Archive for the ‘WAHM’ Category
Wednesday, March 10th, 2010
Is your home office located in a tree house, playhouse or refurbished warehouse? Do you work in a funky, functional or fabulous spare bedroom, basement or attic home office? If so, you and your home office could win the “Where Do You Work Naked?” Contest sponsored by workingnaked.net between March 15-April 15, 2010.
Whether you work from home full-time, part-time or to occupy time, the place where you work naked—without the support of the corporate workplace—could earn you these prizes:
- Elfa products from The Container Store ($250 value)
- Fellowes PS-79Ci Cross-Cut 100% Jam Proof Shredder
- Epson WorkForce 610
- Library edition binders from Russell + Hazel
- Home Office Solutions: Creating a Space that Works for You book by Lisa Kanarek
- One-year subscription to Flexjobs
- Official “I’m working naked…are you?” t-shirt
For more details visit www.workingnaked.net.
Tags: home office, mom entrepreneurs, WAHM, work at home mom, working naked
Monday, February 1st, 2010
Whether you’re working in your business suit or birthday suit, working from home offers many challenges, benefits, and adventures.
Working Naked Day on February 1st is dedicated to helping the more than 37 million home office professionals who are working naked—working without the support of the corporate workplace—to improve the way they work from home.
Home office expert and author Lisa Kanarek offers five tips for making working from home a little easier:
Know the best place to do it. Before you decide where to set up your home office, evaluate every room and ask yourself: Will I actually work in this area? Can I keep distractions to a minimum? Is there enough lighting and are there enough outlets? Is there enough room for all of my equipment, files, and supplies?
Find the right position. There are five basic furniture arrangements for your home office: L-shape; U-shape; Parallel (desk with credenza behind you); corner (desk faces the wall); or reverse corner arrangement (desk faces into the room). The arrangement you choose depends primarily on the size of your office, the type of furniture you have, and how much work surface you’ll need.
Size doesn’t matter. You can work in a 15’ x 15’ home office or inside a small, walk-in closet. The size of your home office won’t affect how productive you are. What matters is how you use that space. Make use of your walls and add shelves above or near your desk. Use a 3-in-1 printer, copier and scanner to save space.
Decide if it’s better by yourself or with your spouse. Before you share a home office with your spouse, consider whether you have compatible working styles. A neat spouse can drive a pack-rat up the wall and out of the office. Spouses work better together if each person has his own desk and “space” that’s off limits to the other spouse.
Don’t wait until you’re in the mood. Set a specific time to work in your home office each day. The time will change daily, but if you don’t target a certain start time, it may be late afternoon before you get to work.
With these five simple tips, your home office will be a place where you enjoy working, even if your commute is only seconds each day. For more home office tips, visit Kanarek’s site at www.workingnaked.net.
Thursday, January 28th, 2010
Whether you’re starting a new business or you’ve decided to go to the next level, you must be prepared—and that means having a business plan.
Imagine jumping in your car and traveling to a distant location without a map. Chances are you wouldn’t attempt it. You wouldn’t know the best route, any costs, or what to do to avoid delays.
On the road to success in business, you often travel to places you’ve never been before. You need to plan the best route to reach your goals and map out potential roadblocks. What marketing strategy and budget will you need? How will you implement the plan and measure the return on investment (ROI)? Will you need to seek financial assistance from venture capitalists or angel investors (affiliate link)? What’s your exit strategy? Once you start this trip, you’ll want to check and review your business plan regularly to ensure you’re heading in the right direction.
The hardest part of putting a business plan together is allocating the time to dedicate to it. It takes discipline and time—more than a week—to write an effective business plan. If you are unable to dedicate the time needed, you should seriously reconsider going into business for yourself. Preparing a business plan is a simple test of the discipline and time required to start a company.
There are many resources available on the Internet that will provide you tips, techniques and templates for writing and preparing a business plan. Steer away from business planning software. These programs may look tempting, but they do not teach you much about writing an effective business plan. You’ll learn how to fill in blanks, but you won’t learn how to write an attention grabbing executive summary, calculate operating expenses, make sales and cash projections or set up a marketing strategy. In addition, these software packages do not account for the wide variety of businesses that are out there or the different stages of development they are going through.
Take a basic template and build the business plan yourself; researching and learning about the business process along the way. The business plan outline on the Small Business Administration’s Web site is thorough and descriptive, yet still allows you to think for yourself. If you have never written, or much less seen, a business plan before, then this process will take you some time. You will need checks and balances along the way to ensure that you are developing the plan correctly.
There are many free resources available to businesses seeking assistance. The following nonprofit organizations have offices in every state; you can visit their Web sites to locate the office nearest you.
• Small Business Administration
• Small Business Development Centers
• Women’s Business Centers
• S.C.O.R.E. (Service Corps of Retired Executives)
In addition, these organizations offer support groups, workshops and libraries of materials that you can use. Counselors are available to speak to you and offer advice on just about any business planning subject. They will also review your plan and offer valuable feedback. Most of all, write your business plan with confidence. You have a dream and you can make it a reality.
(Originally published in the Women’s Business Boston Journal)
Tuesday, January 26th, 2010
This blog post marks our 2nd annual Top Picks list. If you missed 2008′s list, check it out here…>
Every year, we receive dozens of products to review. We do not review them all due to lack of time, but all products we receive are eligible for The Mom Entrepreneur’s annual favorites list. The only criteria is that the products fit some need for a woman who is either a mom and/or an entrepreneur.
The Mom Entrepreneur’s 10 Top Picks Count Down for 2009:
10. Scentsy* – I received a beautiful Scentsy Warmer as a gift from a member of The Mom Entrepreneur Online Support Group. It is a ceramic holder with a light inside that melts a fragrance bar, which sits inside a warming dish. Mine was from their autumn line and the dish was shaped like a leaf. It is very decorative and the scents I received, Cinnamon Vanilla, Poinsettia Pine and Pumpkin Spice, all smell wonderful. I prefer this over a candle since it is safer, and when the fragrance bar is used up, you do not have to throw a glass jar away.
9. Coco-Zen – As a mom entrepreneur, I rely on chocolate to get me through the day. It is a much better day when the chocolate is really good. That is why I choose Coco-Zen. All of their treats are made from organic and Fair Trade Certified™ chocolate. My favorite is the Chocolate Chai Spice followed by the Dark Chocolate.
8. My Storytime Friends*- Last Christmas, I received a stuffed bear packaged in a colorful box, which included a 32-page hardcover storybook, and a unique code for lifetime membership and online access to free stories, downloads, activities and more for children ages 3-8. The company has combined the things children love – books, animals and fun – and packaged them in such a way that encourages children to explore, learn and interact. All of the books include key messages of empowerment over adversity, attaining dreams, and aspiring for the future. Messages that children of all ages should hear over and over again. These stories come to life with cheerful characters, rich illustrations, and realistic dialogue that families can enjoy together. A book and a bear might seem like a common gift to give, but what really excited me about this product was the lifetime membership to mystorytimefriends.com. That is why I choose them for this list.
7. Lilypad LunchMates* – I am always looking for new ways to be more environmentally
sensitive. My goal is to teach my kids these valuable lessons so that they will carry them into adulthood. That is why I love Lilypad LunchMates – they made switching from paper to cloth napkins easy. Lilypad LunchMates is a set of 5 reusable cloth napkins that come in fun colors and patterns. The company uses repurposed fabric to keep it from going in the landfill. That means they are not purchasing “styles” to sell, rather they are using the fabric that they liberated from the cutting facility as well as their excess fabric that would typically just get tossed. Their napkins are 100% cotton and handmade in the USA. They are also durable and hold up to multiple washings.
6. Frommer’s 500 Places to Take Your Kids Before They Grow Up
(affiliate link)* – This bestselling guide takes you across town and around the globe to 500 of the most exciting places on earth. It comes complete with hotel information, age recommendations, websites and more. It is comprehensive and easy to use. You can search by country, state, or alphabetically. This book makes it easy to plan family vacations and to be assured the destination is one that all will enjoy.
5. Mosquito 86* – Every summer I worry about the many pests that invade our yard and home. Wasps build nests under the eaves of our house, swinging chair and in the ground. Ants of all sizes invite their relatives to move into our house for the season, and mosquitoes are highly abundant no matter how many bats we try to attract to our bat boxes. This past summer, we had days upon days of endless rain. Soggy weather is an open invitation for ants to move in to a home, and puddles are perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes. I was invited to test the Mosquito 86TM Pest Eradication System, a professional-grade mosquito elimination system that is EPA approved and safe around humans and pets. The system worked extremely well for us and that is why they our on our Top Picks list.
4. Dinner Games – Last Christmas, I purchased the Gather ‘Round Dinner Game and Classic Style from Families with Purpose. Their dinner games are quick, simple, and fun. To play, families just sit down to dinner, pick a card, and read it aloud. My boys, ages 5 and 9 get so excited to play these games, and look forward to family dinners. More importantly, they are more apt to finish their food because we have found a way to make it fun!
3. HP Color LaserJet CM2320nf MFP* – You can click the link I embedded to learn all about this printer and get a full list of specs. What really matters though is that this printer is the first and last printer you will ever need. It was the easiest printer my husband has ever had to set up (his words). The printer, which includes copying, faxing and scanning capabilities as well, is very intuitive. It asks you questions during the setup process of its different functions that makes it easy to understand and use. This is perfect for us work-at-home moms who may have limited space and need to have a reliable printer that can perform many functions.
2. GoPicnic* – This product is a mom’s dream. GoPicnic creates the highest quality, best tasting ready-to-eat meals that are exceptionally convenient and require no refrigeration or special preparation – you can truly enjoy them anytime, anywhere! A GoPicnic meal is ready to eat right from the box, just grab a drink 
and enjoy one of their delicious, nutritious meals. They come in many varieties, including full meals, kids meals, and quick snackboxes. This was perfect for baseball games, soccer games, trips to the beach or park, etc. when you may be in a hurry, have not gone grocery shopping in awhile, or need something that will last if you are sitting out in the sun all day. Not only did my kids love the taste and selection, but so did my husband and I. They also offer gluten-free, kosher, halal and many other health conscious choices.
1. Citizen’s Bank – Last year, I was faced with the challenge of having to switch banks. I was very disappointed with the customer service I was receiving from my current bank at the time. I asked friends and vendors for recommendations, and the popular choice was Citizen’s Bank. Among the many perks I received was a free personal checking account for setting up a business checking account (which was also free), $.10 back for each online transaction I conduct (Green$ense program), a credit card that pays me back every time I purchase gas, and much more. I was also very pleased with their customer service, and their genuine willingness to help me get my business setup with their bank. That is why Citizen’s Bank IS my #1 Top Pick for 2009!
What was your Top Pick for 2009?
*(The products listed above marked with an * were sent to me at no charge. That being said, I am under no obligation to write a good review or to write any review about these products, and what I’m writing here are my own opinions based on my personal use of the products.)
Tuesday, January 5th, 2010
Wow 2009…what a great year! I had a lot to say this year and many of you had a lot to say back. I thought it would be fun to count down the Top 11 Blog Post of 2009 based on comments and feedback from readers.
I also learned a lot about what you like and what you want to hear more about in 2010.
And here they are…
My favorite posts are #5, #3 and #2. Which one is your favorite?
Thanks so much to everyone for reading The Mom Entrepreneur Blog and for sharing your thoughts, ideas and emotions. You have been so supportive and I appreciate it very much!
I have lots more to tell you in 2010 so stay tuned!
Friday, October 9th, 2009
My mom recently asked me if I would ever consider going back to work for someone else once my boys were grown and off to high school.
The answer….a resounding NEVER!
She was worried that I was too isolated working at home, by myself with no adult interaction. I attempted to explain that I have lots of adult interaction online and offline. I love it this way!
When I started my business in 2000, I worked at home. Alone. I had previously been working for a company with several other employees and I enjoyed the interaction. But I did not enjoy the insecurity of working for someone else; someone who did not respect his employees and whose business was failing.
It was hard being alone at home as a new mom. My son was less than a year old and entrepreneurship and motherhood were both very new to me.
I was lonely. I desperately wanted to interact with other women who were experiencing something similar. I searched…but could not find anyone.
My business quickly grew, I added six employees, and I moved my office out of the house and into a traditional office setting.
Within two years I was miserable.
Coming back home to work for myself was one of the best business decisions I have ever made.
A recent survey conducted by Gather and Mom Central Consulting of more than 1,300 moms revealed that the majority (60%) feel lonely and unsupported in their day-to-day lives and have turned online – to social networking sites, community forums and chat rooms – to make new friends.
Their survey revealed some other interesting facts:
- 71% of moms are connecting online because of shared interests
- over 60% of moms reported making a new friend online in the past year
- 70% of moms talk to other moms online in forums and communities
- 1 in 3 moms who’ve made friends online tell their online friends things they don’t share with offline friends
I explained to my mom that I loved working for myself and that going back to a traditional work setting would not interest me.
I tried to show her how I connect with hundreds of like-minded women everyday through The Mom Entrepreneur Online Support Group, but she comes from a generation of women who did not connect this way when she was my age. Therefore she did not understand.
In addition to connecting online I:
- go out with my husband a few times a month for date night
- meet other women at the gym
- belong to a local mom group that gets together several times a month
- get involved with activities at my kid’s schools
I feel very content and no longer disconnected from other women as I once did when I started my business almost 10 years ago.
Work-at-home moms do you feel isolated? What do you do to connect with other women who share the same interests?
Thursday, July 9th, 2009
Many mom entrepreneurs struggle with this question daily. Of course we know family comes first, but it is not always easy to make sure your significant other and children know that.
I use to think my career came first. After I was married and before kids – that is what I told one friend. I still remember that day sitting on the beach with her…I can hear the words coming out of my mouth. It is painful to remember.
Ask any mom entrepreneur and they will tell you family comes first. And they will be sincere about it. Ask them if they are truly putting family first and most will say “no”.
It took me eight years to figure out how to put family first. It was a very hard learning experience, filled with arguments with my husband, comments from disappointed kids and concerns from relatives who never saw me.
I honestly thought I was putting family first. It wasn’t until April 2008 that officially I flipped the switch.
Here is how I make it work:
- I moved my office back home and took my son out of daycare.
- I no longer travel.
- I am very particular about the clients I work with – I take the time to learn more about them as a person – will my “family first” motto fit with their beliefs?
- I changed my work week to Monday – Thursday and spend Fridays with my youngest son who is not yet in school.
- I changed the message on my voice mail to say that I will be returning calls between 10:00am – 2:30pm, Mon – Thurs so clients clearly know when I will be in touch with them and when I am out.
- I told the occasional client who called me at home that it was not OK to do so anymore.
- I thank clients when I have to switch their phone conference or meeting because my children have a sporting event or field trip.
- I send weekly progress reports to clients about projects so they are clear about what has been accomplished on their account and if there are any unresolved issues.
- I purchased a Blackberry so I can monitor client emergencies via email when I am away from my home office.
- I only schedule evening phone conferences and Twitter parties after the kids are in bed.
- If I say I am going to spend the day with my kids, I stick to my promise.
- I clearly explain to my kids what my work and my play hours are.
This process has worked extremely well. I still have one client who tries to bend my “family first” motto. He waits and calls me on Friday and leaves an “urgent” message. He then leaves a message on my cell phone. I have been working with this for client many years so I know him very well. He is well aware I am off on Fridays. His call is promptly returned on Monday morning and he is fine. He is a family man so I would expect him to understand.
Your clients are extremely important, but NOT more important than family. By making sure clients know when you are available and when you will be in touch with them helps the transition from “work getting in the way” to “family first” a smoother one.
I would love to hear any additional tips or suggestions you have on how to truly put family first.
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