Top Home Business Ideas For Women Articles | Entrepreneur

By: Matthew Hick

Stay at home moms all over the country are learning how to take what they love, and turn into cash! Working from home can be an easy and fun way to contribute to your family’s finances, as well as get out of the house a bit, if you can find the right opportunity. Here are a few simple ways just about any stay-at-home mom can build a small to medium-sized home based business:

Babysitting & After School Care.
Working parents are always in need of qualified and loving childcare for their children, both part and fulltime. Even stay-at-home moms sometimes either need a break, or need someone to watch their smaller children for an hour or two while they are at appointments or meetings. Babysitting can be a fun way to earn some extra money and contribute to the needs of the neighborhood at the same time. One warning here: most states fulltime daycare workers to be licensed, and their homes inspected regularly. Part time babysitting, however, is not usually regulated.

After school care too, is in high demand for school age children with working parents. Many centers charge large amounts of money for a relatively short period of time (usually between 3:30 and 6 p.m.), which can strain many family’s finances. Being able to give older children adult supervision between the end of the school day, and their parent’s return home can be a relatively easy way to earn extra money. Many moms who offer this service also pick children up at the bus stop, give them a snack and may help with homework. One difficult aspect of running an after school babysitting service is the time of day your services are required.

Late afternoon can be a hectic time in many households, when tempers and patience are running short. If you are not good at setting and keeping a schedule, whipping up quick dinners, or eating crock-pot meals, this may not be a good work option for your family.

Errands.
Many older people are in desperate need of someone to do their grocery shopping, pay their bills, or even pick up prescriptions and gifts. Running errands for senior citizens and other homebound citizens can be a very rewarding job that offers great flexibility for the stay-at-home mom.

Repair Watchman.
It may be annoying for the stay-at-home mom to be told a repairman will be at your home sometime between noon and 5 pm., but for those who work, taking a half day off because the washing machine broke can be a real hassle. Many people are more than willing to pay someone $20 to $50 to wait for the repairman to show, and make sure the work is completed as promised. This too can offer a flexible schedule, although the work itself can be quite inconsistent.

Dog walker.
If you love animals, caring for neighborhood dogs during the day while their owners are at work, or even pet sitting during peak vacation times, can be both enjoyable and rewarding. This is a service that can offer flexibility and a consistent income once a customer base is established.

Consignment Operator.
Moms love to sniff out a bargain. What a better job than offering those bargains to your community? Although not a job you can do from your home, running a children’s consignment shop is an excellent way to meet other moms in the community, offer a needed service, and have a job that allows you to take your kids to work.

Tutor.
Great at math? How about science? Maybe social studies is your thing? If you’re able to be patient and kind to children having difficulties in a subject that you’re good at, try tutoring. It’s a fairly easy way to offer your services on a non-demanding part time manner.

Professional Services.
Former secretaries often offer typing services to businesses and students from their homes. Former accountants may decide to do personal income taxes in the spring. Even musicians can work from home giving piano or voice lessons from their living room. Think about ways that your former professional experience can be geared toward a home based business opportunity.

Craft Maker/Leader.
Crafts seem to have made a comeback in recent years. People love to both learn how to make unique gifts themselves, and buy them for others. Whether you’re good at quilting, crocheting, scrap booking or photography, consider giving a class at your local school or church in the evenings, or sell your wares at local craft fairs. It’s a great way to express your creative side, while meeting lots of new people, and making a small paycheck.

There are thousands of ways to turn your passions into profits. Take the time to really evaluate what you like to do, and then find a unique way to tailor that skill to fill a need in the community. In the end, you may find that you’ve stumbled across a very profitable business venture, right in your own home.