Doing Business From Your Home Computer

Because I am running a tight budgeted non-profit organization in the Dominican Republic and also have a fifteen-month-old son, it’s very hard to make an income. Luckily, when I was five months pregnant, I found an opportunity with a company here called Channel Forge.

The owner of the company, who is originally from Colorado, worked in sales in the U.S. for twenty years before moving down here. He then began Channel Forge as, pretty much, an outsourced sales/advertising company. While working for him I made sales calls using Skype for a few different companies in the U.S. I reached out to possible business partners in each company’s area, trying to establish new business relationships and to set up sales meetings. It was never necessary that anyone I talked to ever knew I was in the Dominican Republic! This job took care of me for awhile but is not able to practically fit into my life for the time being for several reasons. However, it has been a way that I can work from home with a flexible schedule. If you have a business and would be interested in some unique advertising/sales outreach, e-mail Ed, the owner of Channel Forge.

When I found myself needing additional income, I began researching online money making opportunities. Of course, I learned about taking online surveys but they don’t seem to want to let me participate in many from this country. I also find myself way behind the times on everything American such as movies, TV shows, products, etc. So I kept my eye opened for other opportunities in addition to online surveys.

I am fluent in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole, but hadn’t found a way to use these skills to earn an income from home until Google AdWords brought Translator’s Base to my attention. I have an account as a freelance translator and have gotten some work, although I think I need to beef up my portfolio with past work and feedback from clients in order to consistently receive more work. Nonetheless, it’s good to have a little movement there.

Translator’s Base introduced me to the world of completing freelance jobs from home, a concept I love! One of my favorite things to do is to write. Therefore, sites like People Per Hour caught my attention since they match writers and clients as well as many different jobs such as data entry, editing, translating, web design, and cold calling. I have not completed any jobs through these sites yet but have made a few connections. Again, the movement is good.

I have found two sites, and have posted gigs on one, where you can offer any gig you can do along with the price. Site visitors purchase your product or service offered through the site. I imagine that this concept is new and it looks like not many people actually purchase the gigs but it is perhaps something that will grow more popular in the future.

Lastly, I wrote on a previous post that I am an Individual Business Owner (IBO) with an online shopping company that offers thousands of goods and services. Those who register as Customers through me help me to generate points which translate into a monthly check. Others who register as IBOs through me help me to generate points as well and it becomes a team effort. The product I plan to promote the most is a normal Visa credit card. Those who use this credit card help me to make a living. Of course, it’s not much income, but the more people participating, the more income I make. Other products that I haven’t used but are highly recommended by others are the Ribbon Gift Collection gifts which can be used for any occasion. From what I understand, shipping is free and the receiver gets a beautiful album in the mail. The album contains gifts to choose from and instructions on how to send in the choice and receive the gift. This is done in a way that the receiver never knows the price spent on the gift. This site is full of other unique products and great deals, especially for IBOs. It also has partnerships with several popular brand name stores.

Well, that has been my experience this far with doing business online. I hope that this helps others looking to do the same. I also hope that some readers will find a way to do business with me! I forgot to mention that my motivation for starting this blog was to create a highly followed blog that is eligible to participate in Sponsored Reviews. In order to be eligible, I need ten posts (this is my 10^th), and quite a few more followers. So I appreciate you spreading the word!

A New Way of Generating Personal Support

Starting a grassroots non-profit organization while still in college and then maintaining it and running it after recently graduating is not easy for many reasons. This is what I have done with Project Esperanza. Wanting to make the most of our funds raised, I haven’t ever drawn a personal salary from our pool of funds but we have used funds to go directly to our organization’s programs and to cover some necessary administration costs such as communication and bank fees (which are ridiculous when transferring money internationally as much as we do). If we had received grants from large foundations then perhaps things would be different but ironically, just around the time we gained our non-profit status and became eligible for receiving such grants, the economy took its downturn and many foundations stopped seeking new organizations to work with.

Additionally, through receiving daily e-mails from Foundation Center, it is apparent to me that there is an abundance of funds available for projects within the U.S., especially projects with the public schools, but next to nothing available for international projects. I find this frustrating as we are attempting to provide “public schools” to Haitian immgirant children living in the Dominican Republic which reach a sliver of the standards of U.S. public schools and have such trouble finding the funds to do so while I see weekly and sometimes daily notices of calls for proposals for projects that will further improve the already high standard classrooms in the U.S. If you find yourself disagreeing that U.S. public schools provide high quality education, come to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic for a visit and let me give you a quick tour of reality here.

Having not received grants, although we have sent in several proposals, we continue to depend on monthly sponsors, sporadic or one time donors, fundraisers often held on the Virginia Tech campus, and merchandise sales. We now are in the beginning stages of setting up some sustainable businesses here in Puerto Plata to generate income and have many more ideas along those lines for the long run.

I know others who have made some sort of ministry or humanitarian work their full time job create an income by seeking supporters who donate money monthly or annually. I already seek this to cover Project Esperanza’s basic monthly operating expenses so I can’t do this for my personal expenses as well. Therefore, I have worked several part time jobs to make ends meet. Next month will be Project Esperanza’s fifth birthday. During these five years I have worked as a tutor and mentor for Virginia Tech athletes, bussed tables in Blacksburg, taught English at a language school in Puerto Plata, taught math part time at a private school in Puerto Plata, tutored privately, worked as an outsourced sales representative for companies in the U.S. while making sales calls via Skype from Puerto Plata, and as a freelance translator for English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole translating documents through a freelance translator website. I have applied and/or been nominated for a few fellowships that would provide a living stipend and believe I am still considered for one although I have not heard back from them in months. Things are hard! With a son, Project Esperanza’s bustling activity, and few opportunities for the aforementioned work, I am pretty pesoless with pretty much no assets.

However, I am now attempting to seek some personal support through a way that asks sponsors to do nothing additional to what they already do in their everyday life. This new route I’m taking is something that may be successful for others who want to make mission or humanitarian work their full time job but have reasons for not seeking donations in order to do so. I know that a founder of Campus Crusades for Christ successfully used this method to support himself and perhaps still does.

I recently became an Individual Business Owner (IBO) with an online company. Here is this our concept as I understand it. Many companies would like to transition to selling products online. This saves them lots of money in retail costs (the space to sell or run a store, employees to run the store, etc.). Selling online allows products to simply leave the warehouse and go straight to the customer. Companies who want to transition to selling online partner up with this company. Our company is paid to bring customers to these businesses. Many businesses that this company partners with are popular companies such as Sears, Barnes & Noble, and Best Buy to name a few. Other partnering companies solely sell online through us and their names are, therefore, less well known. As an IBO, anyone can register as a Customer under my IBO number. When these customers shop through me, I receive points. There is a system in place and these points translate into a monthly check. The more customers I have registered under me making more purchases generates more points and therefore more monthly income.

Some potential supporters may find this a convenient route for supporting me. However, some may not like to shop online. There is one product that I will push, therefore, to try to gain some supporters. There is a Visa credit card we offer. It is no different than any other Visa card, just has our company's name marked on it. Anyone can register as a customer under me (IBO #5940240, Key: MCH), logon, then go to “Shop”, then “Parnter Stores & Services”, and find where to register for this Visa card. Just by using this credit card, I receive points. The income I receive is obviously a very small percentage of purchases made on the credit card, but with several customers using the card, it adds up. I receive an e-mail whenever customers register under me and will add customers to a personal update list. Anyone else wanting to register as an IBO can e-mail me.