Being a mother is hard-let's get that out there right off the bat. I'm not a mother yet, but just in watching mothers around me and looking back on my own mom, I can still say definitively that motherhood is, at least, a fulltime job. Kids and husbands never clock off, so neither can mom; cooking, cleaning, dropping off, picking up, diaper changing, and counseling are just a few of her always-on-call jobs-and she doesn't even get paid.

And yet, today we see mothers, in increasing number, having to both care for their families and go out into the working world to rake in some extra finances to make up for what dad can't do or simply doesn't do. As a result, the family suffers-whether in large degree or small, it happens unavoidably. Though the only real solution to what our culture switch has cost our children is far beyond the hands of our moms, there are ways to scale back time away from the family as much as possible, making a lesser impact on the family as a whole. One of the best ways is to start a home-based business franchise.

There are many to choose from, but some will provide more money for your time than others. Two of the more low-impact businesses up for grabs for the work-at-home mom are Vendstar and ATM Franchise Business. The first deals in vending machines positioned in local retail establishments and other businesses, and the second-if you can't guess-provides ATMs to primarily entertainment businesses and hotels. As a mother, well versed in matters of entertainment and finance, you're probably very aware-and very annoyed-by both the candy machines that make your kids come running over, begging for quarters so that they can rot their teeth, and the conveniently placed ATMs around town that come with an obnoxious surcharge that costs you money you didn't intend to spend. That means that you're also well aware of the unending income that those two products, if put under your control, could potentially provide without much involvement from you other than filling up some candy now and again and finding new clients.

Perhaps though, it's less about the total time spent working and more simply about the amount of time outside the house. Particularly with very small kids, this is the case; they don't need constant attention because they sleep a lot, and there's often time for mom to accomplish something else-just not something across town. In this kind of situation, a work-from-home franchise with Fast-teks could be just the thing. Everything for the business is done from home as the franchisee simply links customers in need of technical computer support with skilled technicians who can make a house call.

Other similar possibilities are No Diet Weight Solutions and Health Career Agents, both of which are also run almost entirely from the home. No Diet is a highly endorsed weight-loss system, supported by professionals in nearly every medical field, that helps people lose weight by adapting lifestyle instead of simply controlling eating habits. Health Career Agents, on the other hand, is essentially a medical recruiting company. With the health market in dire need of medical personnel at all levels in all places across the country, franchisees with this business make a difference by fitting professionals into a market that will never see an end to its need. And all of this, for the business owner, is done right from a home office, not more than yards away from where junior is sleeping the day away.

For the mom with school-aged children, a great alternative to staying home all day is the purchase of a Computer Explorers franchise. Taking the show on the road, this home-based business travels to local schools to help get kids exposed to computer technology at the earliest stages of education and hopefully give them a head-start to success. Since most of the work is done in school classrooms with kids, the hours are perfect for a mom trying to get as much after-school time as possible with her own children, because their school hours are her work hours.

But not all moms feel that they're over-worked. Everyone knows one of those extra-special people who seems to have either more energy or more hours to the day than all the rest of us do, and the last thing they want is a moment of un-productivity. For such a mother, Plan Ahead Events may be just the ticket. Another home business, this franchise deals in event planning, helping to make sure that parties and other events go off without a hitch-and we all know that that is a talent all mothers either have or develop.

And that really can be said of any of these jobs or of any other that you find while browsing around this site: because of the mind-boggling number of skills a mother must either posses or grow in order to successfully raise children-and sometimes a husband-the abilities needed for a whole slough of money-making jobs are already in place. All any seasoned mother has to do is find the franchise that fits best with her skill-set and the amount of time and energy she can dedicate to that second job, because for any good mother, nothing takes precedence over her work for her family.

June 04, 2008