Hi everyone
I have recently quit the 'day job' to concentrate on my business so I'd love to hear from some other entrepreneurial Mums who are running their own businesses and doing it around their family life.
Look forward to connecting with some of you!
Caitlin

Hi, Caitlin!

We've actually started a group for mom entrepreneurs on the site - I hope we can get that going and talking! I am personally really excited to connect with entrepreneur moms - launching Work It, Mom! is my first full-time entrepreneurial experience and it would be great to connect with other moms who run their own business.

What type of business do you run?

Hi Nataly
After posting yesterday I found your group and joined up!!

I run CMC, my own consulting business. My background is in tertirary education and training and I have a coaching qualification. I concentrate the business on helping companies and individuals develop and achieve goals. Depending on their needs I use short courses, seminars and one to one discussions to do this. I'm also developing some written, recorded and web based materials to increase the availability of my resources to my clients.

I've only ever run my business very part time but now it's my main source of income so I'm learning all the time (it helps to have helped other businesses grow, I can take some of my own advice . I'm keen to learn more about 'multiple streams' too.

Right now I'd just like to be able to connect and share with other Mums experiencing the joys and challenges and (hopefully) successes of finding the balance.

I think Work it, Mom! is a fabulous and much needed resource, destined for greatness!! I can see I'll be hanging around here a bit!

Hello!

I just joined workitmom.com a moment ago. I'm very interested to see what this site will grow into. But I was most interested in this thread because I, too, am a recent entrepreneur. I quit an 8 year secure job to switch careers totally and live out a dream of mine.

I started a publishing company and my first venture is an online magazine called As We Are because I think women should be celebrated....as we are. http://www.aswearemagazine.com

Now I need to go snoop around the site for a bit! So glad to find this forum!

Hi Trudi
Nice to meet you! I'm very happy that someone else is getting in on this thread, it's been pretty quiet around here.

I checked out your magazine and it is fantastic, congratulations on it!

I'm really keen to hear from other women who have taken the plunge! I'd love to hear it all - the challenges they found and how they have overcome them ( if they have ha ha), as well as the successes and rewards of going it alone.

For me one of the challenges has been getting used to the 'solitary' side of the solo entrepreneur's life. In my job I shared a lovely big office with 3 collleagues, we all got on well and had a great time. Now it's just me in the (albeit very nice) home office, apart from when I'm seeing clients or running workshops and seminars!

Share your experiences!
Caitlin

Caitlin,

I think it's ironic that your name is Caitlin, and that is the pen name I fashioned for myself when I wrote my article here about taking the plunge into starting my own business after working "in the work force."

Trudi is GREAT by the way.

My business is also a consultancy-- medical editing and writing (http://editrx.com) and I wrote about it here at Work It, Mom! here: http://workitmom.com/article-134 and http://workitmom.com/article-135.

How did you decide how much to charge for your services? And do you pay yourself a monthly salary?

Jen

Hi Jen
Good to hear from you, we have a lot in common. I had already read both of your articles when I joined because they caught my attention in their similarities to my own experiences. I totally identified!! I too was raised in the Mormon church and followed a similar working pattern right down to my own version of 'Ann' and slowly clearing my office. Colleagues even started commenting on how minimalistic by space was ha ha!

As for setting my fees I had some help and advice from a mentor, I also looked at what other people in my business charged and the differences or similarities in what we were offering and of course the financial side, from my forecast budgets to just covering my costs. Armed with that information I then I really just went with my intuition! It's working so far, no-one has baulked at my fees and I'm getting clients.

Because I've been running my business part-time for a couple of years I hadn't really gotten serious about paying myself a salary, I'd pay my costs, put some more money into building the business and if there was anything left that was mine! Now that this is my main income I am re-doing all my business budgets to include a salary.

Do you have systems in place for these things? And do you have a set working day around school drop offs and pick ups etc? Do you ever continue work (in your business) after school hours?

Sorry, so many questions!!!
Caitlin

Jen's real job is Professional-Trudi-Fan ( ha ha ha).

Thanks for the compliments on the magazine Caitlin. I'm in an interesting situation because my husband is also self-employed and works at home. His office is down in the basement. I set up an office on the top floor in our spare bedroom, but I find myself feeling too isolated up there. So I tend to work on the kitchen table or on the sofa (love my lap top)

I"m also a social person who misses the connection to colleagues. HOwever, I know this perserverance will pay off in building a company where I'll have colleagues again. IN the meantime, my husband and I usually take about 20 minutes during the day to chit chat an dhave coffee or lunch and I try to pick up the phone a few times a day to help.

Hi Ladies,

My husband and I have just started our own business 6 weeks ago but it took 1 year to get it launched. I would be happy to give you some advice.

Hi Busy Mom!

Thanks for the offer, all advice gladly accepted!

It's taken me over a year to launch my business too but in some ways that has worked out well as I had a lot of it pretty established by the time it got going. Also, part of my business is helping other businesses grow so I had some first hand experience of the challenges involved.

We had a question about taking a salary out of the business, how have you handled that?

Caitlin

I won't be taking a salary from my business for about 6 months. But I wrote that into my business plans and planned accordingly for it.

After that, I will take a modest salary + % of profit and review it every 6 months.

My business is based on some personal values that I have about running a business, business ethics and the way I want women to be treated in the workplace. And part of that is to ensure my own financial security and find a fai way to compensate my contractors.

Do you all have written business plans?

I live in Canada so I'm not sure what the tax laws are in the USA. We have incorporated our business so we don't pay ourselves a salary because we will be taxed at a higher rate. Once our business grows and we have enough income we will pay ourselves a dividend because we will be taxed at a lower rate than if we paid ourself a salary.


I hope this helps.

Hi BusyMom - I'm in NS. Where are you? What is your business?

Hi Trudi,

I have an online store that has solved the male gift problem www.boystomengifts.com check it out when you have time.

By the way I am in Vancouver

We've lost all our replies!!

Hope you all stocked up on the good advice before they disappeared!

Caitlin

Ok, that's weird - now they're here.

Ignore my last post.

BusyMom - your store looks very cool. I'm going to pass it on to Eva. She writes a shopping column for my magazine.

I used to live in Vancouver too. Nice to meet you!

Thanks Trudi! Nice to meet you too. What part of Vancouver did you live in? I'm on the North Shore. I will have a look at your magazine, I love the title.

I started out in Burnaby and Coquitlam and ended up around Cambie and then Kitsilano. I moved a lot in those 10 years - ha ha.

Hi Everyone, especially Caitlin!

I have been terrible! I started working here at Work It, Mom! and never got back to see your questions, Caitlin!

I wrote an article to answer your salary questions (http://www.workitmom.com/article-229) , and here are my childcare answers:

As for child care: All three of my children are school age. I get them up in the morning and drive them one mile to their respective schools. Then, I come home and start my work day (okay, that is a lie: I go back to bed). After I go back to bed, I start my work day. This means that yes, I do work after the kids get home from school. I pick them up at 3:00, and work til 5:00. Then, we have dinner, do homework, have family time, and then I put them to bed at 8:30 p.m. for the younger two (9 and 10) and 9:30 for the oldest (who is 13). Then, because I enjoy what I do and because I am a workaholic, I usually work for a couple of hours.

What do you do?

Hey all-

I'm late to this thread, but I thought I'd include a few answers to things from above. As for us, we have 2 (very soon to be 3) kids who are not yet school aged. I work around naps and such, and try to get as much done as possible at night. I run NICU101.com, so most of my work can be done outside of normal business hours. I try to make calls during naps. When I do interviews, they often want to meet our girls, since they are the inspiration behind the company (both were premature).

One great thing about our set up, is that my husband is also an entrepreneur. He runs a flooring business, and has a radio show. We live off the flooring business, so that schedule is most important, but my husband is able to watch the kids if I have a meeting or whatever.

We don't do anything formal as far as a salary. The flooring business is kind of seasonal, so we take home our profits as well as reimbursing for mileage.

-Kristie

Hi Kristie
Thanks for joining us!

I was really interested in your website, my elder daughter (now 7) was premature, she was delivered at 28.5 weeks as I had pre-eclampsia. There can never be enough support resources for the families of premature babies as far as I'm concerned.

My second baby, on the other hand, had to be induced at 42 weeks!

I work around my girls. I see clients only on days the youngest is at kindergarten and I sometimes do 'desk work' for an hour or so once they get home while they have snacks and play. On the days my four year old is at home I try not to work, although sometimes it's unavoidable'.

Caitlin

I'm late to this thread as well, I just join WIM a little bit ago in hopes of connecting with other entrepreneurial moms. I'm JUST starting my business, I've been a SAHM for the last few years and decided it was time to follow my dream. I'm also a mom of a preemie, my 2nd son was born at 32 weeks due to IUGR and a placental abruption. The rest of them were "interesting" pregnancies too lol. I'm looking forward to learning alot from some of you more seasoned ladies as I jump into this adventure. I just registered my LLC yesterday as a matter of fact, and am now preparing to write my business plan. Have a meeting this week with the local SBDC. Go moms!

Congrats on your new business, Froggy Girl Designs - just checked out your stuff on Etsy - it's so cute!!!

Great to have you as part of Work It, Mom!

Hi Froggy Girl, thanks for joining us!
Congratulations on your new business and I wish you lots of luck with it.

I couldn't access your Etsy store from the link, I'll try again later - it must be inundated . I did have a look at your blog and enjoyed it, what an amazing story you have, and incredible resilience too it would seem! I'm sure with that kind of determination your business can be nothing but a success!
Look forward to connecting often!
Caitlin

I just had an idea for a business. It's a craft related business, and I'm still mostly at the brainstorming stage...just have a lot of butterflies in my stomach at the moment ...I definitely respect you guys for having the gumption to really go for it!

Hi
I can't speak for the others but I think I reached the stage where the butterflies in my stomach were becoming such a distraction the only way to calm them down was to take the plunge....of course that created more butterflies but in the best possible way!

It's not always easy but it's the best thing I've ever done (after having my daughters of course). Keep brainstorming and when you're ready just take the leap.
Caitlin

Go for it Mamajama!! I remember when I had the idea for my first business - I felt the same way. I started my first business in 1999 - it was a handmade toiletries business called Willow Fairy Creations.

I wasn't sure how I was ever going to get it off the ground. I started small - started selling to family and friends, then took the plunge and approached a gift store and a salon - they both took my products. Then I did a few craft shows, then went to a home party plan.

You don't have to start huge - just start small - with the steps you're comfortable taking

How impressive we women are!! Caitlin, so glad you started this thread. I'm Molly and I have several businesses ( which are underwater depending on what month we are in, but that's only recently...I was actually making some good money before 2 things happened to change that: becoming disabled (making a recovery, slow, but real), and our economy). The businesses held up well without me, I try to work a bit each week and the only problem I see is that folks are hanging onto their money more tightly these days, cutting extra expenses to save as much as possilbe. We're good enough that if folks start with us, they stay: www.classroommatters.com
But we also bought a building and to pay mortgage I thought it would be brilliant to hold events there www.sacstreetcenter.com
It's not nearly enough though!
BTW, I had pre-eclampsia and a preemie (now 7) too! Mine turned toxic though, baby was fine, mommy, not so much. And this was 8 years before my current Disability! Good thing I have a strong will.