Working at home as a mother and pursuing a career can be a challenging mix. You don’t have the constant buzz all day of new and innovative opportunities floating around you, but you do have the constant buzz of your family and your life at home. In the background are deadlines, calls to be returned, and no secretary to file your paperwork that awaits at your desk. In order to remain current and informed, encouraged on this journey, and capable of succeeding I have found these 5 resources that support me as I meander through the challenges of being a work-at-home mom.
WAHM.com
WAHM.com is one of the most popular sites for work-at-home moms, and it covers a wide variety of employment types, from cloud commuting in the business world to running home day-cares. One of the perks of this site is for work-at-home moms who want to find out whether or not an online job is legitimate or not. Moms can ask questions and get feedback before pursuing questionable jobs, and there are also recommended jobs available. It provides a great way to connect with other WAHMs and find useful tips for networking.
Home Business Magazine
The Home Business Magazine is a valuable resources available both in print and digital form, and includes articles about real people working from home. While it is not specifically geared toward work-at-home moms, but adults in general, it does include extensive information on everything from technology know-how to financing options to ways to balance it all at home.
Volunteer Opportunities
This one might puzzle you, but don’t be too skeptical. If you are a work-at-home mom or want to pursue that path, volunteering in the community serves three great purposes. The first is that it gives you an endeavor outside of the home where you can feel you are contributing to the community and it gives you a humbling way to recharge your batteries. The second is less obvious. It is an amazing way to network and learn more about opportunities in your area, often with professionals in your community. The boards and donators of many local non-profits are also often established business owners and managers. The third benefit of volunteering for work-at-home moms is that you can keep your skills fresh or learn new ones to add to your resume. As a writer and editor I use my skills to help non-profits with publishing, but the possibilities are endless with whatever career you are pursuing.
Larger Local Businesses
Connecting to larger local businesses in your area as a business person is not only valuable for networking, but can provide you with more options for outsourced work and telecommuting. Sometimes it is just a matter of letting someone within the company know you are available to work from home by completing a formal job application and indicating so. Businesses can benefit from outsourcing because they save on insurance costs and you don’t require your own office space.
Comrades at Home
Birds of a feather flock together, and this is sometimes epitomized when moms get together and their “real jobs” are discussed. I’ve been all 3 – a working mom, a stay-at-home mom, and a work-at-home mom. Currently I homeschool my children, am the domestic engineer of our household (it even says so on my coffee cup), and work part-time at home as a writer and editor. Having worn all three hats at some point in my mothering journey, I can attest that moms can be quite defensive and judgmental when it comes to the definition of work. I feel fortunate that I have wandered all of these roads at some point so that I have the perspectives I have now. But no matter which path you choose as a mom, it is important to have allies.
Work-at-home moms need thick skins and good friends. It is almost impossible for someone who hasn’t taken on this type of role to understand how it feels to intertwine business and family. The lines of a home office can become very blurred, and it is important to have allies who know what it is like to have children waiting outside the door while you finish a phone call, or the immense peace that comes over you when it is finally quiet at 11:00p.m and you can get some work done. If you are a work-at-home mom, make sure you surround yourself with supportive friends who share similar challenges and triumphs.
- Attend chamber meetings and small business meetings in your community to meet others.
- Join online forums where you can discuss anything from how to get dinner ready while preparing invoices or how to type with one hand and snuggle a baby with the other.
- Hang a notice at your local library inviting other work-at-home moms to meet for coffee once a month.
- Trade off with other work-at-home moms on things like driving the kids or a quiet afternoon once a week to do errands or work.
- Be supportive – of all moms.
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