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Mar 7

Avoiding Distractions as a Work at Home Mom

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Mom’s who work at home may be plagued with distractions. They probably have the most distractions than anyone in the work force. The kids that are home that mom is taking care of is a big distraction by itself, but when you add family and friends stopping in or the phone ringing to the mix, very little work may get accomplished. This may make it very difficult to get caught up and stay caught up.

There are many work at home opportunities for moms so they can stay home and take care of their children while still bringing in an income for the family. Most of the work at home opportunities allow moms to make their own hours or schedule as long as any work that has a deadline is in on time. Having a relaxed dress code is a great advantage also. When at home with the children moms would rather be comfortably dressed.

Before the internet there were the product assembly at home or stuffing envelopes at home opportunities. A lot of these ended up being either a scam or unrealistic for moms who stay home. To assemble products at home requires assembling a lot of them to earn any kind of income. Probably unrealistic for the moms who don’t have a lot of free time on their hands. Now a mom has to decide which work at home opportunity is worthy of her time and effort.

It would be ideal for moms who stay home to have a large network of other moms who also stay home and earn an income. They can exchange ideas for working efficiently while taking care of the kids. A group like this can also create new businesses based on the needs of the group. They can’t be the only moms in this situation, so coming up with work at home opportunities for other moms is something they can work on together. They can research and find the legitimate opportunities and help others fulfill their needs for working at home.

Another advantage of having a large network of other moms is they can help each other out when needed. If a mom is falling behind because of family issues, another mom can help her get the job done. They can swap favors and if they live close they can exchange babysitting or get out of the house for a while to work at a nearby library or café. Moms should not feel alone when trying to earn an income while staying home with the children.

Having a network of other moms who work at home can also be useful when trying to find a work at home business opportunity. They can share information about the best opportunities that offer the best income potential and also the ones that are fraudulent. They can protect each other from falling for scams and suffering the consequences. Also sharing each others success can motivate others to strive for a better life that they deserve.
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Mar 7

3 Proven Work From Home Sites

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In February of 2007 I decided to Work from Home. I have researched many different sites out there, based on what they pay, what you have to do, and their reputation, and I have found 3 different sites that I really like working with.

Associated Content: Here you can submit your own original content either video or articles, and be paid upfront for it. The range is anywhere from $3.00 to $20.00. They also have a page view bonus, every time you get a 1000 page views you will earn an extra $1.50. There are AC Content Producers earning an extra $300 a month just off of the page view bonus, and that does not include the upfront payments. If you like producing video and writing articles you can make a lot of money through Associated Content.

CashCrate: Is the best GPT Site out there. They will pay you to take surveys, do free offers, submit your e-mail and zip information. They are the only GPT Site that takes 25% of the completed offers you do and gives you 75%. Many GPT Sites split the amount with you. CashCrate also has the highest percentage for referral earnings. If you like GPT Sites or maybe you might be thinking about trying one. I would highly recommend CashCrate. Quite a few people have earned thousands of dollars in month through them.

ExpoTV: They are a little like Associated Content, but they only accept video reviews. You can earn up to $10 per video they have set amounts on their web-site. For example if you do a video of a nationally sold car seat with you in video giving your review-if it is accepted you will make $10. I use my Cyber Shot Digital camera for both ExpoTV and Associated Content videos. A digital camera works just fine. For everyone that watches your videos you will earn $.01. This can really add up if you like producing videos.

To learn more about these programs and to sign up for them visit my Making Ends Meet [http://www.kellyfleming.net] blog.
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Jan 29

An Inflatable Business is a Profitable WAHM Business

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If you have been searching for a profitable WAHM business that delivers and doesn’t leave you further in debt than when you started, then you need to look into developing your own inflatable business from home. Unlike popular party plan businesses, an inflatable rental one has far more benefits. You maintain the flexibility and freedom of other opportunities, but you also gain far more.

Less Competition Equals More Sales

When you think of other opportunities that claim to be a profitable WAHM business, they often fall short when it comes to producing sales. Popular business ideas such as those that want you to peddle cosmetics or kitchen supplies have a huge amount of representatives, and it can often be hard to pull in a profit with so much competition.

With an inflatable business however, you are not competing with near as many other entrepreneurs and the availability of customers is never lacking. Everyone has something to celebrate, and with a declining economy, consumers tend to save up and spend more on special occasions.

Popular Products that are Not Easily Accessible

What makes the renting of inflatables a profitable WAHM business is the fact that these entertainment products are not easily accessible from any other source. Sure, individuals can purchase a smaller scale item, but those often cost hundreds of dollars each. Once consumers realize this, they understand the valuable service that you offer, and will be banging down your door to rent your items.

Almost anywhere you go, whether it is a community, school, or private event, you will see at least one inflatable item for the children to enjoy. This is because there has yet to be found a product that does a better job of providing fun at an affordable price.
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Jan 2

How Do You Deal with WAHM Stereotypes?

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One of the most difficult things to deal with when you are a work at home mom is often other people’s perception that you are not working at all. Some people seem to think that you are not working on your business, and you have all the time in the world. If you have spent any time at all as a work at home mom, then you should be well aware that in order to work effectively, it requires a lot of your time and energy.

Spouses assume that the house should be spic and span and laundry done, among many other household chores. Friends call at all hours of the day and family members sometimes make offhanded comments, this can all undermine your efforts.

So, how do you deal with WAHM stereotypes?

Make your working schedule clear to your friends and family so that they will respect your working time:

Not every mom who stays at home works from home. If you have friends who do not work from home they can sometimes have a hard time understanding that your days are not always free to just come and go as you please. Such things as invitations to lunch, unexpected phone calls, uninvited guests can all throw a wrench into your work schedule.

Have a clear work schedule made up for yourself:

Setting yourself up with some specific office hours will help to make it clear to everyone that you are serious about your work. This way you are setting boundaries for your time. For example, your friends are more than welcome to call you before or after the work times that you have set for yourself.

If someone calls to chat, politely mention that you are working but will be free to talk after a certain time. Or you could even turn off your phone to avoid interruptions.

Don’t forget to schedule in your lunches and breaks. It may also be nice to schedule in an occasional visit, you don’t want to avoid your friends and family altogether and it will also reduce spontaneous drop-ins and invitations.

Helping your husband understand your work schedule:

You bet your booty that if you are home all day, then your husband is going to have difficulty understanding why it is that the housework isn’t done. To best solve this problem, you will want to familiarize him with the nature of your business.

Show him what it is that you do each day and how long it takes to do each task. Help him to understand your work schedule, and how much time you need to work per day. Most importantly, to help him realize the benefits of your work, show him how much money you are earning.

Then ask him for his feedback on how he thinks you can continue to work from home and maintain the household. One of the best solutions would be to share the household duties with him, you and your children. Taking care of the house is something that each family member shares a responsibility in.

Keep him aware of any special projects by tacking a list or calendar on the wall. This way, he can see that you may have a deadline to meet and that is why you have had to order pizza for dinner a couple of times in the past week!

You will need to be prepared for the thoughtless comments of others:

Most WAHMs are hurt by thoughtless comments made by others about working from home. Family and sometimes even friends may say things like, “Well, you should have the time, after all, you are at home all day.”

In such a situation you would have two choices. You could get all upset and offer a distraught defense or you could take their comments with a grain of salt and calmly respond with something like, “Well, let me take a look at my work schedule. Unfortunately, I am not available on these days” or “That would be great on Thursday afternoon, which is when I specifically leave time in my schedule just for things like that.”

Although the number of WAHMs is growing, you need to remember that working from home is new territory for many women. For the average person it will take them time to understand that in order to effectively work from home, they will be required to be committed and have a consistent schedule.

As far as how to deal with WAHM stereotypes remember that there will always be someone who you will not be able to convince that you are actually working while at home. However, maintaining respect for your own time is the best way for them to see that your work is a priority.
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Nov 23

2 Ways to Grow Your WAHM Business

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Like any other businesses, home based working moms can grow their WAHM business too. Please do not limit yourself to your current business, but open yourself to other online home based business opportunities as well. You may not know that the new opportunity may do well or reinforce your existing business. Basically, there are 2 ways to grow your WAHM business, which are expansion and diversification.

Expansion

How do you know when to expand your WAHM business? If you see that there is growing demand for your product or services and the market only has a few players that can supply the current demand, that is when to start expansion. Expansion means having the same core business but bringing in more products or services.

Diversification

Diversification means creating new products or services and a new market. If you feel that the current market for your products or service has become saturated, it is time to venture into new products and services. Do not abandon your current products all at once. The new products or services could have the same market as you have right now and you do not need to look for a new market immediately. You save time and cost for market research by just marketing the new products or services to your current customers. Your customers will be happy to know that your have new products or services.

As most home based working moms run their business as one man show, expansion or diversification can be very exhaustive. Partnership, Joint Ventures, Outsourcing or joining an affiliate program would be the smarter solutions to grow your new WAHM business and to look for online home based business opportunities. You can work with other home based working moms who share the same interest and passion to create products through partnership or joint venture. Or you can do outsourcing from the experts where you can focus your efforts on marketing the products only. By being an affiliate, you do not need to create new products. All you need to do is to promote someone else’s products.
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Oct 28

Moms That Want to Work From Home – WAHM Business Opportunities

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It can seem like the impossible dream for moms that want to work from home and spend quality time with their children and families. There have been so many horror stories relating to scammers and high cost projects that never work out, it is understandable why many people feel that it is just not possible to work from home.

Lets face it, if you are currently an income earner, it can be a scary thought to quit your full time job. There are many moms that want to work from home, but don’t, purely because of the risks involved. It is important to consider that we often hear about more bad news than we do good news. The same goes for business. You may have heard of 20 horror stories but there may have been 100 positive stories that you were simply not aware of.

Moms that want to work from home can! It is as simple as that!

You can be successful if you plan carefully and do your research. If you know some moms that want to work from home, or you are one of them, think about starting on a part time basis to get a good feel for it. There is no need to quit your job and dive in head first. Some of the most successful home businesses started on a part time basis and that is why they have been so successful. Once you have built up some experience and you have a client or customer base, then consider quitting your full time job and plough full steam ahead.

I would like to share some ideas for moms that want to work from home, to help them come up with some ideas of their own and turn them into a successful business adventure.

Child Care – you are a mother and are probably quite good at it, so use this knowledge to help you. You may choose to set up a child minding service, occasional babysitting, or even tutoring may be an option.

Writing – this is a great opportunity for those that love to express themselves and there is currently a very high demand for quality articles and quality web content. There are some sites you can join to help you find potential clients as well, so it makes it even easier for you to begin your business, even if it is only part time at first. Moms that want to work from home through writing could start by creating a suitable portfolio containing examples of your work.

If child care and writing do not sound like opportunities for you, then it may be a good idea to search a few of the great WAHM sites currently on the Internet. WAHM stands for Work at Home Mom and could provide you with a great deal of useful information that you can use to gather some more ideas.
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Aug 23

Supplemental Income Ideas For Stay At Home Moms

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In our quest to make it on one income, in a two income world, stay at home moms have been bombarded with various work-at-home opportunities and thinly veiled scams. It can get quite frustrating trying to weed out the real opportunities from the ones that will cost you much time and even more money.

Most legitimate work at home opportunities revolve around the direct selling or MLM industries. While both of these opportunities can be excellent sources of income, not every stay at home parent is a sales person. Some parents do not feel comfortable speaking in front of a group, or asking family and friends for sales, or to join their program.

Working from home does not mean having to join a Direct Sales or Network Marketing company.

But, most stay at home moms need, or could use, a little supplemental income. So what kinds of opportunities are there out there for non-selling people?

The first thing you need to do is figure out how much income you need. Are you looking to replace an income? Or maybe you’re looking for a little extra money for lunch out with your friends. Whatever your specific income needs are, there are opportunities out there for you.

Pocket Change

If you are just looking for a little extra pocket change, you may find yourself interested in supplemental income ideas like:

–Donating Plasma

–Mystery Shopping

–Pet Sitting or Walking

–Occasional Babysitting

–Focus Groups

–Online and Offline Surveys

Most of these pocket change ideas require little physical or mental effort, and are great for those who are short on time. The payment averages as low as $5-10 for a survey or mystery shop, to as much as $250 for an in-depth focus group participant.

Substantial Supplemental Income

If your supplemental income needs are greater, and you would like to replace an income, or maybe use the extra money for savings or to pay off bills, then the following ideas may be of interest to you.

–Home Daycare

–Selling on eBay

–Freelance Writing or Photography

–Creating a Content Website

–Tutoring

–Professional Services like Massage Therapist, Personal Trainer, Travel Agent or Childbirth Doula

–Becoming a Surrogate Mother

To earn substantial supplemental income, you would need to invest time, effort, and energy into creating a long-lasting income source. Like Direct Sales and Network Marketing, most of these supplemental income ideas require perseverance and dedication, and will not begin to produce income the day that you start working. But, if you work hard on any of these ideas, they can easily fill your supplemental income needs.

It is also important to note that most of these opportunities will require you to invest some money to get started. Whether this money is simply on supplies for your personal use, or its on education, software, or other various programs, it’s hard to find the proverbial “free lunch” nowadays. Be prepared to outlay at least a small amount of money on even the legitimate opportunities. Of course, those out to take advantage of you and trick you out of your hard earned money will also go this route. Fully investigate each opportunity before you invest in it.

There are ways for us to exist on one income in this country! We just need to think outside the box, and most importantly, we need to find the supplemental income idea that fits us best.
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Jun 16

The Top 5 Work at Home Myths

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Most people who come home to stay with their children, or to escape the rat race of corporate America, are under mistaken impressions when it comes to how they will be able to support themselves without a regular job. Many of these people fall victim to scams, or give up their jobless dreams quite quickly when they realize it is not what they thought it would be.

There are several myths circulating about working at home. Here are five that I debunk on a regular basis.

Myth #1: You can get a regular job at home

Many, many people believe that they can simply apply for a regular job, at a regular company when they decide to come home. They think that they simply open the online version of the classified ads, and companies are lining up waiting to hire them.

The truth is, its not that simple.

Unless you bring your job home with you, meaning you convince your boss to let you telecommute, or unless you are a highly skilled specialist, there really aren’t too many regular jobs looking for home based employees.

The exceptions to this would be customer service telephone positions and possibly ghost writing, but do not expect to make the same amount of money as you would in a typical work setting, or to take advantage of any benefits plan.

Myth #2: A home based business is a scam

The true way to make money at home, and the way that most successful work at home parents choose, is to open their own home based business.

This business can be anything from manufacturing and selling their own invention, to having an ebay store, becoming a webmaster, or participating in direct sales or network marketing.

The commonality that all of these at home parents share is that they set their own hours, work for themselves, and get paid by their own efforts.

Myth #3: You shouldn’t have to invest any money to work at home

The myth of entitlement is frightening to me. Many Americans believe that companies and business opportunities should bend over backwards to entice them into participation.

The truth is that in order to start your own business, you will have to invest some of your own money. It doesn’t have to be a lot of money. In most cases, starting your own business can be as inexpensive as $100-500.

Everyone, no matter what their circumstances, can come up with $100-500. The harder it is to acquire that money, the more likely you will be to put all your effort into building your business.

But the feeling that you shouldn’t have to pay to start a business, or work at home is silly. If you had a job in the workplace, you would be required to dress in a uniform, which costs money. You would be required to secure transportation to your position, which costs money.

In short there are a whole host of expenses you would have in order to maintain a regular job, including child care expenses. Why would working at home be any different?

Myth #4: You can’t make any money at home

Starting a home based business is not easy money. Often you will need to work for several months without turning a profit for your business to be successful. This can cause financial stress in a home if not planned for.

But the opportunity for realistic income is great. You can make money at home, so long as you enter into your opportunity with dedication and interest.

Plan to work your business as you would a job, showing up on time, and giving your best effort. If you treat your business as a hobby, you will fail. Treat it as the most important job you have ever had, and you will succeed.

Research the opportunities you are looking into thoroughly. Take the time to ask others in the industry questions, and go over any possible scenarios you have before you put time, effort, and money into it.

Myth #5: You can get rich quick

Unfortunately, there are many scammers out there looking for those desperate to make money at home. They offer everything from paid surveys, to stuffing envelopes, to Nigeria schemes, and even inflated claims within the network marketing industry, all designed to trick unsuspecting people out of their hard earned money.

Many of these scammers are those looking for a quick buck, who prey on those also looking for a quick buck. They promise people that in return for their payment, they will show you how to have money practically fall into your lap. Heck, they might as well say that they will sell you a money tree.

Do not believe that you will earn $10,000 a month by subscribing to a program. Do not believe that the person who has posted the ad is making that kind of money.

These kinds of advertisements are Get Rich Quick schemes, and they are lies. You will only lose your money, and your hope.

Building a business takes time. You may come to a point several years down the road where you will make $10,000 a month, but it won’t be by using the tactics that the get rich quickers use.
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May 31

Making the WAHM Decision

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Moms and dads (WAHMs/WAHDs) who are working from home are growing in popularity. Many men and women want to be able to spend more time with their families. By having one parent stay home helps to save on day care and so on, yet a second income may be necessary.

Whether or not you work from home is not always an easy decision to make though. Before you do make the decision you will need to take into account a few things.

1) Is working from home really the right thing for you and your family?

There are some decent benefits to working from home. You get to set your own hours, you no longer have to commute to and from work, and if the kids need you, you are there for them. However, there is a downside to consider. Some days, juggling family time and work time can be difficult, or should I say, a challenge.

2) Your present financial situation may suffer substantially in the beginning.

Making the WAHM decision may involve leaving a high-paying full-time job in order to work part-time from home while you take care of the kids. You will likely find that there will be some financial adjustments. However, you will no longer be paying day care fees, which will save money.

When you think about, if you can at least make the same amount of money or even more by working part-time from home and looking after the kids yourself, it’s worth it to stay home. And what about all the other perks of raising your own kids while still earning money for the household, there are so many. Remember, they’re only young once, and to be able to stay at home with them is one of the top reasons why men and women choose a WAHM or WAHD career.

To be a successful work at home mom or dad you will need to have the following qualities or at the very least learn to develop them.

1) Self-motivation and Discipline

If you decide to work from home, your business will fit into one of two categories. You will work as an independent contractor or you will work for yourself. Whichever category you fit in, you will be responsible for your own work schedule. You will require a great deal of self-motivation and be able to work well without having the presence of dominating leadership in your place of work. Even if you do choose to work from home but for another company, you are still responsible for meeting deadlines etc.

2) Time Management is another good skill to have if you decide to work from home

Each day that you work outside of the home, you know that you are faced with the challenges of what things you will need to get done. For example, laundry, house cleaning, taking the kids from one recreational event to another, the list is endless.

When you are working from home and if you focus too much time on your work, your household duties will suffer and vice versa. Acquiring good time management skills will assist you in tackling the many different challenges of working from home.

A lot of thought and consideration needs to go into making the WAHM decision. If you are thinking of working from home for any reason, be it to spend more time with the family or other financial reasons. Take some time and write down the pros and cons to be considered. Discuss the idea with your family; be sure that you are doing the right thing for the whole family.

There are many resources online for anyone who is looking to learn more about the realities of working from home. Once you have thought-through your position and completed the essential research, you will then be much better equipped to make the right decision for you and your family.
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May 22

WAHM Work at Home Moms – Your Success

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You’ve made the important decision to stay at home with your kids — Now what?

Work at home moms (WAHM) are very special women indeed. You’ve made a choice to stay home and take care of your children, your family, your home. And now more than ever, your schedule has to be very flexible in order for you to be there for your kids.

For WAHM work at home moms, working outside the home is no longer an option for you. And that probably meant giving up a job, a career and a second income. It’s a sacrifice, one that’s more than worth it.

So your family gets by on one income and you find yourself making adjustments.

Now while you’re at home, you find yourself looking for ways to fulfill your need to be an individual, to have other interests, to be creative.

You also look for opportunities to generate some extra income for your family to meet those emergency needs, to help pay the bills, help with the holidays, clothing, vacations, or money toward your children’s education.

But for WAHM work at home moms, you need an opportunity that will allow you to be completely flexible, be able to spend as much time as you want with your kids and maintaining your home.

So you continue to sacrifice and be a one income family.

But what if you found an opportunity that offered you all the freedom you need to be with your family as a stay at home mom?

And what if you were also able to generate extra money for your family doing something you enjoy or something you have a passion for? Read on.

Would you like to be able to take something you know and turn it into your success?

Imagine — Being able to stay at home with your children, take care of your family, your home and being able to generate extra income or even a full time income for your family.

Well you can!

Do you have a hobby, an interest, something you know, something you enjoy, something you have a passion for? Of course you do — We all do.

And you can take whatever that is for you and turn it into a successful business for you and your family.

Thousands of WAHM work at home moms just like you have turned their interest into a profitable website making a very good passive income. And most of them did it without knowing anything about the internet. And so can you.

A man named Ken Evoy put together an all-in-one, easy to use web hosting service called Site Build It! (SBI!), but he went one step farther. He gathered together a team of successful WAHM work at home moms and had them put together a special guide to help other moms just like you become successful on the internet.

Written BY work at home moms, FOR work at home moms, this excellent tool takes you through the process step by step and in detail. The end result for you is a professional website, one you will enjoy creating.

All that and you don’t have to be involved in the technical side, you get to create and build your site, concentrating on your success.

Many of the moms even get their children involved in their websites.

Yes, you can have it all. You can stay at home with your kids, your family and maintain your home. And you can have a profitable online business generating passive income or selling your own products online.

At the end of this article I provide you with a link you can visit where you’ll discover people just like you that have turned something they enjoy into their success. And you can ask all the questions you want.

WAHM work at home moms like you have made the important decision to stay at home with your kids. Now you can stay at home with your kids, keep your flexible schedule and have a successful online business that you’ll love building while generating either an extra or full time income for your family.

WAHM work at home moms I salute you — And here’s to your success.

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