Laurie has some terrific advice for balancing your home business and your family. This is always a challenge for entrepreneurial women!

THE ART OF MULTI-TASKING, HBWM STYLE
By Laurie Hurley

Working from home has some terrific benefits, but, unfortunately, some downsides as well. One disadvantage is that mom is still in the house and when the kids really need something they will track you down, sometimes at the most inopportune times. What to do? Hang up on the client? No. Push the kids out of the room and lock the door? Probably not. After all, the reason we are a WAHM is because we wanted it all, motherhood and our career all happening at the same time in the same place. There are solutions.

I operate two companies out of my home. One is an established tutoring referral service, Bright Apple Tutoring, http://www.brightappletutoring.com, and one a start up consulting service on how to begin one’s own tutoring company, Home Tutoring Business.

http://www.hometutoringbusiness.com/. My phone rings constantly, usually just when my two daughters, 7 and 10 years old, are walking in or out the door. I have to answer the phone but I also want to hug my kids as well. This is just one of the problems I face daily. Here are some well-tested solutions on how to pay attention to your children and not let your business suffer.

Develop a “silent hello” (or goodbye) to be used only when you are on the phoneand the kids walk in or out of the door to and from school or a play date, etc. I wear a headset when I am on the phone so both of my hands are free to give a big hug and a quiet kiss. My kids had to be trained to be quiet, but they understand I can’t hang up on someone just because the two princesses have arrived or are departing! It works wonders and we see who can be the absolute quietest during this exchange of tight hugs and silent kisses.

Wear a headset and phone clip. Having my hands free to walk around my house and check on the girls, especially in the morning is a life-saver. Being that I am on PST, many of my potential clients call very early in the morning from points East of me. I can still talk and make lunches, assist with braiding the hair and situating the 30 pound backpack on my older daughter’s back every day. This also comes in handy when I am folding the laundry, cleaning up after everyone, or just relaxing in the bathtub. The bathtub is a bit tricky, but I have a long cord so I haven’t electrocuted myself yet. I also don’t get neck aches anymore from talking and typing on the computer or writing at the same time I’m on the phone.

Carve out some special time during the day to spend with your children – but be sure you are accomplishing a task. My girls and I have some of our best conversations in the bathroom whether they are showering or getting ready for school. My youngest daughter is still learning English having only being in this country for two years and I’m able to chat with her and practice her English at this time.

Give your children some responsibilities that relate to your work. My daughters regularly help me with mundane tasks in my office. My older one copies all of my checks for me, endorses them with my bank stamp and adds them up. She even knows my ATM password and loves to work the machine under my supervision. My younger child puts stamps on envelopes for me and prepares some of the paperwork I need when I am getting ready to meet a client. Since my clients are kids, being in the tutoring industry, if I am meeting a third grader and their parents, I always bring stickers, tattoos, etc. along. I let my daughter choose which ones to include.

They both help me with my filing and straightening out my desk at night. This is a wonderful way to teach organizational skills and how they apply in real-life. Having my children involved with learning the basics of running a home office in a hands-on way also gives me more time with them. I end each day with a neat office and some bonding time with my kids.

Forward your business phone to your cell phone if you are going to be away from the office at one of your children’s activities or running errands. This may seem like a rude thing to do, however, I literally sit for two hours at swim team practice twice a week. My daughter likes the fact I am there, even if I am answering a phone call or doing some paperwork. If we are out running errands and my phone rings, I am able to answer it and, in the worse case scenario, tell the caller I will call them back at a specified time versus having the call go to my answering machine. I stick a pad in my purse, take notes and return the call within a reasonable time frame.

Having a home office is a challenge if you have children. When I first started working out of my home, it was very hard to concentrate if the kids were around. As they get older and my business becomes more established, we have developed a routine and certain ground rules about mom’s office time.

Recently, I found myself late one afternoon, deeply involved in something I was doing on my computer and looked up to see my older daughter at the extra desk in my office busy doing her homework. My younger one had pulled up a chair across from my desk and was practicing counting money quietly. I wish I would have had a camera to capture the moment. It is times like these that make being a HBWM so worth it.

---------------------------------------------------------------
Laurie Hurley, President, Home Tutoring Business, http://www.hometutoringbusiness.com and Bright Apple Tutoring, http://brightappletutoring.com 1-888-847.0033. Laurie is available for media interviews, discussions on education and home-based business opportunities such as starting a tutor referral business.