Work at Home Information
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Working at home has many advantages for boomers and older workers, they can not only keep working past age 65 but can do it with less stress and more flexibility.
Data from the Kauffman Foundation shows the highest rate of entrepreneurship in America has shifted to the 55–64 age group, with people over 55 almost twice as likely to found successful home based companies than those between 20 and 34.According to market researcher IDC, there will be 14 million full-time, home-based freelancers and independent contractors in the United States by 2015, up from 12 million in 2010. Some franchises are appropriate as work from home opportunities. Check our franchise pages by clicking here. Work at home as a customer service agent for national call centers. Go to our search area and enter "customer service" in the keywords box and check the search job title only box, then click search. Become a "mystery shopper" go to Mysteryshop.org. |
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Consider working with Contena.
With Contena Scout you can easily search the best available writing jobs by pay, quality, category and more. Contena finds the best writing jobs for all experience levels. Find your first client, or land your writing dream job. Contena members have made money writing for hundreds of great companies from around the world.
11 Work at home opportunities
- 5 New Ways to Work From Home
- 17 Ways to Earn Money from Home
- Become a Chef Consultant
- Become a Tutor
- Become a Virtual Agent
- Care Giving
- Direct Selling
- Freelancing
- Medical Transcription
- Selling at a Flea Market
- Selling Online
- Telemarketing
- Translate Online
- Write or Edit
- Workers with Disabilities
- Tech Jobs
If you plan to have more than just a small enterprise or if your business expands into more than just a small "sideline" that is earning you extra monies, check out the steps you should follow on our Start Your Own Business page.
Work at Home: Do Your Research
Unfortunately in the area of work at home there are many companies that make offers that sound enticing but are not legitimate and are designed to separate you from your hard earned money. According to a recent survey by the Investor Protection Trust, one out of every 5 citizens over the age of 65 has been the victim of a financial scam.
We encourage you to carefully investigate any business and particularly those that require substantial investment on your part. Check with the Better Business Bureau and if possible others that have invested in this businesses. Google the company and see what people are saying.
We encourage you to carefully investigate any business and particularly those that require substantial investment on your part. Check with the Better Business Bureau and if possible others that have invested in this businesses. Google the company and see what people are saying.
Tips for avoiding work at home scams
- Don't give personal information to anyone you don't know. This is how scammers get information for ID fraud.
- Get information up front. Find out the physical location of the company: address, phone number, name of the CEO, and their mission statement. This will enable you to do a Corporation Check at the Secretary of State Office in your State. You can also use Google Maps for a quick check of the accuracy of their location. Be wary if you are only given a PO Box for the address.
- Do not pay for information on the product or service that is being offered. if you are asked to pay up front money for a list of phone numbers or other things necessary to start earning these moneys it is probably a scam.
- Steer clear of companies that offer to send you an “advance” on your pay. Con artists do this to get your bank information and set you up for bounced check scams.
- Verify the information you have been given before proceeding. Don’t sign documentation that requires periodic purchases.
- Never send money or give out personal information. Anytime you are asked to pay any money in advance for anything or give anyone your social security, credit card or other personal information assume it is a scam.
- Check with the Better Business Bureau. If the company is local ask for a street address and check out the location.
Online Chat Agent Jobs
Being an Online Sales Chat Agent
Take advantage of an opportunity to work from home without feeling like you are actually working – over the past few years online chat has become a very important way for brands to connect with their customers online.
Get Paid to Chat Online For The Brands You Love
A company called Needle has found a great way to connect a brand’s fans with its customers through online chat. By becoming an online sales chat agent, you can chat with online shoppers on behalf of a brand or product that you love working at home. While helping them with their questions and giving them your suggestions and insight, you’ll also be making money and earning points to redeem for products and prizes.
Chat sales agents (called Needlers ) who work at home, can build connections with online customers so that an online shopping experience feels like a face-to-face experience, shopping with a friend. You already have products/brands that you are passionate about, and now there is a convenient way for you to tell others about them and get paid while doing so. Online shoppers love it because it humanizes their shopping experience. They feel like they are getting real and valuable help from someone who cares, instead of being outsourced to a far-away call center.
A Connected Community of Chat Agents – “A virtual water cooler”
Needlers are also able to connect and build relationships with other Needlers through the Needle chat console. The chat console is designed to create a sense of community for the Needlers and a place where they can provide support to one another.
Want to Earn Money Chatting for Needle?
To become a Needler, go to http://pincushion.Needle.com and complete an application. Once you have done so, Needle will review your application. If you are a match for any brands that currently have Needler openings, Needle will contact you for an interview. As a Needler, you will be paid hourly ($9-$12/hr), and also have the opportunity to earn points, which you can cash in for products that you love. Needlers can make their own schedule and work at home or from anywhere they have an internet connection, whether that be at home, at a local Starbucks, or traveling abroad.
Take advantage of an opportunity to work from home without feeling like you are actually working – over the past few years online chat has become a very important way for brands to connect with their customers online.
Get Paid to Chat Online For The Brands You Love
A company called Needle has found a great way to connect a brand’s fans with its customers through online chat. By becoming an online sales chat agent, you can chat with online shoppers on behalf of a brand or product that you love working at home. While helping them with their questions and giving them your suggestions and insight, you’ll also be making money and earning points to redeem for products and prizes.
Chat sales agents (called Needlers ) who work at home, can build connections with online customers so that an online shopping experience feels like a face-to-face experience, shopping with a friend. You already have products/brands that you are passionate about, and now there is a convenient way for you to tell others about them and get paid while doing so. Online shoppers love it because it humanizes their shopping experience. They feel like they are getting real and valuable help from someone who cares, instead of being outsourced to a far-away call center.
A Connected Community of Chat Agents – “A virtual water cooler”
Needlers are also able to connect and build relationships with other Needlers through the Needle chat console. The chat console is designed to create a sense of community for the Needlers and a place where they can provide support to one another.
Want to Earn Money Chatting for Needle?
To become a Needler, go to http://pincushion.Needle.com and complete an application. Once you have done so, Needle will review your application. If you are a match for any brands that currently have Needler openings, Needle will contact you for an interview. As a Needler, you will be paid hourly ($9-$12/hr), and also have the opportunity to earn points, which you can cash in for products that you love. Needlers can make their own schedule and work at home or from anywhere they have an internet connection, whether that be at home, at a local Starbucks, or traveling abroad.
Work At-Home Flexible Jobs for Retirees
If you are entering retirement and don’t want to step out of the working world entirely (or perhaps you need to continue working in for some extra income), there are a number of flexible job options that might be appropriate for your new lifestyle.
Telecommuting (or work from home) jobs offer the opportunity for you to stay connected to your career, or try a new one, from the convenience of your home. Legitimate work-at-home jobs exist in almost every industry, and part-time schedules allow you to enjoy your “retirement” while staying active and providing income.
The top telecommuting job categories include Medical & Health Jobs, Customer Service Jobs, Administrative Jobs, Education & Training Jobs, and Sales Jobs. Other options exist in Nonprofit & Philanthropy, Creative, Writing & Editing. Information provided by FlexJobs.com
Telecommuting (or work from home) jobs offer the opportunity for you to stay connected to your career, or try a new one, from the convenience of your home. Legitimate work-at-home jobs exist in almost every industry, and part-time schedules allow you to enjoy your “retirement” while staying active and providing income.
The top telecommuting job categories include Medical & Health Jobs, Customer Service Jobs, Administrative Jobs, Education & Training Jobs, and Sales Jobs. Other options exist in Nonprofit & Philanthropy, Creative, Writing & Editing. Information provided by FlexJobs.com
Suggestions from our readers of small businesses they started with little or no financial investment
Many of our visitors have either not found the kind of job they were seeking or would prefer to work at home, so we have put together this information to assist them. Some of the suggestions come from our readers themselves as they found it to be a good way to create extra income or, in some cases, successfully take the place of a full time job.
Carrie Bledsoe started her own concierge business. She runs errands for her clients including buying groceries, shopping for gifts, arranging parties, making vacation plans, seeing their pets are taken care of while clients are on vacation, etc. She started doing this for friends while she was in between jobs and has turned it into a full-time job. She told us she has even hired reliable people to help her during the holidays as this is her busiest season.
Doreen McManus collects used-goods that others throw out and makes small purchases at yard sales and sells them on Craigslist. She regularly checks the alleys and the front of people’s homes on garbage collection day. She found that baby items, bunk beds, video games and electronics sell well. “It is amazing what people discard that has value,” she wrote. “Anyone who is not afraid of getting into other peoples junk can do this,” she went on. “After a while you learn what will sell and what will not.”
Bill Franks, a retired engineer, spent a great deal of time designing landscaping for his own house and wrote us that he was successful in starting a small landscaping business..
Betty Pohler has two dogs that she walks regularly and said in her email "I thought why can't I take care of some other people's dogs and get paid to do so?" Now she employs 3 other neighborhood "dog people" to assist her growing dog walking business and she even has been given keys to the houses of some of her clients so she can feed and check on their dogs while they are on vacation.
Peter Minter said he was always handy around his house and now has a growing business painting and doing small repairs in the neighborhood and said he has even been contacted because of a referral to work in a town 30 miles away.
Marge Blankenship has her grandsons helping her to cut grass in the summer and remove snow in winter. Her small enterprise has grown to the point where she now utilizes neighborhood kids to help keep her customer's properties looking well maintained. She told us "its easy, why didn't I think of this before.".
Morrie Cravits wrote to tell us he was always a good organizer and thought "why can't I put this skill to use" and as a result he has built a business cleaning out and organizing garages. "You wouldn't believe how much junk piles up in people's garages," he told us and "almost everyone I spoke with were real glad to have me pitch in to clean and organize." He urged us to tell others to try this as a source of income.
Corey and Sally Bridgewater started selling their handicrafts at a small craft market 2 years ago and now they travel to many craft shows and flea markets where they not only sell what they make, but sell all kinds of goods they get on consignment and even purchase items to sell "if we can buy them right" said Sally in her email to us.
Francine Taylor was always a good organizer and put her talents to work as a Move Manager. She assists people coordinate their move including separating what is to be moved from what needs to be sold, given to family or charity and thrown out. She helps with some of the packing and labeling even in the deciding of what items go to which rooms in the new home. Most of her clients are seniors but some are busy younger workers who do not have the time.
Mary Francis Milligan always loved to cook. Now that her 5 kids are out of the house she put her cooking skills to use by helping busy friends and neighbors plan, pick up and cook the food they serve at parties. This led to her being asked to do so for others she did not know. She charges for her time and works within the budget her customers provide. She told us that she has handled a party as big as 50 but had to hire some help to serve and clean up. She has even put together some meals for special occasions for just a couple who wanted to celebrate in their own home.
Katy Walters always considered herself a great shopper. She knew just where to find bargains as well as those special gifts that no one else thought of. Now she uses this ability to shop for others. She works with both men and women who are either to busy to shop for gifts or things they need for their home or just don't like shopping. She receives a percent of the total cost of what she buys but has a minimum charge for her time. She also returns and exchanges things for her customers but cautions she does not provide this service by itself.
Shelley Blundt worked all her life in personnel and human resources and felt she could help people better prepare for job interviews. She started a one on one coaching business and charges by the hour or by the project. She helps teens, recent college grads and seniors be more comfortable in their job search as well as when they actually get infront of a perspective employer.
Bette Marshall always baked her family’s famous cookies for her kids. The neighbor’s children flocked to Bette house to get a taste of these scrumptious cookies. One day while she was in between jobs she thought to herself “why can’t I bake cookies and sell them” and Cookies for Kids was born. Bette now sells her cookies through local stores and mail orders them throughout the U.S.
Michael Padnos was always a good writer, but he had never published—had not even thought of publishing, but then he had the misfortune of having a severe stroke. As he began a long and difficult recovery including countless hours of rehabilitation he made notes of his progress. He even wrote down his feelings when he “first hit the floor”. Eventually he organized his notes into a book designed to assist stroke victims and their families understand a stroke from the perspective of the one who experienced it. His book, Stroke! How I Got Hit, How I Got Well sells well on Amazon and in stores.
Arthur Blaylock writes us to say he's been selling on Ebay since he retired several years ago; He makes enough to pay for his health insurance ($1000.00/MO) and some other household expenses.He says he picks up items to sell in thrift shops and seasonal yard sales and church fairs.. He says "the nice thing about selling is that I can do so at my leisure or stop when I'm on vacation."
These kinds of business require very little capital and can provide needed extra income. In some cases what starts out as a small business can grow into a highly satisfactory source of extra money.
Carrie Bledsoe started her own concierge business. She runs errands for her clients including buying groceries, shopping for gifts, arranging parties, making vacation plans, seeing their pets are taken care of while clients are on vacation, etc. She started doing this for friends while she was in between jobs and has turned it into a full-time job. She told us she has even hired reliable people to help her during the holidays as this is her busiest season.
Doreen McManus collects used-goods that others throw out and makes small purchases at yard sales and sells them on Craigslist. She regularly checks the alleys and the front of people’s homes on garbage collection day. She found that baby items, bunk beds, video games and electronics sell well. “It is amazing what people discard that has value,” she wrote. “Anyone who is not afraid of getting into other peoples junk can do this,” she went on. “After a while you learn what will sell and what will not.”
Bill Franks, a retired engineer, spent a great deal of time designing landscaping for his own house and wrote us that he was successful in starting a small landscaping business..
Betty Pohler has two dogs that she walks regularly and said in her email "I thought why can't I take care of some other people's dogs and get paid to do so?" Now she employs 3 other neighborhood "dog people" to assist her growing dog walking business and she even has been given keys to the houses of some of her clients so she can feed and check on their dogs while they are on vacation.
Peter Minter said he was always handy around his house and now has a growing business painting and doing small repairs in the neighborhood and said he has even been contacted because of a referral to work in a town 30 miles away.
Marge Blankenship has her grandsons helping her to cut grass in the summer and remove snow in winter. Her small enterprise has grown to the point where she now utilizes neighborhood kids to help keep her customer's properties looking well maintained. She told us "its easy, why didn't I think of this before.".
Morrie Cravits wrote to tell us he was always a good organizer and thought "why can't I put this skill to use" and as a result he has built a business cleaning out and organizing garages. "You wouldn't believe how much junk piles up in people's garages," he told us and "almost everyone I spoke with were real glad to have me pitch in to clean and organize." He urged us to tell others to try this as a source of income.
Corey and Sally Bridgewater started selling their handicrafts at a small craft market 2 years ago and now they travel to many craft shows and flea markets where they not only sell what they make, but sell all kinds of goods they get on consignment and even purchase items to sell "if we can buy them right" said Sally in her email to us.
Francine Taylor was always a good organizer and put her talents to work as a Move Manager. She assists people coordinate their move including separating what is to be moved from what needs to be sold, given to family or charity and thrown out. She helps with some of the packing and labeling even in the deciding of what items go to which rooms in the new home. Most of her clients are seniors but some are busy younger workers who do not have the time.
Mary Francis Milligan always loved to cook. Now that her 5 kids are out of the house she put her cooking skills to use by helping busy friends and neighbors plan, pick up and cook the food they serve at parties. This led to her being asked to do so for others she did not know. She charges for her time and works within the budget her customers provide. She told us that she has handled a party as big as 50 but had to hire some help to serve and clean up. She has even put together some meals for special occasions for just a couple who wanted to celebrate in their own home.
Katy Walters always considered herself a great shopper. She knew just where to find bargains as well as those special gifts that no one else thought of. Now she uses this ability to shop for others. She works with both men and women who are either to busy to shop for gifts or things they need for their home or just don't like shopping. She receives a percent of the total cost of what she buys but has a minimum charge for her time. She also returns and exchanges things for her customers but cautions she does not provide this service by itself.
Shelley Blundt worked all her life in personnel and human resources and felt she could help people better prepare for job interviews. She started a one on one coaching business and charges by the hour or by the project. She helps teens, recent college grads and seniors be more comfortable in their job search as well as when they actually get infront of a perspective employer.
Bette Marshall always baked her family’s famous cookies for her kids. The neighbor’s children flocked to Bette house to get a taste of these scrumptious cookies. One day while she was in between jobs she thought to herself “why can’t I bake cookies and sell them” and Cookies for Kids was born. Bette now sells her cookies through local stores and mail orders them throughout the U.S.
Michael Padnos was always a good writer, but he had never published—had not even thought of publishing, but then he had the misfortune of having a severe stroke. As he began a long and difficult recovery including countless hours of rehabilitation he made notes of his progress. He even wrote down his feelings when he “first hit the floor”. Eventually he organized his notes into a book designed to assist stroke victims and their families understand a stroke from the perspective of the one who experienced it. His book, Stroke! How I Got Hit, How I Got Well sells well on Amazon and in stores.
Arthur Blaylock writes us to say he's been selling on Ebay since he retired several years ago; He makes enough to pay for his health insurance ($1000.00/MO) and some other household expenses.He says he picks up items to sell in thrift shops and seasonal yard sales and church fairs.. He says "the nice thing about selling is that I can do so at my leisure or stop when I'm on vacation."
These kinds of business require very little capital and can provide needed extra income. In some cases what starts out as a small business can grow into a highly satisfactory source of extra money.
Going into business with your parent or child
The Wall Street Journal ran an interesting article November 15 on several businesses where a parent and child successfully started a small business together. In each case there were both advantages and challenges but both contributed and a good deal of revenue was created.