Contents © Copyright 2008 Kristen King

Tags: womens business blog, women, woman, business, freelance, parent, sparkplugging, video, first year in business, biz chicks rule, kristen king

Post from: EveryJoe

A Company’s First Year…in Video Format

I tried homeschooling ONCE about seven years ago when my then oldest child was in preschool and my husband got this **bright** idea that it would be neat to have homeschooled children. He had seen a spelling bee on television that weekend and “had given it a lot of thought” and decided that the Wright children, in fact, would be a homeschooled bunch, by golly. Yeah, right.

Well, the first week was uneventful with the usually mild-mannered toddler whining that she wanted to play with her friends and go outside. I explained to her that her daddy had decided that she did not need any friends because she would have a Harvard education. And, going outside was only a necessity to be enjoyed by who suffered through *gasp* public school all day long and needed to run and skip in order to break free of the mind control mechanisms that institutionalized education had thrust upon them. With a dazed look in her eyes, my daughter decided that I had in fact thrust some sort of mind control on her and she didn’t know or care about what the heck I had said. She wanted to go outside.

After a brief period of telling my toddler that she had to learn her ABC’s and that she could count if she only tried, she and I just could not take it any longer. On day number six, I immediately went back up to the pre-school and beeeggggggeeeedd them to take her back into the program. No luck. They had just filled the position about two days before with a family that had homeschooled, but decided that it wasn’t for them. They wanted mind-numbing public school education. Good for them.

During the time that I was a home-schooling work-at-home-mom of a four year old and a six month old, I did not get any significant work done. My life was a daily conondrum of lesson plans, breastfeeding, cleaning, cooking, coercing, convincing and cajoling us towards becoming a happy and well-rounded family!! We were so happy, that I decided I couldn’t contain the happiness any longer. It was too much for me and I had to let it out. I let it out so well, I almost became a single mom, if you get my drift.

So here I am, several prescriptions of Zoloft and cases of Red Bull later, children in institutionalized education, a messy house and me happily consulting and freelancing to my heart’s desire. So, when you ask me if I think homeschooling and women in business go together, all I have to say is can I get a refill on my Zoloft?!

Post from: EveryJoe

Can a Biz Chick HomeSchool?

(www.bizchicksrule.com) — Some of the most amazing inventions and discoveries were made by men. Something as simple as an apple falling from a tree led to Newton’s law of motion and gravitation. However, we are now living in a society where it’s no longer a man’s world. Not only are there more women executives, but the latest trend seems to be the mom entrepreneurs: moms who want to stay home with their child and be their own boss at the same time. Sounds easy doesn’t it?

For some reason, people have this misconception that being a mom isn’t a real job and if she were able to work from home, life MUST be good! I beg to differ. The reality is, being a mom is the TOUGHEST job in the world. You’re a: teacher, doctor, psychiatrist, nanny and janitor amongst many other things. If I were paid to be a mom, technically, I should be one of the richest people in the world!

So how do all these moms become entrepreneurs? Well, it’s like most inventions: it starts off with an idea which becomes a creation and funny enough, these ideas were sparked while we were apparently doing nothing. Don’t be fooled though. Staying at home with your child and trying to run a business at the same time is no walk in the park. In fact, sometimes you ask yourself: What the hell was I thinking?

It’s certainly not as glamorous as it sounds. You’re giving up your regular day job only to enter into the unknown and start from scratch, hoping your idea will some day be a hit. It’s just like gambling..you’re taking a risk. But in the end, the rewards are great if you know how to embrace them.

It used to be that women were trying to survive in a man’s world, but we’re starting to see a shift where we now live in an era of a female-dominated work place with moms who want to be their own bosses…is this the new wave of the future? Mom entrepreneurs?

I think so…I’m convinced that Y2K really stands for “Yes 2 Kids.” As more babies are being born, more moms are exploring their creative side while trying to find a way to stay home and make money at the same time. So don’t be surprised if the next big thing is mommy-owned.

***

The name is Joyce Ho and I am definitely not your typical kind of gal. Getting married and having kids were the top two things on my “NOT TO DO” list. Ya right! That didn’t last very long. Today, I am the mother of a 2-year-old daughter and owner of Booda Bellie. After having my daughter in 2006, I ended my career as a dental hygienist and decided to be my own boss. My daughter was born with sensitive skin, so conventional clothing just wasn’t cuttin’ it. My hunt for organic clothing led to the creation of Booda Bellie, which is a Canadian-made organic and eco-friendly line for children. You can check us out at www.boodabellie.com.

Post from: EveryJoe

Mom Entrepreneurs: New Wave of the Future?

[photo: my personal photos]

Now, don’t get me wrong, I do SOOOOO love my kids. It’s just that I find it quite difficult to conentrate when they’re around, and being a freelancing mom, I have to consider my flexible schedule since they’re going to be out for the summer. The entire summer. What can I do to make sure I still get my work done?

Although as freelancing moms, we are time-challenged at times like summer break, holiday breaks, spring breaks, sicknesses and other situations, I think there are some things we can do ensure that we still keep a productive schedule and the kids entertained at the same time.

I don’t know about other freelance moms, but I sure would like to read any, ANY, tips you may have on balancing summer breaks and your business at the same time. Any tips, might I add. We all need to stick together.

There are two things that I have right off the bat to suggest what might work for us all:

1. Keep the same schedule throughout the summer, no matter what.

Now I know you’re thinking, “It’s summer and they will want to sleep late.” Well, that’s fine, but try to keep the schedule as close to the school routine schedule if at all possible. This will help the kids stay on a routine, avoid crankiness and help you set some human hours to work. The second thing is to:

2. Keep something educational and entertaining for the kids to do.

This doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. It doesn’t mean a horse and pony show every day either. Structure here is the key. Keep library books checked out. Set certain times and limits for television… and gameboys. Make sure they eat their meals on a schedule and even set a schedule for their entertainment time. Instead of going to the pool for all day, plan to go from say 10:00 a.m. until lunchtime or so. They’ll know what to expect and you can set your work time schedule around it.

So freelance moms, don’t fret. Let’s brainstorm here and find some things that we can do to ensure that we ALL have a productive summer. Beginning with the two suggestions that I have listed above, what’s your suggestion?

3.

4.

5.

…

Do share.

Post from: EveryJoe

Freelancing Moms Have To Decide…

Contents © Copyright 2008 Kristen King

Tags: women in business, women and business, business advice for women, office, video tour, home office, freelance writing office, home business office, home office space, home office organization, kristen king, video, biz chicks rule

Post from: EveryJoe

Up Close and Personal: A Video Tour of Kristen’s Home Office

This is always on my mind after I meet with my colleagues who have “real jobs.” Last week, I attended a committee meeting for one of the professional organizations I belong to, and I definitely felt like the kid in the room. I was dressed professionally, I arrived on time, I made substantive contributions — I did all the right stuff, and the other committee members responded accordingly. But I felt like a big faker.

The thing is, I’ve worked in an office environment and I just didn’t love it. I liked it, but I need more flexibility with how I get through my days, and I get easily distracted by watercooler chit-chat. That, and the fact that the commute was killing me, played a huge factor in my leaving the “real world” for working from home. I do cool stuff now, and I have a great resume to prove it, But now sometimes I feel like I don’t really work, like I have some kind of confession to make when I’m in these professional environments.

Is that a bad thing? Well, the guilt angle certainly is! But I think it has more to do with just figuring out where I fit in the WORLD and less to do with my career. I thought the book Quarterlife Crisis: The Unique Challenges of Life in Your Twenties was some of the worst-written crap I’ve ever wasted time reading, but I can’t argue with the concept. I’m not a kid anymore — that is for SURE, but I still don’t really feel like an adult. I think that’s why I’m vacillating on this whole identity issue.

Twentysomethings and thirtysomethings, are you feeling this, too? What’s going on? Older ladies, when are we going to grow out of it? Do you just wake up at 37 suddenly feeling like, “Yes, I’m an adult, I get it”? Or is this just a constant process of navigating ever-changing waters?

Career and life reads for 20somethings:

• Ramen Noodles, Rent and Resumes: An After-College Guide to Life (by my good friend Kristen Fischer!)
• Generation What?: Dispatches from the Quarter-Life Crisis
• What to Do When You’re Twenty-Two: A Survival Guide for the Quarter-Life Crisis

Contents © Copyright 2008 Kristen King

(photo via SXC.hu)

Tags: women and business, women in business, business advice for women, identity crisis, quarterlife crisis, quarter-life crisis, women in their twenties, women in their 20s, self employed, entrepreneur, biz chicks rule, kristen king

Post from: EveryJoe

Finding YOUR Place in the Workplace: When Are We Really Grownups?

It’s kind of a downer in the beginning, while the speaker discusses the downside of working for someone else, but starting around 3:00 it gets into exactly what the employee escape plan is. Definitely work a look. But note that this is a promotional message, and I’m not specifically supporting this company or individual — just throwing it out there for discussion.

What do you think? Do you want to "escape," or are you more confident in being employed by someone else? Leave a comment.

Contents © Copyright 2008 Kristen King

Tags: women in business, woman and business, career transition, job transition, starting your own business, becoming your own boss, employee escape plan, business advice for women, being your own boss, biz chicks rule, kristen king

Post from: EveryJoe

Transition Tuesday: Employee Escape Plan

I love working from home. Oddly, unlike many others who dream of working from home, it was never a dream of mine; I’m a nurse – how the heck can a nurse work from home? But – life has a way of changing directions and this nurse became a telecommuting medical editor and then a freelancing self-employed writer. Who would have thought?

I can tell you who wouldn’t have thought – the people around me who know I have the attention span of a gnat. That is if a gnat even has an attention span. Who knows?

For one of my editing jobs, I did go in to an office a few days a week; but sitting at my desk was really, really hard. I can’t sit still and I never could. I’m sure I drove my coworkers nutty. So, working from home is perfect because I can bounce up and down from my desk as often as I want without disturbing anyone – unless you count my greyhound, Dee, who feels duty-bound to follow me where ever I go. I almost feel badly for her because when I sit down, she gets all comfortable, only to have me pop up again minutes later. I may just be running to the kitchen for something, so I tell her, “don’t move, I’m coming right back.” But she gives me this look as if to say, “yeah, right, I know you. You’ll get lost between the kitchen and here and before I know it, you’ll be upstairs reading the newspaper.” So she follows me to keep me in line.

Seriously, working at home when your attention span is lacking does have its drawbacks. When you work for yourself, you have to seek out clients for work, you have to sell yourself and prove that you can do the work. Once you’ve gotten the work, you have to follow through and give the client what he or she wants. But that’s not all – you have to follow up for payment and then see if there can or will be more work for you. You, and you alone, are responsible for making sure there’s ink in your printer and that you don’t run out of paper just when you have to print out that important document. You don’t have an IT guy or gal to help you if your computer goes on an unauthorized vacation with all your documents – and you don’t have someone else to run to just to sit and talk to when your work gets a bit too much for you. All this has to be done and, short attention span or not, I have to do it.

Although I have deadlines, I don’t have anyone watching me making sure that I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing when I do it. I don’t have a boss who can walk by and see me playing Scrabble on the computer or browsing my favorite sites. Of course, that’s also part of the reason why you will often find me working at the kitchen table at midnight. Truth be told though, for some reason, I can focus better in the middle of the night. I wish I knew why.

Luckily, my odd working habits don’t interfere with getting the job done. I work better when I have multiple browser windows open so I can check in on different conversations, or I may chat with friends on MSN. I work a bit, then play a bit – then I go back to working again. I would probably drive the most relaxed efficiency expert crazy, but it works for me. I’m a good writer and I’ve got some wonderful clients with some incredibly fascinating projects. I love what I do so much that I can no longer imagine not doing it. I just do it differently than some other people.

Would life be easier for me if I had a better attention span? In some ways, yes, probably. But, would I be me then?

Marijke Vroomen-Durning RN, is a b5media blogger, nurse, and medical writer/editor from Canada. Visit her at Help My Hurt, Nurse Turned Writer, and MedHealth Writer.

Contents © Copyright 2008 Kristen King

(photo via SXC.hu)

Tags: women in business, marijke vroomen-durning, working from home, self-employed, staying focused at work, being your own boss, tips for entrepreneurs, advice for people who work from their home, running your own business, biz chicks rule, kristen king

Post from: EveryJoe

Guest Post: Short Attention Spans & Working From Home

In college, I was more interested in boys and partying than in preparing myself for a career, so it should have been no surprise when, on graduation day, I hadn’t a clue what to do next. I floundered for a couple of months (and yes, I moved back home with my parents) and then landed a job as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer, running a mentoring program for at-risk kids.

Although the job was certainly meaningful, it wasn’t intellectually satisfying enough for my hyperactive brain. So I floundered a bit more and ended up taking a writing class at a local university. I knew I liked to read and write, but what I really liked to do was clean up other people’s writing. They would create the stuff, and I would polish it. I confessed my aspirations to my writing professor after class one day and asked if she knew if there were any jobs where I could do this. “You mean like a copy editor?” she asked.

It had a name! Soon I moved to a bigger city and landed a copy-editing internship with a weekly newspaper. I was doing what I’d always wanted to do — only for free. After several months and with the guidance of a very patient mentor, I gradually got better at catching stuff and mastered the paper’s style guide. The weekly put me on its payroll, and I was off. That was almost 10 years ago, and I’m now a full-time freelance editor. I have enough work to stay busy, and I’m earning more than I thought I would at this point in my freelance career. Life is good, right?

When I got my first copy-editing job, I felt a huge sense of relief that I had found what I was “meant” to do. I was so fulfilled, so utterly in my element, that I thought my relationship with editing would last forever. But lately I’ve been getting restless. Really restless. Working from home is a great gig, but it can be isolating, and without the collaboration with colleagues that one gets in an office, I’m starting to feel out of the loop of society. Invisible. I don’t have kids at home; I’m not an introverted person; I’m not disabled; I’m relatively young. I think — dare I say it? — I want to work in an office again.

My friends and family are surprised by my restlessness, and so am I, frankly. I could easily do this for the rest of my working life. But that’s the point: “Easily” isn’t how I want to live. I like challenges and learning new things. I like starting over from scratch and struggling for success. So these days, I’m looking around at graduate schools, law schools in particular. It’ll take me a year or two to finish breaking up with editing, but when I do, I know I won’t look back. Rat race, here I come!

CJ, who wishes to remain sort of anonymous, is a freelance editor and writer who lives on the West Coast. She enjoys swimming, reading, and hiking with her dog. These days, she’s saving up for an LSAT prep course. This is her first post for Biz Chicks Rule.

Contents © Copyright 2008 Kristen King

(photo via SXC.hu)

Post from: EveryJoe

Guest Article: Restless Brain Syndrome, or Breaking Up With My Freelance Career

Moms can be millionaires just as easily as the next person. So why is it so hard to grasp that concept?

I read this article about Millionaire Moms and just got motivated all over again. I don’t know about you, but most days I’m just thinking about doing everything on my “to-do” list instead of worrying about making millionaire status. But with the right tools and resources, a mommy can be a millionaire too.

What kind of jobs or professions do mothers have where they can become millionaires or even billionaires? Should they be business owners or would corporate America be enough? Should they invent a widget or gizmo or build a fierce downline that is unshakeable? What is it that a woman or a mom can do that would gain her millionaire, even billionaire status? Here are just a few:

Abigail Johnson

Friede Springer

Esther Koplowitz

Maria Aramburuzabala

Miuccia Prada. Every woman should own one. A Prada bag, that is.

Margaret Whitman. You know her. That’s the eBay lady.

The Big “O”. Oprah Wynfrey, that is.

J.K. Rowling. aka Harry Potter

Which one do you want to be like when you grow up?

Bridget

Post from: EveryJoe

B-B-Billionaire Women In Businesses