7 of the Best Side Hustles for Stay-at-Home Moms
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Exploring side hustles for stay-at-home moms? You’re in the right place. We’ve put together a list of side hustles that are great for moms, dads, and anyone who wants to earn some extra income without sacrificing their work-life balance. If that’s you, read on to discover our top picks!
Should You Start a Side Hustle?
One of the main benefits of starting a side hustle is that you’re in control. You’re not answering to anyone else, so you can choose exactly when, where, and how you want to work. There’s no obligation to work in a particular location or for a fixed number of hours. The level at which you operate is up to you – side hustles often start small but can end up as your main income. As a parent, this kind of flexibility is invaluable.
To succeed with a side hustle, you’ll need to first consider what you could do to earn that all-important extra income. What skills and experience do you have? What do you enjoy doing? How much time can you dedicate to your side hustle? As a busy parent, you don’t want to waste time pursuing something that isn’t a good fit for you and your family.
You should also think about whether your home will become your workplace, and if so, how that will function. Say you’re making party bunting on your kitchen table – if your kids get home from school desperate for food, will it destroy your careful layout at a crucial stage? Or would you be better off using a spare bedroom or home office? Take time to work out the practicalities and consider a dedicated workspace.
Benefits of Starting a Side Hustle
There are many benefits to starting a side hustle. Here are a few of them:
- Flexible hours to fit your family’s schedule and your other commitments
- No commute, so you save time and money
- You get to choose your dress code
- There is often very little overhead
- You can work from anywhere
- You can be at home for the school holidays or if the kids are sick
- It’s an opportunity to try out a new career or to maintain existing skills
Drawbacks of Working a Side Hustle
Like everything in life, there are some drawbacks to consider:
- It could be challenging to balance your parental responsibilities with setting up your side hustle.
- You might need to find time to learn new skills – for example, how to record your business transactions and manage your taxes.
- Earnings can be low at the start of your new venture.
- There’s no manager to guide you, so you have to be comfortable with making decisions and managing your own time.
- You won’t get sick pay or holiday pay – if you don’t work, you don’t earn.
Of course, you might well feel these drawbacks are advantages. It all depends on how you view a challenge!
7 Side Hustles for Stay-At-Home Moms
It’s time to get into our seven top picks. We’ll explore what each role entails, the skills you need to make it fly, and some tips on getting started. We hope one of them is a good fit for you!
1. Monetizing Your Hobby
Do you make delicious cupcakes? Are you always in your workshop turning bits of wood into toys or beautiful ornaments? Do you enjoy sewing and crafting bespoke garments? You could turn your hobby into a freelance business and sell some of the things you make.
Aside from the practical skills to make your product, you’ll also need some marketing skills to spread the word about your work. This might involve building your own website, growing a social media presence, or attending local markets and craft fairs.
When you’re just getting started, we’d recommend:
- Sharing your product with friends and family before you gear up to sell. They might be able to provide valuable feedback that you can use to improve your offering.
- Researching any relevant regulations for your chosen niche. For example, if you want to sell food, you’ll need to be aware of your region’s food safety standards.
- Looking at what other people selling similar products are doing. What do they charge? You don’t want to price yourself out of the market, but you don’t want to sell so cheaply that you can’t cover your overhead. You can always increase your pricing as you build experience and gain testimonials from happy customers.
2. Selling Vintage Clothing and Accessories Online
Got an eye for a bargain? Love vintage fashion? This side hustle involves buying and selling vintage clothing online. You might sell items from your own wardrobe or buy items and sell them at a profit.
To succeed at this side hustle, you’ll need a good eye for quality pieces – especially things you think might be underpriced. You’ll also need to be reasonably tech-savvy to use the various vintage shopping apps and websites.
To get started, we’d suggest:
- Deciding whether you want to choose a specialization (e.g., 1990s clothing, vintage designer clothing, evening wear) or sell a wide range of items.
- Researching your options for finding things to sell (e.g., thrift stores, online marketplaces, wholesalers).
- Taking some time to investigate which apps and sites suit you best and whether they have any particular rules and requirements for sellers.
- Looking into average pricing on the sites you want to use.
- Checking how much it will cost to deliver the items to your customers.
- Considering how you’ll manage your stock – where will you store your items?
3. Bookkeeping
Bookkeeping involves recording a business’s financial transactions – its sales and costs – and completing tax and other financial statements.
To make it as a bookkeeper, you’ll need to be good with numbers. As well as the basics (addition, subtraction, etc.), this means being confident in analyzing and interpreting numerical data. Great communication skills will also come in handy, helping you explain the reports you produce to clients.
You’ll also need to be able to use spreadsheets, word processors, and other specialized accounting software and be familiar with the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) in your region.
Here are our tips to help you get started:
- Consider taking a basic accounting course. There are lots of online and in-person courses.
- If there is a particular type of client you want to work with, find out which type of software they typically use and learn how to use it.
- Look at sets of published accounts or a friend’s business records and see if you can interpret what they mean.
- Research online platforms for freelancers such as Upwork to get an idea of the fees you could charge.
4. Dog Walking
If you love dogs, or if you have your own pup, you’re probably familiar with dog walking. A professional dog walker takes other people’s dogs for walks. They provide a valuable service to people who are unable to walk their pets (perhaps due to illness or injury) or who are too busy with other commitments to provide their pets with regular exercise.
To run a successful dog walking side hustle, a love of dogs is crucial. You’ll need to be physically fit, especially if you plan on walking big dogs that need lots of exercise. You’ll also need to be responsible, reliable, and comfortable taking instructions. Pet owners want to know you’ll treat their dog just as they would. You’ll be responsible for the animals’ well-being, so a basic knowledge of dog first aid is important.
Our tips for getting started include:
- Volunteering to walk friends’ pets (or using a platform like Borrow My Doggy) to get an idea of the commitment you’ll face.
- Keeping up or increasing your fitness, so that you’re healthy enough to go on multiple walks per day.
- Researching the legal requirements for your business. Depending on where you are, you may need specific permits and insurance to be in charge of animals.
5. Freelance Content Writing
Content writing involves creating written material for blogs, websites, emails, social media, and other marketing channels. A freelance content writer has to follow a client brief and adhere to a specific set of brand voice, tone, and style guidelines.
You could be working on a campaign for a well-known brand or creating content for a small, niche online business. Or you could write and monetize your own blog and focus on whatever interests you.
As a content writer, you’ll need a combination of hard and soft skills. Creativity and excellent writing skills are a must, as well as being able to understand your audience and tailor content to their preferences. Good time management and the self-discipline to meet deadlines are essential, especially if you’re managing multiple projects at once. You’ll also need strong communication skills to work effectively with your clients.
When you’re getting started, we’d suggest:
- Considering whether you want to write for a specific niche (e.g., business, travel, technology, beauty).
- Practicing as much as possible. There are lots of things you can do to become a better writer. Volunteer to write guest posts, reach out to nonprofit or charity organizations, or build your own blog and promote it on social media.
- Taking a freelance writing course to refine your skills.
6. Proofreading
Proofreading involves carefully checking a document for spelling, punctuation, and grammar errors and for formatting inconsistencies. It’s the last stage of the editing process before a document is published.
You don’t need any particular qualifications to become a freelance proofreader. However, you will need a very keen eye for detail and an excellent knowledge of the English language. Other essential skills for proofreading include the ability to stick to a style guide, good interpersonal skills to communicate effectively with clients, and the technological know-how to use word processing software.
To get started, we’d suggest:
- Taking a proofreading course. The best proofreading courses cover all the basics, provide opportunities to practice your skills, and give you access to tutor support.
- Gaining some experience. Volunteer your services wherever possible – ask friends and family if they’ve got anything for you to proofread or reach out to charities or nonprofits.
- Networking. Joining professional proofreading networks and societies can be a great way to connect with other proofreaders and learn from industry experts.
7. Fact-Checking
As the use of artificial intelligence grows, so does the potential for misinformation and disinformation. It’s more important than ever that all types of content are checked carefully for factual accuracy.
A fact-checker reviews content – such as news articles, social media posts, blog posts, and videos – to make sure that information is accurate, unbiased, and supported by credible sources. In doing so, they help to stem the spread of fake news.
This work involves paying close attention to detail, practicing critical thinking, conducting careful research, and applying specialist fact-checking techniques. Good old-fashioned common sense is another great skill to bring to the role. If you’ve seen an advertisement and thought, “If it looks too good to be true, it probably is,” then you likely have this skill already.
To get your fact-checking side hustle up and running, we recommend:
- Learning how to identify credible sources of information.
- Reading critically. You can practice fact-checking in your everyday life – take any news story and review it carefully. Do all the facts add up? Does it cite reliable sources? Does it show bias?
- Staying informed about current affairs.
- Taking a fact-checking course that teaches you how to apply fact-checking tools and techniques.
- Attending industry seminars and workshops.
Becoming a Freelancer
If we’ve inspired you to start a side hustle – or even to take the plunge and go for a career change to become a full-time freelancer – check out our courses. We offer courses on proofreading, content writing, fact-checking, and much more. Try them for free today!
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