10 Tips to Follow When Searching for a Work-From-Home Opportunity

Sponsored by Cruise Planners

Working from home can provide needed flexibility, additional income, and a better work-life balance, but it does not come without its challenges. Before diving into a new work-from-home opportunity, it is essential to do your research so you understand the benefits and challenges of working from home and can pick the opportunity best suited for your needs.

Check out these 10 tips to follow when searching for a work-from-home opportunity.

1. Consider Inventory and Logistics

A big trend right now is a home-based product such as makeup, leggings, jewelry, and even sex toys. While these businesses can seem appealing, it is important to evaluate the costs and logistics associated with selling a product.

• Where will you store your inventory?
• Do you have space in your house?
• Will you need to rent additional storage space?
• How will you handle shipping?
• Will you be running back and forth from the post office?
• Will you allow for returns?
• How does that impact your costs?

These are all critical questions to ask before selling physical products.

2. Understand Your Working Hours

Some work-from-home options require you to clock in and out at certain times, which is nice if you prefer a predictable schedule but can be limiting if you are looking for more flexibility. Other work-from-home opportunities allow you to set your own schedule. This can be especially beneficial for parents who need the flexibility to juggle their kids’ schedule with work. It is important to understand the expectations when it comes to your schedule and working hours, so you can find an opportunity that fits your lifestyle.

3. Connect with an Established Brand

While the dream of setting up a new business venture sounds appealing, it can be incredibly challenging and costly. You are solely responsible for creating your brand from scratch, including building brand awareness, marketing, and creating a business infrastructure. As Cruise Planners CEO and founder, Michelle Fee, notes, by joining an established brand, such as a franchise, “you have a proven model of success to help your business grow, reducing the risk of failure compared to a traditional new business.” You will gain immediate brand recognition and have access to proven systems for selling as well as ongoing business development support to ensure your business is profitable.

4. Make Sure Your Values Align

Changing careers or investing in a new business venture can be an emotional time. Perhaps something changed in your personal life, which is thrusting you to accelerate this change, but it is essential to make sure you do your research and find an opportunity that matches your values. For example, at Cruise Planners, we attract people who are service-oriented, have a passion for travel, and want to work-from-home. We even encourage prospective franchise owners to call existing owners to hear about their experiences first hand.

5. Follow your Passion

If you have to work, shouldn’t you love what you do? Sure, money is important, but personal fulfillment is vital to your overall happiness and success. Carolyn loves to travel. It is in her blood. And as a Cruise Planners travel advisor, she wakes up every day and gets to do what she is passionate about. Her advice: don’t be afraid to follow your passions.

6. Know How You Will Make Money

Before starting a work-from-home opportunity – especially if you are partnering with an existing company – it is important to understand how often and how much you will be paid. You’re not going to be working for free, after all! Will you earn a base salary, or will your pay be commission-based? Look for companies that are transparent about their pay structure and don’t have a lot of strings attached.

7. Make Sure You’ve Got the Right Hardware

Even if you are working from home, you need to be available for your customers or clients. It may seem obvious, but having reliable, high-speed internet, a good computer, and a dependable phone line are critical to any home-based work, regardless of the industry.

8. Take Advantage of Innovative Tech Tools

In today’s world, technology is key to connecting with customers and driving sales. Partnering with a company that is constantly innovating and investing in new technology can help you stay ahead of the competition. When evaluating a company’s technology, here’s what to look for: a CIO (Chief Information Officer) or CTO (Chief Technology Officer) who is heavily involved in the company, an emphasis on mobile-first design, the weight given to automation, and a proven history of technological innovation and awards.

9. Pick a Booming Industry

When getting into a new business, you want to pick something sustainable. There should be a sizeable market for your service or product, and it should be able to withstand fluctuations in the economy. The travel industry, for instance, is booming and shows no signs of slowing down. In 2017, Americans spent over $1 trillion on travel, and the desire for personalized travel experiences is at an all-time high. More and more, people are turning to travel professionals to help plan custom-tailored trips and receive a higher level of service, making travel advisors more relevant than ever.

10. Consider Additional Perks and Benefits

Aside from generating a healthy income and having a flexible lifestyle, consider if there are any other perks or benefits to the home-based opportunities you are considering. For instance, as a travel advisor, you get all sorts of perks, including access to discounted travel rates, free, or deeply discounted familiarization (FAM) trips provided by travel suppliers. In many cases, you can even deduct your travel expenses on your taxes as part of your business! Perks like these can add up and make some opportunities even sweeter.

There are a lot of great work-from-home opportunities. No matter which one you choose, it will require dedication, hard work, perseverance, and a desire to succeed. At the end of the day, it is vital to understand the benefits and challenges, so you can pick an opportunity that is best suited to your needs.

About Cruise Planners

Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative, is the nation’s largest travel franchise with over 2,500 franchise owners in all 50 states. As a home-based, independent travel advisor, you will help clients plan amazing trips, including cruises, guided land tours, all-inclusive resort vacations, and more. No experience is needed to become a travel advisor; we provide comprehensive training and ongoing support to help you succeed. To learn more about Cruise Planners and see how you can start your own home-based travel advisor business, visit cruiseplannersfranchise.com.

This post was sponsored by Cruise Planners. Please be aware we only promote advertising from companies that we feel we can legitimately recommend to our readers. See our disclosure policy for further information.