Are you old enough to remember all of those slogans back in the 1960s and 70s about women?
- "A woman's place is in the house and senate."
- "Women, you can have it all!"
- "I can bring home the bacon and fry it up in a pan"
Some women embodied those slogans. Others chose to stay home and
- Clean
- Cook
- Shop
- Chauffeur children to seemingly endless number of events
- Coach
- Raise children (i.e., encourage, discipline, teach, mend injuries, etc.)
- Do the laundry
- Handle household budget and finances
- And more...
Long hours, no pay.
And for those moms who did choose to work outside the home, they soon discovered that all the work at home did not go away – and that they were still doing that work too!
Women that worked outside of the home often find themselves spending almost all they earn going to daycare, commuting expenses "gas, parking, maintenance " and wardrobe.
The biggest complaint for many is they have no time to spend with their family.
For some women, the solution was to continue managing the household but also create income-producing home-based businesses.
And with the technology now available, working from home with online businesses is a viable and valuable option that can yield substantial income. At the same time, having a home-based business offer moms outlets for creativity and influence on a wider scale in addition to the significant service they offer their families each day (see the list above).
The options for building a business from home are almost unlimited. Although some passions and ideas will just remain beloved hobbies, many of them can be channeled into real, incoming producing home businesses.
And moms with the skills to successfully manage a household often discover those very skills are transferable to starting and managing a successful, income-producing home-based business.
If you are a stay-at-home mom and considering starting a home-based business, ask yourself: What do I do well? What are my life experiences, education, and skills? What needs do other people have that I can fill?
Should you decide to get a home-based business started, take confidence in the fact that you are not the first. Women have been doing it for a very long time with great success.
Many centuries ago, the writer of Proverbs extolled the virtues of a working woman and her home-based enterprises.
Delight attends her work and guides her fingers
as she selects the finest wool and flax for spinning.
She moves through the market like merchant ships
that dock here and there in distant ports,
finally arriving home with food she’s carried from afar.
She rises from bed early, in the still of night,
carefully preparing food for her family
and providing a portion to her servants.
She has a plan. She considers some land and buys it;
then with her earnings, she plants a vineyard.
She wraps herself in strength, carries herself with confidence,
and works hard, strengthening her arms for the task at hand.
She tastes success and knows it is good,
and under lamplight she works deep into the night.
-Proverbs 31:14-18
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In this month when we honor Women's History, moms will be creating history as they begin new work-from-home businesses that will empower them and support their families.