As stay at home moms, we all have a fantastic set of skills that we might not even realize we have. What we do might be the most rewarding job in the world, but raising children is a job within itself- one that’s full time, 24/7, 365 days a year. While you might not go to a traditional workplace, what you do in the home and raising your kids will have given you all kinds of skills- from being able to juggle multiple tasks, to managing a household to organisational and time management abilities.
So if you find yourself in a position where you want to start a home business venture that’s fulfilling as well as earns you some extra cash then you already have a great foundation of skills to build upon. Maybe your children have started school and you’ve found yourself with a couple of free hours during the day, or perhaps its something you plan on doing during the kids naptimes and bedtimes. Either way, starting a home based venture can be fantastic for building your self esteem, improving your skills and giving you a bit of help financially so is well worth doing. Here’s how you can go about it!
What are your passions and skills?
If you want to create a successful home business then the first thing worth doing is identifying your passions, and build upon any existing skills you already have. While you can start from scratch and teach yourself skills along the way, if you already have something to work from it will make the process much easier. Think about hobbies you enjoy now or have done in the past, or experience that previous jobs have given you. Take a moment to reflect on your interests and skills and identify the areas where you excel.
Market Research
Once you’ve discovered your passion, it’s important to conduct some market research. Is there a demand for what you plan on making? Investigate the demand for your chosen niche, see who your potential competitors will be and from there you can explore what will set you apart. This allows you to craft your unique selling point and find a spot within your niche that will allow you to appeal to customers without directly competing with more established businesses.
Explore Business Ideas
Now comes the exciting part- exploring various home business ideas! Here are a few popular options that could align with the skills and interests of many stay at home moms.
Handmade Crafts: If you have a flair for creativity, consider selling your handmade crafts online or at local craft fairs. This could be things like baking, jewellery making, soap making, candle making, crochet, clothes making, card making and more.
Virtual Assistance: Are you highly organised and efficient? Maybe you’ve previously worked as a PA or had a demanding job role that gave you skills and experience in organisation and management. Many businesses and entrepreneurs look for virtual assistants to help manage their administrative tasks remotely. This allows you to make the most of your exceptional organisational skills with the added bonus of working from home.
Blogging or Freelance Writing: If you have a way with words, blogging or freelance writing can be an excellent choice. You can share your experiences, expertise, or even fictional stories through engaging content and potentially earn money through sponsorships, affiliate marketing, or freelance gigs.
Set up a shop or website
Once you know what you’ll sell, who your target market are and you’ve perfected your product your next step is to set up a shop or website. There are lots of different types of e-commerce stores online, you can sell via social media and also have online marketplaces like eBay, Amazon and Etsy. You could set up your own website and go it alone, just be aware of the cost and process involved in something like this. You will need someone to design and manage your site, and a good checkout system that can handle card payments, Paypal and process foreign payments. However, having your own site means you can avoid the fees of online marketplaces and also looks more professional so is something to aim for eventually.
The initial getting set up part of starting a business can take time and be a bit of an involved process. However, once that’s done you’re good to go, and can then focus on things like adding to your product selection, marketing, branding and more.
Meg is an author at Cinnamon Hollow. She writes on a variety of topics sharing tips and ideas for daily life.
