Back in the day, if you were a Mom that wanted to figure out how to stay home with your children, and you told someone you were going to try to figure out a way to make money on-line, you would get one of two responses. One, friends and family (especially family) would have told you that everything on-line is a scam; and two your family’s response would probably be, “Go get a J.O.B.!”
Take another example – if you told someone you were going to become a Mommy Blogger and make money blogging; you would either get a confused response of…“What? You’re going to make money logging?” alternatively, again your family’s response would be, “There’s no way you will ever make money doing that!”
Well, now making money online with an online business is no longer a myth. If you do it right, the dream can be real and it can be yours, Mom.
For example, take The Work At Home Wife and Founder of ASN Virtual Services, Angie Nelson. She started her online business in 2007 and after a few short months was making enough money to be able to stay at home and work. Grab a cup of Joe and read her story here:
Freelancemom.com: Why did you decide to start an online business?
WAHW: I had worked as an administrative assistant at the same company for almost 11 years. The environment had changed over time and I was no longer happy. I spent several months interviewing with other local companies, but I didn’t find anywhere that I felt I wanted to spend the next 30 years. It was then that my husband suggested I look into working from home or starting my own business.
Feelancemom.com: How long did it take before you made an income?
WAHW: I started researching in April 2007, I believe. It wasn’t until November of that year that I was confident I could quickly make the transition into a full-time income. I had already made some connections online and off for personal clients. I also knew that companies were actively recruiting customer service agents for the holiday season. I kept reading about “having more than one egg” in work at home forums, so I knew I likely needed a backup plan.
Within two weeks of quitting my job I was working full-time between personal clients and independent contractor positions.
Freelancemom.com: How long until you made a sustainable income?
WAHW: Though it was initially a step back in pay, I was able to replace my income within three or four months.
As my skills and service offerings have evolved, so has my income. As I approach five years online, I not only make a good hourly rate but I also have passive income avenues in place, such as affiliate marketing, eBooks, etc.
Freelancemom.com: How many hours did it take per week to get your online business started?
WAHW: I would estimate that I was spending 10 to 15 hours per week in the beginning marketing and seeking out potential clients. I was networking online. I was submitting quotes in response to RFPs. I was contacting offline businesses. I still spend a lot of time networking and marketing, but I consider it more maintenance now.
Freelancemom.com How did you find your niche?
WAHW: My niche has evolved over time. I did a lot of customer service and lead generation by phone when I first started. I knew this was a service that wasn’t being offered in abundance, yet I saw potential clients requesting this service week after week. There was not a lot of competition, so I ran with that opportunity.
As my business has evolved and I have picked up new skills along the way, my service offerings have reflected that. Blogging, affiliate marketing and passive income are a big part of my business portfolio right now. Those are also some of my main service offerings today.
Freelancemom.com: What advice would you give other Moms who want to follow in your footsteps?
WAHW: Get started today but don’t expect to wake up rich tomorrow. There is no easy money. You will likely only get out of your business what you put into it, so create a plan (and a Plan B) and stick with it.
Freelancemom.com: What is your most challenging issue about having an online business?
WAHW: Things are constantly changing. If you aren’t paying attention, eventually you are going to wake up one morning and wonder what happened. Even if you ARE paying attention, that sometimes happens.
Freelancemom.com: What are your favorite tools to use for your business?
WAHW: My favorite online tools for new or aspiring virtual assistants are HootSuite for managing social media profiles, Google Reader for following business blogs and monitoring your brand with Google Alerts, VANetworking for learning more about the industry and QuickBooks for online accounting and invoicing.
Freelancemom.com: What is the most rewarding thing about having an online business?
WAHW: It’s mine! That may sound silly, but I get a lot of gratification out of knowing my success is something I created and I control. There will be hiccups along the way, but inevitably you control the outcome. You can let it hold you back, or you can use it as a catalyst into something better.
The Work at Home Wife, Angie Nelson can be found here: http://asnvirtualservices.com
