Single parents are often faced with an enormous double burden: They want to be there for their child at all times and live up to their parenting role and at the same time have to earn money in order to be able to provide for their small family. In addition to child benefit and maintenance, a regular income is essential to raise children. A regular job for an employee often does not work thanks to rigid working time models. This is why it is worthwhile for single mothers to think about starting a business. This offers many advantages and offers the opportunity to combine family and work.
What do you have to pay attention to in advance?
Even before starting a business, potential founders think about what is particularly important for their independence. This includes topics such as taxes, accounting and the legal form of the company, as well as aspects that are particularly important for single parents. These include:
Where the activity should be carried out? Single parents can work in the home office, i.e. within their own four walls.
How many hours can you work a day? If the child is in kindergarten or school, there is more time for work.
Can the child be involved in the work? Depending on the industry, the child can help or at least be there when the mother is working.
Once all of these points have been clarified, you must also find out about the equity required and any start-up loans. Government grants are possible for the start-up and are often of great help to single mothers in particular in the early days. Of course, all preliminary considerations must take place in connection with the business idea. In the following there are some suggestions as to which business areas can be exciting for single parents and how these are implemented.
DIY and design
Are you interested in fashion, do-it-yourself projects or self-made? Many online platforms offer the opportunity to simply sell self-made things. Young mothers in particular often have ideas for clothes, accessories, decorations or jewelry that combine a beautiful look and practical use. This professional field initially requires a certain amount of equity in order to purchase material and tools, but can then quickly pay off through sales.
The advantages of this business idea are that it can be carried out entirely at home. In addition, the child can be involved in simple work or, depending on their age, imitate mom and make something themselves, which of course will not be sold. The founder only has to leave the house to send the individual products. This way she can spend a lot of time with her child and still earn a good income.
Work on the internet
The internet offers countless ways to make money these days. So if you have a computer with an Internet connection, you can use it to make a living. Whether as a translator, copywriter, editor, virtual personal assistant or web designer – there is something online for everyone. And here, too, there is the advantage of being able to work flexibly from home while the child is playing or sleeping. Many jobs can even be done from any internet-enabled device, which further increases flexibility.
Translator
Above all, people who grew up speaking several languages can earn good money as translators. There are countless experts in the field of English-German translations, but less frequently spoken languages such as Japanese or Danish are often searched for. The fields of work are diverse – everything is conceivable, from transcripts to book translations to business conversation. The self-employed have the opportunity to specialize in individual areas or to offer special translation services that set them apart from the competition.
Copywriter
People who have a feel for language are in demand as online copywriters or authors. You can work for individual, specific clients as well as write texts for different platforms on the Internet. For many, this offers the opportunity to turn their hobby into a profession. Texts that are search engine optimized, i.e. so-called SEO texts, are currently in demand. SEO stands for the English term Search Engine Optimization.
Some copywriters go one step further and not only write for clients, but also try their hand at their own books. Both non-fiction books and children’s books or novels are conceivable – but it should always be kept in mind that not every good manuscript is published by publishers. Self-publishing is another way of getting books out there.
Editors
Working as a lecturer, like writing, requires a high degree of language skills. But just as copywriters are currently in great demand, there are also numerous requests for editors. Not least because of this, some self-employed people combine these two activities in their company and offer both writing and editing of texts.
VPA – Virtual Personal Assistant
Personal assistants are as old as companies. Whether as a secretary or assistant to the management, this profession has many names. The demand for VPAs is also increasing in the online area. You coordinate appointments via the Internet, communicate with customers and ensure that your daily work runs smoothly. With various tools this work becomes easier and easier and virtual personal assistants can work from practically anywhere in the world – even from the living room at home while the child is playing.
Web design
Similar to the design of clothing or jewelry, web designers also work, but online. You will develop concepts for websites and then implement them, partly in collaboration with copywriters or SEO experts. As a result, they ensure that the website is always up to date, both technically and in terms of content. They are also responsible for reacting quickly to malfunctions or attacks by hackers, backing up data and bringing the homepage back online. All of these tasks are done on the home PC, which makes web design an ideal job for mothers with IT skills.
E-learning
Online courses for different areas are not only an exciting line of business for teachers. Almost everyone is particularly good at something. These skills need to be passed on to others in e-learning courses. Either special platforms or your own website are used for this. The courses themselves can be structured completely differently:
• Videos that explain and show how something is done
• Podcasts that give tips and impart knowledge,
• Newsletter for current information,
• E-books in which the most important points are explained in detail.
It makes sense to combine different media with one another in order to reach as many people as possible. This is how you can make money with your knowledge.
YouTube and blogging
Media consumption is shifting. Fewer and fewer people watch linear television. Instead, so-called YouTube stars or influencers take on the role of TV. Here, too, there are always opportunities to line up with your own concept. Mom blog topics are just as popular as nutrition tips or lifestyle videos. It is the same with weblogs, blogs for short: Here people write about their lives, their experiences. In both variants, the self-employed generate money through collaborations with established companies or the placement of advertisements.
