Working From Home - thoughts ?
 

Whilst I'm in the process of setting up my own online business here, we need some money to keep going in the meantime. So my wife suggested the work from home thing.

But there are so many websites and companies out there who offer this and I'm concerned that they are a scam.
Most of them I've looked at you have to pay either a fee up front or buy a book, so they are right out.

Has anyone here done work from home ? Have you stuffed envelopes or anything like that ?

Would like to read of your experiences and any recommendations to a decent reputable company.

Cheers.
Webbie.

Re: Working From Home - thoughts ?
 

I remember watching something on watchdog over here the other month about them and it was all a big con, you pay for the initial fee and then the more people you get invloved the more money you make all one big scam. Pyramid selling.

Re: Working From Home - thoughts ?
 

As a writer, I've worked from home for over 20 years.
You can expect that any company that promotes a work at home scheme, such as stuffing envelopes, to be a scam.

Re: Working From Home - thoughts ?
 

I tried many of these so-called "work-at-home" programs last year when my UK BUNAC work permit ran out. I tried tons and tons and tons of these "programs," and actually made some money. However, they all boil down to being pyramid schemes, plain and simple. You buy into the scheme and then in turn sell it yourself. I'd say at least 95% of people lose money. I only made money because I spent a lot of time at it. However, I didn't make much money (around £3000 in about 6 months--okay but not as much as a "normal" job would pay!).

It was fun for awhile, but the feeling that I was only making money by selling dressed-up pyramid schemes made me feel guilty, even though the vast majority of people involved know that they are buying into a pyramid type scheme.

There is a whole culture of people in "online marketing." They are all some form of pyramid scheme, disguised in various ways as "matrices" or "MLM" or "wealth-building programs" or "ad placing" etc etc. I could go on and on. Most of the people are buying and selling various programs to each other.

My advice is don't bother. Unless you are a marketing guru, you won't make much money, if you make any. And you have to live with yourself if you do.

Basically, if it sounds to good to be true, it is.
If you have to pay ANY money up front, run away.

There's a plethora of ways to make money running a business out of your home. Nowadays, many LEGITIMATE successful, corporate-style companies are run out of their homes. Use your imagination. There's a lot more you can do at home nowadays to make money, then just "stuffing envelopes".

-= nav =-

You'd be better off buying stuff at garage sales/house clearences and selling it on ebay.

Buy a decent ladder, and a few signs to stick by the road and set yourself up as a window cleaner.....they're like gold dust round here - had one quote at $150. I thought that was for the year - it was for ONE visit:scared: Where theres muck........

For example:

I pay $50/hr to get my place cleaned by my maid.

I'm sure you could sign on 5 or 7 mexican mamacitas, give them cleaning materials -- and send them out to clean for $20/hr and pocket $10/hr profit.

Undercut the competition, advertise -- make big bucks.

And btw: send me your info cuz i'm tired of paying $50/hr too. :)

-= nav =-

What hikes up the rates is liability insurance, by the time the vendor pays it the $5 window cleaning is like you said, up to $150.

Hire 'Mini Maids', they charge $50 an hour but they send in 4 people and clean your whole house, usually in 1 hour. The only thing they do not do is windows and wash down woodwork eg doors etc.

The old Mexican fella I spoke to running his cash only business out of a 15 year old truck, with out even a widow cleaning ad on the door may have had liability insurance, but I doubt it....;)

I thought you said they were like gold dust, not gold diggers! ;)

Re: Working From Home - thoughts ?
 

Of course you could always have a go at the oldest profession in the world from home. ;)

:D :D

You are right, he probably doesn't, so who is going to pay when he sues you if he falls off his ladder? Also what happens if he breaks one of your windows by accident, you will not see his 15 year old truck for dust. It is like everything else in this country, all geared to some kind of insurance, that is why everything is so expensive.

It's the lawsuits that cause the insurance to be expensive.

Bit like Catch 22 innit?

Well, all hypothetical, cos theres no way I'm gonna pay 150 bucks for anyone to clean my windows, but if you're genuinely trying to make a serious discussion out of a lighthearted reply......
1) if he did sue me, I'd fall back on my own household insurance for the first million and worry after that....i'm sure their lawyers would have fun defending against a (whoops - i'm presuming) illegal worker falling off his own ladder.....
2) if he broke a window, and I was paying $150 for cleaning, I could probably afford to replace it without having to sell the wife and kids into the white slave trade....(same as with most window cleaners in the UK I guess?)

The more pertinent question is who can I sue if I fall off my own ladder cleaning my own windows because I'm too tight to pay the old mexican.......the ladder manufacturer?

Would your household insurance pay if you'd hired someone illegally? Yes I know they'll pay out for injuries to burglars on your property and the like, but presumably you didn't ask the burglar to be on your property..... Oooh it's a minefield... Manc?????

Webbie, why not try mowing lawns and babysitting/petsitting/houseminding etc. Cash in hand and always work available in the summer. For the minding/sitting things, you'll probably need to get some form of clearance to say you are not a known felon or child molester. This is usually not hard or expensive or dependent on your immigration status, although I am not au fait with the procedures in NC.

Don't honestly know.....would an illegal have a claim in the first place? I don't know, but I guess the answer is probably yes! I've only used 2 or 3 contractors since we got here and they've all been bonded and insured (and crap....) and in one piece when they left:D