Working from "home"

[judi]

How many of you work remotely from your RV via computer? What kinds of work are you doing? How did you get started? I would like to do it!

[Bethers]

Aside from my workamping, I still do some web-building and maintaining. Not like I used to - but a little.

[JudyJB]

I teach online for a small college north of Detroit. I got started by teaching in a classroom for them for 13 years and then being asked to develop and teach classes online, which I did for 10 years before getting on the road. Teaching online is not easy to get into, but I had a lot of experience and credibility with the people at the college.

I have known other people who work online. Met a couple who ran a marketing business from their RV. A couple of others who did income tax, etc. And a long time ago, I knew a lady who was a programmer and worked from her home. Also met a lady who embroidered neat things on kids and babies jeans. She worked art fairs and also had a web site where she sold stuff from.

I think the thing to do is work at whatever it is you are skilled at before you retire so you are just asking someone to let you continue to do it, rather than starting from scratch. Also, if you want to be self-employed, it is best to develop a clientele before you hit the road. This makes an easier transition.

[JudyJB]

You are a nurse, right? Aren't there jobs you can do from home, such as an advising nurse, or whatever it is they call those nurses who answer health questions and screen patients as needing more care? Did a web search and found this: http://www.healthecareers.com/article/4 ... obs/170957

Would a nurses association have some suggestions? I would think your skilled field is one where you could use your services in some creative way.

[BarbaraRose]

I have been trying to figure out a way to work on the road eventually, too. I can cut hair at campsites, but would be nice to find something else I could do on-line. I used to do a lot of data entry, but that is hard to find "work at home" data entry jobs that aren't scams.
Thought about doing some writing, like articles for magazines, etc, but don't have any experience with that. Or proof-reading. Also doing crafts and selling them on-line or at shows (I have a client who does that so I can ask her about that).

Like Judy said, you almost have to have a job doing what you want to do on the road, first, and get clients, and/or work your way into telecommuting from an office type of job.

Hope others on here come up with some interesting ideas too!

[judi]

Yes I am an RN and also an architect (only did hospitals/large medical centers). Architecture is not a telecommuting job, and I'm burned out from it. Too many meetings. Meetings to plan more meetings, etc. I'm looking at the RN advice line jobs, but those are for healthcare organizations and I think I want to be more independent. I'm also interested in editing manuscripts, medical writing. I would like medical writing the best I think. I'm not very crafty, unless you consider a fantastic surgical suite a craft. I can crochet only squares and rectangles. No cute cuddly baby things. I used to do water color painting until architecture sucked the creative brains cells away. Certainly not an option for making money!

[bikerchic777]

Great topic! It is also a dream of mine. I think it would be fun to sell something at shows and flea markets, so I'd still have social contact. Just haven't figured out what, yet. Don't want to import from China. Some pull a cargo trailer around, but I'd prefer something that takes less space. My DD started a website for her crocheting. I told her I would love to sell her stuff. She can pump it out pretty quick. It would benefit us both.

[JudyJB]

Judi, that reminded me. I had a fantastic job once for four whole days!!! Really. I had a friend who worked then for a training company that put on medical conferences. During an HIV conference in Boston I was an on-call medical editor. Someone would write out two page summaries of presentations. Someon else would give them a quick edit and email them to me. I had one hour to edit each document and send it back again. When they took
Lunch or dinner I was still paid but hAd at least an hour and half break. Took naps and did grocery shopping. Was paid for 14 hours per day for four days.

I loved it! Only took me 15 minutes per document. I was rushed at times but other times had all sorts of free time.

I was working freelance then so schedule was free. Pay was about half or less of my regular rate but it was on-call so I did not work every minute. They did not continue to use me because they wanted someone with a medical background even though I made no mistakes. Could you do that???

Please excuse typos and lack of punctuation now that you know I am/was an editor, but when typing on phone I do not worry about such things that I would chew out my students about. Shhhhh!

[Pooker]

My two cents probably doesn't address your question exactly, but a few years back I ran into a lady at a craft show held in the clubhouse of an RV park. She and her husband were full-timers and both had hobbies that gave them a bit of extra income. She invited me to their Class A to see how they managed it. She did small needlework projects - counted cross or needlepoint and small quilted wall hangings, pot holders, Christmas tree skirts, etc. He did stained glass pictures, panels, etc. Neither of them had these hobbies before they hit the road. Their RV was customized to accommodate their projects. Where the dinette had been, they replaced with a bar counter. That became a work space when not dining. Her supplies were under the sofa organized in containers. His were in an outside storage cabinet. Weather permitting, they worked outside at a folding table or picnic table if one was provided. When they arrived at a RV park they asked the management if it was okay to set up a picnic table to sell their wares and she said most places were okay with that. She said people taking walks or walking dogs would stop buy to see what they were making or selling. Also, many parks have craft shows and they would rent space to sell their things. After awhile, they knew which parks were welcoming and when craft sales were scheduled.

I also ran into a couple at a Samboree (for those who are not Good Sam members, that's what their regional rallies are called) who were gaga over their little dog and the dog had a larger wardrobe than the average teenager! So, she started making pet outfits and accessories which I imagine sold like hot cakes! And, believe it or not they lived in a rather small Class C! Many full timers follow the circuit of rallies and sales and places like Quartzsite, renting sales space.

I also met a nurse who registered for duty when she was staying for any length of time in one place. I assume there is some sort of nursing registry country wide.

Pooker

[BarbaraRose]

I was wondering if RV parks/campgrounds allowed a person to sell stuff at their site or advertise for services. Have any of you seen or heard about that? What types of parks are more open to that?

I have been real interested in learning gourd crafting. Did some at a workshop in California and loved it! The gourds would take up some space but they weigh nothing, and the tools are small, so wouldn't need a lot of room to work, just a table.

Also thought of learning dog training and doing that on the road for people with disobedient dogs (or disobedient owners!).

What other thing have some of you seen/heard people do for extra money (aside from workamping)?

There is a special on the local news tomorrow night about senior RVer's and workamping. I will be watching that to see if they portray it as a positive thing or "those poor old homeless people trying to survive on the road."

[JudyJB]

I think setting up a web site and selling crafts from that would be better than actually going to craft shows, although you could use that to build a clientele--pass out lots of homemade brochures, etc. Get emails for mailing stuff out. (I got roped into doing a bunch of strange things in a past job a long time ago. One of those was learning about something called "fulfillment." When you buy a car, you often find a card in the glove compartment where you can order jackets and such. There is a large company in Flint, MI, that makes millions each year inventorying and shipping out those jackets and other junk the car companies want you to buy to advertise their product. Actually, there are lots of companies that do that sort of thing. (I used them for shipping out thousands of catalogs and newsletters, and they were very cheap.)

On a smaller scale, consider that you really do not need to do all parts of a "business." For example you could partner with someone to handle shipping if you sell stuff on a web site, so you do not have to drag a large inventory around in a trailer. If you want to focus on making stuff, not shipping stuff, you could find a partner with an actual "sticks and bricks" home that could handle the inventory and shipping for you. You would weekly send out a list of shippers to that person, who would stuff things in boxes and send them out. The handling part of the "shipping and handling" fees could go to that person for an income, plus you would have to pay a storage fee.

I really like the dog clothing idea, except I do not sew. So maybe someone like me who does not sew could partner with someone who does. That person could do the sewing and send me stock, and I would manage the website and shows and do the shipping. I like the idea of things like dog clothing because it would not take up much space. Jewelry would be another small thing. I can envision the web site now....

Wow! I think this group could come up with some creative businesses. I will take only a small percentage, however.

[gingerK]

I have a friend on FB who organizes things for her clients. I'm not really clear on how or what she does, but I think she does it online somehow. I will ask her and let you know.

[Bethers]

Selling crafts online is very, very difficult - you'd have thousands and thousands of other websites doing just the same thing. A unique product, different. And if you can get it in front of people through, say, your FB page, etc you'll have a better chance. I've been selling online, helping people build websites to sell online for lots and lots of years. I always tell people with crafts they have to have a following first (although if they are willing to pay for a website first, and wait for it to grow, that's the smarter way). But most people are leery of purchasing crafts online if they haven't seen something from the person first.

I talked to a vendor at a stall in FL on my last winter in FL - and they said that almost all their website sales were from people who first saw the products at one of the craft shows they sold from.

I'm a big, big believer in the internet and 20 years ago, you could have made a killing with a website if you knew how to do it - and some even if they didn't. Now, not so easy.

Barbie, selling at parks would be easier if you found out when they had their craft shows and booked to stay during that time and took a booth. Lots of the larger parks have shows and some do really, really well - not just with people from within the park, but some draw from the entire community. The best way to sell from a cg/rv park would be to be outside working on your craft - people would stop and ask - and you'd probably get sales. When I used to sell pinatas online, I had one sitting in the passenger seat of my rig - and would often be asked about it. One of our members makes gourds - really, really nice ones ... The kind that ring, make noise, forget the name - she took a class at an rv park, I believe, then started making them, and has ended up making many for folks in the parks she's stayed.

BTW, we already have a member, Dawn, who makes adorable dog clothing.

[judi]

JudyJB I can certainly do that! How do I get in touch with these people? Sounds like just what I'm looking for!

[snowball]

Barbie I would sign up for the dog training
farmers markets are another source to sell items at
sheila