How Smart Moms Make Money Freelancing
And Still Have Time for Their Families
All moms know that “momming” is a full-time gig. But the thing about bills is that they don’t just go away when you become a mom. With benefits like making your own schedule and working from anywhere, many moms turn to short-term, remote work to make ends meet. If you’re considering freelancing, you’ve probably already googled and discovered there are a zillion remote job boards and freelance sites out there. So how do you know which are legit?
Here’s a quick guide to help you find real work you’re qualified for, so you can start bringing home money to support your family.
What to Look For In A Freelancing Site
Security
Unfortunately, there are people out there who prey on those hoping to pick up side gigs. The first thing to look for in any freelance site is how they vet their freelancers and weed out scams.
A secure site should have a screening process to verify that a business is real (basically, that they are who they say they are). Sites should also verify that the business owner’s payment is valid. You can usually find information about each site’s screening process on their FAQ page.
Payment
How Will I Be Paid?
A legit site should use secure payment processing and pay its freelancers through reputable, well-known companies like Stripe, Paypal, Zelle, and the like. Here at Smart Mom Gig, we use Stripe.
When Will I Be Paid?
Some sites pay at the end of the project. Others split the payment up and payout at specific benchmarks. Be suspicious of any site that claims to pay its freelancers upfront. As a guarantee of satisfaction, most freelance sites don’t pay their workers until the client approves the work.
How Will I Report Freelancing On My Taxes?
As a freelancer, you’re self-employed. And you must report any income you earn. At Smart Mom Gig, we want to make things convenient, so we provide all of our Gurus or freelancers with 1099’s.
What to Know About Fair Pay
There’s a wide pay range for work for home and freelance gigs. And as a beginner, you shouldn’t expect to be paid the same amount as a veteran freelancer. That being said, always do the math. For writing tasks, it’s common (on some other sites) to see pay listed by the word. But a pay rate of 2 cents per word for a 1,000-word article works out to be way below minimum wage. We all have to start somewhere, but try to avoid gigs that pay almost nothing. If you pick up some of these, think of them as practice. Do them, learn, and move on to better-paying work.
Will I Be Paid If The Client Isn’t Happy?
The #1 thing you need to make sure of BEFORE you take on any task is that you will be paid‒ no matter what. It’s common not to pay the freelancer until the client approves the work. But, you should always get paid, even if the client isn’t happy with your work.
Sometimes, the client may come back and ask for revisions. If they do, try to make the changes quickly. At Smart Mom Gig, we allow clients or Gig Gurus to request changes just ONCE. After the Guru makes the requested changes, the work is considered complete, and payment is released.
Setup
How does it work?
Each site has a different setup, with some offering longer-term or recurring work. At Smart Mom Gig, we only offer short-term tasks. These are tasks short enough to fit in even the busiest mom’s schedule. But you can pick up as many as you like! If a business owner (or Gig Owner) likes your work, they can request you again.
Each Smart Mom Gig task:
Pays between $200-$1500
Includes 2 to 20 hrs of work
Has a set start & end date
With most freelancing sites, all client/freelancer communication happens on-site. If anyone requests your personal information, be wary as that’s often a red flag for scams.
How To Find Freelance Jobs
The great thing about freelancing is that you can land tons of gigs without a degree! And many of these short tasks help you build skills for higher-paying work.
Here are a few freelance tasks you don’t need a degree for:
Online data entry work
Copywriting
Translation
Virtual assistant
Transcription
Customer service support
At Smart Mom Gig, a gap in your resume isn’t an issue, either. We designed Smart Mom Gig for moms looking to reenter the workforce, so no resume required. In 200 words or less, you’ll sum up your skills and experience. You can also choose up to 10 skill sets to feature in your profile. When you apply to gigs, the Gig Owners will see your profile.
How To Market Yourself
Start by listing your strengths. The thing that comes naturally to you may be exactly what someone else lacks. What marketable skills do you currently have?
• Are you good with words?
• Do you have a lot of experience with social media promotion?
• Or, maybe you have an excellent “phone voice”?
• Do you speak a second language?
• Are you the queen of all things organization?
Get Out There & Start Applying
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more professionals are turning to freelance work. The freedom of freelance is undeniable. Once you taste it, you’ll never want to go back! But because you are essentially working for yourself, it can be hard to set boundaries between your work and personal life. It’s honestly “learn as you go” for a lot of freelance work. You won’t know what works for you, your lifestyle, and your schedule until you get out there and start applying!
All freelance sites are different. And of course, some are more favorable to clients and others better for freelancers. At Smart Mom Gig, we pride ourselves on providing a quality service for our Gig Gurus and Gig Owners. Ready to start applying for gigs?