked about this, she said she was easily bringing in $100-200 a month just working when she was sitting around in the evenings or anytime. (She was also working a full-time job, so she was only able to work on transcripts when she wasn't doing her regular job).
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Post by eyeofthestorm on Jun 13, 2020 14:01:11 GMT -6
V.A. (Virtual Assistant) workI did this work for about eight years. In essence, V.A. work can be nearly anything. The people who are most successful choose to specialize in something, whether that's website management, social media management, online marketing support, calendar management, or a host of other things. You set your own rates (I simply wouldn't work until I made at least $20/hour after expenses, and I generally was able to pull 20-30 hours of work per month after I established myself*). I did website builds, management, and hosting, but most of my work was more administrative: I managed calendars, posted blog articles (written by the site owners), organized their social media posts, etc. I also did graphic work and even some video editing. I didn't mind the work, but I found myself frustrated more often than not with the clients. You may be thinking, I can't do any of those things. Well, I couldn't do most of them when I started. I really only started with knowing how to design (not even build, just design) a website. As I learned skills on my own, I offered them. The people hiring you could learn it too, but for their own reasons they don't want to take the time, or it doesn't make sense for them to take the time. It's cheaper for them to pay me $80 for four hours' work because they earned a lot MORE than during those four hours. The one thing is that you do have to build up a clientele. You have to figure out what service you can offer, and then start reaching out. This is one thing I do not recommend Craigslist for. People on there are looking to spend as little as possible, and you will not be happy if you don't get paid what you think you're worth. There are some GREAT Facebook groups for VA's. There are groups of people looking to hire. There is even a group where VA's who write articles post their pre-written articles with prices. People join the group just to find these articles and buy them. I know a lady in NJ, a single mom with special needs kids. She makes a living this way. (A lot of those people running successful websites don't have time to write their own articles.) I know another woman who "cracked" the Pinterest code. She only managed Pinterest accounts. Her reputation grew to the point people were always asking her to do other things, so she would subcontract to other VA's. Eventually, she started teaching people to be VAs so she'd have good people to pull from for work. The hardest things about being a VA are - Deciding on a focus (what service you will offer)
- Being patient and staying the course while building your clientele
This is viable, but it's not a quick way to bring in steady money.
- List item 2
- List item 3
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Post by eyeofthestorm on Jun 13, 2020 14:06:15 GMT -6
Fiverr
No, seriously. When Fiverr started up, you could basically hire someone to do something for five bucks. The idea is that everyone can afford $5, and if you get enough orders, it adds up.
Nowadays, there are LOTS of things available that are more than $5, but the $5 jobs are still out there. In fact, it's a good way to establish yourself and get good reviews.
Go search. People will do a voice-over (like, reading for a video commercial). You can give lessons, edit other people's writing. write cover letters, format resumes. They have a whole section on cooking lessons now!
Every service offered on Fiverr can be done remotely (theoretically, from home). If you see something on there and think, "I can do that..." then you can.
Ooh! I just found a lady who makes printable crafts for kids ($5 for $5 printable crafts).
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Post by eyeofthestorm on Jun 13, 2020 14:16:50 GMT -6
Etsy
Everyone knows you can buy ready-made things on Etsy. When we were selling online, one of the places that I listed our products on Etsy... because you can sell things other than crafts. We sold craft supplies.
One product we sold were those little cups for making tealight candles. I would buy them in bulk (like, 4000 or 7000, depending on how crazy I was feeling 🤪). Then the boys and I would count them out (either 50s or 100s, I don't recall) and box them up. I spent a few cents extra to put them in cardboard boxes instead of plastic bags like most merchants. Our customers LOVED that the cups were never bent when they received them. (And all that counting, multiplying, dividing... homeschool math for the win!) It wasn't the most exciting work, but it was simple, clean, and low pressure.
People on Etsy also sell digital products. I know online teachers who will design a teaching tool. Then you can buy the file and print it yourself, or you can buy a physical product and the Etsy seller will print it, cut out the items, and mail them to you (of course, this costs more).
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Post by mountainma on Jun 14, 2020 9:37:21 GMT -6
ALTERATIONS If you are skilled at sewing and have the patience to deal with fussy fabrics or intricate, detailed handiwork, doing alterations can bring in some extra $$. This is especially true if you can alter bridal gowns or formal wear. You would be surprised how many people need someone to replace a zipper or hem pants or a prom gown. In addition to alterations, if you have the machine for it, you can do machine embroidery and monogramming, although I've found the alterations pay more.
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Post by mentalutopia on Jun 14, 2020 21:55:56 GMT -6
MYSTERY SHOPPING
I have done most of my mystery shopping through Marketforce. The starting pay rate is often less than $10 for an assignment, but I've been offered up to $70 reporting on a fast food restaurant that was fairly remote and hadn't been evaluated for several months. DH and I found that mystery shopping at the car dealership to test drive new cars we had no intention of buying was a fun date.
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