Work-From-Home Job Spotlight: Online Juror

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


Position: Online Juror

Education: None required. However, you must be 18 years of age or older, not a lawyer or in the insurance business, have no felony convictions, be a U.S. citizen.

Skills: The ability to fill out forms online and respond to mock trial information.

Job outlook: More attorneys are turning to online mock jury companies to conduct pre-trial research. The job possibilities in this field are growing. Mock jurors can make between $10 and $100 per case, depending on the length of the mock trial.

Possible employers: There are a host of online companies that employ fake jurors, including JuryTest.net, eJury.com, OnlineVerdict.com and TrialJuries.com.

Preparation: Register with as many of these online sites as possible.

Get your foot in the door: Be ready to be available when contacted for a mock trial. Until next time,

Sarah

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Marketing Your Home-Based Business: Referrals

The eighth way you can market your home-based business is with referrals. Referrals are the lifeblood of any business, home-based or not. Referrals from current customers to their family and friends can boost your business and reputation.


Some ways to ensure you will get stellar referrals from your clients include offering the best possible customer service as possible and providing the best product or service as possible. Also having a system in place to promptly deal with any problems or concerns can help spread positive news about your business.

Even if your business isn’t one that traditionally has lots of interactions with customers, referrals can be an important way to grow your client list. As a freelance writer and editor, I’ve gotten several projects as the result of referrals from current or previous clients.

Consider offering your clients incentives for referrals. For example, my website designer offers free website update time for new business referred by a past or current client. Our local swimming pool gives current members $50 for each new stockholding membership sold via member referral.

Referrals can be an easy, cost-effective marketing way to increase your business.

Until next time,

Sarah

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Work-From-Home Job Spotlight: Concierge

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


Position: Concierge

Education: No formal education required.

Skills: The ability to handle phone, email and online customer inquiries on a variety of topics and services.

Job outlook: Varies, but companies are once again hiring concierges as an employee perk, and with employees having to work longer hours, using a concierge to help with personal errands could be on the upswing.

Possible employers: VIPdesk and Potomac Concierge are two online businesses that employ virtual concierges. Try large area businesses, such as medical offices, to see if they are interested in offering your services as an employee benefit.

Preparation: Brush up on your online research skills. Make sure you have a reliable high-speed Internet service, a computer and cell phone or landline.

Get your foot in the door: Apply to one of the above mentioned companies. Contact companies with tiered packages geared to all levels of income. Even if the company doesn’t hire you, ask if you can leave flyers or brochures in the company lounge or lunchroom.

Until next time,

Sarah

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Marketing Your Home-Based Business: Case Studies

The seventh way you can market your home-based business is with case studies, which can expand beyond scientific applications. You can find out a lot about your products or services and how customers use them.


Team up with your local college or university’s marketing department to conduct the case studies. Many times, the departments are looking for ways to give their students real-world experience and your case study could be beneficial to both parties.

Write a list of things you want the case study to discover, such as how your product is used, what are the positive and negatives of the product, and what improvements the product needs. Be thorough and explicit in order to develop the best case study possible.

Work closely with whomever is conducting the case study to gleam information as it goes on. Be willing to hear the good and the bad, keeping in mind that all of the data will help you with your product development.

Case studies aren’t for every business, but it could help yours reach new heights.

Until next time,

Sarah

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Work-From-Home Job Spotlight: On-Call Nurses

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


Position: On-Call Nurses

Education: A RN degree, plus up-to-date certification is required.

Skills: The ability to dispense information on medical conditions, medication reactions, disease management and health care options.

Job outlook: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) says job opportunities for registered nurses is “expected to grow by 22 percent from 2008 to 2018.” The home health care services for RNs is projected to increase 33 percent, according to the BLS. Check out the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook for more details.

Possible employers: Companies like Fonemed.com and McKesson.com hire nurses to take phone calls. Also check with insurance companies, as some of those have special services, like maternity care hot lines, that need RNs.

Preparation: Make sure your nursing credentials are up-to-date. You’ll likely need reliable high-speed Internet connection, a computer and a landline. Being reachable is key to this business.

Get your foot in the door: Apply online at the above companies. Send your resume to local insurance companies or area hospitals asking about phone-based employment.

Until next time,

Sarah

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Marketing Your Home-Based Business: Press Releases

The sixth way you can market your home-based business is with press releases. Sending a press release to a news organization can generate positive coverage of your business, event or product.


Make sure you have news that will interest readers. For example, appropriate press release topics include the launch of your new business, or your involvement with a local charity or an event that’s open to the public.

A press release should answer the questions who, what, where, when, why, and sometimes how. The headline should tell what’s in the release, and the first sentence should give more details. Don’t make the reader guess what day your event will be held or the name of your business.

Press releases do not need to be clever but they should be grammatically correct. Read your press release over carefully before sending it out, enlisting the help of family or friends to make sure it’s as accurate as you can make it.

Check the masthead (the listing of the editors and writers of a print publication) or online staff listing to see who should receive your release. When in doubt, call or e-mail the editor or managing editor to ask to who should receive the release. Getting your release into the right hands can help ensure your release is read and not ignored.

Find out the publication’s deadline. Most provide general guidelines for calendar or event listings, as well as due dates for copy to be considered for those sections. Follow the guidelines, as sending the information exactly as requested will be much appreciated by the editor or writer.

If you don’t have anything newsworthy to write up in a press release, offer your services as an expert. Send the appropriate editors a brief bio and a list of topics on which you could provide quotes or background information.

Many newspapers—both large and small, print and online editions—are cutting back on staff reporters and are looking for authoritative outside sources. Submit articles for free that relate to your business. For example, if you have a pet-sitting service, write an article about how to teach a dog to heel properly. If you have a catering service, write an article about how to prepare a simple but elegant Valentine’s Day dinner for two. I recommend not even mentioning your business in the body of the article at all; just put it in your author bio.

The most important thing to remember when working with the media is to stay on topic, keep focused and provide newsworthy content. Let your expertise speak for itself.

Until next time,

Sarah

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Work-From-Home Job Spotlight: Culinary Consultant

Each Thursday, I highlight a work-from-home job or business.


Position: Culinary consultant

Education: While not required, a degree from a culinary school would be helpful.

Skills: The ability to cook and bake well, especially with an emphasis on a particular cuisine, such as French or Asian.

Job outlook: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) says “the enjoyment of eating out and a preference for ready-made meals from a growing population will cause employment of cooks and food preparation workers to increase, but slower than the average rate for all occupations over the 2008–18 decade. Check out the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook for more details.

Possible employers: A few companies like Chefsline.com employ home-based consultants, but also try gyms, diet centers, supermarkets and gourmet food shops.

Preparation: Consider taking some refresher cooking classes, especially if you want to specialize in a particular cuisine. Practice a few recipes to wow potential clients and create menus so that you can be ready to go.

Get your foot in the door: Visit the above site to see what specific requirements are needed. Visit businesses listed above to see if you could do a cooking demo on trial. Drop off sample menus at those businesses or volunteer to cater their next office party, asking them to pay only for the cost of the food to get started.

Until next time,

Sarah

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