Earn Regular Income While Staying at Home

South Africans rediscovered their pride after the 1994 elections, branching out into new careers and exploring buried talents. A growing number of us prefer to be self-employed. This is because of the freedom this gives us to:

• Work from our home base
• Decide our working hours
• Set our hourly rates
• Choose the jobs we do

There are other compelling reasons too. These include the pride that self-employment brings, and the opportunity to achieve our full potential. Who would not want to be financially independent? Who would not prefer to stay at home and make money?

It is a Natural Thing

We have a natural inclination to be busy, whether staying at home, working for another person or running a business. You may have chosen to be home-based to support your partner or raise the children. Perhaps you are unable to go out to work for another reason. It is time to cast aside your doubts, and start making money the modern way!

Throughout the 20th Century, South Africans either owned businesses with premises and staff, or worked for their employers. This was not always so. Our ancestors lived on farms, or were self-employed craftspeople. Somewhere along the line, politics and tough economic times forced us into employment. Over time, we became so accustomed to the idea of working for an employer, that not working was almost like a crime.

The situation is quite different these days. The unemployment rate is high. Some of us have been obliged to make way for the new generation. Our pensions have not materialised the way that we expected. We are unable to sell our homes for good prices and buy down. We have to keep on working for longer than we planned. Every new boss is younger and less tolerant. Luckily for us, South Africa is a land of unbounded opportunities when we take them up.

Throw Away the Chains

When I took a package out of Eskom, my workmates spoke of me going outside, as if I worked inside a prison. Many thought I would not make it, and come begging for my job back.

In reality, my life turned out far better. I capitalised on the skills I learned in Eskom, and went on a few extra courses to top them up. I discovered the secret of combining knowledge with what I enjoy doing most. I wrote this article to help you do the same.

The Pleasures of Self-Employment

Each of us is born with a kitbag full of talents, and a power of self-worth. These are the ingredients that help us to self-actualise, and become ourselves. Working in a steady job deprives us of this right. Do you know that worldwide, employees contribute three times the value that they are paid on average?

We just need to make the quantum leap and redirect all the benefits to ourselves. That way, we will get back to the way things ought to be. If you are accustomed to staying at home already then you have a big advantage. Everything is in place, and you are ready to get going.

The Pathway to Your Future

You may already have decided how you are going to earn money working from home. Perhaps you are still wondering what you want to do. The following advice helped me greatly when I was starting out alone:

• Make sure you want to do whatever you are thinking of. Separate the need to earn money from the way you do it. The secret to any business is providing quality. Will quality shine through what you have in mind as well?
• clearly, you need to find a market where there is a gap. After all, there is little point of entering an overtraded market where you are forced to charge peanuts. This is a very important phase. Research comes first.
• Can you afford the cost of setting up equipment and buying stock? Most start-ups that fail, fail because they run out of cash.

Do the following cash flow simulation before you start:

• What cash reserves do you have?
• How much of this do you need as start-up capital?
• How long can you keep going with the rest
• By when do you think profit will cover your living expenses

By now, you may have realized that it pays to turn something you do at home into a stay-at-home business. If you enjoying ironing, how about starting a laundry service? If you enjoy fixing your car, how about servicing your neighbour’s one, and so on. In my case, I wrote books I never published as a hobby.
Just do not expect the going will be easy all the time, because it will not. You will definitely have your ups and downs.

Is the Internet a Solution?

The World Wide Web is still a largely underutilised resource outside of business. Most people use it to check sports results, send emails and chat with friends on twitter. In fact, it is fair to say they hardly scratch the surface.

I reckon ninety-nine per cent of so-called wonder products are nothing more than swindles. Yes, you can make money on the internet. Equally, you could lose the lot. I believe that there is only one way for you and me to earn money safely on the World Wide Web. If you enjoy working on your computer, here it is.

A Money Making Method that Works

You already have computer skills. Otherwise you would not be reading this article. Thanks to the connectivity of the internet, it is now possible to work on a computer anywhere for anyone. You just need a reasonable machine and a high-speed connection. Computer jobs of all kinds are easy to find on Elance, People Per Hour and ODesk.

Best of all it costs nothing to register with them. After that, if you are diligent and persistent you will crack the code. You could succeed on the internet. Just look around, read the instructions and put your best foot forward.