If you’re a stay-at-home mom or a working mom looking for a work from home job, you’ve probably already realized how frustrating it is to find legit ones that actually pay.
You may have run into MLMs (multi-level marketing) opportunities with moms who swear they’re making 6-figures a month, but if you’re like me, MLMs don’t interest you.
So what do you do?
My journey to finding a work from home job
After having my first baby, I knew that I just couldn’t go back to working my 9 to 5 (that was more like 9 to 9) and frankly, spending 3 hours a day fighting traffic was just not going to be an option for me anymore.
I remember coming home in the evenings exhausted and knowing I had to do it all over again the next day. I couldn’t imagine doing that with a child.
So I searched for a work at home job for moms online, but it was frustrating. Finding one with decent pay was like finding a needle in a haystack.
I’d see posts on Facebook by other moms and after going through a ton of back and forth with a few, I started to wonder if MLMs were the only options for moms who want to work from home.N
And then it hit me – I needed to create my own work from home job
If I wanted to be a work at home mom, I had to create my own options. So I started pitching my skills to companies who would consider having me work primarily from home.
It wasn’t easy, but I found a work from home job and the cherry on top was that it was in my line of work (corporate recruitment) that allowed me to work from home 4 days a week.
Now, I should clarify that although I work from home, my daughter is in daycare. I actually work full-time, but just from home.
However, knowing that I have the flexibility to drive 5 minutes to her if she needs me or knowing that I can keep her at home if she’s sick without impacting too much of my work day is comforting.
I was happy with this setup… until I got pregnant with our second child and became absolutely obsessed with the idea of becoming a work from home mom with my own business.
Totally obsessed!
I went back to researching work from home options, but again ran into more MLMs. It was a no brainer – I (again) needed to find opportunities to work from home full time, but this time, for myself.
Hello mompreneurship!
For me, the answer was to create an online business
A few online businesses actually – I help other recruiters in my industry work more efficiently here and I also help job seekers spruce up their resumes here.
This time, I got a head start with my work from home venture, since I haven’t had my second baby yet and am already seeing results with my online business.
My goal is to get my online business to a point where they replace (and hopefully surpass) my main source of income.
I’ve given myself a year and a half to get there and I’m already well on my way!!
It was clear others were just as eager to find a work from home job
The more I spoke to my friends and other women in my network, I started to see that I wasn’t alone in wanting so badly to be a work at home mom. I have countless friends (with and without kids) who dream of becoming entrepreneurs, but don’t know where and how to start.
Creating an online business was the right option for me, but there are so many other ways you can become a work from home mom.
If you want to test the waters first, here are 6 side hustle ideas .
If you’re ready to create your own work from home job options, here are some ways to get started.
6 totally doable steps to creating a work from home job
1. Find out what you’re really good at
Before you even think of how to create a your own stay at home job, do inventory on of your skills and figure out which ones you’re really good at… and enjoy doing.
It has do be something you like doing or you won’t stay committed. For example, I’m actually pretty good at planning events, but I’ve learned over the years that there’s nothing I dislike doing more than planning any kind of event.
As women, it’s really easy for us to be too humble about our strengths, so let me define what ‘being good at something’ means:
You’re good at something when you’re better than the average person.
It’s really easy to be held back from creating your own opportunities by thinking you’re just not good enough or ready enough.
The best part about figuring out what you’re good at and creating a service around it is that you will get even better at it. Because you’re so focused on that skill, you’ll find yourself doing more to improve it.
2. Do some research on how you can turn what you’re good at into a service
Figure out if it could be a profitable business.
You will be surprised how you can easily turn your skills into a service that people will love.
I have an awesome momma in my network who’s really good at meal planning and has created a business helping others plan their weekly meals around their goals (weight loss/gain, being more efficient with kids, living a healthier lifestyle, etc.).
Do some competitive analysis too by searching for others who are offering the same service.
3. Be clear on how much time you can (really) invest
A work from home job can be demanding. Sometimes even more demanding than working outside of the home because you have to juggle a lot of tasks. If you have kids who are at home during the day, you will have to be aware of that amount of time you can really allocate to your work from home job.
When I was a brand new (first-time mom), there is no way I would have been able to set aside a few hours a day to work. Trying to figure out breastfeeding (which was a real challenge or me) and pumping every time my daughter took a nap, I barely had time to take a shower.
You don’t have to work 10-hour days on your side hustle. In fact, even one single hour a day is a great way to get started. The key is to to use that single hour effectively.
If you haven’t already, read the 5 tips to find time for your side hustle.
Now that you’ve figured out what services you want to provide and determined that they’re profitable, you’ll also have to do an honest assessment of how many hours a day you can really allocate to working.
4. Start a blog/website
Whether your business is online or offline, you need a website. Period.
If you’re running an online business (even freelancing), having a blog is a no-brainer.
Even if your business is strictly online though, a blog on that website is the easiest way to market and sell your services.
I have a friend who started mobile nail business where she comes to you instead of you having to go to a salon. The majority of her business comes from her website and Facebook.
She’s also been able to start selling products through her blog, which was totally unanticipated.
When I first started blogging, I was intimidated by the very thought of starting a website. I didn’t know the difference between registering and hosting a website. I didn’t think I could ever design a website on my own.
I’ve learned a ton of the years and since I love knowledge sharing, I’ve created a step-by-step guide to registering, hosting and creating a WordPress website.
I’ve learned a ton of the years and since I love knowledge sharing, I’ve created a step-by-step guide to registering, hosting and creating a WordPress website.
5. Market your services
Sales strategies for side hustles are totally different than full-time businesses. This is especially true when you’re a stay at home mom because you have to literally maximize every single minute.
Here are 3 specific sales strategies for side hustles that are really easy to do. I’ve learned to use the first one “give more to sell more” a lot lately and see a huge difference in my own business.
6. Do some free work, but only in the beginning
While we’re on the topic of giving more to sell more, doing some free work in the beginning is a great way to get referrals and testimonials.
Finding clients is the hardest part in the beginning, but starting out with offering your own family and friends your free services will get the ball rolling.
Here’s the important part about this though – make sure there’s an end to your free work. It’s easy to to get pulled into doing more and more free work, but once you get to this point, you’re not creating a stay at home job for yourself, you’re essentially volunteering.
If you’re not quite ready to start your own stay at home job, you have other options
Here are a few sites that have work at home job postings
Leave A Comment