Welcoming your little bundle of joy into the world is an exciting and scary time for every new mom. Not only do you have to continue taking care of your original child (your husband), you also now have a little life that you are ultimately responsible for.
Many mothers make the brave decision to head back to work when the baby gets to an age where he or she can stay at a daycare or with a close friend of relative. But, there are many women who don’t have that luxury. Either her parents are still in work or a day-care is just far too expensive. There is no need to worry about these elements that are outside of your control.
As a new mother, you can take action and take control of your situation by finding other ways to supplement your income. Alicia Barry is a perfect example of a mother who is taking care of herself by working from home. Alicia worked for about 15 years in the finance and accounting sector before she and her husband, Andrew, decided to have a baby. Nine months later and there she was – Aaliyah.
Alicia was smitten, and after waiting 15 years to have her precious angel, she was in no rush to get back to work. After earning a reasonably good salary that kept her independent of relying on her husband, she wanted to keep that even after the birth of Aaliyah. After doing her research, Alicia found that there was a way that she could create a steady wage by never leaving home. Alicia used her 15 years of experience in the accounting sector to create a healthy business whilst staying at home.
She found 15 small businesses in her area that were struggling to keep up with their accounting but could not afford to take on the services of a large company with large overheads. They were drawn to Alicia because of her lower costs and great service. She set up her website to find and attract new clients and before she knew it, Alicia was generating a nice little income working about four to six hours every day in between feeds and nap time. Not bad for a stay at home mom, is it?
The question is how can you turn your expertise into a successful business you can manage whilst you stay at home to take care of a baby.
Consulting
If you’ve been a part of the workforce, chances are you’ve developed some skills that would be highly valuable to other businesses. Whether it’s human resources, financial management or public relations, there is a whole suite of skills that businesses are looking for. Once you have an idea of your unique offering, you need to develop yourself a consulting business plan that will help you put your plan into action. 
Consider a good business name, how you’re going to market yourself, and what sort of company structure you will have. A good start is coming up with a list of the all the contacts you have that can help and creating a solid website, which you can do for free on wordpress.com.
Virtual assistant
If you have access to a computer and an internet connection, chances are that you will be able to complete tasks as a virtual assistant. A virtual assistant is a self-employed business operator providing services to businesses including administrative tasks, secretarial tasks, technical and creative tasks from their homes. A VA is not an employee, but usually has a number of clients that they work for at any given time. There are plenty of platforms where you can find work as a virtual assistant, including upwork.com, odesk.com, and a number of other platforms. Make sure you price yourself well and do your research before you begin.
Get creative
If you find yourself always making or baking, you are more than likely destined for a creative career. There are plenty of businesses you can establish from home that are creative in nature. You could make jams and sell them at local farmers markets or create your own soy candles and sell them online. If you’re a graphic designer, you could do custom prints and sell them online. Take your time to find what really invigorates you and pursue that. You can sell your wares on etsy.com, or you could create your own website using an e-commerce platform. Starting out, it is always easier to sell on an established platform, but once you get busier, you could always migrate to your own site. This helps you test before you invest.
Search Engine Evaluation
Search Engine Evaluation is a little-known industry, mostly because the companies involved require strict confidentiality. The job involves searching for specific products and reporting the findings to the companies. Essentially it is a way for companies to get a better idea of how well their website’s search functionality is working. There are some suggestions that you can make between $10 and $14 per hour as a search engine evaluator. In this job, you don’t go directly to the company, instead, you go through a third party website that will allow you create your own easy-to-follow work schedule.
Freelancing
This is one of the most effective ways to make money while you are a stay-at-home mom because it gives you ultimate flexibility in setting your own hours. 
You will be able to find opportunities as a writer, illustrator, designer, or as a video producer. There are lots of opportunities out there, but there are also a lot of freelancers. You will really need to prove yourself and potentially do a few low-paying jobs just to establish your reputation. Try sites like odesk.com, elance.com and liveops.com.
Transcription
If you have a knack for quick typing, you could get a job as a transcriptionist. All you need to do is invest in a high-quality set of earphones, and you can find a transcription job to work around your lifestyle. There are a number of companies you can work for and most of them are pretty flexible. You could be transcribing machine messages, interviews, conferences, tv shows, or dictations all from the convenience of your home. One skill that is important for this role is to have a good grasp of the English language, including spelling and grammar.
eBay store
If you have a whole load of stuff sitting in cupboards that you are no longer using, why not flip it on eBay? Make money from selling things you no longer need by reaching out to a global audience through online auctions. Once you sell an item, all you need to do is make sure you can get out to the Post Office. The amount of money you can make really depends on what you are selling. If you have really high-quality near-new shoes or clothes that your child has grown out of, you can make good money selling them. It could be books, paintings, accessories, electronics or anything else that you no longer use. People are always looking for a bargain.
Telecommuting
If you need a steady stream of income, why not telecommute and work for a company that needs people exactly like you? Essentially, you’d be working for someone else, whilst setting your own schedule. Here is a list of where you will be able to find work telecommuting.
- Teletech
- Convergys
- Amazon
- Kelly Services
- Kaplan
- First Data
- IBM
- SAP
- Westat
- Dell
- Working Solutions
- Xeros
Keep your eyes peeled on job boards to see when these companies post telecommuting opportunities.
Private tutor
If you have particular skills in a field such as English or Economics, you could create quite a healthy income as a private tutor. All you need to do is set up a small office in your house and put the word out that you are teaching a particular subject. Private tutors can earn between $15 to $80 per hour depending on the level of experience they have in that field. This is an excellent option for former teachers who have kids at home.
Online concierge
If you’re great at getting stuff done, a job as an online concierge might just be the thing for you. You would be required to run personal errands for corporate and non-corporate clients. You can even start your own business as a concierge. Ensure you find out the legalities of the process in your state or region, as they are all different. Then research your competitors to see how they are lacking, so you can make up for that shortfall. Contact a number of agencies to let them know you are starting a concierge service, but in the meantime, you can establish a website and Facebook page to find clients for yourself.
