When you wish to make money online you may be thinking of it because you want to get paid well. It can also just be something you want to do to help you get a few extra bills paid. Whatever the case may be, this article can guide you through this.
Look out for online scams. There are plenty of opportunities to make money online, but not all of them are legitimate. To prevent missteps, research any company you plan to do business with, beforehand.
Sign up to become a mystery shopper. This is a great way to make money as you will have to shop at various places and take notes on your shopping experience. When you are finished, you will have to write up a report on the computer, which you will be compensated for.
Do freelance writing in your spare time to earn a decent amount of cash. There are websites that you can sign up for where you can choose from a wide variety of topics to write on. Typically, the higher paying sites will request that you take a test to determine your writing ability.
Make good use of your down time. Many online sources of income can be done without a lot of focus. For example, surveys and other small tasks can be accomplished without a lot of effort. Try doing some of them while watching TV. Though you will not become rich, you can make some extra money in your free time.
Design and build websites for people on the web to make some extra cash on the side. This is a great way to showcase the skills that you have using programs like Kompozer. Take a class beforehand on website design if you want to brush up on your skills before starting up.
One good way to make money online is by writing blog posts or articles. There are a few sites such as Helium and Associated Content that will pay for blog posts and articles that you write. You can earn up to $200 for articles on topics they are looking for.
Today there are many assistant positions available online. If you are good at office tasks and are technically savvy, you could be a virtual assistant providing office support, telephone or VoIP support and possible customer service. You may need some training to perform these functions; however, a non-profit group called International Virtual Assistance Association can help you get the training and certifications you may need.
Making money online is something you can't just do overnight. You have to stick to your plan and remember that perseverance will get you through the tough times. The harder you work at it, the more you will make, so steel your determination and keep reading article like this one to learn more.
Getting paid money to work online isn't the easiest thing to do in the world, but it is possible. If this is something you wish to work with, then the tips presented above should have helped you. Take some time, do things the right way and then you can succeed.
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A dedicated support system is crucial for personal and professional success. Networking has and will play a vital part in your business. Face-to-face networking and handshaking is still a fantastic way to do business, but with the Internet at are fingertips and available everywhere, there's a new way to connect and communicate with people.
Networking is the process of searching for contacts. Not just to be a collector of people, but to get involved, get connected and to help build each other up. It may still be about handshaking, passing out business cards, giving your elevator speech, and wearing name tags, but we should view networking as establishing and maintaining authentic relationships.
So, why do we network?
Engage with people who will have a positive impact on us and our business.
Swap ideas and stories with others.
Find clients and partners.
Find a job or recruit potential employees.
Gain feedback and insights.
Get inspired!
Present yourself as an SME (Subject Matter Expert)
Generate and build leads.
Establish meaningful relationships, personally and professionally.LinkedIn is a global social networking site for people in professional occupations. In a sense, it is a bit like Facebook - you create your own profile for others to see, but it is used for professional purposes. Members build a profile of their job history, interests and experience - an online Resume if you will - and 'connect' with former colleagues and people in their line of work.
Like most social media websites, your journey on LinkedIn begins with creating a personal profile. Many LinkedIn profiles are abbreviated resumes due to LinkedIn's professional tone, but with the new concept of Social Selling we need to think of your profile as a brand. Employers look for inside information on candidates such as professional interests.
10 ways to build you and your brand on LinkedIn:
1. Update your profile is the first step in marketing you and your business.
a. From the top toolbar, click Me.
b. Click View Profile.
c. From here you can take the time to edit your profile by adding education, experience, volunteer experience, and so much more. Click the pencil next to a section to edit, or click the more button (three dots) to access more features.
d. Make sure to save all changes.
2. Upload a Professional Photo. Make the first impression count, in about 6 seconds someone has crafted an opinion of you through your photo and your profile. You want your potential customers/connections to answer the following questions about you.
a. Are you trustworthy?
b. Are you someone I want to do business with?
c. Can I recommend you to my friends and clients/customers?
3. Create a standout Headline. Your headline is the important real estate that appears next to your name in search results. The wording of a headline may determine whether a new potential client searching through LinkedIn contacts you. Done well, your LinkedIn headline can be used to promote your brand statement, marketing message, most enticing expertise, and more.
a. This should not be your job title/description.
b. Why should people stop and take a closer look at you?
c. What impressions are you leaving behind?
d. What do you do?
e. Use keywords or core words. Make your headline fit with SEO, Search Engine Optimization.
f. Demonstrate real value to your potential clients, customers, etc.
4. Claim your LinkedIn Username: Personalize your LinkedIn URL, own your brand. You are the brand we are talking about, claim your URL, so that when someone searches for your name they will find your public LinkedIn page/profile. Visit your profile and select the edit public profile URL option.
5. Add Skills: When updating your skills section, make sure you use relevant updated keywords. For example, potential buyers/customers probably won't be searching for "cold calling", try to mirror your buyer's skills/needs.
a. Use SEO keywords.
b. Add up to 50 skills to your profile.
c. The skills with the most endorsements from your connections will be listed first.
6. Endorsements: Skill endorsements are a wonderful way to recognize your 1st-degree connections' skills and expertise with one click. They also let your connections validate the strengths found on your own profile. Skill endorsements are a simple and effective way of building your professional brand and engaging your network.
7. Write a summary: Why should you fill it in? For starters, it gives the reader a quick overview of who you are, what you do, what you are looking for and most importantly, what you can do for them. Think like your buyer, what's in it for me?
a. Demonstrate your expertise, make sure you include keywords.
b. Show them that you are a valuable resource.
c. Add a video, a minute video equals 1,000 words!
d. Include Call to Action Statements, this could include companies/clients you've helped, include your signature with contact information, keywords that are important to buyers.
e. Demonstrate the value you offer, be their solution.
8. Experience: This is the time you can treat LinkedIn like your resume. Add your previous and current jobs, making sure to include key industry words so that you will be found in searches. When you add who you worked for and you find their name in the drop-down list, your experience will then have their logo beside your name because they created a company business page.
9. Add Connections: On LinkedIn, the people who are part of your network are called your "connections". Connect with people with whom you have worked or done business with, or people with similar interests or work in your industry. You can ask someone to join your professional network by sending them an invitation to connect. LinkedIn encourages networking by showing you exactly how your connections are related.
10. Engage with your connections: Status updates are short messages that are typical of many social networking platforms. While posting updates on LinkedIn is like Facebook and Twitter, it's also different. From your LinkedIn home page or your Edit My Profile page, you can change your status update as frequently as you like.
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Any business starts with an idea. Turning the idea into a profitable business takes time and dedication. It doesn't happen overnight. There are a few fairly easy ways to turn your business into a profitable website.
Online businesses are part of the internet. The internet is full of people searching for things from all over the world. This is one reason to have a website. You will be able to reach many more people than a local business. In order to get your website started you need to have a domain name. This is the name of your business online. You can search through places like GoDaddy to find available website or domain names. Usually a domain name will cost about 7.99 and up for a year. You will need to pay this cost each year to keep your website or business name online. You want to be sure that your domain name fits with the type of business you have online. If you sell clothes you don't want to use a domain name that goes with selling pet food. You also have to make sure this is a unique name that is only used by your business.
So you've got your domain name, but that's not all. You have to choose a web host provider. In order for your website to function right you need a good company to host your website on their server. Some good web host providers include BlueHost, Startlogic and Resellers Web host. Make sure it is a reliable company with good reviews. You don't want to have your website with error messages or saying this website is under construction. If you can't see your website chances are other people can't. If you wish to avoid this choice you may wish to use a company like Wix which will do these things for you for a monthly fee.
Now you need to list your business and product information. Even if your business is an Ecommerce website it is still important to have good content. In other words, describe your products well. Also make sure you have good pictures of your products. A picture says a thousand words. Even if you go through a company like Wix you are responsible for managing the pictures, products and information on your website. If your website is more of a blog or information website you may wish to go through WordPress which is free for blog type websites.
In order to be a profitable business you need to make money. You may need to use money to advertise but make sure you are reaching a targeted audience. You want people to come to your website who are looking to buy from you. There are several ways to advertise your website for free. Social media like Twitter and LinkedIn are great ways to do this.
In order to get the right people to your website, be sure to do some good SEO or Search Engine Optimization. WordPress Ecommerce is a great program to use in order to make this step easier. There is a learning curb but if you check forums and do some research you will learn how to do this step yourself. You may wish to hire a programmer if it is too complicated. Be sure to use good keywords and keyword phrases. If you are selling perfume, you don't want to use keywords like pets, food or words that have nothing to do with your products.
These steps may seem a bit overwhelming, but study each one at your own pace. Stay focused and keep doing what you know to do. It takes time to get your website to be a productive online business but it is very possible. Keep learning and stay encouraged.
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We all know we get addicted to alcohol and beverages. We also get addicted to work and cannot help leaving it. Have you ever thought we could be getting addicted to the internet? Is it a growing problem?
Life without internet is impossible these days. It has become an essential commodity of life in many ways.
We can Google and find out stuff easily. We can look up meanings of words and phrases conveniently. We can browse, email and build our own websites. It is a chain of stuff we feel we have to do and sometimes they are mandatory to boost our work and business.
But what happens when you know we cannot depart from it? We are always in front of monitor screens at work and on our cell phones on our commute back home. We hardly pay attention to our significant other or our enthusiastic children who are ready to greet us after a long while.
We can hardly get internet out of our head and after every meal, we will find ourselves on internet either on phone, laptop, tab, or PC. Instead of making long distant calls, we will chat on Skype or Viber via internet because they are free to use. As more digital tools get invented, we can hardly correct our addiction.
Is it something to worry about? Yes, certainly our family, friends, relatives and colleagues' relationships get at stake. We no longer want to communicate with them or talk to them because internet is giving us so much fun and entertainment. As a result, when we need them in our dark hours or illness, we won't find them available. We will in fact be the loneliest creatures on this earth. Will internet help us then? Circumstances can only tell.
Therefore, it is wise to be in control and disciplined. Too much of anything is not good and we shouldn't cross our boundaries.
We shall stay on the internet for some of the time and also laugh and play with our children and family. We should also hang out with friends for real and have loads of fun. We should strike interesting conversations with our colleagues at work. Now that is called life. Life relying on only internet is no life at all. When we realize this, perhaps like alcoholics and workaholics, we can correct ourselves and find back the real mojo of life that we once had.
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Internet of Things has progressed from coming together of micro-electromechanical systems, wireless technologies, micro services and the internet. This convergence has assisted in tearing the silo walls amongst the operational technology and the information technology, enabling unstructured machine-generated data for analyzing the insights which drive improvements. The IoT is simple: it's all about connecting devices via internet, allowing them to speak to us, to the applications, and with each other.
In the last couple of years, much has been talked about the sensors, cameras, and other devices that will be connected exponentially in the Internet of Things (IoT). And, the huge amount of income potential in terms of trillions of dollars of economic value that is being thought to emerge from it. Though the future of the IoT may be exciting, yet much of the industry messaging has gone above the heads of people who do not understand a thing of the IoT. And, these people operate plants, companies, and businesses and are also accountable for the deployment of the IoT-based solutions. Investors wonder to see the state and think what is actually real, and what is the hyped-up vision of the IoT-based future of industries in the near future.
During the last few years, organizations across the globe have started showing interest in IoT technology. Conventional industrial organizations are managing to alter the outdated processes of manufacturing. Also, the whole gamut of young innovative startups are redefining the old notions and assumptions. It ensures that the advantages of IoT technology will not keep it much far from the current scenario. It is being implemented now on the go.
According to reports, by the end of the year, 2008 number of 'things' were connected to the Internet than mere people as the users of Internet. And, it is predicted that by the end of the year 2020, the count will go much high. The number of things directly connected to the Internet will reach 50 billion approximately. It is estimated that the overall profits as a result of this rapid move will be around $19 trillion. The era will see huge cost savings coming from the IoT over the coming decade.
The concept of connected homes will become a major contributor in the Internet of Things. Scholars say that by the end of the year 2019, companies may bring approximately 1.9 billion home devices connected to the Internet into the market. This will add about $490 billion to their revenues. The tech giants like Google and Samsung are already known players in the market. Google successfully made a deal to buy smart thermostat maker Nest Labs for $3.2 billion in 2015. And, Samsung acquired the IoT firm SmartThings for a deal worth $200 million.
Currently, we have very few smart devices being used in our day to day lives. Many of the IoT smart devices are not being used practically in our homes or phones. The majority of smart technologies and IoT devices are used in factories, corporates, and health care organizations. But, the study reveals that by the end of the year 2025, the worth of the global usage of IoT technology will rise to as much as $6.2 trillion. And health care industry will share the highest percentage in it. It is approximated that Healthcare industry will contribute to around $2.5 trillion and manufacture industry will make $2.3 trillion approximately.
Do you wonder how these technology companies will board on the move and get started on the IoT drive? Research says that the fundamental idea should be to start with a small and definite project that will enhance the competence and productivity in the currently existing processes. Numerous small and big organizations have taken steps to walk into the IoT trend and succeeded in the path.
Here are few tips that will be helpful to lead a company to the IoT journey.
• Connected business
Consider the iconic American motorcycle maker Harley Davidson. It is revealed that only by connecting the major operations and equipment in their production process on one of their networks, Harley-Davidson raised its productivity by about 80%. It has reduced its build-to-order cycle from the duration of 18 months to only two weeks, thereby growing its overall profit by nearly 3%-4%.
• Remote access
An Indian dairy company started observing the freezers in its ice cream stores from remote access, gave alerts during breakdowns like power outages. The company analyzed and concluded that within a month's time it realized a payback and a five times return on its actual investment in a time period of 13 months.
• Predictive analysis
The telecom giant Cisco has employed sensors and energy analytics software in its industrial plants and decreased its consumption of energy by almost 15% to 20%.
• Predictive safeguarding
Rio Tinto, a global mining company, employs sensors to observe the state of its vehicles, spot the maintenance requirements within time, before it turns into problems, and manages to save $2 million per day in case a breakdown is avoided.
Opportunities offered by the IoT across various domains, are:
• New trade opportunities and revenue streams
The IoT ensures connected operations associated. E.g. consider the 3D printing vertical. These are personalizing and mass customizing every possible aspect of the business.
• New trade models
The IoT enables the equipment manufacturing businesses to employ service-oriented business models. Manufacturing companies like Fanuc, the Japanese industrial equipment maker, is able to offer remote monitoring, analytics, and predictive maintenance services at much lesser costs and lessened the uptime, by collecting data from the devices that are installed at its customer site.
• New business structures
In most of the conventional industries, consumers have typically opted for one single vendor to get a full end-to-end solution that uses closed, proprietary technologies. But, today, the IoT offers the features like flexibility, cost effectiveness, and lesser time-to-market. And, these benefits are driving a tremendous shift towards business models based on open technology. Consequently, every participant offers the best capabilities to enable a complete IoT solution for their potential consumers.
• New value propositions for consumers
The IoT is assisting companies to offer new over-relevant experiences to their customers. They are providing much quicker and more precise solutions than ever before. Consider the ever-rising numbers of holiday gift orders placed over online shopping just on an event like "Black Monday." The IoT is increasing the pace of the whole fulfillment process, right from placing an order to making the delivery.
The connected robots and Radio Frequency Identification tags in the stock rooms increase the speed of picking and packing the ordered items in more accurate manner. The real-time preventive maintenance systems help the delivery carts to get packed and get running. The sensors like Telematic sensors help in tracking the temperature and humidity during the complete process. Hence, you are able to track your order anytime till it arrives at your doorstep, manage the on-time delivery of your ordered goods, and also see that the things arrive in perfect condition to you.
The Bottom Line
Adapting oneself to technology or what we call as Internet of Things is not just a matter of money, thing or place. It is a big transition from the traditional approach to life. The trend to modernize the world towards the smart technology and the IoT concept will bring in scope for launching new products and new services in the market. It is predicted that the Internet of Things will be one of the biggest technology trends of all times. The technology will give huge scope and opportunity in the coming years.
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If you have a skill or passion that's not being used to its full potential, it may be time to consider using this to supplement your salary with a side gig.
What is a Side Gig?
A side-gig or side-hustle is something you do in addition to your regular job. It's a way of creating another stream of income, eventually taking this full time (if you wish to).
It's not a fancy way of labelling a 2nd job, side gigging is totally different. Back in the days people were moonlighting to make ends meet, side gigging is creating something for yourself and growing this into a business with an end goal of more income and more time. It's taking something like a hobby or interest and finding a way of making an income from it. With e-commerce sites today such as Etsy, eBay, and Fiverr it can be really simple to start up with very little capital (my start up costs were £0!)
How to find your gig?
What are you good at? What do you enjoy? This could be something that you may have never thought of before but it can be something simple. If you are fluent in another language, you can teach it, my partner has a side gig as an interpreter. If you love making or customising your own clothes, sell them online - there could be a market out there for you. It can start from just helping somebody out, such as walking a friend's dog. There are lots of start up companies right now where you get paid to pet sit or house sit.
There was just an article I read today, a 15 year old pupil has built a £50,000 tuck shop business! It started with him selling sweets and drinks to his fellow pupils from the boy's toilet in his school, and now has expanded to other schools in his area. You can even start with something linked to what you currently do. If you're a PA and good with correcting grammar and writing, there are people out there who will pay for your skills. I know someone who makes a good extra income by editing blogs and online posts in English for Chinese writers.
"Look around and you'll see side-hustlers everywhere turning their knowledge and abilities into profitable businesses."
Alexis Grant - writer
Do the research
Look into what similar gigs are offering and which platform you then want to start using to get your gig out there. Etsy is good for Arts and Crafts and personalised items. Fiverr and Elance if you're offering a service. Speak to people, whether that be people you know who are doing it or people online. There are plenty of places to look, a simple Google search will list the information you need. You just need a willingness to do it. When I started out, I wasn't certain what I wanted to do, just that I wanted to start doing something that I enjoyed and had the potential to go full time. I experimented with a few things and that's what has got me to where I am now.
It's not a job
There are no set times like a 9-5, therefore you have to be disciplined. You have to set time aside to work on your side gig if you want to make it successful. However if you enjoy what you're doing, it should be something you look forward to spending time on. I don't see my side gig as work, I enjoy the time I spend on it. I see it as a creative outflow of energy.
The side gig is becoming ever more popular and appealing. Millennials in particular are embracing more flexible ways of working. It's a natural evolution of the workforce in a changing economy, and with the power of social media, you can take your business global. The technology is now available with apps such as Evernote (your faithful organisation tool) makes it so much easier today to do business. Unlike a job, you work at your own pace, there are many others working a similar side gig to myself and are now earning a full time income and more with it. They have chosen to put in the time to get them to where they are, I am working at a pace that fits in with my lifestyle. The beauty is you choose.
Enjoy it!
Some like a balance between their side gig and their day job and enjoy the variety. Others intend to go full time with their gig. The point is choice and flexibility. We no longer live in a time where you work for one company all your life, and in return you are offered job security and a guarantee the company will look after you when you retire. The government have already stated there is not enough in the pension pot for the huge number of baby boomers about to hit retirement age. Would you rather just wait and see what happens, hoping things will be OK or would you rather know you will be OK. Side gigging is the step in the right direction. It helps you become in control of your finances and your time. Have a gig, start hustling!
Happiness is the ultimate goal in being successful. Life is precious, strive to create and live the life you choose.
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Freelance writing is a great way to earn an income online. People will always need content for their websites, blog posts, articles, eBooks, reports and more. There will be plenty of demand from customers once you start to build your reputation. You can pick and choose from paid online writing jobs that really appeal to you.
Having said that, it's important to differentiate yourself in some way, so that client's pick you and not somebody else. Let's look at how to get started as a freelance writer on the internet.
Determine Who You Are As A Writer
What services will you offer as a freelance writer online? Will it be producing articles, reports, eBooks, sales copy, etc. Which packages are you going to offer? How will you get clients? Why will clients seek you services rather than someone else? You need to create your USP, or Unique Selling Proposition. Remember that there's a lot of competition out there and you can't offer the same old thing everyone else is offering.
Who Are Your Clients Going To Be?
Draft a list of characteristics your ideal client has. Then, consider where you might find clients like this. Where do they hang out? What are their top needs? What will convince them to hire you? Your client base will go up and down over time. When you're first starting out, you'll feel like you just want to take any work you can get. That's okay because it's a learning process. Just make sure you don't take on too much too fast.
What Makes You Different?
There's going to be something that sets you apart from other freelance writers out there. Maybe it's your experience, background, the packages you offer, your speed or consistency. Perhaps it's your ability to innovate or be creative. Whatever it is, figure it out. Why would a client hire you? Remember that businesses aren't just hiring you to write for them. They're hiring you to produce results.
Get Better, Fast!
What if you don't have much experience as a writer yet? What if you are experienced but need a refresher on what's working now? You have to be on top of things for your clients.You need to do some fast research and fast practice. Find one small but high demand type of writing you can quickly learn and offer to businesses. Concentrate on a subset of a skill and then you can work on getting better at the skill overall.
Set Up Shop
There are always freelance writers wanted on websites like Freelancer, Upwork and Fiverr. But these sites will take a cut of your earnings and the sooner you set up a website for yourself, the better. You don't need to be a tech-wizard to set up a website these days. There are plenty of online platforms that can get your website online quickly and easily.
To get started as a freelance writer, you'll need to show prospective clients the standard of work you can provide. The easy way to do this is to write a short eBook about your chosen niche that you can give away as a sample.
