Stay-at-home moms juggle a million things: momager, cook, housekeeper, entertainer, financial advisor, and more! It can be challenging to be a multitasking mama and also carve outside gig time to develop your business skills and business aspirations and earn extra income too. But we know that all moms are super moms and can totally do both. In fact, we can think of many stay-at-home moms in our very own community that are doing just that!
Side gigs are growing in popularity with moms, largely because of their availability and schedule flexibility. While drive sharing, childcare, and dog sitting are popular side hustles, other gig economy opportunities may offer moms better hourly income and the opportunity to flex, or further develop, their business and entrepreneurial muscle.
If you’re a SAHM evaluating potential side gigs, here are the considerations you should think about!
Reasonable Compensation.
Time is money, and when you’re running a household and looking to start a side gig, you want to make sure you’re compensating yourself fairly. Some stay-at-home gigs advertise high-earning potentials but don’t provide details on the amount of work and time required to reach these levels. When researching a possible gig, make sure to look for data about the average hourly compensation. Get an accurate estimate of how much time you’ll be putting into the side gig and what you’ll be earning.
Flexible Schedule.
Mom life is unpredictable; everything can be going great, and then all of a sudden, there’s a full-blown toddler tantrum or a call from school because of a tummy ache. The side gig you choose should work around your schedule and not require you to be available at times when you are usually busy. The best gigs provide freedom to maneuver.
Impact and Fulfillment.
Ultimately, your side gig should make your heart feel good; you should connect with your side gig in a personal way, so you are motivated to grow and build it. If you want to make people happy, there’s a gig for that. If you want to express your creativity, there’s a gig for that too! Find a gig that speaks to you. This makes it a lot easier to show up for work. And you will be having fun at the same time!
A Supportive Community is Essential for a Successful Side Gig.
A great gig comes with a strong community that elevates its members and provides a support network where you can ask questions, discuss, share and celebrate. This is particularly important if you’re a new entrepreneur or business owner. You’ll definitely want to hear from folks who have experience in the side gig and can share some do’s and don’ts.
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- Working From Home with Kids: Tips & Tricks for Success
- Boredom Busters: How to Keep Kids Successfully Occupied During Quarantine
- Best Coupon Sites For Busy Parents
Longevity and Room to Grow.
Great side gigs allow you to grow and expand, as a human and as a businessperson. Look for gigs that help you acquire additional skills, socialize with new people and require at least occasional creative or analytical thinking. Make sure your side gig is more than a one-time deal. Ideally look for an opportunity that can grow with you and your family and that you can grow with too!
Relativity to Your Life.
In best case scenario, you find a side hustle that is super relative to your life already. Maybe you have animals of your own, so dog sitting a few extra dogs will seamlessly integrate with your existing life! Or, since you’re a stay-at-home mama, you also nanny another kiddo in your home for a friend or family member. Have a ton of baby gear just piling up, not being used? Consider renting it out (hint, hint!). Finding a side gig like this that naturally fits into your day-to-day will make it even easier to earn extra income without any major interruptions to your life!
Some of our favorite side gigs for stay-at-home-mamas are:
- Nannying or childcare or even adult companion services on Care.com.
- Dog walking and sitting with Rover.
- We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention baby gear rentals and cleaning with BabyQuip!
- Driving with Uber on nights and weekends when your partner has the kiddos is fun.
- Become an English instructor with VIPKid.
- Sell homemade goodies on Etsy!
Take Your Kids to Work.
This is the cherry on top. If you find a side gig that allows you to involve your little ones or bring them with you, you’ve won! Some side gigs don’t allow this due to safety and liability (i.e., the grocery shopping and driving variety), but there are some side hustles that are totally kid-friendly. On the flip side, if you need a side hustle that gets you away from your kids for some “me time,” take that into consideration too!
The Investment of a Side Gig.
If you’re like most moms we know, you probably want something with minimal investment, whether that’s a financial investment or time investment, because, as we already mentioned, mamas are juggling so many things! Don’t get us wrong. With any new venture, you’ll have to invest both time and money in order to get started. But finding one in which those two investments are reasonable is best. Maybe you invest in some technology or marketing assets. Maybe you invest in some inventory. Whatever you decide, make sure to analyze and assess what the initial investment will be.
Contributing to the Community.
Finding a side gig that brings value to your community is another way to assess whether or not it’s a good fit for you. How can you incorporate your side gig in a greater way to your community at large? Will you be able to partner with other small businesses? Will you eventually be able to hire a team? Keep this in mind!
We hope this helps you identify the right side gig for you and your family. There are many options out there and if you can’t find one, create one!
Are you a SAHM with a side hustle? Tell us more about it!
Trish McDermott brings a lifetime of community, communications, and storytelling experience to BabyQuip. She is best known for her ten years running communications for Match.com, serving as Spokesperson and Vice President of Public Relations for the company. You may have seen her on Nightline or 60 Minutes, or Today, explaining the benefits of online dating, read about her in the New York Times, People Magazine, and MarketWatch, or in lively conversations with audiences at San Francisco’s Commonwealth Club, attempting to decipher the emerging culture and etiquette of online dating communities.
Having traveled solo with her four children over the years, Trish now feels eminently qualified to speak to the challenges of family travel, as well as the solutions BabyQuip and its collaborative economy of Independent Quality Providers offer. Read more about Trish’s role in launching BabyQuip in this Moneyish story.
Yes my sidegig with BabyQuip makes my heart feel good! Thanks for this great article!
For me, the most important factors were three that you mentioned here: Flexibility, being able to include my kiddo, and minimal required investment. Those three things make my side gig reasonably stress-free. And an incredibly supportive community of colleagues and great clients makes my side gig fun!
I love being able to have my tiny human with me during my side gig. With no family around to lend a helping hand, it makes things manageable…most of the time ;)
I’m hoping to use my side gig to save for travel!
Flexibility and being apart of a supportive community are so important. Truly grateful I have that being an independent provider with BabyQuip.
I love the flexibility! So amazing to have a job I love that let’s me be involved with my family more. Having a side gig is crucial for my lifestyle!
I love that there are now side gigs that allows us to work around our family lives.
I am a SAHM mom to three wonderful kiddos – 14 years, 3 years, and 18 months. I also have a side gig partnering with BabyQuip! I love the flexibility, extra $$, and finally having my own thing again after leaving the workforce! My other favorite part is helping out families who are visiting my city. I love to give them tips that only a local mama would know as an extra benefit to my service.