Working from the comfort of your home (or a local coffee spot even) is pretty dreamy – whether you're Muslim or not. But speaking from the perspective of a Muslim woman who wants to let her hair down when she works (literally – the hijab headache is real!), it's not always easy finding opportunities that are completely remote.
Of course, Covid lockdowns made 'home-based working' a lot more of the norm but – if you're anything like me – I bet you're dreading that work email requesting everyone to come back to the office! 😱
Whilst this is no encouragement to ditch the day job – here are 7 business ideas that let you work from the comfort of your bed, and are surprisingly easy to get started with!
Starting a Niche Blog 👩🏽💻
Every single human will either have a hobby they're passionate about, or a strong area of expertise. If you can't think of anything right now, just trace back to any skills you've picked up through work experience, through your home environment, or even lessons you've learnt in life. Either way – you most definitely have a piece of knowledge that someone else doesn't have.
If you're a on-the-go mum, how about kickstarting a 'mummy blog' talking all about how to balance different aspects of your life? Or if you're a uni student, you can share study tips to benefit others!
1. Decide what your niche / skill / valuable content is
2. Create a website with a easy-to-use website builder (Ghost.org is a great platform to start with)
3. Consistently post relevant articles (I'd say twice a week)
4. You'll steadily build engagement /loyal followers
5. Promote your blog posts via social media
How to Make Money From Blogging? 💰
Once your has gained a fair amount of popularity and frequent visitors, you can sign up to Google AdSense. You essentially get paid for allowing adverts to run on your site – so the more traffic you get, the more money you make! 💸
Other ways to make money from blogging:
- Affiliate Marketing (collaborate with companies and receive payment when someone buys from them through your blog!)
- Sell Products / Services (you can sell products on your website, or charge people for online classes that teach them something valuable)
- Create a 'Members Only' Area (readers pay a monthly subscription to access behind-the-scenes, premium content created by you)
Top Tip 👉🏼 The key to blogging is maintaining consistency. It's easy to forget to blog one week but be aware this can make readers lose interest, and even unsubscribe!
Freelance Writing ✍🏼
If you read the 'create a website' bit above and were slightly put off – that's okay because this next one is just for you!
If you don't want to create your own website, purchase a personal domain blah blah blah, Freelance writing lets you write articles anywhere you like (and for anyone you like!)
Most companies require a writer, whether that's someone writing some sales copy for their website, or they need someone to write a one-off awesome article for them. You're essentially charging people for your skill, and working towards flexible deadlines.
Freelance writing lets you work for multiple clients at once which, if you're a decent writer, can have you busy with loads of projects each month – not bad!
How to get started with freelance writing:
- Put together a simple portfolio (a collection of experience you have, and if you don't have any experience, talk about why you're so passionate about writing!)
- Sign up to Fiverr or UpWork (these platforms let you showcase your portfolio and find potential clients easily)
- Make sure you have an updated LinkedIn profile (LinkedIn is an awesome place to see companies/ people who are hiring)
- Decide on a suitable hourly rate (this should be based on your level of expertise and experience)
You can create an account on Medium and sign up to the Medium Partner Program. You can write articles on whatever you like, and the more traction your writing gets, the more Medium pay you!
Here's a great article (on Medium) which explains exactly how the platform works and how you can benefit!
Selling on Etsy 🛒
This method is one I really stand by because I've tried, tested and totally approved it myself. When I was between jobs last year, I decided to create a really basic product – greeting cards – and sell them on Etsy for a few pounds each.
Here's what they looked like 👇
I narrowed down my niche to the occasion of Eid, found a reasonably cheap printing service, took some product photos and got selling!
Selling on Etsy is fairly easy. The Etsy 'Shop Manager' dashboard lets you view everything from your product listings, to incoming orders and revenue. You don't even have to use a separate platform to print shipping labels – Etsy has the option for that, too! 🚀
Good to Know: Etsy do take a small commission from every product you sell. This isn't much, though – say your product is around the £8 mark, they'd take approximately 50p or so. This is something to be made aware of so you aren't caught off guard in the future!
This is a really cool work-from-home idea that allows your creativity to flourish whilst making a decent amount of money online!
Tutoring 📊
Were you a Grammar Genius or a Marvellous Mathematician during your school days?
Whatever your strengths may have been, you're already halfway there to becoming an awesome online tutor! With tutoring, you can simply advertise your area of expertise on social media (or even with amongst the local community), as well as your hourly rate for teaching.
Tutoring can be done over Zoom / Skype / FaceTime – however you like, really! Once you have one client, it's a bit like a domino effect because, through recommendations, more and more people will know of your business!
Tutors also make a really good amount of money these days as you can charge anywhere between £15 - £35 per hour. This all depends on the type of clients you're tutoring (and how much they're willing to pay), as well as your own level of expertise in that field.
If you're reading this blog, I trust you're pretty fluent in the English language. Did you know that teaching the English language as a foreign language is in such high demand right now? You can find out more in this guide.
Home Bakery / Halal Take-out 🍰
If you're house is the go-to place every Eid for the best food or desserts in the neighbourhood, then why not make a little income from your impressive skills? 🍜
Over the course of the lockdown, the Instagram world saw a surge in home-bakers, food-lovers, secret chefs, and delicious businesses!
You can start charging for those scrumptious desserts that the whole family are obsessed with. Although this business idea does require a lot more patience and time due to the nature of the craft, if it's something you'll enjoy – then why not, eh?
A husband and wife duo within the local area started a burger business from their kitchen and absolutely smashed it! Get it? Smash burger? Okay anyways... 🤙🏽
The couple then linked their business to the infamous UberEats and gained a ton of traction through social media.
Great food + Awesome Side Hustle = Everyone's Happy!
Running Online Courses 🎥
This business idea is different to tutoring because, although you are teaching someone else a valuable skill, it's actually within the public sphere!
When everyone was bored in the house (and in the house bored), they were jumping online in the hopes of learning something new with all that free time they had! This is when online courses really took off, and content creators everywhere achieved their best financial year to date. 👀
Essentially, creating an online course is where you record yourself giving a lesson in something. Whether you're teaching someone how to be more productive, or showing how to knit a basic scarf, the possibilities are endless/
How can you make money from online courses? 💰
A great way to go about this is to sign up to SkillShare which is an online platform that lets you display your courses for others to interact with.
SkillShare pay you for the number of minutes your course is watched by your students. Course leaders / Teachers can expect a rough amount of $0.10 per minute-watched. So, to do the maths, if your students watch around 10k minutes in a month, you make between $500 - $1000.
If you want more information on starting up on SkillShare, here's Ali who goes into far more detail 👇
Becoming a Life Coach 🗣
Are you the 'consoling' friend? The one that always offers a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on? Perhaps you're super attentive and speak words of great wisdom.
If you're nodding your head at all of the above, then maybe your skill in being there for others can flourish into a thriving career!
Lockdown and Covid rules has meant a major shift in relationship dynamics, work stability, and even the breakdown of families. It's safe to say we have all experience a lot of change in the last year and half – hence why the number of people seeking counselling, therapy and general coaching is on the rise.
The slightly awkward part to mention about Life Coaching is that it's not a heavily-regulated profession (given the ethics code of conduct that are required), so the field has become slightly over-saturated! Nevertheless, there's still an increasing demand for it.
Here's a general guideline to getting started:
- You can take an online coaching course which are recognised by authorities such as International Coaching Federation (ICF)
- Get a certificate under your belt for proof purposes
- Promote yourself online and social media to connect with clients
- Understand the legalities behind the role (drawing up a contract to ensure client confidentiality)
If you want a more secure route into this profession, you'll have to obtain a Coaching Psychology degree which, in the long run, will make you stand out from competitors and build truth within new clients.
Becoming a Life Coach is can be completely remote with one-to-one sessions being held over the phone or video call.
Summary
That's a wrap, folks! We've broken down the 7 fabulous ways of making money from the comfort of your home. 🏡 Let's have a quick recap of what they were:
- Starting a Niche Blog
- Freelance Writing
- Selling on Etsy
- Tutoring
- Home Bakery / Halal Take-out
- Creating Online Courses
- Becoming a Life Coach
If working from home is something that works well for you and gives you the freedom you desire, then why not try out one of these business ideas and see where it takes you?
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