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Money

3 Ways to Make a Full-Time Income From Home

Women are making up to $11,000 per month.

From candle-making to podcast-hosting and online teaching, these women found ways to rake in cash — no office needed! Learn their secrets so you can start earning too.

“I make $65,000 a year selling candles!”

“I used to work as a mental health therapist, but as my own form of therapy, I made candles. I sent my creations to family and friends as gifts, but then people told me I should sell them, and I thought why not bring joy and happiness to others! A friend of mine joined me, and last year, we launched Activated Faith.

“To get started, I took candle-making classes, researched the product-selling laws in my state, and purchased insurance. I sourced vendors for ingredients and made sure they followed certain health and safety practices. In the beginning, I bought boxes and twine from Amazon and made my own labels, but now I use a vendor for the packaging.

“Our candles range from $15 to $28, come in scents such as Greek fig and bamboo coconut, are made with natural soy wax and essential and fragrance oils and are free of chemicals like parabens and phthalates. Once a candle burns all the way down, there’s a surprise crystal at the bottom and information about what it stands for.

“The candles are 100 percent handmade in my home and sold on our website and through various wholesalers. A lot of business comes through word of mouth, but I also use social media and email marketing and attend farmers markets and festivals. I love this business because it’s so uplifting for me and our customers. Plus, as a mom of four, I get to work from home, and my kids love helping out too. In our first year, we made $65,000 in sales! The money I make goes back into the business and pays for things like horseback riding lessons for my kids and trips to Disney.”

“I make a full-time income as a podcast host!”

“As a local TV reporter and then a radio host, I used to wake up very early to go to work. But as my kids got older, I wanted to find a flexible way to make money so I could be around when they had activities at night. I had listened to podcasts since they first became popular and thought about launching my own. My son has type 1 diabetes, and although there were podcasts on the topic, they were focused on personal stories. I wanted to hear a podcast with news. But I was so intimidated by the technology that I put it off for months. Then a friend interviewed me on his podcast, and when he told me how he did it, I realized it was a lot easier than I expected. So in 2015, I launched my podcast, Diabetes Connections.

“To get started, I purchased a microphone, downloaded Skype to record the podcast and paid for hosting through Liberated Syndication, a company that publishes the episodes to podcast apps like Apple and Stitcher. Each episode, I do a 40-minute interview with insulin companies, celebs, or athletes. In the beginning, I would ask people I knew from the diabetes community to be on the show, but now guests reach out to me. I cover anything to do with type 1 diabetes, from diagnosis to new technology.

“I monetize the podcast with three to four advertisers a year, but now I also get offers for paid speaking engagements. I love the flexibility and autonomy of podcasting. I work 15 to 20 hours a week and make a full-time income, money that pays the bills, goes back into the business and allows our family to travel.”

“I make up to $11,000 a month teaching online classes!”

“When my husband’s company had layoffs, we were struggling to make ends meet. I was a stay-at-home mom homeschooling my kids partly via Outschool, a platform where kids (homeschooled or not) can take live, online classes. When I discovered I could offer my own classes, I knew it’d be a great way to make money.

“Getting started was easy. I sent in an application and did an interview with Outschool’s staff. You don’t need a teaching degree, but they look for people who like working with kids and have fun, innovative ideas for classes, even if it’s teaching basic math or reading skills. I had to come up with educational goals for the class and a lesson plan. They gave me a lot of feedback, and once I was approved, I went through a training session to learn how to use the technology.

“I teach classes that focus on logic, math, problem-solving skills, and teamwork centered around the Dungeons & Dragons theme. My classes run for six weeks, and I teach about forty 90-minute live group classes a week via Zoom. My classes are interactive, so kids can write on the screen and use the chat feature.

“Outschool handles a lot of the marketing, but I promote the classes on my Facebook page too. I love teaching. It’s so creative and fun, but I also earn $45 per student and make up to $11,000 a month. After nine months, I was making enough money to support my family, so my husband could go back to school!”

This article originally appeared in our print magazine.

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