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Influencer in her professional studio recording.

Influencer in her professional studio recording. ()

Whether you find yourself constantly moving with the military or you are just wanting to work for yourself, set your hours and be your own boss, entrepreneurship may be a path for you. More women are turning to entrepreneurship for employment to have more control over their work/life balance. In 2019, 42 percent of small businesses in America were owned and operated by women, up from 4.6 percent in 1972 and 29 percent in 2010, according to earthweb.com.

Of course, starting your own business comes with various tasks and pros and cons, such as start-up and production costs, scheduling, marketing designs and flooded markets. You can combat some of the cons, such as scheduling dedicated time to your fledgling business: get away from distractions by working from a local café or coffee shop. You can get some productivity out of this time just for you and your ideas while supporting a local business when you purchase a tasty treat to go with those marked checkboxes. Bonus points if it’s a woman-owned business.

We found different themes to base five business ideas for women which include education, hospitality and care, content creation and editing. This month, we are talking about businesses you can start by creating content.

1. Brand Yourself: Influencing

Amidst a sea of teenagers lip-syncing and dancing to what they think is classic rock but is really just pop rock from the early 2000s, is an opportunity for you to put your voice out there and get paid/sponsored. Do you have something that makes you uniquely you? Do you have insights on topics that people tend to find funny, intriguing or truly interesting? Write about it. Talk about it. Sing about it. Film it. Begin a blog. Start a podcast. Post about it on Instagram. Build a following. According to vimeo.com, Instagram is the top platform for influencers in 2022, followed by Youtube and Snapchat.

2. Freelance Writing and Editing

If you have a flare for writing or find yourself circling spelling and grammar mistakes in your favorite books and magazines, this might be the business for you. Companies always need people to write and edit content such as press releases, blog pieces, grant applications and more. Check out LinkedIn, Indeed, FIVRR, and other sites for freelance opportunities. If you are looking to get your feet wet with writing, submit your pitch to Stripes Europe to contentteam@stripes.com.

3. Graphic Design

For those artistically talented and tech-savvy, your skills are in demand. Companies are always for people to design their logos and marketing materials, as well as make their websites so their clients can find them. Check out LinkedIn, Indeed, FIVRR, and other sites for freelance opportunities.

4. Self-Publish your Book

Have you written a novel, novella or non-fiction book but going through the traditional paths of publishing such as hiring an agent or having a niche audience that big publishers aren’t interested in? Now, you have the power to publish your work and get it out to your audience: Selfpublishing.com has published a 7-step process about publishing your book on Amazon’s Kindle Direct.

5. Web Design

Another job for the technologically savvy is web design. Businesses are always searching for ways to reach an expanding audience and having a professional and updated website is one way to attract new clientele. Godaddy.com has published an article all about starting a successful web design business.

author picture
Tamala Malerk is a writer and editor with Stars and Stripes Europe. She has been with SSE since April 2022 writing articles all about travel, lifestyle, community news, military life and more. In May 2022, she earned her Ph.D. in History and promises it is much more relevant to this job than one might think.

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