Brainstorm help need: earning money part time from home
 

There's a lot of smart people here. Who can help me with this situation....

I'm trying to figure out a way to make money working from home. I'm currently a full time stay at home dad. I used to own a construction products company (25 employees) and sold that a few years ago. Unless the guy that bought my business decides to pay me off I've got a little over five years until the payments (i.e. my income) stop. I have a management degree and before buying my business worked in management/marketing for start up electronic marketing and communications companies.

I need some way to make money from home, with a flexible schedule. Yeah, I know. Lots of people would like that, wouldn't they?

My wife is an airline pilot so her schedule varies each month. She typically travels four days and is home three. Whatever I do has to work around her schedule or be something I can do with a three year old hanging from my leg (telephone work is very difficult!).

Any suggestions?

I have a friend who is a translator from his house. He receives his assignments by the internet. I envy him a lot. Do you happen to know any languages?

Another dream of me is to write a book. It can be a novel, a book about management, a guide for stay-at-home dads or 101 projects for your 3 year old :). Give it a year and see what happens, I'd love to have the opportunity to do it (well, I'd also love to pilot a jet)

My wife is a part time dental assistant (two days a week) and on the side she is also the executive director for the Florida Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. Its basically the 'local' chapter of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.

Her work is mostly administrative such as organizing trade shows, membership, finances, etc. She performs 90% of her functions from our home office and a couple times a year she has to go away for several days to run and organize one of the Seminars at a nice resort here in Florida.

The internet is great for allowing her to do a lot of her duties without being connected to the phone since we also have a 3 year old daughter to take care of.

Now if I was in your situation I would love to invest about $10K into some fabrication equipment (lathe, mill, TIG welder) and fabricate neato auto accessories and sell them via the web and e-bay.

My advice would be to suggest that you think about what you are really good at or enjoy doing, and seeing if it is something that you can do on the side via the internet or any other interesting way.

For example, could you become a consultant to construction companies? I have lost track of how many companies I have worked for where a consultant was hired just to come in, look around and issue a report to management about how things could be run 'better'.

Working for small companies required me to do many different jobs. As a result, I've done much, but mastered little! Management is what I do best, but it's a challenge to find something that will let me work from home part time.

I've thought about small business consulting, but as a former business owner I'm painfully aware of the fact that there are lots of people offering that service. Our phone used to ring off the hook from people wanting to show me how to cut costs, increase sales, etc. Business owners get protective of their time and just refuse to talk to people selling stuff... even if it's something that they might need!

If there's anything that I've done a lot of, it's buy and sell cars. I used to have a friend who worked for an auto brokering service. They located used cars, but most of their business was negotiating new car deals for people who hated the car buying process or just didn't have the time.

Yes, Ebay is a great marketplace if you have the right sort of product. I've scrounged up many hundreds of dollars by cleaning out our closets and selling stuff that might otherwise go to Goodwill. My wife recently warned me that I'm not allowed to sell everything we own!

If you have a creative bent, the art galleries here in AZ will sell damn near anything...regardless of artistic merit.

Maybe they could sell some of my daughter's original works. But then our refrigerator would look pretty bare without them!

better the outside be bare than the inside :D j/k

Buying and selling cars requires a lot of time away from the house. Sounds like you ought to be buying and selling businesses. Maybe you can network to Pelican and do work for them. What about the book. I have a sure winner, title, concept and all. It has the words "101" in it, but it has been on my mind a long time before Wayne's 101 Projects came out and has nothing to do with cars. Email me if interested. Like said above, determine your strong points and parlay them.

Blue is right, I used to sell my paintings in Scottsdale and Carefree. And you've seen my paintings!:D

You may try being an on-line proffesor for the University of Phoenix or other university with on line degrees.

I've been looking for a book project myself. I have several ideas but I am interested in looking at more. p.m. me if you'd like.