Start making money today with these real online business ideas for stay at home moms!
Hey there momma, are you wondering how to make money as a stay at home mom?
If you find yourself asking how stay at home moms make money, then you are not alone! It is a question that crosses the mind of many sahms.
[Read: How to be a Stay at Home Mom: A Completely Honest Guide to Becoming a Sahm]
There are many ways stay at home moms make money. Some start their own businesses, some find work at home opportunities, and some build online businesses.
[Read 31 Best Side Hustles for Stay at Home Moms]
But not all side gigs are created equal, momma.
I have tried many different things over the years, such as running a daycare, freelance writing, and blogging. I even contracted my services out for a bit, back when I was still a social worker, with my own consulting business.
Every idea for making money as a sahm comes with its own set of pros and cons. For instance, running a daycare is fun, but not so very flexible. I couldn’t just grab my kiddos and run to the pool during the middle of the day, like I can now, as a freelance writer.
And even though I can create my own schedule as a freelancer, it still comes with deadlines. And so I often find myself working on the way home from the lake, and that’s not always fun either.
As you consider home based business ideas, keep your family’s needs and lifestyle in mind. Some ideas will require more structure and business-like hours, and some are very flexible.
And some are entirely passive. 😁
But if you are looking for more flexibility than a traditional business can offer, then check out these proven stay at home mom entrepreneur ideas! This list is chock-full of real online businesses, successfully started by real stay at home moms.
There’s sure to be one that will work for you!
Real online jobs for stay at home moms
When I think about online jobs for stay at home moms, I kind of categorize the options in my mind as:
1.) ways to make passive income, and
2.) trading time for money.
For example, if you offer an online service, such as freelancing or web design, that is trading your time for money. And if you, say, sell a digital product or offer ad space, that is creating passive income.
Most stay at home moms start by offering a service, before creating passive income streams.
As they become more and more successful, they drop the services and focus solely on passive income.
Online services you can offer
So, if you are looking to start your own online business, here’s ten service-based businesses that have worked well for many sahms.
In fact, even highly successful stay at home moms, such as Elna Cain, from Twins Mommy, and Suzi Whitford, from Start a Mom Blog, started out by offering a service on this list!
If they can do it, so can you, momma!!
1. Freelance writing
My personal favorite, of course. 😁
If you like to write, then freelancing might be a good business for you. It’s relatively easy to get started.
All it takes is a computer, an internet connection, your own website, and a little bit of writing skills. You do not need a fancy degree, in-depth training, or any expensive equipment.
Many moms write for big brands, such as Walmart, but the possibilities are virtually endless. Nearly every business has a website nowadays, and they all need someone to write their web copy, newsletters, and blog articles.
You could go with a big brand and popular websites. Or you could establish yourself within a certain niche, such as parenting, pets, or health.
My favorite people to write for are other moms, starting their own businesses. 😁
With so much content out there, freelancers are in high demand.
If you are serious about starting your own freelancing business, I wouldn’t mess around with trying to go it on your own. I did that, and it was a huge mistake.
Just cut to the chase and invest in Elna’s course, Write Your Way to 1K. (Affiliate link – see my disclosure policy for more details.)
Sure, you’ll spend a little money. But if you do exactly what she says, you can easily make that back in two weeks.
And it’ll save you countless tears and many years spent in frustration. 😉
2. Become a virtual assistant
Another fantastic service-based business is offering virtual assistance.
Think office assistant or bookkeeping business – only, you work in your own home office.
As a virtual assistant, you might:
- schedule appointments and manage the company calendar
- manage company emails
- field and direct all calls
- provide customer service
- provide travel arrangements
- research client leads
- create presentations
- create and send invoices
- collect payments
- maintain books
- recruit employees
Well, you get the idea! Pretty much anything a receptionist or secretary would do, you can do, as a virtual assistant.
3. Coaching
Coaching is one of the most popular online business formats. It’s easy to get started and costs virtually nothing.
Many sahms become parent coaches, life coaches, business coaches, or even start their own online personal training business.
If you are good at anything, then you can coach. 😂🤣 And nearly everyone is good at something. But as moms, we are good at lots of stuff.
As you consider what you might be good at, remember that you don’t have to be an expert. You only need to be one step ahead of the person you are coaching. 😉
You can teach pretty much anything, but these are the most common coaching possibilities:
- business coaching
- parenting coaching
- personal development
- weight loss
- exercise
- marketing
- photography
- writing
- financial coaching
- goal setting
You don’t need a fancy degree or certification of any type to get started, either!
4. Tutoring
Online tutoring has become popular during the last few years (thank you, covid). And while nearly anyone can tutor, those who have a degree in a specific field or in education tend to do the best.
Homeschooling moms also make great tutors.
You can contract yourself out by starting your own business or work with a tutoring agency. Either way, if you love teaching, you will love online tutoring!
5. Web design
If you have ever started your own blog, then you know what a headache web design can be. 😅 It is a long, tedious process of trial and error – if you don’t know what you are doing, that is.
But if you do know how to design websites, and you have a knack for it, you can offer your services to the rest of us moms, who tend to struggle!
Just like most online businesses, it’s relatively easy to get started and costs virtually nothing. (Pun intended… 🤣🤣)
6. Website maintenance and development
If website design was hard…. Website maintenance is even more painful. 😢 And time-consuming!
If you have a knack for maintaining a website, you could easily offer that service to other mompreneurs and business owners.
And if you design websites, you can add web maintenance as a second revenue stream.
7. Social media manager
A social media manager is kind of like a virtual assistant but different. 😂🤣 Because they focus solely on tasks that have to do with social media.
So, you might handle someone’s Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest account, as a social media manager. Common tasks include:
- planning social media campaigns
- creating and posting content
- answering comments and engaging with followers
- analyzing campaign data and trends
So, if you like hanging out on social platforms, then this just might be the job for you!
8. Graphic design
All that digital content needs images and graphics, momma! It’s a whole new world for a graphic designer – or someone who just has a knack for creating beautiful stuff.
If you are skilled in graphic design, this is a service you can offer. You can work as a traditional graphic designer, for big brick-and-mortar companies, or as an online graphic designer, for small online businesses.
Graphic designers create:
- marketing materials, such as posters, billboards, logos, etc.
- online marketing materials, such as sales page and blog graphics, website logos, header images, Pinterest pins, etc.
- freebies, printables, and other downloadable content
The services you offer will depend on who you want to work for, and your skill set.
9. Become a proofreader
If you have an eye for detail and like reading, proofreading might be right up your alley!
As a proofreader, you could work for pretty much any business in any industry, as all industries now need content. So, you could provide online proofreading services, such as blog posts, articles, ebooks, sales pages, newsletters, etc.
Or you could proofread print materials, such as books, manuals, guides, and marketing materials.
10. Become an editor
Editing is like proofreading, only more involved. A proofreader might check for grammar and spelling, but an editor will look at sentence structure, clarity, whether the article flows, etc.
Common editing tasks include:
- planning and coordinating content
- revising content
- correcting content
- formatting content
- validating sources
And so much more!
If you have a good eye for detail and amazing patience, editing might just be the job for you.
Passive income business ideas
I think every sahm dreams of making passive income. We want to be able to make money while we take the kids to the park, or hit the beach, right?!? 😉
And the good news is, there’s stay at home moms out there doing it!
So, if you, too, want to make money while spending time with your kiddos, here’s a great list of possible side gigs to get it done!
1. Blogging
My personal favorite. 😁
Blogging pretty much wraps up everything else on this list, because you can use your blog to make money doing all things below.
The neat thing about a blog is that you can set up more than one passive income stream – and you can offer your services, too!
So, it’s a good way to host everything you want to do.
I’ll explain more below.
[Read: Seven Quick Steps to Starting a Mom Blog].
2. Selling printables
One of the fastest ways to make money blogging is to sell printables.
If you have a knack for creating pretty things, or you love to create worksheets, spreadsheets, or pretty much anything, you can sell printables.
Common printables that sell well include:
- planners
- wall art
- calendars
- workbooks
- chore charts
- journals
- baby and bridal shower games
- scavenger hunts
- invitations
- meal planners
- thank you notes
And so much more!
It’s easy to get started. All you need is a Canva account – and they are free.
You don’t necessarily need a blog, either. You can sell printables on Etsy, Creative Market, or Shopify.
3. Digital courses
Many stay at home moms make big bucks selling online courses.
Again, if you know how to do something (which you do, cause you are a mom 😉) then you can create an online course. All you have to do is know just a little bit more than the person you are teaching.
The easiest thing to do is to offer coaching, and then work your way into creating courses for your coaching services.
You can sell your course on your blog, or on the platform that hosts your course, such as teachable.
4. Write ebooks
Many sahms use ebooks to promote their businesses, build authority, and make a profit.
If you have a blog or are knowledgeable in a certain topic, you can also write an ebook! You can easily sell it on Amazon or on your own blog.
The beauty is that ebooks are short and sweet, so it won’t take you long to do at all! And then you’ll look like an expert in your field.
5. Affiliate marketing
If you want to try your hand at affiliate marketing, you will need a blog.
What is affiliate marketing? It’s simply promoting products for other big brands. For example, I am an affiliate marketer for Amazon, Elna Cain, and Dunstan Baby Language.
All you do as an affiliate marketer is write a blog post and drop the links to the product you are mentioning in that post!
If someone clicks on the link and buys that product, you earn a small commission for it.
It is literally earning money while you sleep.
Some moms are very successful in doing this, and some are not. There is a proven strategy that you should follow. Just setting up links in your posts doesn’t work very well. 😆 So do your homework before you start, so you can get off on the right foot!
6. Digital photography
When I say ‘digital photography”, I don’t mean being a photographer, exactly. Because that would be trading time for money.
No, what I mean is selling stock photos.
For example, you take a bunch of pretty office pictures, and then you sell them, to other online businesses, to use as their graphics and images!
Because the rest of us hate taking pics, but still need them. 😁
So, if you like photography, digital photography might be the way to go, momma!
7. Become an influencer
If you are a natural-born leader, you could have a career ahead of you as an online influencer. Especially if you love social media. 😉
Becoming an influencer is a little bit like blogging because you can use all sorts of income streams, such as affiliate marketing and sponsored content.
But you don’t necessarily need a blog to become an influencer. Just an online presence and a large following.
So, it’s best to do your research and create a strategy before jumping right in.
8. Sponsorships
If you have a blog, you can also make money with sponsored posts.
How?
Well, brands reach out to you and offer to write a post for your blog – or ask you to write a post for your blog – mentioning their product or service.
And then they pay you for that.
It’s kind of like a cross between affiliate marketing and paid advertisements because they are paying you to promote their product or service on your blog, with an entire blog post.
9. Paid advertisements
And finally, the last way to make money online as a stay at home mom, without having to trade your time for money, is through paid advertisements.
Of course, you don’t necessarily need a blog to do this. Many moms are making tons of money on Tic Toc, YouTube, and other such video platforms, as well.
The key is to have the traffic volume needed for your ad revenue source. So, if you have a blog, and you want to monetize it through paid ads, you will need to focus on increasing traffic to your blog first.
At the end of the day….
At the end of the day, momma, we all want to start an online business so that we can stay home with our babies.
Online businesses offer more flexibility, for a stay at home mom, than brick-and-mortar businesses do.
For instance, as a freelance writer, I can write from anywhere, at any time, which means I can work around my children’s schedules.
If I were to offer daycare in my home, I’d be tied to my home during business hours, which are typically six a.m. to six p.m., Monday through Friday.
So, many sahms are drawn to online businesses for flexibility.
But it doesn’t stop there! Yes, online businesses are flexible, but some are also passive revenue streams. Which of course is even better!
If I were to start all over, momma, I’d start by choosing one service-based online business idea (from the first list above) and NAIL IT! I mean, really hammer that business out until you have it up and running smoothly.
And then I’d move to passive income (from the second list). So, after you are successful with your revenue stream from list number one, add a second revenue stream from list number two. 😉
That’s what I’d do, starting over! If you are just starting out, pop your ideas in the comments below momma! What kind of online business are you going to start?
More on making money as a stay at home mom
31 Best Side Hustles for Stay at Home Moms
35 Online Mom Jobs that Actually Make Money for Stay at Home Moms
How to Become a Freelance Writer When You’re a Super Busy Mom
The Secret to a Great Stay at Home Mom Schedule
Wanna Create the Best Ever Stay at Home Mom Schedule? Here’s How!
