You too can successfully make money working from home on your computer.

These days, getting started making money working from home requires little more than a home computer, an internet connection, a niche, and some motivation. Here are 10 options you can explore.

1. Freelance Writing

If you are creative and have a way with words, consider using your skills to take on writing projects. You can find opportunities at freelancing websites or approach publishing or other content-creation-related companies that outsource their content generation functions. You can also try contributing regularly to online magazines and websites, or write for local magazines and newspapers. Get in touch with the company`s contact person to see if you can get started.

2. Blogging

Blogging involves a special kind of writing, where your opinions count more than anything else. Starting a blog is a good option if you always have a lot to say and a lot of people interested in getting your opinion on specific topics, from your views on current events to your thoughts on restaurants and recipes. Your income will come from finding businesses that are willing to pay you to place advertising or affiliate links on your blog, where you get commission every time your readers click on them. You`ll need to be able to produce quality content on a regular basis to gain a following that will attract advertisers.

3. Product Reviews

You can use your writing skills to review products for companies like epinions.com, which will pay you based on the number of people who find your reviews helpful. You can also record video reviews for websites like Expo TV, where you`ll get paid every time someone uploads your review.

4. Transcription

If creating content or sharing your opinion is not your strong suit, you can try doing transcription work. Many websites will pay you a few dollars to transcribe brief recordings for them, and if you do a lot of them, you can earn quite a bit of money.

5. Editing

If you have an eye for detail and consistency and are a stickler for spelling and grammar, you might want to explore editing other people`s and company`s writing. Advertise you services locally and in online writers` forums. Be prepared to take editing tests to prove your abilities.

6. Arts and Crafts

If you are artistic, you can do anything from making jewellery or candles to painting and selling your crafts on websites like Etsy.com or online marketplaces like Zazzle.com for money. You can also take it one step further by creating a blog (see Blogging) and posting how-to tutorials on making crafts, which you can then sell advertising space for. If you`re so inclined, you can also start an arts and crafts class where you teach others how to scrapbook, do pottery, or create other pieces in your home.

7. Web Design

If you have a background in design or experience making websites, you can go into web design or become a consultant and look for work online or in your local community.

8. Reselling

If you have things you no longer use or toys or clothing your kids have outgrown, you can sell them on eBay or online forums. The best kinds of forums to join are large ones with huge traffic that allow you tell sell physical goods, or specialised forums if you plan to sell specific items. You can also buy and resell sought-after items you find at yard sales, thrift stores, and companies that do drop shipping for a profit. One good example of a company to check out for drop shipping is SMC (click here to check it out).

9. Photography

If you wow people with your photos and artistic eye, you can showcase your work in an online portfolio and then sell your work to stock photography sites. You might even be able to get jobs from people in your local community who might find your portfolio and hire you to photograph events or portrait sessions for them.

10. Consulting and research

If you enjoy consulting and doing research, you can make plenty of money doing management and/or SEO consulting for site owners or doing market research or conducting surveys for companies that are about to launch new products. You can either work as an independent researcher or arrange the opportunity as a company so that you can serve more reputable companies that prefer working with businesses over individuals with personal brands.

11. Virtual Assistant

If you are impeccably organized and efficient, you might consider contracting out your services to help clients with their daily activities, from handling their administrative duties (such as data entry, filtering emails, and invoicing) to managing their websites. You can handle everything from home, even in another country, and use the phone to touch base with your clients. You can get started by lending your expertise to a virtual assistant company community, a freelancing website, or specialised forums.

These are just some of the great options you can choose from to start working from home on your computer. Consider your skill-set and choose something that works for you.

By Cathy Lau

Tags: Work From Home Business Opportunities