Becoming a mum is a huge blessing. That blessing can be life changing for a lot of people. I never went back to full-time employment after having my first child in 2021. With my new mum status came the need to have a flexible schedule and I didn’t have child care.
My little family of three lived in a one bedroom apartment, and that made it difficult to bring in a live-in nanny for my daughter. I couldn’t get a trust-worthy live-out nanny anywhere and heard stories from parents who had only bad experiences. Now I have a bigger apartment, two kids and a live-in nanny but I still don’t trust her to care for my kids the way I would. I think all mums secretly feel this way. The only person I trust to care for my kids the way I would, is my mum.
I work from home but watch my nanny like a hawk and constantly have to remind myself that outsourcing doesn’t make me a bad mum.
Things might be the same or a little different for you. Maybe your pre-motherhood job was very demanding and you can’t bear to go back to it with a child in the picture.
As a new Mum, you want to find ways to make money that fits your schedule and gives you time to attend to your child. Between feeding, diaper changes and all, it may be tough to squeeze out time for anything else. But if you want to bring in extra income without going back to paid employment, there are remote jobs you can do. Needless to say, many employers in Nigeria do not want to hire mum with little kids as they tend to have too much on their plates.
That said, work from home opportunities gives a high level of flexibility and is the perfect opportunity for new mums to make money.
So if you are willing to put in some effort, and you have a phone or computer connected to the internet, there are ways to make money online as a new Mum.
6 Ways to Start Making Money Online as a New Mum With No or Very Low Capital
1.) Virtual Tutoring
This is a good way to create convenient schedules and use your expertise in various areas from the comfort of your home. The good thing is that this doesn’t require a teaching certification like regular jobs. Virtual tutors in Math and other Physical sciences are always in high demand. There is also a growing opportunity in teaching English and indigenous languages (French, Igbo, Yoruba, German etc) online. Teaching online is a good way to earn money to cover your personal expenses. You can charge money depending on the age, number of students and subject.
One mum of three that does it amazingly well is Chioma of Adaoma Igbo Language Services. Like me, Chioma is a medical laboratory scientist but quickly transitioned into online tutelage. She teaches Igbo language and has students from various continents. Chioma now earns in dollars, and even got a chance to refuse employment offers from medical laboratories she applied to when she hadn’t started virtual tutoring. Now she has the flexibility she needs to care for her kids and still contribute majorly to her family’s income.
I helped Chioma set up her virtual tutoring business in 2021, now she helps other language coaches set up their business, price, market, etc. If you’re looking to teach any Nigerian language online, contact Choma on Linkedin and be sure to tell her Rose of The Rosepreneur sent you. Her services are affordable and not free.
2.) Start a Blog
Starting your own blog is a great way to make money for new mums. You can blog about any area of interest from your Motherhood journey to Parenting, Fashion and Beauty. Once you gain followers, you can start monetizing your blog with affiliate marketing, ads or sponsored posts. That means you get paid to blog. This is not a fast way to make money and you’ll need to have SEO knowledge if you want to rank and grow fast. I only recommend this if you have a writing and or SEO background as well as a lot of time to explore before making money.
3.) Become a YouTube Creator
If you’re not a writer but love videos, then YouTube might be your jam. Starting a youtube account is free but you’ll need to invest in equipment like a microphone. You don’t need expensive gadgets. If your smartphone has a good resolution, you can start with it and grow from there.
4.) Sell Digital Products
You can make money online as a new mum selling digital products like ebooks, workbooks etc. Consider writing an ebook on any topic you are knowledgeable on. Writing an ebook is not a difficult task. If you don’t want to start from scratch, you can enter prompts on chat gpt and get your complete ebook in one hour or less. Design your ebook using the free version of canva and sell on platforms like selar, paystack etc.
5.) Become an Affiliate Marketer
As an affiliate marketer you don’t have to create anything. All you need to do is to find products other people have already created and market them. Once you are able to sell anything, you’ll get a percentage of the sale. You’re going to need basic knowledge of digital marketing if you want to see results fast.
Related: Passive income ideas for virtual assistants in Nigeria
6.) Become a Virtual Assistant
This is top of the list of remote jobs you can do as a new mum. A virtual assistant performs remote tasks like handling emails, managing social media, writing and so much more in exchange for pay. All you need is being good in English and the ability to use a PC. The beauty of the job is that it can be done in your spare time and you determine how much work you want to do.
The first thing I recommend you do is to look for transitional skills. Many aspiring virtual assistants I talk to feel that they have no skills. Most of them are wrong. The average educated adult has some skills that will come in handy in a virtual assistant career. Some of the skills they use in their 9-5 employment or even undergraduate program are in-demand for virtual assistants.
5 Virtual Assistant Skills You Already Have That Can Help You Make Money Online As New Mum
i) If you’re good at writing, you could offer a wide variety of services like
- Editing and Proofreading
Individuals and companies are always in need of editing and Proofreading services. So as a new mum, you can leverage on this. There are websites like upwork and indeed that you can sign up for that connect freelancers with clients. As you complete a project, you will get paid.
- Content/Copy Writing
You can also get paid to write for blogs, websites or products/services for sale. This is another great way you can make money as a stay at home mum. You have the opportunity to work as much or as little as you want. You can just search for gigs that fit your schedule.
ii) If you’re good at designing, you could offer a service like;
- Graphic design
If you have a creative background, then this is ideal for you. You can browse career websites for clients who need graphic designs like logos, business cards, webinar slides, e-books, etc. You can do your designs from home on your schedule.
iii.) If you have a background in customer service or executive assistance
You can offer services like executive inbox management, calendar management etc. This means you will be responsible for answering a client’s emails, managing their schedule, booking their flights etc.
iv) If you love social media
Then you can focus on just social media or even a single social media platform and grow from there. You’ll need to know how to create content – caption writing, graphic design, video editing for reels etc.
Wrapping up
Sometimes, you may have just been helping out friends and family with those skills you feel it is not a big deal. But you need to realize that what is pretty basic for you might be mind-blowing for a prospective client so don’t look down on yourself! And if you don’t have a laptop or access to a desktop, here are some services you can offer on your smartphone.
So you have a lot of options when it comes to making money online as a new mum. The above are just some of the ways to get started. You can pick the ones that work best for you. So don’t feel stuck at home with no income, there are many opportunities to earn extra income. Whichever you choose, just make sure you enjoy it and get creative.
If virtual assistance sounds like what you’d like to focus on, I can help. I’ll teach you digital skills as well as help you set up your own virtual assistant business. Click here to learn about how I can help you become a virtual assistant even if you don’t have any skills.