Should You Start a Mom Gig?
It’s About the Money (Sometimes)
Side Hustle, Mompreneur, Independent Consultant, Home Business. These all refer to things where people are not on an official payroll and in most cases do not have a brick and mortar place of business separate from their home.
Women start them for many reasons. In some cases, there is a financial need that drives it, while in others there is a passion they have which has been mostly abandoned while managing kids and their household. Some people had a job that they could no longer do full-time or on someone else’s schedule but wanted to continue using their skills.
If you have thought about starting a business, do not talk yourself out of it. Some have thrived during the pandemic and some have even started during the pandemic and been successful. Maybe you make something or provide a service to people you know and would like to take the next step and do it for people you do not personally know (and also charge for it).
Following are some examples of Moms who found a way to work around their other jobs of managing small humans and the houses they live in.
JMC was always an artist and went to art school before marrying and having 3 kids. She never fully developed an art career before becoming a professional mom. Initially driven by financial need, once her youngest was in school she also realized that she wanted and needed to use her talents for something of her own. Upon seeing other people selling personalized items, she knew she could do it too, and maybe even better. She bought a machine that is commonly used for downloading images and cutting them from different materials. JMC researched on Etsy and other crafty sites to get ideas of what people made and sold with the machine and created some cute personalized items for her own family. She posted photos to social media and attended some local craft shows. At first, she mainly designed things for friends and family. As word traveled, JMC became known in the local area for her creative and professional designs on shirts, hats, water bottles, stationery, and a variety of other items. During the Pandemic, business really took off when people were hesitant to go into stores. Also, there were a lot of smaller events being held where people may have ordered personalized items in bulk in the past, but now only needed 10 or 20. JMC promotes on Facebook groups, Instagram, and old-fashioned word of mouth. She was able to manage her kids’ hybrid school schedules during the pandemic, among other things, but has kept a creative outlet and a helpful source of income.
M was a Pilates instructor at a studio and when she had a baby, the studio was able to accommodate a part-time schedule that worked for her. She lived very close to her job and had someone to babysit when needed. M had an idea in the back of her head that someday she would like to start her own business or Pilates studio, maybe in a few years when her baby was in school. M and her husband then bought a house about 30 minutes away from the studio, and at the time the schedule was still workable for her. At the beginning of the Pandemic, she and the other instructors were doing Zoom classes but she started thinking more about starting her own business. She had Pilates equipment at home that had initially been purchased for her personal use, but she thought she could use it to teach others as well. Due to Pandemic-related reasons, the studio she worked at restructured and no longer needed as many instructors. M decided the time had come to launch her own business. Realizing that many people did not want to come in person, she offered zoom classes and downloadable content in addition to offering private sessions with appropriate safety precautions. She created a website and promoted herself on social media and among her existing clients. With her own business, she can successfully work around nap schedules and other toddler activities.
JPM always loved baking. For 10 years she and a friend talked about someday starting a business. When her kids were old enough to be in school all day, the timing was finally right and she decided to take the leap. She and her friend researched the industry and started to bake. JPM has always been artistic and her cookies were works of art that also happened to be delicious. Through social media and word of mouth, they soon became busy providing beautiful cookies and dessert trays for both large and small events such as showers and bar mitzvahs as well as birthdays and other smaller occasions. JPM’s friend then moved out of town but she kept up the business on her own. After about 5 years, her old carpal tunnel issues came back and it was becoming physically difficult to continue creating intricate designs with the cookies. In addition, she was starting to feel that the business had run its course. She was looking into pursuing a Masters degree in a different field and didn’t have the bandwidth to do both. After quietly putting away the baking supplies, she feels like that particular dream was accomplished and does not regret it.
E began tutoring kids in Hebrew at her synagogue at the age of 17. She was good at it and loved working with kids. As an adult, she became a teacher and while her own children were young she taught Hebrew at a local synagogue. She realized there was one student who needed extra help and offered to work with him one on one. Through her personal observations and via word of mouth she began to work individually with more students. While teaching at an elementary school she has also continued to do Hebrew tutoring and finds it very rewarding. E has successfully worked individually with students who have learning differences and feels even more of an accomplishment with them than she does in the regular classroom. She also can schedule sessions around her family calendar.
None of these moms had experience with billing or accounting, but they purchased QuickBooks, made a spreadsheet, and/or researched what others charged for similar products or services. They also have pretty nonexistent advertising budgets. While none of them are building a national franchise or purchasing private jets, they all have found a way to be true to themselves and to pursue something that gives them purpose while still being able to be involved in their own family.
If you are considering starting a business with something you already do or love, don’t be afraid to start small. You don’t need to have a Facebook page, Instagram, and website launched overnight (or at all). If you just need a little direction for how to get started, these resources may be helpful:
https://www.fundingcircle.com/us/resources/mompreneurs/
