Work-at-Home Moms

The first chapters of this guide are all about preparing yourself to be a work-at-home mom. You mustn’t overlook this as you need to be ready for what is ahead. There are several myths about working from home that you need to be aware of. When you know what the most common myths are you can take steps to avoid them.

You will not be as Productive

You may feel that there will be a lot of distractions at home that will prevent you from being as productive as you would be with a conventional job. The truth is that there can be a lot of distractions and if you let these dominate you then you are not going to be as productive.

But once you get into the habit of working from home successfully, you will be just as productive, if not more, than you were at a conventional job. There is a lot of evidence to support this. A good example of this is the US Patent and Trade Office who saw that the productivity from their work-at-home employees was 4% higher.

This is not the only example. One of the largest travel agencies found that their employees that worked from home were around 13% more productive than those that worked in the office. Do not believe that you will not be as productive working from home. We will show you how to do this in a later chapter.

You will feel Isolated Working from Home

Another common myth that people believe about working from home is that they will feel isolated. There is no reason for you to feel like this when you start working from home. As a parent, your children will be there for you.

Although working in an office means that you will be around others, this is not always a good thing. Being involved with office gossip and politics can be very draining after a while. There are always people that will want to steal your time with this.

If you are still working for the same company but from your home, there is no reason why you cannot connect with others. You can use technology to do this. Zoom meetings are a good way to keep in touch and you can just send a simple email to keep in touch.

You will not work as hard

Some moms think that if they do not have a supervisor monitoring what they are doing all of the time then they will not work as hard. This is not true. Working from home does require that you develop the self-discipline to get everything done. Developing your self-discipline is a good thing and will help you in other areas of your life.

A lot of people that work in offices spend a lot of their time “looking busy”. It is not always easy for a supervisor to distinguish between hard work and looking busy. When you are committed to making working from home a success, you will not need to look busy.

With the right work at home mindset, you will probably work harder than the average office employee. You will want to prove to yourself and your employer that you can work just as hard at home. Don’t believe that you will not work as hard as this is just a myth.

Technology is not advanced enough for Working from Home

This is nonsense. There has never been a better time than now to start working from home. All you need is a laptop and a good Internet connection. It may even be possible for you to use your smartphone to work from home.

People have been successfully working from home for many years. The Internet opened the door to this way of working. Technology has advanced in many ways over the last few years and now there are faster Internet connections.

There are many different applications available to help you work from home as well. You can use video conferencing services such as Skype and Zoom for free to communicate with individuals and teams. Productivity apps such as Slack have also made a big impact.

You will not be as Committed when Working from Home

A lot of moms quit their conventional jobs because there is no option to work remotely. This doesn’t mean that they are not committed to the job or the company. Nothing is more important to moms than their children and they usually quit to spend more time with their kids.

If there was an opportunity for “quitting moms” to work remotely then it is likely that a lot of them would do this. There was a survey in 2020 conducted in countries such as the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. It revealed nearly 70% stated that they would be more committed to the company if they could work from home.

When you choose to work from home it does not mean that you are not as committed as those that commute to a place of work are. Your circumstances and desire for a better work-life balance are the important things here. Do not believe this myth for a second.

You will not be a Team Player

There is no reason why you cannot be part of a team and make a significant contribution when you work from home. You just need to do things differently than you did before. Technology will help you to make the same contribution, or better.

When you are working from home there are creative ways that you can still feel part of a team. It is all about developing the right mindset. If you search online, you will find countless examples of people successfully working from home.

If developing solid relationships with people that you work with is something you are good at, there is no reason that you cannot continue to do this from your home. Just use the available technology and you can continue to do this.

We all make mistakes and the best thing about this is that you can learn from the mistakes that others have made. In this chapter, we will discuss the most common mistakes that work-at-home moms make and what you can do to avoid them.

Not Seeing Working from Home as a Real Job

Some people that decide to work from home do not take it as seriously as they should. They like the idea of the freedom that working from home brings and they can take this too far. When you decide that you are going to work from home you will have to work!

When you work a conventional job there are very few opportunities to do the things that you want to do. Unless your job is literally around the corner, you will not be able to spend your lunch hour with your kids for example.

While it is possible to make up for the lost time when you are working from home, this should be the exception rather than the rule. Working through the night to catch up is not something that we would recommend you do regularly.

The best way to succeed with a work-from-home job is to treat it similarly as you would a conventional job. You have a set number of hours that you will work and you do everything that you can to stick to this.

You can end up Working too much

Quite a few moms that start working from home end up working too hard. It seems that they have a point to prove and they prioritize their work above everything else. We are not suggesting that you shouldn’t work hard at home – far from it. But be careful that you don’t take this too far.

If you are remote working for your current job then you may feel obligated to be at your desk during normal work hours. Are they watching you? Do they expect you to respond to every email, phone call, chat, and text message immediately?

Not every employer is going to do this but some might. Always remember that you can take short breaks and have your hour for lunch. Also bear in mind that if you do work the same hours as the office, you are closed for business at 5 pm or whatever the hours are.

It is a mistake to tell your employer that you will do anything at any time. Before you know it you could be working in the evenings and even at the weekends to meet their demands. Be sure to discuss your working times with your boss so that you can agree when you are available.

You don’t set any Boundaries

When you are working from home it is easy for boundaries to become unclear. A lot of moms will find themselves thinking about home-related issues when they are working. This can work the other way as well. Taking care of your child can leave you feeling guilty about the work you are not doing.

If you want to be successful as a remote employee then you have to set boundaries. The trick here is to set boundaries that work the best for you. What is your most productive time? Are you a morning person or do you perform better later on in the day?

You need to get into the habit of sticking to your boundaries. This applies if you are working for a company or yourself (more on this later). When it is time for you to work then you work. By sticking to your boundaries, you will develop a stronger focus.

Not having a Dedicated Work Area

Nobody is watching you so why not work in your pajamas in bed or on the sofa? Well, the main reason that we do not recommend that you do this is because it is bad for your posture. It is also likely to affect your energy levels. Beds and sofas are for relaxing not working.

We strongly recommend that you set up a home office. This is an area of your home where you have a desk and all of the things around you that you need to work. Tell your family that when you are in this area then you are working. If your kids see you slouching around on the couch then they may be unaware that you are working.

Spending too much time on Child Care

This may seem harsh, but it is one of the realities that work-at-home moms have to face. Your children will love you being at home and will probably not understand that you have to work. This is especially true if they are young.

Unfortunately, many work at home moms have been unable to strike the right balance between work and child care. It is natural for child care to be more important for you, but you could lose your source of income if you don’t work at this.

If it is possible then consider hiring a babysitter to cover some of the time when you are working. Of course, this all depends on what the situation is with the global pandemic. Hiring a babysitter that you can trust will usually work out to be a lot more cost-effective than daycare.

You need to get creative here. Maybe you spend time with your children during the day and then work when they have gone to bed? If you have a partner then get them to help you with the child care so that you can work. There is always an answer.

Not Establishing a Routine

A lot of work-at-home moms struggle because they have not established a routine for their day. There are no hard and fast rules here. You need to establish a working routine that will be right for you and your family. Discuss this with your employer or find a work-from-home job that will suit your new routine.

The alternative to establishing a working routine is just to play it by ear. Unless you are running your own business, this may not work with a work-from-home job. Think about all of the things that you want to achieve in a day and create a routine around this. Then you need to stick by it.

Just Disappearing

Working from home will provide you with more freedom but you cannot just disappear whenever you feel like it. This certainly applies if you are remote working for a company. The thing is that you may not have disappeared, but your boss or colleagues do not get a response from you so they think you are not there.

It is not enough to just work hard from home. You need to let your employer know that you are there. We recommend that you make regular contact with your boss and your co-workers to prove that you are there and in a work frame of mind.

Discuss the best way to do this with your boss and your team. You do not want to be interrupted all of the time just to prove you are there. Agree on a compromise where you submit regular updates for example. This could be as simple as an email to the boss at the end of your working day letting them know what you have done.

If you want to be successful as a stay-at-home mom that has a job then you need to develop the right mindset. In the last chapter, we revealed some of the most common mistakes that moms working from home can make. We couldn’t cover all of the mistakes that you could make. The best way to minimize mistakes is to have the right mindset for working at home.

Create a Daily Routine that works

When you are working from home it is tempting to be a bit lazy and even procrastinate about what needs to be done. You do not have the strict routine that going to a place of work brings. Sure, you will save time commuting to your place of work. But if you are not careful, you can waste the time that you saved.

Making a successful transition from a conventional job to working from home will be a lot easier if you establish a routine. With this routine, you are going to do certain things at certain times during the day. You need a time when you are going to work, a time to engage with your children, a time to do things around the house, and so on.

Take some time out and determine what your new routine is going to be. It is going to take time and consistent effort to implement this new routine and stick to it. Your time is precious, so get the most out of it that you can.

Get up at the Usual Time

If you get up at 8 am to get ready to go to your conventional job then get up at the same time when you are working from home. It can be very tempting to stay in bed for longer because you do not have to face a commute. You need to fight this urge and get up so that you make the most of your time.

When you have young children at home this may not be an issue for you as they may insist that you get up at the usual time. We recommend that you spend the first few minutes planning for your day ahead. Don’t just get up and then rush straight into your working day.

Set Up a Dedicated Work Area

We have mentioned this in earlier chapters. It is always a good idea to set up a dedicated work area in your home. This will help you to discipline yourself. When you are in this work area then you will work. Your children and other family members need to know this as well.

Communicate with your family that when you are in your work area that they should not disturb you. This can be difficult for young kids to understand so be patient here. As far as they are concerned their mom is at home and that is great for them. You will find tips for getting set up for working from home in the next chapter.

Put your Phone in Silent Mode

People these days seem to be glued to their phones. They have to have their phones with them at all times so that they do not miss some meaningless notification. If you were working in an office then it would be unlikely that the bosses would tolerate you checking your phone every 5 minutes. Do not allow yourself to drift into this bad habit now that you are working from home.

We recommend that you put your phone into silent mode and place it out of reach. Tell people on your social media profiles that you are going to be working from home. You need to explain that you will not be able to respond to their notifications immediately.

Remove the temptation of just checking your social media accounts. Facebook and other platforms can be addictive and before you know it you have lost a ton of time. We are not saying you need to give up social media altogether. Just be disciplined about how you use it.

Dress up for Work

When you are working from home it can be very tempting to wear the same clothes that you relax in. After all, you are not meeting others so why do you need to dress up? The problem with wearing clothes that you normally use for relaxation is that they can make you feel lethargic. This is not going to be a problem for everyone but it could affect you.

Test this out. Put on your normal work clothes and see how you feel in them. A lot of work-at-home moms have said that this puts them in the right frame of mind for working. Once you have got used to working from home you may be able to do this in less formal clothes.

Reward yourself for Working

Modern life is full of distractions. If you are working at home because you want to spend more time with your children then this will be distracting enough. Successful work-at-home moms use these distractions to their advantage.

For example, if you have a challenging task to complete then set yourself a reward of playing with your children for an hour once you complete it. By turning the distractions that you enjoy into rewards you are likely to be a lot more successful.

Exercise and Getting Outdoors

You need to practice self-care regularly when you are working from home. If you used to go out for a walk at lunchtime when you were working in an office then do the same thing. Working from home does not mean that you can’t have any breaks. What could be better than taking lunch in the park with your children?

Taking regular breaks can work wonders for you. If you are always thinking about work then you are not letting your mind relax. When your mind is in a relaxed state you will often generate good ideas to solve a work problem. Get into a routine of taking care of yourself when you are working from home.

Getting set up properly for working from home is critical. You need to be prepared and acquire everything that you need so that you can be the most productive. In this chapter, we will discuss the essential things that you need as well as other things that can boost your productivity.

1. A good Internet Connection

You likely have an Internet connection in your home already. If you don’t, then you will need to contact a reputable service provider and get this installed. Go for the best broadband connection that you can afford in terms of speed.

More important than the speed of your Internet connection is its reliability. Not all Internet service providers are equal and some have better reliability than others. If you have an existing connection that is sometimes unreliable, you should consider terminating this service for a more reliable one.

To be a successful work-from-home mom you must have a reliable Internet connection. You do not want to be unable to work because your Internet is down. Yes, problems can occur occasionally. But these days you should not have to put up with Internet outages regularly.

You could consider a backup service as well. Talk to your phone carrier to see what deals they have for Internet data packages. If you have this as a fallback, you can use it if your cable Internet service fails.

2. A Dedicated Space to Work

We have mentioned this a couple of times already in the guide because we believe that it is so important. A dedicated working space does not mean that you have to take over an entire room. It can be a space within a room where you can place a desk and be away from the other spaces in your home where you relax.

If the space in your home is at a premium then you need to get creative here. There are computer workstations available on Amazon for example which do not take up much space. These have spaces available for your monitor, your desktop tower box, your keyboard and mouse, and even a printer.

3. Get the Hardware that you need

Is your computer up to the job? If you are happy with your current desktop or laptop then there is no reason that you should change it to work from home. Unless you are going to be doing something intense such as video editing and graphics creation, a standard business computer should be fine.

Of course, you want to keep your costs down to a minimum. But if you have to purchase a new desktop computer or laptop then the good news is that they are pretty cheap these days. We recommend a computer over a mobile device like a smartphone or tablet because it has more processing power.

One thing that you may need when working from home is a webcam. Most modern laptops have webcams built-in but sometimes the quality of these can leave a lot to be desired. If you have a desktop computer then you will probably have to purchase a USB webcam that has a good quality microphone. Fortunately, you can get a good quality HD webcam for under $50.

Will you need a printer to perform your work at home job? Printers have come down in price dramatically over the last few years, and these days you can get a good quality inkjet printer pretty cheaply.

4. Install the Software that you need

Think about the kind of applications that you will need on your computer to effectively work from home. You will probably need an office program to create documents and spreadsheets. The most popular is Microsoft Office but this can be expensive.

There are free alternatives to Microsoft Office that you can consider. Google has their free “docs” apps which will allow you to create documents, spreadsheets, and slides. Another alternative is Libre Office which you can download for free. With a Microsoft account (email address) you can even use Microsoft Office online free as well.

Will you need to store a lot of large files when you are working from home? If so, you may want to consider using a cloud storage solution such as Google Drive, Dropbox, or Microsoft One Drive. For a few bucks a month they will provide you with a lot of storage that you can use instead of cluttering up your computer.

5. Do you need Phone Service?

Again, you may already have a landline phone in your home. But if you don’t have this, do you need it for your stay-at-home job? Most people have a mobile phone these days and usually, this is acceptable to employers. In some cases, an employer may insist on a landline phone and may even help you pay for it. Always check to see what the requirements are.

6. Organize your Work Clothes

We told you in a previous chapter that it is not a good idea to work all day at home in your pajamas. You do not have to wear a dress suit either, but we do recommend that you wear some other clothes that will not make you feel lethargic.

If your employer wants you to attend video conferencing meetings regularly then you need to look “business-like” when you are on these calls. Nobody is going to be impressed if you are wearing comfy home clothes or worse still, pajamas.

7. Use a Journal

We recommend that you start a daily journal. You can start with a simple notebook. The idea here is that you can record important things in your journal that will help you to make your working at home journey a successful one.

If you have never worked from home before then it is natural to feel a little anxious about this. Take the time out to record your experiences in your journal. Did you have to solve a problem that you have never tackled before? How did you do this?

By making daily entries in your journal, you can use it to reflect on how well you have progressed. If you are feeling a little low on motivation, reading through your journal can help to inspire you and raise your motivation level.

8. Other Productivity Ideas

You want to be as organized as possible when you are a work-at-home mom. You mustn’t forget any of the tasks that you need to perform. One way that you can keep track of things is to create a daily “to do” list in your journal.

There are free tools that can also help you to get organized. A calendar app is a good idea and you can use the Google Calendar to record all of the tasks that you need to complete. All you need is a Google account to use this.

We recommend that you organize your computer properly so that you keep your work stuff separate from your home or personal stuff. The easiest way to do this is to create a folder and subfolder system on your hard drive.

Create different folders for specific areas of your work. Don’t just save documents you receive anywhere on your computer. It is easy to forget where you have saved things if you do this. You will then have to waste time searching for documents etc.

More and more companies are letting their employees work from home these days. The global pandemic forced this issue somewhat. It makes sense for some employers to offer this opportunity to their employees as they can benefit from reduced office space and more.

This chapter is all about how to handle the opportunity to work from home for your employer. If you follow the advice here you should avoid any problems. It is all about you and your employer agreeing to the way that you will work.

Ask your Company if you can Work from Home

If you enjoy your current job but would like to work from home then ask your employer if this would be possible. Some employers have a policy in this and may encourage you to work from home. Where this is not available you will need to ask.

Have a chat with your boss to see what is possible. When you are discussing this with your employer, you need to keep the benefits to them in mind. You probably have various reasons why you want to work from home, but your employer is only going to be interested in what’s in it for them.

Something that could be in your favor here is the “great resignation”. This is fairly new and is all about many people resigning from their jobs to work from home or do something else. Employers across the world are struggling to get the right people for the jobs that they have available. If you are a valued employee, they will not want you to resign.

Agree how it will work

Unless your company has a work-at-home policy that specifies all of the rules that you need to comply with when working from home, you will need to discuss and agree on how this will work with your employer.

We recommend that you get everything in writing. This will protect you and your employer. You both need to know what to expect from each other when you are working from home. Here are some of the things that you should discuss:

• Your working hours
• How you will communicate with your employer and colleagues
• How you will receive assignments from your employer
• Whether your pay will be affected (you need to check that you will be paid the same when working from home)
• The software that you will need
• The hardware that you will need

The bottom line here is that you need to get everything out on the table. As a work-at-home mom, you need to establish how flexible your employer will be around working hours. Is it OK for you to work your hours anytime during the day?

Follow the Rules

Once you have established a set of rules for working at home that you and your employer have agreed you need to follow them. If you say that you will be available at certain times then make sure you are. In the case of an emergency, be sure to communicate this with your employer.

Some companies will send their supervisors to the homes of the people that are remote working. Usually, these are surprise visits designed to see what is going on. If you are caught out on one of these visits then you could lose your job.

Communicate Regularly with your Employer

You need to agree on a way that you will communicate with your employer each day. This needs to be as efficient as possible so it doesn’t waste their time or yours. Some employers will accept a daily or even weekly report from their remote workers for example.

Another thing that you need to agree on is the method of communication. Your employer may insist that you use a specific messenger service for example. Always be willing to provide your phone number just in case you experience Internet or other problems that prevent you from communicating.

Communicating with a Team

If you are part of a team at work then there are ways that you can carry on being a team member at home. Video conferencing applications are a good solution for this. You can use the Zoom application for example to hold one on one meetings as well as group meetings.

Any video conferencing or messaging system that you use should have the option to record sessions. This can be the recording of a chat, an audio call, or a video call. Discuss this with your employer. If they use a certain system then you need to use this too.

In the next chapter, we will discuss how to find a work-from-home job…

Another thing that you need to agree on is the method of communication. Your employer may insist that you use a specific messenger service for example. Always be willing to provide your phone number just in case you experience Internet or other problems that prevent you from communicating.

Communicating with a Team

If you are part of a team at work then there are ways that you can carry on being a team member at home. Video conferencing applications are a good solution for this. You can use the Zoom application for example to hold one on one meetings as well as group meetings.

Any video conferencing or messaging system that you use should have the option to record sessions. This can be the recording of a chat, an audio call, or a video call. Discuss this with your employer. If they use a certain system then you need to use this too.

If your employer will not allow you to work from home, or you do not want to work for them anymore, there are different online jobs that you can consider. Many people are performing these jobs from home and making good money from them. In a lot of cases, they are now earning more than they did at their previous job.

It is essential that you thoroughly check out any work-from-home job to ensure that it is legit. You do not want to put in a lot of effort only to find that the company is not going to pay you! Thankfully, there are several legit opportunities available.

The number of work-from-home job opportunities is likely to vary depending on where you live in the world. If you live in the United States then you are likely to have the most choice. Some of the work-from-home job opportunities are global. Always do your homework here to find out what is available.

More and more companies and organizations are realizing that hiring people to work from home is a good way to go. They can find talented people from anywhere that will do a good job for them and they will save money on office space and more.

Follow these steps to prepare for finding a good work-from-home job:

Resume and Portfolio

When you are looking for a good work-from-home job you need to treat it as if you were applying for a conventional job. You will need an updated resume that provides details of your skills, your experience, and your qualifications.

What we recommend is that you create a template resume. This means that you can change it to suit the requirements of each online job that you apply for. Be sure to use the words that the employer has used in their job description.

Your aim is to present a resume that the employer will perceive matches their requirements. This will make you the ideal candidate for the job. Most people are lazy and will not bother to match their CV to the job requirements. When you do this, you will stand out from the crowd.

Ensure Social-Media is Updated

If you have a profile on Facebook or LinkedIn for example, you want to make sure that this is up to date. It is common practice for employers to check you out in the social world. Replace that picture of a cat on your profile with a real photograph that shows you in a professional light.

Your social media profile (particularly with LinkedIn) provides you with a good opportunity to showcase your talents. Ensure that you use the right keywords in your profile so that potential employers can relate to these. As with your CV, make sure that your skills, qualifications, and experience are all up to date.

Check out the Job Sites

More and more online job sites are including work at home jobs these days. Indeed.com is one of the most reputable job sites and usually has a lot of opportunities available. You can perform a search to find the type of job that you are looking for e.g. customer service and then filter the results to see which offer work from home or remote working opportunities.

Some of the major companies have jobs pages as well and you can check those out as well to see if they have any work-from-home jobs available. A lot of the job websites have a “job alert” service where they will send notifications to you via email when a job comes up that you may be interested in.

Contact Companies

Not all businesses have a job page on their website. You can find companies in your area or even nationwide that you believe would have openings for work-at-home moms. Each website will have a “contact us” page and you can message them directly to let them know that you are available.

Another way to do this is to use LinkedIn and message business people directly. There have been cases where people have done this and landed a great work-at-home job for themselves. Fortune favors the brave so be prepared to do whatever is necessary.

Be Careful with Classified Ad Sites

Most classified ads sites will have a section for jobs. You may have heard of CraigsList.org which is probably the biggest classified ad site around. Some people will post jobs on these sites that could be scams or not jobs at all.

If you see a job on a classified ad site that seems too good to be true then it probably is. When responding to job ads on a classified site, never give out your social security number of sensitive financial information. We suggest that you just go with an email to get started. Some will insist on a phone number and you can always block them if something doesn’t seem right.

Unless you know that the company has a good reputation like Google or Amazon, for example, you need to fully research any company that you are thinking of applying to. Indeed.com will have done this to an extent, but we recommend that you perform due diligence even with their job offers.

Any company with a good reputation will have a website. If there is no website then run a mile. On the website, you should be able to find out more about the company, such as how long they have been in business and details of what they do.

If you are in any doubt about a company that has an appealing work from home job offer listed then you can ask them for references. A good thing to ask for is the name and contact details of some of their clients. In the case where this is refused, we recommend that you find another job offer.

Carefully Read Job Listings

No matter where you find job opportunities, be sure to read the job description very carefully. You must have a good feel for what the job will entail. Beware of sparse job descriptions as these could be scams.

A job offer from a reputable company will normally include an email address for applications on their main domain name. For example, if the job was being offered by Microsoft, then the application email address is likely to be something like “applications@microsoft.com”. It will certainly not be “jobsatmicrosoft@hotmail.com”.

Sometimes the scammers will purchase a domain name that is close to the original. They might get a name like “nicrosoft.com” and hope that you will not notice this. Make sure that you read everything in the job listing carefully. Read it a few times if you need to.

Never Pay to Apply for a Job

You should never have to pay anything to apply for a work-at-home job. If a company asks you to send them money for you to apply for a job with them then move on to another offer. The likelihood is that this is some kind of scam and you will never see your money again.

One of the best ways to earn a significant income as a stay-at-home mom is to go it alone. In this chapter, we will provide you with some proven ideas that you can implement. You will not need a work-from-home job if you go for any of these ideas. Or you can still work a job and do these in your spare time (if this is possible for you).

Benefits of Going it Alone

We accept that this may not be for everybody. But working for yourself as a mom at home has several advantages:

• You can truly work the hours that you want
• You can build an asset that has value
• You can make more money from your skills
• You will learn new things that will benefit you in the future

The thing is that anyone can do this. It does require that you change your mindset from always relying on someone else for your income to relying on yourself. With some of these ideas, you can start to earn money quickly.

Become a Freelancer

A lot of companies and organizations like to outsource certain tasks these days rather than hiring someone to perform them. They are willing to pay high prices to dependable freelancers that will deliver what they want on time. You can make a significant income as a freelancer once you get established.

The first thing to do is to identify the skills that you have. Here are some of the freelance services that have the highest demand:

• Writing content for websites
• Copywriting
• Web design and development
• Voiceover services
• Keyword research
• Social media marketing
• Search engine marketing
• Video marketing
• Virtual assistants

This is just the tip of the iceberg. To get more ideas of what freelance services are in demand we recommend that you visit Fiverr.com and check out the gigs there that are selling. You can likely find something that suits you here.

Once you have decided on what freelance services you want to provide there are several ways that you can promote your services. We have already mentioned Fiverr.com. This is a freelancing website where you can create gigs for all of your services. It is free to join and post gigs.

The key to success with Fiverr is getting 5-star reviews. Some stay-at-home moms are making a fortune on Fiverr with their services. You can do this too. Look for resources online such as YouTube videos that provide good information on how to be successful on Fiverr.

There are other freelance websites available too such as Upwork.com and Freelancer.com. These are “project-based” websites where you create a profile and then submit proposals for client projects that match your skillset. These can be tough to get work from so we recommend starting with Fiverr.

One thing that you need to know is that the freelancing platform will take a percentage of what you earn. With Fiverr, this is 20%. You may think that this is high but Fiverr gets a ton of visitor traffic each month (over 55 million), so you will have a great chance of a lot of people seeing your gigs.

You don’t have to use freelancing websites to promote your skills. Some forums have advertising sections such as WarriorForum.com where you can place an ad for $20. This is a very active forum and if you are offering a service such as writing content then you can do very well. Of course, there are other forums too.

Start your own Blog

A lot of moms that want to work from home have started successful blogs. The key to success with this is to choose a niche (a topic for your blog) that you have an interest in and provide valuable content. Blogs that get a lot of traffic are ripe for advertising opportunities as well as other ways to monetize.

We are not going to pull any punches here. It is going to take time and effort to create and maintain a good blog. There is a small investment to make as well. You will need a domain name and some web hosting. A domain will cost less than $10 a year and web hosting less than $10 a month.

There are free blogging platforms available but we do not recommend these. The reason is that there have been a lot of cases of blogs disappearing overnight. You have no control over these free blogging platforms and they can pull the plug on you for any reason.

The other reason not to go with a free blog is that it looks cheap. One of the best things about blogging is that you can promote related affiliate offers and make commissions. Your visitors will not take you seriously if you have a free blog. If you cannot be bothered to spend a few bucks on a domain name and hosting, why should they purchase anything that you recommend?

If you want to start a blog then choose a niche where there is money. Parenting is a great niche as is working from home. You can perform some free keyword research using the Google Keyword Planner. This will tell you the search volume for keywords in your chosen niche.

Enter some of these keywords into Google and see if there are any ads in the search results. If there are then this is a good indicator that there is money in the niche. Maybe you have a specific skill that you can blog about such as copywriting or marketing?

Create a YouTube Channel

If you don’t already know, there are many people (including stay-at-home moms) that are making a significant income from creating popular videos. YouTube has an advertiser partner program where they will show ads on your videos after you meet the criteria that they require.

There are a ton of possibilities here. Not only can you make ad revenue from YouTube but you can also promote products as an affiliate. People that have good YouTube channels are often sought out by sponsors who will pay handsomely for you to recommend them on your channel.

You are not going to make a fortune on YouTube overnight. Choosing the right topic to create videos about is very important. As a mom with kids, you could create a video blog (vlog) about your children growing up for example. There are plenty of people looking for parenting advice so this would probably be a popular channel.

If you have a decent smartphone then you can get started making videos right away. It is best if you can invest in a decent camera and a microphone but don’t let that stop you from getting started. When you have created your videos, you could add them to social networks such as Tik Tok, Facebook, and Instagram as well as YouTube.

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is where you promote other people’s products and services for a commission. There are thousands of affiliate marketing opportunities. A lot of work-at-home moms are making great money with affiliate marketing.

You can promote physical products such as makeup and home appliances or digital products such as video training courses. Why not promote both of these? Physical products are usually easier to make sales with but the commissions are usually low. Selling digital products is more challenging but the commissions are much higher.

There are so many ways that you can promote affiliate products. One of the most successful ways is to create product reviews. These can either be written reviews or video reviews. When people are interested in purchasing products, they will often look for reviews. This is especially true if the product is expensive.

Coaching and Consultancy Services

There are a ton of people looking for coaching and consultancy services. If you are an expert on something then you can turn this into a business and make a lot of money. You will communicate with your clients using a video conferencing service such as Zoom.

Create your Own Products

If you can create your own products and sell them then you will keep all of the sales revenue (less any expenses associated with the sale). Online training courses are always in high demand and if you have a skill that is in demand you can make a lot of money with this.

Another idea is to create arts and crafts that you can sell for a good profit on a platform like Etsy.com. If you have the skills to do this then you have the chance to make good money here. You will be surprised what people will pay for original arts and crafts on Etsy.

Think about how you can turn your skills, knowledge, and experience into money. Make a list of the skills that you have and then perform some keyword research to see what the demand is like. You are a parent so you could create a product around this for example.

As mentioned, it’s not easy to be a Work at Home Mom, but there are a few practices that you should be aware of so that you can get yourself into the right setting, and set yourself a shorter route to your success.

Understand the Benefits of being a Work from Home Mom

If you want to make the transition to being a work-from-home mom then you are going to need to make some changes in your life. You must understand the benefits of working from home to inspire you and provide you with the motivation to succeed. Knowing the benefits will provide you with the inspiration that you need.

Benefits of working from home include spending more time with your children, eliminating daycare expenses, no more commuting, more freedom, the chance to earn more than you did before, learning new skills, enjoying what you do, never being bored, and setting a good example for your kids.

2. Ignore Myths about being a Work at Home Mom

There are several myths about being a work-at-home mom that are just not true. A common myth is that you will not be as productive and this is not the case. Another is that you will feel isolated but you don’t have to experience this. The myth that you will not work as hard is false as well.

A lot of people think that technology is not advanced enough for you to work at home effectively and this is total nonsense. Don’t believe that you will not be as committed if you work from home. It is also untrue that you cannot be a team player if you work from home.

3. Know the Common Mistakes that Work at Home Moms make

Many work-at-home moms make the same mistakes. They do not see working from home as a real job. Others end up working too much and many do not establish good boundaries. It is important that you care for yourself when working from home and that you find a way to avoid spending too much time with child care. You must establish a routine and do not disappear.

4. Develop the Right Mindset as a Work at Home Mom

You must make the right mindset changes to be a successful work-at-home mom. You need to establish a new daily routine that works, and we recommend that you get up at the same time that you always did. Be sure to establish a dedicated work area in your home and make your family aware of this.

Put your phone into silent mode and minimize all other distractions. Dress for work and do not work in your pajamas. Reward yourself for achieving tasks and continuing to work. Make sure that you get outdoors and get some exercise.

5. Get Setup for Working at Home

There are some things to put in place before you start to work from home. Make sure you have a reliable Internet connection and your hardware is up to scratch. Create a dedicated area where you will work. Install all of the software that you need and have the right telephone setup. Decide on your work clothes. Start and maintain a journal and use tools for organization.

6. Work from Home for your Current Employer

A lot of moms work at home for their current employer. If they do not offer you this opportunity then ask for it. Agree with your employer on how everything will work. Ensure that you follow this agreement. Be sure to communicate with your employer regularly so that they do not think you are disappearing. Use the agreed way to communicate with your team.

7. Finding a Work from Home Job

If your employer will not allow you to work from home you can find another job. Plenty of companies are looking for people to work from home now. Get your resume up to date and tailor it to each job you apply for. Check out LinkedIn and Indeed.com for jobs. Contact companies yourself. Do your due diligence to ensure that a company and the offer are legit.

8. Consider Going It Alone

A good alternative to working a job from home is to go it alone. You can be a freelancer and sell your skills for a high price. If you start your own blog in the right niche, you can make a lot of money from this. Starting your own YouTube channel can be very lucrative and you can be an affiliate marketer. Create your own products and sell them or offer consultancy or coaching.

If you have read this guide from start to finish you will have a good understanding of how you can successfully work from home as a mom. You mustn’t just jump into this without knowing what you are doing.

Now it is over to you. While reading this guide will make you a bit smarter, only by taking action will you be able to start working from home and reaping the benefits that this will provide. There are several ways that you can work from home and have the freedom that you deserve.

It is hoped that you found this guide to be informative and useful. Get started today preparing to work from home. We wish you every success as a mom working from home. Many others are doing this and if you follow the advice and guidance we have provided then you can do it too!