Work-From-Home Job Spotlight: Telemarketer

Each Thursday, I’m highlighting a work-from-home job or business.


Job Description: A telemarketer place calls for companies and organizations to get contacts to book appointments, get donations, or purchase a product or service.

Education: None required beyond a high school diploma or equivalent.

Skills: A pleasant phone manner and ability to remain unruffled when talking to upset customers. Cold-calling and customer-service experience a plus.

Job outlook: While the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn’t see a bright future overall for telemarketing, for those who wish to work from home in this field, there will be more opportunities as more companies and organizations are outsourcing their cold calls to third parties. These third party companies hire full-time and temporary employees, many of whom work from home.

Possible employers: Companies that hire at-home telemarketers include Intrep.com, Telemarketingfromhome.com and West.com. Also search online job boards for home-based telemarketing positions but do not pay for leads.

Preparation: Invest in a hands-free headset that connects to your phone. Make sure you have a high-speed Internet connection and working computer.

Get your foot in the door: See if some of the above companies will offer a two- or three-week trial period to see if telemarketing is a good fit for you.

Now available on Kindle and Smashwords: HomeWork, which gives details on 50 at-home jobs or businesses.

Until next time,

Sarah

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Minimizing Workplace Distractions

Working from home can have its distractions. Here are a few ways to minimize your distractions at home while you're working.

Turn off or set to voice mail all phones.

Close out of email programs and de-activate any email notifications.

Exit all web pages, unless you need to access specific ones for work.

Keep outside noise to a minimum by having the children play in another room, etc.

Prioritize your to-do list and tackle the most pressing things first.

These might seem like simplistic ways, but by following these simple ideas, you can keep focused on the work at hand.

Until next time,

Sarah

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Work-From-Home Job Spotlight: House Cleaner

Each Thursday, I’m highlighting a work-from-home job or business.


Job Description: A house cleaner cleans the homes of clients to the client’s specifications.

Education: None required.

Skills: The ability to clean and manage the interpersonal relationships with clients.

Job outlook: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) says that “the number of building cleaning workers [which includes house cleaners] is expected to grow by 5 percent from 2008 to 2018, more slowly than average for all occupation.” However, most urban areas, especially larger cities, that have dual-income families will likely see more opportunities for house cleaners. Check out the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook for more details.

Possible employers: Ask family and friends for recommendations. Contact home healthcare companies to see if they recommend house cleaners to their clients. Try churches or other nonprofits that work with the elderly or dual-income families.

Preparation: Make sure you have working cleaning equipment. If you want advertise yourself as a “green cleaner,” make sure all your products are all natural, nontoxic or organic. Sign up for insurance, as this is a must for house cleaners. Also consider getting a background check and police record, so you can show potential clients your clean background. Draw up sample work orders that include what you will clean in each room and also “special” cleanings, such as deep cleanings or spring cleanings.

Get your foot in the door: Donate a house-cleaning to a local charity or school auction in your area. Put an ad in your local newspaper offering half-price cleanings to the first 10 respondents.

Now available on Kindle and Smashwords: HomeWork, which gives details on 50 at-home jobs or businesses.

Until next time,

Sarah

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Winners of HomeWork Announced

I'm happy to announce the two winners of my ebook, HomeWork: Laura F. in Fort Worth, Texas, and T. Smith in Decatur, Ga. Thanks to all who subscribed to At Home News, my free, monthly e-newsletter, over the past few weeks, and congratulations to Laura and T!

Until next time,
Sarah

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Work-From-Home Job Spotlight: Herb Seller

Each Thursday, I’m highlighting a work-from-home job or business.


Job Description: A herb seller grows, cuts and sells herb plants and cuttings to consumers, businesses and restaurants.

Education: None required.

Skills: The ability to grow healthy, vibrant herb plants.

Job outlook: Opportunities abound for those with a green thumb in herb growing. More people and businesses, such as restaurants, caterers and bakers, want fresh and freshly dried herbs. Demand varies depending on local need and population density.

Possible employers: Try area restaurants, which are looking more and more to locally sourced ingredients. Also, local businesses that might be interested in fresh herbs include caterers, bakers, meal-preparation facilities, and cafeterias (company, schools and government).

Preparation: Bone up on the best herbs to grow in your area’s climate. Read books like Growing & Selling Fresh-Cut Herbs by Sandie Shores for specific details on becoming a seller of herbs.

Get your foot in the door: When contacting area restaurants or other companies, bring in small samples of herbs to leave with them. Be sure to leave business cards tucked into the bunches.

Now available on Kindle and Smashwords: HomeWork, which gives details on 50 at-home jobs or businesses.

Until next time,

Sarah

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Time Management

My September At Home News e-newsletter focuses on tips on managing your time, which is especially important when working from home. Distractions from housework, friends and children can derail our at-home work.

New subscribers to At Home News can be entered in a contest to win one of two free copies of my new ebook, HomeWork, which gives information about 50 real at-home jobs and businesses. The contest ends September 15, so sign up today at the newsletter tab.

Until next time,
Sarah

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Work-From-Home Job Spotlight: Graphic Designer

Each Thursday, I’m highlighting a work-from-home job or business.

Job Description: Graphic designers work with a variety of media to develop visual communications, such as brochures, flyers, presentations, books, newsletters, magazines, publications, etc.


Education: A bachelor’s degree in graphic design is essential.

Skills: Experience in a variety of desktop graphic design software is a must.

Job outlook: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) says that “employment of graphic designers is expected to grow 13 percent, as fast as the average for all occupations from 2008 to 2018, as demand for graphic design continues to increase from advertisers and computer design firms.” However, competition for these jobs is growing fiercer. Check out the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook for more details.

Possible employers: Associations, organizations, and state and local governments are likely candidates for needing graphic designers.

Preparation: Make sure your computer software is up-to-date and that you’re well-versed in using it. Take a refresher design course at the local college or university if you’ve been out of the business for a while.

Get your foot in the door: Let former co-workers, friends, and family know you’re available for work. If your portfolio needs updating, volunteer to design a brochure or presentation for a local nonprofit for free or a greatly reduced rate.

Testimony: Before starting out as a freelance graphic designer, Martha from Springfield, Va., talked over the basics with her husband. “We needed to determine the purchase price of computer and office equipment and to designate a work space for me within our house. We also considered taxes and what my fee structure should be based on the market rate for someone at my skill level,” she says. “God has enabled me to enjoy this type of work and has provided clients who support me as a mother and designer.”

Now available on Kindle and Smashwords: HomeWork, which gives details on 50 at-home jobs or businesses.

Until next time,

Sarah

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Win a free copy of HomeWork, ebook edition!

Want leads and testimonies of 50 real at-home jobs or businesses? Then check out HomeWork, my new ebook available in Kindle and Smashwords (Nook, and other e-readers) format.

From now until Sept. 16, I'm running a contest and will giveaway two free copies of HomeWork in either Kindle, Smashwords or PDF format to new subscribers to my free, monthly e-newsletter, At Home News. The newsletter covers different aspects of working from home and occasionally features interviews with women who work from home.

Sign up with a legitimate email address under the Newsletter tab, and your email address will be entered into the drawing. Two email addresses will be chosen randomly and winners will be announced the week of Sept. 19 on this blog and by email.

I never share email addresses and only use the addresses to send my monthly e-newsletter.

Until next time,

Sarah

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Work-From-Home Job Spotlight: Garage Sale Organizer

Each Thursday, I’m highlighting a work-from-home job or business.


Job Description: A garage sale organizer works with homeowners and estates to hold yard/garage and estate sales. A yard or garage sale is generally held by the current homeowners and is limited in scope, while an estate sale is usually done by an executor or heirs and pertains to the entire household contents.

Education: None required.

Skills: Experience in advertising, sales, and marketing helpful.

Job outlook: More people are looking to earn extra cash by holding yard/garage sales, and with the aging population, more are also turning to experts for help in estate sales.

Possible employers: Your neighbors and those living in the surrounding area. Also consider teaming up with estate attorneys to offer your services.

Preparation: If you don’t normally go to yard sales, start heading out Saturday mornings to get a feel for what people are selling and for how much. Research used furniture prices by checking Craig’s List and any retail resale shops. Get a list of experts together that you can call on for appraisals in specific areas, such as jewelry, furniture, artwork, etc., especially if you focus on estate sales when then goods are likely to be worth more. Set up a website advertising your services and print business cards to hand out to friends, neighbors, etc.

Get your foot in the door: Offer to run a neighbor or friend’s garage sale at a discount rate to get started. Make sure you have flyers or business cards on hand to give to customers at the sale to advertise your business.

Now available on Kindle and Smashwords: HomeWork, which gives details on 50 at-home jobs or businesses.

Until next time,

Sarah

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