3 Ideas for Flexible Working

• Esther Radnor (Mums Plus Business)
• Tuesday 3 June 2014

There has probably never been as good a time as now for mums to consider working flexibly. As the power of technology relentlessly accelerates, it opens up the possibility of remotely connecting to the wider world at all times of the day or night, in a fast and efficient manner.

There are a growing number of companies offering flexible working, but our top 3 list is meant for those looking to setup something from home.

1. Blogger / Writer

Information online is now more widely read than in books, newspapers and magazines. As the information available to us expands exponentially, the collectors and processors of that information provide an invaluable service to the rest of us. Going to a blog or website to read about a particular topic is now commonplace and even preferable to some more conventional avenues. By developing a blog with many followers you can cultivate an attentive audience who will listen to what you have to say (as long as you continue to add value and not spam everyone!). Having an engaged audience also means that you can sell access to your community, perhaps promoting a service or good. Mailing lists are also a valuable commodity but you need to have gained prior permission to engage. Given the ability to write and review is available at any time of day and night, this provides an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys writing. Be careful to always add value to your community and to be yourself throughout.

2. Personal Assistant

There are now a growing number of personal assistants that service their clients through the web. They have never met them, but could be booking their travel tickets, arranging for hotel stays and scheduling meetings. As our culture moves back towards being “time rich”, more and more people are outsourcing day to day jobs they would have previously done themselves. In fact there are websites dedicated to such services such as Souqini where credit buys you various tasks such as arranging a trip or managing your SEO. It is possible to become a paid service provider too on one of these such platforms or in a more defined virtual assistant role. Again, flexibility and convenience is one of the big selling points for virtual assistants.

3. Online shop

This old classic still appears on our list. Developing a web shop whether it be on Ebay, Amazon or your own website, can be good business. You must however do your research and have some edge over your competition. Once you have set out your web shop you can take orders automatically and post the goods at your convenience. You do not need to be around and you can manage the pictures, stock and business once the kids are in bed or at other “less social” hours of the day. Of course this market is highly competitive and you will have to work to develop a steady stream of traffic to form your customer base, but with a plethora of apps to communicate on the go, tweet schedules and facebook campaigns, it is still possible to develop a substantial following and client base, if you provide a great product and or service and market yourself well.

Mum Plus Business is a free online service helping mothers develop flexible careers.

www.mumplusbusiness.co.uk

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