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I still don't have a banner for this series yet, but I'm very proud of myself for keeping up with these themed posts for the past couple weeks, now. Why? Well, I've taking in more writing gigs this past week than I did all last month, for starters! Add to that the fact that my dishwasher has decided to retire, and you can understand my pride.
Anyhow, I'm still very new to this whole work-at-home-mom stuff. I'm sure you can find more seasoned professionals out there, but here you'll learn with me, a rookie Work-at-Home Mom (or WHAM), as green as green can be!
Maybe I'll make the banner green--to symbolize my newness at this as well as what we all hope to earn! What do you think?
If you're considering starting your own small business or otherwise earning money from home, I have a few key questions for you to consider. Answering them will help you get focused so you can succeed, with the minimal amount of disruption to your family life, possible. This is not a test: No answer is "wrong." The point is to help you evaluate your reasons for and goals in working from home. Next week, I'll give you some tips based on your answers.
1. Why do you want (or need) to work?
- I just want to fill my time, beccause I'm bored and/or lonely at home.
- I feel feel unfulfilled or embarrassed being "just a mom."
- I want to help save for college or other long-term hopes.
- I desire to afford some extra luxuries, like manicures, vacations, and "toys."
- I need to make money to help make ends meet, pay for basics like gas and groceries, and keep (or get) my family out of debt.
2. If you chose the last option above, why have you decided to stay home instead of pursuing outside employment?
- The cost of daycare and other work-related expenses would make outside employment financially unwise.
- I want to better prioritize my family and home.
- Flexibility with scheduling is important to me, or necessary for my situation.
- I think I might be able to make more money or "easy money" from home than I could in the work force.
3. Do you have specific goals regarding your home-based career?
- Yes, I have a specific amount of money I need to make each week or month, right now.
- Yes, I have an amount in mind I'd like to eventually earn each week or month or year.
- No, I don't have a goal in mind, but I need to make as much money as I possibly can.
- No, I don't have a monetary goal, because I'm more interested in pursuing career goals or building my own brand or reputation with something I like to do.
Well, if you are an aspiring or struggling to get focussed as a WAHM, I think considering your answers to the questions above can be a help. (My husband and I have been discussing these issues and fine-tuning the goals we have for our family.) Like many other freelance writers I've "met" lately, I'm discovering that there's more work out there than I can take in with the time I have. (If you lack writing training but think you might want to give it a try, check out this post of mine.)
Well, nap time is never long enough, so I must bid you adieu. I hope your Mother's Day is a little more relaxing than mine was, last Sunday, but either way, this is
reminding you that the days are very long, but the years are oh-so-short! (But not as short as nap time, so bye-bye!)
Okay, so I don't have a banner created for this series yet, but I did decide on a Wednesday theme, as you can see.
After a delayed deadline of last Friday and its correspondence to our first ER visit with one of our sons, I was a little relieved to have no writing jobs coming up. However, by Tuesday afternoon, I had more leads than I could realistically handle, as well as a huge new project due this Saturday. In addition, I've had seemingly constant questions from friends, old and new, about how to get started with freelancing. Especially since many of my writing leads thus far have come from Facebook friends of mine, I truly do want to share what I have learned. But it's hard to find the time.
So in this new Wednesday series, I plan to give you a few tips and/or leads each week, to help my fellow SAHMs (Stay-at-Home Moms) become increasingly successful WAHMs (Work-at-Home Moms). I'll let you know about some of my successes as I live this journey, as well as some of my pitfalls, so you can avoid them. I also plan to feature other WAHMs who have started their own businesses in areas other than freelance writing.
Well, like I said, I have a deadline looming, so I need to cut this off. I think you'll benefit from reading this this post, error-laden though it be. And it's also one of the tips I'm sharing this week!
Some week, we'll get into what I'm learning about affiliate links and advertising (ways to make money on your blog), but for now, you can blog on that site, and even 12 "Likes" can earn you $20! (I kind of wish I'd spent my time soliciting "Likes" on there--maybe I would have made more than I did by coming in 2nd in the Momsquawk contest! Oh, well. I met some fabulous friends, and they're the ones who turned me onto this site, in the first place.
You'll have to register to comment or "Like" my post, or to post your own. If you let me know you join, I'll add you as one of "my bloggers," so I can "Like" you up, too!
Here are a couple other helpful sites I've come across and would be great for those wanting to write or earn a few bucks in other, random ways:
http://www.wahm.com (For writers, this post and its related threads are especially helpful: http://www.wahm.com/forum/wahms-who-write-46/130-looking-work.html.)
https://www.mturk.com (I just started looking into this when other writing gigs started heating up, so I never really got started on it, but you can read this helpful, detailed review of another person's experience: http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2009/07/05/can-you-actually-earn-reasonable-money-from-mechanical-turk/.)
http://savingsteward.blogspot.com/ (Here, you can find many tips from a personal friend of mine who has been very creative in earning a decent income for her family of 2 since she doesn't have a permit to work for income where she currently lives. She turned me on to many coupon and money-saving deal-of-the-day sites earlier this year.)
http://www.yellowbrickroad.com/follow/5-steps-to-break-into-freelance-writing/ This post is by a new friend of mine, the one who won the Momsquawk contest. She obviously knows what she's doing, so her tips are probably much better than mine. ("Like" it for her, if you do! And if you comment with a question about something you read, I'm sure that she'll respond.) In a comment, she asked me to add in this link where she's found ways to get paid to blog!
By the way, we're getting really close to those 50 FB followers and a $5 gift card givaway, so tell your friends to "Like" Tammy Mommy Madness fan page on Facebook! If they post on the wall, telling me you sent them, I'll enter your name an extra time for each friend!
Once we hit that 50-fan mark, I'll have other mommy-friendly givaways for you, my lovely fans, each week!
No matter how much money you have in the bank or due on bills, and no matter how many leads or deadlines are calling your name, make sure to take some time to look at each of your precious children full in the face, and tell them you love them, today! And show them you love them with some quality time, too! (If I can find the time and energy, trust me--so can you!)
This is
reminding you that even though today may be very, very long, the years are far too short!
