Lately, I have been blessed with quite a bit of work for both of my home based businesses. That is exciting, because like most people out there, I like to get paid. I also enjoy my work and it is good to know that there is plenty to do. It would be untruthful for me to portray that having this good fortune is all sunshine and roses, though. For the past couple of days, I have been on the road with my almost two year old son. We are accompanying my husband as he does some work – related travel. … Continue reading →

Many home-based professionals have families. Our families are very important in both our personal lives and our professional lives. Family members can be the inspiration for starting a home-based business, people who help out with the work of the business, emotional and financial support for you as you go about starting and running your business, and many other wonderful things. Our families also help to shape our businesses in other ways, such as our work schedules and work loads. Changes in the schedules of family members may make it necessary for a home-based professional to switch up their work schedule. … Continue reading →

Today a random thought crossed my mind and I cannot seem to get rid of it. It is probably a thought that is not unique to me, in fact I am sure that many home-based professionals and even some people who work outside of the home have had at one time or another. It is actually more of a question than a thought, though. My question of the day is whether it is okay for a person who holds themselves out as a professional to admit to themselves and/or others that work is not their top priority. I am not … Continue reading →

Everyone understands the value of learning from mistakes. Once a mistake has been made, the best thing that you can do is to find the lesson in it and move forward, remembering not to repeat the mistake again. Today I made a mistake that made me realize that being eager to please is not always a good thing. Yesterday, I received wonderful news that I had been awarded a job that I had bid on the night before. It is just for a few hours a week, which is exactly what I needed to round out my schedule. Today, I … Continue reading →

It is amazing how you may not realize that your schedule could benefit from a change until you happen to change it one day unintentionally and realize that things could be a lot better of you keep the change. That is exactly what happened to me today. It is a Monday, and I always have a lot of work to get done on Mondays. Normally, my son and I would get up around nine or ten in the morning when my husband gets up to get ready for work. Today, his schedule was different and he had to get up … Continue reading →

There are times when it seems as though I get absolutely nothing accomplished. I am sure that I am not the first home-based professional parent to feel this way, nor will I be the last. At times like this I wonder, am I really that bad at managing time that I am not getting anything done or am I getting things done but not things that are readily quantifiable or things that society assigns a high level of importance to. Fortunately, I believe that the latter is the case because I do not sit on my bottom all day eating … Continue reading →

One of the questions that may be on your mind as you set out to begin your home – based business is whether you will begin just one business or whether you will have multiple home-based businesses. There are advantages to each type of arrangement, and your final decision will have to be based upon your needs and the needs of your family. Some home-based businesses lend themselves better to being run alongside of each other than others do, so this is certainly one thing to think about before making a decision to have more than one business operating at … Continue reading →

Today I noticed that one of my fellow bloggers, Richele McFarlin, wrote about the topic of Labor Day. I’ll be working a little bit this Labor Day just like Richelle, and I am sure that we won’t be the only home-based professionals spending at least some of the day working. I really do not mind working on Labor Day because there are no family barbecues, parties, or other events beckoning to me to come away from my desk. If there were, it might be a little harder to stay on task. The main reason that I will be working on … Continue reading →

The life of a work-at-home mom is never boring, and today is no exception. Last night, hurricane Irene knocked out our electricity around 5PM and there’s no telling when it will come back on. Fortunately, that is all that happened at my house. Unfortunately, many people with homes and businesses near the rivers of Vermont did not fare so well and I hope that they are able to recover from their losses. Not having electricity sure takes some things off of the to-do list, like dishes and laundry. Those things will pile up and be waiting for me when the … Continue reading →

What you need: Truck or van: You will need to make sure your truck or van and carry heavy loads. A pick up truck is best due to the open back and the ability to haul heavy and unusually shaped items. Supplies: Make sure you have the proper equipment to tie items securely down on your vehicle. Carry a variety of supplies since you may not know when the next call is coming or what you will need. Things to consider: Cost of fuel: When calculating your rate keep in mind the cost of fuel. Calculate the approximate cost to … Continue reading →