I don’t know about you, but I was raised in a home where my mother worked from 9am – 5pm and I was a latch-key kid. At some point when I entered junior high, she worked two jobs and she returned to school to get an associate’s degree — all while pregnant with her 4th child!
(This is where I inherit my insanity.)
My mom’s generation was one where women were encouraged to work outside the home, give up breastfeeding, send their kids to daycare and cook only from convenience packages. And while I applaud the women’s liberation movement for the many freedoms it brought to women, I also wish we could have skipped that part of history.
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Much like the Industrial Revolution forced men to choose between home and work oh-so-many-years ago, we did the same thing to women over 35 years ago. It is now completely natural to see both men/husbands/fathers and women/wives/mothers leave their homes for 50-60 hours a week and spend the best of their time with co-workers instead of their spouses and children.
This makes me ill.
The last few years, the Lord has been leading me down a path where I’ve been learning about the possibility of ‘having my cake and eating it, too.’ What I am referring to is the idea of working and also being at home.
It cost my husband and I more than 60% of our combined income when I decided to stay home after our second daughter was born. We had three children back to back and since I was so stressed from teaching public school, it seemed like the answer to my desperate prayers. In addition, I had always planned to homeschool, so that settled it.
It cannot be denied however, that staying at home can be accompanied by a sense of tremendous guilt. Guilt about not being able to contribute to the family income. We simply cannot close our eyes and believe that it is ok for our husbands to shoulder the sole responsibility for breadwinning. That may work for some families, but for many others, it causes a financial crisis. My husband works three jobs and we still cannot make ends meet living in one of the most expensive cities in the world. (And if you want to know why we just can’t move out and live on a farm somewhere, you can ask God, since He’s the one who calls us to live in the places He ordains.)
Women often need (and WANT) to contribute to the family income. We want to pay off our homes, afford good education for our children, climb out of debt, and be financially free. We also want to make an impact in the world that only having a certain amount of wealth can provide.
Therefore, in light of this, I present you with 5 ways to make money from home:
1. Create a product and sell it
Do you sew, knit or craft? Sites such as Etsy.com allow you to sell created wares.
Do you write? Compose? Amazon.com is a hub for self-published eBooks and MP3s.
If you have your own site, you can host your product there and sell it.
2. Create an Affiliate program
If you have a digital product, such as a book, a course or a curriculum, you can sell it on your site and then create an affiliate program. An affiliate program is a way for you to allow the happy customers of your product to market your product for you and earn some commission. You need an affiliate hosting site, such as E-junkie.com or if you’re on WordPress, you can use a plugin to host your own affiliate platform. You decide how much commission you want to give to your affiliates and then pay them each month for what they’ve sold. If your product is really good, people will be happy to share it with their friends.
3. Provide a service
Can you tutor? Clean? Babysit? Cook? There are many people (especially Moms!) who would feel such relief if someone would come once a week to babysit their children for a few hours so they can get some rest or personal time. I just had a woman at my house yesterday who helped me deep clean my bathrooms since that is the one chore I never get around to doing in between the 20 diapers, 6 baby feedings, 3 meals, 2 snacks, 3 bathtimes, dish-washing, laundry folding, working from home, play times, refereeing, mess-cleaning and teaching I have to get through each day!
You can also provide online services, such as editing documents, translating, creating graphics or making videos. Fiverr.com is a great resource. Just browse some of the crazy jobs people pay for and I’m sure you’ll come up with something you can offer! Virtual Assistants are in extremely high demand. You can get training on becoming a virtual assistant over at Rhea Perry’s site, Educating For Success. She owns a membership site where she teaches about working from home and you can join for just $1! Here’s my personal link –> http://bit.ly/1mACho0
4. Start a Blog
If you’re reading this, or any other blog, and you don’t yet have your own, you may be thinking about starting one. Blogs can be difficult to monetize, but not impossible. Affiliate programs, digital products, reviewing products, writing sponsored posts, and hosting ads are all ways you can make your blog profitable. Kat, from InspiredToAction.com has a very valuable resource for helping you narrow down exactly what you want to blog about and how to grow your blog over here: http://howtheyblog.com/classroom.
5. Join a Network Marketing or Direct Sales company
I encourage you to watch this short video by Sonia Stringer on why more and more women are leaving their conventional jobs to join Network Marketing and Direct Sales companies: http://youtu.be/6yzIa9SCSFE
If you’re unfamiliar with the terms ‘network marketing’ or ‘direct sales’, you may be familiar with the companies: Avon, Tupperware, Mary Kay… and the list is endless!
Some companies are ‘party-planning’ companies. You host parties, show the products and people make purchases. You make money by hosting parties in people’s homes and by having people join your team and hosting their own parties. They have specific products and usually they are sold as a one-time purchase. It’s kind of like going shopping in someone’s home. Have you heard of Scentsy, Jamberry, Norwex, Origami Owl or 31 Gifts? These are all Direct Sales companies.
Some companies, like Rodan+Fields Dermatologists, Team Beachbody, LifeShotz and Young Living Essential Oils, are NOT party-planning companies. The idea is still the same, but instead of hosting parties, you simply share the products, your personal experiences with them (or someone else’s) and as people are interested, they can invest in a lifestyle. It’s less about selling and more about consulting, coaching or educating. You build your business by helping others. Same concept, but no parties — this is network marketing.
Here’s the million dollar question most people ask – are these PYRAMID SCHEMES?!
Um… no. =)
Pyramid schemes are illegal. And in a real pyramid scheme, there is no product or service being traded for money. Not so with any of these companies.
If you’re unsure about whether or not to get started in a DS or NM company, simply try the products. Find something you really love and stick with it!
I hope you found this list helpful!
You can also listen to the story of how I got involved with a home-based business and which of these options I personally chose in my radio program here: http://www.learningwithmom.org/blog/2014/05/03/can-make-money-home-tips-proverbs-31/
And if you’re ready to take the leap and join me, you can do so here: http://www.learningwithmom.org/join-my-team/
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