How can I work from home?

It is high on the list of goals for many women and as they transition into the role of 'mother' it seems that Working From Home seems like the all round better option for their family. 

If you can provide an income for your family, minimise daycare fees and still spend lots of time with your children then what is not to love about working from home? 

I want to be really transparent when it comes to working from home. There are two types of work from home mums. Those who hobby work and those who career work. The difference is quite significant in both the level of investment in her work time and income as well so before you decide which kind of work from home job you want to pursue let me tell you about the two different roles:

Work From Home - Hobby

This is the kind of job a woman or mum does on the side. It is a 'side hustle' because it doesn't make enough income on its own to support both bills, luxuries and growth from a families income but is often considered 'booster money'.

A hobby work from home job doesn't require a commitment. You can take holidays when you please and for as long as you like. You can often fulfil orders or jobs within an hour or two. 

This kind of work from home job is recommended to women and mums who have a stable second income, a part-time career or are financially secure. These kind of 'Hobby' work from home jobs can look like the below (please note these can be also extremely profitable - it is when we suggest the 'career work from home mum' that the real difference is significant):

• Hand-made clothing, babies mats and accessories
• Buying old furniture and repurposing it before sale
• Soap or candle making 
• Dog walking, pet or baby sitting, laundry & ironing for others
• Letterbox drops
• Multiple level marketing sales

Work From Home - Career

This is the kind of work from home woman or mother who needs to make an income. Her family depends on her bringing in a financial income to support and grow their lifestyle. 

Her children still go to daycare or seek care, she works dedicated hours per week although at home she will still get up and run her day just like she was attending a job that she worked for someone else.

These kind of work from home jobs involve risk, investment and drive that no one can hand to your or tell you about. 

These kind of 'Career' work from home jobs might look like:

• Online store (involves design, manufacturing, photographing, hiring models, staff, marketing, investment and dedicating time every week to product based selling)
  
  
• Lash technician (involves investment in doing a course to learn skill, knowledge and apply techniques to professionally run a successful business)
  
  
• Marketing professional (involves a degree or qualification to have the knowledge to commit to the service requirements for marketing for other businesses and growing them)
  
  
• Virtual assistant (This usually involves having some sort of skills that another business professional may require e.g. photography, accounting, administration, content writing, data entry)

We ask Summer of Eve owner & mother; Danielle some questions that are worth reading! 

1. Tell me - as a working from home career based mother how do you start your morning everyday?
   
   I wake up 20 minutes before I know the kids are due to wake to allow time to clear my mind, have a coffee and write down my 'to do list' for today. Then my mum duties kick into action - I get the kids ready for daycare and school.
   
   On the days that my youngest Evie doesn't go to daycare; I pencil in administration work for the business before taking her on a fun little outing. I pack orders and do other household duties during her day nap.
   
   
   
2. Do you have allocated work days and times and what do these look like?
   
   I do. Thursdays and Fridays are my dedicated work days as both the kids are at school and daycare. My husband is a shift worker so generally there is another week day that I use to work when he is around. I schedule my working day as 8:00am to 5:00pm.
   
   Summer of Eve has grown a lot and I am needing another daycare day for my daughter to keep up with the demands of the business but currently waiting for availability of another day at Evie's daycare.
   
   During our seasonal busy periods which are generally during new collection releases or sales; I have my mum to help with Evie who will usually take her so that I can concentrate on work.
   
   
   
3. Do you struggle to 'clock off' or what process have you learnt to follow to ensure you seperate working and home time?
   
   Clocking off is a huge struggle! I need to be more persistent in sticking to my allocated working hours which means not responding to emails and socials after 5.00pm.  I do have an automatic response in place to help assist with this.
   
   I have also been actively putting my phone down for morning and after school outings to concentrate on quality time with my kids between running a busy online business. Moving forward I will have two set days where I allocate family time only and no work. 
   
   
   
4. Do you involve your kids and husband in your work? How do they usually help? 
   
   Yes Summer Of Eve is a true family run business in every way. Evie is my main model and the inspiration for my designs. My husband will look after the kids on days that are full on and help pack orders. He is  also my biggest supporter, always attending markets with me. My son (12) will help hang stock and entertain Evie. All contributing to make this a successful family run business
   
   
   
5. What is one piece of advice you would give to someone looking to take the leap and work from home?
   
   For me it was discovering what I was passionate about and then researching and learning as much as possible. It can be scary and when first starting out you will have many moments of what is the point, what am I doing? You will also have many highs that make it so rewarding. If you are passionate about it do not give up, keep going and make it work. Have a budget and a marketing plan in place prior to launch. 

 

The sky really is the limit when you want to work from home. There is no idea too grande to pursue but the biggest fear that will circulate you is the fear of failure or the fear of never pursing your dream. If you are seeking to 'work from home' just because you like the idea of it then you need to ask yourself if what you want to be doing from home is really working? If it isn't what you pictured (you know, working longer hours at home) then I suggest looking through the work from home hobby jobs and finding something you can do in addition to your time spent at home.

The career path of working from home isn't going to be an easy one but it isn't one I encourage you to fear or avoid. You will probably work more hours than you have before and initially spend a lot less time with family and friends than you hoped. It is still incredibly rewarding and flexible when you need it to be even despite the fact that you will never work quite as hard as you ever have in your life until you pursue working from home as a career like your family depends on it. 

If your ready for that kind of commitment, then go for it because remember that to work from home you have to start somewhere and it will never be the right time - you have to make that time and take that risk. 

READ OUR SUGGESTION LIST OF 50+ WORK FROM HOME JOBS YOU CAN DO!