Back to Basics: (Non-ecommerce) Business Ideas for Stay-at-Home Parents
If you’re a stay-at-home parent, it can be difficult figuring out how to start a business from home. This issue is further complicated if you want to avoid the crowded, competitive ecommerce markets. To succeed, here are a few good ideas to consider, courtesy of NieCat Life Coaching.
Pet Care
For millions of Americans, pets are a major stressor throughout the working week. If you’re good with animals and you have patience, you could provide a solution for this dilemma with pet daycare, walking, or training. Whilst not mandatory, it’s a good idea to go down the route of correct accreditation – this means, for example, earning your NAPPS Certification, with education in pet safety and pet first aid.
Musician
The internet has done a lot for the democratization of music, meaning that everyone has the opportunity to find success via apps like Tiktok or sites like Soundcloud. If you have a musical talent and you want to earn from it, you could try collaborating with other artists, streaming your music live to build a following or playing in good old-fashioned venues. The options are truly unlimited for a skillful, wilful musician with a penchant for live performance.
Writer
Despite advances in AI and automation, creatives are still in a position to earn with words. You could try pitching articles to your local paper, working with brands to produce web copy or advertising collateral, or you could even turn your hand to fiction and try penning a novel or screenplay. The best part of being a writer is that you can often fit the work around your schedule, making it the perfect vocation for those pockets of time when you’re not looking after the kids.
Child Tutor
Tutors are an essential asset when it comes to the education of our kids. They provide one on one focus outside of busy classrooms, they help with confidence and they can offer alternative learning styles for when a child is not engaging with a topic. Your experience as a parent could make you a prime candidate, but if you want to take on this important role, you’ll also need experience in a particular field of study and a high school diploma.
Planning
Whatever business you decide to pursue, it’s important that you plan carefully in advance. Typically, you can expect to pay as much as $11,000 in the initial stages of business development (though this number fluctuates depending on its type and expenses). You’re likely to pay up on licenses, insurance, inventory/supplies and you may also need to rent out space or pay subscriptions to services to help find clients. For your own financial wellbeing, it’s important that you write a watertight business plan. This should clearly describe your proposed company, detail a sales structure, project expenses and consider any required funding. You’ll be amazed, when laying these details out on paper, how much it can cost to kick things off.
Remember that if you need money to start your business, you may need to contact a lender to discuss a business loan. During this process, the lender will take a hard look at your finances, which make or break your chances at getting a loan. Before heading down this road, figure out your debt-to-income ratio and see if you can boost your credit score. This way, you won’t hit any obstacles when you sit down to secure that business loan.
Also, last but not least, don’t forget to create a great space to facilitate your work. That way, you can separate home and business and enjoy a better balance in your lifestyle. For instance, simply investing in ergonomic office chairs and a DIY peel and stick wallpaper allows you to add a little style and comfort to your home office, making it easier to stay focused.
Balancing parenting with business can be tricky, especially if you want to avoid the internet buying/selling process, but if you have a skill or experience in a certain field and you’re willing to head out and handle things in person, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t succeed in your endeavors.
NieCat Life Coaching – https://www.niecatlifecoaching.com/
NAPPS – https://petsitters.org/page/NAPPSCertificationCourse
Soundcloud – https://blog.landr.com/8-ways-actually-get-heard-soundloud/
web copy – https://thegood.com/insights/copy-that-converts/
experience – https://www.moneycrashers.com/become-tutor/
business plan – https://www.zenbusiness.com/start-a-business/
DIY peel and stick wallpaper – https://www.spoonflower.com/en/peel-and-stick-removable-woven-wallpaper
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