“Work from home” solutions

[Clrussell]

A little back ground on myself. 32 this year, divorced dad of two, third on the way. Grew up between an automotive shop and a farm equipment shop. Went to tech school for diesel, did that for 10 years, was at that job for 17 years total (started officially getting a paycheck at 11). Stepped away from the family buiz and worked for myself for a year doing the same thing.

Ended up changing career paths and stepping into the marine world. Three years later, manager position and all that I’m ready for a change again. I’m not happy at home and I’ve had one divorce because of that, I don’t want Another.

I am a very hard worker, very good at problem solving, and willing to go above and beyond. I can do pretty much anything mechanical related. I would love to find something that rewards for my efforts, and allows me to spend more time with my children and better half. I don’t need to get rich, but I want to be able to afford life. Also this won’t be our sole source of income, as she is an occupational ther

I’m not a content creator, so YouTube is probably out lol.

What do others here do? Anyone looking to add to their team?

 

[grubworm]

A little back ground on myself. 32 this year, divorced dad of two, third on the way. Grew up between an automotive shop and a farm equipment shop. Went to tech school for diesel, did that for 10 years, was at that job for 17 years total (started officially getting a paycheck at 11). Stepped away from the family buiz and worked for myself for a year doing the same thing.

Ended up changing career paths and stepping into the marine world. Three years later, manager position and all that I’m ready for a change again. I’m not happy at home and I’ve had one divorce because of that, I don’t want Another.

I am a very hard worker, very good at problem solving, and willing to go above and beyond. I can do pretty much anything mechanical related. I would love to find something that rewards for my efforts, and allows me to spend more time with my children and better half. I don’t need to get rich, but I want to be able to afford life. Also this won’t be our sole source of income, as she is an occupational ther

I’m not a content creator, so YouTube is probably out lol.

What do others here do? Anyone looking to add to their team?

i see you are in arkansas...we started going to arkansas a couple yrs ago and love it. we really like the buffalo river and jasper area and getting ready to go explore further up..

well, i was at a career job making a lot of money and not happy with it and multiple divorces behind me, so at 38, i quit and started a construction company, mainly to build my own strip malls. i ended up retiring at 46 with a very healthy stream of income from close to 20 commercial tenants. the last building i did for myself, i borrowed 100% of what it cost me to build it, so i wasn't out of pocket a single penny. since i was the contractor, i automatically saved 20% of the cost, plus doing a lot of my own work, i saved a lot more...so long story short, you can build a rental property and by doing most of it yourself, you should be able to borrow all the money it will take to build and your note should be around half of your income. banks generally will loan around 70% of the estimated value. so, say i want to do a building that costs a million. the bank will probably loan up to $680-700K. build the building for $700K and your note is probably going to be around $4500 and the monthly income should be around $10K, so after insurance and taxes and some expenses, you still have a decent positive income. throw a little extra on the note every month and pay the loan off early and you will have a nice $10K a month per building coming in...minus insurance and expenses, but still a nice revenue. that might be a big bite to take at first, but you can do a smaller building or some mini storages. i bet you could do a small building, around 2000 sq/ft with an office area in front and work area in back and rent that to a mechanic, machine shop, etc.
i like rental properties because you work once building it and get paid rest of your life.

 

[Clrussell]

i see you are in arkansas...we started going to arkansas a couple yrs ago and love it. we really like the buffalo river and jasper area and getting ready to go explore further up..

well, i was at a career job making a lot of money and not happy with it and multiple divorces behind me, so at 38, i quit and started a construction company, mainly to build my own strip malls. i ended up retiring at 46 with a very healthy stream of income from close to 20 commercial tenants. the last building i did for myself, i borrowed 100% of what it cost me to build it, so i wasn't out of pocket a single penny. since i was the contractor, i automatically saved 20% of the cost, plus doing a lot of my own work, i saved a lot more...so long story short, you can build a rental property and by doing most of it yourself, you should be able to borrow all the money it will take to build and your note should be around half of your income. banks generally will loan around 70% of the estimated value. so, say i want to do a building that costs a million. the bank will probably loan up to $680-700K. build the building for $700K and your note is probably going to be around $4500 and the monthly income should be around $10K, so after insurance and taxes and some expenses, you still have a decent positive income. throw a little extra on the note every month and pay the loan off early and you will have a nice $10K a month per building coming in...minus insurance and expenses, but still a nice revenue. that might be a big bite to take at first, but you can do a smaller building or some mini storages. i bet you could do a small building, around 2000 sq/ft with an office area in front and work area in back and rent that to a mechanic, machine shop, etc.
i like rental properties because you work once building it and get paid rest of your life.

Good to know! I’ve thought about rental properties, but don’t have the credit (due to my dumb self, still digging myself out but getting close). Currently have a house that I’m renting out (very small monthly income from it, but building equity).

 

[mamalone200]

My suggestion probably wouldn't let you work from home, but have you thought about working for the government? You might make a little less than you would make in the private sector, but the benefits are good and the work/life balance is generally better in the public sector. I'm just an intern right now in the federal government, but everyone seems so happy.

 

[roots66]

My suggestion probably wouldn't let you work from home, but have you thought about working for the government? You might make a little less than you would make in the private sector, but the benefits are good and the work/life balance is generally better in the public sector. I'm just an intern right now in the federal government, but everyone seems so happy.

I am a Federal employee and work from home on our farm. Even before Covid, I was only going into the office once a week. Of course, it's IT related, so you'd have to have that skill set, but it's not that hard to learn. I have my own office (extra bedroom) which allows me to separate myself when needed during work hours, yet let's me still be available for family pretty much any time I/they want.

 

[mamalone200]

I am a Federal employee and work from home on our farm. Even before Covid, I was only going into the office once a week. Of course, it's IT related, so you'd have to have that skill set, but it's not that hard to learn. I have my own office (extra bedroom) which allows me to separate myself when needed during work hours, yet let's me still be available for family pretty much any time I/they want.

I'm in budgeting, and my branch is almost entirely working from home. It seems like before Covid there was some working from home once or twice a pay period, but my coworkers are all hoping to only have to go in once a week after Covid. I just figured that since OP seems to have a background in hands-on mechanical work, he might not be able to work from home. I hope you enjoy our new holiday tomorrow!

Here's a link to some current federal job postings in Arkansas that might interest OP;

USAJOBS - Search

 

[Clrussell]

I'm in budgeting, and my branch is almost entirely working from home. It seems like before Covid there was some working from home once or twice a pay period, but my coworkers are all hoping to only have to go in once a week after Covid. I just figured that since OP seems to have a background in hands-on mechanical work, he might not be able to work from home. I hope you enjoy our new holiday tomorrow!

Here's a link to some current federal job postings in Arkansas that might interest OP;

USAJOBS - Search

Thank you

 

[Clrussell]

Is anyone here in logistics?

I have a friend starting a transport buisness and got to thinking about looking into logistics / shipping for small time guys, like hotshot haulers.

 

[Autism Family Travels]

Is anyone here in logistics?

I have a friend starting a transport buisness and got to thinking about looking into logistics / shipping for small time guys, like hotshot haulers.

I have been thinking about this too. Get a 2wd dually 4 door and a couple of different sized trailers. Toss the fam in the truck, and visit some cool places while getting paid.

 

[Clrussell]

I have been thinking about this too. Get a 2wd dually 4 door and a couple of different sized trailers. Toss the fam in the truck, and visit some cool places while getting paid.

well that’s an option too. I was thinking more of being the guy who sets up the loads. Get x amount of the mileage in my pocket for the effort.

 

[Autism Family Travels]

Cool. I was looking at it to get paid to visit various places on our time.

 

[Road]

Is anyone here in logistics?

I have a friend starting a transport buisness and got to thinking about looking into logistics / shipping for small time guys, like hotshot haulers.

I have been thinking about this too. Get a 2wd dually 4 door and a couple of different sized trailers. Toss the fam in the truck, and visit some cool places while getting paid.

well that’s an option too. I was thinking more of being the guy who sets up the loads. Get x amount of the mileage in my pocket for the effort.

Cool. I was looking at it to get paid to visit various places on our time.

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Sounds appealing, but realistically it does not work that way. Not at all.

I've expedited cargo all over the US and Canada and dealt with a mess of different logistics companies.

Hotshot hauling, expediting, and the logistics around it all can be cut-throat, feast-or-famine, rife with miscommunication, waiting way too long to get paid, and sitting in places like Laredo TX on the border for nine days while you wait for a load out.

There are well-established hotshot haulers who mostly haul huge equipment, specialized loads, flatbed trailers, etc with their big truck. Professional, and big-time. Almost every smaller hotshot hauler I've known, with pick-up and trailers, often went around the logistic companies who connect drivers to loads, and bid on them themselves. Cut-throat as hell, and unless doing it full time and staying on top of the game and establishing long-term relationships with regular customers, it's hardly worth trying to do. They were often uninsured or under-insured and came and went in the biz as often as many people change their socks.

Expediters usually work as independent contractors with established logistics companies and carry, typically, huge amounts of insurance for cargo and liability. My policy was well over $300/month, and that was years ago. A good honest logistics company (hard to break into in some markets) will not use drivers who cannot prove their insurance coverage, because they'll be held responsible if the driver screws up.

Logistics companies came and went with alarming regularity, too. Often started by former employees of other logistics companies, thinking they could do better, though, at least in y experience, rarely did. Ends up a lot of company inbreeding, rivalries, and just sometimes, good professional working relationships.

Having driven all over NA for a lot of different logistics companies, hauling everything from pallets of shock absorbers from the border to the Jeep plant in Michigan, to a 4ft crane strut to a mine around the north side of the St Lawrence Seaway, to labels for breweries in Minnesota or tractor parts to Iowa, and even a casket with a teen in it to a funeral home who had already started preparing for visitation, I would not want to be part of trying to break into any of it right now, especially if inexperienced in any of it.

And, hotshot hauling and expediting is certainly not a way to haul one's family around and think you'll get paid to visit cool spots. That's just not how it works.

If you are really thinking seriously about the transport and/or logistics biz, do a ton of research and check places like expeditersonline.com, their forum, and check out outfits like OOIDA and others.

If it were lucrative and easy to get into, you can bet it would be a lot more popular and more would be doing it.
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Crane part I drove over 900 miles, non-stop, to a mine in northern Quebec in winter.

 

[Autism Family Travels]

We have alot of people moving back and forth from other provinces, I think I could make a decent living just taking personal items to different places. Not commerical jobs. Just personal. Drop trailer off, tell them I will be back the next morning to get it, drive to where they are heading and have someone meet me there to unload. If not, I leave their stuff on the lawn ha ha ha. In all seriousness on the local classifieds there is always people looking to get stuff moved about the island here. Why not make a buck.

 

[Autism Family Travels]

Well, a new opportunity fell into my lap today. I previously owned a mold remediation and inspection business and a new firm is looking for a content creator for their website etc. I am starting to write for them this week! I cannot wait. I may be getting their business to open a location here on the island and I run it as well. We will see what happens. crossing my fingers for the writing part of it however!

 

[Lazynorse]

I’ll echo government work, though that is as wide and varied as anything. I know local and state. I know no one sitting on their hands. Budgets are always squeezed, the more senior and competent you become, the more assignments you get. That said, in most instances you put in your 8 hrs and skip right on out. 9% or so of your pay goes to pension contribution.

I’m 22 yrs in and accrue 6 weeks vacation, plus 4 personal days AND 2 weeks worth of sick leave. 11 holidays, too. Velvet handcuffs. Good health benefits. Less pay than private sector but I’ll take the stability, life balance and full pension at 30 yrs, which is 60% of your last highest salary. You also can contribute to a 457k, which is like a 401k but you can withdraw earlier than a 401. I contribute max, so my paychecks are a little small but hopefully I’ll retire at 56 earning more than I did working.

Depending on your skills, education and interest, its still a competition. If you can’t communicate well, have professional manners or get along with others in a mostly progressive environment, you won’t get it or make it far. Its worked out all right for me. I provide the stability, my wife makes more money in private industry.

 

[Autism Family Travels]

I stil do some writing for various places, but I picked up a part time job at Bell Canada selling phones, data plans and home services. I work 40 hrs every two weeks and then I have the rest of that time off. I work 6 days on 8 days off. I make enough in those two weeks in commission to equal out 35.00/hr. Not bad for this area. Gives us the time to do other things, travel and have some work life balance. I would say I am year or so off from going full time home based work if everything goes well this year. Got to make your own way and just run with what you love.

 

[Outdoordog]

Any suggestions for a person with little experience? I've been a sushi chef for 25 years, but would prefer to make my own schedule, being a chef, I work weekends, and that limits my ability to camp with friends.

 

[Autism Family Travels]

Any suggestions for a person with little experience? I've been a sushi chef for 25 years, but would prefer to make my own schedule, being a chef, I work weekends, and that limits my ability to camp with friends.

Being a sushi chef, maybe you could branch out to becoming a personal chef depending on your location. You can work your own hours. Want to make some wheat, nut and seed free versions for me? ha ha.

EDIT: Just noticed you are in big bear. Get a food truck work 3 days a week and you should earn enough income as working full time on the line! I have mad respect for sushi chefs, such precision in presentation.

 

[Outdoordog]

Being a sushi chef, maybe you could branch out to becoming a personal chef depending on your location. You can work your own hours. Want to make some wheat, nut and seed free versions for me? ha ha.

EDIT: Just noticed you are in big bear. Get a food truck work 3 days a week and you should earn enough income as working full time on the line! I have mad respect for sushi chefs, such precision in presentation.

I've thought about that as well, would have to invest in equipment for sure.