Finding Companies that Hire
Lots of people would like to work from home without starting their own business. The reality is that unless you already have contacts with a company, few are willing to have employees working from home without some previous employment history. It is expensive for a company to set up the telecommunications system for teleworkers. It is much more cost effective for them to hire independent consultants or small business owners to outsource their additional needs.
You may have seen signs post at residential street corners that say you can make lots of money with your computer at home. Beware! The old saying “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!” is very pertinent here. Too many times you must pay for training or products that you can’t do anything with. In some cases, you are purchasing a kit that tells you how to set up your own ad in order for others to call you to buy this same kit. The Federal Trade Commission regularly investigates such companies and rules against them as legitimate opportunities.
So, where does that leave you? If you truly want to work from home, consider starting your own home-based business. It’s not easy – nothing worth doing is ever easy. But the rewards can be great. There are lots of resources to help you get started including the archives at the Small Business Advocate, books such as 101 Best Home-Based Businesses for Women by Priscilla Huff, Best Home Businesses for the 21st Century by Paul and Sarah Edwards, and Making Money With Your Computer At Home by Paul and Sarah Edwards. Don’t forget to check small business start-up courses at your local community college or Small Business Development Center.
The questions you should ask yourself include:
• What are my skills? What do I have a passion for? Is there a need for this as a business?
• Do I have the discipline to work from home? Do I manage my time well? Am I organized?
• How much income do I need/want? How quickly do I need to have an income?
• How much time do I have to devote to networking and marketing a new business?
If, after thinking this through, you find you don’t have the commitment to starting and operating a home-based business, the only option is to find employment in hopes it might become a teleworking position in the future.
