As a stay-at-home mom, I want to do just that - stay at home! I left the world of public school teaching in favor of homeschooling so I would have more time with my children. But at the same time, life is expensive, and sometimes it is hard to make it on one salary. The wonderful thing about living in the 21st century is that there are MANY ways to earn money from home, without losing out on precious time with our families. These are the ones I have used over the years. What other categories would you add?
Provide a service
Consider your skills and training. What services could you offer to others? Can you teach private lessons in music or art, or offer tutoring in a content area? Could you lead a homeschool community, as I do for Classical Conversations? Could you teach English to children in another country, as some companies do? Could you even teach an online course for your local technical college or a university? Or maybe you are a tech-y person and could help businesses or bloggers manage their social media accounts as a virtual assistant (check out some training opportunities for this HERE!)
Become an affiliate
When you are an affiliate for a company or brand, you share about their products in exchange for a commission. The price is the same for the customer. Some of the companies I have done this for are Amazon, Christian Book Distributors, and Ultimate Bundles (referral link). (By the way, Ultimate Bundles has a Work At Home Super Bundle available through June 30! Find out more about it HERE!) Generally, you need to have some kind of "platform," such as a blog, to be accepted as an affiliate, but you don't have to have a huge following. Give it a try!
Sell your creations
When you think about selling your own creations, think about both physical products and digital ones. Perhaps you have a talent with crochet or calligraphy or some other artwork that you can sell at craft fairs or on Etsy. Or maybe you are a writer. If you have a blog, you can sell your own self-published books there, or you can sell teaching helps on a website like Teachers Pay Teachers. I have sold some of my own creations through my Precious Treasures Store here, and hope to be able to offer some downloadable books in the future.
Sell for a commission
The advantage of selling your own creations is that you are in the driver's seat. The disadvantage is that everything rests on you - materials, production, marketing, delivery, the works. Another way to make money is to sell other people's products. That is what stores do (Target doesn't make everything it sells, right?), and individuals can, too, via direct sales companies such as Mary Kay, or Pampered Chef, or the company I work with, Lilla Rose. In direct sales, you generally purchase an introductory package of products in exchange for the right to sell those products, either in person or online, for a commission as an independent consultant. You are NOT an employee of the company. Instead, you have your own business that you run according to the company guidelines, but mostly on your own time and in your own way. I have had a lot of fun working my Lilla Rose business, and it is something that my daughter and I have been able to do together. Even my husband and son get into the fun of it!
Other ideas?
What other ways to earn money from home have you found? Share them in the comments!
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