Sahm who would love to set up a little business ideas please.

[Somersby12]

I am a very happy sahm & I need to be due go dhs irregular work pattern which involves being on call /needing to leave the country at the last minute etc.. So I obviously need to be here for the dc.
I would love to set up a small enterprise to keep myself busy & for the extra income for myself. Would love some ideas & I am absolutely not in any way crafty. Non crafty ideas would be most welcome

Honestly you need to have a think about what you love and go from there. Keep in mind businesses (even as a sole trader) need insurance, registered with tax office etc. So do your research before setting up.
I say this as a sole trader myself who is still learning a lot. But none of that is said to discourage you in any way, I highly recommend self employment! Just make sure you choose an area that you love, that you understand and that you can fit around you and your family. Maybe pop onto Insta or TikTok and see if anything comes up that grabs your fancy. Wishing you the best in wherever your journey takes you.

OK, not what you asked but make sure you have a pension & savings etc out of the family income. Too many marriages end in divorce & the SAHP is left without financial security in their own name.

For an entirely different reason I'm looking at doing something to be self employed again. I can't return to previous self employed things so need something new, but no idea what.

I don't think there's such a thing as a "little business" that turns a profit, if there were everyone would be doing it. It's very hard to run a successful business that makes enough to be worthwhile. You will likely run at a loss in the beginning and the taxes and red tape can be hard work to navigate. My husband now runs his own successful business making bags but it was just him making very little money for many years before he got anywhere.

I wouldn’t call it a business but if you know gardening you could find an unusual or fashionable plant and take cuttings/collect seeds/grow from seeds.
Sell the new little plants on eBay.
Sell poppy seeds .

What was your previous work? Do you have any qualifications you could use or any hobbies? That would be my starting point .

What is your primary motivation? Money? Occupying your time? Building or maintaining skills? Do you have some money to put in to start?
As a pp said, if it was that simple everyone would be doing it.

PA
Study for a book-keeping qualification? I know someone who did that and does 4 hours per day for 5 different small businesses.
If you are great at organising, maybe a cleaning business that also helps with decluttering.
Baking/cooking for small events.

The world is your oyster if you can put your current skills and interests to use!

What’s your previous experience? I work but have a flexible self employed gig. Essentially I run a one stop shop for business set up where I will incorporate a company, trademark the name if necessary, write them a template employment contract, supply agreements etc write the H&S policy documents, set them up on quickbooks. For a small monthly retainer I will answer questions update documents to reflect legal changes. This works well where I am, lots of self employed trades people who are very skilled at what they do but don’t have time/ inclination for the legal/ accounting stuff. I have a law degree/ business HND and am finishing my book keeping qualification for reference.

Thanks everyone, my previous career was in retail. Unfortunately I have no outstanding hobbies or interests. Just looking for a side hussle, tiny business idea☺️

Unless you have a specific talent that people will pay for then a business is not going to fly.

Your best bet is to find a zero hours/casual work role. Cleaning/home help, gardening, pet sitting, dog walking, that kind of thing.

Agree with @disappearingfish - a little business idea is unlikely to help
much. Gardening, pet sitting etc has reasonably low outlay to get you started vs selling products.

How senior were you in retail? Stores or head office? Can you get casual retail work?

Proofreading
Dog grooming
Dog walking
Cleaning
Virtual assistant

Thanks so much, yes retail in stores. I can't really go back as with dhs job I need to be fully flexible with the dc, I don't want to pay childcare

Virtual assistant?

I think unless it’s something you love doing you’re likely to end up not bothering to keep doing a ‘little business’ as it’s likely to not make much money. EG I made cakes for years and as soon as I hit a lull I got sick of it and I gave up/didn’t push through with the promo as it wasn’t worth the effort money-wise.

The only thing that I would say is don’t even think about cake making! I live in a large village/small town with a lot of SAHM and if anyone ever asks for a recommendation for a birthday cake maker on the local FB group they are swamped with 30+ names.

Are your kids at school? Or would you work in evenings etc. Maybe TEFL online tutor??

Be careful not to get roped into an MLM - you could be vulnerable to their promises of offering an easy side hustle with guaranteed profits. No such thing exists but people in your exact position are persuaded it does.

Tbh in your position (been there) I would (did) just relax and do what I want - loads of interests ‘to keep me busy’ but no need for them to make money. Not popular on MN but DH’s pay is family money so yep I relied on a man for everything 😄

What's an MLM please?

To be fair I work very hard keeping the house going & the kids are primarily my responsibility with dhs hours. It's just I want cash more for myself & obviously to ease the burden. We're not struggling but I would like even enough to have a nice holiday

I work for a charity that offers supported housing for vulnerable young people. I'm office based, but we employ support staff as a casual basis to sleep in overnight at the hostels. You'd need to pass an enhanced DBS and there would be some training, but that may fit around your DH work if there is something similar in your area

Sorry for jumping on to your thread OP but @FuckinghellthatsUnbelievable I have often thought about doing the same as I'm a solicitor but have little to no experience of IP law. Are there any issues when it comes to the point of infringement? Do your clients at that point have to get advice elsewhere?

How old are your dc?
It's probably more profitable to get a part time job. Maybe school hrs, term time or part time only. Unless you have a talent or amazing idea for a business.
I know a few people who run small businesses and it's really hard work for not much money, even losses in the beginning but they had passion for their business.
So, find your passion if you want to run your own business.

Any qualifications from before retail? What was your role there? Maybe you could use some of those transferable skills as a starting point.

Otherwise do you have time abs funds to get some qualifications in the areas that interest you?

I second the PPs who point out setting up and running a business (however small) isn’t easy or something you can do without some kind of knowledge of that specific sector.

Like wise tutoring (as suggested above), are you qualified to do so, or can you work for those qualifications? People won’t pay for a service that doesn’t deliver.

MLM = multi level marketing - selling Avon, Scentsy, Forever Living etc etc at elevated prices to your friends who will gradually cut you off for being an annoying salesperson and trying to recruit them.