Why These Housewives Are Not Desperate

Women who stay at home and take care of their children often feel pressure from all directions. They see an increasingly large stack of bills to pay, they miss the mental challenge and adult companionship of the working world, and they worry that their skills will be hopelessly out of date when the time comes to re-enter the work force. Many women are turning to web based business that they run from home as a way to blend motherhood and a career. Recently, several of these 'Super Moms' were interviewed for Web Wonder Women, the first book to highlight the success of women with on-line businesses. Here are some highlights from their interviews: * Rhea integrates her children with her business. As an avid home schooling mom, Rhea helps her children master business skills so that they can be self supporting adults. She teaches them math, language arts, and geography when they post and sell items on eBay. One of her children is a web master, another does real estate investing, and another does transcription. Rhea's top secret tip for integrating motherhood with a web based business is to get enough sleep and take care of herself. She shares, "If Mom is tired and crabby, the whole family suffers." * Mary Kay has a thriving web design business and a toddler. She's learned to let go of the idea that she can do everything by herself. Mary Kay closely monitors the number of clients that she can serve and does not take on more work that she can handle. She's created project teams and developed systems to ensure that communication flows freely so that she can always answer her customers' questions. She also uses a sitter a few hours each week so she can have an uninterrupted block of time to devote to her business. Mary Kay also blocks off time that she can devote completely to her child and her home. The block scheduling approach helps Mary Kay enjoy the best of both worlds- staying home with her child and enjoying the benefits of a successful on line business. * Norma's business grew very rapidly. In fact it grew so rapidly, that her husband joined her in the business and took over the majority of the household duties. Because her children are in school, Norma is able to devote the majority of each work day to her business. When the children return home, one or both of their parents are there to greet them. Norma experimented with a home office and space in an office building but neither of those environments was quite right for her. She needed lots of room, plenty of quiet, space to meet with customers, and wanted to be close to home. Finally, Norma converted a detached garage on her property into an office. Now, she is just steps from the house but is able to hold business meetings in a professional setting. In her ten years of business Norma learned to experiment and take a creative approach to meeting the needs of her family and her business. It is possible to integrate a home based business to meet your financial and professional needs with your desire to take care of your children. A web based business may be the perfect solution for you. Before you decide to start your own business, ask yourself these questions: * Do I have the skills to run a business- especially skills in planning, delegation, computers, and financial management? If not, where could I learn them? * What type of a product or service excites me? Being passionate about your business is a must. * What are the unmet needs in my community? How could I create a business to meet those needs, either locally or via the internet? If you are feeling like a desperate housewife, don't despair. Consider starting a web based business on a part time basis to give you the income, freedom, and flexibility you crave, along with time to care for your most precious resource, your children. Lynne Klippel is an avid student of women's success. Go to www.WebWonderWomen.com to see her groundbreaking information on the real life stories of twenty-six super successful women and listen to her free radio show, Web Sorority Talk Radio.