[youtube:_uFL3FcSj50?version=3;[link:online marketing];http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uFL3FcSj50?version=3&feature=related] It has been almost a decade since I made a decision to leave my job to work from home. My job back then was stressful, and on top of that, the long working hours meant not being to spend a lot of time with my family. At the same time, I wanted to be a more hands-on dad to my son whose first steps and words I didn’t get to see or hear.

Thankfully, there are many opportunities to make money online which makes it possible to work from home. The first job I took on the Internet was to provide administrative support to an online marketing company. As a virtual assistant, my job description included content writing, doing some research, and completing other tasks as delegated. The salary I got from this stint was close to what I was able to earn from my last job, but surprisingly, I get to enjoy more of it. This is because I no longer pay for fuel or transport, or buying new clothes to replace old ones.

During my employment a virtual assistant I came across different online marketing methods. Over time, I was not merely acquainted with these concepts – I became deeply interested to the point that I attended seminars and took some lessons to widen my understanding of these strategies with the intention to open my own online marketing company.

I teamed up with my wife who knows how to create and design websites so we can offer both Internet marketing and website set-up services. Our clients like the fact that they no longer had to deal with several service providers to make their website and market their products and services. To attract customers, we made sure that our website showed our level of expertise and that we rank highly on the Web. To build our portfolio, we decided to offer our services to non-profit organizations and bloggers first. Eventually our customer base expanded and we now cater to businesses from various sectors. Our first headquarters was an underutilized detached garage in our property. This helped us to cut start-up and operational expenses during the early stages of our company. Business was good, and we are now able to afford renting an office space downtown. To accommodate the growing number of orders, my wife and I made the decision to hire additional staff. We wanted to give other people the ability to make money online from their own homes, so majority of our staff do telework.

This kind of business requires good communication skills, as well as patience and creativity in bountiful measure. To succeed in this industry you have to know effective communication techniques. This venture requires perseverance and imagination as well. You also need to be methodical and adhere to industry protocols to provide quality and timely services. You also have to be prepared to address problems as they arise. In this constantly evolving industry, it pays to be open-minded as well.

Owning a business always has its risks, even those operating online. There is always that risk that you will not be able to meet the client’s expectations. Security risks, like virus and hacker attacks, can also disrupt business operations which can lead to loss in client confidence and consequently revenues. Then again, these risks are manageable.

The company is now a decade old, and it provides a steady and substantial income stream for me and my family. I could say from experience that being a stay-at-home parent is really not bad at all.

Want to work from home? Thankfully, you can already do this as there are many opportunities to make money online. Follow this link to get more info about work from home and other moneymaking opportunities on the Web.