In 2010, Rashida—a single mother raising two children ages 10 and 3 with no financial assistance from their fathers—was working at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in the medical records department. She decided to look into working from home, so she reached out to a friend she knew in Atlanta when they worked together at a call center who had started working from home.
It was there that Rashida found Arise and applied to work from home herself. The freedom and flexibility of her work from home job allowed her to also attend college while working and raising two children on her own. She finished school with two degrees, one in management and one in marketing. She also gained three certifications in small-business entrepreneurship, customer service and leadership development. It was at the cusp of this training that she took her call center experience and talents and discovered that she was very good, even gifted, at customer service. She had a difficult time, however, accepting customer service as a career choice because of the stigma of the call center environment. Once realizing her customer service abilities, she came to accept her skills as a “gift” and then had the desire to elevate that service with her call center experience, along with her entrepreneur marketing and leadership training, and began building her own company while still getting additional training through her present company.
The idea of her company, called Change Your Thinking Consultants, is that it is not a multi-level marketing company. You are your own boss, and your success is based solely on your efforts and time invested. Although there is a voice assessment, there is no interview. You are an independent contractor. Rashida considers herself similar to a temp or staffing agency except that her company provides training, assistance and support through the entire process—even after you begin working. She is always there to answer questions, assist in any way and help her people succeed. When you register your company with the Change Your Thinking Consultants network of independent mini-call center services companies, you can provide customer service, sales or technical support and customer services to Fortune 500 companies such as Comcast, Apple, Carnival Cruise, Disney and more, and her company offers certification training for the client of your choice. You don’t have to worry about sales pressure, deadlines or micro-managing bosses looking over your shoulder. Pick the industries that interest you most, such as travel, retail, health care and more.
As an independent contractor you allocate which company you would like to represent and service and how many hours a week you can invest. You set up in the privacy of your home, set your own hours, schedule and pay grade, and the investment is lower than most company capital start-ups. Typically, all that is needed is a computer with Internet capabilities, activated phone and phone line. Training fees vary depending on the client and typically take between two to four weeks and can be done at home through a virtual classroom on your schedule. Once completed and certification is given, you can begin servicing your clients from a minimum of 15 to 20 hours a week to unlimited hours. Calls are logged in and minutes recorded for pay purposes, and paychecks are disbursed by Change Your Thinking Consultants every two weeks.
“This is a great opportunity for military because it travels wherever you get stationed,” Rashida says. “Stay-at-home moms, retired people, those on disability as an income supplement, caregivers, etc., any one that may be socially awkward or typically awkward in face to face conversations but feel more relaxed talking on the phone. It is also wonderful for anyone who for whatever reason cannot drive.”
When we asked Rashida what her favorite part of her job was, without hesitation she said, “There are so many things I love about what I do, but mostly the freedom, flexibility and privacy to work from home and be there for my kids as a single mom. With their schedules there is no way I could keep a typical job on my own in the regular workforce. Also, what makes me happy is that at the end of the day I know I have impacted people’s lives in a positive way. That is why I love what I do! I am getting the word out that this type of opportunity exists. This particular opportunity is legit. Change Your Thinking Consultants is proof of that, and it is very easy to get started.”
Of course, with that much excitement in loving what she does we had to ask if there was anything she liked least about her job. When we asked, she really struggled for an answer, but once coming up with one her answer surprised us. She said, “If I had to pick something, I’d have to say that people think working from home is not legit and that this is a scam. Truthfully, there are so many opportunities to work from home, and I am living proof.”
To obtain more information on opportunities available or to contact Rashida go to: changeyourthinkingconsultants@gmail.com