Starting a small business is one way to get financial freedom. As a stay-at-home mom, It’s very important that you have a means of making money so that you can save for retirement and help your family.
In this article, I describe more than 27 small business ideas that stay-at-home moms can pursue to earn financial freedom.
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What kind of small business can I start as a stay-at-home mom?
As a stay-at-home mom, you have the option of starting a fully online small business or a work-from-home business. In a fully online small business, you don’t have to worry about making physical products and shipping them to customers.
All of your products are made and sold online so there is no inventory to stock. Another benefit of a fully online business is that the products you create are evergreen. This means they don’t go out of stock.
In a work-from-home small business model, you may have to make physical products to sell. You can also sell your services to people online. This requires you to carry inventory which costs money.
Now that we know the type of small business we can start as stay-at-home moms, let’s look at some examples of each below.
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Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. For more info please see the disclaimer
Fully online business ideas for stay-at-home moms
Sell printables online
Printables are digital downloadable products like planners, journals, checklists, coloring books, etc. that you can sell to people who need them.
You can sell your printable products on Etsy or your own website.
For example, you could sell a productivity planner for busy working moms. That’s something that’ll sell well because people are always looking for ways to be more productive.
Most people create their printables on Canva before uploading them to their Etsy shop. Printables are easy to sell because you don’t need to carry a physical inventory of products.
That’s why selling printables is a great online business idea for stay-at-home moms.
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Online travel agent
Another online business idea you can start as a stay-at-home mom is a travel agency. In most states, you will need to obtain a seller of travel license in order to begin. So make sure you get one from your state.
After you’ve obtained your license, all you have to do is build your client base.
You can start by creating a website, then booking trips for family and friends. Ask them to leave you a good review and spread your business by word-of-mouth to help you get more clients.
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Affiliate marketer
An affiliate marketer is someone who sells other people’s products instead of their own. Affiliate marketing is a small business that any stay-at-home mom can do.
Think of products you use every day that you love and would recommend to others. Make a long list of all those products.
It can be anything from food products, bathroom products, makeup, books, etc. See if any of the products have an affiliate program where you can promote their products and earn a commission.
For example, if I use and love the Roomba robot vacuum, so I became an affiliate marketer for the company. Every time someone buys their products through my affiliate link, I earn a small commission.
You can promote your products to your followers on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, website, etc. Affiliate marketing is a great online business idea for stay-at-home moms.
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Youtuber/content creator
If you have a Gmail, then you can easily create a Youtube account. Did you know that you can earn a full-time living creating Youtube videos?
There are thousands of people who use youtube to make a living each month.
When you create videos that people want to watch, Youtube will give you the chance to join their creator program after you’ve reached 1000 subscribers and 4000 watch hours.
With that, you can start earning income with ads on your videos. You can also monetize your videos through affiliate marketing and making sponsored content.
Create Print-on-demand products to sell
I recently heard about print-on-demand products, and I think it’s a great small business to start as a stay-at-home mom.
The way it works is that you create a design that can be put on T-shirts, mugs, sweatpants, etc. using a tool like Canva. You then upload your design to your shop on a print-on-demand website like Printful (there are tons of them).
When someone orders a mug or T-shirt with your design on it, the company makes the product and ships it on your behalf. In return, they get a percentage of the sale.
The best part of print-on-demand is that you don’t have to have a physical inventory of products. It’s all done online which makes it a great business for a stay-at-home mom to start.
Start a blog
Blogging is one of the best online businesses you can start as a stay-at-home mom, and I’ll tell you why.
A blog is a place where people go to get their problems solved, or their questions answered.
You’re reading this post today because you want to know what type of small business you can start as a stay-at-home mom. My article provides you with helpful solutions and answers.
With that being said, there are many ways to monetize a blog. One of the best ways is with ads. Companies will pay you to place ads on your blog when you get enough visitors to your site.
You can also monetize a blog with sponsored content from companies as well as affiliate marketing. The best way to monetize a blog is by selling your own products such as printables, physical items, etc.
To learn more about how to start a blog, check here
Write ebooks to sell
If you’re a creative person who loves to write, then creating ebooks is the way to go. You can create ebooks about anything and sell them on amazon and your own website.
If your interest is in helping children, then create children’s books or workbooks to help kids academically.
You can create an ebook on how you manage your busy life as a stay-at-home mom to help other moms like yourself.
There’s no end to what you can create.
The process of making ebooks to sell on amazon is called kindle direct publishing (KDP). There are tons of youtube videos available to teach you how to do it. You can check out this site here to learn more.
Create an online course or membership site
Nowadays you can find courses online about anything from sewing to coding and beyond. Why not create an online course as your first small business as a stay-at-home mom?
All you need to make a course is to think of a problem people have and a solution you can provide for them.
For example, if you’re good at painting, then create a course on how to do different types of painting. You can teach still life, landscape, portrait, etc.
There’s always someone out there willing to pay to learn what you can teach.
When you’re ready to create your online course, check out websites like Teachable, Thinkific, or LearnWorlds to start creating your course.
If you want to make a video course, then consider using Udemy or Skillshare as your platform.
With an online course, you can charge whatever you want. You can also make it into a membership where people have to pay you every month to access the information.
Become a sleep consultant
A sleep consultant is someone who helps parents learn how to sleep-train their babies. They educate parents on infant sleep and how to best create a positive sleep environment.
Most sleep consultants made money using three different methods. The first is to create a blog where to write about infant sleep-related topics. The blog is monetized with ads and affiliate marketing.
The second way they make money is to create a course on sleep training. This course is marketed to parents whose kids struggle with sleep issues.
The third-way sleep consultants make money is through working directly with clients. If you need one-on-one consultation, then you would book a paid session to get help.
Running a sleep consulting small business would be great for moms because they have the experience of raising infants. If your child struggled with sleep issues, you could use your story to help other parents.
Become a life coach
Just like sleep consulting, life coaching could be a great online business to start as a stay-at-home mom.
Coaches are people who help other people achieve a particular goal. You could be a health coach, relationship coach, parenting coach, business coach, job coach, etc.
There is no limit to what kind of coaching you can do.
Some people choose to get a coaching credential before they begin practicing, while others take a coaching course. Search online to see which one works best for you before you begin your journey.
Coaches make money the same way that sleep consultants and bloggers make money. All you need is the right client base.
Become a virtual assistant
A virtual assistant (VA) is someone who helps business owners complete tasks that they’re too busy to complete.
Virtual assistants complete tasks like paying bills, bookkeeping, editing writing, writing blog posts, clerical work, social media posts, etc.
You need training before you can become a virtual assistant. Check this course on starting your virtual assistant business on Skillshare, and launch your business today!
Running a VA small business would be great for a stay-at-home mom because you can choose your own hours and task. You don’t have to do things you don’t want to.
If you prefer to work offline, then you can choose from one of the work-from-home businesses listed below.
Work from home business for stay-at-home moms
Makeup artist
If you love doing makeup, then starting a makeup business would be great for you. You can do it from the comfort of your own home, and on your own time.
Because of the flexibility of this business, you will still have time to care for your kids. You can make good money when you charge for special occasions like weddings, bridal showers, etc.
Hairdresser
Hairdressing is another work-from-home business that would be perfect for a stay-at-home mom. Before I shaved off all my hair, I had a hairdresser who ran her business from home.
She took on clients when her kids were in school so that she would have time for them when they came home. She made very good money because she didn’t have to worry about paying rental fees or working under anyone.
Make arts and crafts to sell online
If you want a small business that requires very little commitment, then consider selling arts and crafts online.
Examples of crafts you can make are stuffed animals, crochet crafts, resin art, backpack tags, wooden signs, chalk lettering, etc. If you’re into art, then you can make digital wall art for people to print on demand. All your arts and crafts can be listed on Etsy.
Sell candles
You can start a candle business from home, and make good money. If you have the talent for creating beautiful candles then start making them for sale online.
You can sell them on your own website or on Etsy.
There are tons of youtube videos that can teach you how to make candles from scratch, so you don’t even have to be an expert in it to start.
Online children’s clothing boutique
If you like to sew then running a children’s clothing boutique would be great for you. If you don’t want to start your own boutique business then you can make clothes for other people’s shops.
Facebook has a lot of groups dedicated to connecting seamstresses with boutique owners. You can use these groups to hire seamstresses for your shop as well as make clothes for others.
As a stay-at-home mom, this would be a great work-from-home business because you can use your children to test out your creations.
They could model your clothes to other kids who could be your potential customers if their parents like your designs.
Make soap, bath bombs, and lotions to sell online
Self-care products such as soaps, lotions, and bath bombs would be great for a small business. I know some people that sell incense and sage as their small business online.
It’s a good work-from-home business because you can make these things on your own time.
Become a nail technician
Some nail techs choose to work from home to avoid rental fees. You can also control your own hours if you work from home.
To become a nail tech, you will need some training and certification depending on your state’s requirements. So make sure you do your research first.
Become a barber
Women can become barbers too. I’ve met a few of them since I shaved off all my hair. To become a barber, you’ll need training and a license. Once you get those, you can work from home if you prefer.
Just like a hairdresser, nail tech, and makeup artist, you can make your own schedule, cherry-pick your clients and run your business however you want. It’s completely flexible.
Language or academic Tutor
One of my stay-at-home mom friends who was also a teacher, quit her job to run her own tutoring business from home.
She started with one client and has now grown her business to include many students. Parents are willing to pay for their children’s academic success.
She charges $80 dollars an hour per student. The kids come to her home after school. With that price range, she doesn’t need a lot of kids to make a full-time income.
If you speak Spanish, Mandarin, or any other in-demand language, then consider becoming a language tutor. People will pay a lot of money for their kids to learn a new language these days.
Run an in-home daycare
An in-home daycare business is the perfect small business for stay-at-home moms. Most of the things you need to run your in-home daycare are things you already own.
All you need is a home, a big backyard for the kids to play in, age-appropriate toys, and activities for kids to do during the day. You also need a cot for the kids to sleep on.
You may need a license to start your in-home daycare so make sure you check with your state.
The best thing about this business is that you’ll be making money while also taking care of your kids. You also get to decide how many kids you want to look after.
In-home baker
Starting a bakery business is something you can do from home as a mom. If you set up your business right, it could become lucrative for you.
I know a mom who runs an in-home bakery. She bakes at night after her kids go to bed or while they’re in school. Her clients order things like cookies, specialty cakes, and other pastries.
I’ve ordered from her on many occasions before.
If you have the talent for baking, then start looking to build a client base using friends and family until you’re comfortable enough to branch out.
In-home caterer
I’ve used in-home caterers before when planning a party. I prefer them because I’m supporting a small business and I get a personal touch.
In-home caterers usually focus on specific types of cuisines such as Kosher meals, vegan meals, and cultural cuisines.
In my Nigerian community, we often order special Nigerian meals from in-home caterers for different events. That’s something people from other cultures do as well.
If you can cook unique cuisine, then you can use that to market your catering business.
Reselling
The idea behind reselling is to buy goods on sale from sites like Amazon, eBay, Facebook marketplace, etc. Then sell them at a higher price somewhere else.
Some people sell their items in a physical shop, while others resell online.
You can buy items when they’re on sale, or buy wholesale from platforms like Alibaba, then sell them at a higher price online. Reselling is a low-stakes business that any stay-at-home mom can do.
Ghostwriting/ freelance writer
A ghostwriter is someone who helps others write their books, blog posts, papers, etc. If you’re good at writing, then consider starting a business writing for others.
Many blogs are looking for writers because they can’t keep up with the demands of new articles from their readers.
You can pitch yourself to these blogs and write on topics that you’re an expert on. As a stay-at-home mom, you may be able to write for other mommy blogs about issues related to parenting.
A quick google search of “freelance writing websites” will give you a place to start.
Start a dog-sitting business
If you’re into animals, then you can start a dog-sitting business at home. Post flyers around town letting people know of your interest in dog-sitting.
Ask your family and friends to spread the word around. You can even use social media to promote your business. Focus on building your client base to help your business grow
Dog grooming
Just like a dog-sitting business, a grooming business would be great for a stay-at-home mom. Most state requires a license for you to start a grooming business, so check with your state’s licensing agency.
With a dog grooming business, you would need a place to groom the dogs outside your home. You don’t want dog hairs all over the house. A big shed in your backyard could be used as your grooming area.
Do you still need more small business ideas? Check out the other businesses below you can start as a stay-at-home mom today.
Small Business Ideas For Stay-at-home Moms
Photographer
Are you good with photos? If so then you need to start your photography business. You could do weddings, birthdays, bridal showers, newborn photoshoots, maternity photoshoots, etc.
All you need to start are clients who can give you good reviews, and spread your business to others. That’s where your friends and family will come in. Try using them to build a portfolio of clients.
Home cleaning service
If you love cleaning and organization, then consider starting a home cleaning business. You can clean people’s homes when your kids are in school, and still have time to spend with them when they’re home.
A home cleaning business is simple to start. Post on Facebook to find clients and start building your portfolio.
Party planner
If planning parties is something you enjoy, then a party planning business would be perfect for you.
Decide which type of parties you want to specialize in and start looking for clients. Plan events for your close friends and family to practice your skills.
You may be able to build your client base from the guests you invited, depending on how much they enjoyed the party.
Conclusion
In this article, I’ve talked about different types of small businesses that you can start as a stay-at-home mom.
If you want a physical business, then you can choose from the long list I’ve provided you. If you prefer to start an eCommerce business online, then you have several options as well.
Whatever you decide, make sure you do in-depth research on it. Find out who your competition is.
Figure out what you can do better than your competition to help serve your clients. That’s what will make you grow.
Which small business ideas for stay-at-home moms will you be starting today? Let me know below in the comments
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