Single Mom’s Guide to Making Money Online

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Although it feels strange even to think about, we’re now coming to the end of 2018. Before we know it, we’ll be into 2019, technology will keep advancing, and the world will continue its endless journey through time. Sticking with technology, it seems as though every single industry is benefitting these days through mobile devices, Internet of Things (IoT), improved communication, and better direct routes to customers.

In addition to the improvements we’ve seen for businesses, technology has also played a huge role for normal people who have a dream to start their own business. With this, it’s easy to feel inspired and motivated to achieve…but where do we start? In our single mom’s guide to making money online, you’re going to learn the steps required to make your dream come true.

Step 1: Research

Before you do anything else, we highly advise you do some research purely to see just how many opportunities there are in the world. At first, making money online was quite tough because the roles were few and far between. Today, it seems as though every single industry has a percentage of its work base online which opens more doors than ever before.

Although we couldn’t possibly list them all here, you could start with:

• Online Tutoring,
• Writing,
• Proofreading,
• Graphic Design,
• Affiliate Marketing (What Is Affiliate Marketing And Does It Work?)
• Blogging,
• Vlogging,
• Party Planning,
• Wedding Planning,
• Event Planning,
• Virtual Assistance,
• eCommerce,
• Making your own products and selling,
• Trading,
• Investing,
• Consulting,
• SEO services,
• And a whole lot more.

Often, people advise starting by choosing your niche but we think the initial research is more important because it removes any preconceptions you might have about making money online. Now you know that the opportunities are nearly limitless, you can really think about the decision.

Step 2: Choose a Niche

At first, this may seem impossible because there are so many different roles from which to choose. Therefore, we recommend taking your time and thinking about it all logically.

Consider Your Passions – Firstly, thinking about your passions in life is always a great starting point. If you can make money online doing something you love, this really is the definition of ‘making it’.

• Do you love to stay organized and help people who aren’t naturally built this way?
• Do you love staying fit and telling all your friends and family about the best workouts for great results?
• Do you love to sew clothes for all your friends when they have babies?

For the moment, we aren’t worrying about whether there’s a business opportunity behind your passion so feel free to write down anything you enjoy doing in your spare time or as part of your job.

Consider Your Skills – In a second list, write down all the skills you have whether it’s organization, a polite manner, being able to motivate others, writing, designing, or helping businesses to grow. Again, there’s no need to think about business opportunities at this stage of the single mom’s guide to making money online. If you need a little help, perhaps you aren’t comfortable with talking about yourself in this way, talk to your colleagues and friends because they’ll soon reel off your skills.

Integrate These with Business Ideas – Once you’re happy with your two lists, see if there are ways to combine your passions and skills with a business idea. If you’re innovative and creative with a skill for organization, party and event planning could be an option. If you love playing tennis and you feel as though you’re a good teacher, there might be an audience for a tennis blog full of tips and tricks.

During this stage, it can be helpful to compare different niches and really assess the pros and cons for each option. Regardless of what you’re considering, the ideas need to have a couple of key things and one of these is demand. Even if you have passion and skill in a certain role, it becomes useless if nobody is even remotely interested. Therefore, it’s all about finding a balance.

Step 3: Start Your Venture

For just three short words, this step certainly covers a lot of things. Depending on the method you’ve chosen to make money online, this is where the guide starts to differ. For example, a party planning business is going to need different preparation to an eCommerce business. If you’re only looking to make a few extra dollars online, these tips will still apply so don’t think there’s nothing between starting a business and choosing to do nothing; it isn’t all about making the jump to a business owner.

To begin, take a step back and really consider what you need to do to get started.

• Do you need a website?
• Will you need an account on a certain website?
• Do you need to start social media profiles for your business?
• How are you going to start getting customers?
• Will you need to attend an online course or get qualifications before you begin?
• Do you need to buy some equipment or raw materials?
• Should you upgrade your internet connection or set up a dedicated phone line for the business?

Once you’ve considered everything, you can put the plan into action. If we use a graphic designer as an example, there are two routes you can take. Firstly, freelance websites will have the buyers ready and waiting but you won’t keep all the profit. Secondly, you could start your own website and keep all the profit but you’ll have to work harder to find customers. In truth, there are multiple pros and cons to each so do your research and see which best suits your position.

From here, you’ll need a logo, a portfolio of work so people see why they should choose you, and contact information so potential customers can discuss work. If you start your own website, how are customers going to pay you, how will your invoice system work, and will you allow refunds? The more you think about these sorts of things now, the easier you’ll find it after starting and this will allow you to focus on finding customers and nothing else.

Step 4: Find Customers

At this stage of the single mom’s guide to making money online, you might not need to find customers and this is true if you’re just looking for some supplemental income and have chosen one of the easier options like a task-based earnings website or online surveys. If you’re doing everything from scratch, you need to think about how your potential customers can best be targeted.

At first, you might think about your friends, family, and friends of friends and this can be a great way to start. As you get orders, you get used to the shipping process and the business gains momentum. However, your family and friends aren’t a reliable source for sustainable success so you need a proper customer base.

Where can your customers be found? If you’re looking for the older generations, social media might not be the best way to succeed. If you manage to get your hands on analytics and the demographics of the most popular social media websites and other important pages around the web, you’ll soon see where to look whether it’s dependent on age, location, gender, salary, or any other.

Step 5: Have the Right Mindset

In order for this single mom’s guide to making money online to be extensive, we need to cover absolutely everything and this includes how you work. As a single mom, we’re guessing that you don’t get as much free time as you might like. When trying to make money online, you need to utilize your time as efficiently as possible otherwise your ‘working hours’ will just become a three-hour scroll through Facebook.

If possible, draw up a schedule so you know when you’re going to have opportunities to work on your online project. Can you squeeze in an hour or two while they’re napping? Do they nap at the same time every day? Can you enlist the help of others to do your accounts or any other part of your business? Does your child attend an after-school club to allow you some more time? In truth, it gets easier as your child heads to school because you can work during school hours, pick them up in the afternoon, do a little more as they’re doing homework, eat dinner together, and then finish the day.

This being said, making money online as a single mom isn’t impossible before then so long as you plan your time carefully and lose the procrastination. When working from home, procrastination will be your worst enemy but there are some things you can do to fight it. For example, having space in your home dedicated to work is a start. After this, you can turn your phone off during working hours and restrict your web browser so you can only do work-related activities.

Step 6: Be Willing to Grow

Today, society seems to have preconceived ideas regarding single moms. Just because this exists, it doesn’t mean you can’t break free from the mold and achieve great things. If making money online turns into a real business opportunity, don’t shy away from it because it could be the start of something amazing.

In years gone by, plenty of single moms started by selling a few knitted scarves on Etsy. Soon enough, the demand became overwhelming and the scarves turned into a fashion line. Instead of making the scarves themselves, they had dedicated factories and teams producing their products. Regardless of your idea, you never know where it’s going to take you so be open to change and be open to growth when it comes.

Choose The Right Option for YOU

With the internet, we have a playground where anything is possible. Among other things, flexibility is what makes the internet so great. After thinking about your passions and skills, choose a method of making money that suits you and your child(ren). Ultimately, nobody knows your life as well as you so you’re the only person who can make the right decision.

Thank you for reading our single mom’s guide to making money online. If you just want to make a few dollars, online surveys and the like will welcome you as will sites like Fiverr if you can offer a certain skill. If you’re looking for something more in the shape of a business, spend your time researching and be ready to put in the hard work. Remember, you’re paving the way for a better future for both yourself and your children so go out there and make it happen!

I hope you enjoyed this post and if you have any questions about making money online or want to leave your own personal experience, leave a comment below. I would love to hear from you!