WAHM

In the great “Should I work or stay home with my kids?” debate, there is a third option that is seldom mentioned: becoming a work at home mom, or WAHM. Increasing numbers of women are choosing to balance work and family in this way. A work at home mom attends to her family responsibilities while earning an income from the comfort of her own home.

While being a work at home mom requires a great deal of self-discipline, it offers many benefits. For example, a WAHM typically has a flexible schedule. She can take time off work to care for a sick child or bake cookies for a PTA fundraiser. She can choose to work early in the morning, during her toddler’s mid-day nap, or late at night after the rest of the family has gone to bed.

Depending upon your personal circumstances, being a WAHM can also result in a significant financial savings. For example, you’ll be able to reduce expenses for clothing, transportation, and childcare. There are also a number of tax advantages associated with using your home as a primary place of business.

As an expectant mother, you have many work at home options. Choosing the one that’s right for you requires evaluating your skills, goals, and priorities. Think about your previous work experience, what type of work you most enjoy, how much money you have to invest in your business, how much money you need to earn, and how much time you can realistically expect to work each week.

If you have prior experience in an area such as marketing or accounting, freelancing may be your best work at home option. Freelancers can find assignments through previous professional contacts or rely on their own marketing campaigns. There are also websites such as Guru, Rent A Coder, and Get A Freelancer which allow work at home moms to bid on projects of interest.

With the continuing popularity of eBay, many work at home moms are turning to e-commerce to fulfill their entrepreneurial goals. Some mothers sell pre-made scrapbooks or other handcrafted goods. You can also auction off someone else’s merchandise for a percentage of the profit. If you’d prefer to sell new items without the hassle of maintaining a large inventory, you can use drop shipping to run a successful Internet business.

Direct sales companies such as Avon or Mary Kay have always been popular work at home options. If you’re outgoing, assertive, and passionate about your product, you may be able to earn a sizable profit from this type of business. To learn more, visit the Direct Selling Association website.

If you’re well-known for your domestic skills, you may be able to find your work at home niche in the service industry. Many WAHMs earn money by cleaning housing, catering birthday parties, or babysitting neighborhood children. If you live in a larger community, you could also try beginning your own dog-walking service or running errands for busy professionals.

Since work at home moms are relatively rare, you may struggle to find support for your dreams of entrepreneurship. Many WAHMs have had difficulty convincing their partner to help with household chores so they can focus on building a home-based business. You may also find yourself constantly interrupted by phone calls, errand requests, and unexpected visits from family and friends who don’t understand that you’re really working. However, these non-believers will eventually learn to admire your persistence and dedication.

To learn more about being a WAHM, visit your local library for books on entrepreneurship, time management, and starting a home-based business. You may also find it helpful to visit online forums to learn from the experiences of other work at home moms.

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