I’m surprised daily by how many people still ask me how to work from home when they find out that I run a business from home. I suppose they are a bit bewildered because the majority still (and always will) work a 9-5 job away from home.

For me, working from home was sort of an accident. It all happened in 2003 when I was finishing up my Master’s Degree in business and staying at home with my son. In one course we had an assignment to create a website.  I created a website for Moms called Contest for Moms.  I really didn’t think anything about it other than it was fun, and that I really wanted an A in the class! Who wouldn’t? Within 2 months I was making money from that website and I haven’t looked back since. Sure, I’ve made mistakes along the way but being an all in one website administrator/editor/content creator is now my full time real job/business from home.

So, you want to know how to work from home? Here are 3 easy steps to get you started:

1. Working from home means that you work from a home office that you create. It’s just like an office in a business building except that in this case the office is in your home. If possible you need a spare room to use as your office so you don’t mix your personal life with your job life. This makes working from home so much easier. Ideally you will need a desk, chair, computer, laptop, high speed internet, and printer among other things. You will need all the supplies required for your job  or home business that you choose.

2. You need to determine whether you would like a home job or a home business. Yes, these are two different things. A home job is an actual real job with a company that is done remotely from your home. I post a new home jobs list weekly so make sure you come back and check our list out every week. You can also do your own home job searches on various employment websites. Use the word “telecommute” in your searches to bring up relevant results.

A home business is a business you create on your own. This requires a lot more work and planning on your part. It also sometimes costs money because it is a business. You will also need various licenses and registrations to run a home business.  A home business could be a blog you create, it could be a business opportunity such as Avon  or any other direct sales company, you could do freelance jobs, you could make products and sell them, or it could be any one of these Home Job Ideas.

3. You will need to come up with a schedule and hours to work on your own. Choose times that work best for your family. For me, early mornings and evenings are the best times for me to work because my kids are asleep early mornings and are usually off playing on their own in the evenings. The amount of time you work will determine how much money you make.  Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can make a lot of money without putting in a lot of time. If you just need a little bit of extra spending money then you can choose to work part time but if you need a full time paycheck plan on spending at least 8-10 hours per day working from your home office. If you choose a home job and get hired by a company, sometimes you will have to be flexible and go by the hours that they create for you.

Working from home can take some time getting used to because you are your own boss and it’s easy to get side-tracked. If you truly want to work from home successfully then you are going to have to take your job and your time invested seriously. You absolutely must be motivated! That is if you plan on doing the work from home gig long term!

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If you have any questions at all please ask them in the comments section or over on our Home Jobs for Moms facebook page as I truly want to help others start their journey to work from home! You can also find me over at my Mom blog, on Twitter, and our CFM’s At Home With My Kids Buzz blog.

Amanda Compton

Hi, I have been working from home as a full time blogger and part time photographer since 2003. I am also the proud mother of two handsome little boys that are eleven and eight. My boys are my life, and they are the very reason I choose to work from home. If you find these resources helpful or interesting then feel free to subscribe to our feed, our newsletter, and network with me below. Further, if you are interested in finding legitimate jobs for stay at home moms then please visit our Work from Home Jobs List and our  Stay at Home Mom Jobs resource. Thanks for stopping by!

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