I’ve been a stay-at-home mom for a total of 16 years. More officially, you could probably say my stint as a stay-at-home mom lasted around 14-15 years, until the point when our youngest started going to daycare, even though initially, it meant just two days a week. If stay-at-home mom status is defined only by how long a mother receives home care support, then I’ve accumulated a total of 9 years, though during those years, I worked from home for about 6 years.
How I Balanced Family Life and Work
When our firstborn arrived, I decided to stay home for as long as possible. I can’t exactly pinpoint where this desire came from, but deep down, it was about becoming a mother and wanting to be present for my child and potentially future siblings as much as possible during their early years. I began dreaming about working from home and started exploring how to make it happen.
Around the year 2007, when the first maternity leave ended, I began researching remote work possibilities. At that time, there weren’t many options, except for telemarketing and interview surveys. Nevertheless, I was determined to succeed and find something other than sales because I didn’t find it enjoyable – being shy, I was far from a natural salesperson.
I browsed various job advertisements online, looking for positions that matched my existing skills: office work, research, image editing, website management, etc. Different assistant roles seemed to fit well, and I thought many of them could practically be done remotely.
At this point in our lives, my husband had completed a degree in IT and was planning to start a business in the advertising industry. In the process, I began learning and mastering similar skills.
Facing Resistance Towards Remote Work
Back in 2007, remote work was still viewed with a lot of skepticism. I faced rejection after rejection when I sent job applications to different companies across Finland. Offering my skills as a business also didn’t help since I was planning to start my own business, providing assistant services to companies. Time and time again, I was disappointed when I received no response or faced outright rejection for the idea of remote work.
I always thought that the right company and the right people would come along someday, and they did. Eventually, I received a positive response from one company, and that’s where my entrepreneurship journey began, leading to a 15-year collaboration. I created my own website and started advertising through newsletters. Slowly but surely, more clients and partners came on board, and I achieved my goal of working from home! Over the years, I have shaped my services, acquired a few professions, and remotely assisted numerous companies with communication, marketing, and office routines.
10 Tips on How to Make Money as a Stay-at-Home Mom
- Look for remote job listings on job portals – there are plenty of remote job opportunities nowadays!
- Can your field of work be done remotely? If not, consider the following alternatives.
- Is it possible to shape a service related to your field that can be provided remotely?
- Could you open account in some feelance portal and start to bill companies to which you work for?
- If you’re not looking for a quick way to earn extra income, could you start blogging about your daily life?
- Identify your skills – such as writing, project management, customer service, visual aesthetics, understanding business, etc. Look for remote work related to these skills!
- Be active on social media and make an impact! You can also earn money through social media.
- Can you earn money through home parties? Maybe related to clothing or wellness?
- Create an online course or coaching program based on your expertise.
- Sell your own crafts, paintings, graphics – whatever you’re skilled at!
