Few years ago I found this “word” SAHM (I am not a native English speaker, this would explain why some abbreviations and acronyms are not familiar): Stay At Home Mom, describing women who chose to stay at home to raise the kid(s) and not pursue their career.
I won’t discuss about society still forcing women to dedicate their lives to the family, instead of working as they like, it’s not our topic. There are many women who chose a “family life” and no one is forcing them, most important: THEY ARE HAPPY.
Still, I think some of them would also like to fill in some of the very little time left with something different than housework. Some are entrepreneurs who cannot just be a mom and a wife and need the thrill of earning some money, even if we talk small money here. For them, I have decided to try list some ideas that might help them into creating their own “make money at home” system. Sure, should you have more advice, please let us know.
1. Yes, you can make money by staying at home!
I am writing this article from home. My headphones on my ears, I am also watching “Ally McBeal” when tired of writing. This month my salary as a radio DJ went for my bank rates (I got a new car and will pay 250 Euro/month for 4 years) and the insurance for it. My entire salary. Still, I was able to withdraw some money from my Paypal account (300 USD once and I still have some more should I need) and be able to pay for the groceries and so on.
This money I make comes from my almost 40 site network (the blog you are reading is the latest project). As you can guess, I am typing on my computer (laptop to be more specific) in my bedroom. My dog is sleeping near me and the family is watching TV.
Yes, I make money at home. And so can you.
2. Now that we know YOU CAN make money by staying at home, let’s see WHAT you can do to earn money.
I am a lousy cook and I haven’t been knitting for 15 years at least. I am good with the PC though, I create sites, I write articles, I manage forums, install scripts, run a small web hosting/web design company (it’s just me there, don’t let the word “company” fool you).
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
If you are known to bake some yummy cakes, why not try to do some baking, have some friends “test” it and then maybe offer the cake to some nearby restaurant or grocery shop. Be careful to make it perfect and don’t worry: if it’s good, people will love it. Maybe your marmelade is amazing .. have you ever considered you might earn some money from selling some jars filled with this amazing stuff?
I had neighbours knitting all kinds of sweaters and caps, gloves, thick and colourful wool socks. They would sell them at the local market. Sure, it’s not a huge income, they can’t go on a cruise in Ibiza, but they can buy some good food or even purchase a skirt or a blouse.
When I was 17 and still in highschool my parents were struggling to offer me the least they could. We were very poor and I found out I know some English (I am a Romanian) and that I can earn some bucks from teaching others. No, I didn’t earn a lot, but I was able to buy myself some sport equipment I needed for school and a pair of jeans.
Now it’s your turn: see what you are quite good at and just prepare to earn some money: knitting, baking, teaching, baby-sitting, web development, blogging. ANYTHING you feel you have some experience and would provide a good result.
3. START working
You need to see what’s needed for your new business. Maybe a new computer, some good ingredients, coloured wool etc. See what the legislation in your area is regarding this rezidual income and prepare for some paperwork, if you want to do it correctly.
It’s a good idea to plan this, but don’t waste a lot of time thinking about this. Try to make some room for this in your already very busy schedule, so that you can also do this and not neglect your kids/family. Start slowly and try to reach your optimum pace. Don’t be afraid: you will make it, if you put your mind into it!
4. Let the people know!
Your new products/services need to be found by your clients. Approach a local diner to offer some samples, have a small party and “advertise’ the new cake, send some marmalade jars to the local shop. Tell ANYONE you can that you bake/cook/design/knit/sculpt etc. These will be your first clients or at least the ones to also help promote your work.
5. Prepare for it to become serious and learn to delegate!
I don’t think that insuccess is something you need to worry about. Your investments should be minimum and the work is something you already like. Even if it’s a very slow start, it’s still success. It will get better.
WAY BETTER.
Then you’ll have to face another problem: your small rezidual income ‘job” can become a full time job already, if things go well. You left the office or your regular job to become a happy wife/mother and now you have so many clients that you can’t sleep at night from all the work you need to do.
It’s time to think: would I do this or would I like to get someone to work for me, so that I can also get some rest?
You can always hire someone to do the things that need you less (”routine work”), but take a lot of your time. By now you should get a pretty nice income already that would suffice a decent life, maybe you earn more than your husband. It’s not impossible, now it’s the time to think about delegating though. Try to find someone to work with you and share some of the profit. You can also try cutting back work (should you wish to remain alone in the business), but it’s a better idea to work with someone you trust. Don’t let her/him manage too much, just the things that “eat” up time and someone else can also do.
There are success stories in this topic. Women who are still enjoying an amazing family life, raising their kids, being at home all the time and still managing to put some food on the table too. They are SAHM who also run a small business, who can be the entrepreneur they always wanted to be, while also being a mom and a wife as they wanted.
Are you such a success story? Share your journey with us. Do you believe you can do this?
Tags: career, stay at home mom, women business
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