Everyone is talking about improving productivity and learning new skills during this lockdown period. But no one is talking about how to use this free time to earn money from home. With most people staying indoors, now is a great time to explore inventive work-from-home jobs. It might also be a good idea to start a business from home.

It can be to either create a secondary income or secure your future with a backup job in case the pandemic situation does not improve in a few months. All you need is a stimulus and a fantastic idea to begin with.

This article aims to help you kickstart your business-from-home activity and boost your overall earnings. Here are some interesting ideas for you to start earning money from home. Let’s begin.

9 Best Online Jobs from Home

The key to starting a lucrative work-from-home project is to start small. In an ideal scenario, you should look at a job that is in line with the skills that you already possess.

1.      Start an Online Course

One of the best online jobs to do from home right now is online tutoring. With school and college students finding it difficult to keep up with their curriculum, it is a great time to become an online tutor. The idea is to create an online course that you have considerable knowledge and practical experience. And then market it online to those who are in need.

As a beginner, you can create a YouTube account and upload some interesting educational content to test the waters before going full board. If even that looks like a big task, you can also begin tutoring your neighbor’s school-going kids.

According to a recent report, the global downloads for education apps spiked by over 300% in March 2020. No wonder then that apps like Byju’s and Toppr are gaining more users and engagement during these lockdown days.

Earning Potential: INR 3,000 per month and upwards.

2.      Homemade Food Delivery

Not exactly a work-from-home business but still a very relevant field to explore these days. If you feel your culinary skills can bring in some money home, this is a great opportunity for you.

The basic idea is to cook various recipes at home and sell them in your circles. It can be a boon to bachelors and families who used to depend on their maids for meals before the lockdown. You can fill the gap, and in that process, earn good money while working from home.

At first, you should look at covering nearby areas like your housing society or your colony. This is because of the curfew and social distancing measures set by the government. This business also has great scope for expansion in the future.

Earning Potential: INR 5,000 per month and upwards.

3.      Online Cookery Courses

This is similar to the online tutoring job that was discussed above. The only difference is that here you will be helping those who lack cooking skills. It cannot be denied that the number of such people has increased since the COVID-19 lockdown. This makes it a great opportunity for culinary artists.

The trick is to think of easy as well as tasty recipes that can be prepared using essential food items. You don’t want to suggest a recipe that requires Mexican peppers or American walnuts. Just basic ingredients that your potential viewers can easily source from their local market. Doing this will help you gain instant followers online.

This can also be tied to the #2 job and thereby increase your earning potential.

4.      Healthcare Consultation

Professionals in the medical field can create a secondary income by passing valuable healthcare information to those in need. This can be done via videoconferencing where you can help diagnose and solve issues of any scale. It can be as small as writing a prescription for a common cold or directing a potential COVID-19 patient to the appropriate testing clinic.

With the healthcare industry experiencing a deluge of requests from needy people, your extra time can be of great help. Secondarily, it can also act as a strong passive income source.

However, this is more difficult than it sounds. Unless you are a registered medical expert, your consultation will have no value. It is also not recommended to pursue this if you lack any medical qualifications. Disseminating false information is dangerous and highly frowned upon, especially in the current COVID-19 situation.

Earning Potential: INR 1,00 per consultation and upwards.

5.      Writing Services Network

This is a common freelance job where you provide writing services to agencies and brands. However, there is a way in which you can convert it into a work-from-home business. Instead of you yourself providing these services, you should scout for more like-minded people with a writing flair. Gather a team and create a network of writers.

This way you can exponentially increase your earnings. As a single writer, the maximum you can earn in India is around INR 40,000 a month. With a team of writers, this can grow 2x to 3x depending upon its size and the volume of work you produce.

If you are new to this but are confident about your writing ability, start providing the service individually first. Then move on and hire friends and acquaintances to join you as you all work from home and mint money.

6.      Digitize a Board Game

Today, the popular mobile game Ludo King has surpassed billions of app downloads worldwide. Why? It has helped people with two things:

• To stay connected
• To play together while being connected

These two are the only elements that have caused the number of downloads to skyrocket. Similar patterns have been observed in the game’s revenue.

Learning from this example, if you are a mobile or web app developer, now is a good time to explore creating such apps that have the multiplayer function. You can either digitize an existing board game (Snakes & Ladders does not have a fancy digital app version yet) or create a fresh one.

Of course, the competition is very high, but you can tackle it with a game that has some peculiar characteristics. This will require some creativity on your part.

Earning Potential: A few thousand per month depending upon the number of app users.

7.      Productivity Guidance (Virtual Work)

Are you a professional with years of experience in remote working? The world needs you right now.

While you tackle your own work-from-home assignments, you can also share valuable tips and tricks to other managers in the form of long-form articles, videoconferencing, and even personal consultation. You can charge a small fee for the last one provided you have some top credentials to support your claim of expertise.

Earning Potential: A few thousand (INR) per consultation.

8.      IT and Network Support

Different sectors have suffered differently due to the coronavirus situation. While some of these can sustain complete or partial shutdown, there is one field that still needs to run. And that is IT and network – the field that supports businesses to run smoothly.

As a network engineer, you can pitch your extra time to help smaller companies and agencies by providing IT and network support. This can be a money-making side business for you as there are a lot of small companies in India that are starving for IT support personnel.

Start by pitching yourself in your professional circles.

Earning Potential: INR 5,000 to INR 30,000 per month depending upon hours allotted.

9.      Motivational Coach

Last on the list is a job that can be a real profit-maker if you do it correctly. With people working from home and failing to indulge themselves in various outdoor activities, there is an overall drop in motivation levels. People are feeling low due to loneliness or work stress or some other aspect of their indoor life.

As a motivational coach, you can come to their rescue and help them stay afloat during this difficult time. All you need to do is keep their spirits up through video chatting. You can charge a small fee for a video consultation.

Earning Potential: INR 1,000 per consultation and upwards.

A Note on Freelance Websites and Portals

While there are many sites that you can visit to find such online work to do from home, here are some of the best and the most trusted:

• com
• Various job groups on Facebook
• Subreddits or Reddit communities: r/forhire, r/freelance, r/freelance writers
• com
• com

Who knows how the future of work will look like? So, secure your future now by planting a seed today whose fruits you can bear in the uncertain years to come. Start earning right now!