Kelly tweeted this morning “Did I really drop MMS on its head yesterday?” I was wondering why my head hurt when I woke up. Women often talk about guilty pleasures, and I have to admit that being part of the MMS crew was just that for me. For one hour I got to drop whatever I was doing and just hang out with a group of amazing women. MMS wasn’t designed as a money maker and although we chatted daily about business life, bringing in sales never seemed to be the primary reason for showing up. Real conversation with some of the greatest ladies I’ve met online kept me coming back day after day. I know I’ll see you all on Twitter and in various forums, but I will miss hearing your voices and being a part of your daily world.

Kelly, thanks for bringing me into your circle. I treasure all of the friendships I have met through your kind and generous spirit. RIP MMS.

WAHMs love to give advice. We really do. Just look at the number of wahm sites around! Lumping together all work-at-home moms into one category may not be the best tactic. Just as women come in all shapes and sizes, so do wahms. Some wahms dabble in business to add some fun money to their lives. If you are a stay-at-home mom, an extra $25 to $50 a week may sound heavenly. If you need to bring home enough money to feed your family and pay the mortgage, you’re going to have an entirely different business mindset.

While many wahms start a business when they begin having kids, not all of us are juggling babies and preschool. When I first started my business, my concerns were centered around the kids. “How do I fit in the hours I need to work and still be a good mom?” was my number one topic. I love networking with other wahms, but lately I’m feeling a bit old and out of place. My girls are teens now. They are in school all day and when they do manage to be home, they certainly don’t need me to entertain them. Recently on Mom’s Morning Show we tackled the topic of entertaining the kids during the summer. Kelly McCausey decided that it was a good week for her to take off - her son is a teen and like me, doesn’t have to worry about setting up a play office to keep him busy!

My businesses are solid, my routines are established. I’m ready to dive into meatier topics. What next? Where do I go from here? How do I make more money working fewer hours? Who can I hire to do the work I don’t want to do or can’t do. Actually, I should probably say won’t do. There are so many things that need to be done that somehow don’t make it to the top of my to-do list.

It’s time for me to step deeper into the business world and explore more mature business topics. Are you a mom with babies and toddlers, or are your kids older or even grown and gone? If you have a wahm-oriented site, you might want to keep us in mind. (Psssst…some of us actually have money to spend.)

Freshman year. Gym Class. My daughter, a real competitive athlete is ecstatic because they’re playing…

Dodgeball

Every athlete’s favorite game in gym.

Teams are formed. She spots the toughest boy in her class.

She hurls the ball at him, knowing she is right on target.

He dodges.

She cringes.

Her life is never the same.

*************************************

I knew nothing of this until I stopped in her room that night to say goodnight. “Mom,” she sobbed, “I hit the special ed kid in gym class. I feel so bad. I don’t know what to do or say. I don’t even know his name.”

She cried herself to sleep, but not before she vowed that she would make it up to this kid she hadn’t even met yet. She promised that she would introduce herself to him and offer to be his partner at the next opportunity.

She did. And she was his partner for every activity for the rest of the year. She made sure her passes went to him. That he’d be the one to score the goal, or make the basket. That she greeted him every day with a smile and a chat. Soon, she’d meet all of his friends. She’d sit with them at lunch, and join in their Red Sox vs. Yankees banter. They invited her to their Buddies meetings once a month after school and she joined the unified basketball and track teams.

The pictures for this WW are from the Special Olympics track meet. As you can see from her face, she loves these kids. She loves reading with Mary while waiting for the next event, and offering piggy-back rides for long walks. She loves creating special handshakes with each of the athletes. She loves knowing their interests and talks with them about what gets them excited. Every week she walks to Melissa’s house, polishes her nails, watches a movie and plays some hoop.

I have spent countless hours on the sidelines watching my kids play. Listening to parents scream and rant at players, coaches, and refs. I went to my first Special Olympics track meet this month and learned exactly what “Special” means. My daughter has a heart of gold. I am blessed to be her mom and blessed to have met these amazing families.

Alice Seba of Internet Marketing Sweetie asked me to add to Kelly McCausey’s “Why I Love to Work at Home” thoughts on Sparkplugging. My first thoughts were (not surprisingly) any new revelations. Most moms that I know choose to work at home because they can’t bear the thought of leaving their kids while they are off making money.

The first two years of my daughter’s life I worked at a bank part time. I earned good money, had flexibility in my hours and days, and liked my job and coworkers. Still, the emotional stress of leaving my baby combined with actually getting out the door to daycare and then work took a heavy toll. I became desperate to leave and knew that self-employment would be my only ticket. Launching a business that would replace my salary plus benefits was not going to be easy. When my girls were newborn and two, I left my job.

The easy answer would be to tell you that I loved the flexibility and being home with my girls. Truth be told, I was working 12 hour days, often seven days a week. I found paying work, but I also found demanding clients and tight deadlines. I ended up putting my kids in daycare several days a week just to get my work done. Flexibility meant getting up at 4:00 am to work so that I could make a doctor’s appointment or have time for a walk around the block with them.

Fast-forward fourteen years later.

1. I love working at home because I have gained an enormous sense of accomplishment and confidence. Finding…creating…building a business is extremely gratifying. Each success, each hurdle, each step…they are all part of me. I’m very proud of what I have done.

2. I love working at home because now I look at the world differently. If I stop in a store or a gallery, I now see it as someone’s passion. I wonder “Whose dream is this?” and if I like what I see, I make sure to let them know. If I buy a product I love, I think “Who thought this up and how did they ever get it to market?” I am genuinely interested in people and love to hear about what they do.

3. I love working at home because I find controlling my own destiny (and cash flow) very empowering. I make significantly more money working for myself, and know that I have no limits. I like having that glass ceiling. I can work as little or as much as I want or need.

4. I love working home because I have many, many extra hours to spend with my husband. Every morning I spend at least an hour with him over coffee - usually good quality time that I realize most couples don’t get. He is my inspiration, my cheerleader, and my number one support. He believes in me and tells me so every day. We share a love for business, which means our conversations are often lively!

5. I love working at home because I want to be a strong role model for my daughters. I want them to believe that the world is theirs for the taking. I want them to know that the options are there for them.

6. I love not having to worry about taking a day off for a vacation, for illness, or because the sun is shining and the day is just too pretty to miss. Snow day? Who cares - I’m here anyway. Child doesn’t feel well? Stay home? Daughter forgot her lunch/flute/homework/sneakers? I’ll run them up to school. Volleyball game at 2:45? I wouldn’t miss it for the world!

7. I love to work at home because I don’t like someone else controlling my world. I don’t have to worry about layoffs, annoying coworkers, office politics, and a dress code. (Although these days I’ve been thinking I might need a dress code at home!)

I can’t imagine life any other way! If you are a wahm and want to join in, visit Sparkplugging and be entered to win a $50 Gift certificate at Moms Talk Biz.  I have to tag a few people, so Stacie, Joan and Jenn, want to share your thoughts?

I’m not one of those people that throws a lot of money at things, especially in business. I’ve become numb to sales letters, I don’t really see banners or buttons any more, and rarely does an ad on a website catch my eye. I fund all of my business activities from my cash flow and I evaluate each purchase with a “how soon will I earn this money back?” attitude. I rarely read the email that comes in on my lists (yes, I know I signed up for these - I just don’t have the time!)

I do have a few ‘must haves’ on my list. The first is Mom Masterminds. If you already have a business or are freelancing, Mom Masterminds is a great membership site filled with women who are serious about growing their businesses. It’s a melting pot of women with content sites, blogs, physical products, direct sales businesses…you’ll meet crafters, affiliate marketers, writers, designers, VAs, etc. While the site is packed with resources, the heart of MM is in the forum where members brainstorm, encourage, provide feedback, whine, and occasionally give a good butt-kicking!

If you are searching for a business to start, I would recommend starting with the free preview membership and doing a ton of research on your own. Read, read, and read! Visit free forums, check out signature lines! Take inventory of your own job skills and experience. Remember, most MM members spent a lot of hours/months/years trying to find their own businesses. They are more than willing to help you find a niche, but won’t do it for you. It’s better to show up with ideas of your own!

Once in, make sure you add other MMers to your Twitter list. While the forums are active, many people now use Twitter for more instant interaction. Listen to Kelly McCausey’s Wahm Talk Radio and Mom’s Morning Show. (Yeah, you’ll even hear my voice chiming in!).

If you are looking for a place to connect with other working moms but don’t want to be bothered by senseless postings and endless offers of the latest and greatest business opportunity, then Mom Masterminds is for you.

How many times have you heard the advice to cut out that specialty coffee that we all just love to splurge on? I know most of you don’t want to look at these numbers, but I challenge you to take a peak. Be honest!

If you’re a Virtual Assistant, you know that the one thing that is your lifeblood, the one thing that keeps your income steady, is a finding clients. Luckily, there are several ways to keep a steady stream of clients coming in through your door.
Here are just a few:

1. Advertise in Ezines. There are online newsletters everywhere that accept advertising. The key here is to purchase advertising in publications that reach your target market and to create your ad to showcase your expertise. Don’t try to be everything to everyone or you won’t attract clients.

Ad Example of what Not to Do: Hire me to lighten your workload. I can do everything that you don’t want to do. Let’s talk!

Ad Example of what works: Are you ready to get more leads to your business? I will handle your ezine advertising campaign for you. No more searching for targeted ezines, no more writing and tracking your ads. I’ll handle it all it all. My clients experience a boost in subscribers after I complete my ezine advertising campaigns that will pay for my services. Check out my website for testimonials and free tips.

2. Write and Submit Articles. The key here is to stay on topic. Don’t write and submit articles about health or pet care. Present a problem in your article and solve it. Make sure your author bio is very compelling to attract potential clients.

3. Network where *successful* people hang out. A huge mistake that VA’s make is to hand out on forums where there are other people struggling to make money. Instead, join a membership site for your target market and you’ll find yourself in the “inner circle”.

4. Advertise at Shelancers.com. One of the easiest ways to get your name in front of business owners looking for help is to advertise on Shelancers.com. Again, it is crucial that you list your specialty in order to stand out from the other providers. But, if you can find a problem that business owners face, and offer to handle it for them, you’ll attract loyal clients who will continue to work with you.
Virtual Assistants - It’s time for passive income!

Did I ever tell you about my brother John? He’s a piano player in Chicago and has an amazing repertoire of thousands of songs. When my daughter Tessa was born, I found this song in my mailbox (before the days of mp3s!)

Now I’m trying to convince him to expand his horizons and offer his creative services to podcasters and website owners. What do you think?

First Time Home, copyright John Zamojcin (all rights reserved)