How can I become a work from home mom?

Time and time again I am asked by moms if I know of any legit, online, work from home business opportunities. There are actually quite a few options for mothers who want to run their own business from home. Before you get started though it is important to think about an effective business plan right from the start. Taking your business to the next level and becoming a work from home mom require planning.

Take time to think about the start up cost, where you are going to sell your services or product. Do market research and see if people will actually pay for your product? Your niece might rave about your peanut butter cookies, but will people actually pay you for them?

Test your business out first by trying to sell your product on Facebook yard sale groups or on their marketplace. Testing your business idea first will allow you to work through issues and determine if it’s something you want to pursue as a full-time work from home job.

How to make a living from selling your crafts

If you are crafty at all, why not start a craft business. There are many options when it comes to selling your items. Many women I know sell their crafts on Facebook marketplace, Kijiji, Folksy, Etsy and Ebay. For quite some time my cousin was making DIY tie blankets and selling them through Facebook.

Another option is to sell your creations online through websites such as shopify.ca. I often see people ask where they should sell their products and my answer is as many places as you can. Why wouldn’t you

Once you have set up an online store, work at getting your shop seen and achieving sales. Link to your shops from your Facebook page, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram accounts to increase viewing and future sales.

Giveaways

Use online giveaways to attract new potential customers. A giveaway or competition will bring in a lot of new followers. Facebook is usually my first option when I want to advertise a giveaway I am hosting.

Sell your bake goods

If you’re a mom with a culinary flair, why not get paid for it? Start selling your bake goods online. Don’t want to bake? Consider starting a food blog where you can share your recipes and optimize it to make money from advertising revenue.

When you’re choosing a home-based business of any kind, make sure you do your homework to see all the regulations that may apply.

The secret to any home based business success, besides offering a great product or service, is marketing. People can’t buy from you if they don’t know about you. Creating an online presence is very important.

Freelance Writing

Although income from writing has decreased there are still many opportunities where you can still make money from article writing, resume writing, essay writing, or keyword ad writing. Both problogger job board and freelancewriting.com list freelance writing jobs.

How To Start A Review Blog

Obviously, I’m a huge advocate for starting your own review blog. Product reviews are the number one way to increase revenue from your blog. First, you will need to start a blog on either Blogger or WordPress. Using a free platform limits your earning potential, but it gives you a starting point for building an audience.

I started on Blogger many years ago before moving to my own domain. Once you have an audience, you can easily transfer your blog over to a web-host. Once your blog is at its own domain you can set up to host ads, and make sure that you have a page on your blog discussing your advertising options.

Delivering your pitch

Before pitching companies to review their products it helps if you start reviewing products you already own. That tip comes from Darren Rowse who is a blogger, speaker, consultant and founder of several blogs and blog networks. He gave me the tip via Twitter back in 2014 when I started my review blog.

Before you start delivering your pitch create a media kit which goes into detail about your demographics, social media reach, web traffic, and what differentiates you from other bloggers in your niche. This is also essential for advertising and you’ll want to add a page to your website that outlines your advertising guidelines.

Follow businesses that you’re interested in working with on Social media and share their content on a regular base with your audience. I’ve had numerous companies contact me, because of a Facebook post.

Email the companies you’re interested in working with a short proposal of what you can do for their business. The PR department contact information can normally be found via the website. If you’re having trouble finding a contact for the marketing or PR Department, try searching online press releases.

Final thoughts

These work-from-home business opportunities are only a small sample of the number of positions that can be done remotely.

Turning your hobby into a business is a great way to make money doing something you love. Even if you are a review blogger, you need to treat your venture as a professional business.

I still see myself very much as a beginner in this whole online business world, but what a great few years it has been. If you have an idea, my suggestion, for you, is to just go for it. Don’t let anything hold you back from fulfilling your dreams. I hope my suggestions in some way have helped you become a work from home mom.

Do you have any suggestions for starting an online business?