what can i do?

[windycity8]

im sitting at home thinking what i can do for a career. im dead earning potential at the moment and want to bring money into the home aswell as my husband, what can i do, maybe a little business on my own? i know this could be looking for the goose with the golden egg but i really am stuck for ideas. have any of you set up a business that went well. surely there must be something i can do.

[sara3]

what skills/interests/experience do you have?

[boxtops]

It depends what your talents are, windy - what are you good at, what do you like doing, what qualifications do you have?

[Panic Button]

Do you like driving? Your local bus company might train you and get you a PCV licence.

[boxtops]

A lot of people work from home building up sales businesses as agents for companies like Avon, Betterware, Body shop parties, etc. Not a lot of initial layout - but if you wanted to set up a business you might have to borrow money or use your capital to set you up. Can you make anything? - jewellery, stained glass, hand-made birthday cards, etc.?

[suzie1]

can you make candles, im going to learn now.

[tamborine]

how about making birthday cakes ? Lots of icing info on google

[northernmonkey]

May suit hours that driving Royal Mail can be split shifts leaving good few hours in middle of daytime before back in work but can select more suited hours for own suitablity and gives you overall job doing driving which you enjoy and is quite very much a job with some freedom within reason

[trt]

How old are you, do you have kids and how many hours are you free everyday etc?

[saxy_jag]

I do know that with Avon, you have to work bl**dy hard to make anything worthwhile, although if you like the idea of selling then it's a doddle and very enjoyable.

But others have said it here - you need to have a good look at what skills and interests you have and then think of ways in which you can use them. Look at your hobbies, look back at any paid work you used to enjoy, or think about anything that other people say you're good at. For instance, I'm an ace pressie wrapper and people are always asking me to gift wrap stuff for them. It's not something I'd want to do for payment, but the potential is there. Also, a friend of mine, when her kids were younger, would buy up good second-hand toys cheaply and then resell them at a profit.

No matter how unimportant or trivial a skill something appears, it may be something you could use to make money. For every little thing you can do well, there's going to be someone out there who can't and who is willing to pay for someone else to do it.

Do you like gardening? What about selling home-grown fruit and veg? Can you arrange flowers? Make clothes? Paint & decorate? Play the piano? Mend bikes?

You just have to do a little creative thinking, that's all.

Good luck.

[Lorrymac]

Is there any service or product that you can sell/provide via the internet? in my opinion, that's where you want to be marketing yourself. Can you consult on something, make something, provide a service etc.? it's also very easy to check out your competition online. The only thing you'd need to do is get a decent website together - I taught myself, and there are some great templates out there. Best of luck!

[windycity8]

is there still such a thing as a careers office? if i were to walk into a job centre, would they sort me out? i cant claim for any benefits.

[boxtops]

You could sign on with an employment agency, they would look at what you've done in the past and suggest what might be best for you. You don't have to pay to register - they get their commission if a new employer takes you on.