Why Mothers Can’t Find a Way to Make Money From Home
The real reason you’re stuck isn’t a lack of options. It’s how you’re choosing them.
If you Google “the biggest struggles moms face when trying to work from home” (or ask ChatGPT) you’ll probably get a list like this:
- No experience
- Lack of confidence
- Scams
- No childcare or unpredictable schedules
- Too many options
I’ll be bold here and disagree. It’s not about any of those factors, because those are just the realities of mothering.
We feel we have no experience; therefore, we lack confidence. We know we have a fragmented schedule (nap time is work time, and who knows when nap time is), and our algorithm is constantly sending us content of people who are making money online and willing to teach us how to do it, as long as we join something and pay a fee or buy a course.
The problem is we have distanced ourselves from the basics. Working from home is like working any other job. The core concept is: selling someone something they need, either a skill or time. This is the basic concept that will get you any job. That includes UGC, being an influencer, Etsy, or whatever else you find out there.
If you were looking for a 9-to-5 job, you would be looking for opportunities that match your skill set, or at least things you like to do. But when we are trying to work from home, we like to jump on the opportunity that seems the most profitable and quickest, whether or not it’s aligned with our skills, strengths, or schedule. Something like “If she can do it, I can do it too.”
I say that because I started an Etsy print-on-demand store, and my friend, I have zero, I mean zero, designer skills. Yes, I could learn, but it was an investment of time and money in something that is not my strength. I found a way to work from home (making about $2k a month) when I reached for my skills and likes.
Yes, high-ticket selling has big profits, but do you have selling skills? I know because I also tried that, and having to sell things was also not a strength.
Do a SWOT of yourself first
Before you jump on the next social media hype, do a SWOT of yourself (ask any AI for help, it’s fast and very informative). List your:
Strengths: What comes naturally? What have people paid you to do before?
Weaknesses: Which tasks drain you or require constant effort?
Opportunities: Which work-from-home paths fit your skills, schedule, and interests?
Threats: What could realistically get in your way? Childcare? Limited time? Lack of experience? Fear of being on camera?
Based on this analysis, search for something online that may not be sexy or cool or quick, but will for sure pay your bills. Mine was bookkeeping.
The best work-from-home job isn’t the one that makes the most money; it’s the one you’ll actually stick with.
A business that matches your strengths is easier to learn, easier to enjoy, and much more likely to survive the hard days, because every work-from-home path has hard days.
The internet loves selling the idea of the “perfect side hustle,” but in reality, there isn’t one.
There is only the opportunity that fits you.
A version of this post first appeared on Motheredit, my Substack. Subscribe there to get new posts by email.