When a full-time job as mom doesn’t cut it anymore cash-wise in this struggling economy, it doesn’t necessarily mean going back to work out of the house. There are lots of ways to work from home, keeping your work hours to school hours and managing mom responsibilities. For many of these businesses, you don’t need a degree or more than a nominal start-up cost. Plus you can likely find something you love to do, answer to yourself and don’t have to incur added expense of commuting or a new wardrobe. Here how to get started and some ideas of what can feed your passion and at the same time add some cookies to the cookie jar:

Official Business

Once you decide what you want to do, make it official. Just because you may not have an office to call your own, Uncle Sam still wants to know where to check in with you.

Online Orders

If you’ve got something to sell, do it online. The only overhead may be sharing a nominal portion of your profits.

Reviving Former Profession

Before you ever saw the inside of a maternity ward you probably had a cool career that can now be translated into something new and maybe even improved. For the woman who was a corporate publicist she can now help a local business drum up PR. A former teacher may dabble in some tutoring and an artist/designer can help a friend (for a fee of course) get her home’s interior together.

House Parties

Use mommy network (friends, mommy friends, carpool pals) to invite shoppers to parties at home for lines you rep.

Photographer/Videographer

If you’re friends are always slinging a camera to you at their special events you should consider making it a business. Some good core camera equipment can serve for your family as well as for your business. Charge a small fee to moms in town for covering baby christenings, recitals and graduations so that the family can relax and still capture all the special moments.

Photo by Mykl Roventine

After deciding she wanted something a little more intellectually stimulating than coordinating carpools, Lisa Gold got entrepreneurial while her husband was on a business trip. What started as a keen idea to embellish children’s clothes from her kitchen, has turned into LikeWear, a national direct sales company with apparel licensing deals for General Mills and Tootsie Roll’s iconic brands. By creating a turnkey, “business-in-a-box” modeled after her own success, Gold has attracted more than three dozen “Mompreneurs” as independent sales representatives to sell her fun line of LikeWear clothing.

Lisa started her professional career in advertising working on the Pepsi and Visa accounts at the venerable advertising agency, BBDO NY. She also worked as a stockbroker at a leading Manhattan based brokerage scoring over 500 accounts. Just as passionate about her family and community as she was about her former corporate career, Lisa found a way to draw upon these experiences, while sharing this opportunity with other women to be just as successful from home.

“I always knew it was a big idea. Moms innately have all the skills required to sell a fun line of kids clothing: Moms know what their kids like, they’re very familiar with shopping for kids clothes, and they have a huge social network in place thanks to their children’s school and social activities. I knew that if I could provide a unique, quality product, a little guidance and a variety of sales methods, I could give women a flexible and fun way to earn money that works hand-in-hand with their role as a mother,” says Gold.

Logo from LikeWear

As jobless rates soar across the country, Mom Corps is expanding and providing more alternatives this month to those who have lost their jobs and those re-entering the job market. Mom Corps is proud to announce the opening of franchises in Miami, Philadelphia and Atlanta in addition to their online web presence and existing offices.

Mom Corps is a premier staffing solution, allowing companies direct access to top-tier experienced talent ready to work on an as needed basis. This expanding company is able to meet the demands of many businesses’ cycles, while also enabling professionals to engage in challenging work in their fields, while having the flexibility for their personal needs and responsibilities. With the launch of its franchising, Mom Corps hopes to tap into an ever growing pool of experienced, educated professionals seeking flexible, career alternatives as franchise owners.

“We are excited to take our business to the next level and continue our growth through the development of our new franchise program,” says CEO and founder, Allison O’Kelly. “Franchising is as much a financial strategy to alleviate capital issues as it is a recruitment strategy to attract motivated, invested employees to Mom Corps and provide them with flexibility in turn.”

The launch of Mom Corps’ franchises is also timely considering the predicted increase in demand for temporary staffing services this year. “Uncertainty in the economy is making firms reluctant to hire permanent employees,” said Robert T. Sumichrast, dean of the Terry College of Business at The University of Georgia. “That adds to the demand for temporary and part-time positions, and companies are increasingly relying on these staffing firms.”

Screenshot from Mom Corps

I write this article on the heels of a great runner’s high. I realized on my run that many of my articles take a hard look at being a mom entrepreneur. I focus on the risks, the reality and the struggles because I don’t want to glamorize what a mom entrepreneur’s life will be like. However, while it’s the hardest thing you’ll ever do, it is also truly amazing!

Take today, for instance. I worked until the wee hours last night and chose to take off on a beach run in the middle of the day. I can do that because I’m my own boss, creating my own hours, and I don’t have to ask anyone. In fact, I could have brought my laptop to the beach to get the rest of my work done because I’m not tied to a brick-and-mortar office.

As an employee, I had to follow my boss’s orders even when my vision was different than his. I had to work his days, his hours and according to his goals. As a business owner, I get to walk my own talk. I get to live out my vision. I get the glory when it works and the learning experience when it doesn’t.

Many benefits of being an entrepreneur are true for any business owner, not just moms. After all, what’s better than you being the boss? You call the shots! As entrepreneurs, we’re not at the mercy of an employer to be fired or laid off at will. And the money you make as an entrepreneur is yours. Your hard work pays off for you.

It’s natural to focus on the bottom line when creating a new business. But most entrepreneurs will tell you that the most rewarding part is the journey. The experiences and skills you gain as an entrepreneur are invaluable. The bottom line is not always as profitable as you might hope; on the other hand, the tax benefits of owning your own business are another financial plus.

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Photo by hot_bake

While sunglasses, sun hats and sunscreen are still likely to be some of this summer’s most popular accessories, the Guardian Angel Bracelet ID is quickly making its way to the top of ‘mom’s must-haves lists’. Created by a mom who lost her child at the beach for nearly 30 minutes, the Guardian Angel Bracelet ID is a colorful, snap-on wristband for kids designed with a space for parents or other caregivers to write important emergency contact information. The wristband is a saving grace for moms and kids everywhere, and is poised to be this summer’s most sought after child safety accessory.

“Every seven seconds a child wanders away from his or her family,” said Kimberly Martinez, a mother, co-founder of Bonitas International and creator of the Guardian Angel Bracelet ID. “As a parent, you never forget the overwhelming sense of panic that washes over you when your child wanders out of your sight and you realize that they’re lost. Kids are curious and easily distracted, and the reality is that we simply can’t keep an eye on them every second of every minute. But we can make sure that in the unfortunate event that they get lost, we have measures in place to expedite their safe return.”

When Kimberly Martinez lost her four-year old son at the beach, she had a terrifying experience that nearly 90 percent of families face at least once in their child’s lifetime. Fortunately, her son was able to tell another mom that he was lost and give her his home phone number. The woman called Martinez’s husband at home, who then called Kimberly on her cell phone and directed her to their son’s location.

Photo from Guardian Angel Bracelet

In a bad economy, there may be more temptation than ever to turn a small business into a family business. Maybe your brother-in-law needs a job. Or Mom and Dad have cat food in the cupboard and don’t own a cat. Personally, the thought of hiring members of my family gives me indigestion. But a family company can be an all-around winner—provided you learn how to manage the “family” part.

Of the 6 million small businesses that employ 100 or fewer workers, 20 percent involve two or more family members. It turns out that some of the traits associated with these family-owned animals put them in better stead to survive and prosper in these leaner, credit-crippled years than conventionally owned firms. For starters, family businesses tend to be patient capitalists—building conservatively over years and turning a deaf ear to the siren song of debt, says Matthew Brady, head of the wealth-advisory group at Barclays. And money isn’t the only altar at which they worship; they’re more likely to focus on issues like legacy and commitment to community, and thus be that much more averse to foolish bets.

Ultimately, mixing family with work requires certain precautions and constant maintenance. “Use your brain, not your heart” when thinking about hiring your kin, says Don Schwerzler, the founder of Family Business Institute, in Atlanta. Compassion for someone who has lost his job is not a good reason. Make sure there’s a real job waiting for him and spell out your expectations for his duties, hours, vacation, compensation and equity opportunity.

Harder still but just as necessary: Spell out what will happen if he screws up and fails. Those difficult talks can be easier if you involve an advisory board in both hiring and firing. Should your new employee become your worst nightmare, it’s a relief to be able to say, “The board and I decided that a brick could do better work.”

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Photo by John Spooner

Pat Christofferson and her daughter, Heidi Bunnell, know there’s a big difference between a driver and a chauffeur.

At their Exeter limousine company, clients won’t find just drivers, but chauffeurs who pride themselves on providing personal service with added attention to each client’s preferences. That may mean a chilled glass, ice and a favorite brand of Scotch waiting for a regular customer, a basket of snacks or the latest issue of the Wall Street Journal.

“We just have the kind of people you want driving you,” Bunnell said. “We’ve developed such a great relationship with so many of our clients. Many of our clients are more (like) family to us now and they feel that way.”

The mother-daughter team is celebrating one year in business with their local company Reprise Limousine, which operates out of 67B Route 27 in Exeter.

The company has experienced tremendous success in that first year, including adding a number of regular VIP corporate clients, hiring two more chauffeurs, buying two new vehicles for their fleet and moving to the space in Exeter.

“A lot of our competitors are selling their cars and we’re buying cars,” Bunnell, 37, of Stratham, said. “We have been growing rapidly.”

Photo by dave_7

Many mom’s start a business out of necessity and now is the time to help our children do that as well! As mompreneurs we have learned some important lessons from the businesses we start, they are just as valuable for our children.

Here are a few ideas that might be perfect for your part-time entrepreneur:

Dog walking, car washing, and other small tasks. Small opportunities like that are perfect for seasonal work. People start washing their cars during the spring/summer to clean off the crud that collected over the winter. Neighbors in your community are likely to pay for the door-to-door service if your child decides to take on this business, over going to a car wash. If pets happen to be your child’s passion, then dog walking is always a nice option.

Small businesses such as these are also reasonably affordable to start. A few posters and a little word-of-mouth among neighbors can go a long way.

Bring them into the “family” business. Maybe they’re not ready to handle a full business on their own, that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t learn some of the lessons. While your kids are home this summer you can offer them a spot within your business. They can earn a little cash, learn a little responsibility, and find out what it is like to run a real business!

Look towards the internet for the perfect business. If you have a crafty teenager, their products would make for the perfect business! Creating an online shop can allow crafty individuals to make money off the things they make. Handmade-specific websites like Etsy and artfire are a great place to start.

Photo by The Marmot

On any weekend, you’re likely to find Bridget Lane baking cookies.

But her cookies are a little more complex than the average chocolate chip treat and not just because they’re gluten free. Lane’s cookies got their start in a special situation and have grown into a business designed to nourish those in special situations.

Lane, who lives in Lafayette, is the mother of a 61/2-year-old and two 5-year-old twins, all boys and all on the autism spectrum. When her eldest was diagnosed at age 3, Lane and her husband, both dietitians, decided to try a gluten-free diet for their son, a regimen some families say has helped their autistic children.

“We were on (the diet) for about a year, and we had a hard time finding cookies,” Lane says. “I started throwing recipes together.”

As she began homing in on the right technique and ingredients — she says one secret is her flour that’s a mixture of brown rice, white rice, tapioca and potato starch — the idea of starting a cookie company bubbled up to consciousness.

“We’ll have a place where everyone can bake together,” she thought.

Then her twins were diagnosed in 2007.

“I was like God is telling me we were meant to do something,” she says. “We have these three little boys. We need to make a difference in the community.”

Logo from Helping Hands Bakery

Whenever there is something that people can’t find in their local stores, they usually turn to online shopping because of its easy accessibility and convenience in ordering products. eBay is one of the major sites that brought online shopping to the mainstream and now there are many buyers satisfying their needs and sellers making extra income.

The number of frequent sellers has grown so much that eBay has had to make a category that separates these successful sellers from ordinary sellers. These sellers are known as PowerSellers and buyers are a lot more comfortable in buying from them because of their excellent products and service. They also have special perks as well, including reseller benefits.

To the average work at home mom, becoming a PowerSeller may seem like a nearly impossible feat that takes a lot of technical knowhow and marketing knowledge to earn the mark. Actually, being a PowerSeller isn’t so hard and can be achieved if you combine perseverance with these three techniques.

1. Keep your Starting Bids Low

2. Open up all the Payment Options

3. Prioritize Customer Support

Keep in mind that you won’t be a PowerSeller overnight if you practice these three techniques with your first products. You need to keep the selling consistent and slowly build your customer base. When you do that, you’ll pick up some momentum and gain more sales especially when you introduce newer products. You should be able to achieve the lowest level of PowerSeller in a couple of months. From there, you can move on to the higher levels by making more sales.

Screenshot from Auction Payday. Kids Play.