My Story on Becoming a Working Stay-at-Home-Mom (& How You Can Do It, Too)
This post: Curious about how to become a working stay-at-home-mom? Here’s my story & THREE tips on how to get started.
My work-from-home story has been about twenty years in the making. I’ve made a lot of mistakes. Learned a lot of lessons. Made a little money & a lot of money.
Here’s where I’m sharing ALL OF IT. (Want more? Opt in to get my 12-day “Simple Success” email mentoring series: RIGHT HERE.)
What you’ll learn Here:
The Working stay-at-home-mom :: My story
On paper, I sound like a neatly-packaged traditional wife: I stay home with & homeschool my kids, cook from scratch (mostly), live in an old farmhouse, & even drive a mini van.
But I learned early on that I’m not just another-stay-at-home-mom, content to live in leggings & survive on coffee & a single income. True, I know how to squeeze a dollar out of a dime. But I’d rather use my time & energy to create something – a product or a business or a website – that brings in dollars even when I’m sleeping.
Once I decided that “frugal housewife” wasn’t the identity I wanted to own for the rest of my life, I knew I needed to channel my passions into something that would help create another stream of income.
And this is where my working stay-at-home-mom story starts – with a little desperation & a lot of determination. Because I really didn’t have a clue where to start, but I had no intentions of not succeeding.
The Modern SAHM
I don’t have a college degree & didn’t have any prior work experience. But I dove into learning everything I could about earning money from home, honing new skills, & dabbling with just about every legit work-from-home opportunity I came across. And my determination eventually paid off – quite literally.
Over the last two decades, I’ve made everything from pocket change selling homemade granola to earning six figures with a marketing side gig.
I’ve worked hard, started over a few times, & learned a lot about what works & what doesn’t. I’ve also become a firm believer in channeling your pain into passion – because many days (& years) that’s been the fuel that literally kept me going.
If budgeting & living within your means is the definition of frugality, then I’m still frugal. But I also know (from experience) that living “within your means” only works when your means are enough. And in today’s economy, living off a single income is harder than it was for our mothers and grandmothers.
The really good news? As modern women, you & I have the privilege & power to maximize our husband’s income like no other generation before us. And we don’t have to leave our homes or our kids to do it.
become a working Stay-at-home-mom :: 3 steps to getting started
If you want this bad enough, you CAN DO IT. I’m living proof that limited time, experience, education, & resources can’t stop you.
You have the DESIRE to figure this working stay-at-home-mom thing out? Then the rest will take care of itself. (It’s important that you believe that.)
Here are THREE things you’ll need to do to get started.
1) Find Your Passion
Maybe you can tell me your passion right off the cuff. You’re a dreamer & you know exactly what you’d love to do all day, every day, for the rest of your life.
But if you don’t know, here are four questions to ask yourself:
- What could I do for hours on end, if time allowed?
- What do people ask me for help with the most?
- What comes easily for me that most people have to work at?
- What problems or obstacles have I solved or overcome as a mom?
I have ten questions to help you tap into your passion over in this email series. But being able to answer the four questions above will get you off to a strong start.
If you really love something but you don’t think you could make money doing it, let me assure you – YOU ABSOLUTELY CAN. Your passion (& your story & experiences) are what make you 100% unique. You can market literally any passion, as long as you’ve got the desire & determination to learn how to do it.
Once you’ve named what you’re passionate about, it’s time to take the next step.
2) Obsess Over Learning New Skills
If you’re a bit of a nerd (like I am), then this might actually be your favorite step. If you’re anything but a nerd, no worries – learning new skills can still be amazing & even fun, especially if you’re doing it with people who love what you do. (More about community in a bit.)
The important thing is that you harness that DESIRE to be a successful working stay-at-home-mom, & use it to fuel your determination to LEARN THE SKILLS that will make it happen.
I’m a digital marketer & mentor to mompreneurs, so I had to learn how to create professional digital products, automate an online business, & write killer content that inspires people to take action. Because I’m so passionate about reaching my goals as a working stay-at-home-mom, I’ve pushed myself to become an expert in my field. But it hasn’t happened overnight! (Remember, I told you I started this journey nearly twenty years ago.)
The main thing is that you become OBSESSED with figuring out whatever you need to learn to make this work. Not sure where to learn those skills?
Good news – that’s why I’m here. I HAVE figured it out & my “job” is to help you figure it out, too.
3) Take Messy Action
This is the hardest & most exciting step. It’s where the magic happens, but it’s also the most uncomfortable part (for me, anyway).
Once you’ve named your PASSION & you’re learning NEW SKILLS, it’s time to stick your neck out & start taking serious action. This can look like a lot of things, but if you’re building an online business as a working stay-at-home-mom it will likely include some of the following:
- Creating a professional online presence
- Learning the ropes of marketing on a social media platform
- Setting up an email list
- Honing basic writing skills
- Building a website or landing page for your business/service/products
- Marketing your business/service/products
It’s important that you realize this is going to be MESSY ACTION. Everyone starts at zero: ZERO sales, ZERO experience, ZERO followers. You’re not going to know exactly what you’re doing until you get out there & DO IT.
Write this down: Courage comes before confidence.
If you wait until you feel confident & “ready” to take action, you’ll never get started. You’ll stay stuck in the dreaming or planning phases until you’re willing to just go for it. (Ask me how I know.)
DESIRE VS OVERWHELM
Sound like too much to do? It is, if you think you have to do it all at once. This is a process, a journey, a transformation. You are going to GROW from an inexperienced, uncomfortable dreamer into a confident, successful working stay-at-home-mom . . . ONE STEP AT A TIME.
How long will it take? As long as you need. I’ve been at this for nearly twenty years, & I’m just now sticking my neck out there as a coach. But every small & big step (including every mistake & failure) along the way has gotten me to where I’m at right now. It’s all part of my journey, & it’s all important.
Your journey is as unique & personal as your very fingerprint. Don’t compare it to anyone else’s. The important thing is that you DESIRE to make this work & that you START.
WHERE TO START RIGHT NOW
If you need a confidence boost & more actionable steps, opt in to receive my “Simple Success” email series.
It’s completely FREE & will delivery mentor-style emails straight to your inbox for twelve days. It’s like having your own personal mindset & business coach in your pocket (or phone).
Don’t need any extra hand-holding to get started? GREAT! I’ve got TWO resources to jump start you into your working stay-at-home-mom era:
- THE ESSENTIAL CHECKLIST– There’s no need for guess work! I’ll show you exactly what to do to get your business & brand out of your head & into the online space.
- THE PASSIVE PLAYBOOK – Unpacks the path to building a wildly explosive income in a simple, step-by-step format that anyone can learn & duplicate.
Got questions?
Drop a comment below, connect with me on the ‘Gram, or send me an email. I’m here for your success!
