Being a stay-at-home parent is someone who stays home to raise her children and manage the household. She or he could be highly educated; however, they’ve left a job to stay home to raise children and plans on returning to the workforce once the children are older. Being a stay-at-home parent used to mean that you had to choose between your career and spending time with your children. Stepping out of the workforce meant that you’d no longer be contributing to social security, saving money for your children’s college, and building up your retirement. But the trends are changing; by 2027, the Freelancing in America Survey projects that more than half of the US workforce will be working a freelance job. And freelancing isn’t your only option. If you’ve always dreamed of starting your own business, there are plenty of viable home-based options, with little to no startup costs. Working from home enables you to take on the workload that is right for your situation and set your hours, leaving you plenty of time to take your children to school, prepare home-cooked meals, and, most importantly, spend quality time with your loved ones. Below is a list of remote businesses you can launch today as a stay-at-home parent.
Open a Childcare Center
Rather than sending your children to a daycare center, you could start your own. This would allow you to make money, and your children would get plenty of social interaction with their peers in this setting. You can take on as many clients as you can handle, at whatever age range works for you.
Offer Professional Lessons or Coaching Services
Do you have skills or talents that you aren’t utilizing? You could offer music or dance lessons from your home. Depending on your educational and work background, you could also become an online coach for areas like health and wellness, personal empowerment, finance, and business.
Tutoring
Being a stay-at-home parent doesn’t mean your degree is useless. Tutoring can be a great way to stay sharp and earn a side income, and there are plenty of sites where you can tutor online via video chat. Even if you don’t have a degree, you can still teach; there are plenty of non-native speakers who want to learn English, and you can do this online too!
Start a Blog
Do you want to create a name for yourself, stay current in your field while raising your children, or strengthen your writing skills? It doesn’t cost anything to start a blog as long as you have an internet connection and a computer. Starting a blog will also allow you to network for future opportunities. You can write about any topic you’re passionate about: finance, health, pop culture, travel—the sky’s the limit!
Edit or Write Books
If you’re a book aficionado, the literary world may be the field for you! With the growing number of self-published books, there is plenty of room for editors who want to help authors polish their work. Self-publishing also makes it easy for you to share your creative vision with the world or even work as a ghostwriter.
Open an Online Store
If you like to work with your hands and create, you can take your talents to the online marketplace. Etsy is a great place to set up an online store. Merchants make and sell items like jewelry, clothing, handmade cosmetics, and more.
Gig Work
Sites like Upwork and Fiverr allow you to take on projects at your own pace. There is a wide range of jobs available—from graphic designer to personal assistant, to website design, to copywriter, and more.
Becoming an Uber or Lyft driver is another way to work at your convenience, get out of the house, and talk with people. Just turn on the app and set your availability when you feel like working!
Whatever you decide to pursue as a work-at-home parent, make sure you stay true to your passions and purpose. Remember, self-employment can be very time consuming if you allow it to be. If your primary goal is to spend as much time as possible with your kids during their formative years, make sure you set boundaries on how much you choose to work. Savor the flexibility that comes with working from home!
