Everyone wants the easy buck but that just doesn’t exist.
Does it really matter what business work?
I don’t think it’s that people want the easy buck. I think it’s that people are skeptical because of so many internet scams.
The fact is that very, very few people, relatively speaking, are making money on the internet (or at home businesses). Lots of people try, but very few succeed, and those who succeed can’t really teach us anything. Internet fame is as mysterious as celebrity fame.
Most online business gurus who want to teach you how to make money online are basically just teaching how to write a book that teaches people how to write book etc. The gurus themselves who make money only do so because they created videos or PDFs and sell those.
I’m disillusioned by these gurus because they really aren’t creating any tangible good for people. They have digital products to sell which is not an industry everybody wants to be in. Some people are in the business of actually selling actual things, or in services business where they personally provide helpful services to real people.
Not everybody wants to create a sales business of PDFs and videos or try to become an online guru.
Many home business ideas revolve around the idea of guru status. You teach people some subject, you show people how awesome you are. I don’t believe I’m much of a guru in anything so I’m not terribly interested in trying to become one on the Internet.
I like creating real value, selling quality stuff, helping people’s lives. I don’t know many businesses that are like that you know? I don’t want to resell crap Alibaba stuff on ebay. I don’t want to setup some useless dropshipping clone website for selling women’s clothing.
Anyway, it’s an interesting journey trying to find a business you can get behind, grow, love, and feel good about.
I had an aunt-in-law that made stained glass art.
I have an uncle that used to make fishing lures.
They were hobbies they enjoyed, did the work at home, when time allowed and they felt inclined to to do it.
Neither made much money, more “extra income” than “pay the bills”, but this was before the internet became big and they only sold locally to friends and by word of mouth.
I have little doubt that were they doing so today and had websites they could have done more business
This kind of takes me back about 10 years ago where I’ve had spare time and when craigslist wasn’t filled w/ scams. I just listed ‘Java Tutorial’ for $25/hr and I’ve gotten many calls where I actually landed on 18 month weekend part-time job at $50/hr. I’m not sure how safe it is to use craigslist anymore… I don’t think I would even put contact e-mail.
Going a bit off topic… I once had a IT Architect called to get understanding of Java Technology… I’m not kidding… He basically read off the document and asking various ‘embarassing’ questions that any IT Architect should know… Even asks my opinion on how they should solve the issue… Back then I was only Junior developer
I’m renting a room from some random person on there, and aside from the massive amount of people coming and going (I’m thinking drugs), and the bad neighborhood…it’s not bad.
Perhaps I got lucky.
I’d say you got lucky… Craigslist is nothing but landmines of scams. I’m sure there are legitimate one’s but you have to be very cautious. Would I be doing Java Tutorial today? Heck no.
I have a hard time believing anybody today would come over for paid lessons on HTML or PHP or Photoshop or whatever. Mostly because of the vast world of free online training. Just Youtube alone puts that business idea out of the question.
Who knows, maybe people really do still buy one on one training?
Maybe you could do a pro bono intro workshop at your local senior center or library and find some that might be interested in learning more at an hourly rate?
I would if it was a respected member of the field. If it was just some random “professional”…yeah no.
Eric Meyer? I’d get training from him. He’s hardcore into accessibility nowadays so it’d be perfect…
People like 1 on 1 or even class based learning. But you’d probably be better off screencasting and skyping. You can’t ask a YouTube video a question.
It’s pretty big business. I know in-class classes for Java or .NET start at around $2000 for a 3 day workshop.Then you also have all these bootcamps that are getting pretty popular, but most of them make promises of high starting salaries. I’ve heard of some even promising 6 figures (in places like NYC though).
Screencasting to a large audience is actually pretty popular right now too. Here’s a pretty good recent article: Thousands of People Are Watching This Guy Code a Search Engine.
You can always make a blog. Its take like only 2-3h in day but benefits are cool. I have made news blog for poles in the UK. Its always give me like 20$ per day. Its not much but its always something:)
It might be a long shot but have a look at www.heartinternet.co.uk, it is a legit service.
Basically you pay £30 a month and you can host unlimited websites on unlimited bandwidth/space for whatever you charge. You could basically host 10000 websites for £30 a month and charge £5 a month per website. Obviously the numbers won’t go that high but its something to look into, as once you get over £30 a month you are earning money, and you really don’t need much labor.
Good luck!
Hi Zackw,
Do you want to start your online Business or home based offline business ?
There are many business ideas which you can start from home .
Like you can start your own cleaning business ,
You can start your own Home Based Call center
or You can start pet services , grass cutting sevices, or many more are there
Hi @zackw, I suggest you to take up blogging. Make a multi-niche blog, you handle the technical part related to SEO, CMS management, etc. And let your wife write articles for the blog.
Promote it and launch a great website where your wife is writing about family, health and teaching. On the other hand, you can also have another niche which interests you that is Tech.
Once your blog starts getting consistent traffic, start to apply monetization techniques like apply for Adsense, put up Ad banners, etc. After you master monetization, launch products like e-book, an online course, etc.
I hope this helps.
~ Rohan.
P.S. I am a blogger
Hi @zackw, I have two things to offer. First, my wife and I are in a similar position to you (I think). I’m a full-time home-based web guy. I do anything and everything web-connected: code, design, content, hosting (reseller, I don’t run my own servers), domain names, SEO, email newsletters, you name it. I’ve been doing that for over 10 years. My wife is a writer and editor: she ghost writes books, edits magazine articles, proofreads, takes over dud writing projects to turn them around, anything with words. We make a decent living. I have a portfolio of web clients I’ve built up who depend on me now. My wife has worked with every book publisher in Australia and has built a rep for getting it done. What we each do is other things on the side to support that. For example, I worked 20 hours a week for SitePoint for a few years. Key point: it took years to get to a “decent” living. And is was always about doing what we each want do, and doing other stuff to support that. The second thing is some friends of ours, who both had full-time jobs and started designing baby clothes on the side and selling them on the web. They developed a design aesthetic that stood out, and gradually that business got bigger, and now that’s all they do. Key point: it took years. I guess what I’m saying is that it can be done, but you have to find a point of difference - whatever you’re doing - and it takes years for it to become a meaningful contributor to the family income. If you put that in, it can become your default job, and you can make a fair living. A couple of people here have skirted around what I think is the key point for you: what do you want to do, what do you have to offer, what sets you apart from others? The means to do it is there, no matter what it is, but if you don’t have the passion for it, even a s sideline, it won’t go anywhere. That was longer than I intended. Hope it helps.
Hello TobyHall2000,
I am not agree with you with custom skins for phones. There are already many. He need an idea with very little competition
I thought exactly the same after posting it, I’m not great at ideas.
Would suggest being an affiliate for a vaping website like epuffstore have made like 3 thousand in 2 months which is not the best, but at least its something.
I’d be interested to know how your wife finds those gigs. Does she go through some agency or something? I suppose my wife could also freelance things like editing and proofreading and such, but where to find the work?
I do side jobs and websites but the income/work ratio is really odd. Maybe I’m paid $500 for a simple WP setup with 8 or 10 common pages. But based on how long it takes the client to ever figure out what he wants, write the content, etc, it’s like dragging along for months before finishing. I don’t like getting paid $500 on the spot and then carrying the job around like a boat anchor! I want more regular work that completes faster, if that makes sense.
Anyway thanks for sharing!
I don’t smoke, so hard for me to promote it! Also I don’t have any websites with enough traffic to generate any decent income from affiliate promotions.
I know affiliate stuff is big business for online companies, but of course I need a website with some level of traffic to pursue that. In fact, I don’t like advertising and would not want to promote anything I don’t personally use and vet for quality. So I don’t like blind blanket affiliate marketing as a matter of conscience.