If given the chance, staying at home with the children is what most parents would relish. Unfortunately, raising children has never been more expensive and often requires two incomes to meet monthly living expenses. If however, one parent does stay at home there are many home based business opportunities to take advantage of to earn some extra income. Below are some of the best home business ideas for stay at home moms.
If you're a fairly organized individual who loves socializing and setting up events then party planning may be right for you. Individuals with large social networks will be able to easily tap into the need for someone to organize events for birthdays, weddings, graduations and other family get-togethers. Once started, word-of-mouth tends to take over and you may be busy every weekend getting another event ready.
Day care is normally the default home-based business for stay-at-home moms because of its ease of setup and high demand. Parents are continually looking for dependable high-quality childcare which doesn't break the bank. This could be an easy niche to fill if you like looking after multiple children. There may be some additional state licensing requirements to operate as a daycare provider so do your research first to make sure you're compliant with all laws and regulations.
Altering or repairing clothes especially during tough economic times can be a full-time business in and of itself. If you have the skill and hardware, such as a newly computerized sewing machine, to work with people's clothes then this can be a great business opportunity. It's easy enough to have people drop off their clothes for alterations or repairs and pick them up a few days later with a check in hand.
More than likely you may already be offering children shuttle services and not even know it. Many stay-at-home moms often drive a group of kids to after school activities or youth sporting events as part of their schedule. Why not turn this into a business and offer to formally shuttle children to various activities for a reasonable fee. If you have a large sport utility vehicle or minivan you may have the capacity to handle many shuttling duties for other parents. This could be considered a transportation service and may require additional insurance or licensing by the state.
For individuals who are good with numbers and have a degree in accounting or finance, offering bookkeeping and accounting services for other small businesses can lead to significant additional money for your family. Many small businesses need assistance filing required state taxes or auditing their books to check for fraud or theft above and beyond what bookkeeping software provides. Much like being a seamstress, you can do this at your leisure or work as closely with another business as you choose. Handling the books for a few clients can be enough to keep you busy and make a nice paycheck as well.
If you have a creative personality and access to a professional level camera then photography can make a great home business. Whether doing portrait photography, spending an afternoon doing wedding photography or taking stock photographs for sale online the opportunities are endless. It will require an initial investment of a few thousand dollars to get the right equipment if you don't already have it available. Turning a hobby and creative outlet like photography into a business while staying at home with the kids can be the best of both worlds.
There are many more great home business ideas for stay-at-home moms such as being a blogger, creating various arts and crafts, selling fresh vegetables at farmers markets and offering music lessons. The key is to pick something you already enjoy doing and turning it into a means for making extra income for you and your family. Work that specifically allows you to stay at home may be the best but not necessarily the only option for home-based businesses. Keep an open mind and try a few different ideas and eventually you will find that business idea which is perfect for you and your family.
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