Being a parent can be one of the most rewarding experiences, but it’s also expensive. Between diapers and baby food, you’ll need extra income to sustain your family. The good news is that you don’t have to give up your career to raise your children—many stay-at-home parents find quick ways to make money from home. Here are some ideas for generating income as a stay-at-home parent:
Childcare
Childcare is a huge business and there are many ways to make money with it. You can offer childcare in your home or in a childcare centre. You can also offer childcare for a single child or for a group of children.
Many people prefer to have other adults watch their children instead of sending them off to daycare, so this could be the perfect opportunity for stay-at-home parents who have experience with kids.
Pet sitting
If you have a pet and are willing to take care of other people’s pets, pet sitting can be a great way to make money. You will need to have your own pet first so that potential clients can see that you know what you are doing. You can find clients through word of mouth or online, but it’s best if they come from the local pet store where they know who works there and trust them enough to leave their animals with someone else. Pet sitting is also good because it involves cleaning up after animals, which not everyone wants to do themselves
Tutoring
Tutoring is a great way to make a little extra money. You can tutor your own children, other people’s children and even adults in a variety of subjects. The great thing about tutoring is that it can be done virtually anywhere you have an internet connection and there are no required hours each week or month.
There are many different types of tutors as well – there are those who tutor from home, those who do it online and those who do online live sessions where they meet with the student in person. Tutors also need not be experts on their subject matter – they just need to know how to explain things clearly so the student understands them (and how not to get frustrated if someone isn’t doing quite as well as expected).
Freelance writing
If you have good writing skills and a knack for grammar, you could make some extra money by working as a freelance writer. There are a lot of ways to break into this field, but the most common method is to build up your portfolio with samples of previous work and then pitch yourself to various publications or websites.
Once you’ve built up enough samples, it’s time to start marketing yourself. Reach out to editors at magazines and websites in your desired niche with an email explaining why they should hire you. You can also put together a portfolio website that showcases the best work from your past jobs so potential clients can see what types of articles/blog posts/etc. get published on it at the top-end of market rates for each type of writing job.
When negotiating rates, think about how much money will be made by both parties—the client gets content that helps their business grow while also building credibility with their customers through association with reputable companies like yours; meanwhile, new clients may refer more jobs outward once they see how great our work looks compared against other writers’ efforts.”
Virtual Assistant
Virtual assistants are in high demand as more and more businesses outsource the work of their employees to other countries. A virtual assistant takes on tasks that would normally be done by an administrative assistant, such as answering phones, scheduling appointments, or managing calendars. However, because you are working remotely from home, there’s no need for you to go into an office every day (especially if you’re still a parent).
You can make money as a virtual assistant by charging clients per hour or by taking on specific tasks for them. Most people charge between $20-$50 per hour, while others offer bulk packages at lower prices (this is especially common among students). The most successful providers have several active clients at once so they always have work lined up in case one client cancels or needs extra time to pay their bill.
In order to start your own business as a virtual assistant, it’s important that you establish yourself as trustworthy by providing quality services at reasonable rates. Once this has been established over time then it will be easier for potential customers/clients/employers who need help with general office management duties such as filing documents or cleaning up shared spaces within their offices; e-mailing newsletters out regularly; handling incoming calls appropriately etc.
E-commerce shop owner
As an e-commerce shop owner, you will be responsible for a diverse set of tasks. However, these are all things that you can learn as you go along. As long as your product is high quality and there is demand for it in the marketplace, selling online shouldn’t be too difficult.
You’ll need to do the following:
- Build an online store with themes and plugins like WooCommerce or Shopify (or build your own).
- Choose appropriate payment gateways and shipping providers.
- Create marketing campaigns on social media platforms such as Facebook Ads or Google AdWords. You can also use paid search ads through Bing Ads or Google AdWords if this makes sense for your business model (eBay has their own search advertising program). Get creative.
Sell your art and designs on Etsy or other platforms
Setting up an Etsy shop is fairly simple. You will need to sign up for a free account, choose a name for your shop and start setting up products to sell. You can do this by clicking on the “Set Up Shop” button on the homepage.
Choosing a name is important because it needs to reflect what you offer and who your target audience will be. Make sure it has no spaces or special characters so that search engines can easily recognize it.
Once you’ve picked out some designs or items that are similar in style and colour, use these as inspiration for photos of how they might look in real life (or at least give an idea).
For example: If you’re selling jewellery then take close-ups of each piece with natural light coming from behind them so shoppers can see both sides of the item clearly without having shadows cast over half their faces.
Conclusion
Now you have some ideas in mind. The next step is to start working on the project that you decide to pursue. Remember that if it’s just a side hustle and not your primary income source, then take your time with it. You don’t need to rush into anything or spend money on expensive tools that might not be necessary for what you’re doing right now.
About the Author
Monica is a passionate writer and content creator. Her interests include outdoor activities, fitness, technology, entrepreneurship and everything in between. Say hi to Monica on Twitter @monical_lee.