By Holly Reisem Hanna

On any given day, I’ll receive an email asking, “How can I work from home… now!?” While I can offer up some general suggestions on different work at home paths, without knowing your background, expertise, passions, and skills it is very difficult to offer up a concrete recommendation. With this said, there is an easy way to start working from home immediately… and that’s by freelancing.

You may say, “I’m not a writer” or “I don’t know how to code websites”… well that’s okay. Being a freelancer is more than just writing, coding and designing. Freelancing is a way to sell services, whether it be writing, performing, editing, bookkeeping, translating, or consulting, without having a formal employer or boss. Freelancers work as independent contractors, filling in gaps where companies and small business owners need help, but the not service of a full-time employee.

The best thing about freelancing (besides working from home, and naming your own price) is that everyone has some sort of freelance-able skill, from software development and recruiting, to project management, sales, translation, virtual assistance… the list goes on and on. (more…)

By Holly Reisem Hanna

With the unemployment rate at a staggering 7.7% and companies looking for ways to save money during these difficult financial times, freelancing and telecommuting are becoming more popular than ever.

According to Rich Pearson, Chief Marketing Officer for Elance, the growth of the virtual office means that employment is no longer contingent upon where you live, which is mutually beneficial for both job seekers and employers alike.

So what are some of the top ways to work from home for 2013? (more…)

By Martine de Luna

Being a freelance work-at-home woman these days isn’t easy. If you get on it for the ride, be prepared for some bumps and falls off the saddle. Or, you could just learn from someone else’s mistakes… like mine.

My freelance journey started out as a hobby: blogging. Eventually, I began to consider becoming a work at home woman, and my blog evolved along with my goal of becoming a home-based worker. Even before I advertised my writing services on my blog, people were already asking if I could do projects for them, and the blog became (as I like to say) the storefront to the services I had to offer as a writer.

As a freelancer, I’ve made many accomplishments. I’ve also made many mistakes along the way. From finding my voice as a freelancer, to dealing with clients and establishing a proper work ethic, I can say that I have fallen many times; however, I’ve also learned from these mistakes, some very hard lessons. (more…)

By Vishal P. Rao

As a freelancer or small entrepreneur running a home-based business, there’s no doubt you’re already loving the benefits of being able to work when you want, for as long as you want, without having to worry about your ‘boss’ asking what the heck you are doing every five minutes.

But while working from home has many advantages, many freelancers find that after taking on a good number of clients they’re presented with an altogether different challenge – they simply cannot find enough time in the day to get everything done!

Most people experience problems with time management at some point, even those who work from home full time. For those who combine their freelancing work with a full time, 9 to 5 job, the problem can be especially difficult – but it doesn’t have to be that way. (more…)

By Holly Reisem Hanna

I’m so tired.

For the past two weeks my daughter has been sick. It started off as a little cold and slowly progressed into a severe case of croup. After two trips to the doctor, a misdiagnosis, unneeded antibiotics, and countless sleepless nights we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

As a mom you know how difficult it can be to deal a sick child, but when you also work from home it throws a big wrench into your productivity, scheduled activities and tasks.

Here are some ways that you can ease the discomfort of your child and your disrupted work at home routine. (more…)