One of the easiest ways to earn a side income is to market your own skills. What do I mean? Can you bake? Do you iron? Can you babysit? Are you proficient with the computer? If you answered yes to any of the above, then you have the ability to earn money.
Baking
If you’re a stay at home mom, do you have the time to bake for others? While this will require stocking up on items you need, for whatever you’re going to bake, you will receive it back when you sell your bake goods.
Create for yourself some decorative fliers. You want it to catch the eye of the person you’re leaving it with. Set the tone for what you are marketing with good eye candy. Describe briefly what you have to offer and the cost per dozen or half dozen, or whatever you’re going to price your product as. Try to stick with four or less options. This way you wont be bombarded with too many requests for this or that.
Be sure you put on the flier whether you’ll deliver or if they will need to pick it up. Also include the operating hours of your business. Since this is an in-home business, try to stick with working hours that won’t infringe upon your family time and personal time.
Ironing
If you have a particular skill with ironing, set about marketing to people who need ironing done for work. Even in times of financial pinches and in areas where materials are made that don’t require ironing, there are those die hard people who will pay for this service.
A flier decorated with an ironing board or an iron, even a clothes line with clothes draped on it will work well for this sort of job. Next give a brief paragraph listing your skills with iron, like how long you’ve ironed, whether or not you have professional expertise and so on.
Below your paragraph make a list of the materials you will and wont iron. If you don’t want to worry about delicates, silks or nylons, then list that you wont iron such things as the material easily burns or tear.
Create your list in drop down fashion and list the cost you’ll charge per item. You want to charge just below what is normal, but not so little that you don’t make a profit because you’ll need to buy starch, hangers, bags, etc. to get your business going.
List your operating hours, the days you’ll work, and whether or not you pick up and deliver. If you provide this option, you might be able to work in a delivery fee with the cost of ironing. Some people are willing to pay this if it’s priced right.
Babysitting
Do you have small children in your home? Perhaps you could take on one or two small kids to babysit if you’re a stay at home mom. Often times this provides entertainment for your kids and it will definitely provide extra income for you.
Create a flier with children on it. Comb the neighborhood you live in and see if anyone is looking for a babysitter. Leave your fliers at businesses or with members of your social groups, church and play groups.
Be very picky about the children you take in. You want a good working relationship with the parents, but also you don’t want added stress by taking on a child who’ll need your constant attention. You want to be able to carry on your daily routines while keeping an eye on the kids.
Ask whether or not their child requires a nap. Do they have allergies, what sort of discipline will the require or not require. What sort of foods do they eat and so on. List your weekly charge for babysitting too. Create a contract of sorts for the parents to sign and for your records.
By creating a contract, you can list what sort of extras will be included in your babysitting service and when you expect the parents to drop off their children and pick them up. Include vacation and holiday expectations. If the parents are off for a holiday, then you are off that day as well, unless arranged differently. Ask about medications and always get a list of emergency numbers. While babysitting is a great way to earn an income, you need all your T’s crossed and your I’s dotted as a protection for you and the potential customers.
Computer Skills
If you have the skills to offer computer work from home, then market those skills. Often times businesses are looking for stay at home moms to do data entry work, or make phone calls.
Even with the day of typewriters being extinct, students are still needing term papers, thesis’s and other works typed up. You could even offer doing resumes. Just put out feelers with friends, family and others to see what is available in your area.
When it comes to marketing yourself, the best form of marketing is W.O.M. ( that is Word Of Mouth) and providing business cards or fliers with your services listed. No matter your skill, be sure to market with a positive upbeat, but professional approach. In so doing, you can create for yourself a whole new way to earn extra income while staying at home.