| Kids play hard, and sometimes that means they play | | | | would sneak downstairs, or sneak out into the garage. |
| really loud in the midst of exploring their worlds and role | | | | The funniest one |
| playing with siblings and friends. | | | | I heard was the hiding in the closet trick... so the kids |
| I know with my kids, if I'm not hearing some degree of | | | | would not be making noise right under-foot. That one |
| noise; [i.e. play], from them, it probably means one of | | | | really made me laugh, because I have pulled similar |
| them is notfeeling well, or they are coming down with a | | | | tactics just trying to get a moments peace! And, yes, I |
| cold. | | | | have to admit, I have used themto make my business |
| My world is blessed with two very artistic and | | | | workable too! |
| rambounous boys; 6 years and 3 years old. With their | | | | Oh I know... I hear some of you saying... why don't you |
| play and with theirsinging; [they love to sing Country | | | | just get your kids into daycare, or find a babysitter or a |
| music at the top of their lungs!]; they have the ability to | | | | Nannyto take them. Well, that makes perfect sense of |
| raise the noise level in our house to a "heaven-bending" | | | | course. But for the many WAHMs who have given up |
| volume in 9 seconds flat! | | | | jobs to work at home,first, they do not want to be |
| And while I loved to hear them hard at play, the | | | | giving the majority of what they earn to those |
| sporatic and unpredictable noise [play], posed | | | | services; although they are very valuable services. |
| challenges at times when I was doing sales calls, or | | | | And, second, there's that guilt. |
| when clients called with final questions about starting a | | | | The guilt we feel because it was our choice to stop |
| business relationship with me. | | | | working at jobs and stay at home so we could be |
| Clients don't wait, when they want to have questions | | | | with our kids. That was a conscious choice we made. |
| answered and they don't always call at the best times. | | | | So when we start looking at having to farm our kids |
| Sometimes these calls would come through when the | | | | out to daycare, babysitters, or bringing in a Nanny, guilt; |
| kids were eating or doing activities that were not so | | | | as to the purpose of why we were staying home in |
| noisy. Great! But.... most of the time, they did not! | | | | the first place starts to manifest. |
| 6 year olds are pretty predictable. You basically know | | | | So what is the solution? Is there really a solution to |
| when they are going to make noise. But, if you know | | | | how to make sales with noisy kids in the house? Well, I |
| anything aboutthe '3's', you're already familiar with the | | | | don't knowif this solution is for you... But I do believe I |
| unpredictability of when the next scream, or loud laugh | | | | found the right solution for me! |
| will erupt! | | | | I don't have to hide in the closet anymore. I don't |
| Some clients understood. I would say: 'yes I know you | | | | disappear into the bathroom to talk muffled into the |
| can hear kids in the background. That is why I do this | | | | towels, lol! I no longer work 5 to 9 hours a day on the |
| business. | | | | phone during play time, or any time, doing follow ups |
| So I can be at home with them". For other clients, that | | | | and sales calls. |
| was not okay. I had some near misses and some fair | | | | Clients no longer call the house at unpredictable times, |
| size losesin bringing people in, to work with me in my | | | | or at all for that matter. My kids no longer have to |
| business because of this home-based situation. | | | | worry about how much noise they make in the house! |
| Over the course of working out of my home, I have | | | | And, I'll still make a nice 5-6 figure contribution to my |
| had many a conversation with other work at home | | | | family's income this year! |
| Moms [WAHMs], and at times have doubled over in | | | | What did I discover to make my sales business work |
| laughter at some of the ingenious, and sometimes silly | | | | for everyone in the household? Well.... that's another |
| tactics they've pulled just to get a moment of quiet | | | | story that needs to be explained at another time! |
| when they needed to portray the illusion of | | | | My typing time is up - and my kids are calling me to |
| "executive-office professionalism" for the really | | | | come outside and play water-bomb balloons with |
| important calls. | | | | them! Got to go ; )! |
| Some of them would hide in the bathroom. Others | | | | |