One Mom's Journey

Wake up.  Change diapers.  Make breakfast. Clean.  Maybe take care of yourself.  Clean again.  Prepare more food. Clean up some more.  Play.  Play some more.  Hubby is home, day is over.

Being an entrepreneur means that after my kids shut down for the night, I usually hit the keyboard at a fierce pace.  Research some content, write some content, sometimes multiples in one night just to try and stay ahead of the game.  Work on my online store, my website, read some awesome Social Media Examiner, then hit the hay.

Networking is a must, and we need to do it one on one.

This routine I just described is pretty typical of a Stay at Home Mom (SAHM) with a small business.  This is why I wanted to focus on some other methods of conducting business.  Networking.  Whether it is a dog walking company, a tutoring business, an online store or a massage therapist - networking is a must, and we need to do it one on one.  Let's step away from using only social marketing and join a local networking group.  Why you ask?

Depending on how you perceive couponing or deal sites will depend on your strategy here. In my case, being a self-published and new author, I would consider using a site like this for pure reach and free advertising. If I earn sales from the deal site, that is great, but be warned, your 'take home' is not huge.

Sites like Groupon, Wagjag and Sweet Deals will typically ask for a minimum discount on your product or service up to 90% off the retail price. Then they will take up to 50% of that number as profit when it sells. For example, my books currently retail for $14.50, I would offer them for $8.50 and the deal site will take $4.25, leaving me with a 'take home' of $4.25.

Why would a company ever use a site like this if it cuts so deep into profit margins?  Strategy is the correct answer.  These are a few reasons why it may be a good tactic for your business.

Reach

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.