A Meeting Place for All Home Office Women

  

I’m getting alot out of myBlogLog as far as meeting friends and networking with like-minded women are concerned. One day, I saw Michelle Sweeney from TonicGifts in myBlogLog and in my usual fashion, I took time to find out a little bit more about her and bingo, I made another new friend! Michelle runs a successful online store from home and here is her story… and don’t forget to drop by her store

How did this home office begin?

I was teaching English in China when a friend asked me to do some research for her on exporting goods from China to England. This put me into the business frame of mind and I then started looking into setting up my own business. My idea just grew from there and evolved into setting up an online gift store. It was a natural progression for me as I had been based outside of Australia for many years and was always struggling to find gifts for friends and family back home. Now I have the best of both worlds - my own business and a place to buy great gifts.

What are the perks and challenges?

The perk is definitely being able to work from home and not have to face commuter traffic. I am not a morning person at the best of times so I find I can schedule my workload for when it suits me and continue working until 3.00am if necessary.

The challenge for me about working from home is to try to make more time for my family as I sometimes find myself working too much.

Describe your business?

Tonic Gifts is based in Australia and sells quality, affordable gifts to both domestic and international shoppers. Our products include beauty and bath products, jewellery, accessories, gourmet gifts, books and toys. We stock a variety of brands most of which are Australian made, including Arnaud, Bod, Glamourflage, Whizzbang, Alimrose, Eternal Creation, 2 Peas in a Pod, Monstar Kids and Renee. We cater to people who are looking to buy gifts for friends or family and save the shopper time as we can send the gift directly to the recipient.

What is your advice for anyone who likes to work from home.

I think perseverence and determination is the key in setting up your own business. I hear many people say that they intend to set up a business in order to work from home but within a short period of time, they have closed their business and changed directions. I think when things aren’t going your way you have to bear with it as ultimately it will improve if you have done all your homework prior to working from home. Also you have to be very patient when setting up your own business as things don’t happen overnight.

Any other things that you think can inspire other women.

I am still trying to convince my friends and family that my business is not a hobby. Realising that you can work from home, have a baby and run a successful business is the first step in achieving your goal.