6 Simple Ways Moms can be Productive While Staying at Home

Many mothers would leap at the chance to make some more money, so they can afford treats for themselves and their families. Other mums need to spend time with their hobbies after a long day with young children.

They may be good at what they do, with people regularly saying ‘You should sell these!’ But is there any potential?

The Opportunity to make Money

Some side hustles develop into full time businesses. Matthew Karsten, a writer who thought of ways of making extra money online ended up with a six figure salary and was able to travel the world. Actually, anyone can freelance, and sidelines can be harnessed to a person’s life goals. Let’s now look at six simple ideas that could be a cash-generator for moms.

1. Provide an Ironing Service

Some people may consider using their ironing skills for a side hustle. Whilst it will take up time, it is possible to listen to music or watch the television during the ironing. If there are babies or young children at home it’s also easier to keep an eye on them while it occurs. People can locally advertise through social media and notes in shop windows, or join an agency.

To keep and grow their business, it’s important that people do the ironing well and make a good impression. Quality coat hangers help promote a professional image. It’s worth taking out some form of indemnity insurance just in case someone’s clothes get accidentally damaged. It may take a while to get the pricing right, but people either charge by the weight or by individual items. Remember that a shirt will take longer than a T-cloth, and adjust the prices accordingly!

It may even be worth doing some work for free in return for customer testimonials, for use on the person’s website, adverts or social media posts.

2. Sell arts and crafts

Anyone who enjoys making things at home can consider setting up a small sideline selling them. It could be anything from jewellery to pillow cases or makeup bags. There are internet sites like Etsy that can be used to promote these products. Online shops can be set up using such providers as Shopify.

Digital designs can also be uploaded on to sides like Redbubble or Zazzle. These items are not sold from home. Instead, the site takes their commission and provides a print on demand service. Successful designs might end up on peoples’ mugs and T-shirts, greetings cards with the help of DTG printing process. Whilst the earnings may be less, there’s no hassle storing goods and dealing with postage and customer queries.

3. Take online surveys

According to one piece of research, females comprise 70-80% of consumers. There is therefore a huge opportunity for women to receive money in exchange for answering retail questions. Many companies are prepared to pay money, give free products or vouchers in return for completed surveys.

There are online scams to avoid, such as those asking the public to pay money to join. Always set up a different email address for doing surveys. This is because inboxes quickly fill up with surveys and advertising material as a result.

It’s also worth reading reviews before opting for a company, because some remove peoples’ points if they don’t claim them within a certain amount of time, and others pay nothing until people have reached a certain level. Online survey companies vary, but in some cases the actual hourly rate can be quite low.

4. Create online courses

Online training is hugely popular these days because so many people want to learn things. Anyone who has a field of expertise can consider generating cash through devising courses. There are many companies that provide online training such as Teachable and Udemy, and people can post their courses online through them.

Individuals can set up courses that include written modules also containing photos and video content. There are often handouts that can be downloaded during each section, with a test at the end. Users of the course can usually download a qualification or course completion certificate for future reference.

Some folk create free training videos on Youtube. It’s possible to advertise one’s own website and products during this, and to include internet links in the video description to promote sales. If a person uses the keywords that people are using on Google, it is more likely that the videos will appear in a person’s search results.

People often begin by making posts on social media to advertise their courses, and may progress into using Facebook Ads aimed at targeted audiences.

5. Take up blogging

If a person can publish a written post on Facebook, they can blog. Perhaps someone is passionate about a cause, or knowledgeable about a subject or hobby. They may derive loads of satisfaction by writing about their specialist field in this way.

There are sites like Medium.com that can host peoples’ blogs. They even pay the writers, based on the time people spend reading the articles. Other people buy a domain name and internet host. They then use software like Blogger or Word press to publish their blogs.

If someone has a website that contains products for sale, blogs are a great opportunity to include internet links to redirect people there, to generate money.

6. Use your photography gift

It has been said that the photography market will be worth $150 billion by 2026. Anyone who enjoys taking pictures for a hobby could consider monetising it. There are online photography courses people can take to hone their skills, alongside local photography clubs.

If someone posts appealing photos on Pinterest or other social media sites, they can gain a following. People who have over 10,000 followers on Instagram have the opportunity to be paid for posting adverts there. Links can be made on your profile pages, taking people to the sales pages on your own website.

There are a number of online pages where people can buy photos to use personally or for business use. People who upload their pictures here can earn a passive income from the commission.

It’s clear to see from all this that there are scores of ways an innovative mum can make some extra money. It can frequently come from skills or interests that someone already has such as ironing, blogging, arts and crafts and photography. In addition people can complete surveys and make  online courses. Who knows what can come out of this venture? There may be surprises in store!