Learn Top 5 Ways How to Start an Online Business Right at Home for Moms

Introduction

When you are considering working from home, there is a set of decisions that must be made.

Business ownership can certainly be time-consuming.

But if you’re a mom (or dad) and want to start a business while still having time to spend with your family, there are options out there.

There are so many successful mom entrepreneurs that can inspire your own entrepreneurial journey.

Or you can start any of the online businesses listed below that are perfect for mom (or dad) entrepreneurs.

First, you must decide whether or not working at home is right for you.

Next, you need to consider what type of work at home job you will be doing.

There are many opportunities for work at home Moms out there, both offline and off.

Having a successful work at home Mom career starts with evaluating your own skills and requirements in a job and then finding the right match.

Sometimes the best place to start with your work at home Mom career is where you’re out of home career ended.

Many women find that they can become independent contractors in the field that they previously worked in.

You can use your previous work experience as a launching pad for your work at home Mom career.

Some of the ways to use your experience to your advantage are: finding a company that hires people in your field to work from home, using your previous experience to become an “expert” writer in your field, or starting a business related to your previous field.

However, some women look at their work at home Mom careers as a way to break out of their old job.

If you’d like to try something completely different, there are plenty of opportunities for entry-level work as an independent contractor.

Many of these jobs deal with telephone or online customer service.

When you work as a customer service agent from your home, you just need a reliable Internet connection and a working phone.

Companies also hire medical transcriptionists, data entry professionals, and virtual personal assistants to telecommute.

If you want to start your own business, the opportunities are very vast.

You can start with a direct sales company and sell products from an established brand to friends and neighbors.

You’ll make commissions through your sales and also off of recruiting other people to sell the products.

There are hundreds of direct sales companies that offer everything from aromatherapy products to candles to cooking supplies.

Another option for starting your own business is offering a service in your community.

Daycare center operators, florists, professional organizers, and hairdressers all have the option of working at home, among many other professions.

Of course, starting a business in your community normally means that you’ve had some experience in that field.

However, there are some small business ideas that can be started without much experience at all.

Many women turn to the Internet as a source of at home income.

The World Wide Web offers a plethora of job opportunities.

You can offer your services online as a freelance web designer, writer, or virtual assistant.

You can also start an online store that sells products that you make yourself or have the right to resell.

Many works at home Moms establish their businesses online by using one of the popular auction sites, like eBay.

Still, others find a home in internet marketing, by directing web traffic to a website and then recommending certain products and services.

Decide first what type of job you’d like to do and then work from there.

If you are truly a people person and need to get out each day, direct sales or a local service business might be right for you.

If you are the type of mom who lives online and is comfortable with the Internet, try finding a job or starting your own business on the web.

If you like the comfort of having a weekly paycheck, look into telecommuting positions.

Once you’ve decided what category of job you’d like, do some research on what it takes to be successful at that type of business.

If you feel like you are drawn to one particular business or company, then sit on your decision for a week and see how it feels.

Imagine what your life will be like as you take on the duties of that job.

Most importantly, be realistic with yourself about how much time you can devote to your business.

Finding the right match isn’t hard when you thoroughly consider your options.

**Warning this article will be very long

1. Dealing with Work at Home Moms Stereotypes

One of the hardest issues to contend with as a work at home Mom is the perception of others that you aren’t working.

Many people think that working at home isn’t working at all and that you have all of the free time in the world.

Those who have spent any time working at home know that there is a lot of time and energy that goes into effectively working at home.

Friends who call in the middle of the day, spouses who expect you to be doing more while home or family members who make offhand comments, can undermine those efforts.

Not all stay at home moms work, and if you have friends who don’t it can be hard for them to understand that your days aren’t free.

Calls during your working time, invitations to lunch and uninvited guests can throw a wrench in your work schedule.

In order to get your friends to respect your time, it’s important to make your working schedule clear to them.

If you don’t have a clear work schedule, then it is time to make one for yourself.

By setting office hours for yourself, you make it clear to everyone around you that you are serious about your work.

It will also help set boundaries for your time.

Tell your friends that you will be unavailable from a certain time to a certain time, but you’d love to talk before or after those times.

You may even go so far as to turn off your phone.

If you do answer the phone and someone wants to chat, politely let them know that you are working but can speak after a certain time.

Also, schedule things like lunches or visits for one day per week.

This way you’ll reduce the drop-ins and spontaneous invitations.

Spouses can sometimes have difficulty understanding why, if you are home all day, the housework isn’t done.

This problem can best be solved by familiarizing him with the nature of your business.

Show him exactly what you need to do each day, and how long it takes to do each task.

Help him understand your work schedule, and how much time you need to work per day.

Showing exactly how much money you are making will help him realize the benefits of your work as well.

Then ask him to help you come up with solutions for working at home and maintaining the household.

Make a list of things that need to be done each week, and assign duties to you, him, and the children (if they are old enough).

Then taking care of the house becomes a family priority and something that you all share responsibility in.

Notify him of any special projects by keeping a work calendar on the wall.

That way he can see what is going on with your work schedule, and why you have ordered pizza for dinner three times in the last week!

Many work at home Moms can be hurt over offhand comments about working at home.

Family or even friends can say things like “Well you have the time because you are at home.”

In situations like these, you have two choices.

You can either get upset and offer a flustered defense or you can take their comments with a grain of salt and offer a calm response.

Depending on the situation you can say something like “Well, let me check my work schedule.

I know I am not available on these days” or “That would be great on Friday afternoon, which is when I leave time in my work schedule for those types of things.”

Remember, working at home is new territory for many people although the number of work at home Moms are growing.

It may take some time for the average person to understand the commitment and scheduling that it takes to effectively work from home.

You may never convince some people that you are actually working while at home but establishing respect for your own time is one way to make them see that your work is a priority.

Drawbacks to Working at Home

Working at home is one of the fastest-growing trends in careers today.

However, many people jump on the work at home Mom bandwagon without considering all of the drawbacks to working at home.

While some people are naturally inclined to work at home, others find the transition more difficult to make.

There are many benefits to working at home, but the drawbacks need to be considered before you make the choice.

The first drawback to looking for a work at home career is that your current career may not easily transfer to work at home situation.

If you work in the medical field or are a police officer, being a work at home Mom might not be an easy transition unless you are willing to change careers entirely.

Sales and administrative positions transfer well, as do creative jobs like design and writing.

For those in jobs that can’t make the work at home switch, you’ll have to think carefully about what you want to do when start working at home and start investigating that field.

Cost is another important factor in deciding if working at home is right for you.

Although many mothers start working at home to save on childcare, there are added costs to being a work at home Mom.

If you need health insurance, it will have to come out of your pocket instead of being paid by your employers.

There are also many taxes that you will have to pay.

Your record-keeping must be excellent in order to keep track of your income and expenses and to fill out your income tax return at the end of the year.

Working at home with children is not always as easy as it seems.

If you have young children that aren’t in school yet, it may be difficult to work when they are awake.

This can mean lots of busy naptimes and late nights to get your projects done when they are sleeping.

Family members can help take care of your children from time to time, but the responsibility of both your children and your job will be firmly in your hands.

With older children, it is sometimes easier to work from home.

But you will still have to start and maintain a fairly balanced schedule in order to get everything done.

Work at home, Moms have to be very self-motivated and disciplined in order to get their work done on time and correctly.

If you are the type of person that is motivated by outside factors (such as a supervisor), then working at home may not be your cup of tea.

When you work at home, there is no one there to look over your shoulder and make sure that you are still working.

Distractions like the television, Internet, and housework can be hindrances to your work at home success.

Isolation is another problem for work at home Moms.

Working at home alone can get frustrating and lonely.

Make sure you are comfortable with spending time alone, and that you take steps to combat isolation.

If you are especially prone to be depressed, then the isolation that comes with working at home may make you feel withdrawn and sad.

Taking steps to combat loneliness is an important part of any work at home Mom’s success.

After considering these factors, you may decide that working at home is not right for you.

However, thousands of people deal with these drawbacks and still have successful work at home careers.

These reasons should not stop you from becoming a work at home Mom if that is really what you want to do.

Just make sure you understand the realities of the work at home lifestyle before you commit to it.

2. Making The Work at Home Decision

Mothers who work at home are a growing population working in America.

As more and more women want to spend time with their children and need to bring in an income, there has been a boom in the work at home industry.

Making the decision to work at home is not always an easy one.

Before you decide that being a work at home Mom is right for you, you need to take a few things into account.

You’ll need to decide if being a work at home Mom is right for you and your family.

There are many benefits to working out of the home.

You can set your own hours, you don’t have to commute to work and you can be there for your kids when they need you.

However, there are some downsides as well.

The isolation of working at home can be an issue for some women.

There are also challenges related to juggling work time and family time.

You’ll also have to look at the impact that working from home will have on your family’s financial situation.

If you are moving from a high-paying full-time job to working part-time from home while you care for your child, there will definitely be some financial adjustments.

However, whatever your cut in pay will be, you have to weigh that versus the costs of putting your child into daycare full time.

Although it may seem like your work at home pay will be minimal compared to your full time out of the home job, you need to consider how much it will cost for daycare.

If you can make an equal amount of money or more by working part-time from home and taking care of your child yourself, it is well worth it financially to stay at home.

However, some women see that raising their child without the use of daycare, whether or not they make a significant income, is the real benefit of being a work at home Mom.

The perks of raising your own child, while still bringing in money for the family, are many.

Children are only young once and being able to stay at home with them is one of the top reasons that women choose a work at home Mom career.

There are also several qualities that make a work at home Mom successful.

Before you start working at home, evaluate whether you have these qualities or can develop them.

Working at home normally fits into two different categories.

You can either work as an independent contractor for a company or you can work for yourself.

Either way, you are going to be in charge of your own schedule.

You’ll need to be extremely self-motivated and work well without having a supervisory presence in your work environment.

Even those who choose to work for a company are responsible for scheduling their own time and meeting deadlines without a lot of input from supervisors.

Another important skill to have as a work at home Mom is time management.

When you work out of the home, you are confronted with two sets of challenges each day.

You’ll be faced with the work you need to get done, but you’ll also be in the midst of your household, where there are always things that need to be done.

If you focus too much on your work, your house will get out of control, and vice versa.

Having good time management skills will help you tackle the diverse challenges of being a work at home Mom.

Making the decision to become a work at home Mom requires a lot of thought and consideration.

If you are thinking about working from home because you are having a baby, or because you are tired of sending your children to daycare, take some time to write down the pros and cons of becoming a work at home Mom.

Talk things over with your family to ensure that you are making the right decision for the family unit.

There are plenty of resources online for moms who are looking to find out more about the realities of working at home.

Once you’ve considered your position and done the necessary research, you’ll be better equipped to make the right decision for you.

Organization for Work at Home Moms

Getting organized is the key to making your life as a work at home mom efficient and, relatively, stress-free.

If you can get and stay organized, your business and your home life will flourish.

Without taking some simple organizational steps you’ll be swamped with work and overwhelmed with laundry in no time.

One of the most important parts of getting organized as a work at home Mom is to establish business hours.

Setting up specific working times during each day has many benefits.

First, you’ll be more consistent with your work.

Once you’ve gotten used to starting and stopping at a specific time each day you’ll work more efficiently.

You’ll manage your work time better and reduce distractions like checking your e-mail or watching television.

You’ll also be less likely to pick up things to do here and there, like laundry or taking time to errands.

If you have set working hours, you’ll schedule those tasks around your work time, so you’ll be more focused during your work time.

It will help your family and friends understand that you are working while you are at home, and you won’t be available during those hours.

Next, you need to start delegating tasks to other family members.

It may seem easier to do everything yourself, but once you have work duties on top of household duties you’ll realize how few hours in the day there actually are.

There is nothing wrong with asking your children to fold the laundry, or having your husband cook dinner a few nights a week.

By sharing the household duties as a family, you’ll have more time to get your work done and feel more rested.

The important thing to remember when you delegate is that things won’t be done the way that you would do them.

However, they are getting done.

Planning your work and family activities will make the whole house run smoother.

If you don’t have a daily planner, then you need to get one.

It doesn’t matter if it is a paper planner or a computer application.

When you use a planner to write down everything that needs to be done and then plan each activity for a specific time then you’ll have the opportunity to manage your time more wisely in and out of your home office.

Organizing your home at large will help make your business more organized.

While it may take a while to establish some organizational habits in your house, your efforts will be well worth it.

Don’t try to get organized on a weekend or even several days.

Work up to a level of organization.

Start small with your desk space.

Organize the things on your desk and top of your desk.

Make sure that everything that you need has a place and toss or donate things that you don’t need.

Then move on to another portion of the house.

When something is out of place, it’s easy to put it back in its home once you’ve taken the time to organize your storage spaces around the house.

If need be, take a trip to an office supply store or home improvement store and buy items like bins, cabinets and shelves that will help you stay more organized.

Getting organized as a work at home Mom does take some time and effort.

Realize that with time your organizational system will get better.

Work with your family to make your home run efficiently, and then you’ll be able to concentrate on your work when you need to.

3. Blogging for Work at Home Moms

Blogging is one of the best ways to start a work at home Mom business because it is so easy to get going.

However, that does not mean that it is easy to make money from your blog.

Don’t start a blog and expect to see money rolling in immediately.

Blogging is an activity that will take time to build up to a profit level.

It’s a good thing to start while you are working on other work at home Mom opportunities to let it build to a profitability level.

With time and attention, your blog (or blogs) will grow into a business.

When you are blogging for profit, you’ll want to pay close attention to how you present yourself in your blog.

There are literally hundreds of thousands of blogs out there, and there may be several hundred blogs that are related to your topic.

If your readers can’t understand your blog and have trouble reading it, they’ll just move on to the next one.

The following tips can make your blog more user-friendly and help you gain consistent readers.

First, pay close attention to the format of your blog.

Readers want to understand how your blog works right from the start.

Most blogging platforms have similar formats, with links and tags on the left or right margin, and the most recent post on top.

Make sure to use the links wisely.

Only put links up for blogs or content that is truly related to your blog’s topic.

The point is to give your readers additional information on your topic.

Keep the list short and sweet.

There is no reason to overwhelm them with links to other sites.

Also, take careful consideration when choosing your blog’s background and font color.

Although there are a lot of color choices that blogging programs offer, its best to stick with a light background and dark text.

Studies have shown that the human brain can process this type of format better than light text on a dark background.

Think about this before you commit to a black background and white text.

It might look striking, but readers might not want to stay there for long.

Also, use a solid background color instead of trying to use a pattern or design.

Proofread your entries before you post them to your blog.

There is nothing that reduces your authority in the eyes of your readers more than bad spelling and grammar.

The online world is a world of text, so take some time to learn commonly misspelled words and grammatical errors.

Keep your blog fresh and interesting by posting at least once per day.

With so much information available on the Internet, your readers may go elsewhere if you aren’t supplying daily content.

If you aren’t sure what to write about, try posting a poll, a link to another blog, comment on a news story or post of list of helpful tips.

Not every post has to be long and complicated, but you do need to post something every day.

These tips will help keep your blog readable and interesting to your visitors.

The more visitors you get, the more your blog will grow in profitability and importance.

Just make sure to present yourself in a professional way and keep your readers coming back for more new content each day.

In no time, you’ll have a profitable blog and then you can move on to create two or three.

Work at Home Moms Blogs

Blogs are here to stay, and many work at home Moms are taking advantage of the trend.

Making money with blogs is a popular choice for many work at home moms.

Blogs are simple to set up, and relatively easy to update.

This is especially true when you compare blogs to other types of websites.

Within just a few minutes, you can set up a professional-looking blog for free and start your work at home Mom blogging business.

A blog is an easy to update website that looks sort of like a journal.

Entries are made at a minimum of each week, and the newest entries appear at the top.

Entries are normally short articles of 200 to 500 words.

Readers visit the blog or read the new blog entries through a blog reading program.

Readers can also comment on entries and provide links between their own blogs and your blog.

With blogs, the opportunities are wide open.

Choosing a blog topic is as easy as looking at your own life for inspiration.

There are blogs about everything from celebrity news to bathroom cleaning tips.

Before you start a blog, do some research on the Internet to see if people are interested in your possible blog topic.

Your topic doesn’t have to be popular, but it does have to have a dedicated group of people who are interested in the topic.

When you pick a topic, make sure to stay within a fairly small “niche.”

The term niche is used to describe a group of people who have a similar interest.

There are big niches – like working at home – and small niches – like tips for training your cat to sit on the toilet.

Try to find a happy medium between a popular topic and a niche interest so your blog has plenty of readers.

Some topics, like working at home or parenting, are too broad and have too much competition for readers.

You can set up your blog through a free blogging platform, like www.blogger.com or www.wordpress.com.

There are also a half dozen others to choose from.

The blogging platform will walk you through making your first entry into your blog.

After you’ve made a few entries into your blog, it’s time to monetize your blog.

This means you’ll be making specific changes to your blog in order to make money.

One of the most popular ways to gain income from a blog is by using a contextual advertising program, like Google Adsense or Chitika.

Contextual advertising pays you for each time a reader clicks on one of the advertising links on your page.

The advertising program will scan your blog entries for keywords, and then place advertising on your page that relates to your page content.

For example, if you have a blog on children’s television and write an article about Sesame Street, the ads appearing next to that article will have to do with that program.

They might be links to shopping for Sesame Street items or an ad for vintage Sesame Street collectibles selling on eBay.

One thing to note with contextual advertising is that you won’t have to worry about placing the ads yourself each day.

Once you enter the code on your blog, the program will automatically refresh the advertising when you make a new post.

You will be paid several cents for each click. It doesn’t seem like a lot per click, but it sure does add up quickly.

Contextual advertising is just one way to make money from your work at home Mom blog.

You can also make product recommendations and suggest information products (e-books) to your readers.

Each time someone buys a product you recommend, you will get a commission.

Many bloggers find that making gentle product recommendations throughout their blogs is a way to garner extra income.

Finally, some companies will pay bloggers to create posts that suggest certain products or services.

These companies pay a few dollars per post and are fairly easy to use.

The only drawback is that you’ll have advertising posts throughout your blog content.

However, many bloggers have found a way around this by putting “And now a word from our sponsors” at the beginning of each of their required advertising posts.

This helps the advertising appear less intrusive.

READ MORE: PROFESSIONAL WORDPRESS BLOG FOR YOU AT NO COST

4. Virtual Assistant Work at Home Moms Jobs

Starting a virtual assistant business is just one of many ways to be a Work at home mom.

If you have experience in the administrative field or can offer virtual services to business clients, then you are a prime candidate for having a successful virtual assistant business.

Getting started as a virtual assistant requires a few simple steps.

There is no formal credential process to become a virtual assistant, but there are several companies that offer training and their own credentialing.

This is not absolutely necessary to be a successful virtual assistant, but it can be helpful in obtaining jobs as a newcomer.

Before you sign up for any program or course, do your due diligence and investigate the company.

Get recommendations from other successful virtual assistants and consider finding a mentor who can help you get started.

Legally, you’ll need a business license in order to become an independent contractor.

By obtaining a business license you’ll be able to open up a business bank account and keep your business and personal finances separately.

Being legal also means you can declare many of your business expenses as tax write-offs.

Once you’ve set up your home office, you’ll need to establish your virtual office.

On the Internet, you’ll use a website to advertise yourself as a virtual assistant.

Having a website is essential to establishing your presence.

If web design is not in your skillset, find someone who can make a website for you.

Try to contact other virtual assistants and see if you can barter for the design if it’s something that you cannot afford to begin with.

On your website you should, at minimum, list your services and who you are.

You can also include an hourly rate, although many virtual assistants like to charge by the project instead of by the hour.

As far as services go, don’t offer services that you don’t like to do.

If you can make spreadsheets but don’t like to do it, then don’t offer that service.

If you have a background in a specific field, for example, law, then list this as a specialty.

You can also specialize in the type of work that you offer.

Many virtual assistants limit their business to writing and editing, web design, data management or planning, but some offer a mixture of all types of services.

Remember, this is your business and you can choose what tasks you want to perform.

The best way to get virtual assistant jobs, to begin with, is to start networking.

Your best leads will come through people that you already know, whether they are online or in your hometown.

Let people know what you are offering and promote your website address, so people can see who you are and what you are doing.

Make sure to include up-to-date contact information on your web page, including a phone number.

When you get your first client, it’s important to have a contract set in place before you start working on a project.

You can get many sample contracts online that you can adapt to your needs.

Make sure you and the client are both on the same page about the type of work that you will be doing.

That way there are no surprises when you deliver the project and your bill.

After you have a few projects under your belt, you’ll begin to build a reputation.

Then your virtual assistant business will grow naturally to include repeat clients and new projects.

When you consistently do good work, your reputation will precede you and you may have more projects that you know what to do within a short period of time.

Make sure not to overbook yourself and collect a network of other virtual assistants who are willing to take overflows for you if the need arises.

Getting your virtual assistant business off on the right foot is simple when you follow the basic steps mentioned above.

Virtual Call Centers for Work at Home Moms

Many work at home Moms finds work at home opportunities with virtual call centers.

These call centers marry two important needs: the need for women to work out of the home and the need for companies to have polite and professional telephone customer service representatives.

Virtual call centers help both the business and the work at home mom.

work at home Moms is hired as customer service agents to inbound callers.

They use their own home phone and computer to do their work and are networked into the company’s customer service system.

Virtual call centers are growing in popularity.

Today there are roughly 100,000 people working at home in the United States, and many of them work for virtual call centers.

It is estimated that by 2010 there will be 300,000 work at home individuals. Virtual call centers allow large companies to save money by hiring people to work out of their homes.

There is also a low turnover rate for work at home jobs, which makes it beneficial for the company to hire work at home Moms.

Call center work at home Moms enjoys their jobs because there is flexibility that they just don’t get when working outside of the home.

Most call centers allow their customer service agents to schedule their own work hours.

This can be greatly convenient for a mother who needs to arrange her work times around their child’s naps and/or school hours.

Getting started as a virtual call center customer service representative is fairly easy.

There are currently over 1,000 companies in the U.S. that hire people to work from home, and most of them are virtual call centers.

You’ll need a computer with a high-speed Internet connection and a reliable landline phone.

You’ll also need a quiet place to work.

Beyond those things, there is nothing else that you need to be a successful virtual call center worker.

Applying for a call center position normally follows the same method.

You visit the company’s website and fill out their online application.

If your application meets its standards, the company will e-mail you to arrange a phone interview.

The phone interview is your chance to show them your assets as a telephone customer service rep.

Schedule your phone interview for a time when you know your house will be quiet.

Answer your phone in a professional manner and keep a light and friendly tone to your speaking.

As a customer service rep, you’ll be challenged to sound helpful and agreeable on the phone at all times so this is your chance to display your communication skills.

You may also be required to pass a typing, writing, and computer skills test on the company’s website.

This will be used to test your ability to do the basic functions of the job.

In some cases, you may also need to pass a drug and background screening as well before you are hired.

Once you are hired, the company will have you download a piece of software that will analyze your computer.

This analysis will tell you what you need to do to your computer to make it usable in their network.

Most of the time, you’ll just need to update a few programs and add the virtual call center’s website to a favorites folder.

Typically, your calls will be scripted so you’ll never have to worry about what you have to say.

The most successful customer service representatives take some time to practice their script, so it sounds more conversational and less like they are reading.

If you want to succeed in the long term, it’s well worth the effort to make your script sound conversational.

Think about the worst experience you had with calling a company’s customer service department and then do the opposite.

Working for a virtual call center is not for everyone.

However, the work at home Moms that are self-starters and have the requirements to work the job enjoy the steady paychecks and flexibility of working as a telephone customer service representative from out of the home.

5. Finding Web Writing Jobs

If you’ve decided that working as a work at home Mom writer is the best work at home job opportunity for you, then you’ll need to figure out how to get writing assignments.

Fortunately, when you work as a web writer there is no shortage of job opportunities.

It all depends on where you look and how much research you are willing to do.

Web writing can break down into several different categories.

Before you begin looking for work, you’ll have to decide whether or not you want to get credit for your writing.

If you insist on a byline, you may have difficulty finding a lot of paying jobs. Byline jobs are out there if you look.

However, the most money to be made is from working as a web ghostwriter.

Many works at home Moms find success with ghostwriting.

When you work as a freelance ghostwriter you provide writing services for clients who will then use the work as their own.

Ghostwriting as a work at home Mom is a lucrative opportunity, especially when you focus on web writing.

For the most part, the Internet is a text and image-based platform.

Companies and individuals who run websites constantly need text to make their websites attractive to visitors.

Since writing is something that a lot of people would rather not do, this leaves plenty of opportunities for people who love to write.

Web writing work at home Moms needs only an Internet connection, email address, and word processing program to get started.

Your own website is not necessary, but it adds a touch of professionalism to your writing business.

However, when you are first starting out you can get plenty of work without having a website.

There are several different categories of web writing.

When you see the term “content writing” you will normally be providing text for an existing or new website.

Your writing will have to be engaging and clear for website visitors.

Article writers concentrate on providing articles for websites, newsletters, and blogs.

Generally, articles for the web are between 400 and 800 words each.

Any more than that is difficult for readers to sit through while looking at a computer screen.

Copywriters are challenged with putting readers in the mood to buy.

They write copy for Internet sales letters and marketing sites.

Ebook ghostwriters provide clients with full-length books on a variety of topics.

Work at home Moms who write needs to be professional in their online presence.

This means spell-checking all writing, including e-mails to clients.

It is also a good idea to get an e-mail address that is specifically used for your writing.

A personal e-mail address with a goofy handle will make you appear unprofessional.

Your first and last name or a combination thereof is a good choice for your web writing e-mail address.

Writing for the Internet has a few differences from writing essays in school or writing for print magazines.

Readers online have short attention spans, and you’ll need to keep your sentences short and your paragraphs clear.

The other difference is the use of “keywords” in certain writing assignments.

Keywords are words that have been selected by your client to be used in the article.

These words have been selected because they are Internet search terms and your client wants their website to show up for those search terms.

Keyword articles will require you to use the word or phrase a certain number of times in the article.

Sometimes it can be difficult to use the words without making them sound forced.

Experienced web writers have developed ways to make the keywords flow naturally into their articles.

Once you’ve gotten a few web writing assignments under your belt, you can decide what type of web writing suits you best.

You can find work on writing message boards, freelance writing job sites, and classified ad sites like craigslist.

Whenever you apply for a job, make sure to include your contact information and a few well-selected writing samples.

Writing for Work at Home Moms

Working at home as a writer is one of the largest work at home categories.

Being a freelance writer has traditionally been a work at home job, and know that working at home is becoming more popular, there have been more writers in the industry.

If you like to write and have a good grasp of the English language, you will never be at a loss for the work at home writing jobs.

Starting your career as a work at home writer is as easy as doing some Internet research and applying for a job.

There are many ways to break into the writing field, even if you have no previous experience.

Online opportunities abound, and there are still many writers who stay exclusively in the print market.

While many writers dream of one day writing the great American novel, most writers are realistic in knowing that they are going to have to do some other type of writing to get paid on a consistent basis.

Writing for pay is mostly if not exclusively, done in the non-fiction genre.

While occasionally you will find contests for fiction writing or for poetry, these opportunities are few and far between when compared to the non-fiction opportunities.

Writing from home as a work at home Mom requires that you have a reliable Internet connection, good written communication skills, and the ability to be a self-starter.

As a writer, you will be in charge of your time and your projects.

There will always be deadlines to meet and new writing opportunities to try.

You will be responsible for balancing your writing with the rest of your life.

You must also have the ability to research a wide variety of topics.

As you accept assignments, you’ll be challenged to learn about and write about topics that you may have little experience in.

Freelance writing from home can break down into three specific areas: writing for print, writing for the web, and blogging.

Although blogging is technically writing for the web, there are many distinctions that make it different from other web writing opportunities.

Writing for print is what people generally think of when they hear the term “freelance writer.”

Work at home Mom writers who write for the print markets need to first build a reputation as a reliable and eloquent writer.

If you’ve never written for the print markets before, start with smaller, local publications and then work from there.

You’ll need to find a list of publications that are accepting “queries.”

Queries are a combination of a letter of introduction and a pitch for a story idea.

Most writers rely on the Writer’s Market reference guide for lists of publications.

The Writer’s Market has comprehensive information on a variety of newsletters, magazines, and other publications that are taking queries.

Start with topics that you know the most about and try writing a few queries to get yourself going in the print market.

The only drawback to writing for print is that the period between when you write and when you get paid can be months long.

For many works at home Moms, this is just not feasible.

Writing for the web, however, can meet their income needs and still allow them to write from home.

There are many categories of writing for the web.

You can be a ghostwriter for e-books or other Internet media.

Many people need copywriters to provide content for their sales letters and websites.

You can also offer your services to webmasters who need fresh content for their blog or newsletter.

The opportunities are endless.

Blogging is yet another way to make money as a writing work at home Mom.

Blogs are an ever-growing form of Internet media.

Blog writers generally provide their own content.

You can make money as a work at home Mom by starting your own blog and posting to it daily.

If you love to write, you can start several blogs at once and multiply your earnings.

Once you become an experienced blogger, you can apply for blogging jobs and post for other people.

6. Opening an Online Store

Opening your own store as a work at home Mom is easy when you take your business online.

Online shopping is becoming a mainstay of American commerce and more people are comfortable with making purchases from Internet stores.

If you have something that you are passionate about selling, consider opening an online store.

Before you start an online store, do some research online and check out your potential competition.

If you have a business idea in mind, it is worth the time and effort to see what else is being sold in your category of products.

If you have no idea what you want to sell, you’ll also want to head online to search out what would be most profitable to sell.

When you make the selection of what you are going to sell, remember to think “niche.”

A niche is a small category of products that meet the needs of a specific group of people.

Your online store shouldn’t have a “Wal-Mart” approach where there is a little bit of everything for everyone.

Online commerce is all about small categories of interest.

There are so many things to choose from, you have more success when you cater to a small and specific group of people.

The best place to start with finding a niche is by thinking about your own interests.

When you sell to a niche that you know well, you are more likely to know what products will be of interest to those people.

You can sell to your clientele based on your own experience.

Many works at home Moms start an online store because they have homemade products to offer.

One example is handmade baby clothes and cloth diapers.

Many work at home Moms has found success with putting their sewing skills to work and selling their wares online.

Other popular handmade online stores include bath and body products, candles, and gift baskets.

This does not mean that you can’t have online store success if you don’t make your own products.

There are hundreds (if not thousands) of work at home Moms who have success by opening stores stocked with store-bought inventory.

Whatever your choice, whether handmade or store-bought, there are many options for hosting your online store.

These options depend on how comfortable you are with web design.

Many companies, like Yahoo, offer store websites that are very user-friendly and simple to set up.

They can cost anywhere from $30 to $200 per month for the storefront services.

Many works at home Moms also find success with eBay stores, which allow them to sell in auctions or in a fixed-price format.

Look at all of your options before you choose your online store hosting.

Remember that the quality of your hosting will reflect the quality of your business.

The last thing you need is your entire website going down due to cheap hosting.

The best choice is to find a reputable host that will provide you with a storefront and hosting for a reasonable price.

Don’t try to pinch pennies on this aspect of your business.

You could end up out of business in no time.

Once you’ve found a place to host your store, you’ll need to drive internet traffic to the store.

One of the easiest ways is to trade banners with other work at home Mom online stores.

Many work at home Moms supports each other in their online efforts.

This form of networking is a great way to introduce your products to customers who already look to support work at home Moms.

You can also advertise using pay-per-click advertising and work on your website so that it increases page ranking for certain search terms.

Keep your customers coming back with an easy-to-navigate website, simple ordering techniques, and good customer service.

Even though most of your business will be done online, it’s a good idea to get a business phone line and put that number on your website.

This way customers can feel confident in purchasing from you because they know they can speak to a real person if there is a problem with their order.

Regardless of what type of online work at home Mom store you choose to open, following these tips will make your business a success.

Direct Sales for Work at Home Moms Opportunities

There are hundreds of direct sales companies that offer work at home Moms the ability to make money and stay home with their children at the same time.

When you work in direct sales you are an independent contractor for a company.

You are in charge of selling their products or services, which you then get at a discount.

Your income comes from the difference between the price you charge your customers and the price you pay for the items.

You can also normally earn money from commissions of the sales of your recruits.

Going with a direct sales company is a great way to start a work at home business.

Direct sales companies offer to stay at home moms an affordable way to start up their own business.

There are very few costs involved.

Normally a starter kit can be purchased for $100 to $200.

Compare that with opening a regular store that will cost thousands.

Some companies even offer the opportunity to earn a starter kit for free.

Working in a direct sales business also means that you have flexibility in your work schedule and your income.

You make all of the decisions on when you hold parties or demonstrations.

Your income is directly proportionate to the efforts that you put into your business.

The more demonstrations you book and the newer clients you meet, the more you will make.

You’ll also receive support and encouragement from fellow consultants.

Weekly sales meetings help keep you motivated and give you fresh ideas for your business.

You will network with other consultants for support and praise.

You’re up line or recruiter will also provide you with lots of help as you get your business started.

To be successful in direct sales, you’ll need to have great people skills.

The products are really second to your personality.

Your presence and your customer service will be what sell your items.

You’ll also need to be very organized.

As an independent sales rep, you’ll be in charge of tracking your sales and paying the appropriate taxes.

You’ll need to schedule your parties, shows, or demonstrations and follow up with your customers in a timely manner.

Once you’ve decided that direct sales are right for you, it’s time to choose while direct sales company you want to work with.

It’s recommended that you choose a company that offers products that you already like or have experience with.

The best salespeople are those who are enthusiastic about their products.

Trying to sell something that you don’t use yourself or that you aren’t that interested in will make you appear insincere to your customers.

Think about your direct sales company choice in the long term.

This will be your business that you put your name on, and you will invest your time and money in.

Research your options thoroughly and make sure that you sign up with a trusted company.

Don’t feel pressured by a sponsor to sign right away.

This is your decision and it is up to you whether or not you want to join.

Also, make sure to ask a lot of questions.

Know everything that you can about the company before you sign up.

Understand the commission structure, how products are sold and if there are any monthly minimums.

Make sure you understand how much your starter pack will cost and what the kit includes.

Will there be anything else you need to buy immediately?

Will you need to buy inventory?

Understand how ordering works and how the products get to the customers.

If you are serious about an opportunity, jump online and see what other consultants have to say about the company.

Find out what customers are saying about the company.

If there is worse than good being said about a company and its consultants, then that’s a huge red flag.

Also, visit the Federal Trade Commission and Better Business Bureau websites.

They can give you information about the trustworthiness of a company.

7. Online Auctions for Work at Home Moms

One of the best, and simplest, ways to start a work at home Mom business online is to become a seller on one of the several online auction sites.

eBay is the most popular, and most widely recognized.

However, sellers are also having success on Yahoo auctions, Overstock auctions, and many others.

Being an online auction seller has many benefits for a work at home Mom.

You can run your business from your home.

You can set up auctions to automatically list at certain times of the day, so you don’t always have to be at the computer.

Plus, there is guaranteed traffic to the auction website which makes it simple to get new customers.

Before you start an online auction business you should decide whether or not you have the skills or willingness to do so.

Although there is a lot of money to be made in auctions, there are also a lot of challenges.

As a successful auction work at home Mom, you need to have the tenacity to try different things to increase your sales.

You must also have knowledge of what the market wants so you can provide in-demand products that will sell.

Money management is a must, since selling on an auction is typically a home-based business.

You will be in charge of the finances of the business and need to be responsible for keeping your business and personal finances separate.

Online auction businesses are very simple to start.

To start an eBay business, for example, all you need is a registered account with eBay and a PayPal account.

The eBay account will allow you to perform transactions on their website.

The PayPal account will allow you to accept payment for items that you sell, as well as pay for the eBay fees.

Although you can technically take payments through check or money order, using PayPal makes the process a whole lot faster and more enjoyable for your customers.

The fees involved with running an eBay business are minimal compared to having your own store on a separate website.

While hosting a website can cost upwards of $20 per month, eBay only charges you a small percentage of the items that you sell.

There are also some other minimal fees involved, and most sellers work those fees into their listing price.

Before you decide to sell on an auction site as a business, try buying from the auction site first.

Understand the process from the buyer’s point of view.

Take note of how you are treated by the seller and ask yourself what you would do differently.

Buying before selling is also a good method because you can build feedback in the auction site system.

Feedback is left whether you buy or sell, so building some feedback as a buyer is a good idea.

A positive feedback record will make you more appealing as a seller.

Finding items to sell is the biggest perceived problem with selling on auction sites.

However, you can start with items from around your home.

Look in your closets and in your garage for items that can be sold on the auction sites.

You will be surprised by what people will buy.

Selling from around your home will give you experience with the selling process and will build positive selling feedback.

Familiarize yourself with the auction process before you begin selling.

Remember to start your business small and let it develop as you become more confident in your auction selling abilities.

Finding Inventory for an Online Auction Business

If you are interested in becoming an auction work at home Mom, you might be curious about where to get items to sell on eBay or one of the other popular online auction sites.

Actually, there are a wide variety of choices for your auction inventory. Each has different benefits and disadvantages.

However, with so many options it is easy to find a method that works well for you and that can help you start a successful work at home Mom business.

The first, and most simple, method of finding things to sell in online auctions is searching the garage sales in your local area.

Many people are not comfortable with selling online, or they don’t want to take the time to do it.

You may find a lot of interesting and valuable treasures that can be sold for a nice profit.

The benefit of this method is that your inventory can usually be purchased very cheaply.

Try going to yard sales as they are ending and see if you can get a bulk dealer to buy whatever the person has left for a flat fee.

Sometimes there will be items that will double or even triple your initial investment.

You also have the benefit of being able to shop locally.

You won’t have to travel far to get the items that you need.

Another similar option is to look for estate sales and auctions in your area.

On the downside, when you purchase inventory from yard sales, you really have to know what you are looking for.

Sometimes this method works better if you are focusing on selling a specific category of items, like pottery or children’s toys.

If you have a category of items that you are familiar with, you’ll know how much you can afford to spend.

You will also be able to spot deals when you see them.

The other downside is that when you purchase items, you need somewhere in your home to store them before you sell them.

If you buy a lot of items and have to sort through them, your garage and the spare room will fill up in no time.

Some people prefer to keep the inventory out of their homes and work with a drop shipper.

Dropshipping companies have items that you can sell on auctions.

You list the items on the auction site, and then once the auction is complete, you arrange shipment with the dropship company.

You never have to have the product in your home, and don’t have to worry about going to the post office a few times a week.

As a work at home Mom, the convenience of working with a drop shipping company can be a huge benefit.

However, the profit margins of having the company do the shipping can be very small when compared to some of your other options.

When you obtain a business license you can order wholesale products from a company.

Light bulk wholesale is the best option for most work at home Moms.

These wholesale packages include several hundred to a thousand dollars worth of product.

Light bulk wholesale can be delivered to your home and won’t require excessive amounts of storage space.

Selling from a wholesale lot means that you are in charge of setting your prices and can have more profit than you would by drop shipping.

You are also not at the mercy of a drop shipping company, which may deliver your items late and put your customer service at risk.

On the other hand, stocking your own inventory can be a bit overwhelming unless you are organized.

You can easily get bogged down in getting the right items to the right buyers.

You will also be responsible for going to the post office several times a week, and packaging the items yourself.

However, with a bit of preparation, the most successful auction site work at home Moms find that buying items in wholesale lots gives them the most control over their business and the best profit margins.

If you are just getting started, try one of the other methods first and then work up to buying wholesale lots.

Conclusion

If you need to make money at home, you’ve no doubt started looking for work at home opportunities.

Every woman who wants to become a work at home Mom has traveled down the same path.

Unfortunately, that path is littered with scams and traps to make money and time from honest women looking to make money from home.

With a little common sense and extra research, you can find legitimate work at home opportunities.

The first step is to search for jobs in the right places.

Don’t simply click on ads to find work.

Try to find helpful groups of work at home Moms who have successful work at home jobs to guide your search.

You can try searching on message boards or finding e-mail groups for ideas of where to start your work at home job search.

Many of these women can give you insight into which work at home opportunities are actually worth your time.

Keep in mind that there are no real ways to get rich quickly on the Internet or by working at home.

The only people who get rich are those who are scamming others.

Never believe an ad or an “employer” who claims that you will get rich instantly.

There are also a few red flags to look for when you are searching for Internet jobs.

You should never have to pay for work or job lists.

There are plenty of free listings available that can provide tons of work at home opportunities.

Companies that want to charge you for lists of jobs are just trying to get your money.

The lists are often filled with dead job leads or lists of companies that want to charge you money.

Many work at home scams will also require you to pay a start-up fee or cover the cost of “necessary” training.

Again, legitimate jobs will never require you to pay them any money for you to work.

Another warning sign is if the ad or website tells you to “act now.”

You should always do research before joining a company and never feel pressured to make a decision right away.

Many websites are set up with text that says that the offer will expire on today’s date.

But if you revisit that website the next day, the ad says that the offer expires on that day.

If you are unsure about a company, do some research on the Better Business Bureau website.

The BBB has files on all businesses that have had complaints filed against them.

You can see what other people have to say about a particular company and be steered away from scams.

There are some scams that have been around for years that should be avoided at all costs.

These business scams have unfortunately been successful for the scammers, so they continue to take the money and time of hardworking work at home Moms.

If you see an offer for any of the following types of jobs, run the other way.

Envelope stuffing is a common scam, although it is being seen less and less these days.

These jobs are normally listed as mail service jobs, and then you are asked to pay for a startup kit.

After you receive a startup kit, you are given instructions to place your own work at home ads.

You basically just sell the startup kit to other people and become a scammer.

Craft assembly scams can take many forms.

Typically, you receive a set of crafts to complete with instructions.

You generally pay for the set and then are told you will be reimbursed for the kits and also paid for their assembly.

After working hard at assembling the kits and returning them, you will be told that your work is not up to their quality standards.

You will be out the cost of the kits, and they will sell your crafts anyway.

There are legitimate jobs out there for work at home Moms, but you have to do some research on the opportunities first.

With a little time and careful analysis, you can find a work at home job that will be rewarding and scam-free.