They're Go Getters.
When I see someone in the Work-at-Home Mom's Club group tell someone else the name of a company that's hiring and that person responds with, "Can you send me the link?" rather than just googling it themselves, I know that person has a low chance of making it in the work-at-home world.
This may sound harsh, but 18 years of being a WAHM and working with people who have remote positions has shown me the kind of people who make it and the kind who don't. It has nothing to do with education (I'm literally the typo queen- doesn't matter), money, or status, but mindset.
The work-at-home world isn't like the traditional workforce.
In the work-at-home world, there is less one-on-one help, no handholding, no one is going to spoon-feed you anything. The people who make it take whatever is in front of them and spin it into gold. You have to have a "do it myself" mindset.
You will not make it without a thought process that relies very little on outside support and help (unless that help is coming from you seeking out coaching). If you are not internally motivated, being a work-at-home mom won't work for you.
The good news is, you can develop this. Learn to research things on your own. Ask fewer questions of others and determine to find out for yourself. Tell yourself, "I can do this." Let go of an "employee" mindset and take on a boss one. Even in a job at a call center, if you're working at home, you have to think of yourself as running your own enterprise.
Rise up within yourself. Stop thinking of yourself as worthless, small, weak, incapable, or "just a mom." Recognize that you have skills people need, even if you're still working on them. You have value. You are smart. You have experience.
Being a mom is one of the hardest jobs in the world. When you run your household, you're not asking a million questions of other moms all day. There's no time for that. You're making on-the-spot decisions. Bring that confidence into your work-at-home search and attitude and you will make it.
They reject negativity.
I know you may have been looking for a work-at-home job for a long time. I know you may be frustrated.
But you HAVE to reject negativity. Do you know how many times I've posted a job and had three negative comments from people who have never worked for the company?
"I heard_____."
"I doubt that would work out because______."
If you're bleeding out negativity, don't expect to ever find anything. You'll exude negativity from your very core and people will feel it. It'll cause you to pass up opportunities that could be amazing because you've grown used to always assuming the worst or thinking, "I can't do that."
"There are no jobs."
"That platform is oversaturated."
"There are too many scams on that site."
"They won't hire me."
If you think like that, you will never find a job or make it in your work-at-home business.
You have to find a way to cultivate positivity. Believe in yourself. People are getting hired every single day. In every job market, I've made money because I refused to take on a negative or victim mentality. I refused. I knew the second I went down that road I'd fall and my kids would fall with me. There was too much at stake.
I was willing to do whatever it took to start businesses, get jobs, and make an income so I could feed my family and pay our bills.
Stop thinking like most people if you want to live a life that's different from most people.
Negative people don't win. Determined people do.
Maybe a family member or friend made you feel like crap about an idea you had. People tend to project their insecurities on others and feel threatened by those doing something they wish they had the courage to do. Let go of whatever they said. They don't know what you're capable of. You're going to make it.
Start by saying, "I have skills and experience people need. I can do this. One step at a time."
They follow through.
I've started businesses that I realized weren't going to work and let it go. Same with books. But when I know something has potential, I push through the learning curve and do what it takes until it works. I've seen too many people in the group talk about starting an Etsy store but giving up because it's not getting enough sales.
They have beautiful products that I know could sell, but haven't seen the success they want and have frozen in a state of "This sucks."
Questions: How much time have you put into learning how Etsy works? How many YouTube videos by experts have you watched? How much time are you spending on marketing on social media?
Etsy isn't broken. It requires skills to make money that weren't required back in the day, but the earning potential is much higher, too.
Learn the skills you need to make it.
At the root of not following through is often a fear of failing. We don't try because we're afraid to show up, be ridiculed, or have things not work out. So we blame websites, platforms, and business models when it's really just us not wanting to do what it takes.
There are also times we can't give 110%. Having toddlers, kids with special needs, going through big family changes- sometimes as moms we're exhausted.
So find something that works with where you are right now. If you can't give your all to an Etsy shop, find what you can do. Is baking your therapy? Research your cottage laws and bake bread for neighborhood folks. Put an ad on your car or distribute flyers.
If you don't have the mental space to launch a full business but need money, offer childcare. Babysit. Tutor. Get serious about selling on Marketplace.
There's always something we can try that fits where we are.
Look for back channels.
There are thousands of people applying to the big jobs on large websites. If you want to get an online job, you have to go a different route. Look for jobs that aren't on the big websites. Check the Careers page of every business in your area. Call companies you'd love to work for. Be different.
I can't tell you how many opportunities I've gotten by being willing to risk making a fool out of myself and being willing to stand out.
Send a DM to an author, artist, or business person who you think you could help with social media. Yes, you can become a social media manager with little experience. I did. Not everyone wants huge, flashy campaigns. Many people just want some simple help. Don't complicate it. Life doesn't have to be so hard and complex. There are regular people who just want someone to make a few cute Canva posts a week so that they don't have to.
Email the owner of a small business and tell them you'd like to help them reach ten mom groups a week. Come up with a plan- an email template- that you'd send out to mom groups and pitch them the idea of being their "Mom Marketer" for $500-800 a month. You could get this done in two hours a week. I did this with a baby food company when my oldest was just an infant. Except I'd drive out to the mom group meeting and give samples.
Think outside of the box. Do you teach? Email universities and talk to who does the hiring. Let people know who you are. You have to put yourself out there. Shake off insecurity and see the world as your oyster (or pie if you hate oysters like me).
They're determined.
If you want to be a work-at-home mom you have to be unstoppable. You have to truly believe that your next opportunity is around the corner and that you're the one for the job. You have to know that your fate isn't in the hands of others, but yours alone.
A "no" can't stop you. Don't bury your head in the ground, get discouraged, get negative, jealous, or resentful. You stay positive and move forward.
Think about what you can do today.
There are opportunties in every single economy. Think of the things you bought this week. You're still buying fun stuff for yourself and your kids. You helped someone make money. Why can't you make some? You can.
Go out there and do it. I believe in you. Now believe in yourself.
love, Bunmi
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