150 Stay at Home Mom Businesses [Up to $150k/year]

Dear Dreamer,

Are you looking for legitimate ways to make extra money? I was in your exact shoes 10 years ago and have found some amazing side hustles and income streams along the way. My goal is to help you find the best opportunities that fit your lifestyle.

I want to personally invite you to subscribe to my free newsletter for practical, actionable advice delivered straight to your inbox. Join me and start your journey to financial freedom today!

If you’ve sifted through scams hoping to find the best stay at home mom business, I know how you feel.

Perhaps you’d like to start something that allows you to focus on your children while still paying the bills.

Five years ago I decided to ditch my 9 to 5 office job and work at home so that I could raise my newborn son. I had no idea that starting my own home-based business would not only provide the income my family needed in order for me to stay at home but that the income would surpass that of any full-time job I had ever held!

When you consider business ideas for stay at home moms and dedicate your time and effort to making a business plan, you can absolutely become successful. You have a talent that is unique; that’s what makes your service or product attractive to potential customers.

I’ve put together a list of 150 home-based business ideas for moms that you can start from the comfort of your home as a stay-at-home parent. These options allow you to set your own hours, prices, and ultimately choose your own financial path.

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Top Businesses for Stay at Home Moms

Working mom works from home office with kid. Woman and cute child using laptop.

These stay at home mom jobs typically require no phones and no set hours throughout the day. Of course, you will need to schedule some time into your days to make your business successful, but you can do these things at any point during the day. This flexibility works perfectly for moms with sporadic schedules.

Proofreading

Proofreading is one of the best businesses for stay at home moms because it’s flexible and doesn’t require time spent talking on the phone. If you have a strong background in grammar or a desire to help others improve their written material, you might be the perfect fit for a proofreading business.

To learn about the requirements and hurdles between you and a successful proofreading business from home, join this FREE Proofread Anywhere workshop. The workshop host, Caitlin Pyle, is a successful freelance proofreader who earned over $40,000 working part-time in this industry. She shares her secrets to success and helps people decide whether or not proofreading for a living is the right path for them.

Types of Proofreading Jobs/Lines of Business:

Court Documents
Blogs
Newspapers
Books

Microblading

If you have skills as a microblader (or you’re willing to learn them), create your own home-based business and avoid paying fees to rent a room in another business’s space.

Keep all of your profits by starting a microblading business right from your home. Many potential clients are looking to improve their self-esteem by having cosmetic improvements done to their face. As their microblader, you could become the source that gives them that boost of confidence – all from your own space, while you set your own schedule.

Sassy Wink Academy can guide you through learning the skill and launching your own home-based business in the microblading industry.

Flea Market Flipping

If you enjoy shopping for second-hand items at flea markets, garage sales, second-hand stores, or even online, you might love the idea of starting your own flea market flipping business.

Flipping things for cash is a great stay at home mom business because it’s something that you can do with the kids in tow. Visiting thrift stores, garage sales, and flea markets is something that many people do for fun–so turning into a business is just icing on the cake.

If you prefer to stay home, consider flipping books. This can be done completely online from the comfort of your home. Using a system like ZenArbitrage, the process is streamlined and simple for busy moms. It’s a complete business-in-a-box that helps beginners find profitable books in minutes. Then the books can be relisted and sold online.

Bookkeeping

Small business owners often hire bookkeepers to handle their finance-related jobs and tasks. If you are well organized, comfortable handling receipts and bills, and enjoy crunching numbers, consider starting your own bookkeeping business.

Bookkeeping is a service that a stay at home mom can offer from the comfort of home. She can connect with clients online and handle their finances virtually, or have local clients drop of physical documents.

Join this free workshop by Bookkeepers.com to learn whether bookkeeping is right for you and how to start your own bookkeeping business.

The host, Ben Robinson, helps people understand what it takes to become a successful virtual bookkeeper.

In-Home Daycare

If you are good with children, consider providing daycare services in your home to local children.

Unlike most stay at home mom businesses, an in-home daycare requires the proper certifications and paperwork to be a legitimate business. Make sure to check your state’s laws and regulations.

If you want to start unofficially with just a few kids, check for nanny positions on Care.com. Make sure to check the maximum number of kids you’re allowed to watch at one time in your area before you’re legally required to become a daycare.

Related: Best Side Hustles for Nurses

Niche Site Creation

If you have a specific skill set or interest, the sky is the limit when it comes to the possibilities of making money with a niche site using affiliate marketing. Some stay at home moms will publish content on the side for some decent spending cash, while others make more than $150,000 per year! Keep in mind that this will never happen overnight.

Creating a niche site is a home-based business for moms that takes hard work and dedication to make a sustainable income. As long as you learn how to do keyword research the right way, you will know exactly what your target audience is looking for. That’s the big “secret” behind content marketing. Don’t write what you want to read; write what your target audience wants to read.

It’s a tough pill to swallow, but once I figured it out on my own niche site, the money started to flow in!

Niche Ideas:

Personal Care
Health & Fitness
Parenting
Travel
Crafts / DIY
Finance
Lifestyle
Food & Recipes

Virtual Assistant

There is a growing need for virtual assistants today because it allows businesses to contract your services on an “as-needed” basis. Instead of hiring a full-time employee, these businesses can hire one and done services, or contract moms like you on an ongoing basis.

Becoming a virtual assistant is a great side business for stay at home moms because it allows them to take on as little or as much work as they want.

You can start listing your talents and offer your virtual assistance online. If you’re not sure what type of services virtual assistants can offer, check out Gina Horkey’s list of 275+ online service ideas found on Fully Booked VA and choose one that fits your talents. Follow her workbook to learn how to get started earning between $20 and $40 per hour as a VA.

VA Business Ideas:

Virtual Receptionist
Data Entry
Presentation Preparation
Event Management
Travel Booking and Itineraries
Scheduling Appointments and Meetings
Personal Errands

eCommerce/Dropshipping

Starting a dropshipping business is a great option for stay at home moms because it doesn’t require you to handle any stock in order to ship and sell. You can find some trustworthy products to drop ship or stock and rebrand your own inventory for this one. It’s truly a business that moms can do in the comfort of their home (even with kids running around).

Starting an online business as a busy mom can seem daunting at first, but you can start with this free dropshipping course that teaches beginners exactly how to get started.

eCommerce Business Platforms:

Transcribing

Many moms run successful home based businesses as freelance transcriptionists. It allows them to work from home transcribing medical, legal, or just about any type of audio to written material for clients. All transcriptionists have to do is listen to recordings and type it out verbatim (or exactly as heard).

This idea requires great listening and typing skills and some knowledge of the business you work with.

Types of Transcription Businesses:

Medical
Legal
General

Woodworking

A stay at home mom can make money woodworking as long as she has the artistic skills and ability to work with her hands. Woodworking is a great home business for moms because you can potentially make your pieces out of free wood. There are tons of places to get wood for free, starting in your own backyard. You can even scale your home business and earn up to $90,000 per year!

Woodworking Projects That Sell:

Adirondack Chairs
Bird Feeders
Coffee Tables
Dollhouses
Outdoor Sheds
Wooden Toys

Freelance Writing

With great writing skills, you could be building your income with a home-based freelance writing business. Start a blog to showcase your writing skills and be sure to tell your readers that your talents are for hire! You can also pick up freelance gigs on Fiverr to build your portfolio!

There are tons of businesses looking for great content these days. Any time you (and billions of other people) turn to the internet with a question, an online business or blog is there to provide an answer. Get in on the wealth and start writing content that answers people’s questions.

Freelance Writing Business Ideas:

Blogs
Articles
Sales Copy
Resume Writing
Email Copy

Used Clothing Reseller

If you enjoy shopping for second-hand clothes, you could potentially turn this into a full-blown business. Whether you sell used clothing for friends, family, or neighbors, or you shop at garage sales and second-hand stores, there is definitely profit to be had in reselling used clothing online.

You can start small on a platform like ThredUp or Poshmark to see how you like it. In the future, consider building a website, or selling on local garage sale sites for a quick sale.

Related: How to Get Paid to Shop

Become an Interior Designer

Start your own home-based business as a mom by creating an interior design business. Moms have a keen eye for functionality and where things should go in a home to help with all of the moving parts that come with raising kids. This means you could be great at creating beautiful living spaces with functionality for clients.

Take a look at clients’ homes and unlock the hidden potential. Bring in furniture that opens up a room to let more light in or paint walls colors that will accent and compliment the space. If you can think of it, you can create it. Clients will appreciate you bringing order and restoring beauty into their homes again. The good news is you don’t have to get a degree to become an interior designer and you can make thousands of dollars per client that you take on.

Become a Brand Ambassador

An ambassador is someone who represents a company and helps sell its products (usually on social media). You may not be familiar with the term “ambassador,” but it might surprise you how many companies offer this option. You can easily turn an ambassadorship into a home based business as a mom without getting stuck pitching cold sales over the phone. Don’t worry—I know you’re a mom like me, and being on the phone all day is just not an option.

So, if there are so many companies, how do you choose one to be an ambassador for? You should look for three different things in a company before becoming an ambassador for it:

It’s a legitimate business with 10+ years of positive history.

In order to become a successful brand ambassador, you don’t have to join a new business with a unique product. Instead, you’ll have more success with a brand that has built a good reputation. Choose a company that is at least 10 years old and has good reviews showing that the products work.

It’s a necessary business that provides a necessary product.

It’s tempting to become an ambassador for things like makeup, nail art, and candles, but none of those things are necessary. Do they sell when presented to the right audience? Yes, of course! But when the economy takes a downturn, it’s the necessities like clothes, shoes, health products, etc. that continue to sell.

The compensation package is generous and can turn into a livable income.

There are companies that offer free products as compensation for their ambassadors, and then there are companies that offer commission, bonuses, profit share, free products, and the opportunity to grow in leadership and move up within the company. Make sure to do your research and choose one that has a great compensation plan, and that won’t have you spinning your wheels before you even earn a paycheck.

Brand Ambassador Business Opportunities:

Lululemon
The Honest Company
Oakley

Related: How to Make $5,000 Fast

Web Design Services

If you’re a mom with an eye for design and the technical skills to go along with it, you can start your own website designing service! There are tons of simple drop-and-drag platforms that allow you to build websites. Many clients don’t mind taking the easy route because it allows them to make adjustments or additions to their completed website down the road.

Web Design Business Ideas:

eCommerce
Small business
Blogs

Artist

Art has a way of selling itself, and on the right platform, you could land your next big commission! If you have the skillset, consider designing a website to showcase your skills to the public.

Paintings
Drawings
Calligraphy
Sculptures
Illustrations

Related: How to Make Money Coloring

Author

There are various opportunities for aspiring mom authors to make money using their writing talents. Maybe you’ve been working on writing an ebook or have an idea in mind that just needs to come to fruition.

Ghostwriter
Fictional Book
Biography
Children’s Books
eBook

Craft Services

If you’re crafty and enjoy doing it, then maybe a home-based mom business in crafting is for you. Take custom orders online and let your creative juices flow!

Greeting Cards
Home Decor
Restorations
Kids’ Crafts

Direct Sales

I truly respect those who have what it takes to build a home-based direct sales business. We all have our strengths; if selling and networking are yours, you certainly have a solid number of companies to choose from.

Beachbody
Usborne
Mary Kay
Lularoe
Pampered Chef
Scentsy

Graphic Design

Graphic design is a great home based business for moms because it can be done any time of day, whether the kids are asleep or awake. There are businesses everywhere that need your graphic designing talents!

Learn how to become a graphic designer so that you can make money creating things like:

Logos
Custom T-shirts
Flyers
Business Cards
Sales Pamphlets

Refurbish / Repair Service

If you enjoy making items work or shine like new, you can always start a refurbish or repair service within your skillset. Add to your service list over time for a well-rounded, home-based service!

Furniture
Tech Devices
Clothes
Vintage Toys
Appliances
Small Motors

Social Media

If you have experience managing a growing company’s social media accounts, you are harboring a talent that many businesses need.

Management
Marketing
Analyst

Home Business Ideas for Moms With Low Startup Costs

These home business ideas for moms (with low startup costs) are not going to be quite as flexible, but that doesn’t mean moms can’t make them work. The best part about these stay at home mom businesses is that you can get any one of these started without paying a large sum of money upfront.

“Sitting”

You could be your town’s go-to for dog-sitting, house-sitting, or babysitting. Check out Care.com for local babysitting, caretaking, or dog and housesitting opportunties.

Housesitting
Animal/Dogsitting
Babysitting

Coach

There are various coaching opportunities that you could consider for your business. Whether you have past life experiences that will help you coach others or you’re willing to go through the proper training to get up to speed, you could be coaching clients online or locally.

Fitness Coach
Health Coach
Life Coach
Business Coach
Postpartum Coach

Consulting

What are you best at? What could you see yourself helping others with? These are just a few ideas to get your consulting business started!

Business Consultant
Career Consultant
Marketing Consultant
Travel Consultant
Baby Sleep Consultant

Customer Service Representative

This could be a home-based business idea or you could search for companies hiring remote employees. Either way, you could earn money from home answering phones as a customer services representative with little to no experience.

Teach Lessons

What are you good at that others might like to learn? Teach lessons out of your home or in your client’s home!

Music
Sewing
Cooking
English
Dance
Art

Related: How to Get Paid to Sing

Makeup Artist

If you love makeup and receive compliments for your own makeup, you just might have what it takes to become a professional makeup artist.

Related: Become an Eyelash Technician

Sales

There is always something to sell! Start with something you believe in and share your experiences with others.

Insurance
Real Estate
Vacuums
Makeup

YouTube Creator

Do you have a new or exciting idea that is not already saturated on YouTube? If so, turn it into a YouTube channel and grow your following to make money through YouTube.

How to/DIY
Kid’s Channel
Family Vlog
Gaming Streamer
Lifestyle

More Home Based Business Idea for Moms

Mom working on home based business with daughter

Some of these ideas will require more money upfront to get them started, but that is often part of any successful stay at home mom business. Also, these ideas can be started and completely managed from home, but many of them require customer/client involvement either at home or at your customer’s home or office.

Antique Dealer

As an antique dealer, you decide just how small or large you would like your venture to become. Antique collectors (your target customer) travel far and wide to find the perfect piece to add to their collection. Don’t underestimate the value of a vintage item. You can have your own local antique shop or start an eCommerce store to sell online.

Car Dealership

Consider the possibility of buying and selling cars at a profit. If it’s something that interests you and you have the time and funds to build your inventory, this might be an option for you.

Catering

Choose one specific event or diversify with a catering service! If you enjoy cooking great food in bulk, then start offering your services locally and start a catering business.

Weddings
Birthday Parties
Special Events

Cleaning Business

A cleaning business can certainly be a la carte, but often the best way to start is to specialize in a specific area. What are you good at cleaning? Start with some before and after pictures of your own projects and use them to build a cleaning business portfolio.

Commercial
Residential
Gutters
Carpet
Garage
Vehicles
Outdoor

System Design

Are you tech-savvy but not sure how to harness your talents? You just might have what it takes to design an elaborate home security system, nurse call system, or prepare a wiring diagram for a telephone system going in the new office space down the road. System design companies can work remotely, so your client base is nearly unlimited!

Security Systems
Healthcare Systems
Wiring Diagrams

Doula

Are you enamored with childbirth? Consider becoming a doula and coaching mothers during labor in your neighborhood!

Driver

If you love to drive and have a clean driving record, you just might be able to build a profitable transportation business. Although it’s not your typical work at home job, you can be your own boss and build your business out of your home to get started. If you start your own driving business, you can hire drivers and have them do the driving for you while you manage the books.

If you’re not ready to start a transportation business, you can drive for Uber.

Taxi
Uber
Lyft
Trucking

Related: Best Delivery Driver Apps

Entertainment Service

If entertaining others is your passion, consider building a home-based business that provides entertainment services in your area.

DJ
Clown
Magician
Bounce House Rental
Tent Rental

Gardening/Lawn Care

This one might be seasonal depending on your area, but even where there are harsh winters, you can always offer plow services until spring arrives!

Hairstylist

If you love styling and cutting hair and you’re willing to go to school to receive the proper licensing, you might be ready to consider a home-based hair studio.

Handyman/Handywoman

Can you fix things that most people cannot or do not want to fix? Offer your services as the go-to handyperson in town.

Nanny

There are many parents who are looking for a full or part-time nanny to take care of their children. Start small and before you know it, you could have a full-blown nanny service with multiple credible nannies on your team! Start a job profile on Care.com to find families in your area who need a nanny.

Organizer

Do you like to keep your personal and commercial space impeccably organized? Snap some pictures and tell your potential customers what type of areas you like to organize.

Photography

Dust off your hobby camera and start snapping beautiful images for cash. Build your online portfolio and see if you have what it takes to be a professional photographer.

Family Portraits
Wedding
Stock Photography

Planner

If you have a passion for event planning, consider starting a business in one of these categories!

Weddings
Parties
Funerals

Property Management

Is your landlord looking for a reliable property manager? Chances are there are multiple properties near you that do not have proper management. Research your options to get started and consider this as your home-based business opportunity.

Tutoring

What was your best subject in college? There are virtual and local tutoring opportunities.

This massive list of home-based business ideas for moms should help you target the best opportunity that piques your interest. Consider your talents and hobbies when choosing a business idea that you can enjoy and see success in.

What ideas have I missed? What work from home opportunities on this list do you feel are no longer relevant? I would love to hear your ideas!

Ready to Start a Business as a Stay at Home Mom?

As a stay at home mom, you can often start a home business from scratch with low startup costs depending on the resources and technology you already have on hand. Keep in mind that each business is different and may require more startup funds than others. If you are willing to invest in yourself, your business can flourish.

Review these home business opportunities for moms again and choose a path to get started. Keep in mind that these are generic ideas that each portray a successful home business. Make sure to do additional research with the Small Business Administration (if in the U.S.) to find out what is legally required in your state to start a home-based business.