According to the U.S. Census Bureau figures, some 5.6 million mothers, or nearly 1 out of 4, have opted to abandon their jobs to be with their kids. More and more are preferring the stay-at-home option after childbirth.
Women who take care of their kids full-time are more likely to get depressed, however. While they love their kids to bits, they feel that a life doomed to changing diapers day in and day out is a waste of education and talent. Besides, letting the husband be the sole breadwinner during a shaky economy seems not a wise option.
The solution: Keep your sanity and dignity, as well as the streams of income flowing by being a stay-at-home but working mom. The following are just some of the many work-at-home options you can choose from:
1. Freelance writing. Do you have a way with words? Many businesses pay good money for content writing. There are many freelance writing websites you can sign up for, like Elance, Odesk, and Guru.
2. Customer service. There is a huge demand for virtual employees to handle in-bound customer calls which can be routed directly to your computer via the Internet. Virtual customer service agents are paid by the hour and keep a specific work schedule. Training is also paid.
3. Medical transcription. If you type fast and have excellent spelling and grammar, you can try working as medical transcriptionist. There are training programs available online for this line of work with focus on honing your English skills, knowledge of human anatomy and pharmacology, and ability to take dictation from health professionals.
4. Data entry. A data entry job usually requires some form of data being converted into another form, like a list of people’s name and addresses in Word document being transformed into entries in a spreadsheet.
5. Online teaching or tutoring. Online teachers and tutors may teach a variety of subjects, ranging from elementary to college levels. A teaching certification or experience is usually required to qualify for this job.
6. Bridal and wedding consultant. A bridal wedding consultant performs a variety of tasks including planning the schedule for the wedding and the rehearsal dinner, connecting the couple-to-be with the right vendors, creating the budget and the bridal registry, etc.
7. Selling arts and crafts online. If you love crafting, why not create a website showcasing your creations? Just make sure you have quality photos because your customers will be judging your work based on these images. Try beaded jewelry, hand-sewn bags, dolls, ceramics — the possibilities are endless.
8. Cake decorator/designer. If you have taken a course in baking and cake decorating, this home-based work option may appeal to you. You can start by offering your services to friends, neighbors, or former officemates. Make sure to make a portfolio of your best designs.
9. Dog daycare. If you love dogs, this job should come easy to you. You get to pat, groom and interact with multiple dogs at the same time and get paid for it! In the U.S, dog owners pay as much as $30 per dog for a few hours’ stay at the daycare center.
There are many more online business ideas that make money. Experiment! You may even come up with your own idea.
Take the leap!
The first step in building a successful home business is coming up with a solid plan of action.
You don’t necessarily have to develop an actual business plan in the traditional sense (though it would probably help), but it is very important that you have your goals, promotional strategy and costs mapped out clearly for use as a personal reference.
Put away at least three months’ worth of money, and get ready to be your own boss.
Stay-at-home businesses are a great way to transition into self-employment. Just remember that to be your own boss, you also have all of your boss’s responsibilities: you’ll need to keep work coming in, keep pay going out, and keep your clients happy.
Finally, you’ll need to keep yourself happy and stress-free. That’s the most important thing!
