Stay-At-Home-Mom can be Home-Business-Mom too!

Many of you may or may not know that I am currently "unemployed" as we await the arrival of our son.  I am doing a lot of freelance design and writing on the side to help supplement income... but it isn't a full-time job and certainly isn't bringing in what I made at my last place of employment.

Today, my boyfriend, who is my best friend and the love of my life, told me something that got me to thinking.  He's been working 40+ hours per week as a Federal Correctional Officer (basically a prison guard for a Federal pen... yeah... the scary prisons) to make up for my lack of employment.  Every morning, I have to watch him leave 7 and see him come home mentally exhausted at 5.  I told him that I missed him today and his reply was, "I miss you too.  Only 19 more years of this unless something changes".  What?  19 YEARS?!  I'd never thought about it that way and it was a staggering number.  So... for 988 more weeks... I'll have to do the same thing 5-6 days a week... say goodbye to my love only to see him come home later that day worn out and beat down by stress from his dangerous job?  That's 4,940 DAYS!  Screw that... I can make that 'change' he was talking about, couldn't I?  I'm a smart, business-minded woman after all!

After doing some reading, it dawned on me.  Being a stay-at-home mom (SAHM) didn't mean no income... it just meant stay at home.  I could be a SAHM and a HBM (home business mom) too, right?  Sure, why not?  People have been doing it for years!

With that etched in my brain, I considered what would be the best business to run from home.  If I were to do research, what were my qualifications for a home business?

1. Internet based - this will allow for transportability in the event of a job transfer or move
2. Low entry cost - hey, funds are tight right now.  The start-up cost needs to be under $100.
3. Unique - there are lists and lists of home-based businesses that can be started... but they've already been played out.  This needs to be new and different so as to have a chance at earning money faster.
4. Ability to be automated - the point of all of this research is to find a way to make good money from home, not take time away from my family.  If the business can't be automated then it's not going to work for me.
5. Ability to make money within a week or two - I don't know about you, but I need money now... not in a couple of months!

Armed with the five qualifications from above, I'm going to start my research.  I've already researched raising capital in a pinch and will post that tomorrow.  :)