Psst! Did you miss the original “10 Home Business Ideas for Stay-at-Home Moms” post I did? If you’re looking for more work-at-home inspiration, read this.
When I wrote the original “10 Home Business Ideas for Stay-at-Home Moms” post in May of 2013, I had no idea it would get as much attention as it did. It’s been shared on social media a ton of times. It gets a lot of visits from people who search for things like “at home business ideas for moms” and “business ideas for moms” and “business ideas for stay at home moms”. I’ve gotten emails from women wanting my help, wanting to know more about the opportunities listed, and wanting someone to brainstorm with. It thrills me that the list is connecting with stay-at-home moms because helping women who want to stay at home with their kids and still earn an income be able to do just that is something I really love to do!
Since the writing of that post, we’ve welcomed our little guy (he’s 6-months-old at the moment!) into the family. And that’s given me a whole new perspective on this whole topic. I feel like I now understand even more what kind of business ideas stay-at-home moms need.
My goal for this post is to put forth even more legitimate work-at-home opportunities that stay-at-home moms can pursue part-time (though a lot of these could be turned into a full-time income, if that’s what you’re after). I want to encourage you to think outside the box!
So let’s get into the home business ideas.
1. You know that product you love? Sell it!
I know lots of people who have fallen in love with a company’s products and then have signed on to to be a consultant or distributor for that company. Direct sales is a fabulous work-at-home opportunity for stay-at-home moms! Don’t let the word “sales” scare you – you basically just get to earn an income on your own schedule for recommending products that you love and believe in to your family and friends.
Need some company ideas? How about Thirty-One Gifts, Origami Owl, Tastefully Simple, Beachbody, Discovery Toys, NYR Organic, The Pampered Chef, Usborne Books & More, Norwex, or Lilla Rose?
Also, it’s no secret that I’m a Young Living Essential Oils Independent Distributor. Way before I ever decided to pursue Young Living Essential Oils as a business, I was given some essential oil samples. I saw such great success with those samples that I decided to sign up as a Wholesale Member (just so I could save 24%!). I quickly realized that I loved sharing about (and people loved hearing about) the healing properties of Young Living Essential Oils (and the awesome health benefits my family was seeing) – so, pursuing it as a business was a natural next step for me.
2. Can you sew? Offer your services as a seamstress.
What I wouldn’t give for a talented, affordable, and reliable seamstress is my area! I can’t sew (though it’s on my “I’d like to learn how to do this eventually” list) – not even a button on a shirt (luckily my husband can!) – and I can’t imagine I’m the only one.
If you can mend clothes, hem pants, or even design clothes from scratch, you should definitely be offering your sewing services to others.
3. You know that thing you’re good at that people are always asking you about? Lead an in-person or online class about it.
Are you the queen of coupons? Can you crochet like a pro? Whatever skill it is that you have that people admire, I bet you can earn some money teaching it to others.
For in-person classes, invite people to your home or reserve a room at the library or your church. For online classes, create a Facebook event, invite all of your friends, and do a webinar.
4. Be a pet sitter or a house sitter.
Take care of your family’s, friends’, or neighbors’ pets and homes while they’re away. Walk and feed the dog. Pick up the mail. Keep an eye on things.
Register your services on proven websites like Care.com and House Sitters America. Once the word gets out that you’re available and trustworthy, you could become the go-to pet sitter or house sitter in your area.
5. Design and sell gifts for special occasions.
If you’re crafty, this is a great work-at-home option for you.
Create diaper cakes for baby showers. Put together gift baskets for the holidays. Make custom chocolates for wedding favors. Either create items ahead of time and sell them, or charge a fee for your time and the materials needed to put together custom items.
For those who lack creativity and time but want to make a statement, this is a service that’s desperately needed. And with Pinterest available, you won’t run out of ideas anytime soon (or customers – people are always wanting to recreate what they see on Pinterest these days)!
6. Start a blog.
I won’t lie – starting a blog isn’t a quick moneymaker. But if you invest the time and energy into creating great content, growing your traffic, building your community, and making an offer to your readers (aka. offering a service, selling a product like an eBook, etc – remember that blogs don’t make money, businesses make money, and a business needs to offer a product or service), you will start to see an income.
If blogging is something you’re interested in, here are just a few resources I recommend – Amy Lynn Andrews’ website, Crystal Paine’s “How to Make Money Blogging” series, Blogelina, How to Blog for Profit (Without Selling Your Soul) by Ruth Soukup, and The Blog Planning Kit. Also, I’m a blog coach and I’d love to chat with you.
7. Whip others into shape!
If you’re passionate about fitness, think about becoming a personal trainer. Lots of people are looking for help to get or stay in shape (and be held accountable!).
You could take on individual clients. You could offer classes. You could create several-week-long bootcamps. You could even create a fitness program and sell it as an eBook or set up a membership website for folks to go through it together. The possibilities are endless!
8. Be a freelancer.
If you want to use your degree while you’re in the midst of raising little ones, please know that you can (and if you don’t want to, please know that that’s fine too)! And you can do it as a freelancer.
Follow up with old work relationships, friends, family, and whoever else and see if anyone knows of any freelancing opportunities. Businesses love contractors (less strings attached) and you get to be your own boss and pick and choose projects that appeal to you.
9. Fix stuff!
I’m always coming across broken things and thinking, “Someone should fix this and sell it.” Is that someone you? From electronics to cars, old furniture to clothes, if you can fix things up and sell them, you’ve got yourself a part-time business.
10. Run errands for people.
Sometimes I enjoy running errands (it’s a reason to get out of the house). A lot of times I don’t. Busy parents, older folks who can’t get around easily, families with one car – those are all people who could benefit from someone running their errands for them. You can even expand beyond your own personal network and grab little errand jobs online!
I’ll turn it over to you now. Do you work at home? How have you turned your hobbies and interests into a small business? What other home business ideas do you have for stay-at-home moms?
Image Credit: ShellyS
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