The Master List of Legit Work From Home Professional Opportunities

{ You have been thinking about this, let’s make it happen }

Looking to make $1,000 or more from home?

This is your MASTER LIST of our researched, tested, tried and approved opportunities for work from home opportunities that are NOT scammy or spammy and leaving you disappointed.

Are you a stay at home mom tired of pinching pennies?

Are you stuck in the day job and spending most of your paycheck on childcare and most of your time in the commute?

Do you need more flexibility for your family?

We’re not talking direct sales or cash back apps. These are real jobs and businesses that you can work from home allowing you to maintain the flexibility you need as a mom.

The list below has some of the best work-from-home opportunities we’re seeing right now. We will continue to add and update this list so you can always come here and find inspiration finding the perfect job to balance with your family life.

 

The 3 categories of Work-From-Home Wishers:

Which category best describes you?

It might be more than one!

 

Business Woman Dreaming
  1. An extra $1 – $2k from home is a game changer for our family (has to be flexible around the kids needs) —-> COMFORT INCOME                                   

2. I need $3 – 5k to get out of my awful commute, childcare expenses and unappreciative boss. But realistically, I can only work 25 – 30 hours per week —> LIFESTYLE CHANGE 

3. I’m an expert in my field. To leave my day job and really expand my talents, I need $6 – 10k per month. I know this will take time. I’m willing to work hard. I don’t want to “work for the man” forever. There is something more for me. But I have self-doubts and big questions. —-> PURPOSE PURSUER

Dreaming bigger? 6 figure launch? Want to drop $10k charitably like it’s nothing? That path can and usually starts exactly like these 3.

You Know What You Want To Earn. Here Are The 3 Ways You Can Earn It From Home:

You won’t find a lot of click-baity headlines here.  We are going at this with wisdom.  Exactly where are the legitimate work from home opportunities?

Freelance Service Provider

Work for yourself, picking up projects or clients that you invoice for.  The client pays you (or your LLC) and gives you a 1099 tax reporting form at year end.

Hourly rates from $15 – $150 / hour

PROS:

  • Higher hourly rates
  • Ability to pick and chose projects you want
  • Tax benefits of self-employment
  • Ability to learn more, upgrade services and rates over time
  • Ability to take seasons off without “permission”

Work Remotely For A Company

You are an employee of a company who is working remotely, either part or full time.   They pay you a salary or hourly rate and provide you a W-2 tax form at year end.

Hourly rates usually lower than freelance work as the company covers some taxes and benefits.

PROS:

  • More stable in general
  • Longer work projects
  • Still more flexible than working onsite
  • Only need to find one company, not multiple clients

Build Your Own Business

There is another option.  Design your own products, services, systems, programs, etc, and sell them online from home.

From crafters to eCommerce drop shippers to online training and coaching programs, when you build your own business you are:

  • Designing a product or service that solves a problem for a mission you believe in
  • Managing revenue, expenses and profitability
  • Developing a marketing strategy to get your product in front of the right people on and off line
  • Hiring a team with a variety of talents as you grow

Freelance Service Providers can grow into being their own business (agency as they are often called) as they expands services, add clients and hire subcontractors and begin to specialize and be known for topics.

Now, Find Your Sweet Spot in Your Work-From-Home Opportunity Mapper

“You’ll notice the hearts in the freelance category.  Keep reading to learn why we recommend freelance as a sweet spot for everyone.

It’s not just because that’s what I teach.  It has truly been the most consistently profitable work-from-home work that meets the needs of many moms and families.”  

Loir Mercer, Owner & CEO LoriMercerCTO

opportunity mapper, chart for finding your best fit
Watch Episode 18 of the How She Quits Show to hear more about where you fit into the Work-From-Home Opportunity Mapper.

Recommended Work From Home Opportunities

Up-To-Date, Legit, Flexible, Non-Sales, & Mom Friendly

{Jump to the section that matches your current situation}

Our #1 Recommended Path: Freelance Virtual Professional

Often called a VA or Virtual Assistant but it’s much more than that!

On the lower end of the pay scale ($15 – $25 / hour) you can:

  • Manage emails, schedules and customer support
  • Format emails and blog posts
  • General admin work                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

On the higher end of the pay scale (up to hundreds per hour for the best talent) you can be a:

  • Design graphics, copy-writing, websites, marketing funnels and marketing strategies

In fact, we call these higher end skills, Virtual PROFESSIONAL skills.  Keep reading to learn more about that path.  But starting as a generalist VA is a great place to gain experience.                     

Yes! I want to be a Virtual Assistant…but I have questions?

Virtual Assistants (VA’s) are a brand new industry that means about 237 different things in a room full of 10 people.  This means…. you can break into this field with your special talent and find a way.

Hundreds (possibly thousands) of VA jobs are posted daily and many go unfilled.   Because….it’s new, not well defined and that can be a tough way to match your talents to the right business owner.

Learn more about the various types of VA work and how to start your VA profession here.

Ready To Learn and Earn. Tools and Training to Launch Successfully as a Virtual Professional

VA’s are a booming industry with lots of opportunity.  It also means it can feel like the wild, wild, west with everyone making it up as they go.  You need to differentiate and this is the best way because those who differentiate are actually PROFESSIONALS.   Yes, I prefer to use the term “Virtual Professional” to describe your professional skills, offered remotely from home.  If this is you, dive in now with our Go Virtual Professional Starter Kit.

Below You Will Find Our Top Picks For Work from Home Jobs by Category and Earning Potential.

Available Now...Opportunity Knocks!

Love Words and Reading?  Turn Your Passion Into Income: 

$300 a month during naptime to more than 2k a month in comfort income, you choose!

If you enjoy writing or find yourself constantly critiquing grammar you may enjoy working at a job where words are the focus.

On the lower end of the pay scale ($10 – $20 / hour), you can: Proofread, Transcribe, Edit

On the higher end of the pay scale (up to hundreds per hour for the best talent) you can be a:

  • Copywriter any kind of sales copy
  • Ghost writer or editor for a book or blogger
  • Creative content writer for greeting cards
  • Content creator for online marketing 

You are ready to turn that passion for reading and words into income for you and your family, but how? The good news is there are trailblazers who have gone before you and are ready to teach and prepare you to succeed in this field.  One amazing resource that we highly recommend, Proofread Anywhere, is offering their training resources for FREE here.  We can’t wait to hear how it goes! 

Experienced in proofing, editing, copy-writing?  Here are some of our favorite places for you “word girls” to find virtual work:

Rev.com is a transcription and translation company that is almost always hiring freelancers. Projects are posted and can be picked up rapidly (think eBay bidding but it’s lists of jobs for you to snag)

Writing for PAREXCEL

PAREXCEL has been named one Flexjobs Top 100 Companies for Remote Work. They are a strong company with legitimate opportunities to work from home.

Be a Remote Editor for Scribendi

This is a great one for the grammar conscious among you. Scribendi provides Academic and Professional Proofreading.

TranscribeMe offers transcription services. While the pay is on the lower end, $15-22 per audio hour, they do hire without experience and the work is flexible. It’s a great way to hone your skills, preparing you for higher-paying transcription jobs.

Looking to Work With Numbers and Balance Sheets From the Comfort of Home?

Great Bookkeeping Opportunities Are Waiting!

This kind of work from home freedom is available to anyone, not just the accounting degrees out there.  Yes, if you have an accounting degree that is certainly going to fast track you but…not required!  Maybe you have always been a numbers person and enjoy the detail and logic of running numbers, solving problems, and providing a service that is in high demand thanks to everyone else who prefers to stay on the other side of the financial books.

bookkeeper jobs transition to work from home work

You can make $1,200 a month and some savvy virtual pros pull in $12,000+ a month with their bookkeeping business!

With the flexibility of online connectivity and around the clock ability to get work done virtually; there are endless opportunities for go-getters like you to provide bookkeeping services to anyone from anywhere.

We highly recommend Bookkeeping.com for all the training and support you need to launch your very own virtual bookkeeping business.  It is the real deal and will walk you through each step of launching successfully. Here is the course syllabus our friends at Bookkeeping.com shared with us. Want to learn more? We suggest you check out this FREE intro class from Bookkeeping.com.

Girls Who Tech…(insert anything because you are awesome)!

Techies rule!  (Ok, a bit partial here being a techie myself.)  You can learn fast.  And capitalize on the newest needs in the market.  For example, if you are a developer, why are you not right now learning Blockchain and getting out there in the freelance space?

Everything is online, who isn’t working remotely online these days?  You have a great opportunity to be the tech whiz someone is always going to be looking for.

Have you heard of WP Rockstar? Well, no excuses now, because now you know.  Check out this amazing resource ASAP and thank me later. Please, stay in touch because once you are rocking that freelance tech biz I might just need you on my next WP client project!

 

Photographers, Graphic Designers, Social Media Savvy Moms. 

Where Are My Creatives At?

Creative types NEVER lack for work.  Never.  Because creativity is a true gift that many people do not have. If you have an “eye for design” and are responsive and can understand the brand of a client easily, you will never lack for freelance work.

  • Do you love to make fun graphics and share them on social?
  • Are your friends in love with your Instagram feed style?

These fun skills can be turned into a freelance social media business you can do from home.

Check out this video Turn Your Creative Skills Into a Work From Home Business, to learn more about this. That Episode and blog are literally full of great resources for what a creative media job looks like and the essential skills needed to be a boss. Worry you might be lacking in a skill area? No need, we even added some great training opportunities to step up your skills ASAP!

The Customer Is Always Right: Good With Customers?

Need a few hundred dollars a month during naptime – or more?!

If you have a knack for explaining things and enjoy sharing knowledge or pride yourself on creating a great customer experience then Chat Support work may be a good fit for you.

These jobs range from customer service and tech support to social media engagement.  The opportunities abound in this area!  We recommend starting with one of these who are hiring: wrrk.com, modsquad.com, and thesocialelement.com.

Experience in Healthcare or Counseling?

$6K is an average income available to remote nurses, ditch the commute and make a great income! 

The field of nursing can on one hand be incredibly fulfilling, but shift work can be demanding and lack the flexibility you need for family life. Luckily in this digital age, there are opportunities to continue to use those skills while working from home.

Here are some go-to resources for virtue work in healthcare that we recommend: Anthem, Inc, Grand Rounds, Humana, Mercy Health, UnitedHealth Group. More to come on this topic!  

If you are a nurse or doctor who is ready to step into more of a faculty role, check out Chamberlain University for virtual faculty positions open now.  

Virtual Counseling is winning right now, to connect yourself to those opportunities google on over to Global Therapy or BetterHelp. and apply today!

 

Teachers: Take Your Classroom Mastery Skills Online 

Need 2-4K per month with flexibility from home plus summers off? 

You have a wealth of skills that can translate well to working in an online industry. Not to mention using your teaching degree in online programs.  We recommend seeking jobs on k12.com and VIP kid.  If working online with students is not for you those skills can easily be put to use working as a Virtual Assistant or proofreader could be a great fit. Scroll back up to our Freelance section and take a look at those opportunities there.

You Had Me At Research. 

Research and testing jobs are good for moms who may not have the quiet space needed for work requiring you to be on the phone. You can research from just about anywhere with an internet connection.

Become a Remote Employee for a Company:

No, we don’t mean TV remote work, but your life will have more time for Netflix when you land that remote job and leave your commute behind.

These opportunities are everywhere and with the way the world is changing, more and more companies may begin offering the work from home flexibility.   Search “remote work” and you will be overwhelmed so we have done the work for you and recommend starting with Flex Jobs.

Every single job on FlexJobs is hand-screened for legitimacy, with no ads or scams mixed in, and every single job offers work flexibility such as telecommuting, freelance, part-time or other flexible options.

We recommend you get on Flex Jobs soon but first, you might want to check out my video and blog, on how to find the right remote work on FlexJobs.com.

HireMyMom.com founder, Lesley Pyle happens to be a good friend of mine and I love sharing her great resources for job seekers and to those looking to build a virtual team! They are super selective about the types of jobs they post and the companies they partner with.  Head over and check them out, she even offers free courses to help get you ready for your dream work-from-home job.

“HireMyMom.com focuses strictly on home-based jobs and projects that work perfectly for today’s savvy entrepreneur and today’s modern mom.” says, Founder, Lesley Pyle.  I love promoting other mom-based and mom-run businesses like HireMyMom.com.  

hiremymom.com logo

Become a CEO, Build Your Own Business

Exiting a six-figure corporate career? I’ve been there and done that, I can help!

Sometimes you just need to talk to someone for strategic advice that will get you over those hurdles.   If you have questions about building a membership site or an online course or any of your WordPress or email automation systems or needs, this is the place to be.

Just getting started and wanting to design everything correctly from the beginning?  We can do that in this session. 

lori mercer strategy session

This may leave you with some very good questions……

What About My Favorite Make Up, Leggings or Health Care Supplement?  (i.e. Direct Sales)

If you have a direct sales product you LOVE and you understand the business of direct sales (recruit, recruit, recruit to build your team), then go for it!  It’s not a method I teach here for a few reasons.

1. It falls into the Business Builder category but with a lot of red tape that the direct sales company requires you to follow.

2. You’re at the mercy of their rules.  So if you are a person who likes structure and to be told what to do next, and you are comfortable with selling, then this could be you.

3. Those who grow these businesses aren’t just doing it by “posting on Facebook”.  I feel that’s deceptive as the business really requires a lot of personal touch – phone calls, conferences, parties, events, etc.  If you really want to work just from home, direct sales may not be the best route for you.

{But if you are good with all of that, research the brand and company, find a strong upline and go for it!}

Why Isn’t Blogging Mentioned?

Blogging itself isn’t a business.  It’s a marketing method that brings traffic to an offer.

Bloggers make money by sharing products they’ve created or that others have created for which they get an affiliate commission for selling, or an advertising fee for promoting.

Blogging is a tough business to build that takes a long time and I believe most of you are here to find a faster path to income for your family.   It’s not my recommended path for someone trying to exit their day job, or even quickly find an extra $500 – $1000 / month for your family.

I believe in blogging.  How She Quits utilizes a blog for marketing purposes and offers some affiliate links for which I make a few hundred dollars a month.  FirefighterWife.com is a blog I built in 2012 which had up to 100,000 page views per month (a number important to blogging businesses).   I do believe that the right person can grow an amazing blog.

But in the meantime, while you’re chasing the next online marketing trick or trend, you may need some real cash income.  That’s where these work-from-home opportunities are my preferred and recommended.

(If you have a blog, are making money from it now, and need strategic and implementation support to expand it with an online course or membership, that’s my personal 1-on-1 service specialty and I’d love to talk with you about that.)