Who says that mums have to take leave from work and go the stay-at-home route? Even if you’ve recently gone through pregnancy, there are more options than just taking care of your child and cleaning every day.
Entrepreneurship and small businesses are more accessible than ever. Even if you find yourself out of the workplace due to parenting responsibilities, there are always creative ways to find a balance between work and home. This means, you can be home to take care of your newborn whilst still generating income for your family.
With a bit of research and resourcefulness you too can start something lucrative.
Child-care fees often eat into money that mothers make
With the rising cost of child-care, it makes more sense to engage in work which minimises the expense of paying child-care fees to enable you to go to work. The average cost of long day care in Australia ranges from $70 - $185 per day. For some working mothers this can be more than half of their daily wage.
This is especially difficult for families with property. According to the team at Maxiron Capital, a property equity release company, paying for daycare and property at the same time is extremely difficult, saying that “paying for daycare adds up to several hundreds of dollars a week. New families who have just purchased a home will be essentially doubling their cost of living because of this. This is definitely a difficult time for families and it’s why we see so many mothers look for work-at-home side-hustles”.
There are opportunities worth considering that can make a decent living for mothers and minimise the cost of child-care whilst juggling children and work. Mums can be one of the growing statistics of 1 in 3 people working from home in Australia if they are willing to think outside of the square.
In fact, the team at Living Consciously, recommend this because it’s healthier for both the parents and the children, saying that “spending quality time with your children is essential for their development. Especially if you want to have a good relationship with them once they’re older. With remote work growing in popularity, work-at-home rather than stay-at-home parenting is the best balance”.
Business start-ups worth considering
1. Health & wellness consultant
The growth in the health and wellness industry in the last few years has been phenomenal. According to the Global and Wellness Institute, wellness is a 4.2 trillion dollar industry, with 12.8% growth from 2015-2017. People are no longer solely relying on medical professionals to improve or maintain their health and wellbeing, but looking for solutions in natural health, complementary medicine or nutrition. Training and qualifications can be obtained by studying online at home (which can be achievable with children with the right motivation and planning).
The founder of Get A Healthy Life, a health & wellness consulting business, highlights the benefits of health and wellness consulting businesses, saying that “you are able to choose your own hours and decide who you work with. When you’re working in a corporate environment, it’s a gamble whether your next client is an angel or someone that’ll give you a headache for months. If you want to get into health and wellness, now is the time”.
2. Catering
Are you a good cook, or enjoy cooking? Cash in on it! With the fascination of different diets such as Paleo, LCHF (low-carb, high-fat), Keto, low FODMAP and gluten free, busy working people may pay for their meals, snack foods and salads to be prepared for them to save time and effort at the end of their working day.
The best thing is all the equipment you need for your business is right there in your home kitchen! All it takes is some research into diets and recipes, a way to promote your cooking (such as social media) and you are on your way.
3. Child-care – family-based care or even babysitting.
You are already at home looking after children, so why not add another child in? Simply by being a mother you have naturally learnt the skills to care for and nurture children. If you want to go the whole distance, you can become a fully registered family day carer or just babysit other people’s children for short terms whilst they go out for dinner, appointments, etc.
Parents feel secure knowing their child is being cared for by someone who is a parent themselves. You can share your services by social media, display posters in your geographical area or be more personal and rely on mouth to mouth referrals.
4. Online virtual assistant/administration/data entry
More and more companies are outsourcing their administration duties to people working from home. A virtual assistant job includes performing all the tasks you would if you were present in an office or corporate environment. With the advent of the internet, video conferencing, email and other technology, most of the duties of a personal assistant or administration officer can be performed from home if you have a suitably set-up home office space. Search for positions on mainstream employment sites using “work-from-home” or “work-at-home” in your search terms.
5. Sell things you create
Are you a crafty person? Do you love making things? In our world of mass-produced commercial items, people love the uniqueness of hand crafted or customised items. You can make what is previously thought as a hobby into an income earning business by selling your items online on platforms such as Etsy, Ebay, Zazzle, CafePress, Facebook or at local markets.
6. Graphic design
If you have prior experience or qualifications in graphic design, you can set up your own home business or do freelance work for other companies. All you need is a computer and the right software. Graphic designers are used by internet companies, marketing companies, and advertising companies, just to name a few.
7. Cake making/decorating
Have you made cakes for your children that look like something out of a magazine? Well you should think of refining those skills and selling them to other mums who just don’t have the time or skills to make cakes worthy of an award.
Again, everything you need for this business will be in your very own kitchen, you just need to add your creative flair. You may be surprised how popular your business grows once word of mouth spreads at children’s birthday parties.
8. Pet care services
Many people consider their pets as part of their family and are not afraid to outlay money to ensure they are cared for properly whilst they work or are on holiday. Additional services such as grooming, nail clipping, bathing or just checking in on a pet and feeding them are also useful. Walking dogs also has the added benefit of getting you exercise while you work. Bonus!
These are only 8 ways for business start-ups for mums to work from home. If you look harder and willing to rethink your expectations about work, I am sure you will find other ideas to produce a worthwhile income whilst still being there for your children. Being a working mum doesn’t always mean you have to leave home to do it.
But remember, the most important thing as a mum is to stay stress-free. This means happier homes, better relationships, and a better life in general.
Author's Bio
Julian Parsons is an Australian writer and a business administration student living in Sydney. He is passionate about financial data and project management. Julian enjoys photography and when he’s not studying or writing, you’ll find him outdoors capturing shots of nature.
Agree (0)
Disagree (
__small.png)
