WORK AT HOME
MOM
BECOMING A SUCCESSFUL STAY AT HOME MOM WITH PROVEN TACTICS THAT WORK
The Complete
SECRETS HOW TO STAY AT HOME DIGITAL WORKBOOK HOW TO BECOME MOM AT HOME
COPYRIGHTS / DISCLAIMER This guide may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the publisher. Every effort has been made to make this guide as compete and accurate as possible. Although the author and publisher have prepared this guide with the greatest of care, and have made every effort to ensure the accuracy, we assume no responsibility or liability for errors, inaccuracies or omissions. Before you begin, check with the appropriate authorities to insure compliance with all laws and regulations. Every effort has been made to make this report as complete and accurate as possible. However, there may be mistakes in typography or content. Also, this report contains information on online marketing and technology only up to the publishing date. Therefore, this report should be used as a guide – not as the ultimate source of Internet marketing information. The purpose of this report is to educate. The author and publisher does not warrant that the information contained in this report is fully complete and shall not be responsible for any errors or omissions. The author and publisher shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by this report, nor do we make any claims or promised of your ability to generate income by using any of this information.
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Welcome If you want to succeed with home business, you need to first of all, understand your “why.” Why do you want to stay at home and succeed? Who are you doing it for? What are you hoping to achieve? Freedom from the rat race? Be with your children and family? Whatever the reason, you need to always remember your “why” because it is going to be an uphill battle to success. There will be times when you will feel so tired, when you will feel like the world is conspiring against you to fail. You will feel like your home business is not bringing you any closer to your goals. When that time comes, remember your “why” and you will feel your motivation come back.
I'M JIRI Whenever you make any changes in your life getting the right kind of help is crucial. You need someone with experience combined with success. We took a keen interest in the health industry and business in general for the past 35 years.
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Along that road we had achieved a greater quality of life, by increasing our health and our wealth, we provided ourselves a truly unlimited lifestyle. Now we and our team take great joy in helping focused individuals accomplish the same quality of life.
Make it Happen!
The juicy
CONTENTS
Chapter 1/6 Introduction
Chapter 2/9
Why Become A Work At Home Mom
Chapter 3/13
Earning Extra Income As A Work at Home Mom
Chapter 4/18
Examine Your Skills And Turn Them Into Business
Chapter 5/21
Be Careful To Avoid Work At Home Mom Scams
Chapter 6/24
Work At Home Moms Need To Learn The Finer Art Of Networking
Chapter 7/26
Online Opportunities For Work At Home Moms
Chapter 8/29
Structuring Time As A Work At Home Mom
Chapter 9/32
Find Your Passion, Find Your Work At Home Job
Chapter 10/35
How To Keep The Kids Occupied When You Work At home
Our Story
Escaping the Soviet tanks in Prague, we immigrated to Canada in 1968. No money, no jacket and no English, this new life would present a challenge. Today we enjoy a life unburdened by financial distress and we have the ability to enjoy our personal pursuits. But life for us has never been just about achieving real wealth. Wealth simply affords us the ability to accomplish our goals. Now we, enjoy travel, hiking, skiing, and great friends. But more than all these things, we help others to find the power within them to achieve their life goals and build a secure future. With over 35 years in the network marketing business, we have the joy of touching the lives of hundreds of now successful entrepreneurs. We help people to understand the real world of network marketing, how to use it to their advantage and how to build real wealth. We love to help you understand the right questions and what the answers to those questions mean.
Jiri and Janina
Chapter One INTRODUCTION
More and more women are choosing to stay home but still pursue a career. The old idea that women had to choose to be at home or away at work no longer applies. But if you currently work outside the home, you might wonder if you can take the plunge and become a WAHM. Perhaps you have the business idea, or you have the acumen to start something new, but you just aren’t sure that you can actually do it. How will you know when the time is right? There are a few things to consider:
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Can You Afford It First, consider finances. Depending on what business you plan to work at home, it might take some time for you to make money in your new venture. Can you afford to live on your spouse’s income only during that time? To determine if you can afford your WAHM venture, first do a budget and figure out what your base living expenses are each month. Does one income cover that expense? If not, do you have enough in savings to cover the difference if need be for the first few months of your WAHM business? If one salary isn’t enough to cover the expenses, do you have savings that you can pull from if necessary? If not, consider working a few more months while putting as much as possible in the bank. Before you take the plunge, also consider what kinds of start-up expenses there will be for your business. Can you afford to make that investment? Remember that some start-up expenses are tax-deductible, but you still have to be able to make the purchases and investments now.
Can You Handle It The human mind is amazing. It can either push you to go after your dreams no matter what it takes or bury it long before you even do anything about it. But your mind and your thoughts aren’t independent of who you are as a person. The truth is, YOU control your mind. Your mind doesn’t control you! With that said, if you want to change your life for the better, then you need to get out of your comfort zone. You’ll never see success ifyou keep on doing the same things over and over again. When you enter the world of side hustling and entrepreneurship, you need to change the way you think. If you’ve got a negative mindset, then you absolutely must change it to a positive one. If you don’t, then you’re never going to get anywhere, you’ll be stuck doing the same kind of jobs until you die. The same jobs that give you an uncomfortable, mediocre, and ultimately, unhappy life. www.WiseBusinessUniversity.com | page 07
Are You Ready to Make Change? Transitioning from being a mom who works outside the home to one who works at home can be tough. Or, if you’ve been at stay-at-home mom, it can be difficult on your family, who must make the transition from seeing you as very accessible to them to being concerned with other matters. Ask yourself these hard questions about transition. Are you ready to work at home? Can you handle the isolation? Do you think you can be a work at home mom and still see to your family’s needs? Most moms decide to work at home because they want to be available to their children; if you plant your children in front of the television so you can work, you haven’t necessarily succeeded in your mission. If you’ve been thinking about becoming a WAHM for some time, you likely know the answers to all of these questions already. Once you know that you’re ready for the change, the transition can be fairly simple because your confidence will help provide a good result.
Realise your dreams! www.WiseBusinessUniversity.com | page 08
Chapter Two WHY BECOME A WORK AT HOME MOM
A lot of moms struggle with the concept of becoming a work at home mom. It’s tempting to do it, but they just aren’t sure if it’s the right thing for them. But there are many reasons why choosing to become a WAHM is ideal. Let’s count the ways:
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Time When you work outside the home, you lose a lot of time. Not at work, because when you work at home you might likely put in as many hours as when you work outside the home, but after work, and before work. Depending on where you live, there is a commute to consider and other obligations that might keep you from getting home just when you like. When you add kids to the mix, being gone a lot is a problem. They need to see their parents, and when you work outside the home, you might be gone up to 10 hours a day (or more, depending in your job and that commute). When you work in the home, you don’t need to “leave” for work until it’s time to begin work. No commute required. And when you’re done with work, you can leave and be home, well, immediately.
Chaos The life of a household with two working parents can be chaotic. You might get home from work only to turn right around and head to soccer practice, or gymnastics, or piano lessons, or a combination of all of them. There’s a certain amount of chaos build into that situation. When you work at home, you are already there. When it’s time to head to soccer, you simply shut down your work for the day (or for now, if you intend to return later) and you go to soccer. Sometimes you might even be able to bring your work with you. In addition, you won’t have any of the scheduling problems that moms who work outside the home might have. You can allow your kids afterschool activities and play dates. You’re there to either supervise or do the driving.
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Money You might be surprised to discover that you can save money by working at home, thereby increasing your net income. When you work at home, you don’t have to pay for full-time daycare. Depending on the ages of your children, you might need to take advantage of some part-time daycare until the kids are in school, however. You won’t have a commute, so you will save on gas, and you can likely save on clothing. Even if you do meet with clients, or do parties, or work partly outside the home at your home-based business, you can have a much simpler work wardrobe than you would have if you worked outside the home. Since you won’t see the same people every day, you can settle for fewer work pieces. Mostly, however you can dress very casually if you work at home. You might also see a savings in unexpected areas. You will eat lunch at home most or all of the time, thereby saving on lunch costs. You won’t be caught up ordering things from co-workers or their children. You won’t have to contribute to the workplace birthday fund.
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Quality Of Life Of course, this is debatable in that not everyone can claim that working at home gives them a better quality of life. That’s due to the simple fact that working at home isn’t for everyone. But if you think that working at home might be the thing for you, it’s important to consider that your quality of life might improve. When you work at home, you have much more control over your time than you do when you work outside the home. Depending on what kind of work you do at home, you might have absolute control or just some control, but in either event, you will ultimately have a bit more control over your time than when you work outside the home. If the kids get sick, you can be there for them. If you get sick, you can take a day off and make up for it the next day. If you want to take a day off and run errands, or see a movie, you can do that. You ultimately control when the work gets done and as long as it gets done, you have a great deal of control over when and how. For people who like to work at night, working at home is ideal because they can work through the night and sleep late the next day. There are many benefits to becoming a work at home mom. Consider what’s important to you in life and then consider if working outside the home or inside the home is the best way to achieve those life goals.
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Chapter three EARNING EXTRA INCOME AS A WORK AT HOME
Working at home can be exhausting for a mom, and breaks might be rare. But you might work from home because you need the extra money and can’t afford to take breaks. But you can create breaks within the context of work. Let’s look at this further. What we mean is that you can still work your full-time WAHM job, but add something in to break the monotony, or perhaps bring in extra money for holidays or to fill in a gap when your industry slows down temporarily. These jobs likely won’t net you full-time income right away, but they are fun and interesting alternatives from the everyday work that you might be burnt from.
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3 STEPS TO FINANCIAL FREEDOM One of the best, low-cost ways to invest in your business skills is to join a Network Marketing company. There are many other options such as starting a traditional business or maybe even an Online Business.
But if you want to guarantee yourself something concrete where business skills are concern, my take is on Network Marketing. Regardless of what you have heard about this industry or how much money people have lost there, the biggest reason why I would recommend everyone to invest in a network marketing company is because of what you can learn there, and not because of how much money you can make (although it would be fantastic if you can make a living out of it). You see, network marketing companies are the one place where people will share their trade secrets FREELY. It is logical because in order for your upline to succeed, they will want you to succeed as well! Therefore, they will not hold back in teaching you the skills of a business person. Furthermore, the relatively low cost of investing in a network marketing company will amaze you for what you can learn for the price you are paying (a few bottles of vitamins and a business kit for the experience of a lifetime!) They will patiently train you in the attitudes and business skills you need to succeed in this industry. Basically, you can’t succeed in network marketing with an employee’s mindset. A network marketing company will train you in sales, communication, teamwork, leadership, positive thinking, self-improvement, time and money investment as well as the support of your upline as a personal coach and mentor. I dare say that even if you didn’t make a cent, but diligently went through their program, the skills you develop will last a lifetime. You can also develop skills by attaching yourself to an insurance agency. The job may be challenging, but those companies will also teach you the same skills above and maybe even gain a few tips on financial planning as well.
Realise your dreams!
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Network Marketing The most important thing of all besides a good learning attitude are the people you mix around with. This is very hard to swallow but imagine if you start talking to your five beer drinking, poker buddies that you want to go out on your own and make a fortune, what would they tell you? They would laugh their socks off before tearing your ego into a million pieces! At the heart of man lies jealousy. They don’t want to see the people around them succeed. If you succeed, it makes them look bad. They know in their hearts that they are going nowhere yet they embrace that lifestyle and pull you down with them. They will steal your dream, and rob you of your financial freedom if you are not careful! The key point to remember is: Only mix with Positive thinking people! The Network Marketing industry is the most friendly, helpful, supportive and motivational vehicel toward your success. And all the training and ispiration is free. Positive thinking is not wishful thinking. A wishful thinker is a dreamer who doesn’t take action. Positive thinking is backed by action and you will feel the energy of people who believe in you and support your dreams. If you hang out with ducks, you will quack… but if you hang out with eagles, you will soar! So start looking for people who will follow your vision or are willing to grow together with you. www.WiseBusinessUniversity.com | page 15
Letter Writers At Christmas, many WAHMs make extra money by writing letters from Santa. These can be postmarked from the “North Pole” or they can be on special paper or they might include special treats from Santa. You can build a quick website and market it to other moms who might be interested in their child or children getting a letter from Santa. There are also websites that specialize in writing letters for people who can’t do it themselves or who want to present a more polished image than their own writing might provide.
Cake Bakers Many at-home moms turn into amateur bakers for weekend gatherings, from birthday parties to weddings. If you can bake well and can learn, or know, the art of cake decorating, you can make extra money at home selling decorated cakes. This can be a nice break from your regular WAHM job, especially if your regular job is a solitary or sedentary affair. Making and decorating cakes can be creative, offering a nice respite from the demands of a less creative job.
Mystery Shopping If you miss being out and about while working your WAHM job, you might want to pick up a mystery shopping job now and then. These can be quick (taking less than an hour) but can net you a few dollars and sometimes free products. Look online for mystery shopping companies that provide services to the kinds of business you would like to shop – you might do mystery shops at restaurants, apartment complexes or cell phone kiosks.
Realise your dreams!
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Sell Products - best business While many moms make a full-time living as consultants selling everything from skincare products to food, you can do it on a part-time basis and work when you need some variety or extra cash. If you decide to sell items as a part-time gig, make sure you read the fine print carefully of the company you sign up with. Some have minimum requirements you must meet on a monthly or quarterly basis. Make sure that even on a part-time basis you can meet that minimum requirement. Direct sales or network marketing a home business party sales job includes selling products directly to your customers through small gatherings. A variety of different types of home-based party sales business opportunities exist
Top 10 Benefits of Direct Sales Great in income. Flexible schedule. Be your own boss and work from home. Friendships and relationships. Incentives and recognition. Business skills. Personal growth. Exotic vacations. Team work
It newer gets easier. You just get BETTER www.WiseBusinessUniversity.com | page 17
Chapter four EXAMINE YOUR SKILLS AND TURN THEM INTO BUSINESS
As you think about the myriad of work-at-home opportunities, you could be overlooking one important thing – you have skills that you can turn into a career. Although it’s easy and sometimes tempting to sign up with a company or to begin selling a product, there are many skills that each of us bring to the table that can help us to create our own successful at-home enterprises. Before you settle on a work-at-home job, carefully examine your skill set and determine if you can make a solid at-home work opportunity out of your skills. Though there is no harm in joining an already successful company, many moms are more interested in starting their own businesses. If you are that kind of mom, consider your skills first so you choose the right at-home business for you.
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Money Have you ever worked as a cashier? What skills did that require? If you had to reconcile your cash drawer, you have some experience with bookkeeping. You also likely have some customer service skills. Many women work at home as bookkeepers or as assistants to accountants.
Office skills If you have ever worked in an office, you might have a long list of beneficial qualities that would help in an at-home job. These include phone skills, customer service skills, software experience and perhaps even some marketing or public relations skills. Office skills and experience (as well as any training you might also have) can be used in a variety of ways with at-home jobs. Many moms work at home as virtual assistants, for example, which require customer service skills, software experience and basic office training. Other moms with office skills can work at home for a local business. To save money, local businesses are more likely these days to hire people to work from home to handle calls, mail and basic clerical duties.
Focus on your goals
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Technical Skills Those who have worked in graphic design and website design are perfectly positioned to take advantage of the work-at-home job market. That is, you can easily turn your graphic design and website design skills into an at-home business. Your services will likely cost another business less than using an in-house designer and if you provide the same – or better – quality, you can create a niche for yourself that others might not be able to easily fill. Other technical skills that might be useful for at-home businesses include computer repair, specific software application training and other skills that you might have learned in a previous job, in college, or that you took specific classes for.
Entertainment Many moms have had success turning their entertainment skills into an at-home business. Your ability to put on a beautiful party can be turned into a business that puts on tea party birthdays for young girls. Or you might start a catering business from home. Or you could become a personal chef. Some moms start successful home businesses that are borne out of their theater or singing experience. The key to turning your skills and experience into a successful home business is to be honest about your skills. Know what you can do and what you are weak at. Perhaps you know that you can run a lucrative web design business, but you can’t handle money. Maybe you can hire another WAHM to do your bookkeeping for you. In that way you help yourself and another mom at the same time. Make a list of the skills you have and those you might like to acquire and from that list, create some ideas for your at-home business. You might be surprised how much you bring to the at-home business table.
I can and I will. Watch me www.WiseBusinessUniversity.com | page 20
Chapter five BE CAREFUL TO AVOID WORK AT HOME MOM SCAMS
If you really want to work at home, you might be tempted by the many ads online and even in newspapers that promise easy work and good money. It’s hard not to be tempted by these ads and promises. But there are many scams out there, and they can strip you of money, reputation and, at the very least, your confidence.
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The Most Common Scam Craft Assembly One of the most common work-from-home business scams is craft assembly. The gist of this scam is fairly straightforward. You buy the starter kit, which contains everything you need to assemble a basic product or craft at home. You send the finished crafts back to the company, which states it will pay you for them. The scam works by getting people to buy the startup kit, because that makes the scammer money. When the victims send in their finished products, they receive a letter or email to inform them that, sadly, their assembled products just were not of a high enough quality to be purchased. The scammer walks away with the victims' startup fees.
Typing at Home A number of companies legitimately hire and employ data-entry personnel, but employees are usually required to show up to a physical site. For a small fee, this scammer promises victims they will receive instructions on how to make money typing on the Internet. A victim pays the fee, and receives a disk in the mail. The information on the disk, however, will not illustrate how to make money as a typist. Instead, the disk will state how to set up the very same scam by which the victim was caught. The instructions detail how to set up Internet ads, and sell copies of the disk the scam victim just received.
Envelope Stuffing This is perhaps the granddaddy of all work-from-home scams. Generally speaking, you are supposed to receive up to 1,000 envelopes per week, and you will be paid a small sum to stuff these envelopes. The envelopes supposedly have a return address and prepaid postage. The scam begins when you send in a small fee with a self-addressed, stamped envelope. The scammer mails your envelope back to you, stuffed with a flier advertising the scam. You are supposed to make copies of the flier, and post it all over the city. Readers will send you the small fee, and you will stuff their self-addressed, postagepaid envelope with a flier identical to the one they saw; with instructions on how to get people to send you money. It works like a virus, and it turns the victims into scammers, too. www.WiseBusinessUniversity.com | page 22
How To Spot A Scam It’s not easy to spot a scam. If you are desperate to work at home and looking for something that’s already set up for you (in that you don’t have to actually start your own business), you might be tempted by these offers to work at home. There are several criteria to help you determine if you are dealing with unscrupulous people who are trying to scam you. First, if an offer promises big pay for easy work, it might be a scam. The reality is that few people can get paid big dollars for easy work and little work. Big pay usually is a reward for big work, so while it might be tempting to think that you can get paid big dollars for little work, you have to objectively consider the possibilities there. Any offer that promises you a lot of work for a fee is likely not on the up and up. You shouldn’t have to pay to work. You shouldn’t have to pay for a job. Of course, some businesses (like businesses where you sell products as a consultant for a company) will require a small up-front investment. In that case, however, you are investing in your own business, not the business of others. You are investing to get the products you need to run your business and that is decidedly different than paying to get a job. Ask questions. If you get vague answers, or your questions are ignored completely, that should set off a few warning bells with you. You should be able to dig up a street address for the company, the names of the relevant players in the company and you should be able to check the company’s history with the Better Business Bureau and other such agencies. Don’t sign up for a job or to work with a company without talking to someone on the phone or person. Don’t settle for the information available on a website in the FAQs. Instead, make sure you can make contact with someone you can talk to one-on-one (not in email). If you can’t do that, you might want to look elsewhere. If you do need to make an investment in product or materials (not for the job itself) use your credit card. Don’t write a check or use a debit card because those will be harder to get protection with. If you use a credit card, you get protection from the credit card company if things go wrong. Do your research and understand the various risks and rewards of the company you are considering there are many bad deals out there and many scams, but if you do your research, you should be able to find the right opportunity for you. www.WiseBusinessUniversity.com | page 23
Chapter six WORK AT HOME MOMS NEED TO LEARN THE FINER ART OF NETWORKING
Getting your WAHM business off the ground can be tough. At any given time, you might be competing with thousands of other businesses who are also trying to get attention for their own businesses. How can you make yours stand out? It’s all about networking. Networking is simply talking to people, getting the word out about your business and then doing the same for others. In recent years, the world of networking has changed to reflect the impact that the internet can have. If you play your cards right, you can network almost exclusively online. If you have a WAHM business, you might want to know how to leverage the power of the internet to drive traffic to your own business.
Here are some ideas:
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Website Build a website. No longer do you have to know HTML to build a website; you can buy a software program that will build the site for you or you can pay for someone to design the site for you. Many reputable companies offer free personal website with shopping card and credit card processing system. If you are working at home selling your homemade coin purses, for example, you might write and post articles that talk about fabric, the craft of sewing and unique gifts, all while extolling the virtues of coin purses.
Links Once you have a website, you have something you can direct people to. Having a website isn’t a “build it and they will come” kind of proposition. You need to market that website, promote it in some fashion. Here’s how you can do that. Read blogs that are somehow related to your subject area. In the case of your coin purse business, for example, you might read blogs that are about housekeeping, crafting, sewing, health, nutrition and fashion. Make comments on blog posts and provide a link to your site. People will read your comments and if they like what they read; they might click on your link. That drives people to the site and provides you with a method to get information about your website out to hundreds or thousands of people at a time.
Twitter Yes, everyone these days is “Twittering”. It can be a time waster as people twitter that they “just put dinner in the oven” or are “waiting for a delayed flight”. But many people have also discovered the power of Twitter as a networking tool. You can post a link to your site in your Twitter profile and you can post comments related to what you do. People will “follow” you and you can “follow” them. As you post blog comments, or you update your web page, or even post updates to your own blog, you can make Twitter comments that include links to these things. You can also add a link to your Twitter page on your website. It might take some time to get all of these things started but take the time to do it – it’s all nearly free advertising and can turn into big money for you. www.WiseBusinessUniversity.com | page 25
Chapter seven ONLINE OPPORTUNITIES FOR WORK AT HOME MOMS
If your interest in working at home focuses on a job that requires no phone use and no leaving the house for work, you might be looking for an online job. What’s an online job? Basically, an online job is that which you get online, work online and that requires you only to have a computer and some other job-specific tools. Many WAHMs find that online jobs work well for them because they can work whenever and however, they want and can withstand many interruptions without much problem.
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Ebay One of the most well-known of the online jobs, Ebay has made many a mom a nice income from home. You can sell any number of items on Ebay, but moms often sell used baby and children clothing, custom clothing, collectibles and other such items. Selling items on Ebay comes with its own set of challenges. There is shopping to be done, so that you can build an inventory of things to sell, and the job requires good customer service skills. Some customers can be difficult to deal with and you don’t have the advantage of looking them in the face when dealing with them. Making money on Ebay has become a bit tougher in recent years as postal rates have risen and Ebay fees have increased. Smart WAHMs have adjusted how they sell in order to keep their profit consistent. They might sell clothes in “lots” rather than single items. They might seek out new methods for acquiring goods and buy in bulk so they can get a better deal on inventory. There’s little investment necessary to sell on Ebay, other than a computer (high-speed access is recommended for uploading auctions), and inventory. It also requires the investment in basic mailing materials and sometimes business cards.
Online Marketing Many WAHMs have learned and conquered the world of online marketing, which allows you to market any number of items. Many people market eBooks and promote them over the web, then get a cut each time someone buys the book. To that end, you can also build websites and get a small cut of the profits from when people click through the ads. You might start a blog (which also places this in the writing category) and promote it in a professional manner, bringing advertisers and many readers to your site. Some bloggers can claim incomes of more than $100,000 each year. There are many opportunities for moms who want to work exclusively online. All it takes is a little research and creativity.
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Chapter eight STRUCTURING TIME AS A WORK AT HOME MOM
To be successful working at home, you must have schedules. It’s easy to get sidetracked with the laundry, the cleaning, and the errand running. But to have a successful business that brings in the necessary income, staying focused on the job at hand is essential. How can you do that? It’s all about scheduling. Let’s say that again – schedules are good, schedules are essential, schedules will keep your productive at work and in control at home.
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Why Do You Need Schedules? Especially if you are a more creative thinker, scheduling things can seem rigid and unwelcome. You might not like the idea of having to schedule when you get things done, or the idea of planning meals ahead of time. But doing these things actually provides freedom. When you work at home, you are shoulder to shoulder with the mess, the laundry, and the children. It’s easy to get sidetracked trying to take care of these things. But if everything is on a schedule (even the children, if they are home during the day), you can get more done. You’ll be able to focus on work when you’re working because you won’t get sidetracked thinking about all the other things that you need to get done.
How Do You Schedule Think about the things that you need to get done on a daily or weekly basis. Consider the laundry, the cooking, the general cleaning and the childcare. If you know that you are usually home on Sundays, for example, you can plan to make Sunday laundry day. You don’t allow yourself to do laundry on any other day, but Sunday and you stick to that schedule. During the week, you won’t get sidetracked folding laundry. Planning menus is essential. If you are the primary cook in your house, you must know what you are going to cook each day or at the end of your workday, you’re going to end up in the car in the fast food lane. Since most women choose to work at home in order to be more available to their family, working at home all day and then providing takeout is hardly a step above. Instead, plan a week’s worth of menus at a time. Ideally, you will plan a month’s worth of menus, but you can start with a week. Buy all the groceries you need for the week and even clean and cut veggies, put meat in marinades and measure out rice ahead of time. When you close up your workshop for the day, you can easily get a simple meal on the table because you were organized enough to get some prep done ahead of time. To be efficient in work, it’s best if you just work when you’re working. That means don’t get sidetracked with paying bills or ordering books for your child’s book collection. Save those things for evening time, when you are more focused on home endeavors, or for your breaks. www.WiseBusinessUniversity.com | page 30
Take Breaks On that note, be structured enough with your time to take breaks. Think of yourself as working in an office. You might head to the break room for a cup of coffee and on the way, have a brief discussion with a coworker about a party you both attended the night before. You might take another break later in the day and make a phone call to your child’s teacher. If you think of your work at home life in a similar fashion, you can quickly see the results of your structured time. Take regular breaks and during that time, you can send a quick email to a friend or send a text to another. You might make that book order or that phone call. A few minutes later, you return to work just as you would if you worked outside the home.
Get Started Right Finally, start each day in an organized fashion. Make sure the breakfast dishes are done, that the beds are made, and the house is generally straightened. Sit down to a clean workspace. As you start your work for the day, you’ll have a sense that everything is in order and you can feel at peace focusing on your work needs because there are no other pressing needs you must worry about right now. Structuring your time as a WAHM might seem like one more thing you must take care of but doing so will actually free you to focus better at work and at home, even when those worlds intersect.
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Chapter nine FIND YOUR PASSION, FIND YOUR WORK AT HOME
If you have ever heard the expression, “do what you love and the money will follow” then you understand the basic concept of finding a passion for your WAHM business. You might spend a good deal of time working your WAHM business, so it’s important that it’s something you feel passionate about.
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How Can You Find Your Passion? Think about the things in life that bring you great joy. Is it your kids? Your crafting? Your cooking? What do you enjoy doing the most? When you get a small pocket of time that’s not scheduled with other activities, what do you choose to do? Also think about the things you enjoyed doing before you were a mom. The things you did on the weekends when you had time. What did you do? What brings you joy? You might even mentally wander back to the first job you had when you were truly happy. Your answers to the questions give you a sense of what your passions are. Then think about how you can turn these in WAHM businesses.
Turn That Passion Into A Business If you are an excellent cook, you might turn your passion for cooking into a personal chef business, a catering business, a business that supplies muffins and treats for offices, or even a menu planner (where you provide other moms with pre-planned menus that they simply follow each week when cooking for their own families). Let’s say you adore children, yours and others. You can’t get enough of them and enjoy each moment you spend with children. It’s not your desire to “get away” from them to work, but to include them as much as possible. In that case, your WAHM business might center on children in some fashion. You might tutor kids or open a home daycare. If you are a crafter, you can turn that passion into a business of many different sorts. You might make your crafts and sell them at craft shows, or on Etsy.com or even on eBay. Some women have trunk shows in their home where they sell their wares. This works especially well if you are selling fashion accessories or jewelry that you make.
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What If You Don’t Have A Passion You might think about the things you like doing and realize that those things don’t translate well into a business. What then? Then it’s time to reexamine the things you like to do. That is, you might find that your passions do lend themselves well to a WAHM business. Are you passionate about watching television? If so, you can turn that passion into a blog that might get a good number of readers. You might find a job reviewing your favorite shows for a funny or irreverent site. There are sites that pay for book reviews; if you are a passionate reader, you might write book reviews that net you some pay. You can also set up a blog that is written for passionate bloggers. Learn how to market it and you could have a nice little income for yourself from that blog. If you are passionate about fitness, you might find a WAHM job as a personal trainer, providing you have adequate equipment and space at your home. You might also find a niche for yourself as a personal fitness motivator, providing customers with detailed and customized fitness plans and motivation. Finding a business that is rooted in your passion isn’t hard once you examine your basic skill sets and combine that with your passion. You’re sure to do well when you start with the things you love doing.
Search for Passion
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Chapter ten HOW TO KEEP THE KIDS OCCUPIED WHEN YOU WORK AT HOME
For many women, the idea of working at home is a dream. They like the idea of being at home for their kids after school, or if someone gets sick. There’s no longer any concern when a school break comes around. The kids have a place to be. But there are some challenges to working at home with kids underfoot. Whether the children are younger or older, there can be challenges. Those challenges might be a little more manageable when the children are older, but there are challenges, nonetheless.
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Very Young Children If you work at home and you have an infant or toddler, it’s unreasonable to assume that you can work full-time during the day and have the children at home as well. But all is not lost. Many moms find suitable solutions. First, you can hire help to come in and help you with the child or children while you’re working. If your infant generally sleeps the morning away, consider having someone come to help in the afternoon when he’s more alert. Since you will be at home, you won’t have to pay a babysitter as much as you would if you were gone. Some moms will work very early in the morning before their young child gets up and then late in the evening when the child has gone to bed. Of course, this might mean sacrificing some sleep yourself, but at least until the child or children are older, this can be a suitable arrangement. Other moms who work at home with young ones will put the child in daycare. This might seem contrary to the notion of staying at home to be with your children, but there are times when there’s no other solution. Since you have control over your hours, you can drop your child off later than you would if you were commuting and you can also pick him or her up earlier. You can also visit at lunch if you like. As your children get older, and enter preschool, this arrangement will no longer be necessary.
Preschool Children If you have preschool-age children, your dreams for working at home become at once easier and more difficult. That is, at this age, children are more likely to play independently, but might also – vocally – demand your attention. This can be a challenge if you work on the phone. Most moms find that the best arrangement for working at home with children this age is to work when the child is at preschool as well as in the early morning and late evening. Naptime is also ideal. Once your child gives up a nap, you can still institute a “quiet time” each day during which your child can read quietly, watch a movie, or do coloring or other artwork. This gives you a block of time to get some work done as well.
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School Age Children You might think that as soon as your children are in school, things will get easier. And they will. To a degree. But if you want to work full-time, you must account for those few hours after the kids get home from school and before your quitting time. Many moms simply take the approach that involves setting up business hours and keeping the kids on a schedule that requires they respect those business hours. You can make clear to the kids that you aren’t available until your business hours are over (perhaps 5 p.m.). One of the best solutions for most moms will involve keeping the kids busy. If you find many after-school activities for the kids, you might have to drive them somewhere, but otherwise can work undisturbed in the afternoon hours. You might also make an arrangement with other parents to trade off childcare duties. Or, if the kids are older and can play fairly independently, you can offer to host play dates now and then. The kids will be busy and out of your hair and you can finish your day’s work. Being at home with the children is one of the great motivators for moms who work at home, but it does take some planning and organizing.
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Believe in yourself So, start looking for people who will follow your vision or are willing to grow together with you.
Lastly, you must BELIEVE IN YOURSELF! The task of stepping out of your comfort zone may seem terrifying and many will not support your dream. They may offensive even if your dream. That be your parents or
even go on the you don’t share person may even your spouse.
Then you will be faced with the question, is my financial freedom worth the price I am paying now? Can I live another day with the same routine, the same job, the same paycheck or the same drudgery? If the answer is no, then take action NOW. Not tomorrow, you will wake up and forget about your dream. Write down your desire on a piece of paper and hang on tight to it everyday. Share it with someone positive and take that first step.
You won’t regret it. www.WiseBusinessUniversity.com | page 38
Vision and Mission Vision Our vision is by sharing our knowledge and experience we will be able to create a better everyday life for many people who are starting a new home-based business and become the most passionately referred group in the Network Marketing industry.
Mission At Wise Business University we educate aspiring entrepreneuers about managing finances, establighing a strong online presence, and general Network Marketing business fundamentals. We’re here to identify, support and encourage women and men to build the next million dollar business.”
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