Alternative Revenue Streams for Moms Looking to Start a Small Business

As a result of Momtrepreneur, I’ve had the opportunity of meeting so many Moms over email and the internet. It’s been a wonderful learning experience for me and one of the greatest factors is that I’m able to help, if I can, with any questions I receive from Moms.

One of the most frequently asked questions from Moms is “What can you suggest I do now that I want to get back into earning some money again while the kids are sleeping or at school or I want out of the corporate world and really want to do my own thing, what can I do?”.

One of the most important questions I ask the Moms who email me is “WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST?” If you are going to run a business, you ideally want to do something you enjoy or are passionate about, so that’s your starting point before you do anything. Once you know what you enjoy, you can start deciding in which direction to go.

But here are a few ideas to help you find that special something; whether it be full time or part time while your kids are sleeping or out and about:

1. Become a writer and write your own E-book: There are so many ways of marketing an E-book now-a-days and you are able to keep your costs down as you only need a computer and a document writing programme, such as Microsoft Word, to get going.
2. Become a copywriter or freelance writer: Be careful with this one and, before you do this, make sure you can actually write. Get others to review your writing. To offer this skill, your grammar and spelling must be tip-top, so consider this one carefully.
3. Become a dog walker or pet sitter: You won’t believe how many people in your area need their dogs walked or looked after. Time is money so you charge accordingly. If you love dogs, why not?
4. Start an online shop: Email companies whose products you can market online and start selling. There are loads of companies who do this sort of thing, but this does require research and will possibly require a budget to get your brand out there if you want to make mega bucks!
5. Readymade meal maker: This isn’t something everyone can do, but I know quite a few people who are excellent cooks, are passionate about cooking and know how to cook in bulk (I’m definitely NOT one of these people).
6. Researcher: If you are good at finding information, look into offering research information to companies for a fee.
7. Get crafty: If you make beautiful goodies, why not get your goodies out there on the internet with websites like Etsy.com for unique goodies.
8. Party planner: This is a popular option for Moms who love planning their kids’ parties. There are enough children having parties in the world for everyone to get some work, so if planning parties for kids or
   even weddings excites you, do your homework and get started!
9. Bookkeeper: If you know how to do accounts, why not offer a part time bookkeeping service for small to medium-sized companies.
10. Become a gardener: Grow your own vegetables and goodies and sell them to nearby restaurants or at organic markets.
11. Bake up a storm: Moms that love to bake should get their cooking gloves on and mixing bowls out and get going. Make sure to take some good photos and use Social Media such as Facebook and Twitter to get your name out there.
12. Seamstress: If you know how to sew or make adjustments to clothing, then this could be the one for you. You will be very surprised at how many people lose weight or need their clothes adjusted for whatever reason and don’t know how to use a sewing machine.
13. Photographer: If you have the knack of capturing beautiful photos, perhaps start a business or start small by doing shoots and selling your photos online on various stock libraries.
14. Start a kiddies group for crafting / cooking: If you love working with kids and have a crafty ability, why not start classes during the week and share your knowledge with kids and have fun at the same time?
15. Niche-wear designer: There are various markets that allow you to design clothes that are better than the rest. There’s always a need for affordable maternity clothes and, from my experience, NICE breastfeeding outfits in South Africa are pretty hard to come by. Other niche markets could be for physically challenged people, sporting goods – get creative!
16. Storybook reader: If you enjoy reading books and sharing the experience with others out loud, then why not approach some book stores or malls and offer them the service of being a story teller for kids for a small fee per child?
17. Private tutor: Moms that excelled at a particular subject in school can assist children that are struggling or need some help, and charge a good hourly rate. Maths is always a popular one!
18. Start an online community: This often requires a niche market and quite a lot of effort (and sometimes budget), but if that doesn’t scare you, consider starting your own market in something you feel there is a demand for. Make sure to do some market research and see what happens. As with blogging, there are quite a few software applications one can get up and running for little to no cost.
19. Become a Mommy Blogger with benefits: If you are good at writing and think you can get a good following, then become a part of the Mommy Bloggers’ community and start up your own blog. Slap in some Google Ads or affiliate ads on your site and start earning a little extra on the side for any ads visitors click on your website. See Mommy Blogging for more information.
20. Run pamper parties: If you enjoy organising lots of get togethers with friends or for strangers, why not put together a pamper party planning business, which you can run from home? Organise pamper parties for hen nights, kitchen teas, fun nights for the girls, etc… where they can have a little fun at a nice venue for 3 hours or so, and have the option to buy some of your products.

There are loads more that you can come up with – this was just to help you get the ideas flowing. Other things one can think about include designer, consultants in fields you know and understand and can offer advice on, yoga instructor….the list goes on!

Enjoy coming up with some ideas – have fun with it and enjoy the process!