Ready to transform your kitchen table into a corner office? These women show you how to earn serious cash — on your own schedule. Plus, how to cultivate a side business for extra cash.
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THE GIG: REMOTE CUSTOMER-SERVICE REP
"When my daughter was a baby, I did support work for a Web company via email and through an online live chat system, so I didn't have to worry about customers hearing if she was crying in the background," says Dee Murphy, 37, of Seattle, whose daughter is now 7. "I chose an evening shift, from 4 to 10 p.m., so I could spend the day with her. When she started going to school, I moved up to troubleshooting tech problems, which pays a couple hundred dollars more per month. You don't have to be a champion geek, either — most companies offer training for newbies."
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THE GIG: BAKER
"I make cakes for charity events, weddings, and local celebrities," says Mandie Miller, 30, of Charlotte, NC, who runs Got What It Cakes bakery out of her kitchen. "I started off using my Facebook page to advertise. Word spread, and now I'm booked. I do most of my baking while my two daughters are in school or after they're asleep. When they're home, they love to tag along for deliveries."
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THE GIG: ORGANIC PRODUCTS SALES REP
"When I first got pregnant, I researched chemical-free cleansers and beauty products, and once I became a loyal user, I wanted to educate other moms," says Alison Price, 37, of Charleston, SC, who has a 4-year-old daughter and a 22-month-old son. "Since 2009, I've been hosting parties for neighbors at my home for the organic skin-care company Miessence, and I launched my own site to sell the products, organicglow.com."
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THE GIG: DIGITAL CONVERSION TECHIE
"After I converted vinyls to CDs for my local library, it occurred to me to put up flyers to reel in other customers," says mom of four Leslie Michielli, 37, of Allison Park, PA. "Most want me to convert their VHS tapes, slides, and photos to DVDs. Once the files start transferring on my computer, I'm free to play with my kids or run errands."
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THE GIG: BEAUTY AND LIFESTYLE BLOGGER
Jessica Lewis, 29
Colorado Springs, CO
"When I couldn't find any hairstylists or products to relax my hair the way I always had. I started thinking that the easiest thing would be to cut it all off and let it grow in naturally. So I decided to document my hair journey on YouTube," says Jessica Lewis, 29, of Colorado Springs, CO. " I recorded videos using my laptop and put them up online under the name MahoganyCurls. Five people followed me, then 10, 20, then 1,000. I wasn't making any money, but my husband supported me, and the channel was my escape, my happy place. I was working from home processing claims for an insurance company when I hit 100,000 followers and YouTube asked me to partner with them, which meant I could put ads with my videos and make money off them. (Now anyone can monetize their videos, but back then you had to be a partner.) To maintain the channel, I'd stay up until the early hours editing video. After a year of balancing everything, I realized I was making as much money from MahoganyCurls as I was from my insurance job, so I decided to make YouTube my full-time business. I used to feel guilty that I didn't finish college the traditional way, but now I have a degree, a business, and a brand, and I went to every one of my nine-year-old's basketball games last year. I can't imagine a better life — for all of us."
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THE GIG: EVENT PLANNER
"When I got pregnant in 2013, I was doing sales for a big hotel chain and I was one of its top sellers. I loved it, but the hours were really long and I knew I wouldn't be able to spend the time I wanted with my daughter," says Lisa Baxter, 38, of Burke, VA. "So right away I reached out to a company where the employees worked on commission, scouting event venues for groups as small as weddings or as big as conventions. I didn't know it then, but switching jobs while I was pregnant turned out to be a huge stroke of luck. At my 20-week checkup, we found out that the baby's heart was backward. Eventually she was also diagnosed with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), a serious condition where the abdominal organs move up into the baby's chest, crowding her heart and lungs. I had to leave our home in South Carolina and spend a month on partial bed rest at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, then another two months at the children's hospital while Lindsey was in the NICU. During all that, I was able to keep working — and work was a relief. It let me focus on something besides how scared I was for my daughter. Now Lindsey's 2 years old and thriving. I basically work during her naps and make a good living. Until my husband switched jobs recently, we made about the same salary. I love that I have all this flexibility."
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THE GIG: HANDWRITING ANALYST
"I was a senior in high school when I happened to see a little booklet at a supermarket checkout counter claiming that it could teach you how to analyze anyone's personality through handwriting. I bought it and got hooked," says Carol St. Clair, 58, of Belleville, OT. Early on, it was a hobby; I would ask anyone and everyone if I could analyze their handwriting. Then, eventually, I started charging. When my daughter was born, in 2000, her father and I both worked full time, and I studied to get certified as a master graphologist. I also got certified to do forensic handwriting analysis, which meant lawyers could hire me to, say, read a statement handwritten for the police and tell them where the stress points were. I got paid about $100 an hour, with a three-hour minimum. When my daughter was three, we had become foster parents, and by the time my two special-needs boys arrived, her father and I had split up. One night, when one of my kids got sick during my overnight shift at the shelter, I realized it was the right time to leave my day job. Retiring was the best decision I ever made. My work keeps us living a comfortable lifestyle, and I can schedule appointments with clients while my kids are at school. If there's a snow day or a school trip, I can adjust my work schedule. It does take a lot of discipline to meet deadlines, and I sometimes have to work at night after the kids are in bed. But I need that schedule — the boys are so full-on that even their principal jokes that he knows not to call during my daily nap."