Making money on maternity leave

[OrangeCatnip]

So my maternity leave starts on Monday (yay finally) if our little one arrives on his due date I will have 4 weeks without much to do other than lady muscle exercise, practicing self-hypnosis etc etc. I also desperately do not want to go back to my old/current job after my year of leave and so would like to use this time (and hopefully after he is born) to start up something, a little business or money making scheme so that I can justify staying at/working from home. I have worked out that I would need to make £250-300 a week to make up for what I would lose in earnings minus childcare costs. My place of work is likely to be filling posts in the spring so I am keen to see if I can make this equation balance before then or at least see if there is potential so i don't miss that opportunity unnecessarily. (my work place is boring and i'm looking for an excuse to move to something more exciting that i can justify to myself) OH is supportive either way.

I am in a creative field (think design and computers) and I am computer literate so happy to learn new skills if they are in that direction.

Yes know that my baby will take much of my time at first but by the time he is a year old or so I hope there will be enough opportunity for me to do this. Any ideas? I don't mind if there is an initial outlay to buy software or do some short term training. Have any of you started a business or similar while on mat leave?

P.S. Why isn’t someone taking advantage of this massive workforce of motivated out of hours staff??

Matched betting looks cool, I just haven't got it all set up with spreadsheets etc. Once I do I'm all over it

I think, re. the OP: I can see what you're trying to do and actually if you already have the idea and the skills, just need to essentially grow the business to a level where it will be lucrative enough so that you can then pay for childcare once it gets going and the SMP runs out, then you are probably NBU. I mean it will depend on the baby you get and your motivation levels but YANBU, my mate went back to uni at 4 weeks postnatal as she had no choice, you gotta do what you gotta do. I've done some years of working all hours that I look back on and go 'how did I do that??'. As long as you don't feel you're compromising on your time with your baby, and you're happy and don't feel burnt out then go for it.

You have no idea - I thought I would spend maternity leave doing lots of reading. I’ve not managed to even read a paper for the last 18 months! Having a child is totally all consuming- you really don’t know what it’s like until you get there, and each stage is as hard as the one before, just in a different way.

Good luck though!

I was made redundant when heavily pregnant (whole other thread there, I know, I know) and I started a small start up in something I was passionate about. I took the baby to meetings, worked while she slept and thoroughly enjoyed having something constructive to pass the time, and use my brain. I made enough to make life a bit easier but not enough to prevent returning to work after a year or so. I still attended loads of baby groups etc, and DD was my priority, I don't think she missed out on anything.
5 years later I now work 4 days and still run the business, but more as a hobby, pocket money thing.
If I put more time and effort into it I could probably do better but still not enough to make anywhere near as good a living as I do from paid employment.
That said, I am immensely proud of what I created and what I achieved from my kitchen table.

I’m shocked at the negative comments and lack of support for the op.

I have been a sahm since a few months before my DD was born, and I spent those few months frantically selling items on EBay, whilst organising and decorating. I also had an elderly, sick relative staying with us who I was looking after - wasn’t ideal, but I survived.

Since having my DD, I’ve continued to sell on EBay. I’ve also become a part time Degree student, and I make items to sell on Etsy and elsewhere. My DH and I hardly see each other thanks to his long hours, and I have no local support network. It isn’t easy of course, especially now I’m pregnant again with a toddler whilst doing all of the above, but somehow I manage.

DD used to have 2-3 hour naps, and I’d do uni work, EBay and making items in this time, plus after she had gone to bed. Now without her napping, it’s so much harder, and I regularly stay up working until around 3am. Other nights, I fall asleep with my DD, and get up at around 5 or 6am and work for 2 or 3 hours.

It’s not ideal, but I’d rather juggle with all of that and be a sahm than have to go back to work.

You’ll cope just fine op.

I've managed to keep running my business through two babies, they are 5 and 3 now, everyone said I couldn't do it but here I am!!

That was how I started my business OP. Nowhere near as hard as some people say, in my experience.
Have you thought about freelance web designing?

I’m shocked at the negative comments and lack of support for the op.

I’m not. I’ve had relatives laugh in my face telling me I’d never do anything whilst I had children at home and even question whether I was a good parent. They’re people of the same vein as those that like to bash full time working mothers. Some people have ambition, some people don’t and as a result I’ve found they’re either jealous or they just don’t understand it. The best thing you can do about that is to do it anyway and laugh when it all works out

The big issues is that you have to parent your child not someone else. Your child maybe like mine and take hours of cuddling to sleep and it is 10 o’clock before your toddler is asleep and you can’t sneak out of bed early in the morning as they wake up or your child may happily go to bed at 7.

I don't think that anybody is being negative, just realistic. You simply can't know ahead of time how it will work (or not work) for you.
I did it and managed to build up my business to the level where it now supports my family, but I would not be helping anyone if I pretended that it didn't half kill me.
Putting yourself under too much pressure can also cause longer term mental health problems and it's only by being aware of the possibility that it's possible to allow for this and prevent it.

I have worked in accounts for a long time - but not as an accountant; and I think payroll is one of the functions that requires the most amount of concentration. So many regulations esp with auto-enrolment now that I can't even listen t a radio while I work most of the time as its too distracting! I started doing payroll nearly 50 years ago when we did all calculations on paper for a factory of hundreds of employees, then got locked in to make up the paypackets. Now with the right software it is easy, particularly if you are doing a run for a company with 2 or 3 employees. Once they are set up on the software I just get an e mail saying A did 20 hrs B did 40 hrs etc and I just enter the numbers. The software works out the tax, NI, and any pension. If you have joiners or leavers it is a bit extra work that month but otherwise yes it is easy. I suppose if you don't understand what is behind it you wouldn't pick up if something is going wrong but that sort f thing jumps out at me.

I’m shocked at the negative comments and lack of support for the op.

"Support" is not just telling people what they want to hear.

I used to think like you before my dd was born, then I realised that babies take up ALL your time, plus your soul, and then whatever is left of you they will have that too.*

SO TRUE!!!!

I think starting your own business is a great idea! And if it's something you really want to do, go for it! Just because kids can be hard work and take up a lot of time doesn't mean you should put your dreams on hold. Enjoy it!

Hmmmm.. now your last post mentions doulas etc, I am doubting you OP! 🤔🤔🤔

Are you getting SMP or MA?

On MA, you can only work 10 KIT days. Any more days than that breach the DWP rules.

See Guardian article: www.theguardian.com/careers/2017/aug/07/advice-maternity-leave-freelancer-self-employed

Keeping afloat
Self-employed mums are allowed to work for 10 “keeping in touch” (KIT) days and still receive maternity allowance – useful if you’re (understandably) struggling to get by on £140.98 per week.

DWP guidelines state that any amount of work completed in a single day counts as one day’s work, and Maternity Action recommends keeping a record of exactly how and when you worked during maternity leave. However, you’re not actually required to provide any proof of earnings for these KIT days. All the DWP asks is that if you decide to work more than 10 days, you cancel your maternity allowance.

It's not impossible but you have to be motivated and have support.

I started freelance writing while I was on maternity leave. I checked with my boss first and she said it was OK to do work as long as there was no conflict of interest etc. It's just the same as how it's often OK to do work on a Saturday if you have a full time 9-5 - but everyone's workplace has different rules, so you do need to check. Be open with work. Stay on mat leave as long as poss even if you think you might not want to go back.

I returned to my old job 3 days a week and I still freelance now. I'm an art critic, so I might visit an exhibition on my day off, and then do my write up in the evenings while my son is asleep. I have a freelance DP who is happy to take over here and there and in return also sometimes works at evenings and weekends himself, so we're both half-on, half-off a lot of the time. We also use drop in childcare which happily exists in our area (I realise it doesn't everywhere!). I have a big prestigious writing project this year that will need two weeks away from home - so I'll be taking this as annual leave and bringing the family.

It's perfectly possible if you're motivated and you have that kind of support in place. Having said that, I kind of do my freelance work instead of going out. I've had three nights out since DS was born two years ago. I love it though - it's something I've always wanted to do.

I think it can be possible but not for the majority. Theres a lot of 'if you are lucky', you may be better off doing the research for a buisiness (plans timelines budgets) and then factoring it around part time or contract work. Or going for it when you are more used to being a mum.

Over a year on...still waiting for that .

Whatever you do, dont get suckered into an mlm scheme.

I started an Ebay business selling ladies clothing when my youngest was little. He's 8 now but I always found it easy to fit in even when he was a baby. I always earn at least £500 per month profit, usually more. It's definitely do-able if you're happy to work in short bursts when baby is sleeping.

I sell a few bits on Ebay like the poster above, but would have to really work a lot to make £500 a month.

My Ds is 2 y 3 m and I am only just getting to the stage where I could do a craft project or similar without him ‘helping’ or just causing mayhem. I’m too knackered in the evenings to think straight.

I know lots of women do it, and hats off to them, because I couldn’t.

Definitely consider training/learning options, networks and business planning. And assuming you have a dp, start planning for how you will share responsibilities to enable your career. But don't put yourself in a position where you will lose money or need to meet short term deadlines. And prioritise you and babe. And don't let yourself in this vulnerable position succumb to any dodgy MLM or franchise things that you will lose money on.

*Within the first year of having a child I still managed to study around 15 hours a week and then work 20 hours a week and study. I had very limited help on the childcare front and my husband worked emergency services shifts.

Don’t ask me how I did it, I’m not sure*

I would say you got a baby like my second one. If you'd got my first then no way in hell would you have been able to do this.

I started a business when I was on maternity leave. It worked out well and I gradually turned it into a full time job employing 7 people. I work my hours around my now 6yo DD's school hours and earn enough to support us both. Oh and I'm a single mum too.

So it's definitely possible, you just have to be tenacious and determined and perhaps listen more to people who will encourage you and support you. And yes I took my baby to business meetings and she became a feature of the marketing that we do to the extent that customers ask after her!

I'd also look into matched betting. It's not anything like MLM and honestly, I don't know why everyone doesn't do it! It certainly takes you a while to get your head around, and it is possible to make expensive mistakes, but generally you can make at least £400 per month and much more if you're prepared to put the time in. I don't spend too much time doing it, but have made almost £3000 since June and it's tax free.

I'd also recommend signing up with Team Profit and also Oddsmonkey.

I had such immense plans of all the things I was going to do on maternity, barely ticked one off the list. Took me all my effort to keep the house looking barely presentable on top of looking after DD. It's a massive shock to the system.

I set up a business on my 'maternity leave'. (it was maternity allowance as I had already left so no contractual issues.) Its really hard and you need to be 100% passionate and focused on what you are doing. I worked a 12 hour day on a Saturday, and then a 9ish hours day on a Sunday. Husband looked after children, so no childcare costs.
Its really hard not having any free time all together as a family, and it really does need to make some money to make it worthwhile. All the creative planning/ ideas etc had to happen after bedtimes as it definitely couldn't happen while the kids were awake.
I look back and wonder how I did it, I was exhausted constantly for years (not joking!) and think I now look older because of it. But 5 years later my business supports the whole family now. So weigh up how much you don't want to go back/ apply for a different job, as becoming self employed is tough.