Faced with the dilemma of having a baby who was sick more than he was well in his first twelve months, I had a tough decision – go back to work, or stay at home? Risk putting him in day care or risk getting the sack for too many carer’s leave days? Unable to make a clear decision, I decided to blend both options and become a work-at-home-mum; a WAHM, as they say. After a few seasons in business, I feel brave enough to share a few lessons here.
Firstly, starting a business can be expensive. However, apart from the desperate scrapings to the bottom of the cereal box hoping Dr Kellog included a calculator or desk calendar in there because you can no longer afford to purchase one, there is something terribly exciting about having your vision realised in some small way. Being able to communicate it with others, and have others enjoy it also is a buzz like no other. It’s not an easy road and I doubt very much that it ever ends like a cul-de-sac; I suspect it’s one never ending motorway (with collection tolls all the way).
Having said that, it is a highly interesting journey, with its unique ups and downs. I’m very aware of the duality of the experience – for every pro, there exists a con:
Pro:
People look admiringly at me because I’ve created something. They think I must be smart and innovative. The truth is, before this, I never had a thought in my life. Except what my boss paid me to think about. Now I actually have head space to form an opinion about things that matter to me.
Con:
When the ideas run out, there’s no Think Tank to attend at a luxury weekend in Bowral, funded by the shareholders. No, it’s just you, hunched over the desk in the middle of the night, pen poised to capture the first trickle of imagination that will surely start flowing again….any time now…..
Pro:
You need no longer spend money on expensive tailored outfits. Smart casual gear for the short saunter down the hallway to sit at your desk is fine.
Con:
You wear your pyjamas out pretty quickly because that’s what you end up wearing all day.
Pro:
Your friends feel free to call you up, and there are lots of opportunities to meet midweek, and midday.
Con:
The only time you have free is midnight.
Pro:
You get to use words like owner, founder and director, on your business card.
Con:
No, there aren’t any. That is pretty cool!
Pro:
When you work from home you can still be in touch with what’s happening with the children, the house etc.
Con:
When you work from home you can still be in touch with what’s happening with the children, the house etc!
There is lots of advice out there from business gurus and entrepreneurs who’ve made it big. The trouble with that information is that it may well be tinged with the giddiness that comes from the heights of success. It’s a bit like how we mums have such a terrible time giving birth to our first baby, swear never to do that again, then a couple of years later, front up for another crack at it. In our happy glow of motherhood, we have forgotten the reality.
So, in a responsible fashion, I have included here a small compilation of some of the ‘rules’ for starting your own business from home, pinched from many successful business related sources (and henceforth referred to as theirs).
I also share with you my ‘rules’ freshly squeezed from my own humble experience (and henceforth referred to as mine).
Theirs: Enter into a field of work in which you have a working background and a strong skills set.
Mine: What the hell, learn as you go.
Theirs: Design your office set up carefully, so things are accessible, functional and in order.
Mine: Don’t turn your back on the kids, they’ll trash the joint.
Theirs: Make sure your financial house is in order.
Mine: Make sure your husband is not about to get the sack soon.
Theirs: Have a plan
Mine: Have a dream
Theirs: Don’t be distracted by the housework during your working hours.
Mine: Don’t be distracted by the housework ….ever again…
And to finish off, I’ll pinch a little something from old Dr Kellogg, or rather, his modern day marketing whizzes – Remember You. Do something that makes you feel good; that you can be proud represents you and your family.
Oh, and if you can afford it, get a desk calendar.
Are you a work at home mum? How do you manage the combination of being a working mum and a stay-at-home mum?
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Mihiri Udabage is a 30-something mother of two, now feeling old enough to use terms like 30-something. She loves Sundays more than Saturdays but is grateful for both. She hates ironing. In between growing up two little citizens, Mihiri spends time working on her on-line Fair Trade and Organic business www.generationwonder.com, volunteering for global charity Room to Read, doing canteen duty at school, and entering Fun Runs she has no hope of actually running. Mihiri has a husband who thinks she is loopy but who supports her anyway. She wishes she had written Twilight but acknowledges that could never happen because she can never remember her dreams. However, Mihiri is about to enrol in a screenwriting course that will see her write a movie that will knock Twilight for a six. Mihiri continues to dream...
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Wednesday, 03 February 2010
Tuesday, 20 July 2010
Sunday, 20 February 2011
Tuesday, 21 June 2011
Working from home is the future.