Survive And Save

How would you like to get paid for working at home? Some North Texas moms have found successful work-at-home opportunities that are making money. But, there are other offers you should avoid.

Joni Brock, of McKinney, enjoys being a stay-at-home mom. Recently, though, she says she felt the need to go back to work.

"My son started kindergarten in the fall, so I knew at that point it was time for me to go back and do something," Brock said.

She tried several jobs, including substitute teaching, but nothing seemed to fit. That's when she decided to start her own consulting business and work from home

"The biggest advantage of working from home is definitely the flexibility and being able to make my own schedule," she said.

Brock joins a growing number of stay-at-home moms who are rejoining the workforce, but in a much differen setting. Lillian Taylor, who also works from home, recently hosted a job fair to help other women get their home-based careers started.

"Our reasoning behind this is that there are so many people who have been laid off, and their options are to create their own business," Taylor said. "Number one, you've got to love it. If you don't love it, you're not going to do it."

Teresa Lusk is a working mom, lecturer, and author. She tailored her at-home business, Homemaker CEO, to help other women get their start.

"It's something that empowers women who have a conviction to stay at home, but have a passion for business," she said. "They need to know they have something for themselves because they are the ones influencing our children."

At a recent event for stay-at-home moms, Lusk said it all boils down to motivation.

"You have to know how to be personally motivated," she told the group. "You have to have that motivation, and you have to have that determination."

Both Taylor and Lusk say the most popular form of at-home work is through a direct sales company like Pampered Chef, or Mary Kay.

"What's great about a direct sales company, if you love the product and you enjoy it, they've already build the infrastructure," she said.

She warns against applying for jobs with companies who promise big bucks for very little work.

"If it's too good to be true, it probably is," Taylor said. "The huge income statements, you know the 8 levels and you're going to be a millionaire. Run, and run fast."

Jeannette Kopko with the Better Business Bureau says complaints against work-from-home sites go up when the economy goes down.

"Why would they want to hire someone site-unseen over the internet, and pay them a lot of money to do something that sounds pretty simple," Kopko said.

She says the most basic work-at-home scheme is where they offer to pay you to work at home stuffing envelopes. Kopko says that usually turns out to be false. Instead, she says, you're asked to place more ads for the job, and rarely do you ever get paid.

Be weary of offers to earn a lot of money with little or no training, and if you're asked for money up front for information or a "Get Started" kit, do your research.  

"Ask a lot of questions, and don't pay money up front, and don't give personal information until you know who you're dealing with," Kopko said.

There are a small number of actual companies looking for at-home workers. Women's Day Magazine recently featured 10 companies with jobs ranging from customer service and technical support positions, to becoming an at-home office assistant. Find out more about these jobs by clicking here.

"If you're looking for a job where you can work from home, you want to look for it the same way you'd look for any other job," Kopko explained. "You want to pursue help wanted classifieds, and employment services."

There are several online resources to help you figure out if a company offering "at-home" work is legit. You can start by researching them through the Better Business Bureau, or the state Attorney General's Office. You can learn more about direct sales companies through the Direct Sales Association.

For more about Lillian Taylor's company - Brains By The Hour, click here.

For more about Teresa Lusk's company and her upcoming book release, click here.

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