Stay at Home Fathers | Fatherhood Factor

It’s now more common than ever to be a stay-at-home dad. In the last 25 years, the number of American fathers caring for children full-time has nearly doubled. For these brave and loving men, a side job or part-time project goes a long way in enhancing self-esteem, bolstering family finances and relieving stress. Whether you’re a motivated father looking to start a side hustle or a mom who wants to help her partner feel more inspired and industrious, our list of flexible, unique and rewarding business ideas is sure to pique some interest.

1. Woodworking

One of a kind wooden gifts are popular online and can even be sold to local brick-and-mortar stores. Guys with a knack for woodworking can easily turn their talent into a side job. If you have the materials and equipment, brainstorm a few items that are simple to make, carry and ship.

Fancy pens, commemorative plaques, and mustache combs are just a few of the many goods bought and sold all over the Internet. Save time upfront by creating a digital boutique on one of the most popular curated product sites. You can always design your own website later.

To make it work with your full-time dad schedule, fashion your pieces while your baby or toddler naps. Visit the post office for shipments when your little one is content and well-fed. Consider freeing your hands by holding them in a carrier. If you need a few days’ lead time, make this clear in your shop’s terms and conditions. It’ll also help to keep product quantities updated.

2. 3D Printing

Thanks to recent developments in additive manufacturing technology and equipment, 3D printers are more affordable than ever. Best of all, you don’t have to be an engineer or machinist to make your own sellable items. All it takes to start 3D printing is a home machine, project blueprints, and materials.

You may need to invest a few hours upfront to learn how to operate your printer. Once you master the basics and decide what you want to print, you can create a few prototypes and set up your online store. Use the same selling premise for woodworking so you can still prioritize your responsibilities as a stay-at-home dad. In no time, you can make a profit on everything from toys and figurines to kitchen essentials and office supplies.

3. Screen Printing

Artistic dads with an imagination and sense of humor will enjoy screen printing. With the help of a printer machine, it’s easy to learn how to put text and graphic designs on clothing. Once you purchase the tool and ink colors of your choice, you’ll be on your way to developing a fairly lucrative side business. In little time, you can create everything from stylish bodysuits for baby to funny dad shirts.

Some entrepreneurs find it helpful to establish a theme for their clothing company, which allows them to focus their graphic ideas and better capture online customers. Consider founding a shop selling infant and toddler clothing with hilarious catchphrases, or market cheeky, matching father and child sets. Know that you’ll need a closet or garage for inventory, like blank garments and boxes of ink. Besides the space requirement, this side job idea is quiet, straightforward and undoubtedly amusing.

4. Industry Consulting

Dads who had a career or area of expertise before having kids should consider online consulting. This field is now more popular than ever, thanks to the digital boom and rise of American entrepreneurship. Nearly every CEO and small business needs some kind of guidance to set their business apart from the competition or make their services better. Consultants use their unique background and knowledge to supply businesspeople with advice and planning on an hourly rate basis.

Depending on experience, stay-at-home fathers can make hundreds of dollars per hour teaching other people skills such as how to create a marketing plan, how to make engineering processes more lean and cost-effective or what type of legal considerations are necessary for a company’s success. Whether you’re a former teacher, chef or lawyer, think about what you know and how you can share it with others. You can advertise your services on search engines and through social media, or find a remote-based, part-time role. As you decide on the right format, make sure you control your schedule. Being able to set your own rates and hours allows you to make good money while putting baby first.

5. Blogging

Parents across the globe are interested in the stay-at-home dad movement. They want to know how fathers structure their days with their kids, what the experience is like and how they find time for themselves. Sharing your thoughts, tips and photos on your very own blog is an excellent way to chronicle your lifestyle and make some extra cash. The key is learning how to monetize the information you put on the Internet.

To be a successful blogger, you’ll need to purchase your own unique web address. You’ll also need to build a blog. Luckily, these tasks are both affordable and intuitive. Website building tools allow you to make an attractive online hub in minutes—and most tools also allow you to get Internet-registered at the same time.

This idea is best for dads who can invest time and energy into their project before making any money. It’s possible to spend several months writing and marketing your blog before you are in a position to turn a profit. Most bloggers bring in money by selling advertising space, which isn’t an option until you have a strong following. Despite the front end work, it’s one of the most fun and flexible side businesses around!

6. Driving

Ride sharing and delivery services have created plenty of part-time driving jobs. Since most companies allow you to work whenever you want, it’s easy to scale up when the kids have activities and take a break when it’s impossible to get out. This business idea requires a well-maintained car big enough for transporting a few passengers. A family car such as an SUV allows you to make even more money by accommodating more riders.

Unlike some of the other side jobs above, you’ll need a sitter for the children. Try driving on the weekends or in the evening when the demand is high. This way, you can reap the highest profits while sharing your at-home responsibilities with your partner or a trusted friend.

7. Metalworking

Perhaps the most niche idea on the list, metalwork is not for the inexperienced—or faint of heart. However, making and selling specialty goods such as knives, re-creations of historic weapons or custom jewelry allows you to make up to hundreds of dollars on a single project.

At a minimum, you’ll need a private workspace, a forge and metal materials. If you don’t already know the craft, you’ll also need a significant amount of lead time to get started. Metalworking is a potentially lifelong hobby, but it’s also dangerous. If you choose this idea, only work on your projects when your little ones are napping or out of the house.

Being a Successful Entrepreneur and Dad

Thanks to today’s digital workplace and entrepreneur economy, making extra money while being a stay-at-home dad is easier than ever. By taking some time while your baby or toddler naps to decide what business idea will work best, you can begin planning a schedule that benefits your family. Besides, a lucrative side hobby also allows you to be creative and have some time for yourself. As you embark on this new journey, remember that there’s nothing better for your children than to see their father happy, inspired and ready to take on the day!

Although I may be biased, having three daughters of my own, there is something very special about a father/daughter relationship. Certainly my childhood provided some valuable examples of this, but each passing year with my own family has done nothing but solidify this perception.

Over the years I have read multiple articles and posts that discussed the nature of a dad’s influence on the growth and ultimate psychological health of a daughter. Even though my early understanding was often limited to whether or not a dad lived in the home, the value and extent of fatherly interaction plays an equally significant role.

With this in mind, I wanted to post an article that I found on the struggle facing fatherless children. Dr. Gabriella Kortsch, the author, titled the piece “Fatherless Women” and it focuses primarily on fatherless women and how this fact manifests itself in adulthood. Although I posted the full link to the article here, I wanted to insert a section that I found particularly meaningful.

Dad’s, you can be sure that the time spent now will form that woman you see in the years to come.

“• Seeing the Self Reflected -Optimally, a little girl needs to see herself reflected in the love she sees for herself in her father’s eyes.

• Belief in the Self-Clearly, self confidence and self esteem can be forged through one’s own endeavors during the life course, even if a father has not been present, but the path to success in such endeavors, and the reasons for which they are even attempted, tend to be quite different in the adult woman who was raised with a positive relationship to her father, as opposed to the one who was not.

• The Multi-faceted Arena of Relationships– Perhaps the arena in which the most painful process of learning how to deal with the early lack of a father is played out is in that of relationships. If a girl has not been assured of her value as a woman by that early relationship with the father, she finds it difficult to relate to men precisely because she may often unconsciously seek to find that recognition in the eyes of the beloved…and this may lead her down an early path of promiscuity…

• Avoiding Engaging the Emotions– Another possible scenario is that of avoiding relationships totally.

• Marrying ‘Daddy– Other women may choose another route, falling in love with an older man and thus marrying ‘daddy.’ At this point many different scenarios may ensue. If the man is at all psychologically aware (something often, but not always lacking in older men who like younger girls), he may have a vague inkling of what is going on. Therefore, once she starts – within the secure confines of the relationship or marriage – the process of growth, which will inevitably lead her to separate from her husband in some ways that are emotionally and psychologically necessary in order for her become her own woman, he will not blanch in fear at this process, and allow her the necessary space and freedom to do so.

• Finding Self-Confidence and Recognition in the Self– The core of the matter is, of course, that the self-confidence and recognition so avidly sought must be found within oneself rather than in the outer world.“

7 Business Ideas for Stay-at-Home Dads