3 Reasons Online Business is a No-brainer for Mums
Issue #2: Bi-weekly insights for mothers interested in entrepreneurship
I realised many years ago that the way the average person had been told go about their lives was a trap.
Go to school
Get a job
Work for 40+ years for someone else
Retire in late 60’s
Die at 80.1
So, we’re meant to work 40 hours a week for the majority of our lives, to be left with just over a decade to live?
Doesn’t sound like a great deal to me.
This became even more unappealing once I became a mother, where the standard course for many working mums seems to be:
Take time off work to have a child
Spend on average 9 months with them (in the UK)
Go back to work and spend your income on childcare
Meaning many mums are missing out on time with their children whilst paying someone else to raise them.
None of it makes sense.
Though I acknowledge everyone has different desires for their families, I knew I wanted to take an active role in my sons day to day life whilst still earning money.
Having an online business has meant I am not restricted in the same way my employed peers are.
> I don’t have to ask for permission for days off for sickness and holidays
> I don’t have to spend 8+ hours a day away from my children
> I don’t have to stop earning money
The work that I do, in the way that I do it, means I am with my children more than not throughout the week and I still get to earn a good income.
I don’t say that to brag.
I say it because I believe that mothers who want that too can utilise the online space to get it.
3 Reasons Online Business is a No-Brainer for Mums
1. It’s easier than you’d think
The world of online business doesn’t have to be daunting. It’s much more simple than you may think; fundamentally it comes down to offering something of value to others.
Chances are you already have a skillset that someone else would pay you for, or if you don’t, you can learn.
Then it’s a case of letting people know you can help them.
There is a low barrier to entry too.
Online business often requires minimal upfront investment compared to traditional brick-and-mortar businesses and there are numerous free or affordable tools and resources available online to get started (from website builders and e-commerce platforms to social media marketing and online courses.)
Entrepreneurship has never been more accessible and less financially risky.
When I left my job as an Office Manager to set off backpacking, I knew I wanted to up-skill in something I could leverage.
I took a freelance writing course and applied what I learned to focus on blog writing.
I did some research on niches who utilised that service and began to promote myself to people I knew I could help.
With the utilisation of online tools I was able to set up a domain and website, send out emails and jump on video calls.
I began being paid online within around 6 weeks of taking the course.
What’s more? I was earning more than my conventional job ever paid.
The realisation that I’d spent 12+ years working for other people, without realising what opportunities were available online, was both liberating and irritating!
2. It’s scalable
Up until I left my job in 2017, I was trading my time for money. I’d sit in an office for 37+ hours a week and receive the same salary each month. In order to keep earning, I had to keep showing up.
I had zero scalability.
Once I took the leap into freelance writing, I learned that I was still trading my time for money. It was more money but still required a lot of output to fulfil.
When I found out I was pregnant, I knew I wouldn’t be able to work as I had been up until then and so I began looking at ways to scale. I decided to set up an agency model.
The plan was to onboard clients at scale, and fulfil their work with the help of a team and that’s what I did.
This decision meant I was able to leverage my time for more money and work on the business rather than in it. A option which is simply not available as an employee.
Online businesses have the potential for exponential growth without the constraints of physical location or traditional business hours; meaning you can work from anywhere, serving anyone, 24 hours a day.
By utilising the online space you’re effectively tapping into 4.95 billion people who use the internet – a rate which is growing by 192 million year on year.
Online business owners can more easily scale their businesses by expanding their product offerings, reaching new markets, or automating processes to handle increased demand.
This scalability allows mothers to increase their earning potential over time without necessarily working more hours.
What’s more, with the use of internet tools that help automate the labour intensive tasks, you have the backing of an entire robot army behind you.
3. It’s a better earning strategy
Societal messaging has always told us that building something of our own is risky. But is it really?
Relying solely on one source of income, like a traditional job, can be risky, as demonstrated by the challenges many faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
By embracing online entrepreneurship, mothers can diversify their income streams, providing greater financial stability and flexibility.
One of the unique advantages running a digital business means you have many options to generate passive income streams too.
These opportunities offer a safety net, allowing us to thrive even amidst life's unpredictabilities.
I think it’s time mothers worldwide embrace online entrepreneurship as a better earning strategy.
Harness the power of the internet
If following the traditional journey and working a 9 to 5 is your chosen path, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
But if, like me, you want more – more time with your children, more scalability, more earning potential – then there is another way: online.
By harnessing the power of the internet, you can build a successful business that aligns with your values, priorities, and aspirations; ultimately enabling you to achieve greater financial stability, independence, and work-life balance.
Imagine this:
With the flexibility of online business, what would you do with extra time and freedom? How could it reshape your life as a mother, allowing you to focus on what truly matters?
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https://datacommons.org/place/country/GBR?utm_medium=explore&mprop=lifeExpectancy&popt=Person&hl=en
I'm so happy I found your Substack. I'm a SAHM of 2 and have been wanting for so long to become a freelancer. Prior to having kids, I knew in my heart that they were going to be my top priority. But I still want to be able to make money as well, and that's when I started researching about it.
Eventually when they get to school age, the idea is to go back to work. But my hope is that by then I've set myself up for success by finally jumping head first into the industry.
All that said, what advice would you give someone on how to get started?