This is a guest post by Gabrielle Green of TipsOnHowToSaveMoney.

Okay, so here’s the thing: if you work from home in any medium, you are most likely nagged by everyone you know how to start a blog or how to get in with the company you telecommute for. Compound that with everyone sending you every email (aka spam) about a blog or job opportunity to ask you if it’s “legit.” Surely this doesn’t just happen to me?

Working From Home — Blogging and Websites

It’s not rocket science to build a blog, but it does take hard work. No one can simply tell you what to do without you applying your own time and research. There are hundreds of ways to make money online, but you have to find which ways will work for you. Nothing is more frustrating than someone expecting you to just show them how to do something so they don’t have to put in any effort. How successful will that venture be in the long run? Not very.

Starting a blog (WordPress is free) has low overhead costs — a domain name, hosting, and possibly a virtual terminal are needed (if you’re selling your own items.) The rest is going to cost you in the forms of blood, sweat, and possibly tears. There are millions of websites on any given topic, but you can stand out above the rest if you take the time to do so. “Build it and they will come” is a good starting point, but not nearly enough.

Working From Home — Telecommuting

There are legitimate companies that hire remote workers, but as you might imagine, they are in high demand. But that doesn’t mean you should stop trying. Most importantly, be diligent in your research. If it reads something like, “Work 4 hours a week and make $4000 doing nothing,” no questions asked, it’s spam; keep looking. Logically, there will be times that you are required to have specific software or equipment, such as a headset, but that is a different scenario. A real job should be FREE.

The best advice I can give you is simply this: if you are unsure, seek out information about the job opportunity online (the name of the company followed by the word “scam” in an internet search can most often bring up any red flags you should be aware of before moving forward.) You can also join a forum for people who work from home and read through the threads; sites such as WAHM.com have been around a long time and can serve as a learning opportunity for you. Then, when you have your own experiences, pay it forward and share your own stories with the group. At the end of the day, you are responsible for your decisions; don’t be duped due to lack of diligent research.

So here is the ugly truth in a nutshell: it’s going to be frustrating. You are going to want to pull your hair out because the server goes down or someone curses you out for no reason. You can bet the code will break a few times. You will want to give up and you will find yourself with a complete block on what to do or say.

But, the other side to that is, you can’t give up. Treat it like you would your own children; always love it but don’t always like it. If you are frustrated, walk away. If it breaks, again, walk away. If you have no idea what you are doing, don’t touch it, ask for help. If you don’t think you can afford help, barter with other bloggers, moms, or small businesses. Be creative, but most importantly, stick it through–it is simply the only option.

The best part of working from home is just that–you are in the comfort of your own home and making money while doing so. Websites aren’t great overnight. They take time, patience, and persistence. But it is proof positive that it works with hard work.