How to Increase Your Income Online

1 and 5 people work from home, in the United States alone. By 2018, these numbers are supposed to rise over 63 percent, according to Forbes Magazine. This is raw proof that more and more people are ditching traditional ways of earning a living (working at a J.O.B.).

I am so glad to say that I am one of many people who are earning a good living working from home. Back in November, I celebrated my 10th year anniversary as an online entrepreneur. Whew. Where did time go? It flew by!

One thing that I noticed is that the rules of the game have changed. If you are just beginning your search for online jobs, you have it a lot easier than I did when I started back in 2005. Back then, there were limited opportunities. It was also a lot harder to find reviews. It wasn’t the norm to Google a company’s reputation.

Unfortunately, there were many job opportunities that were considered too good to be true. Like the online telemarketing job I took. Back in 2000, I found my first work from home opportunity online. I called the 800 number that was posted within an ad, to find out more details. A couple of days later, I was working for myself. All I needed was a computer and a landline phone.

The rate of pay was only $8 per hour. The company promised weekly pay with an increase if you received a certain amount of sales The company was located about an hour away from where I lived. You could work in the office or at home. I chose to work at home of course.

At first, I was so happy because I was able to work from home and set my own hours. Things began to turn upside down when pay day rolled around. I was supposed to receive my check in the mail, but it never showed up.

So, I made arrangements to pick up my check at the office. It was a hassle just to get paid. I went all the way to the office (with limited funds) and was told that my check wasn’t there – it was mailed. I was livid! Getting soaked in the rain storm, I had to travel through, wasn’t any help either. At the time, I didn’t have a car. I felt like crying.

This is why it is so important to do your research before starting an online job opportunity. Today, I thoroughly review a company before I engage in an online job opportunity.

Recently, I received a referral from a client to work with on a tax accountant's social media account. I met with the client at his office, along with his staff. He offered to pay my travel expenses and paid me $100 in cash. The next day, he paid me $1100 via PayPal to begin phase 1 of his social media project. This experience was a lot better than what I experienced back when I was a newbie entrepreneur.

If you are searching for work from home opportunities, and you’re tired of coming across stale opportunities like: earn money with Yelp reviews, earn money taking surveys, make money with data entry, and etc., I recommend reading my new e-book report. In this 20-page report, I share 50 unique ways to earn money on the Internet in 2016-17. I have tried the majority of these opportunities and they have helped me improve my way of life financially.

Get your copy of the Top 50 Ways to Earn Extra Money Online in 2016-17.

Searching For Online Job Opportunities? Here are a few things to look out for before choosing a work from home opportunity.

1. Just because you can’t perform a particular job opportunity doesn’t mean you can’t make money from it. You could hire someone who is skilled at the job to do it for you. You simply pay him/her a percentage of your profits. Let’s say that the job is designing a 3 page website for a real estate company. You could hire an experienced designer to design the website for you. You can find workers on a variety of websites, such as Guru.com, Elance.com and etc.

2. Test out the job opportunity. What are other people saying about it? What are the pros and cons of the opportunity?

3. Is it a scam? Beware. Do your research and find out if the job is legitimate.

4. Make sure you get paid before providing a service. If you’re offering a service to someone, make sure you get paid before you begin. Depending on the project, ask for a deposit upfront or in full. Make sure you charge enough money so that if the person takes a long time to pay (or not pay at all) you’re covered.

5. If you are a new mom or dad, either get a baby sitter or hire someone to assist you with your online job. Pay them a percentage of your profits. I remember trying to finish up a project the first few weeks my daughter was born and it was an up-hill-battle. I was not only losing sleep at nights – I was falling behind on projects. So, get help or hire a baby sitter!

6. Save your money. When you get paid from your first project, make sure you save your money. If you go to church, make sure you give back to God. He will bless you abundantly. The worst thing to do is to earn money online and forget about giving back to God. I did that once (many times) and it was a big mistake. When you give to God, he’ll bless your finances. He has blessed me MANY times.

7. Set aside for the tax man. Make sure you set aside for taxes. If you’re from the United States, you can pay quarterly or once a year.

8. If you decide to provide any type of freelance services, consider signing up for Freelancers Union. They offer health insurance options and a truckload of resources to help you with your career/business.

9. Get a PayPal account and establish a good reputation with them. PayPal is not only a great way to withdraw money from your online business, after you gain a certain amount of income, you could be eligible for a PayPal Working Capital loan. I had 3 working capital loans. Consider getting a PayPal debit card, so that you don’t have to wait to receive your pay – you can withdraw your money right away. There are other alternatives, such as Google Pay.

10. Choose an opportunity that is closely related to your skills. You know what you’re good at! It’s a waste of time and money trying to do a job you’re not even good at doing. Also, choose an opportunity that you like. Avoid choosing an online job just to make money. Choose something you like that pays well.

Money IS Everything?

On New Year’s Day, we visited my brother-in-law in NYC and we talked about a new opportunity that I am embarking on. He said, “Don’t listen to anyone who tells you that money isn’t everything because it is.”

At first, I was like, no money isn’t everything. Then I delve a little deeper into what he was trying to say. Opportunity is everything. Because of opportunity, we’re able to earn money working online. Without money, how would we pay bills, buy homes, save for a rainy day or pay college tuition? How would we buy food to feed the hungry? I guess money is everything—to a certain extent.

What job opportunity have you done or thinking about doing? Please share!