To ask if you run a business from home...

[NomsQualityStreets]

what do you do?

I'm soon going to be a SAHM once my maternity finishes. It makes sense for us as my wage wouldn't even cover half of the childcare cost if I was to return to my old job.

I've been wondering if I'm able to do something from home that can bring in a bit of an income to help our finances but I don't really know if/what I could do.

I do some freelance writing for ex employers. If you call people who know you and value your skills they may have leads for you. Finding someone good is hard. And finding someone who knows what they're doing and has lots of experience is really hard. Mind you, you have to do some pretty dull projects though. The full time staff (in my experience) use a freelancer for the work no one in the office wants to do! I'm not complaining though. The hours are great and the pay isn't bad.

I run my own fiction-editing business. I spent around 10 years working in production journalism/publishing and in public relations before striking out on my own three years ago. It's hard work but I love it and I'm now doing very well for myself. I also do some non-fiction and corporate work and provide seminars/workshops at conferences and events, etc.

If you're interested in pursuing a career as a copy-editor or proofreader, take a look at the Society for Editors and Proofreaders (SfEP). They have some excellent starter courses and a really great community for networking and professional development. I do second what a poster above said about it not being anywhere near as easy as it looks. Spotting typos is just the tip of the iceberg and there are a lot of 'proofreaders' or 'editors' out there who are very poorly (or not at all) trained.