These days, everyone
wishes they could have the freedom to work from home. And there are several
companies that are hiring remote employees. You go through training, set up
your computer and phone, and for the most part, deal with clients in the
comfort of your home office. There are some requirements to meet in order for
this to work. After all, you are working. You are being paid for your services.
You can’t slack off. You can’t have background noises distracting you and those
you are on the phone with. You have to be professional. But it comes with a
level of flexibility. And freedoms. You save money on gas since you don’t have
to drive to work. You save money on meals since you have your own kitchen to
use. These are great reasons to want to work from home.
Since I lost my job, I
have been trying to get into working freelance. Editing, proofreading, offering
suggestions and even writing. I've done this as a side job here and there for
friends as well as for free for even closer friends and family. I take great
pride in what I do. The author I have done the most work for lately, turned my
eye to fiverr.com. You create a profile, list a gig, and
make bids to work for others. This sounds great. In theory. In reality, it
can be difficult. For starters, their website works with Firefox best. So don't
try to use other platforms (learned the hard way). Secondly, most job requests
I have seen are sellers asking for work rather than buyers asking for editors.
So the system is clogged with that. Out of 90+ requests, only 3 are actual
buyers. And the list of available editors is huge! Far more supply than
demand. The next problem you face is the fees. Say I sell something for $5, I
get $4. A job I do for $25, I get $20. So discouraging for the ones just
starting out. Upwork, bought out from
Elance, charges a 20% fee for everything you make.
Not worth it when your
starting price is $5. Plus, in order to transfer your earnings to your bank
account, PayPal, or a card they provide you have to pay another $1 fee. My
wallet feels raped. Then for Upwork, you can go with the free version and have
to use a credit system to "buy" jobs. Or you can purchase the
upgraded account that allows you more credits so you can "buy" more
bids.
There are benefits to
websites like these. Even if you consider sacrificing the money you made on a
couple transactions. You can build rapport with buyers. Then take your clients
outside the website. I had my author friend "purchase" and complete an
order for some things I edited for him through the website. This way, he could
leave me reviews. Then I can use those reviews as references for other clients.
Especially since this friend is International Best Seller, Mark Villareal. It
gives me a boost towards what I want to do long term.
Working from home is
noble. And something to strive for. But it isn't as easy as people think. A lot
more effort is required to make a living and truly make a name for yourself. You have to truly want it. Which is why I have decided to put more effort into creating a website that is user friendly. That other prospective clients will want to check out. And hopefully, I can start doing more of what I enjoy. At home.
It is a tuff time we are living in. Maybe 1 day you can just be a stay at home wife?
ReplyDeleteThat is my ultimate goal. But having a home-based business would be nice too.
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