5 ways to earn money while the kids are at School

In today's day and age more and more people are supplementing their income with side jobs. That means they go to work 9-5 then they pick up extra hours in the evening or the weekend to try to make ends meet. Over the years I have spoken to many successful people to find out how they started their business. All of these people have one thing in common, they worked hard.

The old adage, nothing is free; is absolutely true. If you are looking for a get rich quick scheme, this isn't it. These are 5 bonifide business opportunities in 5 niche markets. It doesn't matter how great the idea, if you aren't willing to go door to door to sell it, then no one is going to buy!

Having said that, here are 12 great unique businesses you can start for under $100.00

#1) Dog Waste Management - Yeah I know, it's gross. But I know someone that rakes in (no pun intended) hundreds of dollars a week, cleaning up peoples yards. He sells weekly or bi-weekly contracts depending on the number of dogs. His expenses include, gloves, bags and he opted for a separate pair of shoes for work. He charges $20.00 a visit for contracted clients and $40.00 for non-contract. He said it's approximately 5 - 15 minutes per yard. He averages $700.00 a week, doing 5 - 7 clients a day. (plus if you wanted to do a mailer, you could go to the town and purchase a list of the people who have licensed dogs)

#2) House Cleaner - Not everyone is cut out to clean. I'm one of those people that is happier paying someone else to clean. There are two schools of thought with cleaning, you can show up and use the homeowners cleaning supplies and appliances (i.e. vacuums) or you can bring your own. The women I hire usually use my stuff and leave me notes when they are getting low on supplies. They only come if I agree to let them come every 2 weeks and they charge from $45.00 to $75 depending on the size of your house.

#3) Nanny or Babysitter - As a parent of 3 small children I am constantly looking for qualified person to watch my kids, especially in the summer. Again, not everyone is cut out to watch someone else's children. And if you don't have the temperament, then don't even try. In New Jersey, Babysitters are getting between $10.00 - $15.00/hr. That's a long way from the $2.00/hr when I was growing up!

#4) Sell on eBay -- the nice things about eBay is that you don't have to have money to make money. One of the biggest sellers on eBay is CHILDREN STUFF. Toys, Clothes, books... Its work, and you need to make sure you do the research before you list your stuff, but you can make good money on eBay, especially if you are interested in selling other peoples things on consignment. Then you will actually get paid for your time. eBay has some great help pages to help you get started.

#5) Tele-work - Normally I wouldn't suggest this type of work for parents of small children, but this article is specifically geared towards those 2 - 6 hours the kids are at school. Many companies outsource their customer service to individuals working in a home office. You can locate these opportunities the same way you would locate regular jobs, you simply go to the job search engines (like http://www.careerbuilder.com/ or http://www.hotjobs.com/ ) and use one of the following keywords: Telework Telecommute or telecommuting. AND remember, you don't have to limit it to your zip code or even your state. If the work is remote and from home then it doesn't matter where the company is located. One word of advice: NEVER PAY for the opportunity to work. If the company wants you to send money even if it is a small amount, it is a scam. You wouldn't expect to have to pay to work anywhere else, then why pay to work remotely. Right?

Telecommuting is great, but only works if you are able to talk on the phone uninterrupted without noise in the background. That means, you will only be able to do it while the kids are at school.

Well, those are 5 great job ideas for earning money while the kids are at school.

Each one of these jobs will produce as much money as the time you are willing to put in.

Don't forget, it's always easier with another person. If you know another mother looking for an opportunity, think about joining forces and teaming up.

Enjoy and let me know how you do! You can read other articles and get other ideas on my blog http://mombloggerworks.blogspot.com/.