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January 3, 2022

Three Easy Things to Stop Doing and Three Smart Things to Start Doing Right Now

Our team at HireMyMom works with amazing small business owners every day, and we see all the love, sweat and tears that go into running and building a small business. We know that it’s a labor of love.

Every business is different, and every leader has her own style. But, we also see a few consistent practices across all our partners. A few guiding principles apply universally, whether you run a small Virtual Assistant business, a thriving online store, or a quickly growing accounting firm. 

Here are three do’s and closely related don’ts we’ve observed over time.

Do Remember Why You Got Started

No matter how successful a small business is, there will be tough days, rough weeks, and even difficult years. Likewise, there will be beautiful moments, incredible months, great projects, and unbelievable years. No matter the season of your business, it’s important to remember why you went into business. The memory of your initial inspiration and drive can help sustain you as your business ebbs and flows and your life changes over time.

Don’t Lose Sight of Why You Keep Going

Your reasons for getting started may be different than the reasons that keep you going. Maybe a desire for more time with family prompted you to launch your business. Or, perhaps you felt constrained by the more traditional career routes. As time goes on, your reasons will likely change. Maybe that initial desire to spend more time with family becomes a plan to pass on a legacy, and a passion for a different type of career becomes an effort to open new career avenues to other people.

No matter the reason, when the going gets tough, remember why you signed up for this line of work and why it matters to you now. This will help ground you as you work through the day-to-day noise.

Don’t Go it Alone

Running a small business can be lonely. You make many decisions and often do the job of several people–especially when you are getting started.

But, no entrepreneur is an island. Finding the support of other people can make the journey easier and more enjoyable. It takes some effort to locate the people who can support you on your path, but we promise it’s worth it.

Do Cultivate Resources and a Network

Here are some ways to get started:

There’s a special section for women-owned businesses and an opportunity to get free business counseling from a partner organization. 

Your local Chamber of Commerce is likely another good source of information and contacts. Often, the chamber keeps a list of retirees or seasoned executives who are willing to mentor business owners. Getting this level of support can help you clarify your thinking about your business and gain new perspectives.

  • Go to conferences and events to help you make industry contacts and to meet people involved in the same business. A deep bench of industry contacts will make it easier for you to know what’s happening in the field, provide an expanded group of people to reach out to with questions, and help you meet like-minded entrepreneurs.
  • Join a group like HireMyMom’s Mastermind for Small Business Owners or get a coach. We are excited to offer both coaching and a Mastermind group for small business owners. HireMyMom’s SBO Mastermind program can help bring out the best in your business and your life. You may benefit from one or both of these programs in your business journey.
  • Coaching: An experienced, independent, outside voice can help provide feedback on what’s not working and give you the clarity you need on the best way to use your time and energy. A coach like our own Founder and CEO, Lesley Pyle, can help you define what success means for you and guide you as you grow your business.

Research shows that working with a coach is the most effective and efficient way to experience the breakthrough you need to grow personally and professionally. You can benefit from Lesley’s 25 years as an entrepreneur and her insights into balancing work and family from a wife and mother who’s been down the road you are traveling.

  • Coming soon! Small Business Owners Mastermind, which is designed to support entrepreneurs as they grow their business. The group will start in 2022, but you can sign up for the waitlist now. When you join this group, you’ll have access to a peer group that knows what you are going through because they face similar challenges. 

Through weekly meetings, you’ll develop authentic relationships with like-minded entrepreneurs who will become friends as you support each other and grow together.

Don’t Try to Do it All Yourself

As you launch your business, it’s tempting to want to do everything yourself. And it makes sense on one level–you are passionate about your business. You care deeply about its success, and you know you’ll work hard at any and all tasks. What’s more, it’s challenging to spend money on staff when your work is in the start-up phase.

But, even the most talented entrepreneur needs help and support with some tasks. (Think social media management, operations, routine administrative work.)

It makes sense for you to focus on the things you do best and the things that will make your business succeed, especially as you grow. You don’t need to focus on mastering every task. As the executive and founder, your focus belongs to the core business and making it succeed.

Do Hire The Right People

When you run a small business, your team is your ride or die. Whether you are a team of two or a team of 20, the people you hire are key to helping your team grow. One of the best ways to find the right people is to look for moms who want to work flexible jobs from home.

There’s an army of highly-skilled professional women out there looking for flexible jobs that help them support their families while working from home. When you tap into that network, you get access to a vast swath of top-notch talent that can help your business soar.

To find mom professionals interested in remote job opportunities, partner with a niche job site like HireMyMom to access a dedicated pool of professionals looking for remote work. Because HireMyMom charges job seekers a fee to access job listings, all our job seekers are serious about finding work. And, the volume of resumes that flow in is more manageable than the numbers that arrive when jobs are advertised on free job sites.

Employers love us because they know they can find high-quality, highly motivated candidates who want to work from home by partnering with HireMyMom.

Share Your Do’s and Don’ts

Does this list sound right to you? Tell us what you’d add!

 

 

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December 20, 2021

One Simple Thing You Can Do to Ensure 2022 is Your Best Year Ever

The last two years have been tough–especially for moms. We’ve learned an entirely new way of life. Many of us cared for ill family members or got sick ourselves. We shepherded our kids through a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, kept the meals flowing, and loved our families through it all. Oh, and we also worked from home to keep our professional ambitions alive.

On the cusp of 2022, it’s time to look back and say: “Wow! That was a lot.” 

But, life is returning to a pace that feels more typical and liveable. It’s time to exhale, peek our heads up over the horizon, and consider what’s next.

Given everything you’ve done the last two years, the HireMeMom team thinks it’s time for you to focus on yourself in 2022. It’s not selfish. In fact, it’s selfless to invest in your happiness and interests because it creates a deeper personal reserve you can draw from and give to your family.

But, we get that it’s not easy to make yourself a priority–whether you are focusing on health and fitness, financial or professional goals.

We know that support makes a difference. So, we’ve created a series of programs and offers that can help you focus on your goals next year. HireMyMom’s new Elevate You: Mastermind & Coaching programs are just the thing to help you get unstuck and take a fresh look at the possibilities for your life and career.

This blog explores why we created these programs and how you can use the new year’s fresh start to make 2022 your best year yet.

Moms are our passion

At HireMyMom, helping moms find meaningful work-from-home opportunities is our passion. It’s what we think about and where we put our energy.

As you can see from our blogs, we cover everything from questions to ask yourself to determine if a work-from-home job is right for you to helping you develop habits to be more productive each day. We share ideas about how you can save money on childcare, show you how to level up, and offer guidance on how to turn your idea into a business. And, we celebrate your success, highlighting moms like Jessika Soto and Nicole Smith as examples of how the system works. 

Over the last few months, the HireMyMom team has heard from several moms looking for more personal coaching and support.

We see (and have heard about) the desire for moms to be part of a group of women who want to move ahead in life and business. 

But, you aren’t just looking for any group–we understand that you are looking for a group of women outside of your immediate social and professional circle who can help you gain clarity and focus as you pursue your dreams and goals. You’d like to find a group of women to connect with over time as you explore what it means to find meaningful growth and success. You want to find a group of women you can cheer for as they cheer for you. 

Good news: HireMyMom’s new Elevate You: Mastermind & Coaching Groups are forming now, and they are just what you need. 

Invest in you

These programs, built around virtual meetings and an app, can help you gain the clarity and focus you need to pursue your dreams while connecting with a community of like-minded moms. 

Through the program, you’ll find the path for meaningful growth and success based on what matters to you. You’ll create deep and authentic relationships with women on the same path and benefit from coaching from our founder and HireMyMom CEO, Lesley Pyle. We will also have fun while supporting each other.

The program offers two levels:

  • Cultivate is specially designed for moms looking for remote work, transitioning from a traditional job, or hoping to start a freelance business. 

This group will meet weekly and focus on resume and cover letter writing as well as interview guidance. We will talk about the basics of starting a business–including finding the right productivity tools. Our private group app will help you track weekly events, connect with other members and quickly access all of the tools and resources that are part of your membership.

As a member of a Cultivate group, you’ll participate in group brainstorming, get support, offer encouragement, and enjoy the accountability and networking opportunities that come from meeting with other moms who share your goals.

If you are considering transitioning to a work-from-home lifestyle or launching a new business endeavor, Cultivate is for you. Join us in a Cultivate group, which is forming now for an early 2022 launch.

  • Flourish is perfect for moms who already have experience working at home and are ready to level up and grow personally and professionally. 

This group will meet weekly to discuss business growth, discuss ways to expand, and explore marketing ideas. The peer group dynamic will help fill you with fresh ideas and unique perspectives so you can develop new viewpoints and see your business with fresh eyes.

The group will explore ways to improve business systems, build better processes and automate your work. 

A private group app puts all the tools and resources at your fingertips. Group sessions will provide an opportunity to share thoughts, get support, and find encouragement. 

What’s more, the group sessions will help you stay accountable to your goals and will offer you a chance to network with other like-minded moms who you might not have otherwise met.

 Sign up now to be ready when the new group gets rolling in early 2022.

Consider coaching

If you aren’t ready to commit to a group program, individual coaching may be right for you. Working with a coach–even just for one or two sessions, can help you move to the next level. As a work-at-home mom who deeply values family time, finding the right coach is essential.

We all need support in business and life. It’s easy to feel stuck or overwhelmed–especially as you raise a family and navigate career space. An experienced, independent, outside voice can help provide feedback on what’s not working and give you the clarity you need on the best way to use your time and energy.

If you want to balance working at home with your family life, there’s a good chance Lesley is the right coach for you. You can benefit from Lesley’s 25 years as an entrepreneur and her insights into balancing work and family from a wife and mother who’s been down the road you are traveling.

Research shows that working with a coach is the most effective and efficient way to experience the breakthrough you need to grow personally and professionally. 

A coach can help you define what success means for you, guide you as you start or grow a remote career or business, and help you work through roadblocks or fears that hold you back. If you know you want to make a change but aren’t sure what you want to do, the proper support can help.

Join us!

We hope that reading about these programs has you as excited to attend them as we are to offer them. We think this is the ideal time to invest in yourself and consider what’s possible for you in the next year.

We can’t wait to celebrate your success! 

 

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December 13, 2021

Ready to Change Your Work Life? Check out These Top Secret Job Trends

If you’ve turned on the television, listened to the radio, or opened a newspaper lately,  you’ve likely heard about the labor shortage in the United States. Even if you’ve managed to escape the news in the media, you’ve probably seen help wanted signs hanging from virtually every shop, restaurant, and service provider in town.

What’s more, remote teams and work-from-home jobs have never been more popular with employers or employees. When the pandemic sent workers home, many employers were forced to rethink operations and have turned to home-based staff to get work done. And, many people–especially moms–found that working from home improved the quality of their family life and they want to stick with it.

The confluence of these trends means it’s a great time to find a work-from-home job. While a tight labor market can be challenging for employers, it offers an opportunity for job seekers. 

HireMyMom has been helping match small businesses with professional women who want to work from home for decades. Through our concierge service, we also help employers find the right candidate quickly. All of this hiring action gives us a good look at trends.  

Bottom line: It’s a great time to be looking for a new job. We see hourly rates creeping up and an increasing number of job posts as people leave their current jobs and look for better ones that offer more pay, greater flexibility, and the freedom to work at home. And, employers are moving quickly to snap up talent before candidates move on to other possibilities.

We talked with the HireMyMom concierge team members to find out what types of jobs are hot right now and what those employers are looking for in candidates. Consider this blog your secret job-hunting weapon as we head into 2022.

Virtual Assistant

Virtual Assistant or VA jobs are perpetually popular, but we’ve seen a noticeable uptick in postings for these roles lately. As businesses grow, many entrepreneurs are eager to find support for administrative tasks. 

VA’s take care of many tasks, including email response, appointment setting, travel planning, and calendar management. It’s a great business model because it solves a problem so many business owners have–squeezing more tasks into a day. Small business owners looking for on-demand support or help with administrative tasks find VA’s indispensable.

It’s also an excellent lifestyle for moms who want to control their own time, skip the commute, and put family first while still keeping professional ambitions alive. For many moms, launching a business that provides economic security and flexibility is a top 2022 priority. 

VAs can work for more than one client on a part-time basis or for a single client. Some are employees, but it’s more common for a VA to work as a contractor. 

If you are interested in launching your own business, consider starting a VA service. There are some great opportunities for free training for aspiring VA’s who want to begin the journey. If you’re interested in exploring this career path with additional training, we’ve rounded up the best VA training options so you can find the one that works best for you.

Bookkeepers and Accountants

We are seeing an increasing number of posts for bookkeeping and accountant roles. These jobs are quickly moving to work-from-home positions.  

These jobs generally require a degree of expertise and training is available to help you learn more and decide if this is the right career path for you, even if you don’t have experience in the field.

Check out this YouTube video of our founder, Lesley Pyle, and founder of Stay at Home Bookkeeper, Tiffany Higgins, talking about getting started with a bookkeeping business. 

Online Business Manager

We are seeing strong and growing demand for Online Business Managers (OBMs). An OBM  takes over the daily operations of a business, freeing the founder and other executives to concentrate on growing the business and pursuing new ventures. The OBM steps in as the Chief Operating Officer for the company, managing day-to-day tasks across a broad spectrum of functions.

At the most basic level, OBMs lead a team. They understand the company’s objectives for the business and are focused on leading all elements of the team to understand that vision. Many businesses use OBM’s, including those that operate online and those with more traditional operations. OBM’s have a skill set that can be used to help run any type of business.  

OBM’s often have administrative backgrounds or experience in logistics. We see many work-from-home moms start as VA’s and grow their businesses to serve as OBM’s by adding additional services. 

Here’s a closer look at what OBM’s do and why growing small businesses love them. 

Social Media Manager/Specialist

Using social media to promote their business and specific offerings is a crucial strategy for many small businesses. But, managing social media accounts and conducting promotions require time and expertise, which are often outside of the business owner’s area of expertise. Because social media is a powerful and ubiquitous force that changes frequently, many small business owners are hiring social media managers to increase the quality and effectiveness of their social media efforts.

Social media managers work with clients to develop a social media strategy, set short- and long-term goals, select the right platforms based on those goals, offer promotional ideas, create social media content and assess results.

We are seeing robust demand for people with Google Ads expertise as company’s work to make their posts stand out in a crowded marketplace. Social media managers with solid Search Engine Optimization (SEO) experience are also in high demand.

To learn more, link to the Complete Digital Marketing Course.

What Are You Seeing?

Drop us a line and tell us about the jobs you think will be hot next year.

 

 

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November 29, 2021

Seven Tips to Make Your Holidays Merry and Bright When You Work From Home

The holidays are right around the corner. Regardless of which holidays you celebrate, the end of the year is full of merriment and fun. As a mom or a small business owner, creating that magic often falls to you. That can mean hectic schedules, straining to-do lists, and little time to rest. And, unlike other holidays that come and go in a day or so, the holiday season lasts weeks–stretching from Thanksgiving to New Years Day. So, having a plan to thrive through it is essential–especially when you work from home.

When you work at home, the holidays can feel extra tricky because you’ve now added “making holiday magic” to the list of things to do in the same place where you live and work.

The HireMyMom team knows this feeling well and has developed strategies over the years to make the season easier. Here are our best holiday tips to help you feel festive, get everything done, and keep all the balls in the air as you work and make holiday magic all from home.

 

Just like Santa, make a list

Early in the holiday season, map out all the things you want to do before you hear your last sleigh bell for the year. Include activities that you must do and things that you’d like to do in two different columns. As you make your list, talk with your family about what matters to them this season–the places they’d like to go, the traditions that are most important to them, and the activities that feel essential.

Having this roadmap will make it easier to allocate your time along the way and help ensure that you don’t leave anything undone. Knowing what you want to do vs. need to do can help reduce the frantic feeling that often comes as the holiday inches closer. And, having a clear view of these things makes it easier to manage your calendar.

 

Shop early

Many Christmas carols romanticize the idea of stepping out on Christmas Eve morning to complete all Christmas shopping amid the hustle and bustle of festive shoppers. Clearly, these composers have never actually done this because Christmas shopping at the last minute is crazy town.

If you are shopping for holiday gifts this year, start early. The news is full of reports of shortages and shipping delays. Experts generally advise buying things as you see them. That advice matches our collective holiday experience as well. Waiting until the last minute adds to stress even in a typical year. As Christmas gets closer, the stores get more crowded, and you’ll feel more desperate. Shop early to avoid feeling the pinch that comes with having the shop at the end. 

Also, for many businesses, Christmas Eve is a workday. With all your holiday prep complete, Christmas Eve morning can be an amazing day to get work done and let you sail into the holiday with a sense of serenity that you’ve expertly prepared for the holiday and knocked through a good portion of your work punch list.

 

Consider holiday break child care

Most schools and daycares will close for at least a portion of the holiday season, with public schools closing for about two weeks between Christmas and New Years Day. Plan for this time now. Look at your work obligations and see if you can take time off. If the answer is no, line up backup child care. 

One of the many great things about the winter holiday season is that college students and older high school students are generally home and available to babysit. Take advantage of this season of plenty when it comes to childcare options. 

Also, don’t feel bad if you need to arrange childcare to work on holiday chores or take some time for yourself during the season. It’s a hectic time of year, and having extra hands to carry the load will make the season more manageable and fun.

 

Re-think your schedule

As an experienced work-from-home professional, you likely have a routine that you follow each day. When the holidays arrive, you may need to be flexible with your days. Get ahead of this by doing some pre-planning.

For example, consider how you can tweak your workflow during the day to accommodate a noontime run to the store for some quick gift shopping. If you are hosting and need to work while you have guests, think about how you can flex your workday so that you can still visit. Look to early mornings and evenings, depending on your biorhythms and schedule.

 

Plan to cut a few corners

Holiday celebrations can come with a lot of pressure. It’s easy to find yourself doing things you don’t value or enjoy because it seems like you should do those things. But, your time is precious, and there’s no prize in January for enduring holiday tasks.

We find it easier to let some things go if we plan to cut a few corners in advance. Planning to take these shortcuts makes it more deliberate and not a decision made in desperation at the last minute, which can be stressful. 

For example, if:

  • You don’t have the time or desire to make a full Christmas dinner, order it from a restaurant or grocery store. 
  • You hate baking, plan to buy cookies at a bakery. If you want to decorate them with your kids, purchase undecorated sugar cookie cutouts and skip right to the fun part.
  • You’d rather get a root canal than wrap presents, drop your gifts off at a wrapping fundraiser near you or pay the fee to have gifts wrapped at the store or by the shipper.
  • You grow weary of addressing holiday card envelopes, order them pre-printed or make address labels.

Also, remember there are no rules for how you celebrate. If you or your family want frozen pizza and a movie night on New Year’s Eve, go for it. You are free to make the holiday plans that work for you.

 

Make time for you

With all the planning and working going on, it can be challenging to carve out time for you. Don’t skimp on this step. If you do, you run the risk of sliding into the big days exhausted and stressed out. Plan to see friends, get some exercise, treat yourself to a pedicure. Do things that let you unplug and savor the season. 

If you are inclined to treat yourself to a holiday gift, may we suggest giving yourself the gift of a coach?

HireMyMom’s Mastermind & Coaching programs can help bring out the best in your business and your life. It’s specifically tailored for moms who want to work and home and find professional success without sacrificing family time. We think it’s the perfect holiday gift.

 

Bring some merry into your space and work-life

If you’re new to working at home, you may find that you miss the holiday fun and rituals common in offices. Check out these ideas for capturing some of that fun from your home office.

Drop us a line and tell us how you celebrate the holidays from home. Share the tricks you use to make the season more manageable and more joyful.

 

 

 

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November 8, 2021

How to Be Brave, Get Support and Level Up for Unbelievable Success

Congratulations–you are living the work-from-home life and thriving.

You know how to hack your day for maximum productivity, what pitfalls to avoid, how to get back on track when your motivation wanes. You outsource tasks, set boundaries, stay connected, use the right apps, work smart in the kitchen to save time, and manage through periods without childcare.

But, something’s not quite right. Maybe you aren’t finding the same level of fulfillment in your work compared to when you first started. Perhaps your children are getting older, and you are ready for meatier professional assignments. Or, maybe you aren’t sure what you need or want, but you know that the current situation is not quite working for you.

It may be time to call in a coach to help you level up for the next chapter of your life. Leveling up is different than a job change. It’s an opportunity to assess where you are, consider the future, set goals, create a plan, and tackle the opportunities you identify.

Here’s our best advice for knowing when it’s time to level up and how a coach can help you make your dreams a reality.

You Are Not Alone

The media regularly shares stories about the “great resignation” that’s underway this year. Many people are rethinking their professional lives as the pandemic starts to abate. Clearly, you are not alone if you feel the desire for something new. It’s normal and healthy to want more–even if you aren’t sure what exactly that “more” is right now.

Bottom line, if you feel a longing for something new, we suggest embracing the feeling and exploring where it leads you. You don’t have to walk this path alone because millions of people–many of them moms–are walking right along with you.

A coach can help you find the path that works for you and connect you with like-minded, work-at-home moms who can help make reaching your destination an actual labor of love and shared experience.

Be Brave

Maybe you know it’s time for a change but feel trepidation at the prospect of shaking things up. We get it. It can be scary to think about moving on to a different job, launching a business, or changing career paths. We find this is especially true for moms who work at home and want to keep it that way. So much emphasis is placed on finding a work-from-home job and making it work that it can be easy to get fixated on the job you have and lose sight of what you really want.

Feeding the professional side of your life is essential. As life changes and you change, your professional ambitions may change as well. That’s a normal and expected development, and there’s no need to feel bad about the desire.

If You Aren’t Sure

Sometimes you know it’s time to make a change. But, often, the desire to change is more subtle, and it takes a while to recognize. So, even if you aren’t actively thinking about a new job or making a professional change, watch for these clues that it may be time to move on:

  • You find yourself coasting at work. If you feel like you can do your job with your eyes closed or your workday feels mindless, a new challenge may help restore your interest.
  • Co-workers often come to you for advice on how to do the job. This is a sign that you are broadly perceived as an expert at the job and maybe a hint that you are ready for new challenges.
  • You are easily frustrated or find yourself complaining about your work. Often, frustration or venting are signs that it’s time to look deeper and determine if these are temporary frustrations or symptoms of a more significant problem.

If you recognize yourself here, that’s likely a sign that it’s time to do some work to explore essential questions related to work and life.

Now What

Moving on just for the sake of moving on is often counterproductive. If you jump to the next job or opportunity that comes along, you could end up feeling dissatisfied again in short order.

We find that a better approach is to take the time to answer some big questions to make sure you land in the right place and feel confident in your path going forward. Consider:

  • What does success mean to you in the next season of life?
  • How does that definition translate to goals?
  • How will you get there?
  • How will you develop a plan?
  • Who will hold you accountable for achieving your goals?
  • How will you find the support you need to make the changes to help you achieve your goals?

Answering these questions can help you move from where you are today to where you want to be in the future. Putting work in now pays dividends later.

But, these are BIG questions, and it’s often difficult to know how to answer them. That’s where a coach or group program can really make the difference.

Consider Coaching

Finding meaningful success without sacrificing family time is a team sport, and a coach can help you move to the next level of play. As a work-at-home mom who deeply values family time, finding the right coach is essential.

We all need support in business and life. It’s easy to feel stuck or overwhelmed–especially as you raise a family and navigate career space. An experienced, independent, outside voice can help provide feedback on what’s not working and give you the clarity you need on the best way to use your time and energy.

A coach can help you define what success means for you, guide you as you start or grow a remote career or business, and help you smash through roadblocks or fears that hold you back. If you know you want to make a change but aren’t sure what you want to do, the proper support can help.

HireMy Mom’s Mastermind & Coaching programs can help bring out the best in your business and in your life. It’s specifically tailored for moms who want to work and home and find professional success without sacrificing family time.

We currently offer two options:

  • Elevate YOU: Mastermind & Coaching for Women can help you gain the clarity and focus you need to pursue your dreams while connecting you with a community of like-minded moms. Through the program, you’ll find the path for meaningful growth and success based on what matters to you. You’ll create deep and authentic relationships with women on the same path and benefit from coaching from our founder and HireMyMom CEO, Lesley Pyle.
  • One-on-One Coaching with Lesley Pyle can help you move ahead in life and business. Research shows that working with a coach is the most effective and efficient way to experience the breakthrough you need to grow personally and professionally. You can benefit from Lesley’s 25 years as an entrepreneur and her insights into balancing work and family from a wife and mother who’s been down the road you are traveling.
  • Coming soon! Small Business Owners Mastermind, which is designed to support entrepreneurs as they grow their business. The group will start in 2022, but you can sign up for the waitlist now.

Join us!
This is the time to invest in yourself, your future, and your family. You won’t regret it. Your goals await.

 

 

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October 18, 2021

Turn Your Idea Into a Supercharged Business With These Four Easy Steps

While making dinner or driving carpool, many thoughts likely go through your head. If one (or more) of them includes a new business idea, congratulations-you have the heart and mind of an entrepreneur (and a momtrepreneur)!

The business you are considering can be anything–it doesn’t have to be a wholly unique new product. Perhaps, you’d like to put your top-notch project management or administrative skills to use by launching a virtual assistant business.

Or, maybe you know you’d like to work for yourself and are thinking of launching a business that fills a need in your community–like a dog walker or child care provider. 

Whatever your interest, the next step is taking the idea and making it happen. So, how do you take the kernel of an idea or a desire to hang out your own shingle and turn it into a full-fledged business? 

While the prospect may seem overwhelming, a few initial steps can quickly put you on the road to success. The HireMyMom team talks with successful entrepreneurs looking for help every day. Here, we distill what we hear from them into four easy-to-follow initial steps to get you started with whatever business you are considering.

 

Talk About It

It’s exciting to consider launching a new business, and it’s fun to talk about your vision. So, the first step is easy–talk with trusted friends, family members and other advisors about your idea. Share the big picture you have in your head and get their reaction to it. Encourage them to ask questions and poke holes so you can refine your plan and create a clear vision of what you want to do.

We encourage you to seek out the enthusiastic and skeptical for this step. In this phase, it’s crucial to have a wide variety of input, and each perspective will help you get a better sense of how you can massage your idea for the best chance at success.

That said, establish a timeline for this phase–probably two to three weeks. That gives you time to have many conversations and chew over different ideas but still lets you move forward with the plan in a timely manner.

 

Conduct Research

Next, embark on a research project. The goal is threefold:

  • Find out what other businesses are operating in your space–this is called market research.
  • Determine where your business fits in–this is called competitive analysis.
  • Learn about any permit or licensing requirements to open and operate your business. Knowing about any required permits or licenses can help you avoid potentially costly situations down the road.

The information taken together can help you refine your business plan and position you for success.

Start with market research. Aim to learn more about other, similar businesses. Ask potential customers what they are looking for and what they value in the service. Find how much they charge and what their customers think of the service. Ask potential customers what service is missing from the current mix. Find out more about the demand for your product or service.

The U.S. Small Business Administration offers a helpful guide for conducting market research before launching a business. 

Next, perform a competitive analysis to determine how your business will fill a niche. For example, you may decide to offer a twist on a product or service to make your business stand out and solve a problem you saw in the marketplace. For example, if you were thinking about a child care business, you might learn that parents are looking for evening care during your research. As a result, you may decide to offer child care after traditional business hours to cater to families who need help in the evenings or on weekends. 

Or, you might learn that the only infant night nurse within 50 miles is cutting back her workload and the need for that service exceeds what the market offers. You might then steer your business toward short-term overnight care so new moms can get some sleep. You could offer to do laundry while on duty as a way to make your business stand out.

In some cases, you may find that the area you are considering is currently underserved, and standard product offerings plus availability are enough to get your business off the ground quickly. 

For example, in your research, you may find that a shortage of qualified administrative assistants has local accounting firms struggling to return calls and schedule meetings. In that case, you might tailor your virtual assistant business, so you cater to industries with high demand.

Or, maybe you are considering a pet-based service, and you learn that there aren’t enough dog walkers in your neighborhood now that people are heading back to work. You’ve found a gap that you can easily step into to meet the need. 

Market research and competitive analysis are both necessary because they position you for success by uncovering your competitive advantage in the marketplace. 

 

Write a Plan

Next, craft a business plan and put it in writing. Your business plan doesn’t need to be MBA thesis-worthy. You can use an online template from sites like hubspot or the balance small business. 

If that’s not your style, you can write the plan out on a piece of notebook paper or pull up a document on your laptop. The U.S. Small Business Administration offers helpful tips for writing a business plan.

Generally, your business plan can be as comprehensive as you desire. But, at a minimum, it should reflect the basics elements of your idea. 

Start by documenting your vision, hashing out your overall mission and the details of the product or service you plan to provide. Peer into the future and include an aspirational statement to help you guide you along the way.

Suppose you are launching a virtual assistant business. In that case, your vision may look like this: Start a virtual assistant business that focuses on calendar management, customer callbacks and spreadsheet support for small business owners in the real estate industry. Over five years, grow business sufficiently to add three part-time employees providing similar services.

From there, your business plan should answer these questions:

  • What is the name of the business?
  • Who does this business serve? 
  • How will I find customers?
  • How will they know about my service?
  • What’s the competition?
  • What’s my competitive advantage?
  • What obstacles might I face?
  • How much does this product/service cost the customer?
  • How will I staff this business to meet the demand?
  • Do I need money to launch this? How much? How will I get it?
  • What are my promotional plans?

 

Then, set a few short and long-term objectives to help you move along. Many people find that creating specific action plans with deadlines helps them set and achieve goals. Make sure your goals are SMART, that is, specific, measurable, actionable, relevant, and timely.

 

Make It Official!

Armed with your great idea, backed by research and fueled by the concepts documented in your business plan, it’s time to get moving. 

Complete any legal and tax forms required to launch your business. You can find guidelines for selecting a business structure and instructions for getting federal and state tax ID numbers from the Small Business Association. The NOLO website offers low-cost legal forms.

Line up support to help ensure your success. While the specific support you need will vary by business type, some likely sources of support include:

  • A banker who can help you set up a small business account and offer basic bookkeeping guidance.
  • A mentor who has small business experience and can guide you as you launch, run and grow your business. Check out the Small Business Development Center for information about programs sponsored by the federal Small Business Association. They offer specific counseling for women-owned businesses.
  • A community of like-minded business people to share in the joys and struggles.

 

Call Us

The HireMyMom team can’t wait to hear about your success! When you are ready to find a work-from-home mom to supplement your staff, or you have an opportunity to give a budding, at-home professional some work, visit HireMyMom.com to find the resource you need.

 

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October 11, 2021

How to Make Money from Home and Save on Childcare

At HireMyMom, we work with mom professionals at every stage of their motherhood journey. We have moms with newborns considering their professional options and mothers with kids entering college who love working at home and can’t imagine any other way of working. 

One of the most common questions we hear from mom professionals with young children considering working from home is: can I work at home without childcare? And, we get it! Childcare is expensive, it can be tough to arrange, and using it can be a source of stress. 

The answer is that it depends on lots of factors. Let’s dig into what’s possible, based on our experience working with thousands of mom professionals as well as employers who seek them.

A General Rule of Thumb

If you have young children who aren’t old enough to go to school, you can probably work about ten hours a week without childcare. Any more than that is difficult because your kids need your attention just like your work. 

Without childcare, squeezing in those ten hours will take creativity and discipline. Many moms who work from home with little kids rise early to knock out work before their family wakes up. Others burn the midnight oil, and some are committed to working every second of nap time. Some moms establish routines that include specific hands-off kid activities that allow them to work while the kids keep themselves busy. 

The great news is that HireMyMom offers many part-time opportunities that can work with this schedule. But, if you find that you want more hours, you can likely find a part-time childcare situation that meets your needs and your budget.

Finding Part-Time Childcare

The prospect of finding high-quality, full-time child care can be daunting. But, there are several ways to find part-time child care, perfect for work-from-home moms. Here are some ideas:

  • Ask nearby family members if they are willing to commit to helping a few hours one or two days a week. 
  • Share childcare duties with another work-from-home mom who has similar needs. Take turns on kid duty a few hours each day or every other day, giving each set of adults a chance to work kid-free and the kids a chance to play with friends.
  • See if local churches offer a mother’s day out program where you can enroll your children and establish a regular work time while the kids attend the program.
  • Consider a preschool program that your kids attend a few mornings a week. Many pre-schools offer a session that meets from 9 to noon. Usually, you can pick the number of days your child attends, choosing between two and five-day programs.
  • Enroll your kids in a sports camp that meets a few times each week and work while they attend. 
  • Look for a local high school or community college student who could provide a few hours of support each week. Community college students often have a few free hours midday between classes, which can be ideal if you are looking for mid-day care.
  • Ask a neighbor to consider swapping tasks with you–trading a few hours of child care for a service you’d be happy to provide like shopping, cooking, or organizing.

Need More Childcare?

If you need more hours of child care than these ideas provide, consider partnering with another family (or two) to hire a shared nanny. This is an excellent solution if you both need a fair amount of childcare but don’t want to use a child care center or commit to a full-time child care provider. 

There are many ways to split the nanny’s time. One option is arranging different days/hours but ensuring the nanny will have a set number of work hours each week. Or, you could arrange to have the nanny take all the kids to alternating houses throughout the week. This type of setup makes it easier to find a professional, full-time nanny without having to shoulder the expense on your own.

If you go this route, do the work upfront to make the arrangement successful. Start by agreeing on a general framework for hours and days at the outset. This type of arrangement works better when everyone is on the same page in terms of schedules. But, be prepared to be flexible, as schedules and needs can change. 

Also, talk with the other family about general expectations for kid behavior and activities while the nanny is in charge. For example, will kids watch television with the nanny? Do you expect the nanny to supervise while the kids play or actively engage them in activities? Many nannies provide light housekeeping services like dishes and laundry. So, map out expectations in those realms, too. Discussing these topics in advance can ensure a smoother partnership.

Another idea: Invest in Yourself

Many moms with young children use the time when their kids are tiny to take training classes and launch a virtual assistant (VA) business. As a VA, you take care of many tasks, including email response, appointment setting, travel planning, and calendar management. These businesses are flexible and can be scaled as your family life changes and your children grow. 

VA work is catching on quickly. You can work as a general VA who does a wide variety of tasks or become one with a specialty in a particular industry or need. It’s a great business model because it solves a problem so many people have — squeezing more tasks into a day. It’s also an excellent lifestyle for moms who want to control their own time while keeping professional ambitions alive. 

At HireMyMom, we’ve partnered with four different training programs to help our members learn more about this business opportunity and acquire the skills needed to launch a VA business.

Find support

No matter how much you love your kids or how much you love your job, it can be tough to be a working mom. Join our Community of moms working from home and share your struggles, ideas, or best tips for managing child care and connecting with other moms like you.

 

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September 27, 2021

Want to Work From Home? Answer These Six Questions First

As a busy mom, one thing you may be considering is if a work-at-home job is right for you. We suspect this is on your mind whether you work now or have been away from the workforce. As more and more companies offer work-from-home opportunities and your family life and personal goals change, it’s natural to wonder if this is an approach that could help you find the sweet spot between income, professional ambitions, and family responsibilities.

Like so many areas of motherhood, there are many important considerations as you ponder whether or not an at-home job fits your life. In our experience, concerns generally fall into three main categories–personal, family, and professional. 

At HireMyMom, our team totally understands these questions. We want to help you by creating a framework that makes it easier to answer the question of whether or not you’d like to work from home.

So, we’ve pulled together this list of questions every mom can ask herself before deciding whether an at-home job is a good fit. Think of this blog as your personal “Ask Alexa” as you wrestle with this important question. Here, we break down the questions to ask yourself as you search your heart on this important decision.

 

Personal Considerations

Let’s start with the personal part because, ultimately, this is a decision that will affect you more than anyone else. Working from home can be a radically different way of life–many people love it right off the bat, others warm up to it, and some find that it’s not the right approach for them.

There’s no right or wrong answer, and there are many layers to consider. But, here are three good questions for you to consider as you think about whether working from home is right for you.

How do you feel about being at home more/most of the time? If you are familiar with the routine of going to an office each day, suddenly working from home can be a significant change, and some people find it jarring. 

  • COVID-19 provided many of us with a preview of working from home. While you may have a good sense of how you’ll feel, knowing    that being at home is a more permanent situation may change the equation for you. So, it’s worth considering how you will feel if you    have no office or work location to go to when you need a break from the house.                                                                                                         
  • Here are some specific things to consider. Will you miss getting dressed up? Would missing out on your commute make you sad? Do you have sufficient friends and social support systems outside the office to stave off the loneliness that can come from working at home?

Do you have a sound time management system? When you work at home, it can be challenging to manage your time because many traditional time markers disappear. There’s no ritual of getting ready, no commute, no coffee run, no customary chats with a co-worker to ground you at the start of each day. And, with no office to get to, no boss standing by, and family obligations easily visible from your workspace, it can be challenging to organize your tasks and time in a way that lets you be successful. 

  • For others, working from a home office makes it easy to let work slide into the nooks and crannies of life. When that happens, some at-home workers find that work takes a larger swath of time and leads to an unsustainable lifestyle.                                                                        
  • Ask yourself: How will you find the discipline and motivation to work each day? How will you organize your day into intentional blocks of time where you can work? Can you turn off your work brain when it’s time to move on to a family-related task? Will the temptation be too strong to focus on other things? One way to think of this is to consider if you’d rather fold laundry or work on a project. If you say fold laundry or you aren’t sure, working at home could be more of a struggle for you, and you may want to do more exploration before you jump in.

Do you have a place to work? Or, can you find one? Working from home is still work and having a place to focus makes it much easier to be successful. We find that the most successful at-home workers have a dedicated space to do work. It can be a complete home office, a desk tucked into the corner of your living room, or a bag that holds your work materials and gets popped up when and where you need it. The point of identifying a space is that it helps put you in the right mindset to get to work. 

  • So, look around your house and see if you can carve out some space to call your own. What’s needed to turn that area into a workspace?

Family Considerations

As a mom, your family situation will weigh on your ability to transition to working from home. Talking your plans over with your spouse is an excellent way to assess whether or not your family is ready for you to work at home. These questions can also help you plan a transition to working from home.

  • How does your budget look? Working at home can save you money. But, it can also cost a little in the short term as you make the transition. To assess how you may fare in this equation, consider how much money you might save by not commuting, buying work clothes, and paying for other expenses related to work.
  • Then, consider the costs involved in setting up a home office. Do you need to purchase a computer? A desk? A printer? Upgrade your internet service? Finally, take a look at the pay you are likely to earn from a work-at-home job and run the numbers with your spouse.
  • What’s your childcare situation, and how does it affect your ability to work? The question of childcare often is framed as one that affects younger kids more than older kids. But, as your kids get older, the times and ways they need you change substantially.
  • For example, if your kids are in middle school, your afternoons may include lots of driving around. That could limit the types of jobs you are available to do, or the hours you can work.
  • Conversely, if you have very young children, you may find that you have a good chunk of work time in the afternoon during nap time and again in the evening. Consider whether your kids are at school all day. If they are too young for school or if you homeschool, think about what that means for your ability to work.
  • You can involve older children in this conversation and discuss times when they may manage on their own while you work. If your kids are younger and you think you may need childcare, explore your options for finding it as part of your consideration process.

 

Professional Considerations

As you think about transitioning to a work-from-home lifestyle, the type of work you are interested in is an important consideration and likely to drive many of your decisions. In terms of professional concerns, there’s one main question to consider: what are your professional goals? 

Work can be a significant source of identity for many moms. For others, career considerations are not that important. But, thinking about professional goals makes it easier to determine what you want out of a job. There are several ways to answer this question, and the answer could vary at different points in your life. 

For example, if you have an established profession, do you want to continue to work in the same field but move to an at-home job? Or, would you prefer to make a change to something new? 

Maybe, you don’t have professional ambitions but would like to find a job that provides additional income or lets you engage a new or different part of your brain each day.

Or, perhaps you’ve always wanted to start a business and want to use this time to launch something. 

All of these answers are valid and offer great opportunities for working at home. Knowing how you answer this question can help you find the right work-at-home opportunity that aligns with your professional goals.

If you aren’t sure what you want to do or how your skills may translate to different types of jobs,  HireMyMom offers resources to help.

Ready to move forward?

If all this soul searching has you sure you are ready to work from home, it’s time to find the right partner in your job search journey.

Join HireMyMom to have exclusive access to a curated list of legitimate work-from-home jobs. Moms love us because they know all applications are going to real businesses looking for help. Employers love us because they know they can find high-quality, highly motivated candidates who want to work from home. 

 

 

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June 1, 2021

8 Mistakes to Avoid When You Work from Home

Working from home can be a fun and rewarding experience. There are many benefits especially for moms because of the flexibility and accessibility that comes from having a remote job.

There are however some common mistakes that can impact the quality and productivity of work if you’re not careful.

Here are 8 Mistakes To Avoid When You Work from Home.

 

MISTAKE #1: ALLOWING YOURSELF TO BE DISTRACTED

It can be easy to become distracted when working from home. From phone calls to unexpected guests dropping in – to your kids coming home from school with “big news” about their day  …

There are many opportunities to get pulled off task and this is why self-discipline is critical to the success of your remote career and lifestyle.

It’s important to set clear boundaries ahead of time and communicate them to your friends and family members (your children are another story, they may need some gentle reminders). 

 

MISTAKE #2: PROCRASTINATING YOUR WORK

When you work from home, it can be easy to procrastinate doing your work and placing personal tasks as a priority instead. “Oh I’ll just get some chores done first, and then I’ll work on that spreadsheet.” Sound familiar?

It’s important to treat every assigned task as a priority. If you have project management software, this is a great time to use it.

Set clear objectives and deadlines, block off time in your calendar to complete tasks at hand and keep track of your time (very important especially when it comes to invoicing). Batch your work so that you can focus on one task at a time and up your productivity. 

If you don’t have the software, a spreadsheet in Google or Excel is a great alternative.

You can color-code priorities by order of importance, set the framework for each project, assign time entries to each task, and more.

 

MISTAKE #3: LACK OF DESIGNATED WORKSPACE

Working from home is great but it does require commitment. 

Making sure you have the right technology in place is one thing but having a designated workspace is another (and no, your bed and couch do not count as a proper workspace).

It’s important to make your designated at-home work environment a priority so that you can stay organized, focused without disruption, and fulfill your tasks without compromising the quality of your work.

 

MISTAKE #4: NO BACKUP PLAN FOR OUTAGES

It doesn’t happen often but, from time to time the power could go out or the wifi might be disrupted.

When you find yourself without power and/or internet it’s important to have a Plan B in place so you can pick up and go with minimal interference to your workday.

Backup ideas include – your local coffee shop, public library, a friend or relatives place, or your local business center.

 

MISTAKE #5: DISORGANIZATION

When you work from home it’s important to stay organized. Not only does disorganization wreck havoc on your workday (especially if you can’t find something you need right away) but it also takes up your precious time. 

Time management is critical to the success of a remote worker’s career and goes hand in hand with staying organized so you can stay focused. 

 

MISTAKE #6: LACK OF ROUTINE

It’s important early on to establish a routine for your workday. 

Make sure you find enough time in your routine to:

 

  • Take appropriate breaks,
  • Start and stop work within a decent time frame.

 

A routine also sets the framework for your remote employee-employer relationship. This will help set boundaries for contacting you outside of your work hours. 


MISTAKE #7: ISOLATION 

Another mistake a lot of remote workers make is isolation. 

It’s important to keep balance in your life. We all need time with friends and family, time for ourselves, and time to maintain our homes. 

Stay connected with your colleagues, friends, and family. Join networking groups like our FB Community and if you’re a parent – mom’s groups can be a tremendous support system.

(We have a great article that discusses some ways online community support groups can help you build a successful work from home business here).

 

MISTAKE #8: LIMITING FORMS OF COMMUNICATION

They say “connection is currency” however with remote work, it’s easy to become distant and less connected with others.

Often remote workers start to lean towards one method of communication only (for example email) but in order to succeed, you need to offer more than one way to connect.

It’s good to get on the phone once in a while, take advantage of video conferencing (as offered through Microsoft Teams, Skype, Zoom and Google G Suite) and use team communication software such as Slack in order to stay organized, focused, and communicate more effectively. 

So there you have it, the 8 mistakes remote workers make that you can avoid. We also have some great tips on helping you grow your remote business, check out those tips here. 

 

At HireMyMom we carefully screen employers taking the necessary steps to offer only the highest level of work from home positions to you. Ready to get started? Visit our enrollment page here.

 

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March 31, 2021

How to Outsource Like a Boss for Home and Work

Have you ever looked at your to-do list and realized you need about 30 hours to accomplish everything you outlined as critical for the day? If so, you aren’t alone. Caring for a family and working are both hugely satisfying undertakings. But, let’s face it, it’s also a tremendous amount of work. 

Here’s some good news–you don’t need to tackle it alone. By strategically outsourcing some tasks, you can find more time and energy to put toward the people and projects that mean the most to you. Here’s a round up of the tasks–work and personal–that are great candidates for outsourcing.

Business Tasks

When you run a small business, it’s tempting to want to do it all. You became an entrepreneur because you’re motivated and hardworking.This combination makes it tough to let go of the reins, even for a task you don’t enjoy or could easily outsource. It helps to have a framework for considering what tasks/jobs make sense for outsourcing. When considering outsourcing, think about:

  • What are you great at doing?
  • What do you like to do?
  • Where would you like to grow professionally?

If a task doesn’t fall into one of those categories, it’s a good candidate for outsourcing. 

 

Quickly Find Virtual Help 

When you are looking for outsourcing help for a business task, consider a virtual team member. With remote employees, you don’t need to provide office space and you aren’t limited by geography. You can find and hire a team member who’s located anywhere with good internet access. 

Using a platform like HireMyMom is a great way to source qualified candidates who are specifically looking for remote work. You can save time and money by turning to a site dedicated to connecting driven mom professionals with small businesses. 

If the prospect of a nationwide search daunts you, consider our concierge service to help reduce the amount of leg work you need to do. HireMyMom’s Concierge service was created for busy entrepreneurs and small business owners, like you, who need to hire help but don’t have the time or desire to go through the time-consuming process. With our full service Concierge service, our HR Specialists will do it all for you start to finish and present you with the top candidate(s). 

 

Build a Remote Team 

Here’s a list of jobs that are often outsourced:

  • Bookkeeping
  • Social Media management
  • Graphic Design
  • Writing/Editing
  • Marketing/Email Marketing
  • Project Management
  • Customer Service
  • Facebook Ad Manager
  • Online Business Manager
  • Virtual Assistant (VA)

 

Consider a Virtual Assistant

In some cases, a virtual assistant (VA) may be the right fit for you. A VA can take care of many tasks, including email response, appointment setting, travel planning, and calendar management. You can find a general VA, who does a wide variety of tasks or one with a speciality in your industry or need. 

 

Personal Tasks

Personal tasks can easily add up and cause stress, making it more difficult to manage the day-to-day workings of life. What’s more, many of them are urgent and important and time sensitive. (For example, dinner must be served every night.) Tasks that can wait tend to grow in time commitment and urgency if you put them off. (I’m looking at you, piles of dirty laundry.) Here are some ideas to help relieve some of the steam:

 

Put Meal Prep and Grocery Shopping on Auto Pilot

Planning, serving and cleaning up multiple meals a day takes a huge time investment. (Especially if your whole family is home all the time.) But outsourcing some meal-prep tasks can make every day easier.

  •  A weekly menu hanging on the fridge takes the guesswork out of each meal. If you don’t enjoy menu planning or just need a break from it, consider using an online meal planning service. Several are available and they allow you to quickly select a week’s worth of meals based on your health goals, family preferences, and budget. Once you select your meals, you can automatically create a shopping list for the meals selected.
  •  We all need groceries every week (sometimes more). But driving to the store to collect them is a major time commitment. You can regain that time by signing up for grocery delivery. Several companies such as Amazon Fresh, Peapod, Shipt, and Instacart, are ready to make it easier for you to fill your pantry. 

While it takes some time to initially get set up with these services, it’s well worth the initial time investment. Chances are you make many of the same purchases each week, so many items will stay on your list for each order. You can even use a menu planner that automatically creates a grocery list and sends it to your preferred delivery service. 

  • If you don’t have grocery delivery available locally, consider the pick up service offered by many large grocery store chains. You submit your order online, pull up at the appointed time, and drive off with a car full of groceries. Both pick up and delivery help you save money by limiting impulse purchases.

Cut Down on Cooking

There are several ways to lighten the cooking load through outsourcing. Consider:

  • Sharing the load by finding four like-minded families and forming a cooking co-op. Each family makes four, family-sized servings of one dish. Meet to swap meals and go home knowing that you have five homemade dinners ready to roll–even though you only had to make one. Keep your circle of chefs small until the COVID-19 situation is resolved.
  • Ordering a meal delivery kit to take away the prepping, planning and chopping.
  • Finding a local chef who offers pre-prepped meals for pick up or delivery. 

 

Find Help with Child Care

You choose to work at home to spend more time with your kids and avoid the expense and hassle of day care. But, that doesn’t mean you wouldn’t benefit from some help with the kids. Finding a good babysitter, even if it’s only for a few hours a week, can really change the flow of your day. Having a few hours set aside without interruption makes it easier to power through your work. Also, depending on the age of your kids, the sitter can help with other tasks, such as:

  • Driving a carpool route for you.
  • Running errands with your kids–think the post office or picking up dry cleaning. This gives you a few hours of peace and quiet, keeps the kids busy, and eliminates tasks from your to-do list.
  • Working with the kids to go through their toys or books to find things they have outgrown.
  • Picking up the stray items you forgot to add to your online grocery order.
  • Walking the dog or other pet care needs.
  • Putting laundry away.
  • Supervising homework/online school instruction.

 

Clean with Ease

Everyone loves a clean house, but the work to get it sparkling can take all day. The easiest way to keep the house spic and span is to hire a cleaning service. If that’s not practical based on your budget or circumstances, these ideas can help lighten the load:

  • Buy a Roomba or other automatic vacuum or mop so you wake up to fresh floors every morning.
  • Drop your dirty laundry off at the laundromat for wash and fold service each week. This frees up an enormous amount of time and cuts down on the anxiety created by looking at baskets full of clothes–some clean, some dirty, and inevitably, one that’s mixed between clean and dirty clothes. 
  • Hire a service for big jobs that can really nag at you. For example, window washing or other seasonal jobs.

 

Reduce Yard Work

Many people find yard work relaxing, but elements of it can be outsourced to free you up to focus on the things you like most. For example, mowing and weeding are good candidates to outsource. With that out of the way, you are free to focus on tending to flowers or other things that truly bring you joy.

 

Don’t Wait to Reclaim Your Time

Outsourcing tasks is a great way to focus your time and energy on the things that matter most to you. Don’t delay–identify the things that someone else could do for you and start enjoying the increased time and energy it provides. 

Tell us what you’ve outsourced and how it changed the game for you.

 

 

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