Do you work at home?

[ChisolmTrailDem]

I do. I design and manage websites and do SEO work. I am self-taught and it took a few years before I was able to quit the construction trade. And I got very lucky and stumbled onto a client that turned out to be the dream client every web dabbling upstart could want. So, it wasn't a quick start in making money from home and it involved luck. Which brings me to my problem.

My g/f's son-in-law has gotten himself into trouble with the law. He's probably going to have to do a couple of years in prison. Her daughter's been a stay-at-home mom for 4 years and during a lay-off just over a year ago they could not afford their home any longer and they are all moved in with my g/f. When he goes to jail, which will be a couple of months from now when he goes to court, my g/f will not be able to take on all of their bills like car payment, insurance, gas for the car, cell phone, cable/internet (which the youngsters are paying for now), and some previous arrears that are catching up with them. So her daughter is either going to have to get a job but she is very against putting her children in another's care and the cost is also prohibitive as, even if she works, most of her money will be consumed with getting to and from work and with paying for childcare, negating the reason to work in the first place.

I am sympathetic with her desire to stay home with her two toddlers but we also have to be practical - the bills gotta get paid. So, I am advocating for finding some quick and easy way for daughter to start a business of some sort, and I favor an online business. She's very creative, so maybe Etsy is an option. I could help with that and maybe put up some up-front money to get materials for her to make something with. Or there's also the option of finding a product line from a dropshipper and opening an online store. But I know from experience that these aren't overnight ventures but maybe it can be done quick enough to have a solid start by the time that court date hits.

So, I'm mining for brainstorming and ideas here. Have you made money on the side or as your living online or in some way that was cheap and easy to get started? This young woman is very smart and has experience in office management, computers, personal assistance, scheduling, and making and taking phone calls. Perhaps there's a link that you know of where she could find and online job to utilize her talents for clients who may need various services like audio transcription, data entry, or research assistant.

All your comments, advice, and suggestions will be appreciated and I hope this thread becomes a resource that might help others who need inspiration in how to make a better living and a better life for themselves.

[djean111]

1. She should check out oDesk.com - look at available online jobs and see if anything is doable.

They have online proficiency tests (the score is not recorded until you okay it) and maybe she can find or develop something she can do. Might not pay a lot, but pay is guaranteed and no gas or childcare costs.

Etsy is pretty cheap and easy to set up. I wouldn't invest a lot up front until I was sure a product would sell. They have lots of free tutorials and take a much smaller bite than ebay.

[Sherman A1]

2. A friend of my wife gave her a couple of sites to check

I will ask her later (it's 2:30am here right now) and post them later in the day.

[JI7]

3. about how much would she need a month ? the business thing is very unlikely

to provide for most people if they are starting out. and in this case you are still looking for what she could do.

but if she doesn't have to worry about paying for housing and some other things because she is staying with her mother it could maybe work. but it all depends on how much money she would need.

[Skittles]

4. I could but choose not to

on edit, I mean I could work my current job from home