Working from Home

Re: work from home..........
Asked by kylie5732

Question:
hey just wondering if anyone knows of anything i could do from home to make a bit of extra money.... i cant go out and work as i have three children and two still young and not in school................ thanx............

My Advice:

I planned not to work after I had children, but after about 11 months found I was going nuts.  I love being a mum and we keep very busy. but sometimes you need to have something outside being a "mum" - something outside cleaning etc....

I found a few ways to bring in pocket money - surveys on the internet, "mystery shopping" (where you report on your shopping experiences and get paid to do so) and selling things on ebay.  Any of these bring in money - not enough to live off, but enough that I had a little spending money.  They also gave me a focus and I felt I was doing something beyond mothering.  There are other things that friends of mine do - envelope stuffing, junk mail delivery and I have a friend who does telemarketing from home.  Have a look in your local paper to find ads for things like this in your local area.

There are plenty of great party plan or home delivery businesses - Nutrimetics, Body Shop, Learning Ladder, Avon, Enjo, Undercoverwear and Lorraine Lea for example.  For some people these work really well - you get paid a commission and get discounted products, as well as training and socialising.  You may even be able to take your children to parties and get them involved in helping you sort deliveries.  It can be a dream come true if you are the kind of person to make it work.  Many have an initial start up cost (usually not too huge and you get a starter kit included in that), but a good plan to progress and the right support make it easy to work.  You can either make it a full on business or restrict it to showing catalogues to friends and family - subsidising your own expenses.  Whatever works for you.

My only advice would be to make sure it is a reputable company, make sure it is a product you love (or there is no point selling it), try and keep it separate to your family finances (so that you don't end up out of pocket) and give it your best.  if it doesn't work you have given it a shot and you can move on.  Don;t be hard on yourself if if doesn't all fall into place - just try something else.

There are also other work from home companies, where your commissions come from the people you sign up and how much they buy.  For me I feel happier selling a product than a commitment, but for some people these work well.  My only tip would be to make sure you respect your friends and if they are not interested leave it alone and move onto someone else.  No-one likes someone who won't take no for an answer.

All these work for some people - as any small business does.  There are success stories that inspire as well as many people who tried and didn't make it work.  I say just be sensible, but give it a go and find what works for you.  Working from home is not easy with young children (guaranteed they will cry just as the phone rings) but if you handle it well it can work - and when it works well it keeps everybody happy.