What Women Can Do to Earn Money From Home During the Coronavirus-Induced Recession

It’s no secret that millions of workers have lost their jobs since the start of COVID-19, but female workers have been hit the hardest. This is largely because women typically dominate industries like retail, hospitality, food service, and personal care.

Yet the trouble doesn’t end there. According to The Hill, women working in male-dominated industries like business services and transportation have also been losing their jobs at greater rates than men — and millions of women are still out of work despite the more than 4.8 million jobs added to the U.S. economy in June. For many female workers, this is due to the fact that schools and daycare centers have been closed amid COVID-19 — and women needed to take on more responsibilities at home.

If the coronavirus-induced recession forced you out of work or you’ve chosen to leave your job in order to care for your children throughout the pandemic, there are some things you can do to earn money from home. With guidance from the experts at eChannelHub, for instance, you could start your own ecommerce store or another type of home-based business.

For some tips on starting a business from home and pursuing other flexible job opportunities during the pandemic, read on!

Start a Home-Based Business

From selling products online to starting a business as a pet sitter, babysitter, seamstress, or tutor, there are so many home-based businesses that can be started with minimal upfront costs. You may also be able to fund your new business with a loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration, venture capital funding, crowdfunding, or private grant programs. As a female entrepreneur, you could potentially qualify for the Girlboss Foundation Grant, Amber Grant, or Eileen Fisher Women-Owned Business Grant.

Regardless of your business idea and how you choose to fund it, it may be beneficial to structure your small business as a limited liability company (LLC) — especially if you’re looking to protect yourself from personal liability and experience other benefits like:

• Tax advantages.
• Less filing paperwork than corporate business entities.
• Greater flexibility in how you operate the small business and share profits.

If you plan to form a limited liability company when starting your home-based business, be sure to familiarize yourself with your local rules and regulations — as these vary by state. Typically, you’ll need to choose a name for your LLC, appoint a registered agent, and file your Articles of Incorporation and an Initial Statement of Information.

After launching your home-based business, you’ll need to start marketing it to your target audience. This will help you to connect with potential customers, land new clients, and grow your small business over time. Plus, free marketing tools and strategies are available to small business owners — including social media marketing, blogging, online business profiles, and email newsletters.

Explore Online Job Opportunities

As an alternative to starting a business from home during COVID-19, you could work online as a freelancer or remote employee. You can find freelance jobs in writing, editing, marketing, customer service, web development, and various other industries — or you could use websites like FlexJobs, Remote.co, and We Work Remotely to find other work-from-home employment opportunities. Since these jobs allow you to work online, you’ll typically need nothing more than a computer, desk, telephone, and reliable internet connection in order to get started.

Don’t Wait for COVID-19 to End

While you may be tempted to hold off on returning to work until after the coronavirus crisis ends, you’ll be better off starting your own business or pursuing a work-from-home job opportunity now — as the post-pandemic job market will be quite competitive. By working online or starting a home-based business, however, you’ll further your career, learn new skills, and enjoy the benefits of a flexible work schedule. The coronavirus-induced recession has hit women the hardest, but these flexible money-earning opportunities will help you to prosper.