Tulisan 6
7 Inspiring
Home Business Ideas for Stay-at-Home Moms (or Dads)
Are you a stay-at-home mom (or dad)? Hoping to kick start an
entrepreneurial dream or simply looking to bring in some extra income?
Starting a home-based business is a great way to do this. In
fact, 52 percent of U.S. companies operate as home businesses and many of
today’s biggest brand names were established by stay-at-home moms – (Dorothy)
Gerber, Mrs. (Debbi) Fields, and Julie Aigner-Clark (Baby Einstein), to
name but a few. But what types of businesses can grow and thrive in the home
environment?
Here are some business ideas and considerations for stay-at-home
moms!
Freelancing
Perhaps the easiest form of business to delve into and operate
is freelancing. Whatever your skill – writing, web design, marketing, tax
advisor, or photography – freelancing affords an enormous amount of flexibility
and freedom, and can be started with little cost or paperwork. Many freelancers
get their start by approaching a former employer or customer who could benefit
from their services, then branch out as their body of work and reputation
grows.
Freelancing does have its challenges and requires discipline –
you are running a business after all. Common mistakes freelancers make include
not setting the business up properly and legally (getting the right permits, or
licenses), forgetting to put money aside to pay
estimated taxes, and not planning for
peaks and valleys in cash flow.
Check out these blogs for tips and guidance to help you through
the process of starting and operating your freelance business:
- Starting a Freelance Business – How to Take Care
of Legal, Tax and Contractual Paperwork
- How to Set and Negotiate your Freelance Business
Rates.
Become a Virtual Assistant
Virtual assistants (VAs) provide a wide variety of “virtual”
services to other businesses including administrative, marketing and technical
support from a home office. My local window cleaner, for example, uses a VA to
answer his calls and manage his calendar while he’s busy on-site. VAs are
growing in popularity, too, as firms look to cut costs and outsource
administrative functions. If you are organized and have an administrative
background, this might be for you. Start with your own connections or take
advantage of the services of a VA organization or association who can help you
get started and connect you with clients.
Make Money from Blogging
Yes, you can make money by blogging. I follow several
stay-at-home moms who happen to be fashion and style bloggers – and it’s their
business. If you can write and have a passion for a specific topic or hobby
that you know will garner some attention, then this might be for you. Income
generation opportunities can come in the form of affiliate marketing and
advertising on your website or
from companies who ask you to review and blog about their products. Look for
ways to get traffic to your website through social media, search engine
optimization and by getting involved in the wider blogosphere (networking with
and commenting on the blogs of others in your niche).
Start a Creative Business
Whether it’s making gift baskets or offering interior design
consultation services, if you have a creative streak and the room to store and
create, then why not consider making money out of your talents? Get to know the
market and do some planning to identify an untapped niche. SBA has several
tools that can help including the Build your Business Plan tool and SizeUp a market and business
analysis tool that lets you benchmark your business against competitors, map
your customers, competitors and suppliers, and locate the best places to
advertise.
Start a Home-Based Bakery or Food Business
Food production from a home is heavily regulated but it’s not
impossible. Take Martha Stewart, for example—she famously entered the food
service business with a basement-based catering company in 1976. Before
you start a home-based food business you will need to understand the rules and
regulations that govern the production of food for public consumption in an
at-home environment. For example do you need a separate kitchen? What about
product labeling? And so on. For tips and insight, read: Starting a Home-Based Food Production Business: Making
Your Culinary Hobby Your Job.
Child Day Care
Home childcare businesses offer a potentially lucrative and
long-lasting business opportunity. A home environment is often appealing to
parents and once their kids are settled (and assuming you are doing a great
job), then it’s likely you’ll have that business until they are old enough not
to need care.
Of course, this is another regulated business and you’ll need to
ensure you comply with state and local regulations that govern issues such as
the provision of meals, minimum space requirements per child, and the number of
licensed care workers per child. For information on starting a child care
business including financing options, licensing requirements, and other
regulatory matters read: Starting a Child Care Business? Government Tools and
Resources that Can Help.
Start an Online Marketplace Store
If you have clutter that you want to get rid of and like the
idea of selling products to an established worldwide network of consumers,
consider starting a business on eBay, Etsy or Amazon. You can source products
to sell from junk/yard sales or charity shops. If you want to get a bit more
sophisticated, then consider buying wholesale or adopting a drop-shipping model. The goal is
to find products that are in high-demand and not readily available from other
sources. Read more about getting started here:More Than Just a Seller – How to Start a Business on an
Online Marketplace.
More Ideas
Other business ideas including a dog
walking/pet care business,
a travel agent, start a home-based franchise business, event planning, architectural design, or
tutoring students!
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