Working at Home

n this age of the Internet, faxes, cell phones and computers, working at home is becoming an increasingly viable option for many SAHMs. In fact, statistics show that as many as 10% of women in this country are already working from home. There are several types of at-home jobs which are especially suitable to the stay-at-home parent. Among these are:

Telecommuting - This is a good option for those who already have a job and want to switch to a more convenient schedule. The advantages of telecommuting include having your taxes and insurance taken care of, steady work and benefits like vacation and health care. Disadvantages include working for a boss and reduced flexibility with your work schedule. In addition, there is the possibility of having to return to the workplace should the telecommuting situation not work out. Good telecommuting jobs include customer service, accounting, data entry, telemarketing, and computer programming.

Freelance work - This option works well for those with a marketable skill that does not require regular work hours. For example, all magazines and newspapers need writers, but writers do not always have to be at the headquarters to get their writing done. Hiring a contract worker or freelancer allows the client to accomplish their goal, while the freelancer attains flexibility and a set contract length. Disadvantages include being responsible for your taxes and home office setup, lack of steady work (or sometimes - *too* much work) and the necessity to continually market yourself and your services. Jobs well-suited for contract or freelance Work include web design, desktop publishing, secretarial services and writing.

Home business ownership - Owning a home business is challenging, but it is a great opportunity for those who want to control their own destinies and have the desire and will to work for themselves. Business ownership requires self-motivation and discipline, and is usually very time-consuming at the outset. It is well-suited for those with assertive personalities and those who like to be active and involved. Disadvantages of a home business include start-up fees, attaining required training, and being responsible for all of paperwork, taxes, etc. involved in owning a business. Common types of home businesses are daycare, direct sales (see below), consulting, and internet sales.

Direct Sales - Many SAHMs use the direct sales, or party plan approach to earning a bit of extra money (examples are Mary Kay Cosmetics, Discovery Toys, and Pampered Chef). These types of businesses offer a tried and true cookie-cutter approach, plus have low start-up costs. Also, these types of businesses are adaptable to the SAHM lifestyle, requiring as little time as one day per week. Mothers can adjust the amount of effort they put into them, depending on their time and how much they want to earn. If you would like to learn about some of the more legitimate and well-known opportunities, check out the websites below:

	The Pampered Chef
	Avon
	Discovery Toys
	Tupperware
	Mary Kay Cosmetics
	PartyLite Candles
	1-800 Party Shop
	Tastefully Simple
	Brown Bag Gourmet
	Creative Memories

Excerpt from Staying Home: From Full-time Professional to Full-time Parent, by Darcie Sanders and Martha M. Bullen

Running a home-based business is one of the most popular options for women who want to resume paid work while maintaining an intimate connection with their children. In fact, close to 46 million Americans work at home at least part of the time. A great deal of attention has been paid to this trend--you can go to your library and find dozens of titles on this topic.

Most home businesses are based on a woman's professional work skills. It is easier to build on what you've previously done in your career and apply those skills at home than to switch to an entirely new profession. One woman who runs a successful word processing service out of her garage previously worked as a legal secretary. After deciding to start her own business, she took some relevant courses on computers and telecommuting at her local community college. She and her husband then pooled their household savings and bought the equipment she needed for her business, including fax machines, computers and modems. Her business is thriving. Many times she doesn't even meet her clients, instead conducting all her business with them electronically.

Other women find that a home business grows out of a hobby. Such businesswomen include caterers, seamstresses, and doll furniture or baby quilt makers. Craft shows have become big business and a lot of money can be made at them, especially during the holiday season.

Another idea is to focus on the needs in your community, as well as looking at your own interests. Day care is always in great demand and can pay well if you look after several children. As a mother, you are already experienced in understanding and caring for young children, so this home business can build on your strengths as a parent. But full-time child care can also be exhausting, since you must juggle the needs of several children in addition to your own.

The range of possible businesses you can have at home is enormous. Here's a sample of the variety of at-home businesses the women we surveyed have started:

	running a Christmas tree farm
	freelance writing
	desktop publishing and graphic design services
	sewing custom "faux fur" coats
	typing legal documents and student term papers
	teaching piano or flute lessons
	bookkeeping and tax accounting
	selling Tupperware, Avon products, or Discovery toys
	testing software
	providing management consulting to small businesses
	providing education counseling and testing
	booking author tours for a public relations firm
	catering
	teaching Lamaze, parenting or exercise classes
	maintaining computerized mailing lists
	preparing resumes
	custom calligraphy

Despite the variety of home businesses mentioned, we've also found some common ground. Women who succeed in starting and maintaining their own home-based businesses generally feel a tremendous sense of accomplishment and satisfaction at contributing to the family income and making use of their skills. But there are difficulties; working at home is not necessarily the best of both worlds, as many women believe it to be.

The most common problem is finding uninterrupted time to work at a home-based business. Many mothers have the fantasy that their children will play happily (and quietly) for hours at a time while they get their work done. This wishful thinking is often perpetuated by photographs in magazines showing a mother typing up a storm while her baby rests on her lap. This vision usually crumbles almost instantly when an important phone call with a potential client is interrupted by a toddler wailing in the background. Or the computer is put out of commission for several days by a glass of juice spilled over the keyboard.

The reality is that it's just not possible to devote your full attention to caring for your children and to the work at hand. If you try to do both simultaneously, you may end up feeling that you're cheating both your customers and your children, and you will be frazzled to boot. It's wise to think carefully about the amount of work you can take on, scheduling considerations, and child-care options before you start a home-based business.

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