We all know the typical recommended job types for working from home, i.e., data entry, clerical aid, social media manager, proofreader, content writer, MLM, tutoring, Etsy seller, blogger, and the list just goes on.

…But what if you don’t want to leave the confines of an office job just for the confines of a home office job?

What if you want to have a little more control over your schedule to accommodate your health needs?

What if you don’t want to use other people’s systems and be reliant on their business decisions and their business succeeding to have a source of income?

What if, instead, you want to create your own systems and rely on your own business succeeding to have your own income…or maybe multiple incomes?

I can relate 100%. And for years I searched the internet for a ‘job’ to get me started in remote work and then I could ‘transition’ to my own business model…yep, that didn’t go as planned.

So, let’s skip all the obvious recommendations to get started in remote work and let’s do a little deeper dive into real business models, not just another job ‘opportunity’. I’ve either done some of these myself, have helped others doing them, know people in them, or just plain out makes sense when you break it down to a system level.

BUT to make it a little more relatable, let’s group these by personality type to get your brain looking at all the options and seeking solutions to your situation.

For the Helper, Administrator, Perfectionist, Analyst, Organizer, Reformer, and Behind the Scenes Magic Worker 😉

• System Creator for Startups and Small Businesses (Consultant)
• Hosting/Web Services (Website Manager/Editor)
• Project Manager (Contracts by Project)
• I.T. Support (Programs/Systems Specialist)
• Legal Services (Paralegal type/Notary Services)
• HR Consultant for Startups and Small Businesses (Consultant)
• Virtual Assistant (Specialized/Trained in Specific Area)
• Bookkeeping (Contracts and Consultant)

Let’s break it down a little further.

Many Startups and Small Businesses do not have the budget for a full-time or even part-time employee to help with the many facets in their business, this is the perfect opportunity to slide in with your experience and expertise as their consultant/contracted aid/specialist in the field matter. 

Just because someone can visualize their end goal in mind for their business doesn’t mean they have all the pieces figured out.

Like the systems for communication, project tracking, record keeping, training creation, employee acquisition, client acquisition, marketing, negotiations, quoting, bookkeeping, legalities, I.T., and SO MUCH MORE!

So for example, let’s say you’ve played a role in project management before, doesn’t mean you were necessarily the project manager but you were maybe the assistant responsible for keeping everything in check and making sure everyone was keeping up with their reporting to the manager

(doesn’t sound that glorifying BUT there’s a beautiful specialty here). 

This means you are aware of what systems were used and maybe which ones didn’t work as well as others.

You also know the expectations of a project manager, see their preferred deadlines, communication platforms, approval for spending funds process, and so much more.

You can take this expertise as an assistant and now flip it into a consulting service by coming in for a flat fee to assess and recommend which systems would work best for the company.

You could then charge to help set the systems up and train the staff.

Then you’re out unless they need assistance or more training in which they would pay you a fee for your services again or you could work out a yearly retainer that includes a set amount of services throughout the year and anything outside of the contract is a higher hourly/project fee.

You can flip this into an agency model by hiring people who have experience outside of yours.

You could then charge to help set the systems up and train the staff.

Then you’re out unless they need assistance or more training in which they would pay you a fee for your services again or you could work out a yearly retainer that includes a set amount of services throughout the year and anything outside of the contract is a higher hourly/project fee.

You can flip this into an agency model by hiring people who have experience outside of yours.

Work alongside your local Chamber of Commerce, Industrial Development Authority, and Economic Development Council offering your services at a discounted rate for businesses that qualify to go through their programs/memberships etc. to help you find more clients.

Join Facebook groups of small business owners and be giving in your knowledge inside the group building trust and rapport.

Eventually you’ll have the opportunity to share what industry you serve and what services you offer so they don’t have to hire an employee or put more weight on their current team’s shoulders.

Or, with Hosting/Web Services…new business owners, entrepreneurs, nonprofits and a lot of people really don’t know or are not confident in aspects of their website, email list, downloads, etc. when it comes to building it, maintenance, and streamless linking/syncing for great user experience.

If you have this expertise, go to your local small businesses and pitch to them!

Maybe start with providing a free optimisation of their Google Business to show you know what you’re talking about and in your presentation of completion pitch your services.

Project Manager.

Okay, so with this one, it’s good for businesses and nonprofits. I have contracted before to oversee an aspect of a project or entire area of an event to nonprofits and even small businesses that just didn’t have the personnel to get it done and were overwhelmed but didn’t have the budget to hire a full-time or part-time year-round employee.

This worked out great because there was a deadline and ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ when my symptoms started flaring. I was also on a flex contract so I could work from anywhere, however, whenever I chose (within an extent).

I was always conscious of being available on certain days in certain time blocks during regular business hours, even if I wasn’t actively working on the project at that time, for communication with the team.

I’ve continued these annual event contracts for a few years now and have increased my rate without hesitation from them. I also set up all the project tracking systems for my responsibilities as I went so I know where to start the next year without the brain fog being a deterrent.

It also provides the ability for me to subcontract for some tasks if I choose or for them to eventually handle it on their own if their team grows.

Since they’re nonprofit I’m happy to hand over my workflow without charge but if it was a business I would probably charge a small but reasonable amount for the time it took to create.

Legal Services.

This is beautiful but definitely check your state and do more research because I’m not an expert here.

I serve on a nonprofit board of directors and for the first 2 years we had no one in legal counsel and had no connections either. We wasted so much time chasing help down it wasn’t even funny.

If you have experience in the legal field, especially if you still have a good rapport amongst attorneys, paralegals, etc., you could easily prepare documents, do research and small things like that for small businesses and nonprofits.

I would of course recommend having an attorney review your documents for accuracy, but you could have that as part of your fee.

I now know an attorney that said he would’ve loved to have a paralegal on the ‘outside’ of his firm bringing documents that simply needed legal counsel review for a quick fee. For instance, we needed our by-laws redone.

I personally had to do over 8 hours of research plus typing up a new document composed of 4 different nonprofit’s references (ya know, the same assistant type work I did when I worked at a law firm fresh out of high school). Our board would’ve easily approved $400-$500 for a legal  document preparer to create a draft and even recommend where to have it reviewed for us. 

There are also attorneys that have gotten into the blogging world. They create the templates for bloggers, entrepreneurs, service providers, etc. to put on their websites and contracts they need to conduct business. Some make more doing this than their brick and mortar practice. The point with this area is to think outside of the box and do some research…it just may pay out as a great business model.

HR consultant.

So, once a business has grown to the point of needing an employee(s) there’s always the question in the back of their minds of how to deal with HR issues, knowing the employee/employer laws, and all the jazz that comes with having a team.

Most can’t afford to hire an HR director or employee to manage that aspect of their team, they need to hire the positions that increase revenue and growth first.

Offering your expertise and knowledge just like a law firm or legal services office would is a great opportunity and would fill a gap.

Let’s say you find 4 businesses in your area that have, say, 5-10 employees. You could ask the owner if they have the need yet for HR consultancy or someone on speed dial to answer employee/employer questions but not necessarily in the need of a full-time HR Director.

DO some market research and you’ll find the sweet spot of the size of companies and even the niche you’re most knowledgeable and interested in.

Then, offer your services like a subscription service or coaching/consulting service.

Something like, they get one monthly call of an hour, a call of 30 minutes per week, and up to 1 hour per week in research/document preparation for $x amount every quarter.

(I suggest something with longer retention like quarterly, bi-annually, or annually with a 30 day notice of intent to not renew so if they decide to cancel you have some time to find another client to fill the gap).

Okay, so for the Helper, Administrator, Perfectionist, Analyst, Organizer, Reformer, and Behind the Scenes Magic Worker, you get the idea from these examples.

Think outside of the box.

Think of a spot you’ve worked and that small businesses or solopreneurs may need that spot filled but don’t have the capacity for a full-time or part-time employee with all the regulations and tax stuff to keep up with.

For the inner teacher, trainer, strong communicator, instructor, and magician at ‘making things click’:

• Coaching (on something you’ve done yourself)
• Consulting (in an expertise)
• Tutoring/Contracted Teacher
• Online program/course creator (of expertise or something you’ve done yourself)
• Speaker/author (on expertise or something you’ve done yourself)

Let’s talk about the word ‘expertise’ for a second.

DO NOT let that discourage you if you don’t have a degree, certificates, or document of ‘proof’ of your knowledge!

Expertise is simply things you’ve encountered in life, became knowledgeable in, overcame and/or figured out how to handle/deal with more than once…or maybe it was an ongoing or really big once.

I know a woman who has had horses all her life and started a boarding service.

Now she’s training youth in caretaking and riding. She’s also training horses.

To my knowledge, she doesn’t have an equestrian degree, just raised with horses all her life.

In fact, she was a school teacher for years until her MLM became so successful she was able to step away from teaching in the school system and now teaches what she’s most passionate about.

And, it’s not full-time, more on her time than anything.

For the speaker/author area.

I highly suggest you check out Chandler Bolt.

He’s been featured on podcasts, has his own YouTube Channel, and is a published author. I got his book ‘Published’ and it has dramatically helped the way I write blog posts.

I’m currently outlining a book that I had “nothing to write about” but discovered a TON about myself that I didn’t even realize through his exercises.

Also, I recommend Dana Malstaff’s Boss Mom Facebook Group and more specifically the 5 Day Authority Building Challenge.

It made me finally recognize the opinions I’m passionate about and the ‘hills I’ll die on’ so to speak.

Those exercises totally helped me level up and prepare me for when I got to Chandler Bolt’s exercises.

Tutoring/Contracted teacher.

I was listening to the Biz Chix podcast, I don’t remember which episode exactly but a woman has built multiple businesses and she has chronic illness.

In one episode (Coaching Call Session) she was talking about how she had started tutoring and providing support for students in Virtual Education.

Eventually she had a couple people get on board with her and now it’s a little tutoring agency covering a lot of different subject matters.

They teach studying techniques and hold the students accountable in their course work.

And they’re serving students of all ages and grades. It’s become self-sufficient without her and so she’s stepped away to pursue growing another business that’s a passion to her also.

Talk about multiple streams of income while serving others, providing an income source for other people AND balancing her chronic condition.

It’s just awesome to hear her story. I highly recommend listening to the Biz Chix Podcasts if you’re a high performer.

Natalie serves women earning at least 3k a month in business and helps you go to the next level while not sacrificing time for the things you love in life, she really works for sustainability and as a chronic illness warrior, that speaks to me.

Coaching/Course/Program Creator

There’s plenty of resources for being a coach or online course/program creator. It’s basically packaging your experience/expertise into a system you walk clients through to obtain a specific goal.

I’ve dabbled in coaching, I say dabbled because I didn’t carry a full client load nor was it my main source of income.

I thoroughly enjoy it but without scaling it to being a bit evergreen or interactive without your constant attention, it was at times difficult to serve my clients and take care of my health needs.

I’m also 100% self-sacrificing when it comes to serving others and feel guilty when I have to reschedule or change plans but I never had a client that wasn’t understanding and happy to oblige.

I was just uncomfortable having to do it.

I’d like to eventually transition my coaching into an online resource that people can use regardless of my current situation.

I think in a group environment, if built the right way, could be extremely helpful for sustaining momentum and results.

Even if you have to step back for a few days personally, the group would act like an accountability pod that’s full of resources to help with any bumps they hit until you can be available again.

Just my perspective on coaching, it can be done a multitude of ways and you just have to find what fits your expertise, your health, your life, and those you’re serving. So, do some market research on this one 🙂

I recommend Amy Porterfield for online courses, Dana Malstaff for Mmebership Sites and Courses, and Vaness Lau for using Instagram to get clients and Courses.

For the Creative at Heart, Dreamer, Visionary, Design Enthusiast, Color Coder, Emotional Connector, and Visual Communicator with a Mystical way of expressing things that connect and resonate with others…

• Crafter (specific area)
• Boxes/Subscription Service
• Decal/Sticker Shop
• Online Boutique
• Branding/Design Planner
• Graphics Designer
• Marketing Planner (contracted projects)
• Content/Copywriter (think team/agency goal)
• Social Media Management (think Agency goal)

This list could go on for miles! SO many intricate areas within creativity and marketing and in so many facets of business and life.

So, I’ll try to keep this brief without being too in depth in my examples.

Let’s talk about ‘Crafter’ first.

Yes, this could be an Etsy shop, local artisan market shop, custom work for word of mouth referrals, and things like these that are overly talked about everywhere. But let’s go a slightly different angle just to get your brain kicking in gear and out of the box.

Let’s not look at making shirts for etsy or making candles for the hometown fall market.

Let’s think in a little different direction.

Pitch your candles to the subscription box that correlates to the scents or movement/mission of your business, to local businesses to replace their Glade plug-ins with your candles instead to support a local small business.

(maybe offer a monthly subscription of $x and you provide different options of quantity of package of candles and refill them monthly with their choice of scents for that month being featured)

Shirts for etsy are great, but you could also look at shirts being the ‘freebie’ that comes with another product you have or a training you do or service you give or part of an entire package.

You could even pitch to all the small businesses, nonprofits, teams, clubs, groups, etc. in your town to be THE shirt maker for ALL of their needs.

For example, I live in a small town with at least 1-2 events going on every month. Most of these events give away promotional items, including shirts, or they buy for their team or to sell to the public.

No, it may not provide a full time income at first but it could definitely be scaled to surrounding counties or into your own brand or being a bulk supplier…there’s Facebook DeStash groups that I see this happening in and these ladies are killing it.

Online Boutique.

A woman I grew up with started an online boutique to help pay for the ongoing healthcare costs of her daughter with a disability.

Her movement created a marketing situation people got behind and now she’s doing boutique items, monogrammed items, and her own shirts/earrings etc and has a website.

Not bad for what started as a private Facebook Shopping Group just a few years ago!

There’s another boutique I’ve seen online that serves plus sized women in country and boho clothing and accessories.

It seems to be pretty active and definitely serving a group of women typically left out of the typical model types of tall and slender for bell bottom jeans, knotted graphic tees, wedges, and floppy hats.

She’s also an advocate for diabetes awareness and taking care of yourself in fashion and in health.

I’m sure that’s a movement many women feel empowered to be a part of!

Decal/Sticker shop.

Literally just search on YouTube and Instagram.

There are many in the UK that I follow that share behind the scenes and the dozen Cricuts or Silhouettes it takes to run a nonstop shop.

Each one pretty much reaches a specific audience with their themes/branding, whether cartoon cats and hippos with powder colors, all things coffee and caramel colors, quotes and scriptures, all things fashionista and now there’s even one I’ve seen that’s all things classy and 2nd Amendment.

Many of these shops seemed to have started doing their own and friends and family, then began listing on Etsy or their Instagram and it grew from there.

The key is patience with this one I would think, testing quality products, the designing and machines, doing a lot of market research, maybe teaming up with others to do giveaways for marketing awareness…just some ideas to throw out there.

I’m going to lump the next ones together.

Branding/Design Planner. Graphics Designer. Marketing Planner. Content/Copywriter. Social Media Management.

You can print stickers at midnight if that’s when you feel the best but you may not be able to meet with clients, interact on social media, or make phone calls for planning always when it’s prime time for you just due to the nature of the business models.

All of these can be scaled over time into agencies or teams. Many of these creative ideas can be but these are definitely more demanding of time and could potentially have a little less flexibility.

But don’t be discouraged! 

These can be scaled into you having a team that handles more of the time restraint items or even an agency where you can take the client work that fits your needs and have others taking the clients that do not.

(like the ones who need rush services more frequently or have a narrow schedule to have meetings, etc)

These will be you trading your time for money until you can move beyond being the bottleneck of your business and having others working for you so that you can scale beyond just the hours you personally have each day to work in your business.

Leaving you time to work on your business meeting with potential clients, sending marketing material out, following up for referrals from happy clients, etc. 

For the hands-on, resourceful, active, personable, service oriented, social butterfly who needs some interaction with other humans…

• Event Venue
• Event Planning (for nonprofits and small businesses)
• Equipment Rental and/or contracted services
• Cafe/Tea Shop/ Sandwich Shop
• Home Based FFL/Gunsmithing/Customization

Confession…I’ve dabbled in most of these or I’ve helped/worked in them.

If you have resources, like property (especially with structures on it), you could look at providing it to the public as a venue rental.

May not provide a full-time income, depending on the resource and where you live, but you step out a little and pitch to places to come use the facilities instead of just waiting on a phone call and it could be a great option.

Especially if you host your own events a couple times a year for marketing purposes and getting it known you’re there and available.

Event Planner.

Many places have their own staff that would oversee event planning, but some do not.

For example, the Executive Director of our local Chamber of Commerce stepped away after getting married and moving to the next county over. She offered to stay contracted just to oversee planning their fundraising events throughout the year.

I personally have been contracted to oversee and plan events or an area of the event.

I always have a section in my contract that allows me to subcontract in case my conditions flare and I need to get help.

I would lose money on the job by paying someone else, but I wouldn’t lose my reputation, the show would go on, and I wouldn’t burn myself out. 

My husband and I personally own a home based FFL (Federal Firearms License) LLC.

Our zoning prevents us from expanding in the way we would like to originally but it’s definitely brought in a decent side income over the years.

We’re now to a point where we’re able to look at expanding in a different way than originally desired and are very hopeful to have a sustainable income in the next few years.

We do know others who are home based and have gone completely full-time…but they live in a different area with different zoning regulations so check with your local zoning office before you dive into this one.

You have to meet ATF regulations and your local city/county/state regulations as well.

On a personal note, if you have no or very little experience with firearms, for the love of God, please get involved on a local level with clubs, ranges, instructors, etc. and take some basic safety and shooting courses before you get into this area.

Don’t be prideful and say “I shot dad’s shotgun as a kid.” etc. That’s like saying, “I’ve done 85 on the Interstate before.” and signing up to drag race your car or think you can run a NASCAR race.

Don’t be that guy or gal, just don’t. It’s what gives that industry a terrible name and reputation.

Cafe/Tea/ Sandwich Shops.

There is a cafe that is only open from 10am-2pm in our town and they stay packed. They have really good food that’s all fresh made with a lot of local resources that I’m sure helps a ton but I think the scarcity of them only being open certain days and in a short time frame makes people not want to miss out.

It’s downtown right on Main Street in walking distance to most businesses in our community, location definitely helps too.

A friend of mine is opening a Tea shop soon….these have become all the rage recently so I’m praying it goes abundantly well for her. She and her daughter are fellow sisters in Christ and chronic illness warriors too.

She left her full-time substantial income to pursue this venture. 

Equipment Rental.

Okay this is broad and I want to be sure to talk about this for a second.

This is everything from tables/chairs/tablecloth rental all the way to machinery/tractors/trailers.

This kind of goes with the Venue Rental also, if you accumulate things to host parties, weddings, events, etc. you can then offer those things as upsales to venue rentals or rent packages to people not using the venue.

As far as equipment, a guy my husband used to work with owns an excavation company and ALL his equipment is leased…everything from the backhoe down to the bush hog.

This might not be realistic if you don’t have the resources but the point here is to think outside the box.

Another girl I know had a beautiful wedding and rented out her things, she’s accumulated more over the years and is known as the ‘girl to go to’ regardless of your wedding theme or even family photo props, engagement announcements, gender reveals, pregnancy photo shoots, etc.

She connected with local photographers and offers a discount on items when booked through one of the photographers, in return the photographer recommends her and she recommends them. Win win collaborations.

Okay, I’m out of breath and you have a lot to think about, hash out, and throw around on your drawing board.

The idea behind this post is to think outside of the box.

We have to do that on a daily with our Sidekicks (chronic conditions) anyway so why not with business too?!

I mean, there are days I have to figure out how to get out of the shower because my legs are high pain and giving out that day. It’s usually pretty comical involving a dining room chair and pillows in the floor ‘just in case’ but hey we make it out alive and unscaved…most of the time 😉

So, think outside the box!

I’d love to hear what you come up with and hash out some ideas with you any time…you can message me on Instagram, my inbox is always open!