Dealing with Wahm stereotypes

One of the hardest issues to contend with as a Wahm is the perception of others that you aren’t working. Many people think that working at home isn’t working at all, and that you have all of the free time in the world. Those who have spent any time working at home know that there is a lot of time and energy that goes into effectively working at home. Friends who call in the middle of the day, spouses who expect you to be doing more while home or family members who make offhand comments, can undermine those efforts.

Not all stay at home moms work, and if you have friends who don’t it can be hard for them to understand that your days aren’t free. Calls during your working time, invitations to lunch and uninvited guests can throw a wrench in your work schedule. In order to get your friends to respect your time, it’s important to make your working schedule clear to them.

If you don’t have a clear work schedule, then it is time to make one for yourself. By setting office hours for yourself, you make it clear to everyone around you that you are serious about your work. It will also help set boundaries for your time. Tell your friends that you will be unavailable from a certain time to a certain time, but you’d love to talk before or after those times. You may even go so far as to turn off your phone. If you do answer the phone and someone wants to chat, politely let them know that you are working but can speak after a certain time. Also, schedule things like lunches or visits for one day per week. This way you’ll reduce the drop-ins and spontaneous invitations.

Spouses can sometimes have difficulty understanding why, if you are home all day, the housework isn’t done. This problem can best by solved by familiarizing him with the nature of your business. Show him exactly what you need to do each day, and how long it takes to do each task. Help him understand your work schedule, and how much time you need to work per day. Showing exactly how much money you are making will help him realize the benefits of your work as well.

Then ask him to help you come up with solutions for working at home and maintaining the household. Make a list of things that need to be done each week, and assign duties to you, him and the children (if they are old enough). Then taking care of the house becomes a family priority and something that you all share responsibility in. Notify him of any special projects by keeping a work calendar on the wall. That way he can see what is going on with your work schedule, and why you have ordered pizza for dinner three times in the last week!

Many Wahms can be hurt over offhand comments about working at home. Family or even friends can say things like “Well you have the time, because you are at home.” In situations like these, you have two choices. You can either get upset and offer a flustered defense or you can take their comments with a grain of salt and offer a calm response. Depending on the situation you can say something like “Well, let me check my work schedule. I know I am not available on these days” or “That would be great on Friday afternoon, which is when I leave time in my work schedule for those types of things.”

Remember, working at home is new territory for many people although the numbers of Wahms are growing. It may take some time for the average person to understand the commitment and scheduling that it takes to effectively work from home. You may never convince some people that you are actually working while at home but establishing respect for your own time is one way to make them see that your work is a priority.

Wahm pet sitting business

If you have experience working with animals, or are just an animal lover, then starting a work at home pet sitting business may be right for you. Pet sitters offer an important role to pet owners and help keep the one hundred and forty-five million pets in this country healthy and happy. As a pet sitter, you’ll offer a valuable service to busy pet owners who are on vacation or who need someone to take care of their pets during the day.

Getting started as a pet sitter is very simple. To begin with, you’ll need to decide if this really is a business that you want to pursue. First off, ask yourself if you really love animals? If you are considering pet sitting just because you think it will be an easy job, then it is not right for you. You must enjoy spending time with animals and have at least a little experience in being around them. While most pet sitting jobs involve dogs and cats, you may occasionally be asked to care for rabbits, birds or reptiles. Make sure you are comfortable with these pets before accepting assignments involving them.

Start your business by becoming legal. Obtaining a business license doesn’t cost much and will give you a professional edge when getting new clients. You’ll also be able to take advantage of many tax write-offs, including your costs for mileage to and from your customer’s homes and any necessary business supplies.

Speaking of business supplies, all you’ll really need are business cards and an appointment book to keep track of your assignments. Unlike other work at home businesses, the start up necessities for pet sitting are relatively low.

Next, you’ll need to decide on what services you offer and how much you are going to charge. Play detective and find out the going rate for pet sitting services in your area. Try to stay in the same range. Offering lower prices may seem like a way to beat the competition, but it also makes your services appear less valuable to potential clients. You can print your rates on the back of your business cards, or make up a small flyer with prices listed on it.

Getting clients for your pet sitting business may be the most difficult part of running the business. However, with a little effort you can build a client list rather quickly. The best way to get clients and assignments is by word of mouth. Offer to pet sit for neighbors and friends to help build your reputation. Once you’ve done a good job for them, they’ll tell their friends and so on.

You can also use a few free and low cost advertising methods to get the word out about your business. You can distribute your cards at local pet shops, or post a flyer on their bulletin boards. Ask your vet if they would put some of your business cards on their reception desk, or recommend you to other pet owners. A small ad in your local paper can really help get the ball rolling for your business.

Once you have clients calling you for pet sitting appointments, make sure to keep them by treating them with great customer service. Always arrive on time and prepared to watch their pets. Respect their home and their property. If they enjoy your service, they’ll be more likely to call you in the future.

Online Auctions

One of the best, and simplest, ways to start a Wahm business online is to become a seller on one of the several online auction sites. Ebay is the most popular, and most widely recognized. However, sellers are also having success on Yahoo auctions, Overstock auctions and many others. Being an online auction seller has many benefits for a Wahm. You can run your business from your home. You can set up auctions to automatically list at certain times of the day, so you don’t always have to be at the computer. Plus, there is guaranteed traffic to the auction website which makes it simple to get new customers.

Before you start an online auction business you should decide whether or not you have the skills or willingness to do so. Although there is a lot of money to be made in auctions, there are also a lot of challenges. As a successful auction Wahm, you need to have the tenacity to try different things to increase you sales. You must also have knowledge of what the market wants so you can provide in demand products that will sell. Money management is a must, since selling on an auction is typically a home-based business. You will be in charge of the finances of the business and need to be responsible for keeping your business and personal finances separate.

Online auction businesses are very simple to start. To start an ebay business, for example, all you need is a registered account with ebay, and a paypal account. The ebay account will allow you to perform transactions on their website. The paypal account will allow you to accept payment for items that you sell, as well as pay for the ebay fees. Although you can technically take payments through check or money order, using paypal makes the process a whole lot faster and more enjoyable for your customers.

The fees involved with running an ebay business are minimal compared to having your own store on a separate website. While hosting for a website can cost upwards of £20 per month, ebay only charges you a small percentage of the items that you sell. There are also some other minimal fees involved, and most sellers work those fees into their listing price.

Before you decide to sell on an auction site as a business, try a buying from the auction site first. Understand the process from the buyer’s point of view. Take note of how you are treated by the seller and ask yourself what you would do differently. Buying before selling is also a good method because you can build feedback in the auction site system. Feedback is left whether you buy or sell, so building some feedback as a buyer is a good idea. A positive feedback record will make you more appealing as a seller.

Finding items to sell is the biggest perceived problem with selling on auction sites. However, you can start with items from around your home. Look in your closets and in your garage for items that can be sold on the auction sites. You will be surprised by what people will buy. Selling from around your home will give you experience with the selling process and will build positive selling feedback.

Familiarize yourself with the auction process before you begin selling. Remember to start your business small and let it develop as you become more confident in your auction selling abilities.

Finding inventory for a Wahm auction business

If you are interested in becoming an auction Wahm, you might be curious about where to get items to sell on eBay or one of the other popular online auction sites. Actually, there are a wide variety of choices for your auction inventory. Each has different benefits and disadvantages. However, with so many options it is easy to find a method that works well for you and that can help you start a successful Wahm business.

The first, and most simple, method of finding things to sell in online auctions is searching the garage sales in your local area. Many people are not comfortable with selling online, or they don’t want to take the time to do it. You may find a lot of interesting and valuable treasures that can be sold for a nice profit. The benefit of this method is that your inventory can usually be purchased very cheaply. Try going to yard sales as they are ending and see if you can get a bulk deal to buy whatever the person has left for a flat fee. Sometimes there will be items that will double or even triple your initial investment. You also have the benefit of being able to shop locally. You won’t have to travel far to get the items that you need. Another similar option is to look for estate sales and auctions in your area.

On the downside, when you purchase inventory from yard sales, you really have to know what you are looking for. Sometimes this method works better if you are focusing on selling a specific category of items, like pottery or children’s toys. If you have a category of items that you are familiar with, you’ll know how much you can afford to spend. You will also be able to spot deals when you see them. The other downside is that when you purchase items, you need somewhere in your home to store them before you sell them. If you buy a lot of items and have to sort through them, your garage and spare room will fill up in no time.

Some people prefer to keep the inventory out of their homes and work with a drop shipper. Drop shipping companies have items that you can sell on auctions. You list the items on the auction site, and then once the auction is complete, you arrange shipment with the drop ship company. You never have to have the product in your home, and don’t have to worry about going to the post office a few times a week. As a Wahm, the convenience of working with a drop shipping company can be a huge benefit. However, the profit margins of having the company do the shipping can be very small when compared to some of your other options.

When you obtain a business license you can order wholesale products from a company. Light bulk wholesale is the best option for most Wahms. These wholesale packages include from several hundred to a thousand pounds worth of product. Light bulk wholesale can be delivered to your home and won’t require excessive amounts of storage space. Selling from a wholesale lot means that you are in charge of setting your prices and can have more profit than you would by drop shipping. You are also not at the mercy of a drop shipping company, who may deliver your items late and put your customer service at risk.

On the other hand, stocking your own inventory can be a bit overwhelming unless you are organized. You can easily get bogged down in getting the right items to the right buyers. You will also be responsible for going to the post office several times a week, and packaging the items yourself.

However, with a bit of preparation, the most successful auction site Wahms find that buying items in wholesale lots gives them the most control over their business and the best profit margins. If you are just getting started, try one of the other methods first and then work up to buying wholesale lots.