Run Your Business Better: 5 Bookkeeping Tips for Work at Home Moms

If you wear the proverbial hats of mom and business owner, you’re already familiar with being pulled in numerous directions. And, if your business happens to be run out of your home, your situation can be even more complicated. Important papers can get lost (courtesy of the two-year-old with the big blue eyes), nerves can be worn thin and lines can become blurred between personal and business. In order to keep your business humming along and a decent-sized shred of your sanity, it’s imperative your financials are in order. Here are a few bookkeeping tips to making your home-based business thrive, so more time can be freed up to be spent as mom.

Track Your Accounting

First things first. If you’re not staying on top of your accounting, what are you waiting for? It takes some time to sit down and make entries, draw up invoices and set up a software system, but if not now, when? Disordered and mismanaged finances spell disaster for your business, so if you can spring for it, give QuickBooks for small business a try. If that expense isn’t in your budget, try a free system like GnuCash. Your first order of business is to get the system up and running so you can easily handle basic functions like entering debits and credits and creating invoices.

Invoice on Schedule

In your busy role as entrepreneur by day and 24/7 mom, it’s understandable that some tasks on your to-do list slide every now and again. Your five-year-old’s flu took precedence over everything, and your client’s major year-end project took priority after that. Life happens. But, whenever you’re able to, invoice right on schedule. A big mistake many female business owners make is letting this task take a backseat to other things. But, you won’t get paid if you don’t invoice, so this needs to be considered an ongoing, urgent action item.
Start preparing your invoice days (or even a week) before you plan to send them. Get them to your customers via mail and email if possible so you can ensure their receipt. If you’re not comfortable invoicing through your accounting software, there are multiple invoicing apps worth looking into (some of which are even free). Whichever way you go, do yourself a favor and bump this up on your list of to-dos.

Capitalize on the Cloud

In addition to enabling your accounting software to be accessible from anywhere, the cloud is your friend. One financial tip that can serve you well is to store a backup of all your company’s receipts and important documents in the cloud. This way you can access your data anywhere, even from your phone. Having physical backups, as well as Web-based backups, is one of the best ways to stay organized and be sure your valuable documents never get misplaced.

Pay and Be Paid

Since cash flow is important, you want to give customers every reason to pay you quickly. If you find yourself running into late payments from the same customers repeatedly, come up with an action plan for nixing this behavior in the future. Furthermore, make sure your invoices clearly offer simple ways to pay, like through PayPal or an app like Venmo. These also are easy and fast ways for you to pay your contractors, who will appreciate not having to wait for a paper check in the mail.

Get Cozy with a CPA

Last, but certainly not least, think of your taxes well in advance of tax season. Since you likely don’t have an accountant managing your bookkeeping, you might also think you can wing it with your taxes. But as the old adage goes, “don’t mess with the IRS.” Many CPAs will meet with you for free and offer advice about preparing for tax time, with the hope that you’ll use their services later. Once you find a CPA, you will be certain that you’re saving all necessary documents needed for tax time.

As a mom and business owner, you’re no stranger to hard work and sacrifice. Give yourself the ability to see the fruits of your labor by properly managing your bookkeeping from the get-go. By using these bookkeeping tips — tracking your accounting, invoicing on schedule, relying upon the cloud, making payments easy and meeting with a CPA — you’ll be well on your way to easy, breezy finances—and maybe even a little peace of mind too.

Check out these other great articles about business administration as a work from home professional. Also check out our current job postings for mom professionals.

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How to Work From Home in the New Year

It’s the time for resolutions, new goals, and aspirations for the upcoming year. It’s the perfect time to take strides in achieving our dreams and goals. For moms, it’s time to create a new year resolution to work from home. For many people, working from home seems like a far away dream that will never truly happen. This doesn’t have to be the case, and you can work your way into a profitable, flexible home-based position!

With a few simple tips, you can be well on your way to working from home, and it doesn’t have to take months and months. By going about it strategically and getting your mind in the right place, you can find a job that fits your lifestyle, skills and expertise.

  • Search in the Right Places: There are numerous sites out there offering home-based positions. Many of them are legitimate and can truly help you find your ideal work from home job. Be sure to do your research on the sites you’re using, and always consider the source of the employers and positions on the site. At HireMyMom.com, employers are individually reviewed and vetted, making the jobs and companies far more legitimate.
  • Change Your Mindset: It’s a common belief that finding legitimate home-based work is challenging and time-consuming. While this is partially true because any job search can be tedious, it does not mean it’s impossible. Go into your work from home job search with a positive, open attitude and watch what happens! When you align your actions with a positive mindset, the opportunities are endless. Check out our current work from home job posts on HireMyMom.com. 
  • Set Aside Your Time: Create time and space in your life to dedicate to the home-based job search. If it’s truly your goal to work from home, it has to become part of your routine for a while. When you have specified time each day to conduct your search, it’s easier to stay organized and proactive about finding the right positions. Put down 30 minutes in your calendar each day to revise your resume, search for jobs, and apply for the right ones.
  • Highlight It: Your resume can be a big asset in your ability to find home-based work! If you’re coming from an office job, highlight the aspects of your past jobs and experiences that would lend themselves well to a home-based position. For example, if you often interview or chat with clients over Skype or conference call, mention those things. Anything that would be a common task in your home-based job is something that needs to be mentioned in your resume and a later interview.
  • Don’t Give Up: Make a new year resolution to work from home in 2015! A resolution can be tough to stick with, but it’s worth it for the results and opportunities. Any job search takes time, but working from home is truly worth it, if it’s one of your goals. Take the time to make your search count, and be sure you’re sending high quality materials (resumes, cover letters, etc.) to represent the best version of yourself. Add a positive mindset to your past experiences, continue to search, and be open to new possibilities for home-based work!

Check out these other great articles about home-based jobs as a work from home professional. Also check out our current job postings for mom professionals.

(Image courtesy of gubgib at FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

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5 Ways to Stay Healthy in a Home-Based Job

When you accept a home-based job position, you might envision days of work mixed with lots of movement and exercise. Imagine your surprise when the clock hits 5:00PM each day and you’ve barely moved! This is a common plague among home-based workers, and it’s something that can truly affect your health in the long term.

There are numerous recent studies proving how sitting is bad for our health, and when you work from home, you’re likely logging long hours on your computer. This isn’t really avoidable, but utilizing healthy tips and habits is a great way to ensure that you stay healthy when working from home.

When you’re making your 2015 resolutions, be sure to include these work at home exercises and tips to stay happy and healthy!

1) Stay active throughout the day: It doesn’t have to be anything excessive! Get up and walk around your house or neighborhood, stretch, lift light weights, or run in place for a few minutes. Do this approximately once per hour, and you’ll find that these little bursts are not only good for your body, but good for your mind.

2) Drink water: Working from home has its benefits here! Staying hydrated is key to health – you will avoid overeating and keep your energy high. Set an alarm on your phone or computer to remind you to drink water every hour.

3) Schedule your workouts: Whether you want to work out in the morning or the evening, working from home makes scheduling your workouts much easier. But you still have to do them! Schedule your workouts just as you would schedule a meeting or appointment. Write it down and stick to your plan.

4) Choose the right foods: If you’re used to having junk food around the house, do your best to stop buying it once you start working from home. If it’s in the house, it’s tough to avoid! At the very least, keep tempting foods out of view. Put healthy snacks such as fruit, trail mix, or protein bars out in a bowl, so you’re more likely to reach for them when you need a snack.

5) Take breaks: Mental health is just as important as physical health. It’s great to be productive, but not at the expense of your health. This will only lead you to feeling frazzled and burnt out – not a good combination. Take small breaks throughout the day to step away from the computer, get some fresh air, and relax your mind.
Incorporate these work at home exercises and tips into your daily schedule and start the new year out right.

Check out these other great articles about staying healthy as a work from home professional. Also check out our current job postings for mom professionals.

(Image courtesy of Serge Bertasius at FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

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Not Landing an Interview? 4 Things Costing You That Dream Job

You’ve polished up your resume and spent hours finessing your cover letter. You feel great about it and press send, confident that you’ll be getting a response ASAP. But 24 hours turn into a week and then a month, and still no call comes your way. You were feeling pretty confident in knowing how to land a job interview. What went wrong? Such a devastating scenario is not uncommon. If the interview for the career of your dreams is continuing to elude you, you might be falling prey to four mistakes job seekers frequently make. Here’s a look at each error, and what you can do to make sure none of them stand in the way of you and that corner office.

You have Skills, But Not the Right Ones

While reading the job posting in-depth, you probably cross-referenced your own résumé. Experience with marketing automation? Check. Familiarity with integrating CRM and marketing automation systems? Check. But wait. Hold your horses, eager one. Maybe the company you’re applying to uses Marketo and Salesforce.com, but your experience has only been with Eloqua and Microsoft Dynamics CRM. You might not see a difference, but the hiring manager will.

Failing to specify your exact experience, or having similar, but not exact experience to what is required can cause an employer to pass you over. The hiring company’s goal is to spend as little time training you as possible, so be sure to be explicit about your skills. If you notice a trend in specific skills you’re lacking, try to see if Coursera has a course on the subject, and get busy learning. If you come into the interview, you want your acumen to clearly back up what’s on your CV.

Background Checks Not Checking Out

Not all companies perform background checks on prospective hires, but many do. And seemingly insignificant things you’ve forgotten about can negatively impact such a check. Even though you’ve forgotten it, the hiring manager will see a big red flag and move on to the next candidate. Scour your memory for anything that could taint a background check. Did you have credit card fraud from identify theft years ago? It’s likely that hasn’t been cleared up. It’s advisable to look into a company like Lifelock for an identify theft protection service that’ll protect your reputation and even give you a one-million dollar guarantee.

Another form of background check, albeit more informal, is a look at your social media profiles. Be sure any of your pages that are public present your most professional image. Many a job seeker has been shunned thanks to a poorly worded tweet or an inappropriate Facebook photo.

Timidity and Fear

In life and your job search, you really can be your own worst enemy. People sabotage themselves in a variety of ways without even knowing it when going after a new career. A lack of confidence can prevent you from even submitting your application. Anxiety over being told no can keep you from asking the people in your network for a personal recommendation. A fear of public speaking can hold you back from completing the presentation portion of your interview process.

The best advice for surmounting these self-created obstacles? The old adage, “fake it until you make it.” Force yourself to send in your resume. Remind yourself that some people may reject your request for a recommendation, but that others will be happy to help you. And if public speaking is an issue, there’s never a better time than the present to brush up on this very valuable skill. Look into a Dale Carnegie course or a program like Toastmasters to improve your communication and your confidence.

You’re Barking up the Wrong Tree

Finally, you may have all the rest of the ingredients right, but are just going to the wrong place. When applying for a job, it’s best to go through the channels prescribed on the company’s website. Does it say to submit a Web form? Submit a Web form. You may think you’re being clever and unforgettable by showing up in person and asking to see the CEO, but you probably won’t get past the receptionist, and may cause a lot of annoyance too.

Remember that job applications often go through several layers of people, sometimes starting with a secretary or office manager. You never know who is responsible for the initial sifting of applications, so be courteous to everybody. And if you don’t hear anything back, it’s okay to be persistent but never be pushy.

So, there you have it. Investigate this “How to Land a Job Interview” tips. If there’s a position out there that is calling your name, it’s probably worth pursuing with everything you have. Don’t let avoidable gaffes obstruct your vision for your life. Make sure you have the skills needed, and are precise about communicating them. Keep your background checks sparkly clean by getting identity theft protection, and keep your social media profiles just as immaculate since you never know who’s looking at them. Push yourself to overcome any obstacles you’ve put in your way, and be sure you’re applying to the right person in the proper way. With this approach, you’ll be unstoppable. And that dream job will be inching closer and closer to your fingertips.

Check out these other great articles about interviewing tips as a work from home professional. Also check out our current job postings for mom professionals.

(Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.)

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5 Tips for Work-from-Home Success

Working from home provides numerous benefits for you, your family, and your free time! It’s certainly an ideal work situation, but it doesn’t come without its own challenges.

When done correctly, you can begin working from home seamlessly. By setting the stage for success in a home-based job, you’ll reap the benefits of this unique work environment while producing effective, efficient work for your employer. Read along for some work from home skills you will need to learn as a foundation for your success.

1) Know Your Schedule: And your family’s schedule! Home-based jobs are structured around a variety of schedules, so be sure that you’re looking into and choosing those that fit your home life. Working from home provides a lot of freedom, but not if you’re working at the wrong times for your family. Be selective in accepting positions that fit into your life.

2) Read Job Descriptions Closely: Try not to accept a work-from-home position just to get out of the office. It’s tempting, but will only lead to more discontentment. Working from home is still work, and it’s very important to choose a job that suits you. Pay attention to job descriptions and only interview for jobs that you would truly be happy to receive.

3) Create a Separate Space: The most common fear of home-based working is lack of focus. By creating a separate space or office to do your work, you’re already on the road to success. You don’t have to be exclusively confined to this space, but it will ground you as your “home base” for work, allowing you to block out distractions, noises, and other tasks that need to be done around the house.

4) Make a List: Have a plan in place! “To do” lists are even more important when you work from home, since you’ll find yourself doing the work around the house, taking kids and pets to appointments, and running errands as well. It can be tough to keep it all straight, especially when you’re also working, so don’t be afraid to jot it down. It’s always fun and satisfying to cross something off of a list!

5) Schedule Your Days: Working from home actually requires more structure than a traditional office job! You’re essentially “free” to do as you please, as long as you complete your work. Unfortunately, this can lead to a lot of rushing around to finish tasks if you weren’t focused all day. If you’re scheduling, just as you would at a 9-5 in an office, you’ll be sure to prioritize correctly.

These work from home skills are foundational to the success of your home-based job or business. Practice these before you leave the corporate world to give structure to your new endeavor.

Check out these other great articles about productivity / time management as a work from home professional. Also check out our current job postings for mom professionals.

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A Trio of Skills Teens Can Teach Themselves

As a work-at-home mom, you figuratively have your feet in two different worlds. Although you certainly stay busy with work and projects in your home office, you also understand the life of a homemaker. While you probably have enjoyed having a flexible schedule that has allowed you to do things like volunteer in your kids’ schools and work around them at least part of the time, you also recognize that your kids are now teenagers, and it’s time to cut the proverbial apron strings a bit. But where do you find these life skills for teens?

Fear not, thanks to the power of the Internet, it is more than possible to encourage your teens to take the reins and teach themselves some needed skills. In addition to showing them the value of self-reliance and independence, encouraging your teens to learn things on their own will also teach them that they don’t always need mom to lead them through every new experience. Consider the following skills that teens can handle on their own — at least part of the time:

Basic Cleaning

Although it might be hard to fathom, your teens will someday be on their own. To help prepare them for life in their future apartments — and frankly, to take some of the housecleaning burdens off of you now — it’s a great idea to teach teens to handle some basic cleaning duties. Teenagers are notorious for thinking magical elves come in and clean the bathrooms and floors. They are definitely old enough to learn how to handle a dustpan, broom and container of Clorox wipes. While you are busy working on a project for an important client, ask your teen to spend some time on the Everyday Cleaning Tips website. The site offers easy-to-follow instructions and advice on how to clean just about everything in the home. Ask your teen to use the site to learn how to transform the soap-scum-covered tub into one that sparkles, or to properly scrub a toilet.

Driving Test Prep

If you have a teen who is chomping at the bit to get his or her driver’s permit, you probably have picked up the booklet from your local Motor Vehicles Division. But while it can be fun for you to quiz your kiddo on the sample questions in the book, your teen can also do a lot of the studying on his or her own. Driving-Tests.org is a terrific and useful website that is great for teens who need to study for their driving exam; the site includes sample tests from all 50 states, as well as encouraging success stories.

Cooking Skills for Beginners

If your teen is constantly interrupting your work by calling out “Mom! I’m starving!” it’s time you show your teen how to teach him or herself some basic cooking skills. Fortunately, there are plenty of websites that offer cooking classes for beginners — and some of them even offer free courses that are ideal for teens. Smart Kitchen features a variety of terrific online cooking classes that will help your teen get more comfortable in the kitchen. Once he or she has mastered some basic skills, you can encourage your hungry teen to use cookbooks and websites to find easy-to-fix meals and snacks.

These are only a few of the life skills for teens you’ll find when you peruse the Internet. How-to videos and tutorials are there for the taking.

Check out these other great articles about tips for mom as a work from home professional. Also check out our current job postings for mom professionals.

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Maintain Your Home-Based Business & Your Sanity During the Holidays

As a mom and home-based business owner, you probably feel like one of those circus performers who can keep a dozen plates spinning on sticks all at once. It can be challenging from day to day, but most of the time you are pretty good at keeping your plates in the air. However, add the upcoming holiday season to the mix—which, of course, includes shopping, decorating, incoming guests and kids bouncing off the walls with anticipation—and it might seem like those carefully balanced plates will all come crashing down.

Fortunately, we have some work life balance tips to help. With some planning and preparation, you can make it to 2015 without losing your business or your sanity.

Adjust Your Schedule and Your Expectations

Accept the fact that your usual schedule will be disrupted for awhile. Once you’ve accepted this, look for pockets of time during the day and night to fit in shorter spurts of work. For example, if your kids are watching “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” for the thousandth time and dinner’s in the oven, head to your computer and knock out some emails or invoices. If you are an early bird, set your alarm an hour or so earlier and try to crank out some work before the kids and company get up. If you are more of a night owl, work a little after the kids go to sleep to catch up on some of your projects.

Prioritize and Push Back

Schedule some specific times and activities with your family and guests during the holiday season, and post the calendar in a place where everyone can see it. Whenever possible, schedule things to do during the times when you wouldn’t normally be working anyway—that way, you won’t feel as stressed out about missing work time, and you can really focus on your kids. You could swing by your local coffee shop for hot cocoas to go, and then drive around your neighborhood looking at lights.

Also, try to push back at least some of your work and deadlines into January. Chances are good that many of your clients are also trying to juggle their lives and the holiday season, so depending on what type of at-home work you do, it may be possible to reschedule at least some of it until early 2015.

Shop Online

If your to-do list is already three pages long, you might wonder how you’ll find time to get to the mall to shop. You don’t have to fight the crowds and parking lots to get toys and gifts for everyone on your “Nice” list. Pour yourself a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, put on your comfy flannel jammies, and when the kids are asleep, take care of your holiday shopping online. Walmart always has some great Black Friday deals and it seems like every online retailer offers shipping deals this time of year. If you are planning on sending out holiday cards, you can also upload photos to sites like Snapfish or Shutterfly and order them from there.

With these work life balance tips, you will be able to skate through the holidays having a fun and relaxing time with your family.

Check out these other great articles about productivity / time management as a work from home professional. Also check out our current job postings for mom professionals.

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Conquer Career Goals with an Online Education Program

The job market can be tough. Recent college graduates are struggling to find work just as much as older, more experienced individuals. That philosophy degree may have seemed like a great idea when you were in college, but now, after starting a family and taking time off, it may feel like an unwise decision. If you have taken a break from the workplace in recent years, it can be difficult to stay relevant in the current hiring market.

We have some great work from home career ideas that you can adopt today. Mentoring, volunteering, and internships are great first steps towards a new career. Here are a few tips to get started!

Start by Volunteering

If you are curious about the opportunities out there, look into volunteer programs in your area. Sign up for websites like Volunteermatch.org to find local opportunities that meet your interests. Volunteer Match notifies users about opportunities with organizations that are associated with advocacy and human rights, art and culture, animals, and board development. Through volunteer work you may discover a career path to pursue outside of your degree. You can also look at community bulletin boards in your area to see what other volunteer opportunities are in your area.

Become a Mentor

If you’ve ever considered mentoring others, Mentoring.org is a great resource that helps you locate mentoring programs in your area or start one of your own. It’s as easy as entering in your zip code to get started. Once you enter your zip code, a list of organizations will be provided, along with the program type and the age group being assisted. Opportunities vary from helping homeless youth, to free arts programs, to providing families from reservations health services and a safe place to stay.

Participate in an Internship

Another way to explore career options outside of your degree is through internship programs. Most job sites post internships along with job listings which makes them easy to find. Internships will give you immersion into the workplace, offer new skills, and help you network within any industry. Through an internship programs you may find what interests you most and decide what to pursue further.

Go Back to School

If volunteering and internship programs help you find the career path of your dreams, consider going back to school. With the ease and availability of technology today, quality education programs are at your fingertips. There are many online certification programs out there that can help you get an edge on the competition. In 2011, 65 percent of students had taken online courses and 89 percent of four-year universities were already offering online courses to their students. These numbers have continued to grow as more individuals are recognizing the benefits and convenience of online courses.

Worried you don’t have the time? It can be hard to juggle the responsibilities of running the household, taking care of the kids, and all that comes with it. You may not have the time to go sit in a classroom three days a week, but with online programs, you can make your own schedule and do your assignments at home. It is that easy!

If you have ever considered going into medicine, now is the time. Health care students no longer have to go back to medical school to learn the skills required for jobs in various health care-related professions. Eight years in medical school and hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loans is no longer required to get going in the medical and health care fields. Unlike many industries today, the health care field is always growing and looking for driven, smart workers. College Online’s health and medical degrees include medicine and nursing programs with certification courses in health care administration, therapy, counseling, nursing, pharmacy and more.

Be proactive. Use these creative work from home career ideas to take the necessary steps to get the education you deserve and the career you want.

Check out these other great articles about continuing education as a work from home professional. Also check out our current job postings for mom professionals.

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Manage Your Image Prior to the Big Job Interview

Not that long ago, employers relied on interviews, reference checks and resumes to determine whether or not they wanted to hire someone. These days, business owners use a variety of other methods to decide if someone is hire-worthy. Some business owners will look into your background as part of the screening process; this may include asking you information about your educational background, any criminal records, your financial history, and the way in which you use social media, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission notes. Potential employers may also do a background check, which can include looking up a credit report and any past criminal activity, and they will probably spend some time online learning what they can about you and your activities.

Here are some interview tips to prepare for the background screening and help ensure that your image is as upstanding, responsible and professional as possible.

Research yourself

Since employers often use a search engine like Google to learn more about you, beat them to the proverbial punch and research yourself, Lifehacker suggests. Hopefully what pops up will be a pretty accurate representation of who you are, including recent achievements and awards, articles that may have mentioned your name, and social media profiles. If your name is fairly common or if you are in the unfortunate situation where your name is the same or close to some notorious individual, you may want to go ahead and mention this during the interview. You could even add links and URLs to accurate articles about you to your resume.

Make sure your driving record is spotless — or close to it

Many employers will want or even require that you have a clean driving record. In addition to being a good indicator of responsibility and competency, a lack of tickets and other moving violations can show your future boss that you are capable of good decision making. Of course, this is especially important if the job involves any kind of driving. If your license has expired or if you have recently moved to a new state and you have not been down to the MVD yet, do everything you can before your interview to make sure your driving records are up-to-date. For example, if you just moved and you need to get your driver’s license, you can prepare for your exam by taking the permit practice test online at DrivingTests.org.

Clean up your social media act

Chances are good the person who will be interviewing you will look you up on social media sites. Take the time and go through all of your pages and remove anything that might be remotely questionable. This includes those fun pictures taken of you at that party on your Facebook page — you may not have been doing anything wrong, but it’s probably best to err on the side of caution.

Also, as Wisconsin Job Center notes, never speak poorly of your last boss in a job interview. If you ever did any complaining about your job, boss or co-workers on social media sites, take those comments off, pronto. Assume that your potential future boss will scroll through some of your Tweets, so go back and remove any that make you look less than positive. In addition, if you have a page on LinkedIn, make sure your profile is up to date with your latest job history and references.

Take these interview tips to heart — do anything you can to make sure that whatever someone learns about you online will increase, and not decrease, your chances of being hired.

Check out these other great articles about job search tips as a work from home professional. Also check out our current job postings for mom professionals.

 

 

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Five Terrific Jobs for Moms

As a mom, you may want or need to work outside of the home. While you may be qualified for all sorts of positions, you are hoping to find one that gives you the ability to bring in some much-needed income while still having enough flexibility to be there for your kids when they need you — and even when they don’t. With this in mind, the following five jobs for moms are ideal for those who would prefer not to work a typical 9 to 5 schedule:

Real estate agent

Real estate agents usually set their own hours, but they also work some odd times like on weekends and nights, SheKnows notes. If your spouse works a traditional schedule, this can be an ideal situation because chances are good at least one of you will always be home with the kiddos and you won’t have to spend some of your hard-earned money on daycare. Some Realtor moms just list a couple houses at a time, so that they can still devote a lot of their days to their family.

Small business owner

Do your friends freak out when they see the gorgeous postcard-worthy photos you post on Facebook? Are your cupcakes or cinnamon rolls legendary in your neighborhood? It may be possible to turn your talent into a money-making venture by opening up a small business right from home. You can set up a website that sells your products or services, and spread the word via social media and word of mouth that you are now available to shoot family portraits, or pet sit, or cater birthday parties. If you are super crafty, you might also find that a website like Etsy is a terrific place to open your own store on the Internet.

Insurance agent

The insurance industry is great for moms who want to telecommute. Many different companies have jobs that allow people to work from home. Insurance agents also tend to have an entrepreneurial spirit that can be very appealing to moms who are also looking for some freedom in their schedules. Lead aggregation services like Quote Wizard enable moms to pursue life insurance business opportunities in between dropping the kids off and picking them up from school.

School teacher

As Business News Daily notes, working at a school is the perfect way for a mom to be on the same schedule as her kids. In an ideal world, you might also be able to find a position at the same school your kids attend. If you do not want to work as a teacher, there are still plenty of other openings in schools that are ideal for moms; these include working in the school’s library, being a lunchroom and playground aide, assisting in the front office, and being a teacher’s assistant.

Pharmacist

Careers in the pharmaceutical industry can be ideal for working moms who are looking for job flexibility. As Forbes notes, the positions offer an outstanding balance between working and home life, and they typically offer a great salary and benefits.

These are just a few flexible jobs for moms seeking something different than the corporate world.

Check out these other great articles about home-based jobs as a work from home professional. Also check out our home-based job descriptions and current job postings for mom professionals.

 

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