Making the decision to stay at home and raise your child is one not undertaken lightly; it’s fraught with pros and cons. The overwhelming positive sides including giving your child your full attention and being able to raise them in a loving and nurturing way and to see them grow up. While this is something many parents who don’t have the same opportunity would dream of doing, you also have to take into account the downsides, such as the blow that is struck to your household income when you’re no longer able to work fulltime. It used to be that this situation could only be handled by relying on the sole income of the partner still in work or by hiring a fulltime au pair. But as the world swiftly becomes more interconnected, it’s now possible to work from home while caring for your child. With an internet connection and some discipline to ensure productivity, there are a number of different online opportunities that make it possible to combine working and child-rearing, and we’ll at some of the best ones below.
Blogging
Blogging involves writing about a topic or niche in a way that reader’s will find interesting and informative. The goal is to eventually monetize your blog through advertising and sponsors while providing consistent valuable content that your readers will connect with. Sounds easy? The difficulty lies in the fact that almost every conceivable topic has been blogged out. Therefore, in order to become successful you have to approach your niche from a unique angle, with a very entertaining voice or with an as-of-yet unmatched level of insight.
e-Commerce
If you’ve ever fancied owning a shop or peddling wares then selling online is definitely the way to go. While it is a lot of work, it’s also very accessible thanks to a list of reduced overheads that brick and mortar stores have to take into account, such as store rental and employee costs. The main things you have to take into account is the product you’d like to sell and the online infrastructure for selling it. Ensuring that your online store is intuitive, secure and easy to navigate is crucial to the success of any ecommerce venture. So before you start selling ensure that your user interface is on point. If at any point it starts becoming frustrating just remember that even eBay and Amazon had humble beginnings from one-roomed offices.
Freelance writing
Do you have a penchant for words? There are hundreds of sites online that will pay you to ghost write novels, scripts, copy, technical manuals and basically anything that incorporates the written word. It’s poorly paid at first, but the more work you do, the more your reputation increases and the more you can demand per word. A good starting point is to check out this article by BusinessInsider and visit sites such as Elance, Upwork and Fiverr.
Airbnb
If you have a spare room in your house then turning it into a guest bedroom using Airbnb or a similar website is a really easy and low maintenance way to make good money. Usually all it involves is decorating the room tastefully, ensuring you have clean linen and towels, and getting to know any guests who opt to stay with you. Similarly, posting your room online is just as easy. All you need are some crisp photos, a detailed description of your area and what guests can expect, and before long you should have bookings aplenty.