Just a few years ago, the idea of working online seemed more of a flight of fancy than anything. After all, how could you possibly do business without being face-to-face with your customers or employer? Well, you can not only do business, but you can also do it well, all from the comfort of home. If you’re out of a job, don’t despair, there are plenty of opportunities waiting for you.
Today on The Influencer Age, we hope to influence your decision to take your financial future into your own hands.
Types Of Remote Work
In the world of remote work, your options are virtually unlimited. Just a few things you might find with a quick search online include:
- Call center representative. There are nearly half a million call center representatives in the United States and many hundreds of thousands more abroad. As a call center representative, you will take or make inbound or outbound calls and provide customer service for your company. This might include helping people with returns or troubleshooting common issues.
- Web developer. Web development is slated to grow approximately 13% between now and 2028. And, you don’t necessarily have to have a college degree to land a job in the field. Approximately 23% of all web developers don’t. As a web developer, expect to make between $44,000 and $111,000, and you can work from home.
- Teacher. Virtual teachers are also in demand, and, if you have a teaching degree, you can work for many online organizations that allow you to teach English to students outside of the United States. You might also choose to teach music, arts, or anything else that you have experience and expertise in.
- Virtual assistant. A virtual assistant helps business owners and other busy executives answer phone calls, check emails, plan travel, and do other administrative tasks. Think of yourself as their digital right hand.
- Transcriptionist. As a transcriptionist, you might spend your days listening to college lectures and typing them up for distribution. You might also type up meeting minutes or listen to any number of audio recordings that need to be transcribed into text.
Home-Based Business Basics
Just because there are lots of jobs out there doesn’t mean you have to work for anyone else’s time clock. You also have the option of starting your own business at any time. You might open an e-commerce shop (more on that in a moment), consulting firm, or even work as a freelance social media manager. No matter what you choose to do, start by forming a business structure. This is usually an LLC, which stands for limited liability company. It sounds complicated, but with a bit of research, you can form your LLC online based on your local state guidelines. Your LLC separates you as an individual from your business, so you have a strong layer of protection against financial losses incurred by your company.
A special note about e-commerce: it’s insanely competitive. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t make your mark. Start by finding your niche, which is advice Influencer Age has shared before. Next, make sure that your online presence is strong. A solid foundation for this is a great logo. Unfortunately, hiring a graphic designer can get expensive, you can use an online logo creator to design or redesign your graphics to make a lasting impression. Your logo should be consistent between your website, social media, T-shirts, and other promotional materials. This will ensure that you stand out from the competition. When you design your marketing materials yourself, make sure to use a style that reflects your business and choose your fonts and other elements wisely.
Office Essentials
Whether you choose to work for yourself, as a freelancer, or as a traditional remote employee, you have to have an office that sets you up for success. This includes:
- Having a quiet space. Even though you’re sharing your home/business with your family and pets, your office should be quiet, clean, and functional.
- Choosing the right internet. Online jobs require a strong connection. According to Frontier, your livelihood depends on the quality of your internet. Check with your local cable provider to see if they offer fiber-optic service, which tends to be the fastest and most reliable.
Are You Ready for Remote Work?
Now that you understand the fundamentals of working from home or starting your own home-based business, it’s time to evaluate yourself. A few qualities of those who are most likely to succeed in a remote work environment are:
- Self-starter. You won’t have someone watching you walk through the front doors each morning. This means you still have to get up on time and be ready to go when your customers need you.
- Disciplined. Just because you’re home does not mean that you can take a two-hour lunch break to get caught up on last night’s episode of Survivor. Work during the times you are supposed to work so that you can enjoy your home life that much more.
- Focused. There are distractions everywhere (laundry, kids, Amazon deliveries); learn to ignore these, so that you can keep your focus on work.
- Organized. Being organized is crucial to any career; learn how to make lists and utilize online collaboration and productivity tools.
- Resourceful. You may not always have access to everything that you would in a brick-and-mortar location. You must be resourceful. For example, if you need to have a meeting, you might have to hang a bedsheet behind you to hide the laundry piled up on the bed.
- Honest. Autonomy requires honesty beyond anything you might need at an office. You must be honest with yourself as well as your employer/customers about when you’re available, what you’re doing, and how you plan to get it done.
Further, you’ll need to be able to follow guidelines and manage your time well. Although working from home is more flexible than spending 40 hours in a cubicle each week, it’s still work. The scenery may be different, but you still have a job to do, and you have to get it done.
The world is way more accepting of remote employment than it was just a few years ago. And, while we have the pandemic to thank for that, it’s technology and human perseverance that will ensure remote work continues to thrive. Remember, you don’t have to be satisfied being unemployed, and it’s possible to work where you are, you just have to be driven to do it.
