Folger - The Stay-at-Home Moms Guide to Making Money from Home, Revised: Choosing the Business Thats Right for You Using the Skills and Interests You Already Have

Copyright 2000 by Liz Folger

All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by Three Rivers Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com

THREE RIVERS PRESS and the Tugboat design are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc

Originally published in the United States by Prima Publishing, Roseville, California, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, in 2000.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Folger, Liz
The stay-at-home moms guide to making money from home / Liz Folger.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
1. Home-based businessesManagement. 2. Self-employed women. 3. MothersEmployment. I. Title
HD62.38 .F65 1999

650.140852dc21 99048742

eISBN: 978-0-307-80471-6

v3.1

To my dad, W. H. McKay

F IRST , I WANT to thank my husband for his encouragement and support throughout this project. The guy has read this book more times than anybody should be allowed. None of the superlative adjectives can adequately define him. To my parents, Bill and Doris McKay, for their continued support. Im grateful to Bambi Dingman, my mentor, for suggesting I give writing a try. A big thanks to Bonnie Hearn, my writing teacher, for enlightening me on the art of focus; to my online writing teacher, Blythe Camenson; and to Mary Anne Hultgren, my mother-in-law, and her red pen.

Last and in no way least, I want to thank everyone who allowed me to interview them for this book. The profiles in this book are what have made it so popular. Without these work-at-home moms relenting to my hours of interviewing, The Stay-at-Home Moms Guide to Making Money from Home would have never been possible. I thank each one of you from the bottom of my heart! You have taught me, and every person who reads this book, more than you will ever know.

You are never given a wish without also being given the power to make it come true.
Richard Bach

Y OU VE PURCHASED THIS book because you want to make a difference in your life and in the life of your family. Maybe youve worked your 40+ hours a week and are tired of spending so little time with your family and are looking for a different way to make money. Or youre a stay-at-home mom who would like to make some extra cash. Whatever your reason for picking up this book, Im here to tell you this: You can do anything you set your mind to. And Ill tell you why.

When I had completed an earlier edition of this book and had sent it off to the editors, I was, how shall I put it, beside myself. Writing a book was not a longtime passion of mine, nor did I have the English major to back me up. As a matter of fact, I didnt even have a college degree. I simply liked the subject of moms working at home, wanted to be a work-at-home mom myself, and looked around for a book on the subject so I could learn how to make this goal a reality.

Unfortunately, I couldnt find such a book. So I decided to write it myself. I couldnt think of a better way to learn how to work at home than to interview successful work-at-home moms and compile their information and other resources into a book. So thats exactly what I did.

After sending my manuscript off to the publisher, I called my writing teacher Bonnie Hearn. I had taken a writing class from her through an adult-learning school when I lived in Fresno, California. I learned so much from her and she had, in more ways than one, become my writing mentor.

I immediately told Bonnie, I did it. I finished the book, on time, and mailed it off to the publisher. And do you know what she said to me? Liz, youve written a book, you can do anything now. I dont think anyone has ever told me those words before. I cant even tell you how good I felt about myself when she said that to me.

And you know, you dont have to write a book to get to that point.

In case youre like me and have never been told those beautiful words before, Im taking matters into my own hands and Ill tell you myself:

Whatever your goals, dreams, and ambitions, you can accomplish them. You can do anything you set your mind to. That is, if you really want it badly enough.

There is no shortage of opportunities for resourceful women.
Barbara Sher, author of Wishcraft

I REALLY WANT to stay home with my kids and start a home business so I can help contribute to the familys finances, but I dont have a clue where to start.

If youve thought or even spoken those words, youre not alone. Many women get up early, get the kids dressed, drop them off at day care, drive in rush-hour traffic, and arrive at work exhausted, thinking, There has to be a better way.

If this sounds familiar, I have just appointed myself the good news fairy. Yes, there is a better waythat is, if you really want it and are prepared for some hard work ahead. Youll be making some tradessome good (trading commuting for working in your pajamas) and some not so good (trading paid health insurance and retirement benefits for providing your own). This book isnt about wild dreams; it tells you truthfully how you can stay home with your kids and make some money while doing something you really enjoy.

Women today are put into a difficult situation. Were made to feel we have to work, bring in that second income, and raise good, upstanding children. If we dont, were failures. And when the family goes to hell, the mother takes the blame. Neighbors shake their heads and sigh, She never spent any time with those kids or her husband. She was always working. No wonder that family is so screwed up.

If we do decide to stay home with our kids, were blamed for wasting our education. How hard can that be, really? She probably just sits in front of the television all day. If you stay at home, however, youre more than aware of all the responsibilities you have to juggle.

Choosing to work at home can be a tough financial decision. I love the Spanish proverb that says, A rich child often sits in a poor mothers lap. Sometimes we lose sight of our priorities and forget where our true wealth lies. If you try to make everyone happy, youre going to come out on the losing end. A home business is a perfect solution. You can stay home with your kids and do something for yourself, all at the same time.

I F YOU RE working at a regular job right now, youre probably torn between bringing in a second income yet wanting to be home with your kids. One frustrated mother decided to sit down and figure out just how much she was making after having to fork out for child care, taxes, and other amenities because of her job. She discovered that the nanny she had hired to watch her kids was making the same amount she wasonly the nanny was the one spending all the time with her kids. Finding a way to work from her home soon became top priority.