Category: Earn Extra Money

Did you know the pet industry in the US is worth $86 billion dollars?

If you’re looking to start a business in a booming industry, then this is it. It’s a huge niche with a staggering variety of jobs. And plenty of those jobs are things you could start a business with today. If you truly want to work with animals, there’s little to stop you.

Not convinced? Here are 9 pet business ideas a businesswoman can launch today.

Training

Few people want an unruly pet, so training is often one of the first things pet owners think about when their pet is young. That’s the perfect chance to sell your services.

You don’t need qualifications to start dog training, but they’re recommended if you want people to take you seriously. You might struggle to attract business without recognition. But if you’re ready for a little commitment, you can build a quality business from pet training.

Grooming

There are plenty of pampered pet prince and princesses out there. Setting yourself up as a pet groomer gives you a chance to borrow a pet for some quality petting time.

Even better, you can hand them back when you’re done! All the stress-relieving joy of pet ownership, none of the fuss.

Of course, you’ll need to have some real skills for grooming. No one wants their pet back looking like a ten topiary collision. But once you have some experience, the quality of your service will speak for itself and make it easier to attract new custom.

You’ll need to spend some time and effort marketing a grooming service for it to get off the ground, but word of mouth will help you spread awareness through your community.

Walking

Looking for more exercise and a job in the open air? Offering dog (or other pet!) walks is a great way to provide a service that pet owners are always looking for.

You’ll need to prepare yourself for all weather conditions and maybe some early starts, but an outdoorsy person could do worse for a day job.

Walking also benefits from having low overheads — there are few expenses besides travel and marketing. Although it’s not a scalable job when taken alone, you could hire other people to transform a side hustle into a full-fledged business.

Pet Sitting

Whether it’s children or pets, sitting is a time-honored classic of a job. Providing pet sitting services to your town is an excellent way to gain experience in working with pets.

Sitting might sound like the small time, but you can bring others into the fold to establish a company name that pet owners will trust.

Pet sitting also offers some great opportunities to branch into other services. You can combine it with one-to-one training, grooming, or walking services for a multi-purpose package.

Pet Boarding

Pet owners often overlook the realities of owning a pet when vacationing time comes around.

It’s tough to leave a beloved pet with a kennel. There’s no guarantee of quality care, even from a well-reviewed business. Many pet owners would instead choose to leave their pet with a trusted individual.

You can run a pet boarding house from your own home if you have enough space. You’ll need to kit the place out, but start with these products and you’ll soon equip yourself.

Luxury Spa

It’s not just people who love to get some luxury treatment on occasion. Offering health and beauty services is a fantastic way to spoil some pets rotten and show them at their best.

Many animals respond as well to massage as humans do. On top of that, there’s styling, breath freshening, bathing, and a host of other treatments to destress a beloved pet.

As a business, running a spa is also a great chance to earn a profit. While some of the ideas on this list have slimmer margins, a luxury spa has more prestige you can leverage to charge more. That only becomes truer as your reviews give testament to the quality of your services.

Yard Cleaner

Okay, this might not be one for the faint of heart. But many owners would love to be rid of the practical responsibilities of owning a pet so they can focus on the love and affection.

If you have a strong stomach and a strong back, cleaning up pet mess in yards is a good earner. You don’t need too much specialist equipment for it, either. It’s not the most glamorous of the options on this list, but it’s of definite value for pet owners.

Toymaker

If there’s anything more idyllic than working with pets, it might be making toys for a living. So why not combine the two?

Many pet toys are the product of faceless companies churning them out on assembly. There’s no care, no soul, and not even a guarantee that they’re using pet-safe methods.

As an artisan pet toymaker, you can guarantee all three. And the only thing more wholesome than giving toys to children is giving toys to good boys.

Prestige will help you make a profit here, too. When it comes to handmade goods, skill adds value above and beyond the cost of materials, and that’s where you can make the real money.

Pet Bakery

If there’s one business where artisans will always win out, it’s in food. There’s no level of mass production to match the care and attention of a dedicated bakery.

Many pet owners want the absolute best for their companions. Special treats, cakes, cookies, you name it — they just want to spoil their fur babies.

Much like being a toymaker, starting a pet bakery gives you a chance to deliver the kind of quality that comes from the heart.

Pet Business Ideas You Can Start Today

See what we mean? These are pet business ideas you can use to start a business today. There are plenty more out there, too. If you have your heart set on working with animals, there’s no better time to start than right now.

Looking for more business ideas? Why not take a look at our blog?

Despite what they say, you can have it all.

Around 57% of moms have started their own business or at least thought about it. That goes to show how strong the entrepreneur spirit is among moms. But striking the balance between running a retail business and being a mom can be tough.

Below, we’ve put together 8 tips to help moms run a great retail business.

1. Focus on What You Do Best

When you’re running a business and a family at the same time, it’s easy to get bogged down in the details.

On the business side, try to limit the time you spend wrapped up in the minutiae. That’s a good way to burn out your passion and lose sight of what drew you into your retail business in the first place.

Try making a list of the key features you enjoy about running your business and try to focus on those. You might have to wear some different hats occasionally, but you can get a lot done without getting caught up in the details.

2. Accept When You Need Help

If it comes to it, consider hiring people to tackle the minutiae while you focus on the parts that inspire you.

Being a mom means you also have a family to lean on. If you feel like you’re the one supporting everyone else, it might be time to flip that on its head. It may surprise you to discover how much your family can pick up the slack when you need them to.

3. Build a Community

One of the fantastic things about owning a small business is the connection you can build with your local community when you start out.

You’ll usually find friends either in your local area or in an online community who will help you out with advice and support. This can be invaluable throughout your whole business journey as it means there’s someone extra to help you out.

Social media makes it easier than ever to find fellow business moms or businesses of a similar size. Banding together can even help you with marketing and cross-promotion.

4. Consider Your Growth

When owning your own business, you have some major choices to make concerning the future of your business.

In general, most businesses seek constant growth and new opportunities. But if you began your small business with love and passion, you may not want it to grow out of control – particularly if you want to keep playing a day to day role in it.

That might mean turning down opportunities for growth. But if you’ll be happier for it in the long run, that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. The beauty of owning your own business is that you get to call these shots.

5. Protect Yourself

Running a business can often involve facing some difficult situations. Those situations may include threats to your personal or business security.

Take precautions to stay safe when you’re doing business. Shoplifting, break-ins, and threats of violence can all result in heartbreak, as can trouble with the people you hire.

With a few preventative steps, you can reduce the risk to yourself and your business. You can read more here about shoplifting prevention.

Staying on good terms with your local community can also help you stay safe as you do business.

6. Be Strong, Be Bold

This one’s a twofer, but they’re related skills.

In business, remember to be strong. Assertiveness is important for many reasons, from dealing with staff to saying “no” to excessive requests for freebies or your precious time. Carrying your business with strength will also show you won’t let other businesses bully you.

Being bold is another key business skill. By this, we mean don’t be afraid to strike out for new opportunities. That might mean handing out business cards without shame or being the first one to tout your business. Being bold is one of the best ways to unlock new business, so throw out the fear and get out there.

7. Don’t Forget Your Family

In all the excitement of running a business, it can be a struggle to strike the right work-life balance.

While you’re unlikely to forget your family altogether, it’s easy to get swept along in the current of doing day-to-day business and fail to make enough time for family.

Try to ensure you balance work time with family life by putting strict limits on the number of hours you work and ensuring you take days off. Making time around public holidays and family celebrations are also vital.

If someone in your immediate family expresses concerns about how much you see each other, be sure to listen. While you might not be able to accommodate them, it’s important not to turn defensive and lose sight of your own feelings.

8. Stop and Breathe

Being a mom is a full-time job in itself, nevermind running a retail business on top of it. With your head buried so deep in work, it’s important to sometimes stop and take a step back.

Try to get a look at the bigger picture. You may discover things you could be doing differently, or you might discover some misaligned priorities. It’s a great chance to think about your work-life balance and spend time with the people who matter most to you.

It’s also a brilliant opportunity to take a look at your business. You might spot opportunities for growth or promotion you hadn’t considered before, for example. Or you can take the time to come up with your plan for the next year to take advantage of a trend.

Mom’s Retail Business Dreams

With these 8 fantastic tips, you should be able to have it all and achieve mom’s retail business dreams. Business and family life both share one thing in common: you never stop learning. So learn and grow as you work, and you’re sure to find the balance that works for you.

Looking for more business tips for moms? Make sure to follow our blog.

There are more than 3.7 million people working from home for at least half their work time. That’s not including self-employed people. Most managers believe that these “telecommuters” are more productive when they work from home.

There are many advantages to working at home. One of them is that you can create your own amazing work environment. Read on for 7 home office ideas to make you love coming to work.

1. Organization Matters

When working from home, it’s easy to make the mistake of mixing your home and work life. It makes sense to organize things so you can work effectively and efficiently. Take some time to plan your working environment so you can easily start and stop work.

Think of your workspace like the cockpit of an aircraft or the driving seat of a car. Everything you need frequently should be within easy reach. You’ll love not having to hunt for things when there’s a place for everything and everything is kept in its place.

There are many storage options on the market. Bins, drawers, files or boxes. The key is to plan your storage needs rather than investing in attractive boxes with no ideas how you will use them.

Start by de-cluttering. Don’t have piles of unnecessary stuff getting in the way. Keep it simple and functional.

2. Personalized Decor

Once you have the organization sorted you can turn to home office decor. Make your office space unique. Have a theme and follow it through the office furniture, decorating and soft furnishings. If you like color go bright, but if you like simplicity, go minimalist.

3. Light and Lighting

Typically, office environments rely on cheap but bright fluorescent lighting. While this provides lots of light it can also be unpleasant. In your home office you can use different lighting sources.

Make the most of any natural lighting while avoiding reflections on screens. Have uplighters and spotlights to provide sufficient light where you need it and ambient lighting for overall illumination.

4. Go Green

Having plants in your workspace can help maintain the right level of humidity for you. If you can keep a plant alive you are probably creating the right atmosphere to live and work in. Plants also process carbon dioxide and produce the oxygen you need to breathe.

5. Hygge your World

The Scandinavian concept of hygge is one that can be applied to your home office. Home office design ideas can incorporate cushions and rugs to create the feeling of comfort and coziness. Use textiles on the walls and natural materials in the furniture.

6. Your Perfect Chair

If your work involves sitting at a desk or table then choosing the right chair is vital. Try chairs out and if you have space have sitting options for different types of work. A desk chair may be great for computer work but an egg chair may be better for reading or listening to a client.

7. Art for Art’s Sake

Have some inspiring objects around you in your home office. Try small sculptures, pictures or your child’s latest finger painting. Find something that lifts your spirits.

Home Office Ideas

Whether you are running a home business or dividing your work between the office and home there’s every reason to make your home office a pleasant place to be. A pleasant work environment makes for greater productivity and wellbeing. Build on these ideas with home office ideas of your own.

For more home business ideas, click here.

Whether you’re a brand new mom or your kids are already getting big, you’re probably running from one thing to the next–without much time to stop and catch your breath.

Sometimes childcare isn’t enough. If you’re an ambitious entrepreneur and a mom, you’ll have to find time to balance both.

So is it possible? Can you handle a business while staying at home with the kids?

It might not be easy to build a successful home business while balancing household duties and growing families, but it’s definitely not impossible. Like any other business venture, you need to generate a business that’s both profitable and enjoyable–all while managing your home life.

Here are some tips for running a business with your hectic schedule as a mom–so you can have the best of both worlds.

10 Tips for Running a Successful Home Business As a Busy Mom

It’s challenging to build a successful home-based business–especially when you’ve got a house to manage and kids to raise. But with the right amount of planning, determination, and time management, you can be a great businesswoman and a mother. No sacrifices required.

Let’s take a look at some tips you can use to manage the responsibility of being a mom in business.

1. Make Your Home Into a Corporate Office

The first step towards building a business out of your home is taking it just as seriously as you would any other job.

When you work in a corporate office or you have an office job, you come into work every day with specific goals to accomplish before the end of the day. The same thing applies when you’re working from home.

Set aside a home office and treat it like your official workplace. This means having a desk, an office chair, a well-organized space, and no distractions.

Once you’re in this office, have a schedule and a to-do list just like you would in the workplace.

In this case, you’re not working for a boss–you are the boss. So you need to hold yourself accountable for being productive and sticking to the schedule.

2. It’s Okay to Say “No”

As a mom, you probably say no to your kids all the time: staying up late, eating more dessert, or playing an hour more of video games.

You have to take that same attitude to your business too. There might be more pressure to say yes all the time, but if you take on everything on your plate, you’ll be busy from morning until night.

You need time for your family–and you need time for yourself. Don’t be afraid to say no or push back meetings or ideas that you don’t have time for.

3. Don’t Be Afraid to Set Boundaries

As a busy, working mother, you already have a lot on your plate. Don’t be afraid to set boundaries on what you’re willing and able to do.

If you have a spouse or significant other, talk to them about how to divide the load for household chores or childcare duties. Women do an average of 60% more household chores than men, and mothers are often expected to carry the brunt of the housework.

Even if you’re working from home, it’s still a job, and you still deserve to be taken seriously for your work.

Be sure that childcare and chores are divided evenly among those in the household–including spouses, significant others, older children, or other able family members.

4. Get Outside When You Can

While it’s important to have an at home office that you can count on, don’t keep yourself trapped indoors all day.

Not only is it bad for your health, but you’ll be more likely to get distracted or become stressed while you work. Try getting out of the house and working in a local coffee shop or the library. You could even attend business networking events when you can–especially if there are ones for working women or moms in your area.

Don’t isolate yourself indoors. Whenever you have the chance to get out of the house–leaving kids with a spouse, relative, or sitter of course–it can be good for you to work in a different environment.

5. Find an Online Community

Working at home alone can often feel isolating. Know that you’re not alone–and you’re not the only mom out there handling the responsibility of a business.

Try to connect with other moms in business and entrepreneurs online. You can search Linkedin, online forums, or social media for “working moms” or “business moms.”

Not only will this give you a network for support, but it also lets you meet and bond with other moms who have the same things on their plate. You can share tips, advice, resources, and inspiration with other women devoted to motherhood and their personal businesses.

6. Keep Yourself Healthy

It’s hard enough to balance childcare and a career–it’ll be a lot harder if you’re sick. Take care of yourself and try your best to stay healthy.

Exercise daily or a few times a week if you can, drink water throughout the day, get 8 hours of sleep a night, and make sure you’re eating well. You can try taking vitamins or supplements if you feel like you’re not getting enough from your diet–or if you find yourself feeling sluggish or tired.

When you do find yourself getting sick, don’t be afraid to take time off. Try to get a family member or a sitter to care for the kids, and keep your work minimal, if at all. You need the time and the rest to recover fully–so you can be back at work again as soon as possible.

7. Set Aside Time for Yourself

When you have kids, sometimes it can feel like it’s all about them. And it is! But it’s also about you.

Your health and well being are just as important. After all, you can’t take care of your family if you’re not taking good care of yourself.

If you push yourself too hard, you, your kids, and your work might suffer. When you’re working from home, it can feel like the work never stops.

Take at least one day off each week. On that day, don’t check your work email, don’t answer the phone, and try not to worry about what’s usually on your mind. If you want a break from childcare duties too, ask your partner or a relative–or hire a sitter to help you out on that day if you can.

8. Treat It Like a “Real” Business

When it comes to home businesses (especially for working moms) there’s a stigma of it not being “real” work.

Sometimes this myth comes from others, but oftentimes it’s perpetuated by home business owners themselves. The confidence needs to come from you. You run a real, serious, honest business–so treat it like one!

Invest in a professional looking office, website, and business structure to make sure that you’re not sabotaging your own success. Your business deserves to be taken seriously–and you do too.

You should also be investing in business tools, like time tracking programs, collaboration apps, and online postage. With Certified Mail Labels, you can skip the trip to the post office and send mail 24/7, every day of the year.

9. Draw a Line Between Your Jobs

For the sake of your kids as well as your business, it’s important to draw a line separating your work and motherhood.

Whenever you’re with your kids, be present and give them your full attention. They can usually tell if you’re checking your work email or making business calls while you’re supposed to be spending time with them.

In the same way, be present when you’ve dedicated time to work. During working hours, put all your attention towards the work at hand, and let people others know that you won’t be available for other things–just like in a regular office.

This promotes efficiency in both areas–business and motherhood–and it will keep your lives from bleeding into each other and affecting your relationship with your kids.

10. Fight Off the Feelings of Guilt

As a mom, you’re likely to deal with some kind of guilt. A quarter of working moms cry once a week–both from the stress and the guilt. These feelings came come from choosing to work instead of caring for your kids full time, taking a moment for yourself to relax, and just about everything in between.

It’s important that you try to avoid any feelings of guilt. Remind yourself that there’s nothing wrong with supporting your family–both financially and as a stay at home mother. You deserve to live the life that you want to live, even if it’s challenging.

Moms in business can do it all, but they’re also still human. You need to take some time to rest and recuperate.

Putting It All Together

Being a mom and running a business is like having two full-time jobs. It isn’t always easy to balance a successful home business with caring for your household.

But you’re not an ordinary mom–you’re a working mother. You deserve to have the best of both worlds without sacrificing your well being.

With the right mindset, good time management, and a lot of hard work, you can build a successful home based business without giving up the time to be a great mother too.

Looking for more tips and tricks to survive your time as a working mom? Check out more working from home advice on our blog!

When you find yourself short on money for upcoming bills or simply want extra spending cash, you need a way to make easy money fast.

But where do you even begin to find it? Is there such a thing as “easy money”?

Lucky for you, there are many options for earning extra money that doesn’t require a lot of work. Though they’re not a get rich quick type deal, they will earn you enough to cover bills or a night out on the town.

Let’s look at 10 ways you can make easy money fast and leave those money troubles behind you.

1. Sell Your Stuff

Chances are you’ve got several things in your home you no longer use that you can sell for cash right now.

You can do this in several different ways. Such as using online marketplaces, selling to a consignment shop, using a pawn shop, listing on eBay, or having your own garage sale.

Look around your house for items that you don’t need and are in good condition. Then research online how much you may be able to get for them.

You likely won’t get as much at a consignment shop then you would if you sold it yourself. But it’s up to you to decide how much effort you want to put into it.

2. Get Paid to Take Surveys

When companies want to understand their target consumers better, they turn to surveys to find answers. And if you’re willing to take the time to fill out these surveys, you will get paid.

Sites such as Survey Junkie pay users to take easy surveys, most taking less than 5 minutes to complete.

And new surveys are added every day. Which can keep the money coming in when you really need it.

3. Walk Dogs

Dogs lovers, rejoice! There’s an easy way for you to make money AND spend time with those precious pooches at the same time.

You can join a service such as Rover and have people in your area hire you to walk their dogs. Or if you don’t want to go that route, simply advertise your services on social media or talk with your neighbors.

And once you have a proven, solid track record of good reviews, you’ll be able to easily find quick work whenever you may need it.

4. Drive with Uber or Lyft

If you’ve got a car and some extra time, you can make some extra cash fast by driving for Uber or Lyft.

This option is great because it allows you to work whenever you want, on your schedule. Which means you have the ability to bring in a good chunk of change when it’s convenient for you.

And you don’t have to pick just one service to drive for. Sign up for both so you can keep yourself busy and compare fares.

5. Photography

Do you love to take photos and have several amazing, high-quality ones you wouldn’t mind selling?

Websites such as ShutterStock and iStockPhoto allow users to upload their photos online and sell as a download to customers. In return, you get a commission.

And it’s easy because once you upload your photo, that’s it. You get paid as your photo gets a download, so it’s a continuous passive income.

6. Trim Your Bills

Take a hard look at your bank account and your monthly bills. Chances are there’s some fat that can be trimmed to save you some money.

Have subscriptions that need canceling? Can you negotiate that cable bill down, or even cut the cord all together? Are you eating out too much?

Knowing where your money is going and how to save on your bills is a smart way to keep your budget in check. And if you need help, there’s an app called Trim that may be able to locate savings that you couldn’t find on your own.

7. Rent a Spare Room on Airbnb

Turn that spare room you don’t use into much-needed income. You can list your room on Airbnb for short-term renters.

And if you know how to be an amazing host, you are sure to start racking up positive reviews that will keep renters, and the money, coming in.

8. Find Unclaimed Money

Wouldn’t it be great if there was money sitting out there for you and all you had to do was claim it? That could very well be your reality.

Unclaimed.org can help you find money you didn’t know you had. This could be in the form of a deposit from a utility service you had a long time ago. Or money in a bank account from when you were a kid.

Who knows, you may be surprised at what you find. It may feel like winning the lottery, but it’s more about finding what’s rightfully yours.

9. Freelance

Do you love to write? Are you a whiz at graphic design? Or specialize in accounting?

Lots of freelance work in a variety of industries can be found on websites like Upwork and Fivver. All you have to do is apply for the task you want and get approved.

If you don’t like that option, try pitching to companies and bloggers in the industries you want to work in. Many of them are willing to pay a pretty penny for high-quality work.

But if you’ve never done freelance work before, you can try to gain experience by doing projects for friends and family. Ask around! You never know who’s looking to outsource some work.

10. Start a Blog

Starting your own blog can not only be a creative outlet for you but earn you money at the same time.

And the best part is you get to have total control of it. Write about the things you love! Share it on social media and create a following.

Then you can start to create e-books, tutorials, and other digital products you can sell online. You can even use affiliate marketing to bring in more income.

This won’t earn you money overnight, it will take some work to get going, but it has the potential to pay well if you work hard enough at it.

Now You Can Become an Easy Money Pro

Finding yourself in a financial pinch is never a good feeling. But now that you have options to turn to, you can avoid the worry and earn easy money fast the next time you need it.

Want to learn more about working from home? Click here to access our blog posts all about it!