Spread the love

You were used to earning your own money – until…

… you started a family.

That’s when the realization struck: Raising those cute wee bundles of joy is a demanding full-time job in itself. o_O

Sadly, one you don’t get paid for.

And suddenly, your family and expenses are growing whilst your family budget is shrinking. *Ahhrg*

Depending on where and how you live, one income might just not be enough to maintain your desired lifestyle.

So, what do you do? Super-mom to the rescue! Mop your face, pin up your hair, put on your cape – let’s find you a gig. 🙂

Disclosure: This post might contain affiliate links. This means when you purchase something through those links, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. It’s the cool online-kid way of tipping me – with someone else’s money. Thanks a ton!

Smart Mom Entrepreneur Ideas: How to Earn Money From Home

In many cases, it might not be feasible to go back to your old job. I know what that’s like. I used to work 10h-days in a fancy research lab in a big city – now with two wee ones under 5, living in a small village with no research facilities, and no extended family to help with looking after the kids, there is just no way I could go back to the way things were. Besides, I don’t think I’d want to go back either. I did not choose to have kids to send them to kindy all day long.

I do want to earn some money though. After all, I want to take the kids on vacations, show them the world. I want them to have little adventures, and follow their interests. Being able to afford music or sports lessons. That kind of thing.

If you are the same and need to find a way to make some money on the side working from home, here are a few things you could do to bring in a little extra cash. All you need is your motivation and determination, a computer, and a good internet connection.

From Stay-at-Home-Mom (SAHM) to Work-at-Home Mom (WAHM)

I get it. Life with babies or small kids is messy. You somehow spend the whole day balancing between satisfying their every need, keeping the house from turning into a grubby den and not going crazy in the process. You can’t remember the last time you had a decent sleep. Basically, you already work a 24/7 job.

I vividly remember a whole year without ONE night of uninterrupted sleep… *True story*

Anyhow, is it possible to still make at least a little extra money working from home? Yes, it is. With these clever mom entrepreneur ideas that help you earn money from the comfort of your own home and on your own terms.

I divided them into two categories: Flexible work-from-home opportunities that don’t require too much effort – but are also less lucrative. And more lucrative but less flexible ways to make money online. The former category might be a good way to start getting comfortable working online if you haven’t done anything like that before. The latter category is something to think about once you have enough headspace and free time on your hands that you can handle planning and structuring a new venture.

Flexible Work-From-Home Jobs

Freelance Writing

If you love writing and you’d like to put your writing skills to good use, consider freelance writing as an opportunity to earn some money from home. Where do you find someone who’s willing to pay for your articles? You could start by asking your good friend Google to list paid guest post opportunities for you. Other places to check out:

Job Boards (Problogger, All Freelance Writing Job Board)
Craigslist
FundsforWriters

You could also join the Medium Partner Program to earn some money from any articles that you publish under this program. Will you get rich writing an article every now and then? Probably not. Will it pay next week’s groceries? That could be a very realistic goal.

Review Websites

Yes, there are companies out there that will pay you for testing websites or apps. It’s part of their strategy to improve customer experience and your chance to help them do just that. Tasks and payments will differ on different platforms.

UserTesting: You get paid $10 for every 20-minute video you complete. Payment via PayPal.

WhatUsersDo: Take between 3-5 tests per month, earning £/$/€ 5 per test. Payment PayPal on the 25^th of each month.

TestingTime: You’ll get to test future digital products and share your opinion via Skype or on-site with the customer. A study takes between 30 – 90 minutes and you can earn up to € 50 per hour. Payment within 5 – 10 days directly to your bank or PayPal account.

UserFeel: Each test lasts 10-20 minutes and you’ll earn $10 per test. Payment via PayPal or Amazon Gift Cards.

Get Paid For Taking Online surveys

Another way of participating in market research for big companies. Taking online surveys definitely won’t make you rich. But if you really NEED that few extra bucks, you can check out some of these platforms:

Sell Your Photos or Digital Art

Are you an avid photographer/artist and have a ton of beautiful photos/artworks/designs living a dusty and lonely life on your computer’s hard drive? Bring them back from oblivion and let them work for you. =) Print-on-demand sites like Society6, Redbubble, or Contrado let you upload your images and sell them on various products on their sites. You’ll keep the rights to your work and earn royalties for every piece they sell with your photo or design on it. *woohoo*

This was my gateway drug to start making money online. Did I get rich? No. Did I sell a few things? Yes, I did. And it felt amazing! =) Even if it’s just the occasional couple of bucks here and there. Making your first few dollars online validates the whole concept of earning money from home and is a great feeling. I’ll never forget waking up and discover that I earned the first $23 dollar for a print of one of my photos during my sleep. *Good times*

More importantly, though, this was the kick in the rear I needed to learn Photoshop. And before I knew it, it all snowballed. I was hooked and learned to build my own website…

Start with one thing you enjoy and you’ll never know where it takes you.

Sell Stock Photos

Another way for selling your photos is on stock photo websites like these:

Shutterstock

Creative Market

Getty Images

Teach English Online

Are you an English native speaker or is your English at least very good? Then teaching English online might be worth a consideration. Tutoring people who learn English as a foreign language can earn you $25/hr, or even more. Yes, this is much more hands-on then answering an online survey, but it also pays better. If you enjoy teaching and communicating with people from all over the world, why not give it a go? Different websites have different requirements (like having a degree or being a resident of an English speaking country), so you might have to dig a bit deeper to find one that suits you. Check out sites like:

SayABC

VIPKid

Lingoda

Proofreading

If a misplaced semicolon makes you cringe and you have a blue fit everytime someone confuses “there” and “their” in their (!) writing, then proofreading might be an excellent side hustle for you.

Look for proofreading jobs on:

UpWork

EditFast

Gramlee

Lucrative Work-From-Home Jobs

Now some of these ways of earning money online might seem a bit menial and don’t offer huge payouts (like taking online surveys). They help pay the bills, but in the end, it’s nothing to write home about.

That being said, if you are still in that sleep-deprived zombie-state that is a known side effect of having a baby (the baby-brain state) – those might be the ones you are are looking for until the mental fog clears.

Once you feel like a normal human being again, you can up your game and try your hand at one of the more lucrative ways of earning money as a work-at-home mom.

Earn Money From Home Selling Your Expertise

One savvy mom entrepreneur way of making money from home is by leveraging your expertise. If you happen to be an expert in your field, you can set up a profile on sites like Clarity. People looking for advice in your area of genius can then schedule a call with you and pay you per minute.

I just had a quick look through some of the offers – some of the experts charge as much as a whopping $16.67 PER MINUTE. That’s a lovely $1000 per hour. *gasp* I might need to have a closer look at this opportunity…

Become a Virtual Assistant (VA)

Yet another way of using the expertise and skills you already have to make money working from home. As a virtual assistant, you help other people manage their lives and/or businesses. Depending on your client, you might handle their social media accounts, schedule meetings, manage Emails, send thank-you cards to their customers or whatever else you and your client agree upon.

You can find jobs for virtual assistants on sites like:

Upwork

Flexjobs

Remote

Freelancer

Create an Etsy Shop

If you are looking to sell your own physical or digital products like artworks, crafts, or printables, opening your own Etsy shop might be something to look into.

Start a Niche Blog

From what I can tell so far, finding a niche and creating your own blog is a great opportunity to potentially make a living or at least supplement your family’s income. Because there are so many different ways to finally monetize your blog, there’s a good chance you’ll find something that works for you. From running ads, to affiliate marketing or creating sponsored content – if you put the time and energy in, you can make this work.

You need to be prepared to do a lot of work upfront though and you might not see any income within the first few months. On the upside, you are your own boss, create your own schedule and run everything the way you want. This is for you if you’re not just looking for a side hustle but want to become a real mom entrepreneur.

Sounds A-M-A-Z-I-N-G, but you don’t know where to start? Check out my free roadmap to a successful online business that will take you by the hand and lead you through the 25 most important steps on your journey towards building your own profitable online business. You can also hop on my mailing list to get relevant tips and tricks delivered right into your inbox. =)

Oh, and when you are REALLY ready to kick it up a notch and get serious about making money blogging, check out my “Work From Home Made Easy” Business Plan Bundle! It will lead you through finding your business vision, mission, offer, brand, promotion strategy and so much more… Ready to make your dream a reality? Go!

Conclusion

Thanks to the Internet, stay-at-home-moms have more opportunities than ever before to contribute to their family’s income. This is great news! There are lots of ways for nifty mompreneurs to earn money from home while raising their kids.

Personally, I’ve earned some money from selling photos and designs on print-on-demand sites, from affiliate marketing and from writing for the Medium partner program.

You might have to try a few to see which ones work for you and which ones don’t. Have you tried any so far? What are your experiences? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments. =)

Happy experimenting!

Yours,

PS: Don’t forget to share the love and share this post with everyone who might benefit from reading it. Thanks! =)

Smart Mom Entrepreneur Ideas: How to Earn Money From Home