Earning money as a stay-at-home mum

On this blog, you can find out about the various activities available to a dynamic woman who wants to earn money from home, or a short distance from home. The aim is to earn money to supplement your income, without giving up your "mother's job".

The aim is to find a job or freelance work, one that's compatible with your family life and the attention you give to your child or children. And which, as a bonus, is fulfilling and helps you to develop your skills? Yes, it's possible, and we'll show you how with our guide to the status of self-employed person VDI entrepreneurship (= status of self-employed home sellers) !

THE DIFFERENT WAYS OF EARNING MONEY AS A STAY-AT-HOME MOTHER

Ways of working from home: focus on micro-businesses

The best way to start up a business legally is to be able to earn money from home, is to acquire micro-business status (also known as "auto entrepreneur").

How do you register? The process is online, and it's simple - just a few clicks on the web. It's not child's play, of course, but it shouldn't be seen as an insurmountable hurdle either. Like hundreds of thousands of other women, you will undoubtedly be able to you too can take off.

According to a study Freelance.com/ENSAI-ENSAE freelance work is booming in France, especially in the services sector, for individuals of course, but also for businesses. In 2009, when the auto-entrepreneur status was introduced, there were almost 600,000 self-employed service providers and consultants. This number has risen to over 1 million ten years later, and is projected to rise to over 1 million 5 by 2030 !

Don't hesitate to visit the dedicated blog on the caf.fr website (part of the Caisse d'Allocations Familiales). You'll find the answers to the many questions that are running through your head if you're starting to think about working under the micro-enterprise scheme and building your future budget... In particular: how to declare your income, whether or not to continue to receive any housing benefit and/or child benefit if you are a mother, etc.

And if you are unemployed, whether partially or not, don't forget to contact Pôle Emploi to find out whether you are eligible for the back-to-work bonus (worth 1,000 euros!) or the activity bonus (if you are already receiving partial/technical unemployment benefit and your income is modest). In either case, setting up a micro-business entitles you to the bonus, as does returning to paid employment (provided, of course, that you meet the necessary conditions).

According to the above-mentioned study Freelance.com/ENSAI-ENSAE, freelance work involves more than 600,000 independent service providers and consultants in France. While some people think that freelance work is the preserve of the young, it is now a cross-generational phenomenon. It is often a second career choice, as shown by the fact that the average age of freelancers is 45, even higher than that of employees (40).

And even though freelancing is statistically more common among men than women (12% of working women are self-employed, compared with an average of 21% among men), it remains clear that it represents a valid and secure choice, adopted by several hundred thousand women.

Part-time or flexible jobs

Work part-time and earn the equivalent of extra pay, while remaining flexible, it's possible! Yes, but in practice, how can you carry out activities and provide services so as to earn money and finally balance your budget, while retaining your essential and indispensable role as a mother: looking after the children and keeping the house running ?

A stay-at-home mother could well consider joining the ranks of the 15% to 20% of French people who work part-time. The proportion varies according to the methodology used in the studies and the articles published on specialist blogs, but whatever the case, the phenomenon is on a massive scale. New ways of working are accelerating the process !

Part-time work offers people, especially those with young children, flexibility, versatility and above all freedom (in the choice of customers, working hours, etc.). It's good to know that most businesses can be envisaged, depending on each person's skills and aptitudes!

Business ideas to launch, find online

This is borne out by a number of specialist websites, as well as reports in very serious magazines, the freelance wave extends to all kinds of business expertise and types of business, first and foremost those arising from the rise of the internet.

These can include communications, customer relations, digital marketing and affiliation campaigns, website design and maintenance, distance learning, e-commerce, etc. With Covid-19 and the explosion in distance selling, a large number of activities have gone online, and this momentum is continuing.

That's why, especially if you're thinking of working part-time from home, you'll immediately think of working in the web industry, in all its many forms.

In particular, it is clear that web platforms are enjoying enormous success, driven by mass marketing. They are totally changing the relationships between companies, customers, employees and service providers... They are the first companies to have exceeded a valuation of $1,000 billion, and four of them had market capitalisations in the world's top 5 in 2022: Apple (No. 1), Microsoft (No. 2), Alphabet (Google's parent company, at No. 4) and Amazon (No. 5).

HOW DO YOU FIND AN ACTIVITY THAT MATCHES YOUR SKILLS ?

In reality, working exclusively on and for the web is not the answer for every woman's personality or expectations. Lacking the requisite training and/or skills, many women struggle to find the job of their dreams, and above all to earn enough money from it... More than one personal blog bears witness to the disappointment of a freelancer who has spent a lot of energy working on affiliate networks or news sites, or answering surveys, only to end up with a meagre income, earning (well) under 10 euros an hour...

Good news! The freelance wave is also spreading to all kinds of business expertise and types of business. It goes way beyond the many fields of tech employment !

Self-employed status is therefore suitable for a whole range of activities. These range from services to individuals to the sale of services to companies or associations, via catering, finance, management, purchasing and product logistics, HR, etc. Not forgetting business administration or social action services... and of course the sale of innovative products and services. Not forgetting corporate administration and social action services... and, of course, the sale of innovative items and trendy products of all kinds !

The skills and qualities needed to succeed

In the buoyant sales sector, becoming a VDI (home-based saleswoman) is not an obvious career choice. It's probably not the one that most housewives immediately think of! And yet the potential of home selling is little-known. It offers the prospect of part-time gainful employment and a real income supplement, thanks to the vDI status: entrepreneurship as a self-employed door-to-door salesperson.

In particular, the ELORA fashion brand is one of the leaders in home shopping, with top-of-the-range products at affordable prices. We explain why you should start up and how to succeed !

First of all, you should be aware that to flourish in this profession, you need to have good self-confidence, a good sense of contact and good people skills.

You don't have to be a marketing or internet pro, or have exceptional organisational skills! What's more, if your application is selected by ELORA HR, you'll benefit from free training and solid coaching.

HOW TO ORGANISE YOUR TIME ?

You'll certainly need to use a lot of tricks, at least initially, to find the right balance between your professional life and your family life, without destabilising your child or children.

You will be able to :

Complete your training remotely, in the evenings and at weekends, when you have peace of mind and the younger children are safe, or in bed

Prepare your work from home: build up a file of potential future customers, study ELORA's product ranges and fashion items in depth, organise your sales meetings in your head, etc.

Favour hosts and hostesses within a short distance of the house, to simplify your life and avoid long car journeys

And there are plenty of other ideas to explore with the 'godmother' who will coach you as you start up your business.

Don't be too greedy. The money will come in no problem, as long as you go at your own pace and acquire the necessary skills !

Among the mistakes to avoid :

Don't overload your schedule straight away, take a step back and keep your enthusiasm intact !

Don't organise your first in-home presentation meeting until you have a thorough knowledge of the products and the right arguments, so as to be credible and effective

And above all, never doubt that you are the right woman for the job: this is the job for you, if you love fashion and enjoy sales and customer contact...

Don't work when your spirits are low (which is bound to happen from time to time, as soon as you have responsibility for a family): tell yourself that your business will do all the better if your spirits remain strong and your good humour infectious.