Work-at-Home Jobs That Are Perfect for Apt. Dwellers

Have you made the decision? Are you primed to take the virtual job plunge?

It’s perfectly doable, even in a small apartment; overhead is low and there are no “industrial” noises emanating from a telecommuter’s apartment to bother the neighbors.

No factory or printing press equipment!

You don’t need a certificate or special training and you certainly don’t need a staff.

It’s just you and your computer – desktop, laptop or mobile device – and a telephone.

So what sort of expectations do you have about working from home? Do you anticipate that you’ll a) make loads of money; b) be your own boss; c) have the flexibility, time-wise, to be able to devote at least half a day to an avocation?

Well, let’s look at each idea and shed some light on your plans and dreams.

As far as a) is concerned – the making loads of money part – this is going to be POSSIBLE but not PROBABLE, especially at the very beginning.

You can pay your bills, yes, and eventually start to build a nest egg, but, at the outset, you will need to work six to seven days a week to set a foundation for your new business.

Or, if you want to sign on as a registered work-at-home agent with many of the customer call centers, say, you’ll have steady work but, again, you’re going to have to work long hours to bring in enough money to support yourself.

Your pay won’t be anywhere near what you’d make in a brick-and-mortar company, and you’ll be sans benefits.

Keep in mind that most freelancers or virtual agents need to pay their own taxes. If you don’t put estimated income taxes aside every year, come year-end and filing time, you’ll need to ante up the entire amount – or set up a payment schedule with the IRS.

On to b) – Yes. Definitely. Be your own boss…but don’t, please don’t, get lax. With the first month that you can’t meet your expenses, you’ll find yourself ruing that you did not discipline yourself to work a set amount of hours, pitching work and marketing your personal “brand”.

Now c), devote time to what you really love to do. May I suggest that you turn your passion into your job? Once you start parlaying what you do well AND what makes your heart sing, you WILL succeed. Time is of the essence, however.

Many work-at-homers don’t have the luxury of months of pre-paid rent, light, water, phone, car and credit card payments. THAT means you must promote your skill sets to those parties ready, willing and able to pay.

Make out a laundry list of what you do ultra-well. Do a bit of online research and decide what you’re going to charge.

Register with Upwork and Freelancer and trawl through sites like Craigslist and Blog.

Now let’s discuss the sort of jobs which are especially suited to size-challenged apartments:

 

• Party Managers – there are plenty of sites which will get you the start-up tools (check out wahm.com, for starters). Or you can market yourself (advertise in local papers; pass out mailers, etc.) to moms of school-aged kids in your area. Kids adore parties. You’ll be responsible for hunting down the amusement: a clown, a bearded lady, a magician or Mickey Mouse…AND the chips ‘n dips and refreshments, as well as party favors and game planning. Custom-made parties are quite popular – and all you need is a phone (no landline required if you don’t want one) and a mobile device. You can work from a full-size laptop or pc, too – as long as you can store data, schedule events, organize your lists of vendors, invoice and keep track of Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable. All can be done online.

 

• Personal Assistant or Errand Runner – This business excels in regions where there are elderly folks who may have lost their loved one and may need someone to drive them to the doctor’s; pick up their groceries and stand in line at the bank for them. Your tools? A car in good working order and a driver’s license, but your “office” can consist of a mobile device to keep track of who’s who and who needs what service provided and with what frequency. Your kitchen counter can be your desk.

 

• A Pet Sitting Service -Ideal for those who view our furry friends as almost human. You’d need to establish yourself as a person who’s good with animals, and word of mouth is all that’s required for marketing. Target a community where people vacation frequently. Their pets will benefit from being watched over by a knowledgeable, responsible and caring “animal person”. Since you’d visit your clients’ homes—sometimes three or four times per day –your work space would be limited to a scheduling corner – a kitchen calendar would do –with a phone. Some clients will pay by personal check; you’ll need a checking account, or at least a savings account. Or, if your clients are set up online, they can pay your sitting services that way (Paypal, etc.). Note: at times your duties will extend to providing food, feeding, walking, watering plants, picking up mail, turning lights on and off and even fixing the odd leaky toilet.

 

Other work-at-home jobs which are picking up popularity and which require a minimum of work space are: transcription services; call centers, typing services; computer repair and tutoring. Additionally, if you know a second language, you might teach ESL (English as a Second language)—or the second language itself.

Remember: think positively!