Small Business Ideas for Stay-at-Home-Moms

How to Choose the Right Work for You

Selecting the right business is easy and hard, all at once. It's easy, because it's fun to think about the wide range of services or products you could sell to earn money.

It's hard, because you want your business to be interesting and rewarding-especially financially rewarding. If you can't make money doing it, why bother? You might as well volunteer for a worthy cause if the money isn't there. And yet money isn't everything.

I've tried a number of work-at-home ventures over the years. I've been a Discovery Toys consultant; a technical editor, a curriculum materials writer, a mystery shopper, and now-I own a writing and research company. It took me a very long time to reach this point, with a lot of stumbling.

Part of my problem was that I was too focused on MAKING MONEY and not focused on what I really WANTED from my life and my business. That was my big mistake. I didn't stop to think about what I enjoyed, what I wanted to do, or what would make me happy.

I just picked something-anything-to be in business. I wish I'd know the following five rules before making some of the mistakes I made in the past. But these rules can help you as you proceed.

Rule #1: Think about what you enjoy, and go from there.

Sounds simple, right? It takes some soul searching. Make a list of the things you enjoy.

Rule #2: Tie the things you enjoy to the marketplace.

For instance, maybe you like to knit. Could you knit baby items and sell them on the Internet, or to high-end baby boutiques?

Maybe you enjoy going bargain hunting and cruising yard sales. Can you spot a treasure? Could you buy and resell on eBay for a profit?

Perhaps you like to see movies. Could you sign up as a Mystery Shopper for movie cinemas and get paid to watch free movies?

What if you like to cook? Consider signing up as a Pampered Chef home party consultant, where you can demonstrate kitchen gadgets and have fun.

And what if you enjoy puttering around the house? How about offering pick-up and drop-off laundry service? You get someone's dirty laundry, wash, dry, and fold it for them, then deliver it the next day. It's literally "work at home" while your little ones play.

Connect the things you enjoy to ways to make money, and see how many of them look reasonable. Next step:

Rule #3: Be ready to REALLY do this.

Lots of people THINK they want to have their own business. But owning your own business takes time, a small amount of start-up money, and a LOT of headspace!

As the owner, you're in charge of EVERYTHING; business development, advertising, customer relations, bills, collecting money-you name it.

The great thing is that you control it all. You can go as slow or as fast as you want.

Rule #4: Choose something.

Plenty of people NEVER start a business because they're afraid to commit to anything. (Sounds like one of your ex-boyfriends or ex-girlfriends, huh?) Commitment isn't hard-it just takes picking something and sticking with it.

Once you've made your choice, then...

Rule #5: Develop a Business Plan

All businesses-from a dog-walking service to an aerospace company-need business plans. A business plan tells you how you want to start, the purpose of your company, the direction you want to go with it, how you'll fund operations, how much money you plan to/hope to make, and so on.

There are many free websites and templates to help you create your business plan. Google "business plan template" to find more information.

A business plan is especially important if you need to get a loan to start your business. No bank will even consider you without a business plan. The plan will give you a sense of purpose and direction that is crucial as you take the big leap toward business ownership.

The most important step you can take is to just get started!
By Lea Barton

CEO: Change Employment Often

Sure, rank-and-file employees took it on the chin in 2008, with the economy destroying almost two million jobs from August to December alone.

But the folks at the top had it rough, too: Companies announced the departures of almost 1,500 chief executives last year, according to the outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.

That's an average of more than five CEOs for each working day. Indeed, it's the highest total Challenger Gray has recorded since it began tallying up corporate press releases about job cuts almost a decade ago. The 2008 total of 1,484 CEO defenestrations was a 9.4 percent jump over 2007.

Perhaps most worrisome for the corporate-suite set, the pace of chief-executive departures was accelerating in December.

Challenger Gray said the credit collapse was explicitly cited as the reason for 27 chief executive departures in 2008. Bankruptcies claimed nine CEOs this year. Another 41 were simply fired.

The largest single reason for turnover at the top was generic "resignation," though Challenger notes that pressure from the board or stakeholders was "undoubtedly" behind some of those apparently voluntary departures, "even if the announcements did not say so," the firm said.

"With the economic turmoil expected to continue well into 2009, the pace of CEO departures will likely follow suit," said John A. Challenger, chief executive officer of Challenger Gray.

Many of those departures may be attributed to retirement, as baby boomers push into their 60s in greater numbers, Challenger noted. But, he added, "we could also see more departures resulting from bankruptcies and firings."

by Mark Stein

How Stay-At-Home Moms Can Return To Work

‘Mommy Wars’ editor shares smart tips for getting back on the career track

By Leslie Morgan Steiner
Work and family columnist

Are you a stay-at-home mom looking to return to the office? Or are you considering taking time off to help raise your little ones? Before you leave the cubicle, plan ahead! Leslie Morgan Steiner, editor of the best-selling book "Mommy Wars: Stay-at-Home and Career Moms Face Off on Their Choices, Their Lives, Their Families," combined her research with input from headhunters and human resource managers to develop smart tips on how stay-at-home moms can get back on the career track — without getting discouraged:

Step one: Be determined
The hardest and most time-consuming: Get determined to go back. SAHMS often feel conflicted about returning to work. Women often leave work for good reasons — to be with children, frustrated by a less-than-family-friendly work schedule, to support their husband’s demanding career. Can they juggle work and motherhood? Will their kids suffer? Will their husband or partner be supportive? Are they still valued by the workplace? You cannot project ambivalence to potential employers or waste valuable interview time justifying your choices.

Step two: Ask for help
Get a buddy or paid coach or take a class to help you develop a compelling resume and job interview skills. Writing a resume based on skills — not chronological promotions and achievements — can be hard. Projecting confidence in an interview is also a big challenge to someone who has been home for years. But as in any job interview, confidence is key.

Step three: Be public
Be open and very public about your decision to go back to work. Enlist help and advice from friends, family, former colleagues, parents at your children’s schools. Tell everyone these top three messages:

1. You want to go back
2. What kind of job you are looking for
3. What your skills are

Be decisive and confident. Moms report this kind of informal networking leads to most promising opportunities.

Step four: Develop a thick skin
Be determined and realistic and your own most-enthusiastic cheerleader. Don’t take rejection personally — and don’t let it invalidate your time at home with your family. Develop a thick skin: We live in a capitalist country that naturally values hard work without time out, so there will be questions about why you left and why you want to return, but this is not a rejection of your or your decisions. Ignore myths and negative messages that women who’ve taken work breaks to care for kids cannot go back — millions of women do every year.

Remember — you have a lot to give, and with determination and help you can find the job that’s right for you and your family.

Dos And Don’ts For Stay-At-Home Moms Who Want To Return To Work

• Do invest in yourself before (and after) you leave the work force. The better your education and the more impressive your career achievements, the more options you will have when you return to work. For example, instead of over-volunteering at school or helicopter parenting, take a class in your field, or take a volunteer position in your area of expertise.
• Do decide to be realistic and determined Don't expect the job market to respect, validate or reward your decision to stay home with children.
• Do stay in the same city Returning to work is simpler if you remain in the same geographic area or in the same field and can leverage your prior contacts and professional reputation.
• Do show you’re decisive about returning to work No one wants to hire someone who projects ambivalence.
  
• Do go back full time Part-time and flex-time jobs unfortunately remain elusive for anyone at any stage in their careers.
• Do keep up your network This jaded advice holds true — but it doesn’t mean an awkward call to your old HR manager every January. Keep up with your friends from work and your industry. Maintain professional connections in ways that feel comfortable to you.
• Do stay (somewhat) current Be sure to stay current on major new technology trends in your field. Lawyers need to read up on Sarbanes-Oxley. Marketers need to keep tabs on Internet marketing. Certified professionals, keep your accreditations current.
• Do go back within 10 years Headhunters and human resource managers say a three- to five-year absence is now relatively easy to explain. Ten-plus years is a lot harder. Also, age-related bias (hardly on our radars in our 30s or 40s) becomes real for men and women as we move into our 50s and beyond.
  

Leslie Morgan Steiner is the best-selling editor of "Mommy Wars: Stay-at-Home and Career Moms Face Off on Their Choices, Their Lives, Their Families." For more great tips and information, visit mommywars.net.

Returning to Work?

After taking time off from your career to be a stay-at-home parent you are now returning to work. Your children will be in school all day, so you don't have to worry about child care during the school day. Well, at least you won't have to worry about it most days. Of course, children get sick, there are vacations, and holidays. Ask yourself the following questions to find out what advanced planning you will have to do before returning to work.

• Where will your children go after school?
• What will you do if your child is sick and can't go to school?
• What will you do if your child gets sick in school and must go home?
• What will your children do during the summer?
• What will you do on school holidays and half-days?
• Who will help your child with his or her homework?
• How will you and your child feel if you can't take part in events that allow parent participation?
• If you have older children who can stay alone, are there a set of rules to which they must adhere in your absence?

Don't be discouraged if you don't know the answers to these questions immediately. You can get help and figure things out before you return to work:

• Ask other working parents in your community for advice.
• Find out if your school district has afterschool programs — many do.
• Investigate community-based afterschool programs.
• Network with some stay-at- home parents who you can count on in an emergency.