Home Based Business Mom

I haven’t been feeling like blogging.
I’m still trying to get my bearings  now that the kids are back in school.
Summer is over…and maybe I’m a little blue about that.
I had fun with the kids this summer.

Maybe I’m feeling off because after SIX more months of the house being on the market….it’s resulted in only two showings. Now I have the task of listing it myself  – something I really don’t want to do even though I have a real estate license. But….hey, I’m in control now and can market it like a demon!

Maybe I’m down because I know summer is coming to an end – even though FALL is my favorite month….I dread winters anymore. Not sure why….used to be a huge fan….now…not so much.

Maybe I just have so much work on my damn plate with keeping MoneyMakingMommy.com current, re-doing the MoneyMakingMommy.com forum, re-doing ScrappersAnonymous.com (that I just bought over the summer), my Avon business, my StampinUp business, TheWAHMConnection.com website, my weekly work at home newsletter….
I’m just feeling a little fried.

So today…I will just muddle through. Muddling is all I have to offer. And ya know what…..for us work at home moms….that’s ok on some days.

I do it too.
I have pity parties for myself.
I don’t actually throw down and cry – but sometimes I sit and sigh. That big kinda sigh…..
::ssssiiiiiiggggghhhh::

It’s almost like  a yawn/sigh.

A cross between “I’m kinda bummed….” and “Where do I even start?”….with a little “What am I doing?”

Yep…that’s what it feels like sometimes to be a work at home mom. It’s scary, frustrating, elating and exhausting. And there are days where you think it all might swallow you up because you’re just this tiny entity out there trying to find your way and grab your piece of the pie.

Having a home business or working at home can feel a bit isolating too. Who exactly do you go to when something screws up? What department do you call when you have a tax or payroll question? What’s the extension for the IT guy when you have a computer problem? Yep…..it’s you.

There have been many times over the past 8 years that I have just said…..I quit. I push my chair away from my computer desk or I slam my laptop shut and just walk away. How many all-nighters and obstacles and learning curves does one person have to endure to actually make it on their own??

A lot.
And there will always be more. (Please don’t kill the messenger! But it’s true!)

I don’t really believe in over night sensations on the internet. Not as far as a “mom” website, blog or home business go. It’s little steps….little achievements. Each one building on the other. And it’s hard to gauge these little accomplishments with your head down and working like a crazy woman. But it’s happening.

There is no co-worker or boss to pat you on the back…..and that can be hard. So give yourself credit. Even when you feel you’ll never figure out HTML, widgets, SEO……or whatever – just stop….and take stock in what you have figured out. Heck….even if you just figured out HOW to buy a domain name – and picked a domain name today – that is still a step. A step in the direction of your OWN dream.

MoneyMakingMommy.com was never an over-night success. I have a lot of women email me and say…..”I want to do what you do…..” Or…..”How do I get started…..how do I get traffic…..how do I figure out what to write about….talk about…..sell…..”   ETC

I don’t hold a “magic” answer. There has been nothing easy about this path I’ve been on. I still feel small sometimes – like I haven’t gotten to where I ultimately want to be. And it’s not about money or hitting some kind of income goal….
it’s about self-satisfaction.

Did I really offer anything of help today? Did a single person out there garner anything…even a smile, from something I passed along? If not? I ask…..”How can I do better…..” What path do I take tomorrow?

Every day I am learning something about me…..and something about the lives I touch. It guides me, inspires me – and I pull myself back up to my computer desk and try again. Not everything I’ve done or gone through the trouble of learning has been a success. But I have no regrets – because every experience has a lesson in it.

And if it had ever been just about money – I would have quit for good a long time ago and just gone back to radio. I’ve been knocked down a lot out here on the internet. I’ve looked at other sites, and seen others successes and started to try and measure up – or cut myself down for NOT measuring up in my eyes. Those are the times that lead me off track the most. I allow myself to feel small.

In the grand scheme – maybe we are all tiny – but I’m not trying to be everything to everybody. And neither should you. That’s impossible. You will feel so burdened and burnt out – you’ll set yourself up for failure from the get-go.

So take a step…
Find what you like….
This is what happened for me. I LOVE to write. I LOVE computers. I LOVE researching. I LOVE connecting with people over a common interest (That’s what I did on the air in radio for years!)
So…to this day….that’s my passion. I love it. It doesn’t get old for me. If you hate to write, hate computers, hate great big books that teach you about FrontPage or Dreamweaver……or have no desire to learn about search engine optimization….maybe this isn’t for you. But that doesn’t mean you can’t work at home or have a home based business – it just means…..your path is different than mine. So what?

Start with your heart in the right place….and take the first step. You cannot go wrong.

Author: Kelly Land lives in Weaverville, NC with her husband, two kids, two cats and dog.  She owns the popular, award winning work at home website, www.MoneyMakingMommy.com. She loves writing, gardening, playing guitar and seeking out the “real” deal in life – and then pushing her opinion (in a nice way) about it on others….hence, her blog www.HomeBasedBusinessMom.com.

If you’ve ever been in an office supply store, they always offer the latest gadgets and gizmos to help you stay on top of your business whether in an office or at home. Keeping ahead of the rush doesn’t have to involve putting out a lot of money for things electronic gadgets that will only confuse you more until you get used to how to use them. Sometimes, the tried and true methods still work the best.

As a work at home mom, you are saving money on childcare but also building a business that you can be proud of. To that end, you need certain equipment to make it happen. For the sake of scheduling, stop looking at that PDA and go to the calendar aisle. Yes, we said calendars. Oh, and planners are good too.

Have you seen the new calendars lately? They aren’t just those pocket ones your mom carries around or the one that comes in the mail from the insurance company (not that there’s anything wrong with those). Calendars have taken on a functionality that is quite exciting.

Speaking of calendars, two that I’ve found to work well are Mom’s Plan-it Plus 2009 Calendar: With Magnetic Hanger by Avalanche Publishing and Mom’s Family Calendar 2009 by Sandra Boynton. These calendars are fun to look at and come with stickers and pens to record everyone’s schedule. On the latter calendar, there is a space to write in every family member’s name and their activities each month.

Family calendars help you mesh family life and business commitments. Since the kitchen is the central meeting place for a family, the calendar can hang there for everyone to record what they are doing. Or, they can give all their information to you and you can do it. Mom, you can even list your work hours each day on the family calendar so your beloved husband and kids know when you are not to be disturbed.

Now, let’s talk about planners. A planner works better for business and can also be used in conjunction with a desk calendar. In your business planner, each day is broken down by hours. The time slots that you listed on the family calendar can be broken down into specific project commitments in your planner. A planner can go everywhere with you so you are never without your schedule.

Choose a planner carefully. There are many on the market and some have features you don’t need. Franklin Covey offers a line of planners for all sorts of needs. Look for:

•    Removable pages
•    Section for notes or notepad
•    Address book
•    Place for business cards
•    Tabs for easy look-up
•    Vinyl pouch for bills, messages, etc.

Keeping your business schedule straight is not an easy task, but that doesn’t mean it has to be an expensive one. You can still stay on top of your daily work with the ever handy, even if they are considered “old fashioned” by your kids, calendars and planners made for the job.