WAHM Forums

So....

I've been working in the customer service (specifically personal lines of property/casualty insurance) for the last 2 years. The pay is amazing but I'm gone far too much from home. Giving up 17$ an hour (plus bonus's) is very hard. I know that putting that number out in this space is potentially opening myself up to all kinds of posts about how I'm ungrateful for such a well paying job. WITH the 17$ an hour comes daycare expense, the medical bills that come with having a child in daycare, insurance (the main reason I have a job) expense for medical as my husband is an independent contractor and isn't offered insurance, the clothing expense, the gas expense, the stress of balancing a 40 hour job with housework, laundry, meal planning, bill paying and whatever else life decides to throw my way....oh and lets not forget the stress from THE JOB ITSELF (though I do very well, it is performance based and hands down the hardest job I've ever had).

I've been hunting for what feels like 2 years for a job that I could do from home. My current employer offers work from home when available (no shifts have come available since I have been employed with this company, as competition is high).

I've been reading the affiliate marketing sections of this site (ok I've read ALL the sections of this site) I find this intriguing but I'm unsure how to start. I guess I'm looking for a friend. Someone who has been down this path and can give me some help. I'm overwhelmed and unsure what will actually make more than just "an extra 20$". I've held off on posting anything in this forum like this because questions like this usually get a reply to look in other areas of the forum. With all do respect, nothing is more frustrating then reading about how a business was thriving in 2006, and then getting to the 2011 posts and it's just ?'s of if anyone is still making money at it.

Affiliate marketing is something you start part time while you still have a job until you are able to make a living at it. Many people are full of it and follow the "fake it til you make it" mantra. There are no get rich quick schemes, it is NOT easy or simple to replace a full time income, and it takes a lot of work, dedication and creativity. My best advice for affiliate marketing is to stay away from the "make money", "you can get rich too" niche and with a lot of hard work, it will be worth it. But it takes time, a bit of money, and a certain skill set (web development, marketing, seo, etc).

For someone wanting to work from home and quit the day job, I'd say you need to find a job and then work on the affiliate marketing if that's what you want to do. This telecommuting forum has tons of leads. There are many other sites where you can search of telecommuting jobs as well. Sometimes it's easier to find a job that lets you work from home as opposed to a "work at home job". Still, there are lots of leads posted here and in other places.

What exactly are you looking for?

I agree. It will take time to start doinbg this and to generate traffic to your sites. You may also want to try searching this section of the forum for other work at home jobs. There are a lot in customer service.

Honestly, the entire internet is littered with affiliate marketing and you have thousands doing the same thing, if not millions. Not to mention it takes an exorbitant amount of time research and posting ads, chatting, etc. and many of those long hours go to waste with nothing to come from it. An affiliate I've spoken to placed blogs, articles, etc. for 6 months with not one sale. You have to be an expert or very creative to get ahead as everyone else out there knows the "same old" tired ropes. Please... girl, I have heard from those working over 12 hours a day to keep up their postings, tweets, social networking, etc. IT AINT EASY!
Regardless, if you have children, it is not easy to concentrate and do a good job at home with noise and distraction. Most regular positions at home are private contractor and do not offer you any type of insurance.

A person tends to appreciate the things they don't have more than the things they do. You better believe someone will snatch up your job in a heartbeat and the chances of you ever getting such a good-paying job like that in customer service again will be slim. Hold onto it!

It sounds more like an issue of you taking on full responsibility for everything in your household, when maybe all you need to do is ask your husband to offer an extra hand. That would eliminate most of your stresses and keep you a decent job.


p.s. If you are good with sales, there is always home employment for that, so keep a look out in the field you are familiar with. Overall, it's not really a good economy for anything. Good luck.

If you're going to work from home, try selling or making money doing something you already know how to do. For example, if you're used to selling over the phone, you don't need to do affiliate marking - there are plenty of phone rep jobs out there. The trick is just finding one and getting started part-time. If you have a skill that you can do at home - coding, virtual assistance, etc, you can sell that time as well.

One thing to consider, however. You'll need to buy insurance and it's more expensive as a freelancer for a family - add that into your calculations of how much you'll need to earn.

Would you be interested in CPA marketing?It can be difficult to get in to the CPA Networks, but once you get in to a good one their can be huge potential. But as mentioned earlier this will not initially replace your full time job.

If you can type fast and have an excellent grasp of grammar, punctuation, and spelling, you might want to try your hand at general transcription. There's an excellent folder on this forum with lots of information on getting started. Most companies only hire independent contractors, so there won't be health insurance. But it's interesting and fairly well paying work.

If you like to write, you can make some good money writing articles for blogs etc. visit the freelance writing folder.

I have a company that is in the business of teaching people all about affiliate marketing. I am in need of some beta-testers so I can put some happy testimonials on my page.

I'd be glad to help you get set up & give you free access to our Members Area. I'm actually looking for a few people that would like help with this. I think for someone just starting out, the easiest way to market is a WordPress Blog. I can help more with getting it set up, choosing a domain name, etc. I'm not a scammer. I'm just looking to help some people get some small sites set up & all I ask for in return is a great testimonial that I can use on my Home Page with a picture and a name.

Let me know if interested.

Thank you for all the responses, sorry for the delay in replying. It is very hard to leave the job I have for the very reason suggested above (there isn't anything else I can do without a degree that will pay so well).

Unfortunately things are changing at my job and the attendance policy is going to become so strict I will no doubt lose my job at some time this upcoming year (I have a 2 year old and with this new policy no one can miss more than 5 days unplanned in the year....I'd like to know how you "plan" sickness...but thats another rant for another day)

I love the transcription suggestion and will be looking into it more! I am very speedy on the keyboard, however grammar is not my strong spot. I'd love to go back to school for accounting and then when my son starts school be able to go back to work and do a job that I enjoy.


I think you guys opened up my eyes to what I really need to be doing. Thanks so much.

Because I forgot in the message I just posted, I don't work in sales and unfortunately suck at it. Never has been my strong point. I wish it was because our salesman make double to triple and beyond what I make.