Many women opt to work from home, or go into business for themselves, when they first have children. The reasons are varied-from the ridiculous cost of childcare, to just wanting to be a full-time mother. Ironically the HARDEST time to start a business is when your child is very small, since they require so much time and attention!

If you are a WAHM, with children between birth and 3 years of age, I'd like to provide you with some answers I've found to a few of the specific challenges you'll face with a little one, while working out of your home, as well as some tips on reaching your financial success.

There is nothing more noble that wanting to be there for your children, and the first thing I'd like to address here, is all the raised eyebrows you're likely to face when you first start putting the word out that you are going to be a WAHM. This eyebrow look is given in response to two common misconceptions:

The first, is that you cannot make a living from home, via the Internet, crafting etc. That is just not true. There are many more expenses incurred when working outside the home, from the rising cost of petrol, to day/childcare expenses, you may not make as much (at least at first!) working form home, but you will also not be spending nearly as much!
It does take some extra patience while you build your clientele base, and you may find that you'll want to have some kind of reliable, steady income in the interim. It doesn't need to be much. Sit down and work out how much you and your family could live on, bare minimum, for a few months, and find other sources of income to provide that to you until you are on your feet. Anything else you make past that is, as they say in the Southern USA,"Just Gravy"! How can you find this steady income? Well, here are a few things I found to be of real help to me....

1) There are Internet jobs, where you are paid a base fee, plus commission. The base is never very high, but it is something you can rely on, and that's all you are looking for at that point. If you don't mind being on the phone 2-3 hours a day, try this company: http://www.themedicinecounter.com. They sell a discount card, mostly to senior citizens, and your (business related) long distance is paid for. The only start-up fee they require is a $69.00 deposit, which you get back after 5 weeks. If you have ever done telemarketing or any kind of customer service, then this is quite easy. As a leads generator, I didn't have to sell anything, and the base pay was: $80/week, (with minimal effort) and then commissions over and above that. You obviously won't get "rich" this way, but it is something you can do reasonably easily, and is a good base pay. One other thing about this company, is that there are opportunities for advancement, some in 4-8 weeks! There is more money in the manager positions obviously, so depending on your financial needs, it is something to consider.
2) There are things you can do with your children in-tow, that are also good place to start. You can do some childcare work in your home. If you provided childcare to even 1 child at $100 a week, (which in most places would still save the other parent about $50/week!) your base monthly pay would be $400.00, and building on that wouldn't be difficult at all! My suggestion is if your child is an infant, try to watch an older child-say 31/2 or 4. This will eliminate the "schedule clashing" that can occur with more than one infant in a home. Ask any mother of twins or triplets, and she'll tell you-it's hard to get them to all be on the same diaper, sleep and feeding schedule! If your child is a toddler, it's a good idea to match ages as best you can, so that they can entertain one another. You will be amazed at how much free-time this will allow!

The second misconception is that home-based businesses do not provide long-term stability. While it is true, that many at-home businesses fizzle-out within the first year, it has nothing to do with it being home-based! There is a wealth of opportunity available to the person willing to work hard, and stay focused, and with the right support and some forethought, you can build your home-based business into a long lasting income!

There are a few questions to ask yourself when deciding what approach best for you.

Ask yourself what your passion is. It's hard enough to maintain a business, without having to do something you don't really enjoy, and there are hundreds of places you can go to do what you hate! Create a business/product/service you can really get excited about! There are going to be "dry" periods, and it's your passion that will get you through!

Secondly, define for yourself: "success". As an example, you will run your business differently, if your success is "exposure"-related, as opposed to being measured financially. And you will run a business designed to make you independently wealthy, differently from one that is created to provide a supplemental income...

Finally, ask yourself what are some realistic ways to achieve that success. Every WAHM has her own set of challenges, and what will work for one mom may be totally impossible for another. We are all unique, with our own strengths and challenges. Takes some time to talk to other successful WAHMs and ask LOTS of questions.

Be sure to write the answers to these questions out. Not only will this be your "rough" business plan, it will help keep you focused on your goal!

OK. So, you have your plan in-place, and you are starting to work toward your goal. But as a mom, you have other demands on your time and attention. Balancing these can be extremely difficult. Here are some coping strategies I have found to help you balance these aspects of your life:

For Babies:
Buy a sling. Especially if you're nursing, this one tool will make all the difference in your "multi-tasking". When my son was an infant, I used to "wear" him in the sling most of the day-it provided a way for me to have my hands free, and still have my little one close to me. Cultures worldwide have known the benefits of "baby wearing" for generations. It's the best way for a baby to gain exposure to their world, while still feeling safe. My preference, is the sling called: the "Over the shoulder baby holder". It's a tad bit more "bulky" than the "Maya Sling", but I've found it's the most comfortable for long-term wearing. It also doubles as a changing pad, and is machine washable.

If what you are doing is not conducive to "baby-wearing", you can also sit your little one in a position where she can see you. Just hearing your voice can be a great comfort to a baby. Try to change her position every now and then, to allow her different angles of you and the room. This will keep her from getting bored, and help her with all kinds of great skills!

Toddlers: Ahhhh.....toddlers. Aren't they wonderful! They are experiencing so many things at this age, it's hard to keep up with them! As I am typing this, my son is tossing his big blue ball at the back of my desk chair, and getting quite a kick out of it!

One thing about toddlers, is this: They need to know you are paying attention, and they will go to great lengths to gain that reassurance! Here's what I've found works best. Don't plan anything too lengthy while they're awake. As soon as you start to concentrate too deeply on anything besides what THEY are doing, there's bound to be drama. Don't expect to sit at your computer, uninterrupted for hours on end. You may be lucky to get a few minutes at a time. If you stop every so often, and pick your little one up, or toss a ball for a few minutes.....you'll be amazed at how much you can get done, and still have interacted with your little one all through the day! Think of it this way: large corporations pay huge amounts of money to create "stress-relieving" activities for their employees, and you have one built right in!

Of course, you may find you are working on a deadline sometimes, and this may not be practical. Here's my secret to getting things done that require an extended amount of concentration time: I bring my son's highchair into the family room, which is also my home office. Then I make him a breakfast with lots of yummy "fingerfoods". I put in one of his favorite movies, and VOILA! He'll sit still through a 30 minute movie, and munch on his food quite happily. I then get a good amount of work done, he is having fun, and all is right with his world (and therefore, mine)!

Note: If your living room is carpeted, I suggest going to www.onestepahead.com and ordering one of their floor mats. They are very reasonable, and will save you large amounts of work!

Ok. You have a plan. You have some basic coping strategies....now let's talk about making your business a success! Whether you are offering a service, or have a great product to sell, it is imperative in this day and age, that you get a website. So many people do their buying and selling via the Internet now, it would be a poor business decision not to take advantage of that!

If you are like many other moms, you probably don't have much knowledge about websites, and all the technical mishmash that goes along with it. Neither did I! Now, I have a successful website, and I am able to do so much I never thought I would! I did a lot of research before choosing my web hosting company, and I can't say enough great things about the one I finally decided on! It's called 0-nethosting, and you can reach them at: http://www.0-nethosting.com . They also have a Tollfree # posted there! They are very reliable, have excellent customer service, and can provide everything you need for your website-from hosting, to website design and copywriting!

BUT, let me tell you the thing that sets them apart from all the rest. When you purchase their monthly service, you get a free membership to the private forum called "The Warrior Group"! This is where the best small business/e-commerce minds in the WORLD meet and share their tips! This is so great, because you can ask questions of the experts there, free of charge! There are all kinds of resources available to you there as well. It is the best, most knowledgeable business people assembled in one place! Membership to a group like this would easily run $40 month!

Finally, here's the final great thing I'd like to say about this company. It is an affiliate program! If you sign-up, and refer just 3 of your friends or business contacts, -the residual income from their order will pay for YOUR hosting! Keep referring people, and YOU could be PAID for hosting with this company! Great eh!?

As a little sidenote: for those of you who are business savvy already, I thought it would be a good idea to mention that this strong recommendation comes without any affiliate benefits to me-my hosting is already paid for!

So! You have a goal, a plan, practical coping strategies AND an opportunity other people only dream of! Here's to your success!