Work-At-Home-MothersWAHMs Are Doing It for Themselves!Yes! Wahms are doing it for themselves! The new social phenomenon of the 21st century is the emergence of a new breed of entrepreneur----the Mom-preneur! These are women who have made a crisis into an opportunity and turned necessity into invention. They know they are the best people to look after their own children and want to be at home with them, giving them the security and nurturing that they need....but they can't afford to give up work, or they just don't want to...so they forged out a way that worked for them, and became work-at-home-moms. 
This category of women is now the fastest growing group of workers across the developed world as new mothers decide being wage slaves to an inflexible workplace is not for them anymore....they can do better...their kids can do better....the WAHM life may not be perfect, but it's better than the alternative and at least these women are in charge of their own destiny. The internet has made this option possible for many women, who can start up a home business with almost no overheads, whilst saving on childcare costs.
Do you recognise yourself here...juggle, juggle....?This cute little video below, made by one of my fellow WAHMers, encapsulates the predicament that many working mothers are trapped in and how becoming a WAHM can liberate them from being torn between kids and career, or kids and paying the bills.The internet was only in its infancy when my daughter was born, so I did not have the option of becoming a net-mompreneur at that time! I was very privileged to be able not to work for a few years and to have that precious time with my daughter. When I see how much it has benefited her, I am so thankful that I was able to do it. But, as house prices have soared, today, only very well-off mothers seem to be able to spend that time with their babies, even though they would love to do so. A recent Harris poll concluded that as many as 72% of households would love to start a home business, becasue of the flexibility it gives and the option to spend more time with young children. The internet is now an work-option that new mothers can use to help them balance caring for their children and having to earn money. As yet, women have not generally taken to the internet and utilised it to their own benefit, as men have done. Now, having built this website myself and seen all the exciting possibilities that the internet offers me, in terms of freedom, empowerment and control over my own life, I wish I had done it years ago and I wish I had had this option when my daughter was a baby. Because much as I loved being with her, I would have liked some creative, career and monetary fulfilment as well, if it wouldn't have taken me away from her too much. I would highly recommend all young women who are thinking of becoming mothers to become net-savvy and consider the possibilities that a home web-business could offer them, in terms of being able to be with their babies rather than having to put them into daycare. There are so many advantages for both mother and child that are unquantifiable and it could be the answer to the awful dilemmas and guilt that mothers today are plagued with, of being-with-children versus career, or being-with-children versus mortgage. In fact, I think being internet-incapable, will soon be as damaging as being illiterate is today. Being able to surf and email is no longer enough. In order to be empowered in today's world and give ouselves as many choices about how we organise our lives, as a feminist, I would say it is imperative for all women, especially mothers to be capable of building their own online presence or business. Knowledge is power and in this age that means the internet. If you are looking for a way to be a work-at-home mom and have more time for your family, or if you have a charity, or good cause you need to promote, or if you are an individual with a passion about something that you want to communicate to the world being able to create a working website could be the missing link that will make everything possible for you. Or, if you have an idea for a small web-business and don't know how to get it off the ground without financial backing, this might help you get over that hurdle, which is the bane of many talented entrepreneurs. Many people have built very successful website businesses using the same package that I used. You can read about how WAHMS use the internet to build their lifestyle of choice here. I had no idea what I was embarking upon when I began, but it has been one of the best things I have ever done. Following the site-building steps that were laid out for me was like going on a magical mystery tour. I was like Alice in Wonderland when I began, but I have learned so much along the way it has been the equivalent of doing that computer course I had dreaded. Except better, because I had fun doing it and the best way of learning anything is to do it yourself. SiteSell has just launched another website product for busy people, (SiteSell Services) where their staff will do all the work for you, but I'm sort of glad it wasn't available when I took the plunge. I would have been tempted, but I wouldn't have learned all I know now....but perhaps next time! The end result for me was that I built my SBI website with no knowledge of technology, other than how to surf and email. And I built it on my first and only very basic computer I bought years ago! It took me about eight weeks to get it up and running. (It may take longer for others, because I had all my content written and ready to go before I began site-building.) The cost was a fraction of what website building normally is and I have complete control over everything, to change as often as I like and with no limit on the amount of pages I can put up. If you would like to create a site like I did, or have the freedom of your own home-business, I have put up some resources on this page that you might find useful in learning a bit more about how the internet works and how to build a successful website. If you do, do stay in touch and let me know how it goes for you, so I can drop in on your site! Go from WAHM to Website Building Mini-University
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