One Mom's Journey

We are seeing more and more women run small businesses.  Why?  I am sure there are many factors that can contribute to this, but some of the biggest factors are women are trying to find a way to balance and juggle and multi-task the whole "mom" gig.

Image courtesy of www.thegospelcoalition.org

It goes something like this:  Get pregnant.  Baby is born.  Fall in love with baby.  Realise you have to go back to work.  Realise the cost of daycare.  Realise that you would rather stay at home.  Realise that household overhead does not allow for this. Figure out a way to make money and raise kids.

Here are some brilliant things moms are doing to stay at home and make money.

1. Run a home daycare.  Depending on your area you can earn between $30-$50 per day per child, and you can take care of your own kids at the same time.
2. Walk a dog Dog walkers believe it or not earn between $15-30 dollars an hour for simply walking a dog.  Walk two to three dogs a day with baby in stroller and you are getting exercise while earning extra money.  Taking in a dog while someone is on vacation can earn you between $30 and $50 dollars a day
3. Direct Marketing  Love to host parties, or socialize and have a great network?  Direct marketing is huge right now. Consider reading more on this with the Flip Flop CEO book.  Great read and really dumbs down the industry on how you can make money while raising a family. 
4. Artsy and Computer Savvy? Consider being a graphic designer. Be a Wix.com pro, or sell photography to iStock.com or shutterstock.com and earn a few extra dollars.  You can even contract your graphic design services via logo submittal online sites and earn loads of extra cash.  You can do this during nap time, or even after kids go to bed.
5. Blog  Many moms turn to blogging as a journal or a place to review things online.  This has turned into money making for them. You can earn money through Adsense, or once you get big enough through advertising banner ads on your website.  It is fun, and with time, you can start earning money. Some bloggers even receive free products to review!
6. Arts and Crafts This is fun!  If you are already talented, and have a skill and product that people love, then you can do this from home and sell your products at arts and crafts shows, online at etsy.com, your own personal website and even through Facebook.
7. Have a Second Language? Offer translation services.  Some translation services charge upwards of $0.40 per word!  If you are bilingual and are confident in your abilities, what a great way to earn extra coin.
8. Musically talented? Have a home studio and teach piano, or guitar or whichever instrument you excel at.  Some musicians charge upwards of $60 per hour for teaching music.
9. Tutor Maybe you are a teacher who isn't going back to work, or maybe you have a Masters in English or Math. Tutors are in demand.  Tutors are always in demand. Offer lunch hour tutoring or after school tutoring and earn!

With the world wide web at our fingertips, the options are endless.  Commitment to whatever you do is a must if you want to reap the benefits.

Although I could really keep on going here, I want to reach out to anyone reading this post to offer their own ways for stay at home moms to earn extra income.  Leave a comment below suggesting what has worked for you or someone you know and lets help women spark that entrepreneurial edge!