How to Be an Entrepreneur and a Single Mom: 4 Online Business Ideas

The median income of a single mother is $35,400 (Single Mother Guide). Therefore, it’s no surprise that these women are much more likely to fall into poverty. Considering that there are over 10 million single-mother led families in the US today, these facts are most troubling. Becoming an entrepreneur is a good way for women to support both themselves and their children.

There are a few business ideas that are perfect for single mothers, who have little time and need to make the most of it. The majority of these businesses are online, so you’ll be able to spend more time with your child. Most importantly, you can use several of these ideas to boost your income, so you won’t have to risk by investing all you have into a single business.

Top 4 Online Business Ideas for Single Moms

1. Blogging

Building a blog that will bring you good money consistently is a slow and difficult process. Therefore, you shouldn’t make this the main focus of your business. However, a great number of moms make money online through blogging. This means that you can successfully use it as a side-business. If your website takes off, you might switch to make blogging your primary task.

The main money a blog brings comes from ads, and you’ll get high-paying ads if you have a huge readership. Growing your loyal follower base and increasing organic traffic should be your main goals. You have a higher chance of succeeding if you blog on a variety of subjects.

2. Freelance writing

Running a blog will be a most helpful experience for anyone who wants to try freelance writing. These jobs are extremely common today, so you can get a lot of flexibility with your schedule. This will be perfect for single mothers with newborns who require constant care.

You can get freelance writing jobs through online freelance marketplaces or join some agency. The former will pay more, but you’ll be running the risk of not catching any clients. While working for an agency, you get less money per article, but more assurance that your next orders will arrive on time.

3. Social media management

Starting out as a social media manager you might eventually work up to running a social media marketing consultancy or agency of your own. The first step is good for single mothers who are extremely busy while their children are young. As they grow, you’ll be able to dedicate more time and energy to developing this business.

As a social media manager, you’ll have to monitor accounts of various businesses/celebrities and ensure they are in top condition. This might include posting content, replying to comments and messages, etc.

To increase your value as a professional you should also develop skills that will allow you to research and develop an effective social media marketing (SMM) strategy for a brand. You will need those if you want to ever progress to launching an SMM agency or consultancy instead of being a mere account manager.

4. App development

Few jobs can be as flexible in schedule as being an independent app developer. That’s why it’s always one of the best businesses for single mothers. Note that you shouldn’t aim too high from the start. Develop a few simple and cheap or even free apps.

This is necessary to build up your reputation as a talented developer. You should also choose the niche very closely as there are millions of apps today. Therefore, developing an original concept is nearly impossible. Instead you should focus on studying competitor apps in your narrow targeted niche and try to come up with features that will make your product dominant over them.