Here's How You Can Make Money Without Leaving the House
Learn more about income-generating home-based work from these Pinoy moms
Extra income is always welcome, especially if you've got a family to feed. Stay-at-home moms are some of the best at thinking up sidelines and “raket” businesses they can get into while still being able to care for their little ones. Here are some of their home-based, small-scale money-earners that can inspire you to get started:
Sign up for online jobs
Quite a few stay-at-home moms from the Smart Parenting Village (SP Village) say they have online jobs. “I'm an online English teacher for Tutoring, a Korean company,” says a mom of an 11-month-old. “It’s an audio-only class so there’s no need to put on makeup. I teach when I wake up in the morning, kahit naka-pambahay pa. The time is also flexible so you’re online only when you’re free.
She adds, “I teach two hours per day because that’s all the time I have. The starting rate is $3 per hour and Tutoring sends payments every 10th, 20th, and 30th of the month. My full-time co-teachers earn $100 to $300 per cut-off.”
Some online jobs, however, are not so flexible with time. Another mom says she started working online in 2010 and it became her permanent job in 2013. She gets clients from the U.S. through UpWork. “Just a heads up, most of the time you still need a helper especially if you have fixed working hours that aren’t flexible. There are also times when you need to finish your task without distractions. Just like any other job, you need to concentrate on the work or else mako-compromise yung quality.”
Be an online reseller
Another SP Village mommy member shares that she sells breastfeeding clothes online. “I looked for a supplier that offered budget-friendly but quality nursing wear. I started with a small capital at P5,000. Dumami din eventually yung stock ko. It's easy for me to sell since I have loved being an entrepreneur since my elementary days. I'm also a nursing mom so I can suggest and share my experience with customers.”
Don’t know where to start? Think of a product you already love. “You can usually find suppliers at weekend markets or bazaars. It's easier to find one if you have a favorite stall or a seller that you've developed a rapport with,” says writer for Good Housekeeping Philippines Nicole Dindion.
Sell used baby items and gear
Babies seem to grow out of their stuff faster than you can change a diaper. Luckily, there are lots of avenues for parents to sell pre-owned (but still in very good condition) items that their baby no longer needs.
There's Carousell, for example, which is an online marketplace especially for pre-loved items. To put an item on the market, you just have to create an account, snap a photo of the item, type in its price and description, and you’re good to go. Carousell lets you chat with the sellers and leave comments as well.
Parenting Facebook groups with members in the thousands are also easily accessible places to sell baby items and gear. After all, they’re exactly the market you’re looking for. The Smart Parenting Village, for example, has an album titled “Saturday Finds” where moms and dads can post items they want to sell to other members.
Make bottled ulam and no-bake treats
If cooking or baking is something you already love to do, it may be time to consider marketing your asset. To compute for selling price, add the cost to produce (this includes ingredients and packaging) and divide that by how many bottles of ulam or boxes of baked goodies you produced — that’s your average cost. Add the income you want, and that’s your selling price.
Ideas for bottled ulam you can make and sell include bottled adobo flakes, homemade Spanish chorizo, tapa, chicken wing sauce, and salsa (recipes and price per bottle can be found here). For no-baked sweets (yes, no oven needed), try whipping up fruit jars, brownie balls, leche flan puto, rice krispies, s'mores bars, peanut butter balls, and Graham balls (recipes can be found here).
Set up a sari-sari store
Have space for a storefront? If you’re overworked enough already and don’t want to add to your peaking stress levels, even the humble sari-sari store can bring substantial profit. Shares one mom who runs one, “We started a home-based sari-sari store and we're the only store in our street so it's really going well for a month now.” Sound good? Start by heading to your barangay hall and inquire about getting a permit.
Bonus: Follow your passion
Whatever work-from-home job you choose, make sure it’s something you’re sure you can stick behind. Take time to ask yourself if you think this is something you can do long-term, not just for a few weeks or months. Ask around and interview people who are in the same line of work you want to pursue—how they started, what’s the most challenging part of the job, what’s the best advice they can give you, etc.
“It really depends on your passion, sa hilig mo,” says one mom. “I have friends who worked in offices before and who are not baking mommas. I also bake when I have the time. It’s hard and risky to put up a business, so you have to find what you really like to do.”
Shares another, “I’ve been a stay-at-home-mom for 5 years already. We started my events business then and now we’re celebrating 5 years in the industry. Just start small and your passion project will prosper.”
This story originally appeared on Smartparenting.com.ph.
* Minor edits have been made by the Realliving.com.ph editors.
