Savvy Home Business Women: How Do They Do It?

Personal blogs are always my favourite spots to find inspiration — especially when it comes to learning about the lives and businesses of other women. This week I’d like to highlight three wonderfully savvy business women who have been kind enough to share some of the secrets to their success with their readers.

Making it Lovely‘s Nicole has always struck me as a wonderful example of a mama who’s kicking butt while running her home business. As the brains behind Pink Loves Brown, and her beautiful blog, I’m always inspired by her words. In 2010 she wrote a great post dedicated to showcasing a day in her life.

I’m taking us all the way back to 2009 for this post, because I feel that it’s incredibly useful and I’ve found myself going back to it time and time again, especially when I need a little boot of WAHM confidence! Girl’s Gone Child‘s Rebecca is full of wit and wisdom when it comes to conquering life as a work from home mama. (Now she’s doing it all with two beautiful — and two more on the way!)

Lastly, Kathleen (of Jeremy & Kathleen fame) isn’t a mama, but she is exceptionally busy with her freelance design business while managing several rental properties. Check out her wonderful post outlining the importance of keeping a to-do list, along with some valuable insight into her creative process.

Are you feeling inspired by these business savvy ladies? Do you see any tips that you might be able to work into your daily life?

…

Desiree Fawn is a blogger/doula from Ontario where she lives with her partner & daughter.
She blogs at So Fawned.
Follow @sofawned on Twitter!

Featured Mom: Prospering Moms

This week we’re chatting with Gretchen Pritts from Prospering Moms! Gretchen teaches mompreneurs to “take control of their schedule so they can earn more and work less”. Like music to our ears!

Tell us a little about yourself!
I am married with 2 boys, 13 and 10.  I live in State College, PA, the home of Penn State University.  I love to spend time outside, read, cook, and garden.

What lead you to creating your own business?
I have always loved to help people.  I have a social work degree, but after about 9 years in the field, I was burned out.  I went on into Pharmaceutical sales, and really hated it.  I had a first hand experience at doing a job that was not true to who I was.  I did some research and discovered life coaching.  The rest is history.  I received my certification and began coaching in 2008.

Describe a typical day in the life of YOU!
I love my business and what I do.  My typical day consists of talking with mom business owners, and helping them create a successful business.  I typically talk with them on the phone, so I have several phone appts each day.  I also spend time at networking events, and time with other mom business owners, discussing the tricks to balancing a family and a  business.

What is your best piece of advice for fellow WAHMs?
When adding new things to your schedule whether personal or professional, be sure they fit in with your values.  When you have a schedule based on what is important to you, it doesn’t seem as overwhelming.

The best part of being a WAHM?
The passion I have for my business and the women I help.  The flexibility and ability to make my schedule work for me.

The worst?
Sometimes I can feel pretty lonely.  I have to schedule time in my day to get out of my house and see other people.

Favourite blog? Music? Book? Movie?
Blog: I love Sandi Krakowski. Music: I really love so many types of music, but most of my favorites come from the 60′s (besides BonJovi of course). Book:  Wow, that’s hard too… I have so many….Eat Pray Love, The Power of Now, and of course Twilight! Movie: Yeah, love movies too… French Kiss, Slumdog Millionaire, Sound of Music

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I see myself doing lots of speaking at conferences for mom business owners.  I also see myself writing a book.

…

Visit the Prospering Moms website, blog & Facebook page! You can also follow @prosperingmomz on Twitter!

…

Desiree Fawn is a blogger/doula from Ontario where she lives with her partner & daughter.
She blogs at So Fawned.
Follow @sofawned on Twitter!

How To Survive (And Thrive!) As A Work At Home Mom

Last week we chatted a bit about balance when it comes to life as a WAHM. After seeing some of your comments, I decided to stretch out my social media feelers to find out what some of my Twitter and Facebook pals had to offer in terms of advice for surviving (and thriving!) in a work from home environment.

Here’s what they had to say:

@MamaAndDoula tweeted: Set boundaries, many people assume I can drop my work to help them out, often I can but hate it being assumed, WAH is still work.

@gerlaugh offered: Set clear boundaries for work/play time, you’ll stress if you let that balance slide.

I’m sensing a trend! Boundaries (mental and physical) are certainly important to separating your mom-self and your business-self. While a mixing of the two is inevitable at some point, it’s best to keep them separate, but friendly! You don’t want your “selves” wrapped up in a struggle for attention.

@Bellabirth shared a tweet about just this: Time management! Set aside time to just do work and just do fam stuff, I got snowed when I intermingled the two.

It’s all about keeping a bit of distance between those two lives, yet doing so in a way which doesn’t create jealousy, frustration or resentment.

From Stephanie A: Have an office space with a door! And your PC should not function as a family comp. And make a to-do list each morning! These are my needs!

From Jill SK: Now that the kids are older, I have “office hours”… that means do not disturb mommy until 5:00 unless you or a sibling is on fire. Of course I am here if they need me, but they do not need to be under my feet every second of the day.

Another common theme that popped up was the idea of having an actual, physical space where you can can conduct your business, sans interruption. For example, in our house, my partner and I both share an office, and while our two year old isn’t 100% put off by a closed door, I can ofter hear her on the other side telling daddy, “Mama’s at work!”

A tip from Jill S: Have a schedule and a sense of humour….included in this schedule is when to STOP working each day – I find some nights I keep going after Charlie (daughter) goes to bed, rather than relaxing and taking time for me.

This piece of advice is so important. How many nights have you found yourself wide awake and working away into the wee hours of the morning? I know I’ve been guilty of this myself. Sometimes I feel as though I should be DOING something 24/7, and guilty if I sit down to spend time on myself  instead. If you have to, ask your partner or a friend to talk to you, or call you, every now and again to say, “Sit down, have a cup of tea, enjoy a moment of quiet, read a favourite book, watch something mindless on TV.” We all deserve moments of nothingness. It’s good for the soul, and you’d be surprised how refreshed you feel after an hour (or 20 minutes!) of R&R.

One last bit of wisdom:

Lacey M says: Go with the flow! Or you’ll stress yourself out!

Absolutely!

As moms I think we try very hard to control certain aspects of our lives so that they don’t get out of hand,but all to often it’s the tight rein we’re struggling to maintain which ends up constricting us and sucking the enjoyment out of life!

Know that you’re doing your best and be forgiving if things don’t turn out perfectly. Remember that a being happy mama is one of the best gifts we can give our children! We want to look back at these years with happiness and satisfaction — no regrets, no “if only”s!

Take care of yourself, know when to create boundaries and when all else fails, keep smiling and don’t give up!

Wishing you all a fabulously productive day!

Share your WAHM savvy tips in the comments! We’d love to hear from you!

…

Desiree Fawn is a blogger/doula from Ontario where she lives with her partner & daughter.
She blogs at So Fawned.
Follow @sofawned on Twitter!

Photo via My Girl Thursday.

Featured Mom: Accessories By Maya

We’re starting a new feature here on the Mom Made That! blog! Each week we’ll be interviewing one of our lovely listers to give you an inside peek at their business, daily life & inspirations! This week we’re chatting with Maya Cooper, the brilliant mama behind Accessories By Maya.

Tell us a little about yourself!
I am a Mom of two little girls, Helena 23 months and Sienna 2 months old. My husband Joe and I have been married for 4 years. We recently moved back to MI from Los Angeles after 11 years to be closer to our families. After working in sales for over 10 years, I decided to be a stay at home Mom when my daughter Helena was born. I enjoy healthy cooking, scrapbooking, and spending quality time with my family.

What lead you to creating your own business?
I have always had a creative side and started thinking about various baby items I could make. I always loved buying hair accessories for Helena and wanted to make something that was different and unique. I decided to make hair clips using feathers and after receiving a lot of compliments, I wanted to share my styles with everyone.

Describe a typical day in the life of YOU!
I take care of my two little ones, a lot of diaper changes, feedings and play time I make hair accessories during nap time and at night.

What is your best piece of advice for fellow WAHMs?
Organization is the key!

The best part of being a WAHM?
I get to spend most of my time with my kids!

Favourite blog? Music? Book? Movie?
Music: Everything but Country, Book: Stolen Lives, Movie: A Bronx Tale

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
We are planning to move back to Los Angeles so I plan on growing my business and have my accessories in various boutiques. Maybe have baby number 3

…

You can visit Maya’s website, find her on Facebook or follow @AccessoriesByMC on Twitter!

…

Desiree Fawn is a blogger/doula from Ontario where she lives with her partner & daughter.
She blogs at So Fawned.
Follow @sofawned on Twitter!