Pour yourself a cup of coffee (or glass of wine), and keep reading. How to Make Money From Home in 2020 If you’re looking to make money online, you’ll need to exercise caution. There are a lot of. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the proportion of U.S. Workers who worked from home at least some of the time was about 25% in 2017 and 2018. In other words, roughly one in four employed Americans works out of a home.
There are myriads of ways you can make money from home these days, be it making some quick cash or building a sustainable long-term income source. The only limiting factor is your creativity and the amount of time and effort you’re willing to put in.
DISCLAIMER: There are no get rich quick schemes on the internet or anywhere for that matter, that are actually legal and work. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is, so be wary.
That said, here is a list of 15 legitimate ways you can make money from the comfort of your home.
1. Strart a Blog
This is still one of the most popular “work from home” ideas, one that has stood the test of time. Despite the growing popularity of video based content, a vast majority (77%) of internet users read blogs regularly. Unlike some of the other options on this list, you may not see immediate gains. It takes time and effort to build your blog’s reputation before you can consider monetizing. That said, it is still one of the best options to build a steady revenue stream. Blogs make money primarily by selling ads, promoting products or through affiliate marketing.
Start by picking a niche or a topic to blog about depending on your interests or expertise. You can blog about something you’re passionate about or something you’re good at. You can also use your blog to sell products or services online. Although it may feel like everything has already been said, you can still engage readers by publishing good content. Promote your blog on social media platforms and other avenues to increase it’s reach. Once you garner a steady audience base, you can monetize your blog.
You can get web hosting and a free domain from platforms such as Bluehost for as low as $3.95 and set up a professional looking WordPress blog in a matter of minutes.
2. Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing means promoting the products or services of an online retailer like say Amazon. Whenever the retailer makes a sale as a result of your promotion, you earn a commission. You can promote the retailer’s products or services on a blog, YouTube channel, social media sites and so on.
This is more of sub-category, since it requires a platform for you to actually promote such products or services. Done right, this is one of the best ways of generating a passive income. After the initial set up it can continue making you money without any intervention. You can choose from a host of reliable and profitable affiliate marketing programs online and start promoting their products.
There’s more than one way you can earn a commission:
- Pay per sale: You get a percentage when a sale is made.
- Pay per lead: You get compensated when you direct traffic to the retailer’s website and say sign up for a newsletter or download software
- Pay per click: You get paid every time someone visits the retailer’s website using your promotion link
Amazon associates, ShareASale and Solvid are some of the most popular affiliate Marketing programs.
3. Freelancing
Freelancing let’s you earn by completing a project for service seekers through online platforms. Depending on your skills and experience, you can do anything ranging from programming and marketing to video editing and graphic design. You can also take up relatively simple tasks like doing voice overs, that are not too technically demanding. Freelancer, PeoplePerHour, Fiverr and Upwork are one of the many freelancing websites you can choose from.
Start by setting up your profile on one of the freelancing platforms. Based on your skills, you can then choose from hundreds of jobs on the platform and start bidding. Make sure your submission is convincing enough to persuade the buyer to choose your offer. Once you get the job firm up all the details regarding the project and the buyer’s requirements beforehand to avoid any let downs later on.
You will usually be paid on a per-project basis after completing each project. Always aim for a five star rating since this will increase your profile’s reputation, making it easier to find more projects.
With an extensive online market, freelancing can be a very reliable passive income source if you are willing to put in the time and effort.
4. Take online surveys
Another way you can get paid is by taking online surveys or testing products and giving feedback. While some websites pay you others may offer free products or gift vouchers. There are many sites that pay you for taking surveys and an equal number that scam you into giving out your personal information. Make sure you only use legitimate platforms.
Some popular survey websites are Inbox Dollars, Swagbucks, Prize Rebel and Survey Junkie.
5. Review music
Imagine making money during your morning jogs or workout routines, listening to some tunes. Some websites offer up-and-coming artists a platform to showcase their skills. The artists are usually required to pay a nominal fee to have their music feature on the website. In return the websites draws in millions of first time listeners by paying them.
There are many websites that pay people to listen to and review music. All you need to do is sign up and start listening. You’re usually paid on a per track basis and the amount may vary depending on the number of tracks you listen to or the overall quality of your review. Here are a few such sites: Musicxray, Current.us, RadioEarn
6. Test websites
How many websites do you visit every day? You’ve probably noticed that while lot of them are be well-designed and easy to navigate, some of them may not be as good and result in a poor browsing experience. To avoid just that, webmasters and websites developers offer up beta versions of their websites on testing platforms to get feedback from end users like you and me. The testing platform then pays the end user for their feedback.
All you need is a computer and an internet connection. You will be asked to test websites and give feedback based on your experience. There are numerous website testing platforms that pay you. Some of them are UserTesting, TryMyUI, TestingTime and Enroll.
7. Become a Virtual assistant
A virtual assistant typically offers services similar to a conventional assistant like scheduling appointments, making travel arrangements, answering emails and so on. Bonus points if you good at social media marketing or blog writing since these can make your profile stand out, opening up more opportunities.
As opposed to a conventional assistant and a virtual assistant a has the luxury of working from home or outside a client’s office. You can set up profiles on freelance job sites like Fiverr and Upwork to find jobs. The money varies with the nature of the job and the number of hours you would be required to put in.
8. Online Tutoring
If you are you an expert in a particular field or are good at a particular skill, you can earn money as an online tutor.
You can become an online tutor on sites like Udemy and Skillshare after satisfying certain minimum requirements in terms of quality. You will be required to create a structured course on a particular subject, that is interactive and easy to follow. Beginner’s courses are the most popular among first time tutors, since you will only be required to impart a relatively rudimentary level of knowledge, as opposed to, say an advanced course. Listed below are the top 3 instructors on Udemy and their earnings to give you some motivation.
- Rob Percival has nearly 120,000 students and exceeded $2.8 million in total earnings.
- Victor Bastos has more than 52,000 students with his courses, which have earned nearly $900,000.
- Alun Hill’s courses have nearly 47,000 students and have earned about $650,000.
9. Review products
Although this may be more of a sub-category or a niche, it deserves a place of it’s own on this list due to the variety of platforms and avenues you can use to review products and the amount of money you can earn doing so. You can review products on your blog or by vlogging on platforms like YouTube.
The product review space is one of the highest paying long-term income sources online. Long-term because it will take time to make a name for yourself and gain credibility. This is one of the most profitable niches, ideal for affiliate marketing and product promotion.
‘Product reviews’ are also one of the most saturated categories on YouTube and other platforms alike. So you’ll have to get creative and establish your own style in order to stand out and engage your target audience. Find your own voice, so to speak.
Make sure your reviews are unbiased, honest and of good quality, so earn audience’s trust and keep them coming back for more. Once you gain popularity brands may also offer sponsor your videos or blog posts for getting the word out on their latest products and reviewing them.
10. Data Entry
Data entry gets a bad rep primarily because there are tons of scams on shady platforms, seeking to prey on unsuspecting job-seekers. These scams mostly involve convincing the applicant to pay some amount of money in order to get the job. As with everything else on this list, steer clear of any job offers that require you to pay in order to get them. Also know that your average data entry jobs do not fall under the “high-paying jobs” category, so if you see an offer that seems too good to be true double-check to make sure it’s the real deal before jumping in.
A data entry job typically will require you to enter data into a computer to digitize it. Most of these jobs involve digitizing ‘on-paper’ entries or paper-based records into databases. There are so many platforms that offer data entry projects like Upwork and Craigslist. You may also find jobs by doing a google search for “data entry jobs”, if all else fails.
These jobs can be easily handled from home with just a laptop and an internet connection. The amount of money you can make depends on how much time you can spare and how quickly you can enter information so you can move on to the next job. Good typing skills help.
11. Amazon Mturk
As defined by Amazon, MTurk is a marketplace for the completion of virtual tasks that require human intelligence. Human intelligence tasks or HITs is what Amazon calls these. These HITs or jobs are time-based, meaning there is literally a stop watch that starts as soon as you accept a job and you need to finish it before the timer runs, no pressure !
However these tasks are for the most part simple and allotted reasonable time limits for completion. This also ensures you don’t waste time on one task, especially if you’re a procrastinator like me 😐
Typical tasks include transcribing audio recordings, identifying objects in images or videos, researching data details, rating search results for relevant keywords, categorizing articles, text translation from one language to another and so on. You can usually find something suitable for your skill set and start accepting jobs.
Jobs on MTurk possibly have the lowest hourly rates of all the fixed-rate jobs on this list, averaging at around $2/hour. Although some Alpha-Turkers as they like to call themselves have managed to consistently make up to $1000 per month using browser extensions and software optimization.
12. Telemarketing
In order to qualify for this work from home job, all you need is a telephone, some basic communication skills and an above average tolerance for rejection.
If you are a telemarketer, people readily assume that you work for some shady outfit that’s trying to scam people. You will have get used to dealing with rude customers and getting hung up on 40 times a day without let it affect how you speak to other customers.
But the upside is that there is no set up cost and you usually get to set your own hours. It requires almost no experience. The pay is pretty decent for an entry-level job with no minimum experience requirement.
There are so many companies that prefer to outsource cold calling or customer service calls to agents or third parties. Most of these companies pay per hour while some of them offer commission or incentive-based returns based on your performance. You can choose from a long list of legitimate job offers from sites like Monster.com and indeed.com and start earning.
13. Watch videos/ Play games
You gotta love the internet. There really are sites that pay you to watch movie previews, video playlists or to take survey and play games. Some of these sites offer gift cards in return while others credit cash to your PayPal account. The earnings may vary depending on video type and length. You may be asked a few screener questions to be able to qualify for certain surveys. Based on your geographic location some sites may have a restriction on gigs or on membership all together. Here’s a list of few such websites: InboxDollars, Swagbucks, Mypoints.
These last 2 categories are slightly riskier than the rest, considering the fact that you will first have to invest money into them to see returns, if any. So, don’t let anyone force you into it, do your research and proceed with caution !
14. Invest in the Stock Market
Stock market investing can make or break your finances depending on how you approach it. As with any investment, since you’re putting your own money into this, there is always a risk involved. This risk can however be minimized through thorough market research.
Always do your own research before investing. Don’t buy a stock just because Warren Buffet has the same stock in his portfolio or because it is familiar to you, while expecting quick gains. Stock best thought of as buy and hold type assets, wherein you buy after thorough market research and stay invested for the long term.
Short term day trading is generally not recommended if you’re new to investing in stocks, since you really need to be in tune with the latest market developments and world events and how they affect the stock you own.
If you’d like to test your skills as a stock trader, without the risk, you can use the stock simulator on Investopedia. This way you can get your basics right before you actually start investing.
15. Trade Cryotocurrencies
Make sure you check the legality of buying and trading cryptocurrencies in your country before exploring this option.
Just like stocks you can day trade Cryptocurrencies, where in you buy and and sell after a short span of time when the price appreciates. You can also invest in cloud mining companies which mine cryptocurrencies, where in you get a share of the revenue generated depending on the amount you invested. Be very careful when considering this option since a lot of scams have popped up all over the internet
But for most people investing in cryptocurrencies in the broad sense means purchasing the currency in exchange for actual money, hoping it will appreciate in value in the future. But be wary, there is no concrete factor or a performance index that regulates the price, just pure market sentiment. This means that it is extremely volatile with potentially heavy fluctuations in price. Bitcoin and Etherium are some of the most popular cryptocurrencies.
The prospects for finding reliable ways to make money from home are expanding all the time.
Job seekers who do their research can find legitimate opportunities to work remotely that are neither suspect nor sketchy, and can provide part-time supplemental income or a full-time career.
While there are great flexible jobs across many industries, it may be helpful to home in on specific job sectors if your goal is to work virtually.
Having access to an up-to-date computer and a good Internet connection is essential, virtually without exception, to make money from home. You’ll also need a dedicated workspace and a good degree of discipline to stick to a schedule the works for you.
If you have the skills you need to work from home, scope out the best scam-free resources to help you find jobs that are a good fit. Of course, FlexJobs is the premier source for avoiding job scams in your search for hand-screened, work-from-home jobs that are fully vetted and verified.
The career fields below offer real jobs that can be done from home.
Note:
FlexJobs is a subscription service for job seekers that features flexible and remote jobs. With an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau, the monthly subscription costs allow us to fully vet and verify all of the jobs on our site—ensuring that customers have a safe and positive job searching experience.
15 Real Ways to Make Money from Home
(Click on a title to see open jobs in that category.)
1. Account Management
Account management jobs can be done from home as the main task involves managing client relationships. Account managers may use phone, email, and in-person visits to ensure company clients are happy and to upsell or cross-sell products.
2. Accounting and Finance
Accounting and finance jobs can provide a variety of options to make money from home. Bookkeepers, tax advisors, accountants, finance assistants, and more are some remote job options. These roles most often require experience in finance, and many can be completed 100% from home.
3. Administrative
Many teams and individuals seeking administrative assistance allow for the work to be done from home. Executive assistants, paralegals, administrative specialists, and program coordinators are some common remote job titles. Many of these roles only require a high school diploma.
4. Computer and IT
Computer and IT jobs are a shoo-in for remote work. These jobs can be done entirely remotely with their heavy reliance on computer work. Tech support and even technical writing are two great options to make money at home.
5. Consulting
Consulting provides great flexibility in how much you work and your work schedule. This role allows people to share their experience and knowledge with others to better their lives and business practices. They often utilize tools like job shadowing, surveys, and interpersonal studies to determine issues and suggest solutions and provide training or coaching.
6. Customer Service
Ways To Make Money From Home 2020 Uk
To make money from home in customer service, you’ll need a high school degree or the equivalent for many jobs. For some customer service jobs, a post-secondary degree or some college may be required. Customer service jobs from home involve using phone, messaging, email, and social media to answer customer questions and provide information and assistance.
7. Data Entry
Often working as part of a team, data entry professionals may be asked to log into a company’s database system to make entries or access data for other purposes. Depending on the employer and industry, a high school degree and additional certification may be the minimum education requirements.
8. English Teacher or English Tutor
You’ll almost certainly need at least an undergraduate degree to qualify for many online teaching jobs for K-12 online schools, universities, and other virtual education organizations. Remote teaching and tutoring jobs can be great to do part-time or as a side job, as many roles require just a few hours per week.
9. Marketing
The marketing field is ripe with remote jobs and ones that can be done on a project basis or part-time basis, making it an ideal way to make money from home. Marketing professionals promote and educate others on products and services. Working with online content, social media, and print materials are common for marketing jobs.
10. Medical Billing and Medical Coding
In an era of aging baby boomers and changing healthcare laws, medical coding and billing jobs offer relatively stable ways to make money from home. Inputting patient medical data with an extremely high degree of accuracy is the main task of a medical coding job. Medical billing professionals primarily input and submit payment and insurance data relating to medical care and procedures.
11. Project Management
Project managers develop requirements, budgets, and schedules for an organization’s projects. They will make sure projects are completed on time and may work with internal and external clients and vendors. Project managers can work from home full-time or on a project-by-project basis.
12. Sales
Sales professionals can make money from home by working closely with customers to help them identify needs and introduce products or services that will meet those needs. There may be sales quotas to meet as well. Sales rep, sales manager, business development manager, account executive are some common job titles.
13. Transcription
Ways To Make Extra Money From Home 2020
Transcription jobs offer many options to work remotely, as a freelancer, and with flexible hours. This role most commonly converts audio files into text. Certification as a transcriptionist and familiarity with transcription programs like Express Scribe will put you ahead of the competition.
14. Virtual Assistant
Working as a virtual assistant may be a good way to put those skills to use to help you make money from home. You may be asked to use administrative skills to assist an executive or a team with managing schedules, travel, phone calls, email, and record.
15. Writing and Editing
Writing is one of the greatest time-honored home-based jobs, and editing isn’t far behind. Many employers look to hire content writers who are experienced and can provide examples of their published work, online or on other platforms. As for editing positions that let you make money from home, hiring managers frequently look for demonstrated editing skills or an area of specialty.
Finding More Real Ways to Make Money from Home
No matter your schedule or area of expertise, making money from home can be done. Using FlexJobs to find a job keeps you safe from job scams that abound in the work-from-home world. We verify every job and company before posting it on our site, so you can rest assured you’ll only find real, legitimate jobs.
Whether you want to work full-time from home, or just want to find a side job or a part-time remote job, FlexJobs has jobs in over 50 different careers to help you find just what you need.
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