Interview with Lesley Pyle, Founder of HireMyMom.com

Describe yourself in 3 words.

I had a hard time describing myself so I asked my husband and my 2 oldest children, ages 20 and 18, to help me and they said: Faithful, Selfless and Benevolent.

What’s your educational and experiential background?

I have a B.A. degree in Journalism / Public Relations from Texas State University. I also have a MSc. degree in Marketing / Public Relations from the University of Stirling in Scotland. I worked briefly for a golf school in Austin, Texas upon graduating with my Master’s. It was while working there that I became pregnant with my first child and gave up my job to start freelancing from home. It wasn’t long after that that I started the national association of Home-Based Working Moms (www.hbwm.com) in 1997 to help moms working at home network and support one another.

What led you to start HireMyMom?

After working with moms across the country for many years who wanted to work at home, I saw the acceptance of working from home grow in popularity. I knew there were thousands of talented moms who had or wanted to leave the workforce to work from home. I also knew many home businesses, entrepreneurs and small businesses were looking for talented professionals to help their businesses to grow but many did not need full-time or on-site employees. Hence the idea for HireMyMom.com. I already had a large following on HBWM.com which gave me an opportunity to offer another option for working at home.

Do you have any future vision(s) or ideas for HireMyMom?

I would love to capture more of the small / home business and freelance “mom professional” market. There are big name competitors out there but none specifically target these markets or have the personal touch that we offer.  As not only a Mom Professional but also a home business owner, I understand the needs of both sides. I am passionate about helping both sides find the best solution for their needs. I am looking to expand our market to help more of these moms and businesses.  

What’s your favorite thing about running HireMyMom?

Just like the moms who use the service, I love the freedom and flexibility working at home allows me. It means so much to be able to go have lunch with my 3rd grader or take the day off to spend with one of my college kids. I also love hearing of the success stories from those who have found the perfect job for them as well as those businesses who find a rock star to help their business flourish. It is very fulfilling!

When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up?

As a school-aged child, I really had no idea what I wanted to do. No one in my family had ever attended college so it wasn’t really an option that I was offered or even considered. After losing my dad at age 13, I watched my mom struggle to work and support three kids on a very modest salary. I knew I wanted more but had no idea how to get there. After graduating high school, I worked for two years as a secretary before getting laid off in one of Houston’s oil busts. It was then that a friend encouraged me to start taking college classes at a local community college. Once I realized it was possible and that someone believed in me, the sky was the limit. I transferred to a state university and graduated at the top of my class and subsequently was awarded a full scholarship to get my master’s degree in Scotland. I had aspirations of being a very important [wink wink] corporate PR executive. I wanted an office in a tall building downtown where I could revel in the hustle and bustle of a high-paced career and a fast-paced city. But then….. things changed. I had my first child and somehow all of that became unappealing and unimportant. What I really wanted to do was work from home so that I could raise my children and care for and love them every step of the way. Working from home became the greatest career option I could ever dream of. Twenty years later, it still is!

What’s one fun fact about you?


I am an online missionary for Global Media Outreach (www.globalmediaoutreach.com) where I get to encourage, pray for and disciple people from all across the world including Africa, Asia, Iran, Iraq, Canada, Europe and more. We are able to reach people who may have no other way to hear the good news of Jesus and His amazing, powerful love for them.

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How I Grew my Virtual Business by 50% in 3 Months

In 2013, I boosted sales by 50% in 3 months, while also cutting my stress and workload by about 25%.

Before I get into the details of how to make money online, first you should know about a very special group of 15-year-olds running a Billion-dollar business.

Yes, that’s Billion with a “B”…

Miraculous Billion-Dollar Teens

In their personal lives they can be air-headed and make bad decisions clouded by hormones.

For some of them it’s a miracle they even graduate from high school.

YET…

When they yank on their work uniform suddenly they’re *the* heartbeat of McDonald’s, one of history’s greatest business successes.

Collectively, this teenaged staff (still too young to buy booze) are serving 70 Million people every single day!

…while getting almost ZERO complaints and making a tidal wave of sales… day after day after day… predictably, successfully, profitably.

YET…

You and I – as smart, proud entrepreneurs and salespeople – struggle to manage our load of 20 – 30 active prospects, projects, and customers at any given time.

We follow-up inadequately with new opportunities, we often ignore our best customers, and quickly fall behind on paperwork and filing taxes.

What’s wrong with this picture?

It’s simple.  The solution is SYSTEMS.

Let me use fiery NASCAR driver Danica Patrick to explain…

Tim VS. Danica – It’s ON Like Donkey Kong

Let’s say Danica challenges me to a 1/4 mile drag race – fastest down the strip wins.

She gets to drive her fire-breathing, 750-horsepower NASCAR race car.

Me, a far inferior driver, is allowed to race my everyday, 200-horsepower Mustang.

I would get destroyed.

BUT…

If we swapped cars, I’d crush Danica.  Every. single. time.

How can that be?  After all, she’s *such* a better driver than me!

Well, a car is nothing more than a big system, made up of a bunch of smaller systems: cooling system, fuelling system, steering system, etc.

When I’m driving Danica’s 750-horsepower race car, I’m a fairly average person running a world-class machine – just slam on the gas and keep it pointed straight down the track!

Because the race car’s systems makes it SO easy to go really fast, instantly I’m smoking Danica every single time.

When Danica’s in my (much, much slower) 200-horsepower Mustang, she’s a world-class driver running a fairly average machine.  Even though she could handle so much more, she’s completely limited by the system she’s running.

And *this* is the major difference between entrepreneurs and McDonald’s….

You Are Handicapped By Your Systems

You are like Danica driving an everyday Mustang.  You’re a world-class talent being completely held back by the systems you’re running in your business.

You’ve probably got ho-hum systems to get new customers / clients / investors.

Ineffective systems to complete paperwork and reporting.

Maybe even inefficient systems to produce your product / service.

But McDonald’s?

They’re a bunch of 15-year-olds driving Danica’s 750 Horsepower race car – fairly average workers driving world-class systems, producing world-class business.

The Kids of McDonald’s make Billions while entrepreneurs burn the midnight oil scratching out a living.  Always remember…

Stellar systems, driven by average people,

Will always beat

Stellar people running average systems.

My Path to Systems and Increased Profit

Since 2003 I’d read The E-Myth (Micheal Gerber), Built to Sell (John Warrilow), The 4-Hour Workweek (Tim Ferriss).  All of these books were inspirational but short on details.  I struggled.

My marketing business – Tim Francis Marketing – was growing.  In 2012 it hit a plateau.  I couldn’t possibly take on another stitch of work – I was maxed out.  Or more accurately – my business model was maxed out.

Then in 2012, I read Work the System by Sam Carpenter, which rocked my world.  Best book on small business systems out there.  I immediately took the Work the System Group Coaching, offered by Sam Carpenter and Josh Fonger.

Over the course’s 3 short months I adapted the general lessons they taught – intended for any kind of small business – specifically for my 100% online, virtual business.  I’m sure you’d agree running a business entirely online with staff around the world in multiple time zones is far different than a brick-and-mortar factory or warehouse.

With my first few systems in place, I was now ready to hire staff.  I turned to HireMyMom.com and had two winning applicants working for me within weeks, each executing systems I’d created just a few weeks previous.

In the end, the revenue of my small marketing company soared by 50%, and my work week lightened by about 25% – from around 60 hours to only 45 hours / week.

Today the process continues.  I haven’t reached Tim Ferriss’ 4-Hour Workweek, nor have I reached Sam Carpenter’s 2-Hour Workweek… yet.  But I’ve made some colossal strides forward and sincerely hope I can help you learn how to make money online too.

Onwards and Upwards,

Tim

– – – – – –

Tim Francis teaches How To Systemize Your Virtual Business at http://www.SmoothOnlineSystems.com.  Tim also runs his marketing company, which has clients in CAN, USA, and AUS, spanning from $150K in sales all the way up to $100MM.

Check out these other great articles about home-based business 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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Redbook Magazine Features HireMyMom

Lesley Pyle Redbook Magazine Feature

Hot Mama – Netpreneur Lesley Spencer Pyle

Hiremymom.com is the kind of business idea that’s so timely and practical that, naturally, it took a mom to think it up. The site, which connects companies looking to outsource projects with work-from-home moms who are eager for part-time work, was launched last May by Lesley Spencer Pyle, a mother of four in Spring, TX.

“I got pregnant right after I started my first job doing PR for a golf school,” says Pyle. “I hated being away from my baby, but my employer wasn’t open to flextime, so I quit.” Since her family was dependent on Pyle’s income, she began scrambling for freelance work.

“I knew there were other moms out there in the same position – I thought we could really learn from each other,” Pyle says. In 1995, she founded the online community Home-Based Working Moms (hbwm.com) which has evolved into a mini-empire, including a home-based business directory, a start-your-own-business kit, and a newsletter. Pyle loved connecting with moms online and figured employers might want to access this vast pool of talent. Enter hiremymom.com. For a small fee, moms who do everything from graphic design to sales can get listings for hundreds of long- and short-term projects that can be completed from the comfort of their kitchen table – uh, we mean home office.

 

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