Work from home ideas for moms
Just because you may be a stay-at-home mom does not mean you have no options to earn money, and maybe even do something fulfilling or that you enjoy too.
Many women successfully launch freelance careers or start small businesses while at home with their children. In some cases, these businesses and careers serve a purpose for that period of the woman’s life. But in other cases, these businesses and careers can flourish and grow, and earn good money and achieve success long after your children have left home.
So, if you want to contribute financially to your household income, or earn money for yourself, here are some quick ideas of businesses you can start from home.
Cook, bake and deliver
Do you love cooking? Can you whip up delicious home bakes? Do your friends rave about your meals when they come to dinner? If so, you could make money from your talent – especially if you focus on a niche, such as vegan food, gluten free or specialise in a popular but under-represented cuisine.
Think about what you can cook or bake that people will love and pay for, and where you could sell it. Can you sell cookies at a local market? Is there a local cafe that might take your cakes? Could you build up a social media following for your delicious curries?
Aside from identifying what you might sell, it’s also important to consider pricing: can you make and deliver your food, make a profit and still be competitive, price-wise? And talking about delivery, how will you get your food to your customers? It’s also important to look into any certification you’ll need when turning your home kitchen into a professional one.
There may be a lot to consider when launching a home food business, but many people have been successful in this area and if you have a passion and talent for food it’s certainly worth investigating. It can even lead to bigger things – some home cooks have become popular and wealthy food bloggers and influencers, and others have gone on to open their own cafes and restaurants.
Become an online personal assistant
If you worked in an office in the past, and miss using your admin or other skills, you can always establish yourself as a home-based online personal assistant. Many women successfully set themselves up as personal assistants (also known as virtual assistants or VAs) and built a healthy client base and good income.
Becoming an online personal assistant is popular for several reasons:
- It uses skills and experience you already have from your pre-children career.
- You can specialise in an area of work or industry you know and enjoy.
- You can choose your hours and work where you like.
- You don’t need much equipment to start up – just a laptop and WiFi.
- You can set your own rates and earn good money.
To get started as an online personal assistant you need to first consider your ideal client: what type of business or industry do you want to work with? The more you niche down, the more precise your marketing can be. Specialists can also charge more than generalists.
Then identify the types of services you want to offer. For example, do you want to be a general admin assistant, or do you have specific skills in, say bookkeeping, events, marketing etc? And finally, work out your packages and pricing, and put together a marketing plan to find and attract the right clients (this should absolutely include getting your LinkedIn profile up to scratch and engaging on there).
If you struggle to find work initially, you might want to try registering with an agency or company that matches clients to assistants.
Make money from your arts and crafts
Are you a talented crafter? If so, much like cooking or baking, you could turn your skills into an income. The possibilities include jewelry and bead making, handmade soap, t-shirt prints, pottery, knitting and crocheting, cross-stitch, hand-painted greeting cards, hand-painted pots, handmade toys, and many more.
There are many sites on which you can sell your work, such as Etsy, and if you have a distinct style or product you can find yourself building quite a fanbase. As with cooking, it’s important to identify what specifically you are offing, and get your pricing right. Remember to factor in ALL your costs when pricing, including materials, running expenses (much as electricity) marketing and deliver charges and your time.
This last one is important! You don’t want to build a thriving business in which you, in effect, work for free. Your time is valuable so make sure you price it appropriately and earn your worth. Just because you enjoy crafting does not mean you don’t deserve to be paid well for it.
Be an English teacher
If you are an English teacher or have the ability to teach in English, you can work as an online English tutor. Many students from Korea and Japan want to learn or practice speaking in English. Like an online assistant, the upside of this job is you can choose how long you are willing to work. You set your hours and can work from home with basic equipment.
There are many companies that match tutors to students, so you don’t need to market your services yourself if you don’t want to. And if you’re not confident you know enough to start teaching right now, you can always take an online course to get a qualification on teaching English as a foreign language.
Look for new financial options
In this article we’ve tried to find ideas for businesses that use skills you already have, are easy to set up and don’t require a huge financial outlay. But these aren’t your only options to earn money at home around your children.
Maybe you have an idea for a home-based business that is more complex or requires capital to start – perhaps for materials, equipment or people. For example, if you decide to go into custom t-shirt printing, you will need to purchase a printer like the Epson F3070 along with Epson F3070 ink and supply.
If so, and you don’t have savings readily available, you can consider applying for a loan from companies like Robocash for Filipino citizens right here. There are many companies who can provide you with fast and easy loans. All you need to do is register, present a valid government ID, provide a working mobile number, and meet the three eligibility criteria.
As long as you are a aged 21 to 75 years old and employed or in a profession, including being a work-from-home mom, taking out loans should not be a problem. Just remember that a loan must only be taken when you really need it, and must always be paid on time. So factor your repayments into your business finances and ensure you can confidently meet your obligations before borrowing.
