A Meeting Place for All Home Office Women

I always enjoy featuring the stories of work-at-home moms/dads. Everyone has a story that inspires, motivates and touches, in its own way, regardless of the type of home business they do. So, if you are a work-at-home mom or dad and like to be featured in this blog, please drop me a note. But today, I am honoured to share the story of Laura Spencer, another work at home mom… please read on and get to know her…

How did this home office begin for you?

I was working a lot of hours in the corporate world as a technical writer. I realized that I was not spending much time with my two elementary age daughters. There was a real struggle within myself about whether or not to give up the corporate job, but in the end I realized that I wanted to spend more time with my kids. When I left the corporate world, I investigated several work at home options and finally realized that I could base my business on the job that I had always done for others: writing business materials.

When I left the corporate world, I investigated several work at home options and finally realized that I could base my business on the job that I had always done for others: writing business materials.

What are the perks and challenges of working from home?

There are a lot of perks and challenges that I face as a work from home mom. I’d say that one of the biggest perks is being able to arrange my
schedule so that I can be with my family when I want or need to be. I have attended a lot of my daughters’ field trips, and I was able to care for my father when he became ill.

Another perk, of course, is that you save on the commute time. I had a long commute in rush hour traffic each day, and I wasn’t sorry to get that time back into my schedule.

The biggest challenge that I faced in the beginning was probably that of not being assertive enough. I didn’t talk about my work to people other than my immediate family and my clients. I think I lost out on a lot of potential business that way.

Of course, continuing to manage and even growing my business while my father was sick was its own challenge.

What do you do?

I offer a wide variety of writing services to clients including: curriculum development, technical writing, fact-checking, proofreading,
all types of editing, and book doctoring. Recently, I have expanded my services to include paid blogging.

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

I think that the most important thing is to remember to maintain a professional attitude. The atmosphere may be casual, but your work should be just as professional as it would be if it were produced in a more formal environment.

My second piece of advice would be to establish and maintain boundaries. There’s a temptation when you work at home to be working all the time. That’s not healthy for you as a professional or for your family.

What do you get most out of this business?

I think that having a home business has really bolstered my confidence. Except for a brief period during college when I sold Avon, I had always
worked for someone else. It’s a good feeling to know that I can successfully develop and manage my own business, especially since you hear so much about businesses starting and then failing.