Monetizing Motherhood

The person who coined the phrase, “If you want something done, ask a busy person,” must have been talking about moms. Who else works 24/7/365 without a salary, retirement plan, or health insurance?

Whether you’re a stay-at-home mom, work-at-home mom, or work-away-from-home mom, you still have to take care of the kids, the husband, the pets, the laundry, the meals…well, you get the picture. Of course, today’s spouse helps out far more than his counterpart in the 1950′s. Nevertheless, when the little one has a booboo, it is usually mom who kisses it and makes it better.

Have you ever considered the skills required to run a household? If you applied for the job, your resume would have to include experience as: an economist, efficiency expert, dietitian, supervisor, teacher, chef, chauffeur, therapist, social director, and community organizer. Parenting is a daunting task when you really break it down.

Stay-At-Home Moms Rejoice

If you would like to contribute to your family income while remaining a stay-at-home mom, then this is the perfect time to do so. Why not tap into the skills you’ve finely honed over the years?

Today, everyone is computer-savvy. We have chat rooms, forums, and social networks on all topics and across all economic boundaries. This is the age of information, and who knows more about parenting (and life) than mom?

Your product is your experience. You’ve learned how to cope with difficult situations over the years. You’ve solved problems on a moment’s notice, and created solutions out of thin air. Perhaps other moms could learn from your mistakes, as well as from your victories.

Monetizing Your Experience

Start by writing down all the difficult situations you have encountered and the ways in which you coped with them. Think of how you solved specific problems, such as bed-wetting, temper tantrums, nap-time issues, aggressive behavior, divorce, step-parenting, and so on.

Once you have organized your thoughts on paper, create an electronic book, better known as an ebook. You can create and publish an ebook right from your own computer. A typical ebook can have as few as 15 pages or as many as 150. People will pay more for longer ebooks.

Ebooks can be downloaded or printed in an instant. As soon as the payment is processed (there are numerous free services that handle digital transactions), the customer gains access to the ebook. No additional storage space, other than what is already on your computer, is needed.

Selling Ebooks

Since you’re marketing to moms, you need to tailor the ebook to a small segment within the broader topic of “parenting.” This segment is also called a “niche.” For example, an ebook on teenagers would be different from an ebook on infants. If the subject of your ebook is toddlers, your chapters might look like this:

• Bedtime Issues
• Disciplinary Tips
• Public Versus Private Behavior
• Eating Problems
• The Sickly Child
• The Terrible Twos/Threes
• The Shy Toddler
• Toilet Training

All of these chapter ideas will be fleshed out within your ebook. These same bullet points can also be selling points. When creating an ebook website page, use snippets from stories in the book, testimonials from others who have read the book, and a partial list of chapters as promotional tools.

Condense chapters into enticing articles and submit them to article directories. Do not give away too much information because you want moms to, ultimately, buy your books. Provide a link to your website in the resource box.

Join online forums and share your helpful advice with other moms. Use a link to your ebook website in your signature line for easy access. As you develop a following on these forums, other members will visit your site and buy your books.

Writing ebooks is a great way to monetize your mom skills. The act of writing can be both relaxing and cathartic. In addition to relieving stress, you will have the satisfaction of knowing you are helping other moms.

Although you can generate a good income with ebooks, make sure this activity remains fun and does not add anxiety or stress to your life. That would be counterproductive. Since you’re the “boss,” set reasonable hours and deadlines for yourself. Take plenty of breaks, and always remember to take time-out for yourself.

Are there other ways for stay-at-home moms to monetize their skills? I’d love to hear your comments and suggestions.