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Short answer: YES!
Need proof?
Almost fifty-seven million Americans freelanced last year. Fifty-seven million!
What’s more, freelancers offering skilled services earned more per hour than 70% of US workers.
Based on those kinds of numbers, it’s obvious that freelancing and working from home is a viable career option for many people.
That being said, it’s not something you should jump into without first asking yourself some questions. You probably also have some doubts that are holding you back. Let’s address those questions and doubts here!
How much do I need to earn?
The answer to this question: it depends!
What a cop-out, I know.
But it really does depend. Each of us has different expenses and needs that we have to meet, so I can’t just throw out a random one-size-fits-all figure. You’ll need to do your sums and decide for yourself.
To figure out how much you’ll need to earn working from home, calculate your necessary expenses. How much do you usually spend on accommodation, food, and other bills every month?
As a self-employed person, you’ll need to cover your own taxes and insurance.
You will also need to purchase some tools and supplies so you can do your job.
Don’t forget you can make some savings by working from home as well!
Am I ready?
Oooh, this is a biggie! I’ve said before that you shouldn’t wait for the ready bus. If you wait until you feel ready, you’ll never start.
Financially though, you’ll need to have some things in place before taking the leap and quitting your day job.
Save an emergency fund
It’s a good idea to have an emergency fund with three to six months of your living expenses saved up before you quit your day job. You can save more or less than this. It depends on your comfort level.
Start as a side hustle first
Starting your business as a side hustle alongside your day job is a great way to validate your business idea and make sure you can earn enough money from it before you quit your day job.
This way, when you do finally quit your job, you have a bank of existing clients and some testimonials on your business website.
Can I work from home if I live in a small town?
Absolutely! As long as you have a computer and reliable internet, you can work from anywhere in the world. It doesn’t matter if you live in a small town that doesn’t have many job opportunities. You can market your services to people outside your local area.
Do I need a degree?
If you believe you need a formal degree and ceremony to be worthy of a higher income, you’ll never succeed.
If you think you need an MBA to be a business owner, you’ll never build your freelancing into a business the size of mine.
You’ll be too timid. You’ll lack confidence.
Prospective clients will sense that from a mile away. I don’t have an MBA, yet I run a multimillion-dollar business. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I’m not an anomaly. I’ve also got a perfectly average IQ. You don’t need an expensive degree — nor do you need a genius-level IQ — to learn skills, solve problems, and make money.
People who make money all do two very uncomplicated things. First, they master a skill (with mastery comes confidence). Second, they find people who have problems their skills can solve.
See how simple that is? It’s crazy simple. Yet somehow we manage to overcomplicate it in our society. To earn money, we think we need college; we think we need someone else to give us a job, when in fact, all we need to do is solve problems for other people.
Do I need to go back to school?
As I mentioned above, you do not need a degree to work from home. That being said, you do need skills!
It’s definitely possible to teach yourself skills by googling how to do things. You can learn a lot by doing this! But it’s not the most efficient way.
I made this mistake when I started my business.
I didn’t want to spend money on any business or marketing training or resources. I wanted to figure out how to do things on my own, the cheapest way possible.
But do you know what the result of my penny pinching was? It took me more than THREE years to get my first freelance business rolling.
If you don’t commit to investing in yourself, you’ll waste time trying to figure everything out on your own. Finding the right information all by yourself will overwhelm you. Your confidence will suffer. And you may struggle to figure out how to get clients without guidance.
So, no, you don’t HAVE to go back to school. But I do recommend that you invest in training, so you can start your business quicker and with more confidence.
Consider enrolling in Work-At-Home School for a complete, insanely high-value way to fast-track your skill-building and income.
Our take
I hope you’ll take the time to ask yourself the above questions so you can make the best decision for your circumstances as well as quash those doubts that have been holding you back!
Your turn
Ready to give working from home a try? Work-At-Home School will help you get the skills you need to be a Work-at-Home Hero and say goodbye to your day job!