For many stay-at-home mums, raising children is a full-time job and in the early days, it can feel like there aren’t nearly enough hours in the day for domestic life, let alone for a life that involves work!
But things do settle, routines get established and many mums start to feel that they want – or need – to do something from home that brings in some extra income. If this is you, and you’re looking for ideas and inspiration for businesses that you can operate from home and which provide the flexibility you need, you’ll find this article helpful.
We explore 20 business ideas for stay-at-home mums which will fire up your brain, stimulate your creative juices and boost your bank account.
Some businesses are online enterprises, while others can be done from home in person. It may seem a little daunting at first, but if you’re unsure of where to start, a good place is finding something in an industry or field that you are already familiar with.
Top 20 business ideas for mums working from home
1. Virtual assistant
A virtual assistant provides administrative support to small business owners. They work remotely and help with a variety of different tasks such as responding to phone calls, screening and managing emails, calendar management, arranging meetings, making travel arrangements, creating basic reports and spreadsheets – the list goes on. You can choose the number of clients you work with depending on your availability,
2. Freelance copywriter
If words are your thing, you can set yourself up as a freelance copywriter providing different types of content for one or more businesses.
3. Proofreader
Are you a stickler for correct grammar, spelling and punctuation? Becoming a proofreader and checking written content for errors and ensuring it reads well and is formatted properly is a great job for stay-at-home mums with an eye for detail and who love reading.
4. Course writer
Put your experience and knowledge about a particular industry or subject to good use by writing online courses and producing course materials.
5. Blogger
Blogging can be a great way to earn extra income, but it can take time and effort building up a reputation and a following. You would also need to be in a position to post fresh content to your blog regularly. You can also earn additional income through affiliate marketing ie when you direct followers on your blog to an external site via an affiliate link.
6. Podcast editor
Podcasting has become hugely popular and there’s a growing demand for skilled podcast editors. If you have experience in the audio production industry, then editing podcasts for other people could be the perfect stay-at-home job for you.
7. Bookkeeper
Put your bookkeeping skills and experience to good use by setting up a remote bookkeeping business and using bookkeeping software. Depending on your available time and the scope of work required for each job, you could service a number of clients working from home.
8. Social media manager
The rise and rise of social media as an essential marketing channel has led to heightened demand for people who can manage businesses’ social media accounts. A virtual social media manager is a great job for motivated stay-at-home mums who have a talent for creating high quality content and who will schedule and track the performance of the content, engage with followers and build their clients’ reputations.
9. Digital marketing manager
Online visibility is a must for any business wanting to get ahead, hence the growing demand for people who can successfully construct, implement and manage a business’s online marketing strategy. A digital marketing manager is a great option for stay-at-home mums who are at home navigating platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter etc and who want to put their creative marketing skills to good use.
10. Freelance graphic designer
Calling all creative mums! A freelance graphic design business is a great option for a home-based enterprise providing clients with design services. You can use design software to create a wide variety of visual elements including logos, social media graphics, website designs, product illustrations and marketing materials.
11. Freelance web designer
If you have some knowledge of basic programming languages and have some experience with web design, you could set yourself up as freelance web designer. Your key role would be designing visual imagery for websites using specialised software.
12. Virtual business consultant
If you want to continue working at a high level in the world of business, but want to stay at home with your family, why not consider establishing yourself as an online business consultant? Work remotely with one or more organisations to streamline their business operations, help them develop financial and marketing strategies and improve their efficiency and profitability.
13. Tutoring
Tutoring can be done in-person at home or online using software like Skype, Zoom, Teams etc. It’s a great job for mums who have previous teaching experience.
14. Pre-prepared meals
As you so well know, people’s lives can be frenetic and there are opportunities for entrepreneurs to make money by making life easier for busy people. If you’re a mum who loves cooking on a large scale, you could always start a business preparing ready-made meals to sell.
15. Catering
If you love spending time in your kitchen and aren’t intimidated by cooking for large numbers of people, then a catering business could be right for you. There are always people who have a need for event catering, whether for a small dinner party, a work function or a wedding and you could structure your schedule to suit your commitments at home.
16. Cooking classes
If you love to cook and entertain, if you’re a good communicator and if your kitchen set-up at home is suitably configured, you could consider starting a business offering one-on-one or small group cooking classes.
17. Online sales
If you’re a natural salesperson, you could sell products online from the comfort of your own home. You could establish a relationship with a larger company to sell their products, source your own products or take advantage of multi-level marketing opportunities to buy items and then on-sell them.
18. Candlemaker
If you’re a crafty type, you could consider making your own candles and selling them online. The barriers to entry are low and you can learn how to make different types of candles by following online tutorials and videos.
19. Dog walking business
If you love dogs and getting out in the fresh air, you could set up a business walking dogs in your local area. This is a great idea for stay-at-home mums whose children are a little older as they can also then get involved.
20. Clothing alterations
Calling all budding seamstresses! If you have good sewing skills and can set up your sewing machine in a convenient space at home, then you may want to consider establishing a business doing alterations for clothing, curtains, soft furnishings etc. Depending on your level of expertise, you may want to expand your offering to include dressmaking services.
Key takeaways
Your business idea doesn’t have to be earth-shatteringly original or sophisticated. It just needs to fulfil a gap or a need in the market and it has to suit your own domestic arrangements. There’s no point setting up a home-based business that is going to add huge stress to your life or compromise your ability to raise your family.
That said, there are plenty of business ideas that will enable you to use your skills and expertise, stimulate your brain and creative juices and earn you additional income. The trick is finding the right one that fits in with your schedule and which provides you with the flexibility you want.
