Because I run a website dedicated to work-at-home moms, I get a considerable amount of email filled with questions about working from home. Without a doubt the question that I get asked most often is, “Do you know of any companies that I can work for from home?” The exciting thing is that yes, I do. In part because of the hard economic times that we find ourselves in, more and more companies looking for qualified professionals to represent their businesses from their own homes. Here is just a sampling of companies currently hiring at-home workers:

1. VIPdesk (http://vipdesk.com) – This company hires home-based workers for customer service positions. They represent numerous high-profile brands such as Eddie Bauer and BlueFly. From their website: “A proven premium service provider with 20 years of experience, VIPdesk specializes in delivering Concierge and Virtual Call Center Services for national brand leaders in several industries that include travel, auto, financial services and retail, by providing high-touch, high-tech branded service platforms that deliver real results and real return on investment.”

2. wiseGEEK (http://www.wisegeek.com) – This is just one of the many websites that pay freelance writers. These sites generally pay per article written. From their website: “wiseGEEK writers get to choose the topics to write on out of a pool of hundreds of titles. You can opt to write on categories that you are familiar with, or venture out a little to explore new frontiers.”

3. Convergys (http://careers.convergysworkathome.com/WorkFromHome.aspx) – At-home agents are nothing new for Convergys, a company who also supplies customer care services to well-known companies. From their website: “As a Convergys Home Agent, you’ll interact with customers of well-known and respected top companies. You may answer questions, determine product opportunities that best meet your callers’ needs, place orders on their behalf, provide technical support, or enroll callers in health, entertainment or other plans.” Read the rest of this entry »

by Jill Hart

“Mom”

“What?” (Said with my eyes on the computer or chore I happen to be doing)

“Mom”

“What?” (Said while my attention is still on said chore)

“Mom”

“WHAT!?!” (Said with full attention….and frustration)

Sadly, that’s been the typical conversation around my house lately. One (or both) of my kids trying to get my attention and me trying to complete a task and listen to them at the same time. I know that I can’t give them my full attention 24/7, but it struck me the other day that if, at times, I looked at them, gave them my full attention for a moment when they were trying to speak to me – maybe these interactions wouldn’t end with me in my frustrated tell-me-quick-and-get-it-over-with mode. Read the rest of this entry »

My first step into the work-at-home world was as a data extractor for a company in my local area. Believe it or not, I found that job in the Classified Ads section of the newspaper. That, however, was ten years ago. Alot has changed in the last ten years – the internet alone has grown by leaps and bounds. So, what are some of the best ways for people in today’s market to find a telecommuting opportunity?

Classified Ads
One good thing about the technology available to us today is that most Classified Ads are now not only listed in print newspapers, but online as well. Take a look through these to see if there are businesses in your area looking for local at-home workers. Read the rest of this entry »

I don’t normally consider myself an “investigative journalist,” but this month I’m putting on that hat in order to find the truth about one popular work-at-home opportunity. I have noticed similar ads for a particular work-at-home opportunity on so many of the websites that I visit daily (Facebook, etc), that I decided to look into it more closely and see if it might be something that I could recommend to the many people who ask me each day about legitimate work-at-home jobs.

The ads for this “opportunity” generally read something like “Christian Mom Makes $5000 a Month” or “Mom Making $137 An Hour From Home.” This certainly sounds good, doesn’t it? Who wouldn’t want to make $137 an hour?

When you arrive at the website after clicking on one of these ads, you can read through the (supposed) story of the advertisers journey from typical hardworking mom to a mom who works only a few hours each week, but makes thousands of dollars. “I just started doing this 2 weeks ago and last week I made over $1,500 doing less work,” is a direct quote from one such website. Read the rest of this entry »

by Jill Hart

As Christians our faith is part of everything that we do and say. But, that can sometimes feel confusing when trying to apply it to our business life. How can we incorporate our faith into our businesses and share it with those we want to sell to? I wanted to get another perspective in addition to my own on the subject, so I talked with my friend and the director of our local Christian Business Women’s Fellowship, Debbie Blank. Debbie has been in business and ministry for more than 35 years and shared this great advice with me:

Act Godly
The most important thing that you can do to point others toward Christ is to be who you are. Live in a godly fashion not only at church, but at home, in public and in your business dealings. As the people you deal with get to know you, they will notice that “something different” about you and it just may spark an interest within them to learn more.

Build Relationships
People want to be cared about. If you build genuine relationships with the people that you serve in your business they will learn to trust you. When tough times arise or when they begin to have spiritual questions they will know that they can seek you out and trust you to share the truth with them. Read the rest of this entry »

I know firsthand was life as an angry mom is like. I spent almost two years trying to control my temper and failing miserably. It took a confrontation with someone close to me for me to really take a good, hard look in the mirror and realize that the problem was bigger than me. My anger was out of control. I had turned into someone that I didn’t recognize and my family was suffering because of it.

Soon after that confrontation, my kids and I were in the doctor’s office because one of them was sick. After the check-up, as the doctor was getting ready to go I mentioned to him briefly that I’d been struggling with anger. I remember saying, “I’m not sad or depressed. Just really angry…all the time.” Having known us for quite a while (in fact he delivered my son), he gave me a prescription for an anti-depressant and wanted me to try it to see if it helped. I really wanted it to help. I wanted to be a good mom, a loving mom, and at the moment I felt an ogre. Read the rest of this entry »

Q: I have been having my home based business for three years now and I still am struggling with how to juggle business and being a mom, wife and housekeeper. How do you juggle these? I want to make this a success, but so far it’s only been frustration.

My children are four and two years old and they are more challenging than most (not as in spoiled, but as in needing more time than the average kid). Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

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A: GREAT question. My kids are now seven and four, so I now have a little bit of help in my seven-year-old. But, I found something that I had written a few years ago. In it, I listed my kids’ ages as four and one. I could tell when reading it that I had been very frazzled. I think I lived in a state of frazzled during those years when they were both so small. Read the rest of this entry »

I have to admit that when I was younger I was not a fan of the “Proverbs 31 Woman.” It didn’t seem likely to me that any woman could possibly live up to the standards found within those verses (Prov. 31:10-31). However, since becoming a wife and mother, I’ve had a change of heart towards this infamous woman. She has become a source of inspiration and I believe there is a lot that we can learn from the example she provides.

Here are a few life lessons that work-at-home moms can glean from this lovely lady in Scripture:

1. Strive to Be a Women of Noble character
“A wife of noble character … is worth far more than rubies.” (v. 10)

It doesn’t necessarily sound like much to be of “noble character” (actually, it sounds rather snooty), but Merriam-Webster defines noble as meaning, “possessing outstanding qualities.” Can you think of someone in your life that fits that description, someone who has “outstanding qualities?” Chances are, this is a person that you love to spend time with and that’s definitely the type of woman I’d like to become.
2. How to Have a Happy Husband
“Her husband has full confidence in her” (v. 11)
Read the rest of this entry »

Starting down a new career path can be both exciting and terrifying. There are a lot of tools on the market that can help you determine what type of career field you should enter. But what if your chosen “career path” is being an entrepreneur and running a home-based business? Do the rules change? Below are five questions to ask yourself to help you determine what type of business might be right for you.

1. What is your passion?

Answer this question with the first thing that comes to mind: If money were no object and you could do anything, what would you do? You might have answered “be a writer”, “speak at conferences”, “bring my product idea to life” or any number of things. Whatever your answer, this most likely is your passion. I challenge you to take the time to ponder this and see if there is a way to bring your dream to fruition.

2. What types of things did you like to do as a child?

Many times the toys and games we loved as children give us a glimpse into who we have become as adults. If you loved climbing trees, you may now be an “outdoorsy” type of person. Think about how this might be incorporated into your business. For instance, you might enjoy setting up outdoor birthday parties for children or selling herbs from your backyard garden. Read the rest of this entry »

The phone was ringing and I couldn’t find the energy to answer it. I knew I should answer, needed to answer, but couldn’t summon the strength necessary. I’d been fighting the discouragement and frustration of a lingering illness for months and didn’t see any end in sight. Doctor’s said I’d see an improvement within six months of beginning this new medicine, but a month in and nothing felt different, in fact, I felt worse. I couldn’t imagine how my business was going to survive if something didn’t change soon.

Dealing with sickness as a mom is always challenging. When you add in the responsibilities of a business it can feel downright impossible. As I dealt with my health problems over the course of the last year, I’ve found a few ways to keep my business afloat while I’m healing.

Schedule your time in small chunks.
During the toughest weeks of my illness, I would set daily goals like “work for one hour” and “work on laundry.” By giving myself small goals like these I was almost always able to achieve them. It is amazing how crossing things off from my to-do list helped me to feel productive. My efficiency was a far cry from what it normally is, but I felt encouraged by these accomplishments. Read the rest of this entry »