by The Happy WAHM
Before starting your business, one question that you need to have an answer for is: Where will you work?
Your home office may be an unused room in your house, or a small corner of your dining room, or any space that can be used exclusively for your business. Pictured above is my office in a corner of our living room. I’m planning to make our garage my domain, but that will come later, when I have the budget for remodeling. For now, I have to make do with the space that I have. And this is where everything happens. Right next to my kids’ study area. I can put in some work while they do their seatwork. And it’s very handy when I need to show them pictures. (Like this morning, while Bea was working on combining two words to form a new word, the example given in the book was silkworm, and she has no idea what it looks like. So with just a few clicks, she was able to appreciate what’s written in her book.)
Having a work area that you can call your own will help you establish your business as a serious venture. It also puts boundaries. Like my family respects that space as my office, and they do not just get anything from it without asking for permission first.
Determine what basic equipment you need and invest on it. You can either purchase your equipment new, or if you’re on a tight budget, you can buy used equipment and upgrade later when you can better afford it.
Make sure that you have a business phone line separate from what your family uses, especially if you get or make a lot of social calls on that line. You will lose business if your customers cannot reach you at the time that they need you. With me, mobile phones work best. It allows my clients to reach me anytime, anywhere.
Working from home may take some self-discipline, especially in the beginning. You may find it hard to remain undistracted by household chores, or the children’s chatter, so setting up your own official office or work space will help you establish a mindset of “going to work”.
by The Happy WAHM
I promised to write about how I evolved from being a transcriptionist to a virtual assistant. So here it is…
Just like how I became a transcriptionist, I was pushed to the virtual assistance niche. After a year of doing transcription, and maybe not doing it properly, I started to have ringing in my ears. It might have been due to the bad quality of my headset, or it might have been due to the numerous bad audio files I picked up from the work queue.
Whatever it was that caused me to hurt my ears, it must have been God’s work. A door was closed. I could not abuse my ears, so there was no question that I had to stop transcribing. But a window opened. I found job postings at Craigslist and replied to a few ads that I felt I qualify for.
After going through some Skype interviews, I finally got hired by an internet marketing company in the UK. The task was to create one-way backlinks from high PR sites to their site. Uh-oh… What’s PR again? And what is a backlink?
Fortunately, the boss only needed someone who could communicate well, dedicated to her work, with stable internet connection, a fast learner and honest. So I qualified. He found me amusing, being so upfront about not knowing what he’s talking about and yet there I was, trying to convince him that I was the perfect VA for him.
It was quite an experience, learning SEO and internet marketing hands-on. Like I learned it as I went along. He would give me instructions over Skype, and if there’s something I don’t quite understand, I would just ask. No problem.
And then one day, the boss asks, “Do you know how to prepare a wireframe?”
My reply… “Is that the one used for eyeglasses?”
So the boss sends me a link to a site showing what a wireframe is and how to prepare one. Then he sends me a Word file that has information about a business that I’m supposed to prepare a wireframe for. And that was it.
As I accomplished more tasks, I gained confidence that I could learn more and do better. So I started to accept more projects, more clients. And in different time zones, too. Before our homeschooling days, my Google calendar was set up for schedules at PST, EST and AEST (UTC +10).
At work, when a client asks me to convert M4A files to MP3, I look for a free software that will do that. If I’m asked to take still photos from a video, I find out how I could do that. And so it was an interesting journey with every client, and I enjoyed, and still enjoying, every minute of each trip!
One thing that I can never stress enough is the importance of honesty. While it’s true that I accepted projects involving tasks that I had no prior experience with, I’ve always admitted that fact to the client. My strongest point has always been the ability to learn, and learn fast. And staying true to my work ethic.
by The Happy WAHM
In response to some queries about the start-up cost of setting up a virtual assistance business, I’m writing about the investments I made to start my home business in case there are others out there who might also be interested to know.
I’ve written about how I got started, the circumstances that led me to set up a home office, and what I did to jump-start what is now a full-pledged career. Those are the intangibles. So here now are some tangibles.
Equipment
We had to invest on a high-end computer, and a fast and reliable internet connection. Well, the fast and reliable was, and is, not within my control. So let’s leave it at having a steady connection. But if you have a choice, like if you’re living in a city where there are two or more providers, shop for the most reliable service, don’t even think about the cost. These days, they are almost level in terms of cost, but not in service. I also have a wireless broadband kit as back-up when my ISP gives me heartache, or when I travel. Important: Never ever use free Wi-Fi connections especially when accessing client accounts. I don’t. As a responsible VA, it’s considered mortal sin to put your client at risk.
The computer, in 2006, cost me Php25K. It was not branded, just an assembled unit, with all the specs I needed. My present PC now is branded, which cost me Php32K. I also have a branded laptop that serves as back-up when I really need to be somewhere else but can’t put off work. And then another desktop PC that my husband assembled for me, and is now being used by my onsite assistant. Then there are the peripherals, like speakers, a headset, a microphone (if your headset does not have one) and a web cam. A scanner and a printer are also must-haves. And if you’re considering transcription, you’ll need a pedal. Got mine as a gift from my mother-in-law. So unless you have a mother-in-law as supportive and as generous as mine, list that down as part of your investment, too. The pedal was $80 way back then.
Taking care of your investment means you also need to have a UPS and an AVR. The UPS is costly, but believe you me, it will be worth it. Think of how much time you’ll save and how much heartache you’ll be spared when the power goes off a second before you could press “save” after you’ve typed in pages of notes. Yes, it will be worth it.
Software
I’m sure you have the complete MS Office Suite. If you don’t have it yet, then don’t just sit there. Go get it! Word and Excel are the most basic. Powerpoint will serve you well for presentations, and Publisher worked well for my desktop publishing service. Access is great for database, although more often than not, I just use Excel, too. Very recently, I started using MovieMaker. It’s cool! And I’m learning Photoshop. Uh, not so cool there. But I’m getting results. So I guess it’s kinda cool, too.
You don’t really need to buy expensive softwares. You just need to know what you need, then look for free downloads. ExpressScribe is free, for those thinking of getting into transcription. I use FileZilla now for my file transfers, although I used to have FTP Commander. And Google Docs, too. Plus, clients actually provide software. So it’s not really a problem. You just need to be a fast-learner.
When I first started out, the hottest thing online was medical transcription. So I invested time and money for training. I enrolled in a medical transcription course while my son was still in the hospital. The training was flexible. We were allowed to do it on our own pace. So I just fast-tracked mine. It was actually a crash course in medicine, with all the specializations. Dermatology, pulmonology, gynecology, urology, and all the other -logies in medicine. There were 15 modules. We learned everything from physical examination to surgery. And for every specialization, there is pharmacy, and that’s where I had trouble. But, I passed anyway. The good thing about taking that course was while my son was still in the hospital, I was learning about his condition, so that when the neonatologist or the neurologist tells us that something needs to be done, we were actually making informed decisions.
The course cost us Php27K. Add to that the transportation and meal expense.
But, and here’s a big but… I never got into medical transcription. I did general transcription. Business transcription – conferences, interviews, podcasts, webcasts, speeches, focus groups – but not medical transcription. The closest thing I got to medical transcription was when I did a series of interviews for a medical program at the University of Western Ontario.
Do I regret ever spending that much money, time and effort for a training I did not put into practice?
No. Because that training more than prepared me for all the things I’m doing now. In fact, attending workshops, and networking with people who have already made a career from the four corners of their home, may be the most important investment a startup can make. And I have evolved. I no longer do transcription. Not at all. I mean, I still get transcription projects, but I also outsource them. I just proof and edit and make sure that the transcripts are client-ready. I’m finding my niche in social media marketing, search engine optimization and merchant account management. I did dabble a little in article writing, but it’s too draining for me.
Online Presence
You need to be found. And how can you do that if you’re just home all the time?
Create an online presence. These days, you have a lot of options. Create a Facebook page, be on LinkedIn, join online fora… there’s more than a dozen different ways you can get found. But to me, nothing beats having your own website.
I set up my first blog back in 2009. It was on Weebly. But my research told me that blogging will get me found, having a business site will build me a reputation. So I went ahead and created a different platform for my online services. I spent more than 6k for the domain and hosting, and I DIY’ed everything. It was a steep learning curve, but I did it.
Fortunately for you, setting up a business site now does not need to be that expensive. I have since started to offer affordable domain and hosting packages that can help jumpstart your online presence.
So there. Starting a home business? Assess your skills. Decide on what you love to do for the long haul. Be ready to learn a lot of different things. Then make some investments.
Oh, I forgot my desk. I had one made, not bought at the store, because I want my things to be exactly where I want them to be. So I had one custom-made for my needs. It cost me about Php8K.
How I evolved from being a transcriptionist to a virtual assistant, I’ll write about next time. And how to look for clients. For now I have to do the laundry and start with my girls’ school activities.
Come back soon!
by The Happy WAHM
Once I’ve decided that I wanted to work at home and be with my kids, I then sat down to work on the financials. How much do I need to earn to be able to sustain our family? Giving up my monthly salary would create a big dent on our budget. That’s where the cost of work has been most helpful. See, in the beginning, I thought I had to earn the same amount I was earning from my employment. But after realizing that there were a lot of expenses that I would be taking out of the family budget, it became easier to come up with a realistic target.
Armed with a target amount, I then made a list of things I could do from home. I bought reference books and read them from cover to cover. Honest! I still have a copy of 101 Best Home-Based Businesses for Women by Priscilla Huff that I refer to ’til now, and I spent hours searching the internet for business ideas and work-at-home opportunities. And for each idea that I came across, I made an assessment of my skills and capabilities. Can I do this? And the better question is, can I do this for a long time? Because of course, you would want to start on something that you can sustain. Something that you can stick with for the long haul. And then assess if you can afford the start-up. With me, I was hellbent on finding something that I could do online. And when I found one, I really spent time and money to prepare myself. I enrolled in a training program, invested on a high-end desktop PC, scanner, printer, pedal, headset, and just about any software that the training center advised me to have. And because I’ve already made financial investments, the more that I was motivated to make it work.
Now, investing on hardware and software for a work-at-home venture is different from having to pay money to get a job. This is another important lesson that I learned from the professional WAHMs that I “met” online. While looking for work-at-home opportunities, you will surely come across sites that promise you earnings in thousands of dollars, just by simply signing up with them and buying a kit to get started. Uh-uh. That’s almost sure to be a scam. Always remember that you don’t need to pay money to get a job. The only exception to this rule is if you are getting into a direct selling opportunity where you need to buy a kit to get started. And even in this venture, you are not paying to get a job, instead you are paying for an inventory of items that will get you started in the direct selling business.
In planning to become a WAHM, bear in mind that your chances of becoming successful with a tiny amount of work are slim to none. Starting a home office or business entail hard work, constant re-education, creativity, and more hard work. So if you have decided to be a work-at-home mom, be ready to roll up your sleeves and dig in.
by The Happy WAHM
Going back to work after my third delivery was the hardest for me. It was a premature one at 7 months, and it was touch and go for a while. We had to leave the baby at the hospital, and even after we’ve taken him home, we had to bring him back to ICU in his second month. A lot of complications, and I’ve been advised to personally take care of the baby for the first 2 years, at least.
So when I received a notice that I was getting a promotion to head office, it was like a physical blow. There we were, financially drained from the complicated pregnancy and subsequent delivery, and I was being moved from my comfort zone. I was really not being given much of a choice. My provincial assignment was being made redundant, and they were giving me a new position with a wider scope, bigger responsibility, and greater challenges. Another time, I would have grabbed the opportunity with both hands and jumped in with both feet. But with the new baby, there was no way I could even consider it.
So I asked to be given redundancy pay instead. I was thinking, “We’ll survive with the money while I look for work nearer our place.” That’s when I started pouring myself into internet searches. I wanted to look for something that I can do from home. I found a lot of WAHM sites that really inspired me to go ahead and not look back. I found that medical transcription was hot. So I went around the city looking for schools or training centers that offer flexible hours. I found one that I could attend on weekends. And for a few months, I trained to become a medical transcriptionist.
The internet is a rich source of ideas and opportunities. I spent hours upon hours searching for work-at-home transcription jobs. Fortunately, it didn’t take me long. I landed a sub-contract with a US based production company, and another with a small business in Canada. So when I left my job in May 15, 2006, I was ready. I started my first project on May 29.
For those of you who are thinking of working from home, it’s important that you prepare yourself. With me, I did a lot of research, and I took every information I gathered seriously. It surprised me to learn how much it cost me to work. I’ve never given that a thought, ’til then.
While I was earning a 5-figure income monthly, a big chunk of that actually goes back to expenses that allows me to work. For me to be able to go to work, I had to pay a live-in househelp (I actually had two), which means I pay them monthly salaries, plus 13th-month pay and annual bonus, and I pay extra for water, electricity, and food. Also, I had to maintain a wardrobe for the office, plus shoes, bags, and lunches out. It was a good thing that I had a service vehicle provided by the company, but for those who have none, transportation expense would take a big chunk of takehome pay. Not to mention the guilt treats. You know, those toys that you buy to make up for the time that you missed your child’s first tummy turn, or first step, or whatever. And since you are busy with office work, and more often than not too tired to pay attention to the prices of things that you buy, you tend to spend more on your haste. And the small repairs around the house that you could actually do yourself, but because you are working, you pay someone else to do.
And so I did my own computation. From my net take-home pay (after taxes), I deducted all the expenses that I could make do without once I started working from home. And the amount I came up with became my target income for my work-at-home job.
by The Happy WAHM
In my 5 12 years of WAHM status, I may have been asked a hundred times by former co-workers and friends if what I’m doing is something that they can also do. And I may have answered in about a hundred ways one can say “maybe”.
Because not everybody can be happy working from home. I have a friend who has tried getting into virtual assistance twice. And twice she just walked away from the opportunity. The first time, she told me she was ready. She was leaving her employment so she could devote more time to her only child who was growing up so fast she could not keep up. And she did leave her employment. She availed of the company’s early retirement plan. She was with the same company I was with for 12 years. And she left on her 15th year, I guess. She was my subordinate in the corporate life that I left, so I was confident of her skills. I found her an employer from the States, and I used my credentials to land her the VA position with this triathlon coach. After a series of Skype interviews, I was asked to sign the engagement contract. And just as I have emailed the signed scanned copy of the document, I get this call from my friend telling me she’s found another employment with a retail store. She was just not confident she could be an effective VA.
Not wanting to ruin my rep as a VA, I just maintained that account, even though I was already servicing another client in UK full time. One body, two full time positions. Plus, I was already homeschooling and no helper at home. No way I could make it work alone. So I hired an onsite assistant and bought a second desktop PC. She’s an IT graduate working as a canteen cashier, so it was a perfect opportunity for both of us. We sort of hit the ground running.
After some months, my friend came to me again. She was going to resign from her latest employment. The demand was just too much. She wanted to really take care of her son. So I again went through a series of interviews with prospective clients. This time it was an online auto shop specializing in BMW car modifications. And again, I was able to secure a position for her, as a product manager. I believed it was perfect for her, since we managed portfolios in our old company, and she’s really very patient and meticulous with databases. I trained her onsite for a week. It was just a matter of showing her the workflow, how to prepare reports, getting in and out of sites, utilizing the tools made available by the client, etc. I was going to hold her hand until she’s ready to be left alone. I prepared video captures as her guide. And so we commenced with her job as a product manager, and I was her supervisor.
It lasted exactly 15 days. Then she quit. And again, I have this spillover of work, because I can no longer accommodate another full-time position. And I no longer have space at home to hire another onsite assistant to pass the load to. So I found me a team (a mother and her two sons) in Cebu who can handle my spillover of work together with my first onsite assistant.
Moral of the story? Being a WAHM is not for everyone. Even when you want to be, or think you can be.
Being a WAHM does not limit you to becoming a VA like I am. You can always choose to set up another type of business. Being a WAHM simply means you’re personally managing your home while being able to contribute to the family’s income. You can be a freelance writer, or a transcriptionist, or a bookkeeper.
There are 101 ways you can be a WAHM. Just choose one, and then make an assessment of yourself if you can be happy doing it. Unlike being in a regular office environment, there is definitely no glamour working from home. I had a little bit of difficulty adjusting to my new role as full-time mom a few weeks after I left my corporate employment. From working in an air-conditioned office, just sitting in front of the computer, to mopping the floor at home; or from being in a dress and heels, to shorts and shirts while doing the laundry. I remember my husband during those initial weeks, calling me almost every 15 minutes, asking if I’m okay. He knew of my drive as a career person; my ambition of reaching the top rung of the corporate ladder. And even I was surprised at the smooth transition. I guess I just had set my priorities straight.
Being happy with what you do is very important. As they say, choose a job you love, and you won’t work a day in your life. So if you think that you can be happy being at home, running an office, doing house chores and taking care of the kids, then by all means, plan on becoming a WAHM.
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