Warning: Before Quitting Your Job to Work from Home Consider These 3 Options
Last week we looked at the top 3 reasons working women over 50 are tired of their jobs. Which one of those 3 reasons stabbed you right in the heart? Hopefully it caused you to start looking at your options for working at home and wanting to take control over your life.
As promised this article is number two of three. Today let's look at three of the top solutions to help working women like you decide if working from home is an option or just a pipe dream.
At our age why jump the corporate ship?
After decades of working for someone else isn't it time you take control of your life? I mean really, what would it feel like to be your own boss, have you ever thought about that?
Imagine if you could eliminate your commute. How much time and money would you save yourself by working at home instead of driving hours to your job?
Remember the last time you got a raise? Were you satisfied with your pay increase or were you the one who received a pay cut? Doesn't it infuriate you to be at the mercy of some faceless CEO in the glass tower limiting the glass ceiling on your family's standard of living?
Let's not forget those negative, gossiping co-workers. Are they really friends who care about you, your family and your hopes and dreams? If your co-workers are anything like my old ones they could care less and probably would stab you in the back to get your position given the chance, right?
Do you come home after a day at the office and share your day with your honey with such enthusiasm that you are bouncing off the walls? No? Why not? Are you as bored with your job as I was with banking?
So why are you still at that boring job, feeling unappreciated, unmotivated and hating your life?
Before you quit that job
Consider for a moment what your options really are. In this economy none of us can afford to make rash decisions. Heaven only knows the times I've done something in a fit of rage only to wish I hadn't the next day. Has that ever happened to you? You might end up wanting to get back into the world of work right away, but despite all of your best efforts like following brilliant templates like this, you still can't catch a break?
One such work at home scam to avoid is the “stuffing envelope” jobs we've all heard about on television. Do you really think you can replace your income doing a “job” like that? I doubt it and I'd bet the shirt off my back that there aren't even envelopes to be stuffed anyway.
So, let's look at real, viable ways to quit that job, work from home and start designing the life you thought you would have at this point in your life, your pre-golden years.
Possible solutions can include all sorts of work at home jobs. Which type of business or job you choose to learn and build will depend on your personality, your passions and skills.
Traditional business: In the past eight years that I've been working from home I've watched many businesses come and go. Men and women who have chosen this traditional business path usually have some knowledge of how to run a business successfully. They also have money set aside to invest and sustain their lifestyle until the business turns a profit.
However, USA Today reports “Sometimes the best business ideas fail to take hold – not because there isn't demand, but because the start-up was under-capitalized, or the entrepreneur lacked management know-how or simply gave up too soon. “If you really believe in it, you keep fighting for it,” says Earl “Butch” Graves, president and CEO of Black Enterprise, the magazine founded by his father, Earl Sr. One-third of new small employers fail within two years; and 56% are toast after four years, says the Small Business Administration. About 672,000 small employers launched last year – but 545,000 others closed, the SBA says”.
At this point in our lives many working women shy away from the traditional business model simply because of time, investment and working capital and the amount of dedicated time it takes to build a successful business. But, it is one solution to leaving that corporate job you hate. If you do decide to leave that corporate job to start your own business, there are a few suggestions you could follow to help your business be successful. The first suggestion is that you research your business and know exactly what your target market is. The next suggestion is that once you know what your target market is, you can hire a PR agency to help make your business successful. Anyone can make a business successful, for example you might have a business in the Philippines and you need to improve your business brand. If this is the case, you could simply google how is PR in the Philippines? You might even live in a completly different location such as America and you can google a similar thing. The point is no matter where your business is, there will always be a solution to making your business successful.
Network Marketing: This business model is the oldest type of business yet it is the least understood in today's world of working women over 50. This work from home business can provide residual income for years to come, even on into your great-grandchildren's lifetimes.
Think of residual income as royalties like Elvis Presley's estate gets each time you listen to “You Ain't Nothing But a Hound Dog”. Typically startup costs are less than a thousand dollars and your return on investment is quick. There are ample tax benefits to running your business from home including hiring your spouse and kids to work around the home.
Network marketing companies have many products ranging from nutritional supplements for the health conscious woman to anti-aging skin care products, candles, jewelry, scrapbooking and more. What is it that floats your boat, what do you really like to do when you aren't working? This will help you in making your decision about which business model and company you would like to work with.
According to Michael L Sheffield, Network Marketing Expert Consultant “In recent years, the movement toward home-based business has accelerated with the downsizing or “right-sizing” of traditional businesses. This trend has increased public awareness of network marketing. Studies by the Direct Selling Association (DSA) indicate that:
- Direct selling accounts for annual sales of more than $80 billion world-wide.
- The US contributes nearly $25 billion.
- 12 million Americans derive independent contractor income from direct selling.
- One in every 10 households has someone involved in network marketing or direct sales.
Note that “Direct Selling” is the sales industry's umbrella term for personal sales methods that include network marketing as well as older methods, such as door-to-door sales. Today, network marketing comprises the major part of “direct selling” figures”.
I chose network marketing as the solution to building my business online today because of:
- the statistics above
- the flexibility of building my business in the nooks and crannies of my day
- the fun community of friends
Affiliate Marketing: another solid option for working from home is affiliate marketing using online marketing systems. I've found a great community of like-minded working women over 50 who are leading the way to profits using their strengths and passions. Visiting makeawebsitehub.com was very useful when I first became involved in affiliate marketing. This gave me the basic knowledge required to give it a proper go.
With affiliate marketing you share other people's products and they pay you a percentage of the sales. You are able to learn how to blog, use social media to market yourself, your skills and products for much less than traditional advertising would cost you.
Using a proven system to learn how to market products is a cost effective way to earn as you learn how to brand yourself in the big pool called the internet. Inside the system you are guided by those with expertise in each area of the online process of selling, including:
- Setting up a blog
- Writing blog posts
- Developing products
- Branding yourself
- Learning Pay Per Click Advertising
- Social Media Networking
There are ample tax benefits to using affiliate marketing, too. You can even combine network marketing with your online marketing system to learn what's called attraction marketing. This is what will separate you from the amateur marketers out there. With perseverance and time your rewards will be multiplied much faster.
There you have it; three possible solutions for working from home for you working women over 50 who are ready to consider quitting that job you are so tired of.
Come back next week for an inside look at my passion; the business model choice I made for working from home and why it's fun, profitable and worthy of a good hard look for you, too.
If you know someone who needs this information, is at that point in her life that she is about to call it quits but doesn't know what to do, where to turn, share this with her.
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I have always owned my own businesses..except for a few very brief periods of time a transition…but I can imagine how difficult a decision it could be to leave security and follow a dream that is yet realized. Great info to help in that process!
It is a tough transition Carl leaving the somewhat secure clutches of a regular paycheck and banker’s hours. However, the real tough part comes in when you begin working from home..the transition of you are not really home, you are indeed working from home. That’s where I help women over 50 begin their journey, set their businesses up right to succeed as the CEO of their business.
Wisdom is doing ressearch before making a decision. It’s not fun to jump head-first into the frying pan… 🙂 Appreciate you, Carla!
Thank you Norma. I’ve learned so much from you and appreciate that you take time out to share my information and stories with those you love and care about, too.
I love your article, Carla! Very positive and optimistic with a tiny dose of realism, that’s great! Cannot wait to see what comes next 🙂
Thanks Delia. Makes me smile to know others appreciate the way I teach and share my life’s experiences.
I think this is a great article that makes people realize they need to think things through before just quitting their jobs. You give many valid points in this article:) Great one:)I admire you for reinventing yourself!
Thank you Dani. Like many women over 50 nowadays reinventing ourselves is a necessity not a luxury. If we want to live the life of our dreams it’s time we design that life instead of allowing our jobs, friends and family to dictate how our life unfolds.
I can already tell that’s gonna be super helfupl.
Great article! I love how you broke down the three main biz models folks are using these days and the pros and cons of each 🙂
Thank you Robin, coming from YOU that means a lot. Network marketing isn’t for everyone, just as affiliate marketing isn’t either. However, if women over 50 are ready to redefine their success it’s time they take a good hard look at both!
Good advice Carla, for everyone thinking in quitting their job! Thank you for the tips!
You are welcome, Meire. Appreciate you stopping by and sharing.
I’ve heard a lot of people are quitting their jobs for a more slower life.
Indeed they are Yvonne. Women over 50 are also looking for more out of life than a boring job where they are unappreciated and underpaid. It’s time for our families and grandchildren to have grandma home.
Very great tips for people to learn before doing any move. Thank you Carla.
A wise business woman always researches all details before making a decision. I learned the hard way…jumped out of the frying pan and into boiling water…if I can help other women over 50 save time, money and start living their dreams sooner…I will.
Great article. I love that you are passionate about network marketing and affiliate marketing. Great tools for building a residual income and getting out of corporate America. I have the pleasure of saying that I am stepping out of that word at the end of this month and taking on the world of network marketing.
Yay! Good for you Katrina. I wish you the best of success. After owning and operating my own traditional business I can say with certainty residual income is the only income that provides true freedom.
Well-presented advice not only for those in their 50s! It is beneficial to consider one’s employment options at any age before making a choice that may determine the rest of one’s life!
You are so right, Leah. Thanks for stopping by to share.
I totally agree with you on this one Carla. Think twice before you quit your job.
Thank you Mark. Part of working for yourself is developing that thinking process. Once we think through all options then we are in a better position to make the best choice for ourselves and our families.
Excellent post, Carla! Thanks for outlining everything so well. I also love working from home and wouldn’t change it for anything! 🙂
Thank you Alexandra. It’s amazing the perks we get for working from home…the relationships worldwide far surpass any we make superficially at the jobs we hated.
I love that we have the opportunity to be our own bosses! Great article Carla!
It is wonderful and what a gift to share with others, Rebecca…working for ourselves and our family is the only way to go.
3 cheers for “quitting your day job” and working from home! Couldn’t agree more…and finding others who have the same view – priceless! There are lots of us over 50 who are taking the flying leap – whooppee!
What an honor, Eryn. Thank you for stopping by and sharing your two cents worth. I’m visiting your blog home today, myself. Can’t wait to watch you grow and share with other women over 50.
Greetings! I’ve been reading your web site for a while now and finally got the bravery to go ahead and give you a shout out from Huffman Texas! Just wanted to mention keep up the excellent work!
Thank you for being brave enough to say hello…I don’t bite, lol. Glad you enjoy our site. Come back often and share with your friends, too.
Carla I quit my job first and then found what turned it all around for me! Amazing how that worked out! lol
Well, no matter the order the end result was the same. YOU came home, got rid of the stress of working for a boss and now are enjoying your own business, designed by your own desires. Good for you, Elizabeth.