How to make money: Best Jobs for Stay at Home Moms in 2020

Tumultuous 2020. The unemployment rate is nearly 20%, small businesses are closing left and right, we’ve suddenly become home-schooling parents, and we’re staying home and spending more time on devices than ever as a result of COVID19.

With great change comes great opportunity. If there was ever a time to start a new job for a stay at home mom, it’s now. Families need extra income and parents need creative outlets to keep them sane. Although I reference moms in this article, dads, non-parents, students, and teens can benefit just as much.

I’ve been self-employed most of my life and a self-employed mom for 20 years and counting. Every business I’ve built has had an online supportive component. Now, amidst this time of intense change, I’ve gone fully online. Why?

• I want freedom and flexibility with little material and monetary investment and risk.
• I want to work on my own schedule and be able to work from anywhere; from the corner park, while I wait for the kids to finish up a class or assignment, in bed in my pajamas, in the shade under an apple tree, or from the beach on the other side of the world while on vacation with my family.
• I want to make money online with an eco-friendly business that doesn’t use up natural resources or create pollution.
• I want to express my unique voice and do something I’m passionate about.
• I want to give back in ways that are helpful and make other people’s lives better in some way as I support my family.

If that’s what you value too, keep reading. After decades of experience and study, and with the unique experiences of our COVID pandemic, online businesses have emerged as the top jobs for stay at home moms in 2020. 

I should note that when I say stay at home mom, I mean a mom who has the freedom to stay home if she wants, not a mom who must stay at home. Our adventurous family loves to travel and income from our online business allows us to travel and still make money. In fact, we consider ourselves digital nomads. Digital nomads use online tools to make money and can work from anywhere we have an internet connection.

 

Here’s are questions you’ll find answers to in this article:

Do I have enough time to build an online business?

What resources do I need to start an online job from home?

Do I have the skills, knowledge, and support to be successful?

Who will my customers be?

What kind of business can I start?

How do I work from home with kids?

How can I make money with my online job?

At the end of this article, you’ll find a “Do I have what it takes to build my own online job checklist”. 

Let’s get started!

 

How much time does a job for a stay at home mom take?

If you can devote at least 30 minutes per day to an online job, you can build a business. Consistent action builds an online business much faster than sporadic bursts with long breaks.

The more time you have to regularly work on your web-based business, the faster it can grow. Even more important than having a lot of time, is working smartly and efficiently. It takes a bit of time to set up the structure and systems of your project, but when you do it right, the time you work each day to keep it growing isn’t much.

You can work at your own pace with flexible and convenient work hours. Many parents work after their kids go to bed, or get up early to relish the silent early morning hours. Luckily, most kids need more sleep than we do. You can get the kids in bed, thrown in a load of wash and get in a solid work session before you need to throw it in the dryer.

Not all the tasks of building an online job require quiet focused time. Some building blocks of an online business can be done in small increments of time while your kids play at the park, while you wait for them to get out of a class, finish an assignment, or watch a single episode of their favorite show. When we take our kids to the skate park is when I post my social media promotions from my phone or listen to a podcast or class lesson on business.

If you already know what you want to call your business, you can click here and reserve your website name right now. In 30 minutes you can have a website name and a blog started.

What resources do I need to start an online job from home?

You might be surprised how little you need to begin. Consider J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter book series. She lived in a car and wrote The Sorcerer's Stone on her laptop using the internet service in a variety of cafes. Now her net worth is more than that of Queen Elizabeth.

Let’s look at what you need to start an online job for a stay at home mom.

1. $3.95 per month for hosting fees
2. A way to access the internet: A computer, tablet or phone with an internet connection

A Website Name

To start an online business you need a venue for sharing information, you need a website. It can be a simple blog or as complex as you want it to be. The first step towards this is securing a name for it. This domain name is the address people will use to find you online and begins with www.

You register your unique domain name with a company that will host your name for you, giving you the ability to build a website with it. We prefer to use Bluehost for this because of their super value and good customer service. They help you verify that your chosen domain name is available, they give you extra security to keep your site safe from hackers, and they help you set up your site on Wordpress, all for $3.95 per month.

If you can spare 14 cents per day, already have a website/business name in mind, and have just been waiting to take the next step, do it now! Here’s the link that will get your business started for you: Bluehost.

A Way To Access The Internet

Once you have an online address, you need to access it with a device. Sometimes we delay a new beginning because we think we need a fancy set up. You don’t. All you need to begin is a device you are comfortable using. If you have a cell phone you can begin today.

Is a cell phone enough? Yes. Full-length movies have been made using an iPhone, really. You can google it. Books have been written, and businesses built on cell phones. If you’re comfortable on a phone, you can use it to build your online job and easily take your office anywhere you go. Phones also make social media like Instagram easy to use.

Are a computer and a cell phone better? Yes. I like using a larger screen because I’m visual… and 50. My eyes like longer stints of writing and working with photos on a screen that I don’t need my reading glasses for.

 

Do I have the skills/knowledge to be successful?

Yes, you do. You have a unique voice born of a lifetime collection of experiences that no other human has. The way your mind works, the memories you have, the challenges you’ve faced, learned from and found solutions for, what you yearn for… all of these make you unique, one of a kind.

If you doubt that you have something of value to offer and build a business on, consider that Marie Kondo wrote a book and built an 8 million dollar empire about cleaning her house. Her best-seller book: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.

You have a lifetime of experience no one else has. You have a personality, likes, and dislikes that are unique to you. In marketing speak, we’d call that your personal brand.

Chances are that a million-dollar idea is right in front of your face, a skill so easy and habitual that you don’t even recognize it, or a bit of knowledge you take for granted.

Do you like to learn?

If you’re curious and like to learn how to do new things, building an online business can be a fun puzzle.

When you’re in charge of your own online job, you get to decide how simple or complex it is. You decide whether to write, use images, use video, explore new technology, or create products, how to monetize your site, how you want to promote your business, and how fast you want to grow.

If you can raise a family, you can create a job for a stay at home mom. You are more than capable.

 

What if I’m not a good writer?

I took a book writing class once. The teacher recognized that talking is often easier than writing so she had us write a list of questions we’d answer in our book and paired each of us up with another student to interview us using those questions. We recorded the interview and then transcribed it. I actually hired someone for $5 per hour to transcribe it for me. 

If you can talk, you can write, or at least get it written down. We’re usually better at answering questions than writing from the creative abyss. If you’re not sure what to write, come up with a question you think people are asking and answer it!

If you don’t like to write, you can vlog (make videos). There is a person on youtube who has over 27 MILLION views for an 18-minute video of his hands opening 30 plastic eggs with Paw Patrol toys in them. He has ads on his Youtube page. When people click on those ads, he gets paid. I’m hoping you’ll do something more helpful to the world than that, but as you can see, vlogging is a viable business model.

Starting a blog, a vlog, or a simple web site is easy. Consistently adding valuable material builds your community of readers, your email list and when you monetize your site, it builds your income. Every step of the way is figure-outable. Others have taken every step you will need to take and there are heaps of online support.

 

Who will my customers be?

One of the benefits of online jobs for stay at home moms is that they give you a creative outlet. They let you share your thoughts, hard-earned wisdom, and experiences with other adults. Building a business is an introspective time of self-inquiry. You get to choose what aspects of yourself you want to share.

There are 4.5 billion internet users worldwide, there are people asking the questions you can answer, people with needs you can fulfill with your unique online offering.

If you don’t believe me, here’s a successful unique offering: a simple online business that texts random cat facts to people for a small fee just sold for $50,000. Their net income was between $2,000 and $10,000 per month.

There is surely a group of people who will appreciate and purchase what you choose to offer and doing your due diligence and researching the viability of your ideas is smart business. Start by asking your friends about your ideas or join a business mastermind for feedback. 

 

What kind of job for stay at home moms can I start?

There are millions of possible business models a person can use. The most valuable asset of any business is its customers. You can communicate with your customers and potential customers via your website, email, and social media. 

"Customers want to interact with you when you build trust with them and they feel understood."

The best way to build these relationships is by generously sharing your wisdom, advice, insights, solutions, and inspiration in your own unique way. People like to buy from people they trust. That’s why Trip Advisor, Yelp, Wired, and other mass review sites and starred customer reviews of goods and services are so popular—they build trust.

Start by getting your voice out there. Start your blog or vlog today and have at least one social media account to promote it.  See where it takes you. You don’t need to have it all figured out before you start. Start now and pay attention to the people who find you and what blog, vlog or social media posts create the biggest response and then do more of that.

Invest now in listening to your potential customers. Ask questions on Facebook or Instagram about what people want, would pay for, or problems they need solutions for. 

After you have some real-life guidance, consider what you'd enjoy offering and start there. 

When you have limited time, start by taking small, consistent steps and do more of what works. An advantage you have is not having a huge budget and full –time work hours available.

“Too many people make a huge business investment upfront and fail because they didn’t take the time to grow organically and listen to their customers/fans.”

 

 

How do I work from home with kids?  

You must carve out uninterrupted time for you.

• This can be while your kids are sleeping.
• It can be while they watch a video or read.
• Sometimes it can be while they play at the park and you work from your phone.
• If they’re old enough, it can be while you shut your door with a 30 minute “do not disturb” order.
• It can be while you have a childminder to be with the kids.
• Your partner or other family member takes the kids on an outing.

You must have this time.

My partner minds our boys while I work, often door closed with headphones on.

Clear boundaries about when I can be interrupted let me gather my thoughts to write. Those boundaries aren’t always honored. Sometimes our youngest one needs to show me a drawing he’s done or how much math he just finished, or they need help with a homework question. Although it took some time, they mostly leave me to my work when asked.

 

Work from home tips

Working from home requires a dose of discipline. You make your own schedule and to-do lists. Here are some tips for streamlining your work sessions. 

1. Make your to-do list the night before. This lets you start the next day without having to make decisions. You can get right to work.
2. Prioritize your to-do list. Organize your tasks into “must get done” “awesome if I get this done” and “what a gift to get done”. Complete your “must get done” items before you do anything else.
3. Don’t check email or social media unless it’s required to complete your “must get done” items. It’s too easy to start responding and not move your business forward.
4. Set annual and monthly goals and check in weekly to monitor your progress and course-correct if needed. I do this on Fridays.
5. Be consistent. Do something on your priority list every day.
6. Just start. Keep moving forward. It doesn’t need to be perfect. You can edit everything as you go.

 

How can I make money with an online job for a stay at home mom? 

There are myriad ways to monetize a blog (organize it in a way that encourages customers to take actions that help them and make you money). Once you've started your blog, have one social media account, and have questioned and listened to your audience's needs, you have a direction to grow. Your task now is to continue to produce focused, valuable content for your readers. As I said earlier, your customer list is gold.  Make sure you have a way to gather their email on your blog. Only after this is in place, should you monetize your blog. 

Here are the best ways to make money online with your blog: 

1. Review products. When you do reviews you can include a link in your blog/vlog that people can click on and purchase the product you recommend. People commonly do this with Amazon, but you can find companies who may provide you with a personalized link that pays you directly. This is called affiliate marketing. 
2. Affiliate marketing. You can register with affiliate marketing sites that give you lists of companies offering affiliate programs. You can also register directly with some companies. Look on their website header or footer for "Affiliates". You'll set up an account (including where to deposit your earnings!) and get your personal links. When you share them and someone makes a purchase, you get paid. 
3. Advertising. When you achieve 25,000 website views in one month, you qualify for Mediavine, an advertising agency that populates your site with select ads. Most people report a starting income of about $600 per month with this. 
4. You can make something that you sell yourself! You can sell knowledge like books, programs, coaching... or products. 
5. When you have built up your followers and email list, some companies will pay you to review and suggest their products. To maintain trust with your audience, it's important to only recommend products you truly believe in. 

 

Do I have what it takes to build an online business?

Here’s your checklist:

• I can invest $3.95 per month
• I have or will set up a website/blog today 
• I have at least one social media channel
• I have a device and internet connection
• I can take consistent action to build my business
• I have a curious and can-do attitude
• I like to help others
• I have a keen ear to listen to my customers/fans
• I am part of a business success support team (mastermind link)

 

 How did you do? Are you ready for your first business to-do list? 

Today’s to-do list:

1. Register my website name at Bluehost. Click the link. In 20 minutes you can have your blog set up!
2. Join our free business success support mastermind group. Click the link to learn more. 

 

Remember:

You have unique gifts to offer the world.

You can structure your stay at home job to suit your lifestyle demands.

You can do this.

It’s all figure-outable.

Start where you are.

We’re here to help.

 

 

 

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Written by Your Vegan Family 

Stacy and Markus live an adventurous vegan lifestyle and write articles about their experiences cooking global vegan cuisine, creating businesses, raising vegan kids, and traveling through more than 65 countries. They earned degrees in molecular biology and acupuncture, consulted over decades for healthcare companies and individuals, created businesses in Asian medicine and cultural immersion, and taught yoga in myriad venues.

We’ve learned a lot from eating a plant-based diet for 25 years and are eager to share more with you. Learn more on our About Us page.