Best Side Hustles for Moms: Our Top 5 Recommendations.

So perhaps your children are getting a little older and don’t require as much attention. Maybe you find yourself with some more time on your hands. Whatever the reason, you’re considering a side hustle. Here’s our top 5 Side Hustle Recommendations for your consideration:

1. Children’s Party Planner
2. Direct Seller
3. Blogger
4. Pet-sitter
5. Photographer

1. Children’s Party Planner

You may already know a parent who does this. They planned a party out for their own child, and it was so much fun that they thought “I can do this”. Perhaps you can too.

There’s a lot of pressure on parents today to make every birthday memorable, and there’s no better way to do that than a party. But a lot of parents simply do not have the time to put in the proper planning, and often they’re willing to let somebody else handle the details. The money is worth it to them.

You can start by being clear on what you’re offering. You’ll make the recommendations on where to have the party. If they provide a list, you will create and distribute the invitations. You’ll also be the first one there the day of, handling the decorations, supplying the food (or co-ordinating with the caterer), and arranging the entertainment. You’ll greet the kids upon arrival and manage the party. You’ll also be the last one to leave, after the cleanup.

Perhaps as you get further into this business, you can create customizable packages (where every package offering more and more options, including live entertainment such as clowns or magicians). You can also partner with certain businesses that offer play facilities, and negotiate discounts based on how many parties you hold at their locations.

You can basically set your own hours with this, taking parties or declining based on your schedule. If your kids are old enough, perhaps they can be your helpers.

2. Direct Seller

Are you good with people? Do you have a natural flare for selling, or closing the deal? Perhaps the knack has always come easy to you. You could consider becoming a Direct Seller. There’s a whole industry out there based on sales made outside of “bricks and mortar” stores and the web. And there’s plenty to choose from in the way of products, it’s not just tupperware anymore. There’s cosmetics, wine, gardening supplies, jewellery, toys and more. Typically, you don’t need any previous experience to be a Direct Seller. Chances are you already know somebody who is doing it.

Keep in mind with direct selling, you’ll want to tread carefully with the company or companies you’re selling for. Although it can be a lucrative side hustle, direct selling is commission-based. You’ll want to know all the fees in advance, and make sure you read all the small print before you sign any contracts.

3. Blogger

How about starting your own blog? This is a tricky one because although it can be a lot of fun, many people don’t know the first thing about proper optimizing a new blog so that their content will show up in search results (this is called “SEO”, or “Search Engine Optimization”). As well, you’ll want to find that niche that very few people are exploiting so that traffic will increase to your site. We’re not talking about products here, we’re talking about original and authentic content that you publish and update regularly. What can you write about well that will draw a crowd?

This is not an impossible task. You just need to do some research first. Best to find something that interests you that you can post about, something that you can also put your own ‘spin’ on.

Check out this site from SideHustleNation.com (very relevant to what we’re talking about). Nick Loper, the guy who started it, realized that although there’s a lot of content out there about ‘side hustles’, there’s wasn’t any blogs specifically dedicated to the subject. So, he created one.

Once you have found that niche and created your blog, you need to do the SEO. There are a lot of free online tools you can reference for that, you may want to check out HubSpot’s free SEO starter pack.

Once you’ve drawn in that crowd with your blogging, that’s where you can start thinking money. And it doesn’t mean creating your own retail section on your site. Here are a couple of ways you can make money on a blog:

• Affiliate Programs. A link on your blog links through to an online retailer like Amazon. A click-through that results in a sale earns you a commission.
• Google AdSense or Other Website Advertising Programs. You allow text or displays ads (or both) from advertisers to be placed on your website. You decide exactly where these ads can appear. You get paid when the ads are seen (this is called “impressions”) or clicked on (called “pay-per-click”).

As you can see, there’s a fair amount of work involved, but if you have the time (and an original idea), developing and writing your own blog can be an incredible experience. And perhaps profitable too.

There’s nothing like publishing under your own byline, and generating comments that will start a conversation.

4. Pet-sitter

Are you good with animals? Do you enjoy having them around? Maybe you can side hustle your way into a pet-sitter situation. Many families feel bad about leaving their beloved pet alone all day, and maybe here’s a win-win situation for the client as well as yourself.

Keep in mind as a pet-sitter, you will want to get some insurance. You’ll also want to consider keeping the service exclusive to your immediate neighbourhood (imagine trying to get across town just to feed one animal, when you have more waiting or already with you). Narrow down exactly what you are offering – will you go to a client’s home and walk and feed their pets? What kind of pets will your service look after? (consider some restrictions on this). Can a pet stay with you if need be?

If you’re keeping the service to your immediate neighbourhood, marketing via Facebook posts, word of mouth and even homemade flyers will help get the word out.

5. Photographer

A lot of moms take up this one as a part time business to generate some extra cash, and it’s no wonder. It can be a lot of fun and it doesn’t take much time. You don’t need a studio, just a good camera and some editing software. Maybe make family portraits your niche?

What a lot of people don’t think about is how much work goes into a good photograph. There’s the resolution (the quality you’re shooting at), the staging (where people sit or stand, and where they are in relation to one another), the lighting, and even the expression on people’s faces. All of that takes skill and instruction on the part of the photographer. And knowing exactly when to snap the photo. If you can handle all that, or already have some experience doing it, then perhaps this side hustle is for you.

Keep in mind you’ll also want to clean up the photos before handing off an album to the client. Fortunately. there’s a lot of apps for that, that make it much easier than ever before. Want to take that red-eye out? Or remove a wrinkle? Perhaps

make someone look younger? It can all be done now at the click of a button.

Other Questions Related to Best Side Hustles for Mom:

What Are the Easy Side Hustles for Single Moms?

Can You Make a Side Hustle Full-Time?

What Are the Easy Side Hustles for Single Moms?

The best side hustles to make money are ones that you personally find enjoyable, and can do well. However, finding the right one really depends on your particular situation, your skills and how much time you have. If you’re a single mom, with limited hours, perhaps writing a blog is ideal for you because you can do it at any time of the day or night.

Whatever side hustle you decide on, do the research first. Talk to others who are doing something similar and get a feel for what it takes every day. Calculate what the startup costs are (if there are any) and how profit you can make or money you can save for a rainy day by doing it. Also ask yourself if you launch this, do you think you’ll still enjoy it in a month? And most importantly, start thinking about a one-year and five-year plan.

Can You Make a Side Hustle Full-Time?

You’re going to really want to stop and think before you make your side hustle a full-time job. The whole reason for a side hustle was to earn a little extra income “on the side”. Ask yourself why you started this side hustle in the first place. Was it the flexibility with the hours? Was it the effort vs profit ratio? Whatever the reason, consider the scalability of what you are doing now. Presently it may be a perfect situation but what if you change it? Will spending more time on it equal more profit? Does it mean giving something else up, like another job? Consider all the factors.

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