Dec 2, 2008 7:00 pm US/Eastern
Fight Back: Home-Based Business Industry Booming
Having Trouble Finding A Job? If You're Tech Savvy There Could Be A Future For You As A Virtual Assistant
Reporting
Cindy Hsu
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
In this tough job market many people are finding new careers by working from home. CBS 2 HD has more on alternative jobs that are paying off.
Tania Lopez lost her job as a tech specialist a year and half ago. Now she works from home as a virtual assistant, doing everything from web design to organizing her clients' e-mail. She does everything a personal assistant would do, but with the flexibility of choosing who she works for and when.
"I can't even put it into words," Lopez said. "It has been fantastic. I enjoy it."
Her company is Divine Creativity Inc., and her kids love it.
"First, she seems happier and, second, we get to see her more, not like the other jobs where we couldn't see her that much," said 10-year-old Miguel Diaz.
There are more than 30,000 virtual assistants worldwide and most of them work from home. They charge anywhere from $20-$40 an hour.
"A new home-based business opens about every 11 seconds in the United States," said Susan Wilson, CEO of SBTV.com.
Wilson said other popular home businesses include call service centers that handle tech support and customer service calls. If you're a whiz on eBay, e-commerce is hot, and many are making money in tutoring.
But Wilson said beware of scams and unsolicited job opportunities.
"If there's a huge application fee or if there's a large investment up front then you need to look at that very carefully too, because there's a lot of times where they'll take your money and you'll get nothing in return," Wilson said.
But she said the pay-off can be big if you do your research and have the self-discipline to get the job done.
For more on starting a home business and how much it may cost, please
click here.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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