Stay-at-home Mom? Explore these Income Options
By Acceler8now.com Investment Education Team
October, 2007
The challenge of running the home and bringing up children is a major one and often compels the difficult choice to leave one's job to stay home and face up to it. While mothers that stay home are contributing a lot of value that counts to a huge sum when quantified, such quantification will not bring out cash as that value remains notional. Yet, the need for cash never goes away, as costs of running the family and meeting other needs have to be met. Having some money to one's name is also a natural craving. At other times, being at home is forced by factors beyond the need to take care of children. Jobs are lost from time to time, for instance. Well, the good news is that it has never been as easy as now to work from home, even in our own society. That's if one knows what to do. Wondering how this is possible for you? Okay, lets take a look at some possibilities, albeit inexhaustive.
First, a Word of Caution
Yes, before we go reeling off income opportunities you can explore from home, it's important to point out that nothing really works for someone who lacks commitment and drive. Even keeping an office job will not, because employers want value for money. So, the presumption here is that you mean business and will be prepared to work for the results you look forward to. It won't just happen - but it will, if you have the zeal and nerve. Now, having straightened that out, let's go fishing for those money opportunities.
Multilevel Marketing Opportunities
Accept it or not, the reality is that multilevel marketing (MLM) has come to stay in Nigeria and a growing number is achieving income breakthroughs from it. MLM, aka network marketing (or networking) is a major marketing channel that let's companies that choose it sell their products through a network of users. Because network marketing arrangements pay commissions based on a chain of membership introduced through a particular member (the downlines) it is seen as one of the most-leveraged and powerful means to income generation. And you know what, it is one of the business formats most suited for stay-at-home operation, without diminishing the potential for earnings. With a phone, fax (possibly) and a PC (very helpful, especially with internet access), you can grow a huge business operating from a room in your house and doing only some hours of work daily. Phone calls, text messages, emails, tea-parties and house parties can get you far, supported with occasional outdoor activities. MLM opportunities have turned out several millionaires. Nothing stops your being one, even working largely from home.
Write a Book
What does it really take to be an author? Well, if you thought you needed to speak like Wole Soyinka to be able to write a book, you are totally wrong. You simply need to express yourself on your own terms and can indeed get a lot of publishing help. You have a choice to publish physical or digital books. And the subject could be anything you know about, including stories for kids. If you can type with a computer, it's a good part of your job done. Simply choose a subject, start writing and if you stick to it, you will be surprised how easily you will make progress.
You could have a best-seller locked up in you. Run a Website
Many women are doing this today, all over the world. Business on the internet is growing and has no direction but up, even in our own environment. Depending on what products you can put out to the market, chances are that you can gradually build a clientele base. It's more like opening a shop out there. The difference: you can do it from your bedroom and besides, you can sell to the entire world. Your website or blog can focus on any of hundreds of possible niches. If you are wondering how you can do this when you don't know much about websites, the short answer is that if others can do it, you too can. It's always possible to learn anything you have interest in and there are experts for the technical aspects. Besides, it's nothing too complicated. Blogging in particular is a plug-and-play operation which you can easily get running. Want to get going with blogging? Here are some blogging tools you can use: TypePad is the Elite Blogging Tool for Professionals.
 Moveable Type is another option and pretty easy to use. [Grow Your Business with Blogs. Download Movable Type Now!]
So, why wait? Doing business on the internet is another business option that is ideal to run from home and it could be as simple as telling the world about something you have knowledge about. Like the dishes you can cook. How will money come out of that, you ask. Create advert space, for instance. Sale related items for your self and others. Turn some of your ideas into a digital book and sell online. Start something and as you persist in it, you will begin to see more of the revenue angles.
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Explore Online Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is a bit like multilevel marketing, though not exactly so. The 'bonded' relationship is not often there, except for affiliate arrangements that offer residual earnings. Most are one-off or two tier, but it's all about referring customers and receiving a commission if they buy. Affiliate marketing will possibly evolve in the local market with time, but most opportunities today are foreign. Yet, the world has no real boundaries when it comes to online business. Interestingly, you don't have to run a website to participate in affiliate marketing, though it helps to have one. How do you find the products to promote? There are thousands out there and the challenge is more in being able to select those that can resonate with your target market. But like with all things, it could take a period of trials and errors, until you strike one that catches on. Or a few. You possibly know that when you achieve a formula that works, it doesn't really take a lifetime to make the money you want.
Run Prep Lessons
You can teach children in your area for a few hours in the afternoon and earn some income. How far you get with this will much depend on the quality of what you deliver. In effect, this could take you quite far, if well structured. The organic growth possible in such a venture should be obvious: it can grow to an institutional stature.
Online Jobs and Surveys
First, the surveys. Yes, you can earn some money taking surveys online. First, you must search for the opportunities. This bit expects you to know how to use the internet. Type in a search for "paid online surveys" or "paid online focus groups" and you would be surprised at how many results you'd throw up. My attempt, just now, produced 12.7million and 13.4 million results respectively. A lot of narrowing down and screening is called for, but a stay-at-home mom may just find the time. But it shows how serious these opportunities are elsewhere and would have been in our market, except for the penchant for "bonanza" and "promo" marketing. Anyway, online is for you, too and you can scout out good opportunities to key into.
Some income opportunities in online jobs are also possible. Data-entry jobs can be done online. Programming jobs too, if you have programming knowledge. Some customer care jobs too. Again, you need to search and screen. You also need to verify, to be sure of dealing with reputable companies.
Getting to earn some income is important because it puts you in shape to explore further financial growth by investing some of your income. If you have to take that tough choice to stay at home and build your family, it shouldn't completely rob you of the power to earn income.
 
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