Creative Ways to Work from Home..

If you’ve recently checked out the “Featured Small Biz” section of the blog, you probably noticed that the focus has shifted somewhat. I thought I’d take some time to share my hopes for what this interview series can provide for you.

Maybe you’re a working mom that realized after having kids you’d actually love to stay home, but it’s financially impossible.

Or maybe you’re a mom who already stays home, but would love to creatively make money on your own time.

Or perhaps you’re a woman that has dreamed of owning your own small business, but it’s always seemed like an unattainable goal.

Before I had kids, I worked full time as a Registered Nurse in the Emergency Department. I love caring for people, and the challenge and the adrenaline rush of that environment had me believing that’s what I’d be doing until I retired.

Then I had our daughter. I returned to work after 5 months of maternity leave and for months I was holding back tears on my way to work. I was physically and emotionally exhausted from working night shift and caring for our new baby, but I would lie awake at night scouring the internet for “work from home” jobs. Financially it wasn’t going to work for me to stay at home full time, but I knew that something had to change. I didn’t want to spend nights, weekends, and holidays away from my family.

Have you ever searched for “work from home jobs”? If you’re here, I’m guessing you have. And you were probably as disappointed as I was. Website after website of ideas like transcription jobs, telephone customer service, taking surveys. None of which checked the appropriate boxes for me. Not only do these jobs bring in very little money, most of them would require that I still found childcare and worked on their schedule, not mine.

After months of brainstorming ideas to make an income from home, I made an incredibly important realization. I wasn’t looking for a JOB. I already have a job. I wasn’t about to pay for training to become a transcriptionist or a customer care representative. What I needed was a BUSINESS. I needed to CREATE something that was completely my own. Something I had control over and that could grow with me and my family.

But what?! I thought about writing a children’s book, but that would take too much time and might not pan out anyway. Then I thought about starting a nurse agency business, but the overhead and legality involved scared me away.

So I kept plugging away at work, and was able to go part-time. We had another baby, and again on maternity leave I fretted daily about how I could possibly make a living from home. I was scrolling Pinterest (as so many moms do as we spend hours upon hours nursing a new baby), and came across a pin about blogging. I started to read through this super descriptive article from Rosemarie Groner’s site “The Busy Budgeter,” about how to start your own blog.

It felt like divine intervention. A HUGE lightbulb went off for me. Here it was, finally. It checked all of the boxes. I could do it from home, any time of the day. I could write about anything I wanted, because it was MINE. I could be creative and find my voice, and it might even be useful to other people.

That was my day one. I bought the domain, the hosting, and got to work. It’s been a steep learning curve, but I have no doubt that this endeavor will get me and my family where I want to be.

The reason I am telling you all of this is to let you in on a little secret. I couldn’t see it before, but the world is FULL of women who are creating businesses from scratch. Businesses that match their interests and their skill sets, that allow them to work when they want and how they want. Even more importantly, these businesses have incredible potential. The more effort and passion that goes into them, the bigger and stronger they can be.

I know that blogging isn’t for everyone, but please believe me when I say that there IS something out there for you. You may not know what your passion is yet, but I bet if you’ve read this far, you ARE passionate about making money on your own terms and taking control of your family’s future.

The “Featured Small Business” section of The Caffeinated Mom Club is here to get your creative juices flowing. All of the women featured on the blog are creating and doing. They’ve come up with something unique and awesome and they’re sharing it with the world. If nothing else, I want you to read about these women and see that it IS completely possible. Take some time and brainstorm your interests. What makes you tick? What could you see yourself doing that would make you feel fulfilled AND be profitable for your family?

It won’t always be easy. The women featured on the blog are all different. They have unique personalities, talents, and perspectives. But the single common thread among them all: they have incredible perseverance. They push through the challenges, tune out the naysayers, keep their heads up, and get to work.

Come to the blog to find encouragement and inspiration from these women. Find your path and plow your way through. You absolutely CAN do it, and I’m personally rooting for you the whole way! And once you’ve decided on your passion, come back here and be featured so that other women can find inspiration from you, too!

You Might Also Like:

My Favorite Money Saving Trick

How to Use White Vinegar for a Sparkling Clean Home

How to Find More ME Time