Thursday, October 30, 2008

You are a great WAHM, Remain Confident

If you are a WAHM, there will probably be some or many point(s) where a relative, friend, or even a stranger will ask you “so, when are you going to get a real job?” Those kinds of questions can hurt, especially when, in reality, you are working very hard. Here are some suggestions on how to deal with those insensitive comments.

The important thing to remember is that most people have no clue as to how many ways there are to make money from home. If they have never researched the subject, the only time they probably heard about someone working from home is from a report on the television about someone who, unfortunately, got scammed. However mean their words may sound, the person is probably just trying to protect you from getting hurt.

If the person asking you this question is someone that you do not see on a regular basis, you can just try to laugh off the question and change the subject. However, if the person is someone you are close to and have quite a bit of contact with, try to educate them about your business. Explain to them what it is that you do, how much you enjoy it, and why you chose to work at home versus working in a traditional job.

Once your critic understands that working at home is a real option and that you are not involved in a scam, they will most likely be supportive of your decision. They may end up being a little jealous of you and wish they had the courage to leave their job and work from home, too!

Most importantly, never let anyone make you feel “less worthy” because you work from home. It doesn’t matter if you work on the highest level of the tallest building or if you work on card table in your living room – you are still a working mom, you are contributing to your family, and you are a wonderful role model to your children. By keeping your confidence high, you will be more successful in all aspects of your life.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Free Halloween Fun

Halloween is just a few days away, so just for joining my Secrets Recipes and Tips email you will receive a wonderful Halloween Fun E-book with lots of fun recipes, fun activities and fun games.
FUN FUN FUN













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Tuesday Toot 10/28/2008



It has been a crazy couple weeks, dog problems - then we were both sick. Busy with kids, working on potty training. Whew

My Toots for this week.
1. I was a blog posting maniac and pre-posted to my blogs so I didn't have to worry about it this week.
2. My son is going pee on the potty - we were having a hard time even getting him to sit on the potty. We aren't out of diapers yet, but we are on our way. I can't wait to have no more diapers in the house.

Monday, October 27, 2008

WAH - Letters to Santa



Just Add Sweat Guide to Start a Santa Letter Business

If every kid loves sending letters to Santa, imagine how delighted they’d be to actually RECEIVE a letter from Santa. Of course, Santa is a very busy guy, so he needs helpers to get his letters out and thus, the growing opportunity for starting a Santa Letter Business from home.

The “Just Add Sweat Guide to Start a Santa Letter Business” offers a very good overview with handy tools to break into the business.

The package includes:

- An instantly downloadable and printable e-guide.
- 10 sample letters that you can use for your business.
- Spreadsheets to help you track sales, costs and profits.
- Free printable sheets that you can add to the letters you sell.

Format:

Instant download with PDF (Adobe Acrobat Reader), .doc (Microsoft Word), .xls (Microsoft Excel). If you don’t have Microsoft Office, you can easily use Google Docs to open the files and it’s free.

Content:

The guide includes a bunch of topics including -

  • How a Santa Letter Business works and what’s involved.
  • Who business is suitable for and skills that will come in handy.
  • Required and optional equipment and supplies.
  • How to get special North Pole postmarks for your letter for added authenticity.
  • Understanding and setting yourself apart from the competition
  • Pricing your product.
  • Putting together letters that parents and kids will be glad to receive.
  • Theme letter ideas (ex. baby’s first birthday, new home, etc.) – plus templates are included with your purchase.
  • Business startup checklist.

Extra Stuff:

The guide and all the goodies actually come with lifetime updates, so anytime they update anything, you automatically get the updates without any extra charge.

Thoughts:

The guide itself already covers a decent amount of detail in getting started with the business, but the extra tools like the sample letters and spreadsheets should make it easy for anyone to get started.

Where to Buy:
Click here to visit the Just Add Sweat website and learn more

Share Don't Compare - Joint Ventures


Have you ever heard of a term called “healthy competition”? Competition can be a driving force when used properly. For instance, when two or more WAHMs get together and see who can sell the most product in a month or who can make the most customer follow-up calls in an hour can be fun. Having that competition going can give you something to work for and you may end up accomplishing more than you would have otherwise.

However, things can turn unhealthy when you start comparing yourself to your WAHM friends. If you have you ever found yourself thinking “Gee, Sally is so successful. I wish I was more like Sally. My life would be perfect if I could be like Sally.” You are comparing yourself to others. It may seem like human instinct – but do not fall into the trap!

You need to be proud of who you are and what you've accomplished. You do not have Sally’s life – she may have older children and eight hours a day to work on her business whereas you have a newborn and a toddler and only a few hours a day to work. It is important to set realistic goals. Remember the old saying “Rome wasn’t built in a day?” It applies to your business as well! And who knows if Sally is really as successful as she "seems"? Maybe she is saying she is more successful than she actually is. Sally may actually be comparing herself to you!

It is normal to wonder if your business is going as it should be, or if you are making as much as you could be. Seek out advice from someone who has been where you are now. They can offer an honest opinion and can tell you what they did to achieve their success. Remember to use their advice as a guideline. You need to set your own deadline. It doesn’t matter if it takes you a bit longer to achieve your goals. Building a successful business is not a race – it is a marathon! By working consistently on your business, you will achieve your goals.

So instead of comparing yourself to Sally you could form a “joint venture” with her and create a way for you to promote your services together. You will both share in the work and the profits. For instance, maybe you are an expert in affiliate marketing and you have a WAHM friend who loves to write. You two can team up on an e-book about affiliate marketing! Or perhaps you have a friend who is awesome at creating podcasts, have her interview you about affiliate marketing and the two of you can sell the mp3. The choices are limitless!

If you have an idea about something you would like to create but do not know anyone to team up with, start researching people that have the skills you need. Send them an email and let them know you like their work and might like to team up. You can also ask for recommendations from WAHMs you already know or put up a post on a message board about what you would like to accomplish.

Whatever method you choose to find potential co-workers, interview several people before you make any decisions; you want the project to be a success. Look at samples of the work each person has done in the past. You will also want to make sure your personalities do not clash, as you will be spending a lot of time working together. Do not choose someone just because they are your "friend", this is your business.

When you find someone you are interested in working with, make sure you both understand how the work will be divided, when the deadlines will be for each step of the project, how you are going to sell your product and how the profits will be divided.

Keep looking for other joint venture opportunities as they are win-win situations – you can offer a new product or service to your current customers and the new product can also bring you a whole slew of new customers!

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Could Use Some Time Management, WAHM Please


Many people assume that work at home moms have it easy; however, if any of those people have ever lived a day as a WAHM they would know it isn’t so easy. There are children to take care of, a house to clean, a dog to walk, groceries to buy, dinner to cook, laundry and dishes to wash the list could go on and on. Oh, and then there’s that business to work!

It may not be easy, but it isn’t impossible, either. By using some simple time management tricks, a WAHM can find time to “get it all done!” One thing every WAHM should have is a planner/date book. Schedule your family time first! Then schedule in the time you are going to work your business. Once you have your “work time” scheduled, make it a priority to stay focused on your business during those hours. It is very easy to procrastinate when you are a WAHM.

If your work requires you to do lots of different tasks, try to group similar tasks together. For instance, if you are in a direct sales business and you have a team under you or a coach, mentor, ect..., designate one day to be your “training day”. Instead of helping various team members throughout the week, schedule all of your mentoring sessions for one day. Set aside an hour in the morning and an hour in the late afternoon to respond to email and/or return phone calls. By scheduling that time in, you will find that you are able to get more work done and feel less scattered. The same thing is you need to have contact with clients, schedule it all for one day, keep in touch, but schedule those "social" calls.

You might also consider outsourcing some of your activities. If you find that you are spending too much time responding to emails, returning phone calls, or updating your website, hire a virtual assistant to do those tasks for you. This will free your time up to work on your business, and by spending more time on the parts of your business that actually bring in money, you will be able to increase your profits.

You can also save time by setting aside a block of time each week to do your “regular” errands, such as grocery shopping. If you plan your meals for the week and go to the grocery store once, you will save lots of time (and money for that matter) during the week by not taking those daily “quick trips to the market”. And while you are planning your meals, try to schedule a few “cook once, eat twice” days. For instance, you can plan on having spaghetti on Monday and tacos on Tuesday. So, on Monday, brown the hamburger you will need for both days. On Tuesday, half of your work will already be done. And if you are making a meatloaf or lasagna, make a double batch and freeze one for later.

Most importantly, do not feel as if you have to do it all by yourself. You are not a super hero. If you have a spouse or significant other, ask them to chip in on household chores. Children love to help out, and depending on their ages, there are multiple things they can do. And when it is all said and done, don’t forget to take out some time for yourself. Everyone needs a break– WAHMs included!

Friday, October 17, 2008

WAHM and childcare: Solutions that work


I started out as a SAHM who became a WAHM in order to help with the family budget. I enjoy the time spent with my children. However, there are now times due to business that I need to arrange for childcare. The following are some creative solutions to mine and your childcare dilemmas.

WAHMs in direct sales are very often faced with childcare predicaments. A main portion of their business is conducting sales presentations, usually held at someone else’s home. If you are a party plan WAHM, the most obvious choice would be to schedule these presentations when your partner can watch the children, but what if your partner has an odd work schedule or you are a single parent? You can hire a local high school student to come to the party and be the “party nanny”. Check with the hostess first, but she will probably love the idea (and so will the other guests – since they won’t have to worry about getting a sitter for their children, they will be more likely to come to the party and the more guests you have, the bigger your profits!). This is something you could actually use to promote attendance at your shows. I always end up having to bring my boys to parties and I always feel bad about it.

If you just need an occasional sitter, try setting up a “child care group” with your friends and neighbors. Each woman can designate a time frame on a certain day of the week or month to be “the sitter”. Any of the Moms in your “child care group” who need a sitter that day can drop their kids of at the “designated sitter’s” house. The children will get to play and interact with one another and each Mom can get free childcare on an “as needed basis”.

Check with your place of worship as they may offer a “Mom’s Day Out” type of program where you can drop your children off for a few hours per day, a couple times per week. This may be a free or low-cost service. Also, check with local library as they may have “story hours” where you can drop your children off and the librarians will read the children a book and after the book is read, the children can participate in a craft, game or activity.

If you just need some “quiet time” to do some work, you can hire a neighborhood teenager to come over and play with the kids while you are tucked away in your office. You will have some uninterrupted “work time”, but will still be there in case ‘something comes up’. This should cost less because you can use someone younger with less experience. If you have regular meetings that take you away from the house, check with friends and family to see if they can help out by watching the kids. Offer your product or service in exchange for their time. They may jump on the offer!

The one big thing I use is Grandma, she generally give me 1 Saturday per month where so comes and plays with the boys all day and I do whatever it is that I need to do that day.

And don’t feel guilty if you need to put your children in daycare part-time. Yes, you may have had every intention of working at home in order to spend time with your children, but, there may be times when your business will need your total focus. By taking that time and completing your business tasks, you will be able to focus 100% on your children during family time.

Monday, October 13, 2008

A new week, a new outlook

A new week has begun, the stock market is up and I'm sick, tired and busy. Yes the fun of being a WAHM. Trying to start a new Social Media - Virtual Assistant Business has been stressful in this crumbling economy of the past few weeks.

I hired a web designer to build my new website at OperateItRight.com and she did a great job and is wonderful to work with. I had the pleasure of working with Beryl directly and she is very knowledgeable in the best way to run a business and the design/setup of a user friendly, customer friendly, future growth capable website. Not to mention the other necessary items like logo, banners, and more. I can't wait to see where the future leads. Beryl offers coaching, web design, business guides and more.

I look forward to a strong and prosperous future thanks to Beryl and OperateItRight.com

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Tuesday Toot 10/07/2008



I am back to let you know ... Sorry thinking about Dirty Dancing today, while updating my profiles on social media.

Back to my toot
I managed to find a specific toy my son had been asking for, put it in the cart and purchase it without my son seeing it while he was shopping with me. - Mind you he's 3 almost 4. I thought I was going to mess it up at the check out, but I stuck it under my jacket and the cashier took it, scanned it, threw it in a bag for me very quickly and nicely.
On a business note:
My new Social Media VA site (besocialworldwide.com) is just about done. Yayyy

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Schedule

Wow, another week has gone by without me blogging very much. While in the process of preparing for the launch of my Social Media Virtual Assistant Site. I am learning the meaning of setting up schedules, planning and finding ways to make life easier.
Somehow I keep getting away from what makes the days go best. Schedules - knowing what to expect. It works great for the boys and it can work great for businesses.
I am working on a weekly schedule and trying to progress from there.
Unfortunately my husband will still have to eat mostly frozen meals for a little while longer.
But when I am ready I will be trying out Menu Planning Central's Learn How to Plan Meals.

 

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