Dr. Eboni Green
June 20, 2021
Serving as a caregiver for an elderly parent or grandparent can be hugely rewarding. You get to spend valuable time with your loved ones while helping them enjoy their later years. Unfortunately, caregiving can also take you away from a steady career path. The silver lining is you can still find professional success and personal fulfilment by establishing your own side hustle.
Caregiver Support Services is dedicated to providing useful resources for family caregivers that will help them thrive. This guide explains how senior caregivers can establish a successful side hustle to further their professional aspirations and bring in some added money.
As a caregiver, you’re naturally a nurturing person. Use that trait to your advantage when selecting a side hustle. For example, you might start a child or pet care business. Multicultural Caregiving provides a list of other possible side gigs for caregivers, including delivery driving, setting up an e-commerce shop, starting a landscaping business, and more.
When selecting a gig, consider your personal talents, resources, and interests. For example, if you have a green thumb and prefer a gig that allows you to spend time outdoors, landscaping is a great pick. Alternatively, if you’re a creative person, you might try selling handicrafts online via an e-commerce platform.
Resources in terms of materials and time are another consideration. For example, if you want to drive for Uber, you’ll need a car. You also have to be able to leave your senior loved one at home while you’re gone. If that isn’t possible, opt for a home-based business. The Accion Opportunity Fund explains that a home-based business also offers greater flexibility in terms of working hours.
Once you’ve decided what side hustle you want to pursue, take the time to write out a business plan. Michigan State University explains that a business plan is like a road map for your business, detailing financial and operational guidelines. A detailed document includes a competitor analysis, a management and operating plan, financial projections, and more.
If you’ve never written a business plan before, Growthink Inc. offers a free template you can use to guide the process. With this document in hand, you can pursue your side hustle confidently. You’ll always have your “guidebook” to refer back to when questions or uncertainties arise.
Balancing caretaking with a new business can be tricky. Outsourcing critical start-up tasks can help simplify matters. For example, marketing is critical to small business success. You want potential customers to hear about your goods or services. The great news is that marketing doesn’t have to cost a lot. CallRail describes affordable tactics, like social media and content marketing. You can find professionals for these tasks via work-for-hire online job boards. For example, you can browse content experts based on criteria like turnaround time and cost of content.
If you decide to bring on freelancers or employees, it’s important to have good accounting software in your corner. This way, you can take care of timesheets, invoices, and other tasks related to payroll. Additionally, software like QuickBooks Payroll can help you automate certain aspects of the payroll process, including filing and paying payroll taxes.
As a family caregiver, setting up a side hustle can help you earn extra income and give you personal agency over your professional life. The above guide explains how you can set up a thriving business while still giving your senior loved one the time and attention they deserve.
Harry Cline is a retired nursing home administrator, father of three, and caregiver to his ninety-year-old uncle, so he knows how challenging and rewarding caregiving can be.
He created his website, NewCaregiver.org.
