Too Many Chiefs
When you start w0rking at h0me, you hold the sincere belief that you’re w0rking for yourself, your own b0ss, etc., etc.
Reality check!
You just get more b0sses. Being at h0me is being…available.
Your “spouse” (Whatever you call them, they’re all spouses – See my article entitled Spouses), your kids, your pets, all life forms within a 100 mile radius suddenly have things they’d like you to do.
Go here, pick up this, sponsor that, lead this, fix/build this, play that.
A little different than the old workplace, huh?
“Now, Milquetoast, your next project is…”
“Wait! My turn at b0ss!! Honey, could you just rebuild the kids’ bedroom from scratch today? Thanks!!”
“Yoohoo! The school is counting on you for the festival next week. Shall I put you down for say…50 hours???”
“Dad, Dad!! I found four new clubs and two more sports to join!!!”
“Barroo! Woof! Barrroooooo!!!!” (Beagle-ese, in case you’re not fluent).
And on , and on, and…
BUT…when you w0rk at h0me, you can control your b0sses (somewhat) by letting them all know the schedule YOU need and insisting they abide by it. If you don’t, you’ll have one less b0ss…yourself.
Oh, excuse me…The cat is having litter box issues.
Dan Reinhold is the proud author of “The WAHumor Way: Reality Check, Please!”, the essential primer for everyone starting a home business or even thinking about it. With two boys, a dog, a cat, a rat, a wife and a household to keep together to boot, Dan’s also the editor of WAHumor to hang on to his sanity by showing how insane the work-at-home community can be!
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Crystal Miller of Enchanted Potions
Name: Crystal Miller
Tell us a little about yourself:
I’m married to a great guy and a wahm to beautiful boys. My business keeps me very busy but when I can sneak a moment away I enjoy going to the fitness gym at the YMCA, staying in the shower an extra few minutes or getting a good Starbucks coffee to spoil myself with. (See, I’m very easy to please!)
What is your business name and web address:
Enchanted Potions www.enchantedpotions.com
What inspired you to become a work at home mom:
Quite a few factors led to the startup of EP but the main reasons are my children, being able to be with them while still contributing financially to the family.
Tell us a little about your business:
My baby, Enchanted Potions grew from my own personal hobby of soap and toiltries making. We’ve grown from making a few simple soaps and lotions to now offering over 100 fragrances and also air fresheners for the home, car or office. We also offer a Direct sales program and are close to our 200th rep!
Is there any advice that you would like to share with other women:
The very best advice I can offer is, no matter what type of business you’d like to start or join, make sure it makes you happy. Running any business can be hard work and they’ll be plenty of days that you ask yourself why you do it. It’s important to love what you do so you can talk yourself down from the clock tower so to speak when it gets overwhelming. 
What has been the most effective advertising method for you:
Word of Mouth always always always. You can place a million ads but they won’t do you any good if you don’t please your customer and have them brag to their friends, family, coworkers etc.
Can you share with us one negative business experience that you learned from:
Ill Doers. There are lots of people out there who, for whatever reason don’t want you to succeed and you’ll encounter some of them on your climb to success. I’ve learned some of those people do that because they want to open the same kind of business and think if they put you down you’ll go away and they can have more customers (um, okay, lol) Others are just plain mean. You really have to develop a thick skin and learn to let the negative things bounce off. It hurts but you’ll gradually learn to accept constructive criticism and ignore the rest. In short, ignore the naysayers!
