Being a mom is a job all its own, but if you're looking for a way to earn extra cash, you've got options. After all, those little tykes manage to generate big costs, from outgrown clothes to Little League registration fees.
A side hustle can help on both fronts, but the trick is to find work that’s right-sized for your life. Luckily, you can build on your existing parenting skills to create income. As you explore how to make money from home, look for gigs with flexibility that allow you to complete tasks whenever you have spare time, or that generate income passively. The opportunities below are a great place to start.
Ready to go mainstream with your side gig? Build a business website today with Wix.
How to make money as a stay-at-home mom
01. Launch an eCommerce store
There are plenty of reasons why some people prefer to shop online. For fellow parents, ordering onesies, diapers or school supplies from home at 11 p.m. definitely beats taking time out of the day to haul the kiddos to the shopping center. This is a lucrative need you may be able to meet.
There’s a way to launch an online business idea in retail without the cost, complexity and logistics of holding inventory and running a fulfillment center: dropshipping. With dropshipping, a third-party supplier handles the manufacturing, storage and fulfillment for you. You select which products to sell. Then when you make a sale, you pass the order directly to your supplier for packing and shipping.
You’ll pay a commission to your supplier and keep the rest of the proceeds. You can connect a dropshipping site like Modalyst to your Wix site to get started.
Kick off your dropshipping business today with Wix.
02. Design creations for print on demand
If graphic design is your passion—or if you simply have a funny slogan in mind or want to capitalize on a trending meme—you can upload artwork to a print-on-demand site and generate cash from your ideas.
As with dropshipping, print on demand enables you to outsource the logistics. You can list your designs for sale on marketplaces like Zazzle or TeePublic. Alternatively, you can integrate Printful, Modalyst or other print-on-demand providers right into your own eCommerce website with Wix. Once an order comes in, your supplier will print and ship the item to your customers.
You can offer your designs on any number of items, from baby onesies to phone cases. Like with dropshipping, you won’t have to pay for products until they’re actually sold and printed.
Start your print-on-demand business venture today.
03. Offer professional parenting expertise
If you’ve developed deep expertise about a particular aspect of child-rearing, you can put that knowledge to use while earning extra income. If you have the authority and experience, there’s no limit to business ideas you can try, from creating an online course to offering one-to-one advisory services or even writing an ebook to sell for download. With Wix, there are class templates and consulting or coaching templates to help your website stand out from the competition.
You’ll need the proper training and certification for more specialized fields, such as becoming a doula, midwife or lactation specialist. Additionally, credentials can help establish your reputation in certain niches like sleep training, homeschooling, work/life coaching, nutrition, prenatal yoga or other parenting topics.
Take Orange County-based motherbaby, a private practice lactation consultant, for example. Founder Johnna Naraki is a registered nurse who works with postpartum mothers and newborns in Southern California. In addition to two offices in Orange County, Naraki also offers telehealth services and home visits. If you're inspired by the idea, then you can also more generally learn how to make money as a consultant.
04. Share parenting passions on a blog, vlog or podcast
“Mommy blogging” is a household term by now, and a niche where many people have successfully learned how to make money from home. But if you have a unique perspective or specialized background to inform your parenting experience, you can still stand out from the crowd. Whether you opt to write, post a video series (vlog) or record audio podcast episodes, you can start a business by selling advertising alongside the content you create. For example, YouTubers can earn anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars a month, even without a huge audience, according to a survey by Business Insider.
Ready to make your voice heard? Create a blog with Wix today.
05. Earn promotional dollars as a “momfluencer”
Companies will spend more than $21 billion this year on influencer marketing initiatives, according to a survey from Influencer Marketing Hub.
You don’t need millions of followers to attract brands’ attention; niche micro- or nano-influencers can deliver a more precisely-targeted audience. The number and quality of your posts do matter, however. You’ll need to be creative, consistent and active in order to attract opportunities.
You can apply for influencer opportunities on platforms such as Open Influence or Aspire, or apply through brands directly. If you're just getting started, you may want to focus on joining affiliate programs for brands that you already know and love. The Wix Affiliate Program is one such example.
To maintain authenticity, only accept offers from brands that align with your interests and organic content. Track the time and resources you invest to understand how much you’re truly earning.
06. Open an in-home daycare
When your children are still too young for school, offering daycare can bring in extra income while introducing your kids to some new playmates.
But bear in mind that depending on where you live, you may need a license, and you’ll almost certainly need to complete a background check and certify your home is safe for group child care. In addition, plan on investing time and money to market your services, stock supplies and hire any additional staff.
Learn more: How to start a babysitting business, family business ideas
07. Take care of pets
If you love animals and have the space and the know-how, consider taking care of pets while their humans are away. Whether you offer doggy day-care or long-term boarding, think through how you’ll keep your kids safe around unfamiliar animals, and whether your own pets will mingle with the guests. Obtain any necessary authorizations from your neighborhood association, landlord and/or local authorities. Finally, consider buying extra insurance to cover any emergencies.
If hosting isn’t a practical option, you can still offer pet services, such as dog walking or visiting pets in their own homes. Los Angeles-based Walk on the Wild Side is a prime example of this business model. Serving the Woodland Hills, Calabasas and Hidden Hills neighborhoods, Walk on the Wild Side offers walks, visits or play time from 30 minutes to one hour, complete with a free consultation to start.
Additionally, sites like Rover, Wag, Meowtel and DogVacay can support your pet-centric home business ideas.
Learn more: How to start a dog walking business
08. Do (more) laundry
You may already be buried in laundry, so what’s another few loads if it’ll bring in some cash? You can earn extra income by offering to wash, dry, iron and fold items for others. If you have sewing skills, you can add alterations and repairs to your price list.
Because you’re likely using the washing machine and dryer you already have, laundry service is one of the best businesses to start with little money. Sites like Laundry Care, hampr and Poplin can send business your way in exchange for a cut of the fee, or you can start your own service and promote it on Nextdoor or local Facebook groups
Learn more: How to start a laundromat business
09. Do (more) cleaning
If you’ve developed a knack for keeping the house tidy with maximum efficiency, consider starting a cleaning business. You’ll need to sync your work time with your clients’ schedules, but the potential payoff can be substantial.
Many cleaners start out earning more than minimum wage, and once you’ve built a reputation for excellence, you can command much more. Consider premium niches like eco-friendly cleaning, deep cleaning for pet owners or housekeeping for owners of vacation rental properties.
Learn more: How to start a cleaning business
10. Sell prepared meals
More than three quarters of U.S. consumers order meals for delivery or pickup each month, according to research from DoorDash. If you have restaurant experience or culinary training, consider putting it to work creating prepared meals and marketing your services to other busy families.
Check local regulations about food safety certification, and research whether you can cook from home in accordance with cottage food laws. If not, you may need to get your kitchen inspected and approved before getting started. Once you’re ready in that regard, you can create a website using one of Wix’s food and drink templates.
Learn more: How to start a food prep business
11. Sell outgrown gear and clothes
Your kiddos are growing fast, which means some clothes are barely worn before they’re already too small. Turn this dilemma into an income opportunity by listing items on your online store or on sites like Kidizen, Poshmark and Facebook Marketplace. These marketplaces are booming, with sales of second-hand merchandise forecast to top $80 billion this year, according to eMarketer.
You can also sell old toys and baby gear such as strollers so long as they’re clean and in top condition. Just do your research before listing items such as cribs and car seats, which are subject to very strict safety regulations and may have recall notices and/or expiration dates.
Learn more: How to sell vintage clothing
12. Buy and flip apparel and home goods
You don’t need items of your own to sell to start a second-hand business. Instead, you can try buying up inexpensive items at estate sales and thrift stores and then reselling them, with or without refurbishment, through your online store (where you’ll have plenty of fashion and clothing templates to choose from).
When it comes to clothing, look for items that still have tags or are in like-new condition; if you’re a vintage aficionado, put that knowledge to work to spot classic designer finds. “Shabby chic” and one-of-a-kind housewares can be appealing, and with a fresh coat of paint or polish, you can command prices that more than cover your investment. To capitalize on the latest furniture trends, research what’s selling on eBay, Craigslist, Kaiyo and BooKoo. Poshmark, The RealReal and Thrifted are good sources for resale fashion inspiration.
13. Rent out bulky gear
If you live in a tourist destination, consider launching a side hustle renting hard-to-bring items such as bicycles for a family, folding cots and mattresses, and even packs of toys and games. Network with local vacation rental owners to boost your business, and check out BabyQuip as a platform to connect you with traveling families.
Regardless of where you live, if you own family camping gear, skis or kayaks, you can rent them out when you’re not using them. Try neighborhood apps like Nextdoor. Or, check out specialty sites like Spinlister for renting bikes, or Outdoorsy or RVShare for renting trailers and RVs. You may even be inspired to make the leap to starting a car rental business.
14. Make and sell crafts
As a parent, it can be hard to keep pursuing your own hobbies, but artisanal marketplaces like Etsy and eBay can monetize (and justify) your habit. There’s a growing appetite for unique handmade items, with Etsy alone growing 12.6% and generating $807.2 million last year during Q4.
Browse through existing vendors’ wares to see what’s possible and to position your offerings for optimal sales. If you can produce larger quantities, consider selling wholesale through catalogs such as Faire and Abound. And, of course, you can always start selling crafts online by creating your own online store, complete with a dedicated template for arts and crafts.
Get crafty by creating an online store with Wix.
15. Take and sell photos
Your tried-and-tested tricks for getting the whole family to smile at the same time can do more for you than make a perfect photo for the annual holiday card. With a camera and computer editing software, you can set up a portrait business for families, kids, moms-to-be and newborns like Snohomish, WA-based Captured by Cassy. Cassy offers services to capture all of life’s big moments, from walking down the aisle to cuddling your newborn baby. If you’re brand new to the field, you can offer free or discounted sessions initially to gather testimonials and a sample portfolio, then promote your offerings to parents in your network and via social media.
Alternatively, consider taking artistic, scenic or abstract shots and uploading them to stock photography websites. Each time someone buys and downloads one of your images, you’ll earn extra cash. Try platforms such as Shutterstock, iStock or Unsplash.
Create a picture-perfect photography website with Wix.
16. Test products, apps and websites
Companies rolling out new physical or digital products often seek consumer feedback in advance. Testing subjects are often paid to perform specific tasks and to provide feedback about their experiences, as well as file reports on any serious technical malfunctions. When testing websites or apps, your browsing session may be recorded so companies can track where you clicked or tapped.
Consider what types of products you’d like to test; you may need to complete screening to ensure your demographics match the intended customer base. You may get to keep the items you test, in addition to or sometimes in lieu of pay. To find opportunities, check sites like UserTesting, Pinecone Research, TryMyUI and Validately.
17. Work as a travel advisor
When airlines, hotels and cruise companies first offered reservations on the internet, travel agents were considered a dying breed. But now, there’s so much information online that the pendulum is swinging back the other way. Busy would-be travelers don’t have the time to sift through prices and package offers in search of the best itineraries. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 20% job growth through 2031 for travel agents, now often called travel advisors.
To succeed, you’ll need customer service skills, research savvy and travel experience, but you don’t need to be a veteran globetrotter. Many travel advisors focus on offerings, such as Disney vacations or rail excursions, so feel free to create a niche that aligns with your interests and experience. Once you land on that niche, you can create a website featuring an elegant travel service template for the optimal professional edge.
18. Offer bookkeeping services
Processing deposits and payments, managing payroll and producing expense and revenue reports don’t require a master’s degree. In fact, you can start a bookkeeping business right away if you understand business financials and are handy with spreadsheets.
Extra training will help you stand out from the crowd—not only coursework in accounting or a certified public accountant (CPA) credential, but also certifications in popular tools and software like QuickBooks and payroll processing software. You can command higher pay by specializing in a particular industry, offering tax preparation services or learning skills such as forensic accounting.
19. Sign up to do data entry
If you’re researching how to come up with a business idea, the answer might literally be at your fingertips. You need nothing more than your computer keyboard to transcribe recordings or sign up for data entry tasks. Both require agile typing skills and attention to detail, but can typically be performed on your own time so long as you meet deadlines set by the employer.
Sites like Tigerfish, Scribie and Transcription Hub specialize in transcription, while gig sites like Mechanical Turk or Upwork list both types of work. Temporary and part-time roles are also available on traditional job sites like Indeed.
20. Tutor students
Once your kids are older, the skills you flex helping them with homework can become a home-based business. More than 6% of U.S. students are now homeschooled, a percentage that has nearly doubled since the pandemic. Within these families, parents frequently supplement their own lessons with private and group tutoring, especially in advanced math, foreign language and literature.
Another potential area of specialization is to help high school and college-age students prepare for standardized tests. Writing coaches for college personal essay submissions are also in demand among university-bound students. If you want to start with less of a commitment, try answering individual questions through a site like Course Hero.
To successfully start a tutoring business, you’ll need relevant academic training. Teaching experience is a plus, and certification can be useful for marketing your skills. You’ll also want to build a website using a relevant online education template to position yourself as a professional in the space.