Working on a side hustle while being a parent is no easy task. It’s hard enough, after all, trying to find the time to clean the house, put food on the table, and give your full, undivided attention to the little monsters running around your feet. These challenges exist whether you are a working parent or a stay-at-home parent, and though starting up a side hustle is a very worthy endeavor, there are a lot of factors you will need to keep in mind when trying to pick the right one.
Unique Challenges Parents Face
Here are a few things you will want to consider when trying to pick a side hustle that is right for you and your family:
- Time – A side hustle that takes a lot of free time may not be the best for parents. Instead, look for something that you can easily slip between nap times, in the morning, before bed, or on weekends. And don’t forget that the whole point is to still have time for your family too.
- Energy – Let’s face it, parents are often sleep deprived and spend most of their time chasing around small creatures with more energy than the energizer bunny. It is a good idea to keep your general energy levels in mind when you pick a side hustle, so that you don’t bite off more than you can chew. Running yourself into the ground won’t help you get ahead, so don’t pick a side hustle that is going to require you to do so.
- Travel – Some side hustles require a lot of travel, and for some parents this may not be an issue. But, if your priorities include spending more time with your family and you aren’t able to take them with you, you may want to think twice about picking a side hustle that is going to keep you from home.
- Flexibility – This one goes hand-in-hand with time and energy, but is still its own separate category. Side hustles that are extremely flexible are great for parents (especially those with young children). Every parent knows, after all, that even the best planned schedule can fall to pieces when you’ve got a toddler in tow. Keep this in mind when you are picking your side hustle, and consider something that will let you work whenever (and wherever) you can.
Benefits of Being a Side Hustle Parent
There are, of course, a LOT of benefits to working a side hustle as a parent. For stay-at-home parents, having a side hustle can contribute to your sense of well being, giving you goals and something to work towards in your personal life. It can help you flex your brain and your creative muscles and help you to feel more fulfilled. Working a side hustle is also a great way for a stay-at-home parent to contribute to the family finances without leaving home. In that way, side hustling can truly be the best of both worlds.
Side hustles, for both working parents and stay-at-home parents alike, are also a great way to bring in extra income. The one thing everyone knows about kids is that they are expensive, right? So do yourself a favor and try out the side hustle lifestyle. Trust us, it’s worth it.
Top 10 Side Hustle Ideas for Parents
1) Selling Handmade Items (Etsy)
Selling handmade products is a great way for creative parents to flex their creative skills and do work that brings them fulfillment, all while making a little bit of extra cash. You can sell your creations online (Etsy is a popular choice), bring them to local stores to sell on commission, or sell them at craft shows and/or farmer’s markets.
2) Blogging
It can take a while to build the kind of audience needed to make money blogging, but once you do, blogging can become a very viable side hustle. Many parents make money blogging about about parenthood, but you could also blog about writing, entrepreneurship, fashion, or anything else that tickles your fancy. Blogging requires consistency to really take off, but if you are able to commit a few hours per week to this side hustle, you can definitely make it work for you.
3) Providing Childcare
Why not make money doing something you already do? In home daycares are increasingly popular because they are a much more intimate space than traditional daycares. Add this to being less expensive and providing a smaller child to caregiver ratio, and you have a recipe for success.
Starting up an in home daycare is a great side hustle for stay-at-home parents because it will allow you to continue to spend time with your kids doing all the things you’d normally do. Just make sure you look into the daycare laws for your state before you get started.
4) Reselling (ebay)
If you enjoy going to thrift stores and bargain markets to hunt for treasures, then starting a side hustle, reselling thrifted finds may be for you. The best part of reselling (often called flipping) is that it can be done completely in your spare time. Listing items on resale websites like eBay takes minutes, and searching for your products can take as little or as much time as you want it to.
5) Become a Freelancer
Working as a freelancer is great for parents who have specialized skills that they want to use. Freelancing can be done from anywhere with an internet connection, so it is a great choice for stay-at-home parents, or for working parents who want to make a little money at night after the kids have gone to bed. Freelance writing, software or web developing, and graphic design are all popular fields.
6) Teaching Online
On websites like VIP Kid, you can become an online teacher, teaching English to kids in other countries. VIP Kid teachers make up to $22 per hour. The best part? You are entirely in control of your own teaching schedule and can set up your availability for whatever times you want. On top of this, you can work from anywhere with a reliable internet connection. The only prerequisites are that you are a fluent English speaker, and are comfortable working one on one with students.
7) Selling Online Courses
Speaking of teaching, selling online courses is another popular side hustle that is great for parents. This is because (other than marketing), you won’t need to put much time into your course after it has been created. Online courses are a perfect example of passive income. You will need to put a lot of work in upfront to put together your course, but after that the only thing you will need to do is promote it to new potential students. What can you teach? Literally anything. If you have a specialized skill (or any skill that someone else may want to learn), developing and selling online courses could be a great side hustle option for you.
8) Rent out A Room or Apartment
You don’t even have to walk out your front door for this one! All you need to rent out a room is an empty room in your house. Shocker, right?
A lot of people make good money listing their homes (or rooms, or apartments) with places like Airbnb and Vrbo. People go to these websites to find alternatives to traditional lodging while on vacation. Renting out a room in this way may not be super consistent, but it is the ultimate way to make a decent amount of passive income without a whole lot of effort. If you want something more consistent, you can even consider renting out a room or apartment on a month-to-month or yearly lease.
9) Social Media Manager
Do you enjoy connecting with people on social media? Do you know all the ins and outs of Twitter or Instagram? Have you built a decent following on a platform? If the answer is yes to any of these, why not consider picking up a side hustle as a social media manager?
Many businesses need to be on social media to stay relevant and promote themselves, but don’t have the time to do so. This is where social media managers come in. As a social media manager, you job would be to plan and post social content for your clients. Sounds fun, right?
10) Virtual Assistant
Working as a virtual assistant may be difficult for some parents because the hours are sometimes less flexible, but many parents have made it work for them. What do virtual assistants do? Virtual assistants work for clients doing just about everything a normal assistant would do — except remotely. Virtual assistants schedule appointments, make phone calls, reply to emails, make database entries, and send thank you notes … among other things.
Conclusion
Starting up a side hustle as a parent can come with a lot of challenges. Even so, there are lots of options for parents to choose from that work around those challenges. The beauty of side hustles is that they are often made to work around your daily life. As a parent, you may not have a ton of free time, but the time you do have can be used in valuable ways.
Take a quick inventory of your skills, your goals, your priorities, and the unique challenges that face you. With these things in mind, you will be able to find the perfect side hustle for you. Looking for more side hustle ideas? Be sure to check out our Master List of 92 Side Hustle Ideas to get your hustle juices flowing.