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Work At Home Mom (WAHM):
I Want to Work at Home,
So Where Do I Start?

Check out our local WAHMs.

Find out what you're good at and what you love. Hopefully something that you are both good at (or can become good at) AND love!

• Think about what you've done in your life and especially about what you feel good about having done. I think people often tend to be drawn to the same type of job many times in their life...for me it was any kind of job working with kids.
  • Think back to the jobs you've had and maybe even list them out on paper.
  • Looking at your past experience, which things did you really feel good about doing?
  • Which things would you maybe like to do again?

• Think about some things you've always wanted to do, but for one reason or another just haven't, or haven't done as much as you'd like.
  • Is there something that's been a longtime dream of yours? Try something new and fulfill a dream at the same time!
  • Is there something recently that you've been mulling over? A new obsession? Something that has really grabbed your attention and you can run with?
  • Is there a craft that you are good at? Something you enjoy doing and you might be able to sell?

• Think about whether you want to join an existing company, such as becoming a direct sales rep for a company like Tupperware or Mary Kay (There's a ton of these type of companies out there these days...check out the Direct Selling Association list of registered companies for some ideas.) or if you would prefer to start your own home business.
  • Check out bizymoms.com for some great ideas for home businesses, either in ebooks, ecourses or on their ideas page.
  • Another great site for ideas is mymommybiz.com where they have more great ebooks, and ideas page and MUCH more!
  • And here's another site with work at home ideas and way more.

• Start brainstorming. First by yourself, but then, ask your friends and family what they think...particularly if they happen to have personal experience in what you are looking into...Such as, if you are thinking of making/selling children's products, ask parents what they think of the products/ideas/etc...would they buy something like this? (hypothetically) Don't base your decisions entirely on one person, though...ask around and get a variety of opinions.
  • Check out some of the great online home biz resources and try brainstorming with fellow home business owners...Ask questions, get answers and make new friends! These people have "BTDT" (been there, done that) and really know this world of home business and are invaluable resources to have...
    • The Women's Networking Community (WNC)--check out the archives for a wealth of info and resources! Post questions and get a lot of wonderful help from women that are in business for themselves.
    • Self Starter Weekly Tips Forums--these are forums on a site owned by one of the magnificent ladies from the WNC. I haven't checked them out yet, but I hear they are another great resource!
    • iVillage Work From Home Message Boards (scroll down to the "Working from Home" section)--the WNC actually started from moderators/members of the boards at iVillage...but moved for various reasons...but there is a wealth of info at these boards. Topics on everything and anything related to working at home...and a very large community of people to meet and ask questions of!
    • Mompreneurs Forums--another spin-off of iVillage, after their iVillage board was cancelled, they started their own on their site, so check it out! I've heard great things about the Mompreneurs!

     

• Research your idea.
  • Are there any similar local businesses? Check them out!
  • Find out how they do things by calling and asking them specific questions (Make a list beforehand)...Take good notes!
  • Talk to people who've done business with them if you can. Personally, I don't look at this as a way to beat the competition...but as a way to learn about what's already out there, something that is crucial to your business's success. I don't want to get into figuring out how to be competitive so much as I want to do something DIFFERENT, that'll make me stand out. For example, when I was looking into creating my in-home mommy & me classes, I called all over town to existing programs that offered classes to young children with a parent. I wanted to know what was already available in my area, and I wanted to find my own personal niche. I found quite a lot of choices, but nothing that was in-home and provided exactly the things that I was wanting to provide. I also used this as my way of determining what to charge. By getting an idea of the going rate around town, I was able to come up with what I considered a reasonable rate for my own program. There's a lot of info that can be had by just calling and asking for info on a company's services.
  • Make a list of questions up before you call so you don't forget to ask something important.
  • If your idea is for an online business, start doing internet searches for similar businesses. My favorite and I believe one of the best out there is www.google.com.
  • Gather all the info you can on what's out there in your field of interest.
  • Take note of the website design/feel, services provided, products available and especially pricing.

Once you've gotten your ideas more organized, and have an actual workable goal in mind (don't worry if its not really entirely figured out yet, you will figure more out as you go along)...you can start using more of the wonderful invaluable resources that are available out there on the net. There's a TON of sites out there with info on how to go about starting a home business...

Here's some great places to start learning more about working at home and starting a home business...