When we ask work at home mums why they decided to go down their chosen path, we find that by far the most common response is: flexibility.
New mums often tell us that once their baby comes along, their priorities change, and they’re compelled to find ways to work from home, to allow them the flexibility to care for their child and contribute financially to the household.
Some work at home mums start their own business, while others negotiate with their employers to work remotely.
If you are considering an online business and you’re concerned about cashflow, then here are two ways that you can make a start without outlaying much money.
#1: Start an online store
It has never been easier to start an online store than it is today.
Etsy and eBay make it super easy to create an online store and start selling their products. The difference between the two platforms lies in the products that you’re selling – Etsy’s drawcard is handmade products, while eBay can be used to sell new or second-hand stock.
Regardless of your product or approach, both platforms can be used to launch your online store and boost initial sales.
Once you find that your sales are growing and your income is increasing, consider creating your own online store so that you can avoid paying commission on your sales.
Shopify have made it even easier for people to start their online business through dropshipping, which is where an online store doesn’t stock its products, but instead orders from a third supplier who ships the product direct to the customer.
There are low overheads with dropshipping businesses as you don’t have a store front and there is less capital to be begin with because you don’t have to purchase and house any stock in large quantities. You simply order when a customer places an order.
Dropshipping through Spotify is touted as the easiest way to sell online with millions of products available to sell and you don’t need to think about stock, packing, or postage.
#2: Join the gig revolution
With the growth of online marketplaces for services, the gig industry is becoming more and more popular for those looking to start their business without spending too much at the beginning of their journey.
Gigs are usually short, one-off tasks that be done quickly and are marketed through a third-party platform.
The platforms are like online stores, but instead of selling your products you sell your services.
Fiverr is the most well-known gig platform for businesses looking for graphic designers, writers, marketers, video and music editors, programming help, or business support (think data entry, transcription, document creation, etc). Sellers offer their services starting at $5/gig.
Creating a Fiverr profile is free, however you do pay a service fee for every sale that you make. This makes it perfect for anyone who doesn’t have much of a budget to begin with.
Your gigs don’t always remain at $5, they simply start at $5. If you do your research, you will see that Fiverr has the potential to be a good money maker.
Airtasker offers similar services to Fiverr, however advertisers set a budget for each task and sellers bid for the tasks. Once you have completed a task, you request that payment to be made into your nominated bank account. There is a service fee deducted as part of your membership with Airtasker.
On Fiverr, buyers buy the gigs you advertise. On Airtasker, you bid for jobs advertised.
The approach is different however the work is similar on both platforms, meaning that you could join both to see which would suit your style and preferences.
Get started with your online business today
If you’re committed to starting an online business, then there is no reason why you can’t get started today.
Do a little bit of research to see which platform suits your skill set and working preferences and take a leap of faith.
Once you get to know the ins and outs of your chosen platform then you can start to leverage your early work and look at ways to build your online empire. All it takes is one small step.
For further inspiration, consider our course, How to Start Your Work At Home Business where we cover everything you need to know to start making money online.
