How?

Dear Rose, I’m currently enrolled in a course called Grant Writing 101 from Online University. I’m reading what you wrote about grant writing. I want to leave my present job. I’m currently tying to be a Freelance Writer. I realize it’s very hard work but I two things going for me: I love to read and don’t mind hard work.

I was wondering if there are any pointers that you could pass along that might help my get started? I’ve read a couple of books but some where they never point out what to do when your new at this, I don’t have any clips, not even a web site(working on one), and nothing that could be called an example. This is where I’m stuck.

Any help would much be appreciated.

Alan P

The first thing I noticed about your email is that you don't have a website. I also don't know if you are talking about being a freelance writer or being a grant writer.

The first thing that I would advise you to do is to get your website up and running. At least then your site information can be seen 24/7. I don't know the details of the kind of site that you're starting but I would advise you to get that up and running as soon as you can.

If you're talking about freelance writing, I would suggest that you get a copy of the Writer's Market - whether you buy it outright or check it out at your library. This book contains most the information that you will need to start your writing career started.

If you're talking about grantwriting, I have seen it suggested that you start with a small, non-profit organization and help them with their grantwriting. That way you will start to make a name of yourself and plus it will give you that experience that you need.

I hope that this helps answering your question.

Have You Ever Thought About Teaching Music Online?

Here is another great working from home idea and that idea is to teach music - online!

Do you know that there is someone who actually became a millionaire just by teaching music online!

Again this is a very good example of someone who used their passion as their career!

You might be thinking how you could be able to teach someone online how to play music but it is something that can be done (and is being done now).

How could you teach music online? Well here are a few ideas. You can create and record lesson plans and sell those lesson plans in CD form or you could upload them to a website of your own and sell them that way.

You could also start a related newsletter and either charge for it or charge advertisers to advertise on it.

If anything, the fact that one person chose this kind of career and was actually able to become a millionaire by pursuing his passion, this should be something that can both motivate and inspire you into action!

"Life In A Typewriter Shop"

I found this very interesting blog online about a guy who works at a typewriting shop. It's so great to see that with all the computer technology that we have that there is still a demand for typewriters and typewriter repairs!

Life In A Typewriting Shop

Have You Ever Thought Of Becoming A Blog Content Writer?

Have you ever thought of becoming a blog content writer? It is exactly what the name says - you write content for other peoples' blogs.

This is a perfect example of a job that you would be able to work from home!

Basically speaking what you would be doing is writing content for other peoples' blogs. Let's say you have an area of expertise - you could share your knowledge on a blog that is related to that expertise.

It doesn't even have to be an area of expertise. It can be something that you are just interested in either as a hobby or just a personal interest.

Of course one of the main steps in having your own business is that you have to let people know that you are out there. How do you do that? Well you set up a website or blog yourself. In fact if your site becomes very popular you may get inquiries from others who might ask you to guest-post on their blog or website.

Can You Sew?

Here is my Working From Home Idea #101005 - "Sewing From Home!"

If you are able to sew do you realize that you have a talent? There are many people that do not know how to sew but who may need your "sewing" services?

You can start small by letting people around your neighborhood know that you are offering sewing services. Maybe you can sub-contract with some of the dry-cleaners in your area?

Design a nice little flyer on your computer and distribute it around your neighborhood!

Start a blog (or website) and use it for your business. You can blog about your sewing projects, put your business card on your blog and take pictures of your sewing projects and upload them to your blog.

You can start a sewing class or a sewing club. There are a lot of things that you will be able to do with your sewing talent and that will bring you many different ways of being able to earn money online with your talent.

Join the Google Adsense Program and add ads to your blog so that you can start earning money right away!

Show the world your talent!

Plant Studio?

PlantStudio is a 3D graphics program that creates - what else - plants!

Here you see a picture of a pink rose that I created using this program. Then I got to thinking that others might be interested in having a copy of this object. (If you would like to download your own free copy of this object just click here.)

So I decided to make different variations of the pink rose



and offer them for sale!

Not only can the pink rose objects be downloaded but the original file from Plant Studio can also be downloaded as well.

Now you may think "Who would be interested in this object?" Right? Well I downloaded the sample pink rose today and so far 2 people have already downloaded it!

How does this related to working from home?

I have mentioned many times on my Dream Job Consultant site that one of the ways that you can start a business working from home is to take a program that is already on your computer and turn that into a business. What I am doing here with PlantStudio is definitely a good example of this!

What you can do is to start to create different varieties of plants and flowers and then sell them online. There are lots of people that are already doing this on 3d-related sites like Renderosity.com and others. Some people (like myself) are even creating sites of their own and selling their own objects themselves.

Hopefully this will encourage you to start looking around on your computer to see what programs that you have that you can use to start your own business.

You can also check out some of my other 3d art by going to my blog, The 3D Beginner.

Working From Home - Here Is One Simple Tactic To Try!

I can't take credit for the advice given below but it is very good advice for those who are looking for ways to be able to make money from home!

"Informational Website Business

Most money making opportunities are in the world of business. I specifically like online businesses. You may not know it, but you can put up an informational blog or website on some topic of interest to you and make money without ever selling a thing or talking to a single customer or even leaving your home. I know because my wife and I have done it, and made many times more money than from any job we've had.

Essentially you create a blog or site that covers a niche or subject with some demand. Ideally find one among your interests, because it is easier to start with something you know and easier to sustain your motivation with a subject you have a true interest in. You then promote your site in various ways so people who share your interest come to the site.

If you monetize it with pay-per-click advertising (you make money every time someone clicks on an ad) or affiliate products (you get a commission when they click on a link and then buy something), you never have to deal with credit cards. You also never have to deal with customer complaints. You also don't have to be home. Once you set up the site and get the traffic flowing, you'll be making money day and night.

This doesn't mean it's easy. You will have to work at it, and it helps speed things up if you have a few hundred dollars to invest. But the work can be on your schedule, and there are ways to start with any amount of money. And the work creates a continuing stream of revenue - even when you are on vacation.

An example to make this clear. I just spent thirty minutes to write this article, and it will be posted in a few directories (maybe that's where you're reading it?). From this point forward the occasional reader will like what they read and check out my site using the link in the author's resource box below. Years from now I'll be making sales once in a while as a result. Money making opportunities don't get much better than this."

All the credit for this article goes to Steve Gillman and you can read his entire article by clicking here.

The 3D Beginner?

I blogged before about being a 3D Beginner as I am learning about 3D designing. So far this has been a very interesting hobby for me but I do aspire to earn some money from it professionally one day. However I know that I am a beginner at this so I'm just having fun learning all the new things associated with 3D designing.

I have found lots of great 3D programs online for free and they are basically what I use as I practice my 3D designing.

This means that I have to learn the programs as well and obsessive compulsive that I am - LOL! - I'm learning the programs from scratch - meaning I'm reading the manuals and learning how to use all the "bells and whistles".

As I was going through one of my fractal programs, it occurred to me something that I could do to earn money - still beginner that I am!

I'm currently going through one of my fractal programs - UltraFractal - just going through the different formulas and what not to see what interesting designs I could come up with and to be quite honest I was getting kind of bored doing it - but if I wanted to see what kind of fractal designs I could come up with then I basically wanted to go through all of them just so I didn't miss anything. A little while later when I took a break from the computer it occurred to me that some of the designs I was coming up with might just be useful to other 3D designers! I mean I belong to Renderosity.com and I have seen others selling designs too and I just now put that together!

Basically this is what I am talking about. As I go through the program and come up with some interesting design patterns others might like them too - enough to pay for getting a copy of them.

When I find an interesting design pattern I'll post it to one of my 3D-related sites or even my The 3D Beginner Blog so that if people like it enough to want to buy it they will be able to do so. All it takes is a website (or blog) where you can post a sample of the work and also for you to have a way for others to be able to pay for it - using something like Paypal.

Now this is a very good example of taking a program that you already have on your computer and using it to make something that could possibly earn you some income.

It also reminds me to point out that even though you may be a beginner at something doesn't mean that you don't have something that you could sell!

I have also posted other examples of how you can use a program already on your computer to make some money on my Dream Job Consultation Page.

Do YOU have a program on your computer that you could use to help you make some extra income?

...Making $6,000 A Month!

I was watching an episode of Dr. Phil today and it was about getting help with one's financial situation(s).

There was one couple profiled who were in a lot of financial debt a few years ago. They had maxed out on their credit cards and they were having a lot of financial problems! Fast-forward to the present and the wife is making $6,000 a month working online being a virtual assistant! You can do some checking online but basically being a virtual assistant means that you are providing help to other via being online and on the internet. For example you can provide tutoring services to others, you can provide secretarial services as well. There was also a mention of how the wife also had an Ebay business as well.

I'm sorry to say that I forgot what it was that they husband does but he also works from home and he works online as well.

This means that both of the couple are working from home and making a good salary for themselves when just a short time ago they were having very serious financial problems.

This is just another very good example of one (actually two people) being able to work from home and make a living from it!

Using Your Talent!

Maybe you may find it hard to believe, you may have "talents" that you don't think that you could possibly use to start a business of your own.

Currently I am editing my Frappr site. Frappr is a site where you can create a map of almost anything that you like. My current Frappr map is for where I live - LaMott, Pa!

The map was originally for my LaMott Radio Internet Station but that is temporarily down now. However there is still the LaMott Podcast that I have!

I have a background in radio broadcasting so having both an Internet Radio station AND a podcast is quite fun for me - even though it is a bit of work doing the production for it.

I mention this because it occurred to me that this is a special talent / skill that I have that I can put to good use. And it also occurred to me that since I have a "Working From Home" blog that I should post about it here because this is a skill that you can use to work from home. Not everyone has this specific type of skill but you may have a skill or talent of your own that you can put to good use and make it profitable for yourself!

With both the Internet radio station and the podcast I can generate income from sponsorship and advertisements. I'm also thinking about my local community center where I can post flyers and even a newsletter that I can create relating to both the podcast and the Internet radio station - which would generate more interest and hopefully more revenue!

If you're asking what this may have to do with you it is quite simple! Do you have a talent or skill that you can turn into a profitable business? The answer is probably "Yes" but you may not think that you have any kind of talent or skill that you can turn into a business.

One of the favorite things that I like to mention on my Dream Job Consultation page is the fact that you could even turn something that you hate into a profitable business of your own! My most favorite example of this is the whole subject of washing dishes. Now you may hate washing dishes - but guess what? - you are not alone! What about starting your own "I HATE WASHING DISHES" club?

How would you start it? How about starting with a free blog where you don't have to pay anything to have the blog and you start posting about your experiences relating to washing dishes - which you hate to do? You could add pictures regarding it and continue to post about your experiences. If you promote your blog (or website) you will start to get visitors and hopefully even a few of those visitors will start posting comments to your site. You can mention that you are starting a club about it and hopefully you will get people interested enough to join. You can decide whether or not you want to charge a fee or not - but the main point is to just get started to get started getting more interest to your site.

To start earning money you can add Google's Adsense program to your site so that you can have ads on your site where you earn money when visitors to your site click on the ads.

Promote your site, get more traffic and more visitors and optimize your site for the search engines so that even more people will find it!

The more traffic that you generate the more interesting and appealing you will look to potential advertisers! You may even get advertisers who will want to advertise on your site directly instead of going through a third party and that will mean even MORE money for you!

To start to make even more money start writing reviews of the different products that you use relating to washing the dishes. Companies are always interested in what people think of their products! You may even get comments and suggestions from other consumers who are using the same product and that will even bring more interest - and hopefully more traffic to your site - thus making it more popular!

There are so many additional things that can be added to this!

You could start a podcast of reviews. Just think about it. Listen to a local radio station or tv show and notice the advertising and the kinds of ads that are appearing! That could be YOU if you had your own podcast because it would be like having a show of your own!

Now maybe there is something else that you do or don't like that you could turn into a business - but hopefully you are getting my point here!

If you don't think that you have any special talents or skills just think about what you do in the course of a day! Look around you. Do you collect something, have a special hobby or special interest? You may be able to turn that into a profitable business of your own!

Please think about it and give it some thought!

So many people are being laid off from their jobs and they are having a hard time finding another one. But being able to do something profitable in the meantime can surely do more harm than good!

If you would like to comment about your special interests, skills, etc so that you can receive some feedback, then please post your comments here.

Are You Good At Designing Blog Templates?

Because if you are you may have a good career ahead of you!

Hi Everybody! I have a BX Error Code Blog and just in case you are wondering....bx error codes are what Blogger.com bloggers are getting when they are trying to work on their blogs that they have at Blogspot.com.

Some of these bx error codes have to do with bloggers having problems uploading and using new blog templates that they have found online.

BUT there are also a number of people asking around about having a blog template designed specifically for them and that is what made me think of this blog.

If you are good at designing blog templates then this is something that you should definitely be looking into. There certainly seems to be a need for this kind of service.

You can check out the posts about people asking about how they can get customized blog templates designed specifically for them by clicking here.

This is definitely a kind of service that you can provide from working from your home!

Sister2brother


The Adsense Consultant

3D Artist Needed?

I have mentioned in previous blog posts that I am having fun learning 3D design. I also have another blog called The 3D Beginner.

Since I'm such a fan of 3D, I have also been visiting some related message forums and came up this post:

"Hey all

I got an email today that is from a group who make pools and waterfalls for display within hotels. This group is looking for a means to show the customer what it will look like before its actually done. They want some Bryce people to do the art..and they will pay for it.

I dont have a price yet, but Im coming here first to ask if anyone would be interested in making pools and waterfall images in Bryce then compositing these images onto an image of the hotel's interior (or exterior as the case may be)

Ive told them it can be done. I dont have time to do this. But if you've ever wanted to get a little cash out of your hobby...maybe actually have bryce pay for itself, this is a chance. I'll probably know more tomorrow.

anyhow, think about it so when more details come forward, you can be ready. I imagine this will pay fairly well. Pools and the like are not in-expensive..so this should pay decently to those knowledgable of bryce and compositing...cause it shouldnt take that long in most cases to make. "

For those of you who don't know what Bryce is - it is a 3d program that lets you make different renders. You can create your own scenes. Here is one of my Bryce renders:



It seems that there was a business looking for 3D artists to create some work for them.

You never know where opportunities are going to come from!

Sad to say that this was an "older" posting and there wasn't a link to the place that was doing the hiring but I hope you get my idea!

As a matter of fact if you are a Bryce artist then you should start a website (or even a blog like I did) and put your work up! Even if you think it's not good you're probably being a little to hard on yourself! I have entered 3d contests and posted my works online and in my various 3d-related art galleries specifically because I wanted some critique.

As a matter of fact (again) you may not know this but there are those who make 3d models for Bryce (and other 3d programs) and actually sell them online - which is something that you could do too!



Comments Received

Great post but still don't think I could do the 3D thing :)

Please bear in mind that this is just but one example of a "talent" that can be utilized. YOU may have a talent that you thought wasn't even possible to make a profession out of but this blog post just goes to show you that you never know where an opportunity may come up!

On a more personal note, I love my 3D hobby and as I get better at it who knows what kind of opportunities there may be! The same could be said for someone else who has a hobby that they enjoy but who might think that they couldn't make any money from it.

I heard a great quote and here it is:

Take Your Passion and turn it into your Profession!



March 2009 Update!

After reading some of the comments posted here, Here is a link to view works by those more experienced (than me) with the Bryce program. You can do some amazing artwork with this 3D program!

"Bones

This is one of my favorite TV shows! Initially I started watching it because I am a big fan of David Boreanaz (and yes I'm a big "Angel" and Buffy The Vampire Slayer fan too

But as I started to watch the program I grew more interested in the main female character. (and its supposed to be based on a real-life woman). The reason being is because she is good at what she does - so much so that she has become wealthy by getting her own book deals - and yes this does happen in real life! Also since she is so good at what she does people (and the government) seek her out because of her expertise!

Now I know that this is only a TV show but it does have some similarities to real life in that it shows a great example of someone who loves what they do and who have managed to make a good living at it.

Now "Bones" may not be your sort of thing but it does illustrate a good point - the one I mentioned above.

I also watched "Hell's Kitchen" with Gordon Ramsey - another example of someone who loves what he does and has managed to create a financial empire from it!

I was reading an article from my local paper about a guy who enjoys running. He started at the age of ten. Now in his 50's he has already written 2 books!

All of the above examples, great examples of those who love what they do and have managed to earn money from it!

Do You Make Crafts By Hand?

Then Etsy.com just might be the place for you if you would like to sell your hand-made items.

Etsy itself has been featured on popular shows like The Martha Stewart Show and The Rachel Ray Show and they also have their own blog as well. One of their success stories is about a woman who was able to quit her office job and sell her crafts on Etsy full time!

In order to buy & sell on Etsy, you'll need an account. Joining is free and easy. All you need is a valid email address.

In a way, Etsy is just like Ebay in that you list your item for sale - only in Etsy's case your item must be something that you made yourself. You can not sell something that was made by someone else.

To start selling on Etsy, you’ll first need to register for an Etsy account. To become a seller, you’ll need a credit card for verification purposes.

Fees - It will cost you 20 cents to list an item for four months. When your item sells, you’ll pay a 3.5% transaction fee. Read all about Etsy's fees for more information by clicking this link.

So if you enjoy making things this may just be the place where you can start to sell them! And I should tell you that lots of people are using this website to sell their handmade items!

I would highly recommend that you take a look at this site if you are interested in selling your own hand-made crafts and items!

Etsy.com

Blog Template Designer?

I saw someone posting asking for someone to help them design a custom made blog - the kind of design they wanted was one that no one else has done before!

Of course my "Dream Job Consultant mode took over and I thought that I would post about this here.

Don't you find it interesting that with all the different websites out there that offer different blog layouts and different blog templates that there would be someone who was still requesting a custom-made blog template? (This just goes to show you that there seems to be a marketplace for almost anything!)

Now designing and creating custom-made templates isn't all that easy - at least to some of us. For those of you that know how to do this it isn't that hard!

So there may be a market for something that you might not think that there is a market for!

Do You Have A Paypal Account?

I got excited when my brother told me that he signed up for Paypal! I got excited for him because that meant that he now has another way to get income. But he doesn't see it that way. When he told me that he was signing up for paypal my thoughts thought of him getting "big-time" money. How? Well he is very knowledgeable about computers. He doesn't just know about computer programs but he also has a whole lot of experience at fixing them.

He said to me that the reason that he was signing up for paypal was for his ebay transactions and that was the only reason for him.

He explained to me that since he does fix computers his customers / clients would have to be of a "local" nature. Now I do agree that it would be quite cumbersome to have clients hundreds of miles away who want their computer fixed but he is not seeing it like I'm seeing it.

He could set himself up as a consultant and / or expert and answer people's questions about computers and be paid a fee for it - hence having the paypal account. There are so many consultants and experts who are doing exactly this very thing! Again - he doesn't see it that way.

I won't give up on trying to convince him though because this is a very great opportunity for him! He just can't see it yet!

If you have a paypal account you should seriously consider using it to get paid yourself. Almost everyone has an area of expertise and you should let that work for you. If you're having doubts about being able to accomplish this kind of thing then you should take a look at some of the websites that are doing this very same thing!

Podcasting!

Well I am just all over the internet today! I'm visiting blogs and reading newsgroup threads...............posting to my AOL Journal.....and so on................

One of the things that I am currently working on is one of my podcasts for my local area.

This podcast of mine is relatively new and I'm still learning it. However I have some things already included on it so far. I have a public service announcement that I produced about my area's local firehouse. There are also a couple of other public service announcements that I got online and added to my podcast as well. I'm also working on adding music to my podcast but here is where you have to be careful! Unlike Live365 where you can add any music, my podcast's host doesn't allow just any type of music to be added - it has to do with copyright issues. But there is a site where you can download certain music and add it to your podcast.

I'm treating this podcast like my own little radio community talk show! It's like having your own talk show and being the host of your very own talk show!

Just think of the things that YOU could do with your very own talk show! Money and income-wise you could get advertsing and sponsorship for your show and since its YOUR show - you have control over what goes into it!

Now you may be thinking that it might just be too hard to produce and have your own podcast but to that I say just think of the possibilities that you could do!

My podcast (so far) consists of me recording to my computer and simply uploading the file to my podcast host site.

If you have had a chance to listen to podcasts on the Internet then you know that there is a whole lot of possibilites there!

So far hosting my podcast is not costing me a thing - except for my Internet access. And since I'm doing my income taxes now and having to report my Adsense income its also making me think of the possibilities of adding my podcast(s) as part of my self-employment business. When I do so there will be a lot of deductions that I will be able to take as part of this business!

So really think about starting your own podcast!

Are You Good At Fixing Computers?

Then you might want to take a look at Fixya.com. As the name says it is a website that helps people with their computer problems. (They also provide assistance on other kinds of problems relating to other electronical and consumer equipment like refridgerator and washing machine repairs.) How it can help YOU is that they are offering you money if you become one of their "experts".

In their words:

"As a qualified Premium Assistance Expert, you'll have the opportunity to solve Premium Problems and participate in Premium Live Chats with other FixYa users - and earn cash for your solutions!".

You have to become a registered "expert" by registering with the site but so far it seems that registration is free.

Their payment process seems comparable to that of Adsense where your earnings are calculated over a 30 day period. You earn more by participating in live chats concerning computer (and other kinds of) repair. You can earn from $3 - $12 per "successful" (which means your solution has to be chosen) solution.

You can find out more about this by clicking here.

10 Ways To Make Money On The Internet!

I have to give credit to this site for reminding me of what I wanted to blog about today. The blog talks about 10 different ways that you can make money online. I was particularly interested in "sell your expertise".

Have you ever heard of Dr. Wayne Dyer? He gives very inspirational talks and one of the things that I remember him saying is that one should "sell their expertise". Almost everyone is good at something. You may not think that you have any talents but more than likely you do have something that you are an expert at! The story that I like to cite most often is the story about two guys who used to mooch off of people. When they ran out of people to mooch off of they wrote a book about how to mooch off of other people. Now they have their own beachhouse!

Can You Make A Living As A Poet?

This was a reply to someone who was looking for work as a poet.

---

A "company that needs a poet"? Have you tried greeting card companies? You should also think about investing in a copy of "The Writer's Market Handbook" - it lists publishers and what they are looking for in the way of submissions.

Have you considered songwriting? That is related to poetry and artists are always looking for good material.

If you are looking for a way to "commercialize" your poetry you might want to take a look at this blog.

Here is a quick excerpt that I got off the internet:

"Let me give you the upshot of this book in a quick thumbnail. Yes, it is possible to make a living as a poet, no matter what your mother told you. But you must remember two important points if you want to make a living as a poet: first, you will not make a living at writing poetry. Second, you must do something no one has ever done before.

This book is full of examples of people who make a living (or part of a living) as poets, and the ways they do so. And none of them make their living by sitting in their garrets inscribing verse. They all find ways to get out into the community and sell themselves, AS POETS, as a commodity that people are willing to buy. "