I love to read about mommies who build successful businesses online. These women are able to not only live the ‘laptop lifestyle’ where they can make money online and work from anywhere in the world but most importantly, be able to stay home with their children.
Although it may have started as a side-hustle while working their day jobs, some of these women have left lucrative careers and have been able to work on their passions at home while bringing in a decent income.
There is a lot of information about work-at-home opportunities and side hustles for moms to make money online that sometimes it can be hard to sift through all the various methods and information.
Here I will list five ways you can start making money at home.
5 Ways You Can Make Money Online as a Stay-At-Home Mom
- Kindle Direct Publishing
- Blogging
- E-commerce
- Dropshipping
- Freelance Services
Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)
Have you always wanted to write a book? Do you have a manuscript sitting on a shelf somewhere that you wrote years ago and wish you could have it published?
The introduction of self-publishing online has made it so much easier for authors to get their work out to the world and be able to make money doing it.
Newspapers, magazines, books, even operating manuals for appliances can all be read digitally online.
With the advent of tablets and smartphones, ready access to digital reading material is increasing readership. People are reading all the time – on a bus, plane, subway or standing in line at the bank.
Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing is a great way to get your book published. The platform has made the process simple to follow and your book could be ready for sale in as little as 24 hours…for FREE!
You have the opportunity to write fiction, non-fiction, novels, cookbooks, a memoir, self-help books, etc…
You can create your own book covers on Canva or PicMonkey or you can have it designed for you by one of the creatives, inexpensively, on Fiverr.
Later on, you can branch off into other areas with your books like creating paperback versions on KDP or Audible audiobooks through Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX).
So, if you have your book edited and ready to be published, set up your account now on Kindle Direct Publishing and release it to the world!
If your book still has to be written, start it today, Mama!
- Related Post: Make Money with Your Voice Narrating Audiobooks
- Related Post: How to Write a Book and Publish on Amazon Kindle
Blogging
Blogging is another great avenue to be creative, express yourself as a writer and make money doing it.
Once you have selected your niche or the topics you would like to write about, you can set up a free website on platforms such as WordPress.com where you publish your blog posts. It is possible to monetize your free blog on free blogging platforms such as WordPress.com, but it is very limited in what you are allowed to do in addition to a number of other disadvantages.
To build your blogging business and brand, it is recommended that you obtain your own domain name and self-host your blog using web hosting services such as Hostgator.
Once you build your readership, you can make money from advertising, affiliate marketing, selling your own products and services or creating courses.
There are many expert bloggers offering free and paid courses to get you on your blogging journey. I highly recommend Blog By Number by Suzi Whitford (read my review here).
E-commerce
E-commerce is the process of buying and selling products and services over the internet.
You can sell products that you make or manufacture yourself on third-party platforms such as Etsy or Amazon or start your very own store on Shopify which has a very user-friendly content management system that is easy to manage.
There is the option to buy products from merchants or manufacturers at a low price and sell them for a profit. Also, you can contact a new or established brand looking for retail distributors if there is a demand for their product in a particular area that you know you can supply.
If you want to have control over your sales and build your brand and business for the long term, you can eventually set up your own online store, even if you go through a third-party marketplace first to test the market for your product and get your feet wet with e-commerce.
Dropshipping
Dropshipping is another e-commerce model that is becoming popular with stay-at-home moms.
What exactly is dropshipping?
Dropshipping is a process where the product is shipped directly from the manufacturer or wholesaler to the customer through a third party.
Here’s how it works in a nutshell:
A manufacturer or wholesaler (the dropshipper) has a product that you want to sell. You market the product to your customers through your online store. When you get a sale, you collect payment (cost of the product plus the markup, which is your profit) from your customer, pay the dropshipper who then ships the product to the customer and you keep the profit.
There is no inventory that you have to keep in stock and no hassle of shipping the product.
You can fully operate a dropshipping business from an e-commerce platform such as Shopify with very little startup costs.
Click here to read this article from Dream Shala about how you can start a dropshipping business with Amazon.
- Related Post: How To Start Your Own Online Store with Printful
- Related Post: How to Start an Online Fashion Jewelry Business From Home
Freelance Services
There are lots of freelance services that can be offered over the internet; from travel-planning to doing voiceovers and managing social media for bloggers and companies.
Freelance services such as video editing, graphic or web design, virtual assistance, writing etc. can be offered on sites such as Upwork and Fiverr. There, you sign up for free, set up a profile and portfolio and offer your expertise to others globally who may be seeking skills such as yours.
Fiverr has over 100 ideas from which you can choose to offer services.
Another option is to set up your own website where you showcase your work and market to companies or individuals to get freelancing jobs.
Tell me, what opportunities you have found that make you money online as a stay-at-home mom?
Stay motivated!
