New!!! Making Work at Home Work blog ring!

I'm excited to announce a great new way for all of us Work at Home Moms to connect!

Making Work at Home Work will be launching a blog ring in May! I really want this site to be a consortium of shared ideas and advice in regards to WAHM! For more information go here! If you'd like to sign up, email me mbyers@marybyers.com. I'll be adding a page to this website where we'll be able to network. More details on that to come.

First...Are you a Work At Home Mom? Do you have a blog?

Second...Do you have a heart to share what you’ve learned with others?

Then...Making Work from Home Work is looking for YOU! We are gathering a team of bloggers who would like to share resources with other Work At Home Moms.

Would you like to help Making Work at Home Work spread the word, encourage, educate, and equip women to build a successful business and a family under one roof?

Become a Making Work at Home Blogger Today!

It's super easy to participate!

E-mail me at mbyers@marybyers.com requesting to join the group.

Every month I’ll send you a guest blog post (or two) for your blog with helpful hints for Work at Home Moms.

You can simply upload the blog post to your blog or give your own unique spin on the information/post provided.

And as a GREAT BIG THANKS for helping me encourage Work at Home Women:

I will enter your name in monthly drawings where you will have a chance to win books, products and gifts that will help you Work From Home.

And as an added bonus:

I’ll also include a link to your blog on the http://www.makingworkathomework.com/ website helping you increase traffic to your own blog and so you can check out what other Work at Home Mom bloggers are up to!

So come join our team…

Become a Making Work at Home Work Blogger Today!

Who is Your Target Market?

Gina, a silk artist, writes, "I find that when considering value vs. time, I fight two old misconceptions: 1) don't toot your own horn, and 2) reluctance to disappoint friends who want to buy my product but say it is too expensive. While my rational mind says, "It's not personal, it's business!" and that I should broadcast what I do best, I still find myself hesitant to charge what I think I'm worth. I also need to remember my friends aren't necessarily the clients I'm marketing to. It's o.k. if they don't buy from me. I still need to charge a fair market price."

Gina hits on a key point above: friends aren't necessarily the clients you should be marketing to. This is an important point when considering the value vs. time issue. Your market (defined as those most likely to buy) helps determine the value of your services. Though we all like to do business with friends and family, our products and/or services aren't right for all of them. For example, my fourth book is titled, The S.O.S. for PMS: Practical Help and Relief for Moms. Guess what? Not all of my friends have PMS. Consequently, not all of them are potential readers.

It's different if you work for a network marketing company. Your friends may well be candidates for your wares. For this reason, it's essential that each entrepreneur take the time to identify her market. Once you know this, is gets easier to make advertising and pricing decisions.

One caveat: you may have more than one market or more than one pricing structure. I have a two-tiered pricing structure which includes fees for my local market area and larger metropolitan areas. I learned that this was important after I lost two bids to work with New York companies. The reason? Both said my fees were "too low"! Can you believe it? What I charge locally was far less than what's considered average in New York. The difference made these companies leery about working with me primarily because of the value issue. They assumed that the lesser fee meant lesser expertise or lower quality work.

One last thought: if you struggle with the pricing issue for friends and family like Gina does, how about creating a "Friends and Family Discount?" I have an acquaintance in the moving business who does this. Offering this type of discount acknowledges your pre-existing relationships while recognizing the value of your labor and/or artistic ability. The discount doesn't have to be large to be effective. Even 10% will be appreciated (hopefully!) by friends while preserving your ability to make a profit.

Value vs. Time

A reader wrote, "I wish I'd known how to make money while I wasn't working, ie: I'm a graphic designer and only get paid when I'm physically working and it's based on MY TIME. I wish I'd known to base it on value vs. time."

Sit up and take note. This is an incredibly important concept for those of you providing services vs. products. It's a lesson I didn't learn as early as I should have. Because of it, I was on the treadmill for a long time, working a lot but not producing as much income as I could, or should, have.

Believe it or not, it was a freelance job I wasn't very interested in that taught me to consider value as well as time. I was contacted by someone looking for an editor to hire on a retainer basis. The work didn't excite me but I was early in my at-home career and I wasn't comfortable passing on the job. So I bid high. And got it. Now, I'm extremely glad I did as this account as become my bread and butter. I'm paid on a regular basis and the steady income has helped with the ups and downs of the speaking portion of my business.

While bidding hourly is one way to secure business, it's also a good idea to consider value. In the example I shared above, the client wasn't just looking for an editor. She was also looking for someone to handle the entire publication. The bottom line was that she didn't want to have to worry about it. Consequently, when I bid, I didn't bid hourly. I asked myself what I would be willing to do the work for. After coming up with a number, I outlined the value for the client. I'd handle advertising solicitation and coordination. I'd work with authors. I'd proofread. I'd coordinate with the printer and the mailing house. By specifically outlining my services, I added value for the client. And that made it possible for me to receive more for my services.

What can we learn from the above?

• It's hard to get ahead as an hourly worker. Instead, consider quoting your overall fee--and what you'll do (very specifically) to earn it. As you outline your value to clients, you'll be able to charge more for your services.
• Don't assume clients know all of the steps involved in getting a project done. By identifying each step, in writing, you'll help the client see how much work you're doing for him or her.
• Consider the emotional factor as well. If I'm not very excited about a project, I ask myself, "What am I willing to do this project for?" I'm not ashamed to admit that if the price is right, I can often get excited about a mundane job.
• Look at what you'll have to sacrifice or give up to do the job. I recently bid very high on a project that was going to require me to rework my schedule for two months. I wanted to be sure that if I was going to the trouble of rescheduling other projects, it would be worth my time. Frankly, I was relieved when I didn't get the job. (But if I had, I had bid enough to make it worth all the extra effort it was going to take.)
• Quick workers are actually penalized by charging hourly. Let's say you charge $50 per hour and are able to create a new logo in 5 hours. Another designer charges the same, but takes 10 hours. One logo cost $250, the other $500. But the client still has a new logo. What's the value of a new logo? Asking this type of question will help you adjust your mindset.
• The average freelancer makes 40 cents profit for every dollar she earns (assuming overhead of 30% and a tax bracket of 30%). That means that for every $100 you make, your profit is $40. Keep this in mind as you bid. Though this is a helpful guideline, it's just that--a guideline. Your business may be different. If so, it's important for you to know it.

If you're currently stuck in the hourly trap, I urge you to consider changing your mindset so that you consider value as part of your quoting equation. And if you're still more comfortable charging hourly, how long has it been since you've raised your rates? One freelancer I worked with raised her rates by 50% and not one client flinched. Sure, there's a recession. But when you're focused on value vs. your hourly rate, it's much easier to sell yourself to clients. If you're focused on cost, they will be too. But if you're focused on the value you bring to the table, they'll focus on that as well. Good luck.

By the way, I'd love to hear from you regarding your own value vs. time experiences. I'll share what you send in my next post. Or, share your comment below and let's get a conversation started.

Valuably Yours,

Reducing Chaos

We're still on the topic of work-at-home challenges. Julie writes, "My huge challenge is keeping order with my business: paperwork, accounting, and contact management while also managing my household. Before kids, I somehow fit everything in just enough. After kids, I'm drastically behind. My family comes first, so keeping that order was my first priority, then my business. Now, I feel behind with both and things just keep piling up around me."

I know that Julie is not alone. And though life feels chaotic right now, she's got her priorities in the right order. Here's a tip that might help though: instead of thinking about "catching up," I encourage you to change your thought process to "reducing chaos."

Remember that having young children at home is a passing season. Though it doesn't feel like it right now, your life won't always look this way. Rather than focusing on conquering this season by "keeping up," a mindshift that focuses on reducing chaos reduces both stress and pressure, and recognizes the season you're currently in.

In addition to thinking differently, consider the following tips:

• Spend 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes in the evening picking up, filing, organizing, etc. Focusing on these chores for 10 minutes at a time makes things manageable. And you'll be surprised how much 20 minutes of straightening a day will help you keep on top of things.
• Teach your children to pick up after themselves--even if it means taking away privileges until they are in the groove of putting their own dishes away, replacing toys after they've played with them, rinsing the sink after brushing their teeth, etc.
• Hire a sitter, trade babysitting with a friend, or ask your hubby to spend time with the kids when you see you're really far behind. It's amazing how much you can get done in an hour of uninterrupted time as opposed to a full day with children underfoot!
• Develop work flow that supports being organized. This includes sorting your mail over the trash and immediately throwing out everything you don't need and filing the rest in folders marked "Pay," "File" and "RSVP." Keep all work-related correspondence and materials in a designated area so that you don't spend time looking for misplaced documents.
• "Chunk" your work. Instead of writing checks, making calls and e-mailing all in one sitting, focus on one type of task in order to maximize your time and concentration. Handle contact management in one work session while saving accounting for another.
• Limit your work. Most work-at-home entrepreneurs don't have the luxury of long quiet hours to do their work. So practice working in the enviroment you're currently in. What's realistic for you in terms of work sessions? Some at-home workers focus on 20 minute work sessions while others know they can routinely get an hour's worth of work done. Those with school-age children obviously have the most leeway. Pick a time frame that works with your current at-home schedule, then set a timer and sit down to work on one task at a time for the length of time you've identified. Get up and do something else. Later, you'll be able to come back and tackle another task. You'll save your sanity by setting realistic work habits and responding to the reality of your family's daily schedule rather than expecting them to conform to what you wish was true.

In the next post, we'll discuss the difference between pricing on value vs. time. Before then, is there someone you can forward this post to who might benefit from online work-at-home support? If so, would you hit the forward button now and help our online community grow? Many thanks!

Blurry Lines

Hi Friends,

Time to take a look at the biggest challenges we face as work-at-home entrepreneurs. Thanks to those of you who took the time to share. I'll be addressing the topics one by one over the next several weeks, along with some suggestions on how to tackle these challenges.

One of you shared that the biggest challenge you face is, "knowing how much is enough work for each day. When you work at an office, once you go home, you know you've done all you could within that time period, but at home where your hours are flexible and you have the availability of your office just down the hallway of your house, it is not always easy to know if you should or should not work a bit into the evening."

I struggled for many years with the blurry lines between home and work. Part of the struggle was due to the fact that I was working from home with preschool-aged children which meant I wasn't always in complete control of my schedule or work environment. (How is it that kids know to get sick when you have a project deadline looming?) The other part of the struggle was that I didn't draw boundaries around my work time by setting office hours. I've done that now and it's made a huge difference.

I work Monday-Friday from 7:45-3:15 (to coincide with my children's school day). After taking a break to greet each child, offer a snack, and listen to them share about their day after they arrive home, I usually spend another 30 minutes wrapping up my day before heading to the kitchen to tackle dinner. I allow myself to go to the gym on Tuesday and Friday mornings and to run errands after my workout on Tuesdays. I occasionally allow myself to work Saturday mornings. Work is off limits on Sundays unless the situation is dire. Oh, I also refuse to answer to my work phone after hours or on weekends. (Remember, we train clients how to treat us. They need to know our boundaries as well.)

Not only have my office hours brought the lines between home and work into focus, it's changed my mental state as well. Instead of feeling like I'm working around the clock (which I was), I now know that there are limits to my work and that I'm in control rather than letting the businss control me. It hasn't always been this way.

As to how to know if you "should or should not work a bit into the evening," here are some questions to ask to help you make the decision:

• Am I on deadline for a project that's due soon?


• Will working tonight take me away from something that's important to one of my family members?


• If I work late tonight, will I be tired and grumpy tomorrow?


• Is the deadline for this project firm, or is it flexible? (If it's flexible, there's no need to kill yourself to finish the project, even if you are a die-hard Type A!)


• Do I feel well-rested and energetic? Or will working tonight simply drain me further?


• What time of day is my best work time? (I personally am freshest in the morning and prefer to do my most important work then.)

If you don't currently have office hours, think about setting them for yourself. And if you have drawn boundaries around your work, please consider posting a comment as to how it's helped your work-at-home life so that we can learn from each other.

Seize the day!