Starting an At-Home Business as an Expecting Parent

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A soon-to-be stay-at-home parent is an influential figure in their own home, and they have the potential to make money for the family (if parenting isn’t enough)!. If you’re interested in starting your own home business, this information from Birth and Beyond Doula Services will help you get started. Here are some small business ideas:

Blogging

The key to blogging is to create original content that people want to read. Then, you can place links to affiliate products or your own products.

Photography Business

You can start a photography business by renting out studio space at home or offering shoots in your basement, for example. I had a birth client who is now a photography business owner: Jessica Penven-Crew with Penven-Crew Photography!

Virtual Assistant

Becoming a virtual assistant is a gold mine for the stay-at-home parent. Virtual assistants do a variety of tasks for business clients. Since you don’t need to travel to clients’ offices, you can work from home.

Sell Your Expertise

Some parents with experience as personal trainers decide to go into business for themselves from the comfort of their own homes. If you’re musically talented, consider offering music lessons from your home. With your home as your office, your options are numerous.

Write and Illustrate Children’s Books

Some stay-at-home parents choose to write and illustrate children’s books. You can do this at home by creating a space for writing and drawing. You can also create a website for this purpose. This way, you can easily share your work with the world.

Getting Your Business Started

Here are some essential tips to help you get your business off the ground and running:

Seek Funding

Some common ways of funding small businesses include loans, crowdfunding, debt financing, and investors.

Choosing a Business Structure

There are four main business structures: sole proprietor, partnership, corporation, and limited liability company (LLC). Which one you choose will depend on a variety of factors, the most important of which are your personal preferences, the type of services you will be selling, and the laws of your state. There are also various tax filing statuses, such as an S-corporation. This designation can mean significant savings as you won’t have to pay self-employment taxes. If you’re curious about S-corps and how to form them, consult a formation service. They can help walk you through the necessary steps. They can even help you save money in the process! My recommendation would be Myranda Harper with Harper Business Solutions!

Marketing Your Services

Marketing can be as simple as sharing your business with family and friends. It can also involve more expensive strategies, such as advertising, online networking events, and networking organizations.

Even though you plan to operate from home, creating a custom business card is a good idea. If you want to save money, here's a possible solution—use an online design tool. You can easily create a design that reflects your style and business, which will be useful to share in order to build your brand.

Create a Designated Home Workspace

If you want to be successful in your business, then you need to make it a priority to spend time working in your business office. Make sure you have a designated workspace in your house that you use almost exclusively for your business. 

This workspace can be an area of the house where you do not mind cordoning off a section for your business. If you are unable to have your space in your house, then at least make sure you have a desk, bookshelves, and chairs in your car so that you can work wherever you need to.

Create a Business Plan

A business plan is a comprehensive business strategy that defines your company’s structure and goals. A business plan serves many purposes. First, it defines your company’s structure and outlines its goals. It identifies the resources you will need and how they will be acquired. 

It also outlines your financial projections, including the amount of money you anticipate making during the first year of operation. All of these pieces of information are included in a business plan so that you can evaluate your company’s viability and determine if you should continue with your plans.

Balancing a business while preparing for a new addition is a challenge, but there are plenty of ways to do it. Come up with a business idea that works for you, form your business entity, and get to work! Soon you’ll be bringing in welcome extra income.

For doula services in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area, contact Birth and Beyond Doula Services today!

Guest Blog Courtesy of Josh Moore with Diaper Dads!