DJ very openly shares that the title of the post is a result of some bad experiences that she had working with work-at-home moms (WAHMs) and that she also realizes that the title is an overgeneralization.
Not all WAHMs are unprofessional. In my experience, most WAHMS are professional. As a blogger here at Work From Home Momma, I'm quite open about my work-at-home mom status. If I didn't blog here, however, I could keep the fact that I work from home a secret. The truth is, I was quite happy to accept this blogging position because it provides an opportunity to share what I've learned. I wish that I had found a blog like this six years ago when I started working from home.
As far as I know, I have never lost a client due to work. Most of my clients seem satisfied. In fact, most of them come back with additional work for me.
However, the post provides a great opportunity for those of us who work at home and have kids to reassess our own business practices.
As far as I'm concerned, the golden rule of self-employment is: You must meet your commitments. Period. If you agreed to do it, then you'd better get it done. Sure, there can be exceptions for emergencies (like a death in the family), but spending the night soothing a crying baby (or arguing with a spoiled teenager) does not constitute an emergency.
What this commitment means is that you might have to "go back to work" after you've gotten the kids to sleep in order to finish a project on time. It might also mean that if you want to take on more work you might have to find childcare. Finally it means that being a mom shouldn't be the reason that you give for not being able to do something.
As DJ points out in her post, pulling the "wahm card" can hurt your business.
Here's a checklist to assess whether or not the WAHM factor is hurting your business:
- Have you recently turned in a project late to a client?
- Do you routinely tell clients that you can't take work because of your responsibilities with the kids?
- Do you check your e-mail less often than once a day?
- Have you spoken on the phone with a client while there was audible "kid noise" in the background?
- Do you expect clients to make certain concessions because you are a parent?
- Are you always unavailable during normal working hours?
- Do you have trouble determining how long a project will really take?
- Do you have clients that you can't use as references?
- Do you have trouble keeping your business organized?
- Do you spend more time complaining about your clients than doing the work?
If you answered "yes" to 4 or more of these questions, your business practice is probably okay. It wouldn't hurt, however, to look at your "yes" answers and see if you can do anything differently.
If you answered "yes" to 6 or more of these questions, then you may need to review and modify your business practices.
If you answered "yes" to 8 or more of these questions, then it's probable that you are losing business. You should re-evaluate your business practices as soon as possible.
What about you? What do you think is professional? Does being a WAHM affect your business? Why, or why not?
Leave a comment and let us know.
"Do you routinely tell clients that you can't take work because of your responsibilities with the kids?"
Hmmm I routinely turn down work because I have a certain number of hours to work per week, and the rest is family time. But I don't TELL people that. I simply tell them that I'm full up and I can put their project on my calendar for "date" if they're interested...
Great post, great points, and yes I have made these mistakes before!
Posted by: Anonymous | January 30, 2008 2:56 PM | Permalink to Comment