Share this
In the work-at-home world, many bloggers create lists and jobs specifically tailored to stay-at-home moms and other women looking to make an income from home. But, women aren’t the only ones earning money from home.
If you’re looking for work-from-home opportunities for men, here are six ideas for you to consider. None of these require a college degree or advanced technical knowledge, either, so I can’t think of anyone who couldn’t make one of these work! A strong internet connection and flexibility are the keys to success!
Whether you are looking for a remote job side hustle, or a full-time gig to replace your current income, there’s something here for you. You’ll learn a bit about each work-at-home opportunity and discover another man who’s rocking it in that field. I’ll also go into what skills you’ll need to get started.
1. Affiliate Marketing/Blogging
You can make money as an affiliate marketer, by promoting products that you love. When you sign up as an affiliate for a company, you’ll receive a commission for each sale you help make happen. Alex is half of the husband-wife team who started a blog called Avocadu and earned more than $100,000 in their first year of blogging. Within three years, they were making more than $100,000 per month!
As an affiliate marketer, you earn a commission when products or services you promote to your audience sell.
Skills Required: To make money in affiliate marketing, you’ll need great communication skills, social media accounts, and your own blog. You’re going to be sharing with lots of people why they should buy these products.
Where to learn more: Today, Alex and Lauren share their best tips for making extra money blogging on their blog Create and Go and with several awesome courses that can take you from beginner to blockbuster.
2. Amazon FBA – Private Label
Have you always wanted your own brand of products? You can have one thanks to the private label products that sell on Amazon. First, you’ll need to decide what type of product to sell. You need to identify something that is generic (ie you can’t private label Nike shoes or iPhones). Think about all the things you use on a regular basis that you can get in a number of brands. Items like water bottles, small kitchen tools, or socks.
The key is to identify a product that people use, or else you won’t sell any. Once you’ve picked a product to start with, you’ll need to find a supplier. Many private label companies use Alibaba to help source their products. When you’ve found a good product at a good price, you get to create a catchy name, logo, and package label design. These things all speak to your company’s values and how you want to be seen by your consumers, so definitely take time to put some thought into them.
After you know what you’ll be selling, where you’ll source it, and what it’ll look like, you craft a product listing that encourages people to buy. Then you list your products on Amazon and start marketing.
It’s a bit of a process to get started, but it’s a great way to earn an income once sales start rolling in.
Skills Required: To run your own private label company, you will need some additional skill sets. You must be highly organized and motivated. You’ve got to track each aspect of the business to ensure you remain profitable. You’ll also need to be able to coordinate with those who help you create the brand to ensure everyone is on the same page and sees your vision. You may also need some skills in bookkeeping. You’ll also need some initial investment funds to pay for the marketing supplies and the first batch of products.
Where to learn more: Simon Slade and Mark Ling took their knowledge of wholesale and dropshipping sourcing and started a site called Salehoo. You can check out their directory database or just spend some time on their blog for some great tips.
If you don’t want to deal with the hassle of labeling your own merchandise, you can also work as a more traditional Amazon FBA seller. You can find more information about that opportunity here. The Selling Family is another husband-wife team who have struck gold online. (You don’t have to get your wife involved in these opportunities, though she might enjoy the work-at-home life as well!)
3. Freelance Writing
Do you enjoy stringing words together? If you have a way with words, you can earn a good living as a freelance. There are tons of possibilities. You can create blog posts for companies, write white papers for a major industry, or put your persuasive writing to use as a copyrighter, like Neville Medhora.
You’ll need some samples to get started, so consider guest posting on some blogs that cover topics you’d like to write about. To pick your niche, think about the things you know and enjoy. What are topics friends always ask you for advice about? This might provide insight into the perfect niche for you.
There are plenty of job boards where you can look for gigs. You can also check out the gigs section on Craigslist for writing opportunities. Just make sure you evaluate each opportunity to ensure it’s not a scam.
Skills Required: You don’t have to be a wonderful writer to earn as a freelancer, but you do need to enjoy writing. And have a decent command of the language you’ll be writing in. The days of junk content to fool Google are long gone. You may also consider proofreading or copy editing gigs, as well.
Also, if you aren’t good at staying on top of deadlines, freelance writing won’t be a good fit. Clients want their articles on time, and repeat work is how you build your business so you need to be on time, every time.
4. Virtual Assistant Work
Though many people have the idea that virtual assistants are always female, Steve and Jimmy from PenandEdit.com prove that isn’t the case. They offer a variety of services and help keep their clients on track.
If you enjoy helping others and doing some behind-the-scenes work, a position as a virtual assistant might be a great fit for you. It’s an especially good fit if you’re good at more “intimidating” things like tech and security.
You can think about all the skills you have, and create services based on those. As a virtual assistant, you can help business owners:
- Create content
- Calendar management
- Market on social media
- Stay organized
- Maintain books and records
- Book travel
- Host online conferences
- Stay on top of their email
- Get all their software connected and running
And much, much more. Think about what tasks the business owners you know would love to stop doing. By taking on these tasks, you allow them to focus on what they do best.
Skills Required: To make it as a virtual assistant, you need to be really good at the services you offer. If you don’t enjoy going through someone’s email, don’t offer email management. Pick what you’re good at and enjoy.
You’ll also need great communication skills and a flexible schedule so you keep your client in the loop, organization skills, and whatever tech skills are necessary to complete the tasks you offer.
5. Flipping Stuff
Robert (along with his wife Melissa) from FleaMarketFlipper.com prove that one man’s junk really can be another man’s treasure. This duo shares plenty of tips for making money from bargain finds.
If you enjoy fixing up things and tinkering, this can be a great opportunity to earn extra income. Think about what you can fix and improve, and then start looking for bargains. But before you go out and buy thirty broken washers to repair, make sure there’s a market.
The size of your product will determine the best way to sell it. Some items will do well on Craigslist or the Facebook Marketplace (especially if they’re larger and you don’t want to deal with shipping.) Others will work better on eBay or even on Amazon, as long as you’re selling something where the used market exists.
Skills Required: You’ll need to be able to find and transport your bargains back to your home base. You need the tools and knowledge to be able to fix them and improve them. You’ll also need a way to sell them, so you don’t let your inventory take over your home. Make sure you have a way to take decent photographs, so people can see what they’re buying.
Where to Learn More: Robert and Melissa now share their secrets with others in their free workshop, Flea Market Flipper University.
6. Customer Service
If you enjoy troubleshooting and helping make people happy, consider a role as a customer service rep. You interact with customers through email, chat, or phone, and help solve their problems. When you don’t want to start your own business, this is a great beginning opportunity. There’s always a need for quality customer support.
Lots of companies see the benefit of hiring remote workers for these positions, so the opportunities are likely to increase. You can find remote customer service representative jobs on FlexJobs and other job boards. Just make sure to read the postings carefully to ensure it really is a remote position.
Some remote employees from Buffer shared tips for managing work-from-home jobs with kids in this post, including some male customer happiness members.
Jeremy from Liveops recently shared his story of working as a customer service agent with us:
What was your motivation to work from home?
I worked in the restaurant industry for 5 years until I switched over to managing a grocery store where I was working anywhere between 50-60 hours a week. Unfortunately, my drive often outweighed my salary, I found myself spending more time at work than with my family to the point where I was even sleeping at my job to stay ahead for the next day.
As you can imagine, my hectic schedule started to take a toll on my family. I barely had time to spend with my wife and two children, I found that we had no traditions with them since my work was so demanding and we never formed those core memories or annual events. I wanted to be able to provide for my family, but I also wanted to be present and it was difficult to do them both in a traditional workforce. I needed the freedom and flexibility to create my own schedule and be where I wanted to be at all times.
What made you apply to Liveops?
I met a friend at church is was an Independent Contractor for Liveops and she talked to me about the benefits and what it had done for her life. From there, I decided to leave the security of my salary job and give it a try. I was really taking a chance on myself to be a breadwinner and entrepreneur without the constructs of a business around me. Around this time, I also decided to go back to college, so while I was still working 40 hours a week with Liveops I was able to schedule it around my education.
How long have you been with the company?
I have been with Liveops for 2 years and I wouldn’t change it for the world. I started as an independent contractor agent and have recently had the opportunity to become an employee as an Agent Results Advocate.
How has this position allowed you to meet your personal needs/goals?
Since joining Liveops, my life has absolutely transformed. Not only am I able to spend the time with my family that they deserve. I’m also able to satisfy my career goals and aspirations in tandem.
When I was working in retail, restaurants, etc., I never had holidays, weekends, or really any days off that my children would normally have off to do something more family-centric. I felt like I was missing everything. As an agent, I was able to work around any days that I wanted and in every role with Liveops I’ve no longer resented the work I’m doing. I’m going to honor roll ceremonies, attending games and hobbies that they enjoy and I get to see their searching eyes as they look for their dad in the stands.
Additionally, I’ve found that my natural drive for excellence is being served in completely different ways. When I left the “stability” of my former salary job, it seemed daunting, I realized that there really is no such thing as a stable job. What I loved most about when I was an independent contractor Liveops agent was that I owned my own business and was the creator of that destiny. It takes dedication and drive to make sure you’re educated and prepared for success. For someone that thrives off achievement, it served me well to be in a position where I’m able to take my success into my own hands. In the role I’m in now, I’m excited to help others embrace that lifestyle and thrive.
You can learn more about Liveops here.
Skills Required: To be a successful customer service rep, you’ve got to have great customer service skills. If you don’t like talking to other people, this isn’t the role for you. Depending on your company, you may also need a phone with a headset, and a quiet work environment.
Where to Learn More: I have a huge list of customer positions here.
There are plenty of opportunities out there for men looking for remote work. This list is just the beginning. Is there anything on here that you see yourself doing?
Originally published in June 2018. Updated September 2022.
