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FFM Survival Tips: WAHM Series Part 2
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When you leave the house everyday to go to work you're leaving one for the other for a set part of the day. They are basically two distinct and separate facets of your life. So if you work outside the home, and you hate your job, you can pretty much leave it behind when you walk away from it each evening and head for home. |
When you work from home those lines become blurred. Work life spills into home life and vice versa. That's why it's so important to find work that really "works" for you and your family.
Different Types of At Home Work
When you're working from home, you're either working for yourself, or you're working for someone else.
Telecommuting: You're at home plugged into your employers computer and phone systems. This kind of work is usually customer service based and may require you to be on the phone or online during your work day.
Some women are able to persuade their current employers to allow some telecommuting after the birth of a baby or in cases of some sudden life changing event that requires them to be at home at least part time.
However, this only works if your job can be done outside the office environment and only if your boss approves.
If you can't turn your office job into a telecommuting job there are some reputable companies that offer work-at-home positions. I'm not talking about the scammy stuff you find online where they require that YOU pay them crazy amounts of money to work for them. I mean legitimate jobs. The problem is, they are precious few and the competion for them is fierce.
Multi Level Marketing: Avon, Mary Kay, Amway, Pampered Chef are just a few of the companies that come to the top of my head. Familiar with them but not sure what MLM is? Well, I sell Avon, then I recruit you to sell Avon too. Then I make money from what I sell and what you sell.
And so on, and so on, you get the idea. It's cool if you can do it, but here's the problem I always had with MLM. I already know at least 3 people that sell Avon, and all the other products from all the other companies I'd even be interested in.
The market seemed saturated and the competion was way too stiff. Plus, I had to make a pretty pricey investment up front. However, the brands are recognizable and reputable and if you can find a client base it's possible to make very nice money doing a pretty fun job on your own schedule.
Provide a Service or a Product: In this case you'd be working for yourself-- which in my book is always best-- providing a service like daycare, organizing, house cleaning, dog walking, tailoring and so on. The options are endless.
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You work completely for yourself, on your own time and get the fulfillment that comes from building your brand. However, the income can fluctuate and going from "hobby for pleasure" to "hobby for profit" isn't just a matter of putting a price on your product or service. |
You should learn about things like operatings costs, inventory tracking, how to calculate what your time is worth. And lots of other things that can break you if you aren't prepared.
There can also be appointment, delivery, and travel schedules that may be required, and will need to be maintained well, or else problems could arise that create a negative reputation for your business.
So if you want to turn your hobby into a business, I commend you, it's absolutely doable. Just make sure you take the time to learn how to make that transition successfully.
All these things I've listed so far? Been there. Done those. All except the MLM. My sister tried her hand at that. She invested her time and hundreds of dollars, but she couldn't find a strong customer base because her workplace, her neighborhood and even her circle of friends were already spoken for by other reps.
(But on the flip side I have an aunt who is an Avon and Tupperware selling queen and has been for decades.) If you can make it work...it works.
Build an Online Business: This is what I do. In many ways it sounds easy to do this, however, this is the easiest way to be scammed precisely because it SEEMS easy to do. It's easy to convince someone that working online will make them rich quickly without any real work being required.
That's simply not true.
One very popular form of online work is Mommy blogging. I bet you probably know someone who does it. Maybe you do it.
Moms blog about their daily lives raising their kids. They post Adsense advertisements on their blogs as well as affiliate ads. These are products that pay them a commission if a visitor clicks through and makes a purchase.
Mommy blogs have been around for a while and in my humble opinion, they have become less relevant and less effective over the years. Why?
Because there are way too many of them. So many moms have blogs now, and a lot of them say the same things; and advertise the same products that I believe they have become ineffective ways to earn a real income. Except for the precious few "gurus" who sell information and advice to hopeful Mommy Bloggers, on how to be a Mommy Blogger.
But even if your blog is unique and full of things no one has ever seen or heard of before, unless it can draw the visitors, no one will ever see all that fabulousness. That's the fundamental problem with attempting to blog for a living.
Most women who start blogs have no idea that it takes more than a desire to write and a free blog to draw the web traffic (visitors) that you need to make an income.
The reality is that a true online business building is hard work. You most likely will put in long hours and have some steep learning curves before you earn your first dollar. And then, the earnings may come slowly especially if you start as a novice.
Four years ago I was a novice and here I am today with a profitable ebusiness.
Those four years were going to pass regardless of what I was doing. I'm so glad I spent them learning, growing, and building my business. I now own a portfolio of two ebusinesses with a 3rd and possibly a 4th in the planning stages.
Fun Frugal Mom is the first and my favorite, because this where I can talk to other women like me. :)
The time investment is a serious consideration. The learning curve is another. Not everyone can build an online business but, I do believe that most women who look at my sites and wonder if they could do it too.....probably can. Just like any of the other work-at-home options, it's worth a little research to find out.
The important thing when choosing work you can do from home is to be honest with yourself about what kind of work will meet your personal and financial goals.
Do an honest assessment of your current skills, and have a strong understanding of what you'll need to do to make whichever path you choose to work from home successful.
Just A Note...
We're still looking for more hot weather recipes. Have you been getting away with not turning on your oven so far? Tell us how.
Picnic foods, cold salads, or anything that can be cooked on the outdoor grill. If it won't heat up the house share your best summertime recipes by submitting a frugal recipe.
New and Improved at FFM
...and some oldies but goodies too. ;)
- Close to Home Another summer season with skyrocketing fuel prices, so stay close to home and find new fun in your local historical treasures.
- Frosty Ice Cream Floats Fizzy, foamy and fabulous. Ice cream floats are richest, cheapest summer fun treat you can make.
- Homemade Christmas Decorations: Guest writer, Isabella York of Balsam Hill, shares her best homemade Christmas decor tips.
- 4th of July Games : Use these patriotic games and they'll still be raving about your gathering on July 4th 2012. :)
- Smore's: Perfect sweet treat for around the campfires this summer.
- Easy Homemade Lemonade Recipe: Try this easy homemade lemonade recipe
What's Coming Up?
- WAHM Series Part 3 Setting Up Your Work-at-Home Office
- A Sneak Peek at Halloween: New treats are coming to FFM for Halloween. I'll give you sneak peek next month. ;)
Frugal Moms Summer FREEBIES
Here you'll find some of the best freebies currently available on the net. They can be anything. Free Samples; Free Movie Views; Sweepstakes Entries; No purchase Contest Entries....Any free offer I find that I think has real "value" I will list here in each issue of FFM Survival Tips.
- Free 4th of July Invites: Some of the most patriotic invites I've seen and totally FREE for you to print. Bookmark this one. :)
- Free Music: BloodShot Records Spring Cleaning album. 13 tunes in a free Mp3 download from Amazon!
- Free Mango Iced Tea: Tuesday, June 21st is officially the first day of summer! Come kick off the season right with a complimentary Iced Tea or refreshing Mango Tea at any la Madeleine Country French Café. We LOVE this place. Be ready to purchase a yummy pastry.
- Free Potty Chair Liners: Toddler Mommy's, this one is for YOU. Check out this handy little freebie demonstrated on video.
- Free Car and Driver Magazine: A great freebie for the car enthusiast in your life. A complimentary subscription to Car and Driver Mag!
Facebook Freebies
If you've got a Facebook profile these are the freebies for you. If you don't have a Facebook profile you might want to consider it as more and more companies are offering their freebies and coupons via social networking. It's fun! Plus....it's free!
- Free Panda Express: Vote for your favorite Panda Express Entree' and on 6/24 the winning entry will be available for free after 9pm. Cast your vote and mark your calendars.
- Free Facebook Q&A with Social Media Guru Michael Stelzner:
Get some insight from social media expert Michael Stelzner from socialmediaexaminer.com over at SiteSell Facebook. Learn how you can expose your at home business to thousands using techniques in social media.
thanks to: freesamplefreak.com | The Freebie Blogger | and my own scouring the net. :)
Alicia
You can now find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
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| Are You a MOM with a BLOG?  The ideas in your blog could hold the key to your own Income Generating Business instead! Fun Frugal Mom started as a blog without many visitors or impact, until SBI! Now it's my ~ Online Business~ Reaching thousands of Moms. Earning a real income for my family. Now I'm living my dream of being a Work-at-Home Mom. I invite you to read my JOURNEY Or check out my SBI! FAQ to learn how SBI turned this non-techie Mom into an Infopreneur! |
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