Opportunity Knocked...did you answer?

Do you answer the phone every time it rings?  Do you answer the door every time the doorbell rings or someone knocks?  Do you read every email that comes through your inbox?

My best guess is that the answer is 'No' to these 3 questions for most people.  I'd love to hear from someone who can honestly answer 'Yes' to these 3 questions.

With every missed phone call, unanswered door or unread email, there's a chance for a missed opportunity.  Yes, we live in a society where we screen everything.  This is so we can choose and decide what we do, who we talk to and when/where we do it.  That much control prevents the 'unexpected' from occurring and yes,  for the most part, that is a good thing. 

But what if you an unexpected opportunity was trying to make it's way to you and you kept pushing it away?

I pray everyday for the opportunity to do better for myself, so I can take care of myself and my children, so I can live an honest, fruitful life that is full of fun.  God was listening to me because an opportunity was delivered to me.  I knew it was right because that night, I could not sleep.  The butterflies in my stomach kept swirling and my mind raced at all the possibilities.  There was not one reason I could come up with that this opportunity did not make sense for me.  All the check marks in the positive column completely eliminated those seeds of doubt that can grow like wildfire if you let them.

My favorite part is that I get to provide the same opportunity to those that are looking for it, especially moms that want to work from home.  I'll probably send the email, I might make the phone call...I won't come knocking but will certainly present it to anyone that asks.  Check your email and take the call...ask me the questions.  Not every opportunity presented is for everyone but if you're receptive you could easily miss it.

"It is less important to redistribute wealth than it is to redistribute opportunity."
Arthur H. Vandenberg

Seizing a New Opportunity

One thing I've learned is that I tend to be loyal to a person, situation, company, etc even when I'm being effected negatively.  I'm constantly in 'abusive' relationships because I always feel like if I prove my loyalty, things will always work out in my favor just because I stuck it out.  The 'For Better or Worse' vow applies to every situation, I guess?!?!?

Well, my patience and my loyalty are starting to wear very thin these days as I tune into my own destructive behavior of always allowing these situations to occur.  There is a fine line between sticking something out and running away.  I've stayed on the side of sticking it out because what I knew was safe even if it wasn't a necessarily positive situation.  Crossing over the line and actually running (well, walking) away from the destructive situation leaves a lot of unknowns, even if it's planned, and that's a scary place to be.  On a personal note, I ended my marriage a few years ago because it was destructive.  I didn't even know who I was when I looked in the mirror anymore.  Time to go when you don't even know who you are anymore, and the new you isn't someone you strove to become.

Consequently, I just recently made the decision to walk away from a situation that I gave a year to.  Granted, I didn't give it my all because I wasn't greeted with any immediate success.  Actually, I wasn't really greeted with any success.  It was a few thousand dollar loss to be quite honest.  But, it was a learning experience, albeit an expensive one.   You know it's right, though, when you take a deep breath and feel good about it. 

Recently I was introduced to a new opportunity and it's perfect for me.  It combines my retail and visual merchandising background, my passion for clothes and my desire to NOT work 50 hours week in a store.  Woo hoo!!! I cannot wait to have my official launch party and get things moving.  Working from home, it requires me to participate in a few conference calls per week, usually later in the evening once the house is quiet and the kids are ready for bed.  It requires me blog, it requires me to network, and ultimately it requires me to set up a few events every month with each event only 2-3 hours.  These are all things I can do around the other things going on in my life. 

Is it full time? No, but it could be and hopefully will be down the road.  Will it bring in full time money? No but it could and hopefully will down the road.  But, I'm not punching someone else's clock, I'm choosing my customers, I'm making my own schedule and ultimately determining my own destiny.  That is PRICELESS.

Multi-tasking versus Multi-jobbing?

Just ran into this post this morning, thanks to it being shared by a colleague on Facebook...

As a mompreneur, I'd never considered the difference between multi-tasking and multi-jobbing.  Truth be told, I actually never even heard of the term multi-jobbing until today.  I completely found the above mentioned article incredibly interesting and   I'm a multi-tasker, for sure.  I'm pretty used to planning my day and getting a few things done at once.   Personally, I think I do a pretty good job at it because the tasks do get completed effectively.  For example, if I'm working on the computer, I might update my social networks, work on blog entries, catch up on emails and edit pictures simultaneously.  That's standard multi-tasking.   On the flip side, if you're cleaning the shower but stop to vacuum the floor, then stopping again to change the sheets, then stopping again to throw out the trash, then stopping to start the laundry, then picking up the vacuum again only to stop and put toys away, you're not multi-tasking...you're doing a whole lot of hip-hopping from one thing to another and completing a whole lot of nothing.  Multiple jobs started but not completed isn't multi-tasking. 

But multi-jobbing...now that's something else. 

Clearly, at some point, one has to determine the difference between the two in order to manage effectively.  I mean, as much as we try, we just cannot do it ALL.  We can't.  Face the facts and don't feel bad about it.  It's just not possible as there's not enough time in the day, so it's smart to be realistic about what can and cannot be done.

Assistants are a great thing.  If your business is suffering or you're becoming overwhelmed with mounting tasks, then maybe an assistant is in order.  Prioritize what you need to do yourself and pass along the things that can be done by someone else.  Leave time available to focus on the things that you are good at, what you are known for, and/or where your strengths and passions lay.  Don't waste your time on things that can otherwise be delegated. 

Acknowledge that every job doesn't have to be DIY.  Don't have hours to tweak your website?  Hire a student who's looking to earn a few bucks and who's tech savvy (what teen/twenty-something isn't these days?) to help you out.  Tossed between spending hours writing content for your newsletter and attending networking event?  Hire a student who excels in writing or is a journalism major.  Provide them with a few topics you want to explore and pay them per completed piece, per your approval.  If bookkeeping is a bore and a chore when it would be more lucrative for you to spend more time revving the creative juices, hire someone!

Some food for thought.  As mentioned, I am the person who feels like I have to do it all, as if to prove something to the world that I am a superhero or something.  I try, but at some point it comes at an expense...expense to the business, expense to the family, etc.   Working from home poses it's share of distractions that can interfere with even the most organized plan.  While flexibility is important (and one of the bonuses of being home, let's face it), knowing when to NOT to flex is as well. 

So, mom's, you don't really have to do it ALL in order to succeed as a work at home mom (WAHM).  Find the right balance that works best for you both personally and professionally.  Relinquishing some of your work may, in fact, make you more successful in the long run.

Working from Home...it's not for everyone

Working from home...is it really all that it's cracked up to be?

I'd say yes, it is, if you can multi-task, do not need a structured schedule nor a supervisor breathing down your neck, micro-managing your every move. 

Is it for everyone?  Definitely NOT.  You decide.

As a small business owner, I spent many hours everyday working on my small business.  But, that was after my kids got off to school in the morning and after I started my day off with a power walk that varied between 2-3 miles.  Granted I started working around 9:30 every morning but I didn't have to factor in an hour to get dressed and another hour (or more) to commute into an office.  After my walk, I showered and got dressed, twisted my hair up into a bun and poured a hot cup of coffee and got to work.  My commute was walking from the kitchen into my home office.   So it's pure luxury to wake up at 7AM, get the kids off to school AND take a walk AND be ready to work at 9:30. 

The bulk of the day working included updating blog posts, editing pictures, sending emails, writing newsletters, making and answering business phone calls, writing up bids, designing and ordering marketing materials, etc.  Since I was essentially a one-man band, I did all of my A/P invoices, my A/R invoices, my banking, my business mail, managing my office supplies, purchased and managed my inventory, ordered my 'rental' props, wrote and printed my consultation reports.  I did it all. 

By mid-afternoon, I was ready for my next job, my children, when they arrived home from school mid-afternoon.  Once homework, dinner and other extra-curricular tasks were completed for the day, back to the office I'd roam for another few hours to respond to emails and blog posts and check in on other social networking avenues before bed.

Granted there were days that appointments needed to be made to meet with clients for consulting purposes, or to schedule work, and typically those appointments were made between 10AM and 2PM.  I still had plenty of time to get myself ready (hair, makeup, put together an outfit and brave the traffic) and then later return home before the kids got home from school.  Thankfully, great neighbors were on-hand for the days that afternoon traffic prevented me from getting back before the bus but it wasn't often.  (And in return, since I was usually home, I could easily return the favor.)

The added benefits to working from home: when the kids are sick, they can just stay home and no need to take a sick day or find a babysitter...if needed, you can reschedule your client.  They 99.9% will understand and accommodate you.  When someone forgets their project, HW or notebook and the call comes in to please drop it off, guess what?  You can!  Parent-Teacher conferences can be scheduled during the day without taking a day of from work.   And on and on...  You manage your time and your schedule.

So, do you still want to think about working from home or is it just easier to punch someone else's clock?