Work-at-home moms face many different challenges. From learning to accept help when needed, to building confidence in ourselves, to remembering the reasons why we chose to work from home. Below is the first in a series of tips to help work-at-home moms in the simplest of ways – the ABC’s.

A = Adjustments. A work at home mom must expect the unexpected. She must be prepared to adjust her schedule at any given moment for any number of reasons – a sick child, a backed up drain, or an upset client. A mom who learns to welcome these moments as a chance to show love to her family and concern for her clients will be ahead of the game in the end. Approach these “interruptions” with a great attitude and see what a difference it makes.

B = Better. Works at Home Moms have to be on top of their game. To run a business as well as manage a household takes determination and scheduling. You may not feel like you have a schedule, but take a look at your day/week and see how you are spending your time. Next, think about what you can do better, what you can delegate and what would be better off removed from your schedule to allow you to spend your time in a better manner.

C = Confidence. You wouldn’t be a work at home mom without it. Take time to celebrate each success no matter how minute it may seem. Each success will help grow your confidence and turn you into a savvier businesswoman.

D = Dry – Don’t let things dry up. Keep content fresh, offer new products and services whenever possible. This will keep you motivated and keep customer returning.

E = Effort – Don’t kid yourself. It takes a TON of effort to make a home-based business successful. Don’t give up with thing get rough. Keep plugging away – it will pay off

F = Feisty – Every work at home mom has to be at least a tad bit feisty. Stand up for your business when need be – don’t be afraid to say no when necessary.

G = Generosity – When I fist began my business I sought advice from many successful work-at-home moms. One of the best pieces of advice I received was that what I gave to others would come back tenfold. I’ve found that to be very true. Helping others is as much a blessing to me as it is to others.

H = Help – There will come a time that you’ll need help. You must be willing to accept it, to allow others to do for you what you cannot. In turn, try to be a help to other when they are in need.

I = If – If you don’t do it, who will? Mothering is such an important role that gets overlooked so often these days. Always remember that being there for your children is the BEST gift you can ever give them.

J = “Just for you” – Take a little time to do something just for you each day. Even 5 minutes of doing something you enjoy can revive a tired mommy.

K = Keep – Keep your chin up. It will get better. Don’t let a lag in business growth get you down. Find some creative ways to get the ball rolling again.

L = Laugh – Take time to laugh with you kids each day. And don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself when need be.

M = Mommy – Remember, the reason you do all that you do is for those little ones who call you “Mommy.”

N = No – Work at Home Moms need to be able to say “No” when the situation calls for it. Don’t be afraid to stand up for your business or to choose NOT to work with a customer who is more trouble than it’s worth.

O = Office – As Work at Home Moms, we usually put ourselves last on the list. However, when we’re in business it’s important to have some room (even a corner) that is set aside strictly for business.

P = Priorities – It’s hard to keep your priorities straight when raising a family and building a business. Take some time each week/month to sit down and evaluate your priorities and cut out things in your schedule that don’t fit in.

Q = Quiet Time – It may seem impossible to find a time to sit, relax and be quiet when you have so many demands on your time. However, it’s more important than ever that you take a little time for yourself to rejuvenate and renew when you grow weary.

R = Respect – Like the golden rule says, it’s important to treat others as we’d like to be treated. This is so true for work at home moms – we must show the utmost in professionalism and treat even the most difficult clients with respect.

S = Significant Other – As work at home moms it’s easy to get wrapped up with our business, our kids, ourselves. Don’t forget to take the time to appreciate your husbands!

T = Time – As work-home-moms time is the ultimate enemy. Learn to prioritize and delegate whenever possible. Take time out for your kids each day – you’ll be glad you did!

U = Unique – Your business needs to be unique to stand out from the crowd. Even if your product isn’t unique you can always find a unique way to approach marketing, customer service, etc. Get creative and stand out from the rest!

V = Vision – It’s so important to have a clear vision of where you want your business to go. Sit down and make a list of where you’d like to be in 5 years, in 10 years, etc. Without goals you won’t get anywhere.

W = Wisdom – It’s important to seek wisdom when running your own business. You won’t always know the answer, so you need to find others that you trust that you can turn to when these things arise.

X = eXcitement – Celebrate each success! Keep yourself motivated and excited about your business. Try to share your business with someone new each day. Just telling someone about what you do can bring back that “spark” of excitement about your career!

Y = Yes – Yes! You CAN do it! Each of us started with a dream, a vision and the faith that we could make it happen. It takes hard work, determination and a “Yes!” attitude, but it CAN be done!

Z = Zoo – Yes, life as a work at home mom really is a zoo, but it’s worth it! Being at home to see your child’s first step, hear their first word – it just doesn’t get better than that.

Working from home can be difficult, but it is well worth the effort. By keeping things in perspective we can reduce the stress that we put on ourselves. Remember these ABC’s and you’ll go far in your work-at-home career.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jill Hart is the founder of Christian Work at Home Moms, CWAHM.com. Hart is also the co-author of the upcoming book, Home Based Blessings, due out in November 2006 for Christian moms who want to work at home. Hart and her husband, Allen of CWAHD.com (Christian Work at Home Dads) reside in Nebraska with their two children.

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When someone asks you about what you do, do you have a ready answer? Or do you stumble and stammer trying to explain your business?

I was recently at a writer’s conference where one of the main focuses was learning to create a successful book pitch. My instructor emphasized what a good pitch can do for a writer. She explained that when an editor asks an author about their writing project, they have one shot at sharing their pitch and getting the editor excited about their project. A great pitch makes a great first impression and can translate into a book contract. On the other hand, a pitch that is not well thought out can cost an author the chance of selling that project.

A good book pitch is a summary of the author’s idea, but more than that it’s a summary with a sizzle. At the conference, I learned that many authors spend hours crafting and memorizing their pitch. Then, when asked about their project, they are able to give a quick, concise synopsis that not only explains their idea, but makes the editor want to learn more.

I believe that the concept of creating a pitch can also apply to the home-based business world. As entrepreneurs, we can put together a summary of our business that will not only explain what we do, but grab the attention of whomever we’re speaking with.

A good business pitch summarizes the business concept in one to two short paragraphs, usually a total of 50 words or less. To begin, write out a list of the five most compelling aspects of your business. Try to think about your business as if you were on the outside looking in. What would interest you? What would make you want to learn more?

Try to answer these questions:

- Who is my target market?
- What are my top selling products/services?
- What about my company makes it stand out? If I were looking at starting a business, what would interest me about this company?
- Why did I choose this company?

Put your answers into sentences and you have the beginning of your business pitch. Try to keep your sentences short and use simple words. You want anyone who asks to be able to understand your answer, not get lost in your words. Take special care to describe what you like about your business. These same things will generally appeal to others as well.

While you want to keep your pitch simple, you also want it to give a picture of your business. Let’s say, for example, that you run health and wellness business. You wouldn’t want to use the statement, “I run a health and wellness business,” as a reply about what it is that you do. You want to add in a short description and catch the listener’s attention. For instance, you might say, “I operate my own business. We offer products such as chemical-free shampoo and natural snack foods to help others lead healthy lives.”

When I began my website, I was often caught off-guard when someone asked me about it. I would fumble for words and struggle to express exactly what it is that I do all day. I usually walked away from conversations like this feeling frustrated, and I’m sure the person I was speaking with was more confused than they were originally.

After learning the art of pitching, I can now give a short and snappy reply. “I run a Christian-based website for work-at-home moms,” I’ll say. “I offer resources to help them in their search and am able to make an income by offering advertising.” This usually leads to more questions about my website, which is exactly what I hope for. It gives me an opportunity to talk further about my business to those who are interested.

The next time someone asks you about your home-based business, remember to share your pitch with them. Take the time to hone your pitch to be as short, yet descriptive as possible. Over time, you’ll find yourself refining your words and your answers will become well-crafted summaries that pique the interest of anyone who asks. Word of mouth is one of the easiest ways to build your business and your pitch is a great way to get others talking.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jill Hart is the founder of Christian Work at Home Moms, CWAHM.com. Jill is a contributing author in The Business Mom Guide Book and I’ll Be Home For Christmas and co-author of the upcoming book, Home Based Blessings. Jill has articles published across the web on sites like DrLaura.com and ClubMom.com. Jill and her husband, Allen of CWAHD.com reside in Nebraska with their two children.

Starting down a new career path can be both exciting and terrifying. There are a lot of tools on the market that can help you determine what type of career field you should enter. But what if your chosen “career path” is being an entrepreneur and running a home-based business? Do the rules change? Below are five questions to ask yourself to help you determine what type of business might be right for you.

1. What is your passion?

Answer this question with the first thing that comes to mind: If money were no object and you could do anything, what would you do? You might have answered “be a writer”, “speak at conferences”, “bring my product idea to life” or any number of things. Whatever your answer, this most likely is your passion. I challenge you to take the time to ponder this and see if there is a way to bring your dream to fruition.

2. What types of things did you like to do as a child?

Many times the toys and games we loved as children give us a glimpse into who we have become as adults. If you loved climbing trees, you may now be an “outdoorsy” type of person. Think about how this might be incorporated into your business. For instance, you might enjoy setting up outdoor birthday parties for children or selling herbs from your backyard garden.

3. What type of products would you be interested in representing?

If you’re looking in the direction of direct sales, whether that be your own product or an established home-based business option, you need to think through what types of products you’d be comfortable presenting to your customers. Take the time to do some research and find a product that truly excites you. Your customers will see your sincerity and that can sell a product just as easily as a fancy presentation.

4. What skills and experience do you bring to the table?

If you’ve left the corporate world in favor of working at home, you’ve undoubtedly brought with you a set of skills. There may be a way to market those skills in a new way and turn them into a profitable business. For instance, if you were an executive assistant you may be able to type 80 words or more per minute. You could set up shop as a Virtual Assistant and help other business owners in processing orders, transcribing documents and much more.

5. Are you thinking outside of the box?

Most of us have a fear of the unknown. We many times assume that if we haven’t done something before, it is simply out of reach. This carries over to the business world as well. We take our products or services and market them in the same way that we see other business owners using. However, it can be much more effective to find new and innovative ways to market. One home-based business owner I know sells stuffable toy kits. Instead of using the usual home parties and birthday party events, she works almost exclusively with children’s hospitals doing fundraisers. She makes a great living and helps not only the hospitals, but the children as well. She is a great example of unique marketing and overcoming the mundane marketing methods that so many business owners resign themselves to.

Your home-based business should be unique to you. It should make you want to get up each morning excited about the possibilities of the day ahead. Take the time to thoroughly think through the questions above and you’ll be on your way to making a great, well thought out decision that has your name written all over it!

About the Author:
Jill Hart is the founder of Christian Work at Home Moms, CWAHM.com. Jill is a co-author of the upcoming book So You Want To Be a Work-at-Home Mom (Beacon Hill, Sept. 2009). Jill welcomes work-at-home questions at http://AskJill.cwahm.com.

I have to admit that when I was younger I was not a fan of the “Proverbs 31 Woman.” It didn’t seem likely to me that any woman could possibly live up to the standards found within those verses (Prov. 31:10-31). However, since becoming a wife and mother, I’ve had a change of heart towards this infamous woman. She has become a source of inspiration and I believe there is a lot that we can learn from the example she provides.

Here are a few life lessons that work-at-home moms can glean from this lovely lady in Scripture:

1. Strive to Be a Women of Noble character
“A wife of noble character … is worth far more than rubies.” (v. 10)

It doesn’t necessarily sound like much to be of “noble character” (actually, it sounds rather snooty), but Merriam-Webster defines noble as meaning, “possessing outstanding qualities.” Can you think of someone in your life that fits that description, someone who has “outstanding qualities?” Chances are, this is a person that you love to spend time with and that’s definitely the type of woman I’d like to become.
2. How to Have a Happy Husband
“Her husband has full confidence in her” (v. 11)
While this may not give us an exact formula for a happy husband, it certainly is true that husbands are more relaxed when their household is calm. If we are looking out for our husbands best interests, putting them before ourselves, how could we help but develop our spouse’s “full confidence” in us?

3. Work Hard
“She … works with eager hands” (v. 13)

Being a work-at-home mom is not an easy task. Everything about it takes work. However, if you’re at home with your kids, following you dream, building a business, hopefully you wake up each morning (or at least most mornings) eager to get started and see what the new day brings.

4. Live a Disciplined Life
“She gets up while it is still dark” (v. 15)

Early morning hours, naptime “jam sessions” and late night work time are all generally part of a mom’s life. The more disciplined we are throughout the day, and especially during work times, the more we can accomplish. The Proverbs 31 woman recognized this and started her days before the sun rose.

5. Take Chances
“She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.” (v. 16)
“She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes.” (v. 24)

What a creative woman. She brings in some extra money to help pay the bills – no wonder her husband has “full confidence in her” even when she is taking a risk. Consider this: there was no online ordering system when Proverbs was written. This gal made the garments and sashes ahead of time, hoping they would sell. She bought land hoping to create a successful vineyard. She stepped out of her comfort zone because she saw a market for the products she would be creating.

6. Make Prudent Decisions
“She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.” (v. 18)

This woman took time to think through each decision she made – she bought the fields with vineyards in mind; she made the garments and sashes with customers mind; she made sure that her provisions were in place for her family and servants (v. 15). We would do well to learn from this – look honestly at whether our “trading is profitable” and we can make wise decisions.

7. Be Generous
“She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.” (v. 20)

This woman knew that in God’s system priorities tend to be the opposite of what we find in society. She recognized that in order to truly be successful in God’s eyes she needed to tend to what matters to Him – His children. By reaching out and helping those less fortunate than herself, the woman of Proverbs showed her thankfulness for all that God had given her.

8. Get Organized
“She can laugh at the days to come.” (v. 25)

Why can she laugh at the days to come? Look back through the verses above (or better yet, read entire passage HERE) and you’ll see that she is not worried about the future for two reasons: 1) She trusts God and knows that He will care for her; 2) She knows that she has done all she can to prepare for whatever lies ahead.

9. Seek Wisdom
“She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.” (v. 26)

How do we gain wisdom? The book of Proverbs is full of sayings about wisdom and how to attain it. It all boils down to this: “For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” (Prov. 2:6) Seek the Lord, ask Him for godly wisdom.

10. Strive to Please God
“A woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.” (v. 30)

Above all else, what sets the Proverbs 31 woman apart is that she loves the Lord. Our goal in every area of our life – personal, family, business – should be to glorify God.

About the Author:
Jill Hart is the founder of Christian Work at Home Moms, CWAHM.com. Jill is a co-author of the upcoming book So You Want To Be a Work-at-Home Mom (Beacon Hill, Sept. 2009). Jill welcomes work-at-home questions at http://AskJill.cwahm.com.

My children are four and two years old and they are more challenging than most (not as in spoiled, but as in needing more time than the average kid). Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

My main advice would be to cut yourself some slack. Things will get easier and more manageable as your kids get older.

My practical advice is this:

1. Plan out menus each week.

I literally spend about two minutes on this. I have a small magnetic dry-erase board that I keep on my refrigerator. Each Sunday, I write out the days of the week and what we’ll have for supper that day. (Lunches almost always consist of sandwiches or something easy like that since it’s just me and the kids.)

This makes grocery shopping a breeze because I know just what ingredients I need. It also alleviates the nagging thoughts of “what are we going to eat tonight?” If possible, have one or both of your kids help you decide what to put. You’ll be surprised at how much they like having a say in what goes on that board!

2. Set a day for everything.

My days look something like this:

• Mondays – Housework and laundry (and business tasks as time allows)
• Tuesdays – Grocery shopping and business tasks (this used to be during naptime, but is now during preschool time)
• Wednesdays – Bible study and lunch with hubby (and business tasks as time allows)
• Thursdays – Business tasks as much as possible with playtime in between
• Friday – Take it Easy Day (and business tasks as time allows)
• Saturdays – Laundry
• Sunday – Church and a good, long nap

It seems a little boring on paper, but I can’t tell you how much this little schedule has saved my sanity. I know when I get up in the morning what I have ahead of me and it is broken into manageable segments. You’ll find that scheduling things amongst these “main” schedule items will get easier and easier as you get used to the schedule.

About the Author: Jill Hart is the founder of Christian Work at Home Moms, CWAHM.com. Jill is a co-author of the upcoming book So You Want To Be a Work-at-Home Mom (Beacon Hill, Sept. 2009). Jill welcomes work-at-home questions at http://AskJill.cwahm.com.