Have you ever worked outside of the home? What
type of work did you do?
Yes, I have done everything from housekeeping to
administrative work.
What interested you about working at home?
Since my first son was born
12 years ago I have known that I wanted to be
present for him. I couldn't stand not seeing my
children and being actively involved in their
lives. While he was growing up I had the freedom
not to work, however times have changed and I
really need to help out my husband financially
now.
How long have you worked from the home?
I have been
working as a virtual assistant for the past three
years now.
What type of business are you currently involved
with?
I maintain one
client who I serve as a VA for. The rest of my
work includes website design and my own personal
entrepreneurial pursuits.
How do you balance family and your
work?
I think the key to balance
is being aware of the energy around you, and
within you. If the children are getting cranky,
it's a good indicator that it's time to STOP
working. When everyone is happy and independent,
I use that opportunity to work on my projects.
It isn't easy to keep everything balanced, and
everyone happy. I make it very clear to my
clients that I am a Mom first. Some women don't
do that, they feel that it isn't professional. I
think it is important to being realistic with
yourself and allow your clients to have realistic
expectations of you. The fastest way to burn out
is to bite off more then you can chew. It's also
the fastest way to lose a client.
What
has been your hardest challenge with working at
home?
The hardest challenge is knowing when to stop and
having the discipline to do it. I easily could
sit up until 3am each night working and be happy
doing it. But too many things that I am
interested in fall out of my life if I let that
happen. By being disciplined to stop working, I
can keep life well-rounded and nurture my
relationship with my husband.
What has been your biggest success with your
business?
I
have been very pleased with the reception
FreelanceMom has received. Nothing makes me
happier then a note from a new WAHM telling me how
inspired she is by the site. I consider this
success.
How do you promote your business offline?
For web design, I have found it is very valuable
to do some projects for free. Whether it is a
friend or a charity -- offering your services can
end up paying off very well in the form
of referral business.
What is 1 way you promote your business online?
I like to write and submit articles relating to
work at home Moms. I enjoy focusing on how to
promote and optimize their websites because so
many WAHM's aren't extremely interested in
learning this on their own and yet in order to
really sell their products it is necessary
knowledge to implement.
What are your business goals for
2004?
If I could be earning enough advertising revenue
to let go of all administrative work I would be
very happy. The goal all along has been to be
here for my children. I would love to have the
freedom to focus on them more and on business
less.
If
you could offer 1 piece of advise to someone
wanting to work at home, what would that be?
Decide
what you are passionate about and focus on it.
Don't try too many things - stay with one and do
it well. Embrace competition and network.
What is 1 business tool, you would
say you can not live without?
Well certainly none of this would be possible with
my home computer! Specifically though, my cable
connection and Photoshop - what would I ever do
without them?!
