Guest Post from Mary M. Byers

As you may remember, I recently partnered up with Making Work at Home Work as a blogger.

Making Work At Home Work: Holiday Strategies
by Mary Byers

As I look ahead to the approaching holiday season, I thought I’d share a few suggestions for you to consider for your business.

• Give yourself a break. Most employees get time off for Christmas. Sometimes I give myself time off, too. But I’m not always intentional about it. This year, I’m going to actually mark off a couple of days that I’m gifting to myself. I’ll turn on my auto reply and get myself out of the office. I know it will feel good and will be rejuvenating for me.

• Make a list of office supply and equipment needs. I know it is difficult to spend money on work when you need to spend money on holiday gifts. But there are two great reasons to make work related purchases this month and next. One, there are great sales. Two, if you’ve had a successful year in 2009, you can reduce your taxable income by purchasing things you need (and want) for your business.

• Consider developing a one-page plan for next year. I spend one morning each December writing a one-page business plan for myself. I simply identify four or five initiatives that would help my business. I capture them on paper, jot down my action plans, and post it on my wall. This helps keep me focused throughout the year.

• Set a financial goal (unless it will make you a slave to your business). I set financial goals for myself early in my business. But I abandoned them when they became the be-all and end-all for me even though I had two preschool aged children. Instead, I focused on taking the work that came my way. No more, no less. Now, however, I’ve started setting goals again. And I’m pleased to report that I had my best year ever in 2009! Don’t be a slave to a goal. But consider setting one if it will motivate and encourage you or if you have something special you’re saving for.

• Take time to be thankful. I am grateful I get to work from home. Sometimes I forget my gratitude when I’m overwhelmed or behind in my work. But I don’t want to lose sight of what a privilege it is to run my own business. I plan to keep this in the forefront of my mind as I approach this holiday season.

Mary Byers is the author of Making Work at Home Work: Successfully Growing a Business and a Family Under One Roof. Sign up for her work at home blog at www.makingworkathomework.com.

Somewhere In The Middle

Since I’ve slowed down for the summer and spent more time with my girls at our community’s pool and other activities it also has meant that I’ve been spending more time with their friends and other moms. I’ve found being a Mompreneur puts me in a peculiar spot.

Being a WAHM means I’m working but I also stay home and so it’s sometimes hard to totally relate to either a full time working mom or a SAHM. A working mom has the view (and it’s been said to me) that I have  the life of a SAHM, but I’m not sure that they completely understand that…I WORK! Yes I stay at home and yes I have major flexibility but I still have clients, deadlines and financial goals to meet. When I’m around SAHMs  we chat about what’s going on in the community, kids, school etc., I get my best information about events going on in town from them and I really do enjoy networking and chatting with other moms.  But I don’t really talk about my work because they can’t relate. When I’ve tried I’ve received blank stares or a hmmm that’s nice kind of answer. It’s just not within their realm of reality.

During the school year it was something I was aware of peripherally, but now that it’s summer and I’m out more during working hours it’s more apparent.  I have my online friendships with other women who work virtually and I love talking with my clients about their businesses and growth plans; it feeds that side of me. But boy it would really be nice to have physical world friendships with other Mompreneur’s whom I can chat and be with and who get my whole picture. Not just the mommy side or working side.

I sometimes wonder if its geographical. We live in the heart of a big suburb, it’s not very diversified, it’s quiet and there aren’t a whole lot of cultural happenings. Where we live though is great for my girls. They have friends on our street, they see their friends at the community pool and at community activities, they go to a great school…its safe. I don’t worry about them walking down the street to their friend’s house.  It’s very small town. I do make it a point to expose them to all cultures and arts so that they grow up with an awareness of the world around them.   We have a nice home with a large yard (for the suburbs) and great neighbors.  But I often wonder if I’d feel like this if we were living in a more urban area where there is less conformity and people live all kinds of lives and have all kinds of schedules?

I have always bucked conformity and now I live in what is the epitome of conformity…it’s what I have always resisted.  What’s that saying “the thing you resist the most is what you will have most of”  or something like that : D

I’ve talked often about when the girls go off to college I’ll (meaning me, hubby, the bird and the dog) are off to San Francisco (my favorite) or Seattle (my hubby’s favorite) or Vancouver (our/my dream city). But by then it’ll be a mute point as far as being a Mompreneur!  Until then any Mompreneur’s that live in the Sacramento, CA area drop me a message…I’m here!