Homebased Freelance Transcription Work

Transcriptionists are independent workers who work from home transcribing recordings of interviews, telephone conferences, seminars etc.

If you enjoy doing transcription work, here is a great opportunity for you to earn the extra cash while working at home as a transcriptionist.

This site works well for those who are new to transcription work. It is free to sign up and once you have signed up, you will be invited to take a transcription test to be considered for work.

You will be paid $1 for each 6 minutes of audio transcribed. Payments are made through Paypal on a daily basis, and you will normally get your payment within 24 hours upon requesting it. Oh, and if you get accepted, you will be paid for the test file you transcribed as well.

So, if you are interested to become a home based freelance transcriptionist, just sign up here.

You might also be interested in:

1. Why Work At Home

2. Be Safe When Making Money Online

How To Set Up A Craft Consignment Shop

If you’re looking to start a home based business, why not consider a consignment business by selling arts and craft items to the public on a commission basis.

There are many people who enjoy making crafts but do not know how to make money out of it. They either do not know how to sell or are too embarrassed to market their own creations. So these crafters would welcome any service to help them market their creations. And with you taking care of the promotion, they can devote more of their time and talents in creating more products.

How to start your business?

1.         Do the paperwork

            Get a license for your consignment business. Any consignment business is subject to sales tax. Make sure that you gather all necessary legal paperwork required to start your business.

2.         Set up your consignment shop

            There are many places where you can sell your consigned crafts. You can either rent a small building space or set up a booth at a craft fair, or maybe sell them online or on eBay. Setting up an online consignment store helps you save on monthly rent. You can set up a free online store within minutes with Weebly.

3.         Determine your commission

            You need to agree on your commission for each sale of the product with your consignors, which is usually between 20% - 40% based on the actual selling price. The consignors do not get paid until a product is sold.

4.         Draw up a contract

Once you and your potential consignors have agreed on the figures that both of you are comfortable with, draw up a contract that both you and each of the consignors will sign. You may want to list down the following terms and conditions in your contract:-

-     the consignment commission percentage (x% to you and x% to the consignor)

-     the length of time to sell the product (like 30 days)

-     whether products can be returned if they are not selling or donated to charity at the end of the consignment period

-     how and when to pay the consignor

5.         Market your consignment business

Start advertising your business. Let people know about your new consignment business. Prepare flyers and distribute them to neighbours and friends. You may also want to consider starting a blog and write articles about the products that you are selling, Show pictures of products available for sale and post regular offers to highlight products within your shop. Direct them to your shop or online store.

Besides helping to sell other people’s crafts, you can at the same time create your own craft during your spare time. Don’t think that crafts are the only thing that you can sell when doing this type of business.  In fact, you can sell whatever products that are available and which are in demand in your area. Other product possibilities that can be included in your consignment business are antiques, stationeries and food products such as cookies, candies, chocolate, homemade jams etc.

You might also be interested in: 10 Homebased Business Ideas (Part 1)

Why Should You Start A Home Based Business

If you are one of the many who have the interest of starting a home based business, then read on to find out what are the benefits of starting a home based business.

Benefits of starting a home based business:

1.         Gaining Personal Freedom

            Having a home based business gives you personal freedom to do whatever you like. You can set your own deadlines and your own schedule of work and able to move around freely at your own time. You will also gain those extra hours for your own personal life. Besides that, there are no bosses to boss you around and no one to answer to. You have complete control of your own work and you can even take a day off whenever you want to.

2.         Convenience

You get to work in the comfort of your own home which is very convenient. You don’t have to leave the house very early in the morning and get caught in a traffic jam to and from work. You determine the amount of hours you want to work and at any time of the day.

3          More Time To Spend With Your Family And Friends

            With your home based business, you can now have more time to spend with your family and friends. This is probably the reason why so many people are now seeking a home based business opportunity. You can be very close to your loved ones and still get your work done. For a woman, she can stay home to raise her children and still earn an income.

4.         Save Costs and Expenses

It doesn’t cost much to start a home based business and some can even start with no initial capital at all. One great advantage is that you don’t have to pay for an office space when you can work from home for free. With that, you get to save on monthly rent. Moreover, with less traveling every day, you get to save on petrol and car maintenance. And with less money involved, you are able to drive your business to greater success.

5.         Keeping What You Earn

Running your own home based business lets you set your own fees/prices to keep up with the cost of living. Whatever you earn from your home based business, you get to keep 100% of the profit from all your hard work. The more hard work you put in, the more you will earn.

6.         Tax Benefits

            Many of the expenses incurred which involved running of your home based business are tax deductible. So in a way, you are able to save thousands of dollars a year on your tax bill which means more money in your pocket.

There are many more reasons to start a home based business but I hope I have given you some food for thought. All that is left now is for you to decide on what is the right business for you.

I wish you the best in your journey towards the perfect home based business for you.

You might also be interested in:
- How To Start A Home Tutoring Business
- 10 Homebased Business Ideas (Part 1)

Scam Alert

To some who has been working on freelance sites, here is a project which I believe was posted by a scammer on Freelancer.com.

“Hi,

I want someone to convert a pack of PDF files to word document. I want serious bidder. First you have to buy the pack. It is very confidential so I cannot give it to any one who is not serious.

The package cost is $10 (refundable).

You will get exactly 100 PDF files. The word count for each file is around 400. You have to manually type the contents of the PDF files in to word document and save the file name with exactly the same name used for the PDF files.

All the files are password protected. So you cannot use any software to complete the job (sorry for that). You have to manually do this.

You know well the maximum amount that I can pay. The time limit is 25 days.

After you buy the pack you have complete the job in 25 days. Don’t worry I will pay back $10 that you have used to buy the pack.

Happy bidding.”

By just reading the description of the work, it sounds as if the scammer is trying to trick the bidders to pay him $10, which I doubt is refundable and I don’t even think the bidders would get the package of 100 PDF files after paying the $10.

Of course there is a way to remove password protection from PDF files, even if the password has been lost. And even if anyone who really needs something typed out, then he should deliver the material free to the successful bidder. Asking bidders to buy the package, even with the promise of refunding it definitely sounds like a scam to me.

Please be advised not to bid for any job that requires payment.  The project creator should be paying the freelancers and not taking money from them. You can get jobs online without spending any money.

So, the next time you look for work on freelance sites, please be more alert as I’m sure you do not want to be a victim of scams.

You might also be interested in:

- Scams - Never Pay For Doing A Job

- Be Safe When Making Money Online

How To Start A Home Tutoring Business

Many parents want their children to be successful in school. They want their children to excel in the subjects that they study. Some students need coaching with various subjects that they are struggling with and parents often face difficulty in finding time to teach their own children. This is when parents will start looking for tutors who are skilled in those subjects and who can provide specialized training and guidance to their children.

Before starting a private home tutoring business, you need to ask yourself these questions:-

1.     Do you consider yourself to be a good teacher?

2.     Do you have the interest to teach?

3.     Do you have patience and willingness to help students improve their studies?

If you answer “Yes” to all of those questions, then starting this business is the right thing for you.

How to start your business?

1.     Choose the subjects that you are comfortable with teaching. If you are not sure about which subjects to teach, then you should pick the subjects that are popular in demand.

2.     Determine the age group that you want to teach.

3.     Determine the rate that you are going to charge your students. It could be depending on per subject or per hour basis. The rate will vary in accordance with the level of education of the students.

4.     Start promoting your business. Spread the word around to family, friends and neighbours of your new home tutoring business.

5.     Start distributing flyers or post an ad in your local schools’ notice board.

6.     Always keep yourself updated with the latest development in the subject you are teaching. It is advisable to use or refer to the textbooks that students use in their schools.

What are the benefits?

Setting up a home tutoring business is easy and the costs to set up are relatively low. Starting a home tutoring business does not only boost your income but gives you flexible working hours. Besides, you only need to work just a few hours each day and with that you get to spend more quality time with your family and friends. Even just the few hours of work each day, you can earn almost what others are earning working full day in an office. And the best thing is that you don’t need a teaching degree to become a tutor.

You may also be interested in:

- 10 Homebased Business Ideas (Part 1)

10 Hobbies That Could Make Money

If you are planning on starting a business and don't have a lot of money to invest in a full-time business, no need to worry. Just use your favorite hobby as the base of your business and grow from there!

A hobby is an activity or an interest that you enjoy doing in your leisure time and you can turn that hobby into a profitable business. Any business that you decide to do should involve the things that you love doing the most and that you are passionate about.

Here is a list of hobbies that can easily be turned into a money making business.

1.         Photographing

If you love taking pictures, then why not start your own photography business? Set up a small studio in your home or take photos at weddings or special events.

2.         Jewelry making

Most women are passionate about making jewelries. If you are one of them, then why not start a jewelry business? Etsy is a great site to sell all your handmade jewelries. Or perhaps you can create your own online jewelry store. Just add some good photos to your site and don’t forget to include the shipping charges in your pricing.

3.         Crafting

            Start selling your craft to earn an income. Or maybe hold a craft class to teach children or adult age groups who are interested in making crafts.

4.         Cross-stitching

            Sell your cross-stitch. There are people who don’t know how to cross-stitch but likes buying the finished work.

5.         Knitting

            If you enjoy knitting very much, why not start a home-based knitting business? You can sell the items that you knit or even teach your skills to others who don’t know how to knit for a minimal fee.

6.         Cooking

Love cooking? You can:-

-     start a home-cooked meal delivery service for offices;

-     start a catering business for special events such as weddings, birthdays, conferences and anniversaries; or

-     sell your recipes in a simple booklet or ebook form.

7.         Baking

            If you love baking cakes and cookies, you can:-

            -     start a home bakery business;

            -     hold a baking class at your own home; or

            -     sell your recipes in a simple booklet or ebook form

8.         Playing musical instrument

            So you like playing the piano or the violin or maybe the guitar during your free time. Why not give music lessons?

9.         Exercising

            If you have been going for aerobics classes every week, why not become an instructor/instructress? Get yourself certified and become a qualified trainer.

10.      Sports

            If you are good in sports or games such as badminton/tennis or like to work out at the gym, you can become a coach or you may even become a personal trainer.

So, if you think you are an expert at some of the things mentioned above and that you enjoy doing at home or outdoors, it’s time to make them pay off for you!

You might also be interested in:

- 10 Homebased Business Ideas (Part 1)

- How A Stay-At-Home-Mom Can Make Money During School Break

- How To Build An Online Store With Weebly

Scams - Never Pay For Doing A Job

So you’re looking for an online job and you came across one that says you can earn $500 a month by just doing a simple data entry job. But in order to qualify for that job, you need to buy a starter kit which costs you only $50 in order to start the job. If you buy now, it will cost you only $19.95 which means you get to save $30.05. Wow, isn’t that a good offer? So, are you prepared to buy the starter kit and start work immediately?

Okay, let’s just think about this for a moment.

• First of all, why should you need a starter kit for just doing a simple data entry job?
• Secondly, if you’re looking for a job, which means that you want to earn some money, why should you be paying a company to work for that company? Obviously they should be the one paying you instead.

Isn’t it obvious that they want to make some money out of you first? How well do you know the company? What’s the guarantee that you would get the job after buying the kit?

So my point is, in order to stay safe while earning an online income from home:-

1. Do a research first to check out whether the site/company is legitimate;
2. Never disclose your personal information;
3. Do not pay any fees for doing a job.

The easiest way to spot a scam is when the website asks you to make some payment to get a starter kit in order to start working for them. Many desperate-for-money people fall victims to scams these days. I hope that you will not be one of them!


You might also be interested in: Be Safe When Making Money Online

10 Homebased Business Ideas (Part 1)

If you’re thinking of starting your own homebased business, here’s a list of ideas to consider.

1.         Tutoring

You can start this business by tutoring students who need some coaching with their school work. This can be conducted at any child care centre or at the comfort of your own home or at the students’ home and you only need to spend a few hours each day. Besides, you don’t need a teaching degree to become a tutor.

2.         Sell your arts and crafts

If you are creative and don’t know what to do with your crafts, start selling them online. You can create an online store and be sure to add some good photos of your crafts.  You can also sell your crafts on sites like eBay or Etsy.

3.         Photography

If you think you have excellent skills in taking good pictures, why not start your own photography business? You can visit clients at their homes or, if you have space, set up a small studio in your home. People are looking for photographers for taking photos at weddings or special events.  All you really need is a good camera.

4.         Catering Services

There is a big demand for catering these days especially for events such as weddings, birthdays, conferences and anniversaries.  Being a great cook, you might want to consider starting your own catering services.

5.         Give cooking/baking lessons

If you are a food lover and have a hobby of experimenting new dishes, why not turn your hobby into a business? You can hold your cooking or baking classes at your own home. You can remodel your kitchen to accommodate a class of 5 to 10 students or maybe hold your class at the home of your students.

6.         Organizing programs/activities for children

You can organize activities for children around your neighbourhood, such as Arts and Crafts, Colouring Contest, Story-Telling, Sewing, Sports etc.  Team up with a few stay-at-home moms for added adult supervision for this activity.  You may want to prepare in advance in order to send out invitations or brochures to neighbouring children.

7.         Transport Provider

Some working parents may have trouble juggling with their work schedule and a need of such services to send their children to and from daycare centres, school, after-school activities or to other destination is required.  This is a good business if who enjoy being around children.

8.         Provide Child Day Care Services

This is good especially for those stay-at-home-moms and for someone who loves children.  As most parents are out working during the day, they have a need for someone to look after their child.

9.         Provide Accounting or Book-keeping Services

Every business must do accounting.  If you are comfortable with figures and have a degree or certificate in accounts, this will be a good opportunity for you.  Some companies may allow you to take home their books to work on while some may require you to go in to their offices.

10.       Write and sell your own e-book

Most people believe they do not have the ability to develop a topic and write an ebook. You have that ability if you can think, speak and read. The best thing about this business is that:-

-           you don’t need any capital investment

-           no inventory to stock

-           no production cost

-           no shipping cost

-           you deliver your ebooks via downloads

There you have it! Good luck in finding the right business!

You might also be interested in:
- How A Stay-At-Home-Mom Can Make Money During School Break
- 10 Hobbies That Could Make Money

How To Create EBooks Using Google Docs

Did you know that you can create your Ebooks using Google Docs? Google Docs is a great product. It is kind of like Microsoft Office and is made by Google and it has most of the basic tools that is similar to Microsoft Office. It is web based, so you can access it from any computer that is connected to the internet.

You can access Google Docs by logging into your gmail account and you can easily use Google Docs to write your eBooks for free. All you have to do is to simply create your documents using a document, a spreadsheet or even a presentation format, it is up to you.

Always remember to save your documents as often as you can just like you would in any Microsoft Office program. Of course, your documents will be auto-saved by Google Docs but it’s still good to regularly save it yourself.

Once your document is complete, simply go to the File menu and select Download as PDF and Google Docs will convert your eBook into a PDF format for you. Or if you already have your documents written in a Microsoft Office documents, you can always upload them into Google Docs and have them converted into PDF. That simple.

So, you don’t need to have to spend the extra cash on getting some fancy software to create your eBook. You can do it for free using Google Docs. Try it!

You might also be interested in: How To Write An EBook

Be Safe When Making Money Online

It is wise to be safe online when looking for a job. There are many online programs that let you earn an income online and there are some that takes your income away from you.

Here are some of the common ways that may cause you to lose money while working online:

1.         Scam sites

            “Home typing jobs”, “Home typing opportunity” or “Legitimate work-at-home opportunity” … you will see these advertisements many times while surfing the internet claiming that you can earn up to $500 a day doing home typing jobs. They will ask you to fill up a form and send it to them along with a registration fee. In a few days time, you will receive a starter pack with information containing a long list of companies that may be looking for a work-at-home typist. A job that promises to provide you with a steady and stable income with easy-to-do jobs that only requires a few hours of your time is most likely a scam.

2.         Not getting paid for work done

            Your employer doesn’t pay you after you have submitted your completed project to him. This will be a great disappointment to you as you have already poured out all your effort and time in completing the project and waiting to get paid. So, the next time you work on a freelancer site, make sure that your employer pays you in escrow before you start on a project.

3.         Big promises

            Some sites will make big promises to you but these sites are the ones which are likely to make you lose a lot of money.  Even if you did not lose your money, you have already lost so much of your time because it did not return what is promised to you after completion of your work. Never believe sites that make big promises. Most of these sites will usually ask you to pay a certain amount of money in order to start work.

You should try your best to avoid such sites and avoid getting scammed by others. If you are able to avoid these scam sites, then you will likely save a great deal of money and probably use your precious time to make money elsewhere.

You might also be interested in: Scams - Never Pay For Doing A Job

How A Stay-At-Home-Mom Can Make Money During School Break

If you are a stay-at-home-mom and have lots of time on your hands and are great with children, there is an opportunity for you to earn some extra cash during the school holidays just by entertaining the children in your neighbourhood. Use your imagination to churn up child-friendly projects that are both fun and educational for those children.

You probably may not know much about organizing such activities, so why not consider teaming up with a few other stay-at-home-moms for support and added adult supervision.

You may want to do some promotion at least a few weeks before the school holidays. Prepare and send out flyers or personal invitation letters to the children’s parents that you know in your neighbourhood. Include in your flyers or letters the list of things that you will provide and another list for items that the participants must bring.

Decide on the maximum number of children you and your team can manage comfortably and stick to that. Make a list of who is coming. A week before the activity, contact the parents either by phone or email to confirm the attendances of the participants.

Below is a list of activities you can consider organizing:-

1.         Arts and crafts

2.         Storytelling

3.         Colouring contest

4.         Sports/Games

5.         Board games

6.         Nature/Treasure hunt

7.         Reading competition

8.         General quiz competition

9.         Sewing (Cross-stitch, long stitch, patchwork and quilting)

10.       Learning Science/Maths

The amount to charge each participant depends on the expenses you incur on materials and the length of time the children would be under your care. Find out how much you need to break-even and then calculate your profit margin. It is best to keep your rates reasonable as you are dealing with children but don’t sell yourself short either.

The success of the activity depends mostly on your preparations. Most importantly is to have fun and to ensure that your young clients have a memorable school break!


You might also be interested in : 10 Homebased Business Ideas (Part 1)

Why Work At Home?

You probably have been asking yourself these questions many times:-

- Can I work at home and make money online?

- How can I make money online?

- How do I start making money online?

Many people are dreaming of being able to earn money at home. If you are one of the many people who are interested in working at home and making money from the Internet, please read on.

-           Can I work At Home And Make Money Online?

The answer is “Yes”. You can make money on the internet without ever investing a single cent from your pocket and you can do this at the comfort of your own home. Working online also gives you flexible time.

-           How Can I Make Money Online?

One of the ways you can make money online is to be a freelancer. A freelancer is a person or a professional who is not an employee of a company but does work for them on their own time and in their own locality.

You will be able to make money online by doing different kinds of online jobs such as simple typing, data-entry, copywriting, article writing, data-processing, web-designing and so on.

-           How Do I Start Making Money Online?

There are many different kinds of free online jobs available on websites. You have to register at these sites and start to look for any job that you can do.

The smart way to look for online jobs is to join only the freelance sites where you do not have to pay any membership fee.

So now that you know how to make money online as a freelancer, please remember that earning online is also like working at any office. There are Rules and Regulations on the websites that involve our work that we have to follow. Avoid doing any job that will violate the Terms of Service of any website.