Guest Author: Virginia Cooper
Being a stay-at-home mom is an incredible opportunity not to be taken for granted. However, sometimes you need a little extra money in the bank. Whether you’re busy at home or head to an office for work, you’re a mom who puts in a lot of hours. Maybe you’re having trouble making ends meet or perhaps you want some additional funds toward your future goals. Whatever your situation, you can supplement your income without leaving home or compromising your ability to parent. Below you’ll find some tips for starting a side hustle or business from home!
Look at Your Options
Your first step will be to explore the opportunities available. Here are a few tried-and-true ideas that can make for an excellent side hustle or business:
- Virtual assistant: If you want to help other companies handle day-to-day administrative tasks like responding to emails, fielding phone calls, collecting data, or managing social media accounts, you could thrive as a virtual assistant (VA).
- Online tutor: If you have expertise in a specific school subject, becoming an online tutor is worth considering. By going through an online job board, you should quickly find clients locally and beyond.
- Digital product maker: You can quickly start earning a passive income by designing and producing digital products like templates and printables. Post your creations online for sale and forget about it!
- Online bookkeeper: If you have a knack for numbers and accounting, why not use your talents to help business owners manage their finances? The best part about becoming an online bookkeeper is that you don’t need a high-level degree to get your foot in the door.
- Transcriptionist: As a transcriber, you would write out the audio from interviews, podcasts, or dictations in a word processor (e.g., Microsoft Word, Google Docs, LibreOffice, etc.). You could find your rhythm and make good money transcribing if you are a fast typer. Check out online job boards like Go Transcript and TigerFish, which cater specifically to people looking for transcriptionist jobs.
Research
Once you’ve looked at available opportunities, start researching the market to see where your best chances of bringing a profit lie. If you want to cater to the local market, consider your expertise and interests and see if other people are doing the type of job you want to pursue. If not, you might be the ideal person to fill the gap!
Select a Structure
Once you know what kind of side hustle or business you want to start, you must choose a legal structure. If you need funding from investors, you might consider forming a professional corporation. Investors are drawn to corporations because they tend to be more predictable and well-established. Just make sure you understand your state’s rules before starting the process of establishing a corporation.
Choose a Name
You will also need a name for your company. Many entrepreneurs brand themselves by their names and depending on your specific vocation, you might do the same, especially if you are providing services. With that said, it never hurts to brainstorm business name ideas to see if you can come up with something catchy and creative that reflects what products or services you offer.
Create a Brand
Finally, start developing your brand as soon as you can. This means designing a logo and choosing the colors and fonts that will appear on your marketing materials. Much of your brand will depend on your reputation in the industry, but the visual elements you establish early on will carry significant weight.
Whether you need extra money to make ends meet or want to bolster your savings account, you have a lot of options as a stay-at-home mom. Consider the information and advice above as you prepare for your new career path. In no time, you could be making money by doing something you love while remaining an excellent parent!
Written by: Virginia Cooper
Virginia Cooper is a retired community college instructor. She always encouraged her students to see the real-world value in their education, and now, she wants to spread that message as wide as possible. Her hope is that Learn a Living will be a go-to resource for adult learners embarking on starting, continuing, or finishing their education.
Stephanie Lema 