Hot Seminar Series 2007
June 7, 2007 | 2 Comments
Kelly McCausey of WAHMTalkRadio.com brings another Hot Seminar Series to the WAHM community…for the third year!
This year the line up is impressive and exciting:
Lynn Terry
Kerry Beck
Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero
Alice Seba
Shannon Cherry
Nicole Dean
Lynette Chandler
Nell Taliercio (wink wink)
Lynn Klippel
And the topics of this years series are:
Working From Home
Blogging For Pay
Affiliate Marketing
Writing a Book
Creating Information Products
Proposing Telecommuting
Getting Free Publicity
Making Cash on Ebay
Writing To Sell
Learning About Your Market
The hot seminar series begins next Wednesday, June 13th at 9pm eastern.
Click here to read more & join Kelly’s list so you can attend it for free!
See you there!
Telecommuting Myths
December 9, 2006 | Leave a Comment
Marlo Boux of Small Business Moms interviewed me today about the common telecommuting myths. If you’d like to access this audio interview simply go to the Small Business Moms Blog.
Lower Those Taxes?
October 17, 2006 | Leave a Comment
“This is the first year I will have to file self-employment taxes and I’m worried I will owe a lot. What are some things I can do to lower what I owe?”
I’m not a tax expert and each person’s situation is different. Therefore I suggest you seek the advice of a tax professional to get a personalized list of things you can do to lower your tax liability.
However, for general information I believe there are certain expenses that you can write off. Things like computer equipment, office supplies, part of your utility bills and even a portion of your mortgage or rent. If you have older children you can pay them to work for you to help lower your liability.
Just remember to save all your receipts as proof of expenses paid out. You will need these if you are ever audited.
You can find more information at http://www.telecommutingmoms.com/office-taxed.html
Always Remain Professional
September 4, 2006 | Leave a Comment
When online visiting forums/message boards remember that anyone and everyone can view your posts and this includes employers.
Don’t take posting on forums lightly. Always watch your attitude and spelling.
Always remember that you are representing yourself as a potential telecommuting employee at all times even if you don’t realize it.
It only takes a minute to spell check and re-read your post to be sure it is appropriate and professional before you hit reply and your post is up for everyone to read – even employers.
Employers really do visit some of the large and popular forums and you just never know when someone is keeping an eye out for potential employees. You want to come across as a professional person at all times.
Overcoming Your Husband’s Objections to Telecommuting
September 2, 2006 | Leave a Comment
This if often a struggle many moms face when trying to work at home. Most people don’t get the concept of telecommuting and the same can be said of husband’s as well. Below you will find my article on this topic & I do hope it helps you show your husband or S/O why telecommuting is a great option!
If you are an aspiring work from home mom, you may have already heard these common objections from your husband (and perhaps that nagging mother in law):
We shouldn’t have to pay for an extra phone line.
We can’t afford to upgrade the computer.
The company should pay for the transcription equipment.
You will be wasting your time and not making a “real” income.
Why can’t you keep your “real job” / get a “real job”?
So how can you overcome these objections? It’s simple. The secret is in numbers. Men understand figures and costs. If you are presently working outside of the home, what kind of expenses do you have?
You may have car insurance on a second car you wouldn’t need. Add in the cost of routine maintenance, gas, repairs, eating out at lunch time, that coffee you grab on the way to work, professional clothing, dry cleaning, a second cell phone, and if you have children, DAYCARE! Note that these expenses are ongoing.
Now compare that to getting started with a telecommuting company as an independent contractor.
Once you have your home office set up, your only monthly expenses will be the added telephone line (if required), high speed internet (most people like to have that anyway), and the electricity you are using (which is a very minimal amount).
Not everyone has these figures readily available, so I thought I would ask my good friend to share her monthly expenses from when she worked outside of the home as compared to what her current expenses are.
Working Outside of the Home
Gas - $78 (drives an average of 30 miles a day, or 650 miles a month)
Insurance on second vehicle - $107
Car payment on second vehicle - $289
Maintenance allowance $7.00 (towards the cost of routine oil changes)
Daycare (1 kid) - $540
Clothing - $60 (towards a yearly budget)
Cell Phone - $80
Lunches - $130 (She ate out roughly three times a week)
Coffee – $76 (She stopped every day at Starbucks for a __mocha)
TOTAL MONTHLY EXPENSES - $1367
INCOME - $2080 at 40 hours per week and $12/hour
PROFIT – only $713 for an entire month!
Working from Home
The car was sold, so she eliminated the costs of gas, insurance, repairs, and the hefty car payments. Her son no longer went to daycare. She could go to work in her sweats, eliminating the need for work wear. She discontinued her cell phone service as soon as the contract was up and she eats lunch at home and makes her own coffee. She is saving a bunch of money!
However, there are a few expenses she now has to include:
High-speed internet - $39
Second phone line - $25
Coffee from home - $20
Lunches at home - $60
Now we will calculate her income at a slightly lower hourly rate, as telecommute jobs typically pay around $9/hour. To be realistic, we will also reduce the working hours to 30, as that is more typical of working from home.
TOTAL MONTHLY EXPENSES - $144
INCOME - $1170 at 30 hours per week
PROFIT – $1026 for an entire month!
What? More profit? Working less hours? What does that ultimately equate to?
A happier mom, which means a happier house because anyone who can work less and keep more of their paycheck will want to jump for joy!
Work at Home Mom - You Work Hard!
August 22, 2006 | Leave a Comment
“The funny part - for me - is that I don’t think I personally even realized how much work I do!!!!” Posted Comment to Work at Home Is Work
I noticed the above comment left on my blog in regards to my post about how working at home is hard work and we don’t often get the credit we deserve.
And I find this to be the case with many moms. In fact it could have been part of the reason the wife on wife swap wasn’t getting the help she needed. Simply because SHE wasn’t taking what she did as seriously as she should. This woman worked 8 hours a day transcribing! That is a full time job, on top of being a full time mommy.
Are you giving yourself credit for the work you do? For how important your job is as mom and work at home mom? Do you realize that what you do is a job? Just because it’s at home doesn’t mean you aren’t really working and working hard. If you don’t take what you do seriously or realize how hard you really do work no one else will.
For instance, if you never express to your spouse that you had a hard day with the job and the kids were partially difficult today how will they ever know? Then you’ll sit there exhausted and not feeling appreciated and yet they’ll have no idea you’re feeling this way or even understand why you’d feel that way.
Of course I don’t mean to complain all the time. I certainly don’t do that. However my husband knows how hard I work and he truly appreciates what I do and how hard I work & that is in large part because I recognize it too.
So if you’re a work at home mom, realize how hard you work and give yourself credit for that. A telecommuting job is a job like any other and all jobs have their ups and downs and all employees have their good and bad days…even us work at home employees.
What is best for me?
August 16, 2006 | Leave a Comment
“I want to work at home, but I don’t know if I should do a business or work a job. How did you decide what to do?”
Telecommuting vs. a business is a common dilemma many moms face. Do we want a job that pays a salary, or do we want a business where we have more freedom? Many times we opt for the job first and then decide whether it’s something we want to keep up or if we’d like to move into a business.
I know many mom friends of mine started out telecommuting and then moved into owning their businesses at home. I also know many moms who love telecommuting only and never want to run a business.
Many times you can’t really know which option is best for you until you try them both. Many of us may feel that a job at home is perfect and then we get one and decide it isn’t for us and vise versa.
Having said that there are some things you can do to help you decide which option could be right for you. I have put together a free 7 day e-course titled “Beyond Telecommuting” to help you decide if a business is for you and what type of businesses you might like to start. You can join this e-course at: http://www.beyondtelecommuting.com
I’ll soon be putting together a free e-course about work at home jobs and will announce it as soon as it’s ready!
Bottom line is that working at home is hard work and takes time to become successful, but it’s such an awesome opportunity for most of us and worth the work/family balancing act we have to do.
Work-at-Home IS Work!
August 9, 2006 | Leave a Comment
I happened upon the TV show called Wife Swap the other night and what caught my eye was one of the wives being swapped not only was a full time mom of three kids, did all the housework, cleaning, cooking…etc… but ALSO worked 8 hours a day doing medical transcription at home. She was staying up until 3am in order to complete her work and only getting a few hours of sleep a day.
Now, yes, she needed help from her husband around the house and that would help lighten her load a bit. But I watched the TV show nodding my head thinking “Working a job at home is H.A.R.D stuff.” It’s a job like any other job. Telecommuting (like my friend Jenn once said) is simply a location. Meaning, a telecommuting job is just like a job outside the home. Its work, its hard work, its long hours, and sticking to schedules.
Telecommuting and home based businesses do not get the type of respect they deserve. Or, scratch that, we work at home moms don’t always get the respect we deserve. And I think a main reason for that is that telecommuting is still fairly new and unheard of and people just don’t understand what you really do at home. I know my family and offline friends don’t understand it and often think I just sit around all day. Sure, I might sit but it’s at my desk working 
I guess my point is that I’m glad the TV show portrayed the reality that is often telecommuting. That it’s hard work, not for everyone, and our families don’t always get how hard we work. Telecommuting certainly isn’t for everyone, and it isn’t a decision that should be taken lightly. Really sit down and decide if you have the time to devote to a job AND your family.
Treat yourself to a starbucks coffee!
August 9, 2006 | Leave a Comment
Reward yourself even if your telecommuting employer doesn’t. A job well done needs to be recognized even if it isn’t by the employer.
Ideas for how to reward yourself:
A book you’ve been dying to read
Something sweet to eat
Flowers for your office
A more comfortable office chair for those long hours
Manicure
The list could go on and on! Even if you only treat yourself to a “job well done reward” once a month you deserve that recognition.
Need someone else to give you a pat on the back for your hard work? Share your successful work week with a friend who telecommutes! We understand how hard it is to work at home and how the lack of support can be a downer sometimes.
I’ve seen successful telecommuters on TelecommutingMoms Message Board sharing their successes as a telecommuter and everyone jumps on board with an excited congrats!
Remember how great it felt outside the home if the boss came by and said “Suzie, you did an excellent job this week”? I sure do and it always made me more motivated and excited to do my job. And then when they went that extra mile and gave me a special treat – well boy howdy that was a great feeling!
So don’t be afraid to pat yourself on the back and reward yourself — if no one else is going to do it then we need to!
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