If you want to earn some cash and spend time with your children, working from home can be the ideal solution. Here are a few ideas to help you get started.

1. Don't be shy about spreading the word. Tell your friends, talk to women in the park and playgroups, and sell, via emails, texts and word of mouth.

2. Always do some market research and see what other mums are looking for before you jump in the deep end.

3. Think about solving a 'mum problem' - countless money making schemes have come from setting up mum friendly schemes.

4. Keep your overheads low - you're not starting a business just making extra money. This means you don't need a website and headed paper and a state-of-the-art computer just yet.

5. Do something simple. The more complicated, the more time and money it will involve.

6. Avoid any make-money-from-home venture that sounds too good to be true (it's bound to be), or asks you to pay a large sum you can't afford upfront.