How to Start a Side Hustle from Home
Have you ever gotten to the end of the money and realized that there was more of the month left? It’s a common problem, even when not dealing with a global health crisis. Thankfully, there are a ton of ways to make money to supplement your income. If you’re a mom looking for a side hustle to generate more income, read on…
Many people go out and get a second (or third!) job, but, often, each time you go and work for someone else, you’ll make less hourly than you did at your previous job. You’re also reliant on the job to provide you enough hours to make the money you want while taking even more time away from your family.
That’s why I prefer the idea of a side hustle for moms that you can work from home… a business you start, that you make your own hours and income and can do around family time. There are so many positives to being your own boss that I could list (I should probably write a blog post specifically on that!), but that is probably my favorite one.
When you’re the boss, you can make your hours and plan your work time AROUND your family instead of trying to fit in time with your family around work. This is especially important when you want to juggle motherhood and running a business. [Read more about how I built a business as a “working stay at home mom”]
Side Hustles for Stay at Home Moms
Once you decide to start a side hustle and build your business from home, you have to decide what you want to do. You can start by typing “work from home mom” or “jobs for stay at home moms” into a search engine and find a lot of ideas. Write down anything that sounds interesting or that you want to learn more about keeping an open mind as you go.
The key thing here is to make sure that you keep your goals in mind. You may find jobs for moms that don’t pay enough or aren’t needed enough to be worth your time. That can be a catch-22. You might find a side hustle that interests you, but remember supply and demand. If there’s no demand for the product or service you’re supplying, then it wouldn’t be a worthwhile side hustle.
Speaking of goals, you should define your goals for your side hustle. What exactly do you want to make? Are you just hoping to make an extra hundred dollars a month, or did you want or need more? Did you want this extra income to pay for something specific, or were you hoping for it to last long term? Are you satisfied with just a side hustle, or did you want to turn it into a full time income you can retire into?
Setting Goals for your Side Hustle
Following Peter Drucker’s method, try to make SMART goals – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound. You should know what you want and when you want it, but also make sure you can tell when you’ve achieved them. For example – I want to make a consistent extra $300 per month from my side hustle within the next 30 days to help pay my mortgage. I want to make $3000 per month from my side hustle within 6 months so I can quit my day job.
Based on your goals, you can get a better idea of which jobs for mothers would be best for you. Look closely to find ones that are flexible (in case you need a sick day), fit your needs (providing customer service on the phone might not be the best idea if you have a small home and want to work after your kids are in bed or if your kids are usually too loud for you to hear the phone), and are scalable (if your goal is to grow your business, make sure it’s one that can be grown).
If you’ve ever heard the saying from Desmond Tutu, “There is only one way to eat an elephant: a bite at a time,” then you probably realize that you need to take it one step at a time. Even if your goal is to retire into your side hustle business, it’s important to learn what it entails, develop your product or service, get that first customer or client, and proceed from there. It can take time to build a side hustle business, but with consistent effort, you can build your business and build your income to reach your goals.
Start a Sleep Consulting Business as a Side Hustle
Although there are hundreds of side hustles you can do, one that I recommend for most moms is a sleep consulting business. When looking at jobs for stay at home mom or for moms looking to work from home, sleep consulting is a great choice because moms all understand how difficult it is to function if your child isn’t sleeping. We’ve all experienced the ups and downs of sleep in our own children and either hired a sleep consultant or somehow got through it on our own (sometimes wishing we had hired a sleep consultant along the way!).
How Much Money Will I Make as a Sleep Consultant?
In terms of reaching your goals, a part-time sleep consultant has an income potential of $1,500 to $4,000 per month. For full-time sleep consultants, their earning potential averages between $5,000 and $10,000 per month. Not only is it a lucrative business, it also will allow you to help parents, like yourself. Your starting salary as a pediatric sleep consultant is not the same as your salary after a few years, or even months! The sky is the limit.
How do I Get Started as a Certified Pediatric Sleep Consultant?
If you’re ready to get started, the Center for Pediatric Sleep Management’s (CPSM) provides a Sleep Consultant Certification course that will teach you everything you need to know to start and run a successful sleep consulting business. You will learn a variety of sleep training methods and learn how to apply them to individual cases. Just as no two children are the same, the methods for teaching them to sleep independently need to be mixed and matched and catered to the specific child and family situation. Through one-on-one training and mentorship, you will learn how to determine the best methods and practices as well as how to find potential clients, provide value, and convert them to paying customers.
If you’re looking to start a side hustle as a mom, you have many choices. Check out the CPSM site for more details and to see if it’s the right side hustle for you. If you’re on the fence, you can schedule a complimentary call so I can answer any questions you may have and help you decide.
