Creating your own income opportunities

Have you been looking for a way to earn money from home? Why not take the skills you currently have and build a business around them? You will be able to create your own work schedule and can choose to work with local businesses or with people you meet online.

People that are proficient in web design can easily find work. Many people want to start an online business but don’t know the first thing about building a website – just visit any work at home message board and you will see many posts asking for help!

Are you creative? If so, you can find work as a graphic designer. Many people need help designing logos and advertising for their businesses. If you enjoy writing, you can find work as a copywriter – the person who writes the information you read on websites.

If you would rather work offline, there are still plenty of opportunities for you. Just market your services creatively – let businesses know how you can help them. For instance, if you were a teacher, now you can be an “Educational Consultant” and coordinate lesson plans for local daycares! If you were the manager at a restaurant, you can turn that into a “Catering Consultant” and help caterers and restaurants come up with new recipes or help brides plan their wedding menus.

Moms are expert organizers – offer up your skills as a “professional organizer” and get paid to clean out closets, attics and garages. Are you an expert at throwing birthday parties? Many busy parents would hire you to take care of planning their children’s parties.

Are you good at sewing, knitting or scrapbooking or some other craft? Hold classes to teach others. If you do not have room at your home, ask your local hobby shop if you can hold classes there.

As you can see, there are many ways to turn your skills into ways to work from home. Once you decide on something to do, get out there and let everyone know you are available for hire! If you do not ask for work, you won’t find any!

Remember to take care of yourself

By nature, women are nurturers and care-takers. If someone within a 50 mile radius has a problem, a woman will try to help them! WAHMs are no exception. They spend their days caught up in a whirlwind of taking care of their families, housework and working their businesses. However, a WAHM can easily forget to take care of herself!

Yes, you work from home, and you may be able to conduct your business wearing sweat pants and bunny slippers, but that doesn’t mean you should. Remember that every time you go out in public you are surrounded by potential business clients. You should look professional and well-groomed – you never know who you are going to run into!

Even if you stay locked-up in the house all day, it is important that you feel pretty.
When you look in the mirror and see a well-groomed, professional woman looking back at you, you will feel more confident and more competent in all areas of your life, including your business!

When you wake up in the morning, don’t just throw on your old sweats. You don’t have to wear a business suit either, but try to aim for something in the middle of the two choices. A simple shirt under a cardigan sweater and some nice jeans or slacks will do the trick.

If you simply do not have the time to wash and blow-dry your hair, put your hair in some Velcro rollers while you get breakfast ready. They will add body and style to your hair. Take five minutes to at lut on some mascara and lip gloss; and don’t forget to add a spritz of perfume.

If the last time you bought yourself a new outfit has been so long the clothes you are wearing are coming back in style for the second time around, that is a clue you need to update your wardrobe!

When you accomplish a goal, celebrate by getting a manicure or pedicure. Keep your hairstyle fresh by getting a trim every few months. You may be a WAHM but you are still a woman! You deserve to feel special!

Easy time management tricks for WAHM's

Many people assume that work at home moms have it easy; however, if any of those people have ever lived a day as a WAHM they would know it isn’t so simple. There are children to take care of, a house to clean, a dog to walk, groceries to buy, dinner to cook and dishes to wash. Oh, and then there’s that business to work!

It may not be easy, but it isn’t impossible, either. By using some simple time management tricks, a WAHM can find time to “get it all done!” One thing every WAHM should have is a planner. Schedule your family time first! Then schedule in the time you are going to work your business. Once you have your “work time” scheduled, make it a priority to stay focused on your business during those hours. It is very easy to procrastinate when you are a WAHM.

If your work requires you to do lots of different tasks, try to group similar tasks together. For instance, if you are in a direct sales business and you have a team under you, designate one day to be your “training day”. Instead of helping various team members throughout the week, schedule all of your mentoring sessions for one day. Set aside an hour in the morning and an hour in the late afternoon to respond to email and/or return phone calls. By scheduling that time in, you will find that you are able to get more work done and feel less scattered.

You might also consider outsourcing some of your activities. If you find that you are spending too much time on responding to email, returning phone calls, or updating your website, hire a virtual assistant to do those tasks for you. This will free your time up to work on your business, and by spending more time on the parts of your business that actually bring in money, you will be able to increase your profits.

You can also save time by setting aside a block of time each week to do your “regular” errands, such as grocery shopping. If you plan your meals for the week and go to the grocery store once, you will save lots of time during the week by not taking those daily “quick trips to the market”. And while you are planning your meals, try to schedule a few “cook once, eat twice” days. For instance, you can plan on having spaghetti on Monday and tacos on Tuesday. So, on Monday, brown the hamburger you will need for both days. On Tuesday, half of your work will already be done. And if you are making a meatloaf or lasagna, make two and freeze one for later.

Most importantly, do not feel as if you have to do it all by yourself. You are not a super hero. If you have a spouse or significant other, ask them to chip in on household chores. Children love to help out, and depending on their ages, there are multiple things they can do. And when it is all said and done, don’t forget to take out some time for yourself. Everyone needs a break– WAHM's included!

Organization tips for WAHM's

Do you have piles of papers on your desk? Is there a stack of receipts shoved in your drawer? Do you ever find yourself looking for a phone number that you just know you wrote down somewhere? If you are suffering from a lack of organization, here are some suggestions on how to tackle it.

It is no secret that having a disorganized work area is counter productive. By getting organized – and staying organized, you will be able to get more work done in less time.

If you are computer-friendly, you may be familiar with the program Outlook. You can use Outlook to keep track of your emails, your daily schedule, your to-do list, client phone numbers and email addresses and more. You can even synchronize your MP3 player to Outlook and keep all of your info with you wherever you go!

For those that are not as technology advanced, you can still get organized by using old-fashioned paper products. If you do not have a planner, get one! There are many kinds of planners to choose from, in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Find one that fits your needs and use it to keep track of doctor appointments, school meetings, your work schedule, etc. Set up a client database to keep track of phone numbers, emails and other information. You can do this by getting some 4” x 6” index cards and a recipe box.

April 15 is a day that many Americans dread – it is the due date for your taxes! An easy way to keep track of recipes is to get a hanging file folder and 12 manila envelopes. Have one envelope for January, one for February and so on. During the month, throw all your receipts in the corresponding envelope. When the month is over, tally up your receipts and write it on the outside of the envelope. That way, when tax time comes, most of your work will already be done.

By taking some time each day to “take care of the little things” you will stay organized, feel less stressed, and get more work done!