Working from home can seem like a scary yet intriguing opportunity. Many times you don’t even know where to begin! Fortunately, this generation of moms, have plenty of opportunities that do not have a high start up cost. Gone are the days where you have to go to the bank and take out a loan for thousands of dollars in the hopes that your small business venture will work out. Of course, that opportunity is still there if you have the investment money and a steady heart, but there are many other options for those of us who do not.
Do you have a talent? Put it to good use! Tutoring and lessons can bring in $20-$30 per half hour session. Piano, sports, school subjects, other musical instruments, even cake decorating and crafting skills can bring you that extra money you need. It may not seem like much, but if you get a few consistent students you can be bringing in a decent income without spending a ton of time away from your family.
Put those crafting skills to work! Sites like Etsy.com and HyenaCart.com allow you to sell your wares online for a low startup cost. The customers who frequent those sites are looking for homemade items so if you can create it they will come! If you start selling a lot of items then you can always move to your own website later, but using these sites will start you on the right foot (and many large sellers continue to use them!)
Do you have an eye for the unique? Sell on ebay! There is a lot of money to be made on ebay if you know what you are selling. Pick a category that you are familiar with and look for ways to acquire products in that category at a wholesale cost. I sold baby clothes on ebay for a couple of years. I would find name brand, great condition clothes at yard sales and “lot” them up before I sold them. I turned my starting budget of $10 (January) into just under $1000 (December) by doing this.
So maybe you don’t have an eye for the unique but you do have an eye for detail. Then try mystery shopping! You won’t make much money mystery shopping, but you do get quite a few free products and, in my opinion, it is fun to do.
If an opinion is what you have then put that to work for you! Blogging can be a fun and rewarding way to earn extra income. Keep in mind that you could start doing this and never actually make a profit. According to problogger 37% of blogs make zip, zero, nada. Out of the remaining 63% that do make money 53% of those make less than $100 a month.
If you are looking for something more reliable then try a home daycare. There is some startup work with this one! You will need to get licensed, write up contracts, and find families to watch. The rate per child is pretty low, but if you go to your states max number of children it can be profitable. You can also write off part of your home, food, and other items as business expenses. It also opens the door for babysitting opportunities, which pay better per hour/per child.
If your own children are enough kiddos for you then you can try a sales opportunity. A general rule of thumb is if they ask for a high start up cost then stay away! Also, be careful that you do not spend your profit buying items for yourself! I sold Avon for years. I love their stuff and I would always manage to break even, but sales are not really a strength of mine. There were many people in my district that made a lot of money though (some even made six figures).
Heidi writes for Little People Wealth, a blog that teaches you to spend small in order to live large. She has written Ebay and mystery shopping tutorials and strives to give information that allows women the opportunity to stay at home with their children.
Thanks for the great tips Heidi! Dave Ramsey just featured a stay at home mom that made super hero capes from dishrags for her son’s friends. A small business was born and a few months later she is grossing $4000 a month.
Here is an article I wrote on my experience mystery shopping.
As an Arbonne International Independent Consultant, it has been wonderful to make $200-$600 per month regularly with only 10 hrs/week work! I know that direct sales is not for everyone, but it is really viable for most. And the best part? I don't even have to do a lot of parties to make an income…samples are my greatest tool! So, I encourage folks to look at direct sales as an option. Find your passion and have some fun!