Parents Working at Home

CEBU, Philippines —  These modern times have seen changes in various areas of life. Even the supposedly most protected and impenetrable institution – the home – is affected. In many homes nowadays there’s not one parent left to look after and train the kids; mom and dad are both out at work.

Working parents are not totally a new scenario. Parents have always divided the roles of breadwinner and homemaker between themselves. Normally, the father goes out to work for income to cover the family’s needs and the mother stays at home to take care of the kids and run the affairs of the house.

The economic hurdles of the present time, however, have since tripped the balance at home. Both parents now have to go to work in order to satisfactorily cover the family’s needs. There is not one parent anymore left at home for the kids to run to for anything, anytime. 

The new home setup seems to have negatively affected the development of growing children. And many parents are getting alarmed. Many parents are looking for ways to earn money without missing on their parental responsibilities.

Earning money right at home is quite an appealing idea for parents. There are online jobs that can be done from home. If not, there are home-based business ideas to consider.

Most people dislike the idea of having someone breathing over their shoulder. Becoming their own boss is more preferable, a more thrilling prospect for sure. And there’s, indeed, a lot of business ideas that one parent – or both – can start at home.

Any business professional would caution, though, that those planning to start a business shall not take the plunge because of mere interest. There are certain things to take care of first in order to pave the way and increase the possibility for success. For example, one shall make an honest self-evaluation of how far he or she can go, if ever, as well as do research on the intended business line.

What business to start? One may have first to dig what special skills or interests he or she has. Does he like carpentry or electronics? Does she like to cook or bake? Any endeavor along one’s interests becomes less of a task because it will be fun to do.

Once the kind of business is decided, the prospects of the business shall be studied thoroughly.  Is there enough demand for the chosen product or service? What is its edge over the completion, if any?

No matter what business it is, or how big or small, it’s important to have a business plan.  One has to crunch the numbers. What are the startup costs? How much inventory is needed? And, by the way, what’s the target market?

In today’s wired world, a parent who’s technology-savvy may start a technical business that can be run from home – App developer, web designer, social media manager, graphics designer etc. Or a parent who is homebound because of a small child may run a childcare service for the kids of working parents. There’s a lot more jobs that can be done at home – repair service, arts-and-crafts, pet service, food delivery, anything within one’s skills and interests.

The advantages of working at home may be obvious to anyone, but to parents these are especially compelling. A home-based business will keep parents from being away from home. It can give as much income as any full-time job outside – and parents are always there for their kids.