Follow this how to work from home process to get started on your side-hustle and transition to work from home success
I’m not going to lie to you and tell you that all is roses with work from home businesses. I’m not selling any get-rich-quick scams so I don’t need to sugar-coat anything.
It can take years to build up a steady income on your work from home idea and before you’re able to transition to full-time. It’s also not always smiles and sunshine. Some days can still be a pain when you’re facing a deadline or just can’t find the motivation to work.
Learn how to work from home though and you’ll find one of the most rewarding paths in life. You’ll be doing something you genuinely enjoy and will be in control of your own financial future.
What’s Your Work from Home Goal?
Is your work from home goal simply to tell your boss to shove it and be your own boss? Do you just want to take it easy and not work as hard as you do now? If your answer to either of these is yes, don’t quit your day job.
You’ll work harder on your work from home business than you ever did at a 9-to-5 gig. When you’re the boss, it’s all on you. If you don’t work, you don’t get paid.
If your work from home goal is to be happier and to be in control of your own financial destiny then keep reading!
You see, working from home really isn’t about where you work but what you do. It’s about building something of your own from the ground up and owning the future. Working from home is about finding what makes you happy and how you can make money doing it.
Where’s Your Work from Home Passion?
Finding your own work from home success story means a balance between that thing that you can be happy doing and make good money doing it. It’s a combination of your own passion, expertise and how to leverage the tips and tricks that we’ll talk about on the blog.
The idea that you can make a living doing anything is a little misleading. You’ll be surprised at the range of jobs you can do from home but it will be easier to get started and make good money in some work from home ideas.
Don’t limit yourself to the first thing that comes to mind. Spend a little time answering the questions below to build a list of ideas for things you enjoy doing and skills you do well. There’s going to be a lot of work from home opportunities that will fit with your list but might not be immediately obvious.
Start with your hobbies and your professional career.
- Do you really enjoy your professional career, what you do every day at work? Is there something else in the industry that you would enjoy more?
- What skills come naturally for you? Is there anything that people are constantly complementing you on?
- Did you go to college for something completely unrelated to your job? Would you be happier doing something in that field?
- What do you do for fun when you’re not working? What do you do to relax or re-energize your mood?
How to Work from Home Process
The best work from home success stories start slowly as a part-time side-hustle. It’s not to say that you can’t be successful leaving your day job immediately to devote yourself completely to your work at home gig. Working into your side-hustle slowly serves multiple purposes and can really help you avoid the worst financial risks in being your own boss.
Don’t worry about risking your day-job. A lot of bloggers start anonymously before ‘coming out’ with their blog after it can pay the bills completely.
Learning how to work from home first as a side-hustle will help:
- Build up your income stream to the stability you need to support your family
- Develop your own work schedule to use your time most efficiently
- Build a network of contacts from customers to assistants and other work at home people that can help you guide your success
- Understand what it really takes to be successful as your own boss without the risk of putting it all on the line
My own work at home story started in 2009 while working as an economist for the State of Iowa. I had prior experience as an investment analyst and started doing freelance analysis for local financial advisors and websites.
The work was sporadic at first as I built up a recurring client list. Some weeks, I would only have a few hours’ worth of work while other weeks would require 10 to 20 hours to write up a full report. I had always loved analyzing stocks and other investments and considered my freelance work more as a hobby than a job.
The turning point came in 2011 when I was invited to speak at a Bloomberg conference on emerging market investing as a panel expert. I talked with portfolio managers, bank presidents and even Peru’s Minister of Finance at the event. After that, my client list exploded and I knew I could make it a full-time work from home career.
I started writing for personal finance and investing blogs in 2012 as a way to expand my reach and opportunities. I enjoy writing and can put together a good article fairly quickly. Freelance blogging is a common path for a lot of work at home hopefuls. Helping other bloggers with articles, social media marketing and other tasks pays well and can be done in as little as five hours a week.
I went work at home full-time in 2013 with income streams coming from my freelance investment analysis and blogging jobs. I started my own blogs in 2014 to start building my own internet assets. Having your own blog is a great way to take ownership of your work and really start to create long-term success.
Last year (2016) was a huge year for me, tripling my work at home income by expanding into making money self-publishing and growing my blogs to more than 50,000 visitors a month. I’ve got even bigger plans for 2017 including developing new blogs and selling some video courses.
You’ve always got to be hustling and reaching for more when running your own work from home business and I’m excited to share my journey here on the blog. I want to hear your work at home stories and how you’re meeting the challenge.