It’s a wonderful thing having the opportunity to stay at home and raise your children. This opportunity fosters strong bonds and relationships. The only trouble with being a stay-at-home is the lack of income.
You may not be the “breadwinner” but you can still bring in a few slices. A side gig and home-based business can help pay bills, go toward long-term investments, or handle the odd-ball expenses.
What businesses can you start from home to bring in extra money? Consider these six:
- Sitting
Your experience raising your kids is a perfect opportunity for a sitting service. This doesn’t need to become a large operation — watching one or two extra kids, along with your own, could provide a great boost in your family’s income doing what you’re already doing!
What you’ll need:
- Child-proof housing
- Lots of attention
- Insurance (just in case)
This low threshold of a business could earn a good $10 (or more) an hour.
- Massage Therapy
Americans are stressed more than ever and they’re turning to massage services to unwind. This business opportunity has low requirements. Most states require a basic certificate to start letting you launch the business within a few months.
What you’ll need:
- License (and optional certification)
- Portable massage chairs
- Good word-of-mouth marketing
The portable chairs make it super easy to set up your workspace without taking up a room in the home. Decorate the area with nice decor, soft lighting, and relaxing music, and you’ve got a nifty business operating out of your home!
- Crafts
Turn your love for all things DIY and crafts into a viable business by listing thing on Etsy! Creating a Facebook group to advertise and attract customers helps, too. You likely have a few craft skills already so why not put them to work? See what the market is buying and give it your own twist.
What you’ll need:
- Etsy and Facebook account
- Craft supplies and free time
- Sales skills and referrals
Start by selling around town and use that experience to refine your crafts. Then, expand by getting your crafts listed online and promoted in craft social media groups!
- Consulting
Before you became a stay-at-home parent you held a job or career. Those skills didn’t go away. In fact, the skills are still in demand if you make them available! Offering consulting services is among the easiest ways to monetize your free time when you’re homebound.
What you’ll need:
- Personal portfolio or online listing
- Skype and a good video camera
- Time tracking and record keeping
Reach out to local business offering your consulting services if you see them floundering their operations. They may bite and bring you on to help them scale! You’d love this kind of part-time work since you’ll sell consulting in time blocks (usually 1-hour).
- Tutoring
Take the same skills you’d use from A) consulting, combine it with B) your help with homework for your kid, and then C) see if other children need help with topics. English is a popular tutoring subject but just about any has its market — math, science, finances, and more!
What you’ll need:
- Portfolio, tutor listing, or local ad
- Communication tools and teaching supplies
Start small by pitching the business to other parents you meet at your child’s school. Then, try scaling it by putting flyers and ads around town. You could do this online, too. Get one or two weekly tutoring gigs and you could easily cover a bill or two each month.
- Customer Service
The demand for at-home customer service is at an all-time high. Businesses are expanding and need talented individuals to handle their customer service requests. This could include your basic troubleshooting to financial services and more.
What you’ll need:
- Computer and high-speed Internet
- Headset and optional video camera
- Lots of patience
You’ll get calls routed your way through a system, usually. You take care of the customer, log the interaction, keep up a good rating, and get decent pay. Check online job boards for “remote customer service” listings to see where you could fit in!
Even a few extra hours each week can help a ton with the household bills. A side gig and/or business can also provide a great challenge many will find fun alongside their parenting. Explore the opportunities covered in this post — finding extra resources and guides to make the next step.
Good luck and get at it!
