WAHM Life? Is It Worth It?

As a blogger being present on social media is crucial to promote your blog. Because I spend so much time online I read a lot of posts in blogging and entrepreneur groups, I belong to. Every week I see more moms asking about starting a blog and working at home.

Many think blogs are easy money. Same applies to a Multi Level Marketing business like selling leggings or candles. If you do not do your research beforehand, you will be back a few months later asking why you are not making money.

Many people have misconceptions about blogging or working at home. People perceive a blog or an MLM as easy and once you start you will earn right away. That is not true. To be successful, you must work hard. This means you will do additional work on top of being a stay at home mom. Working from home will change your routine. If you have an impatient client and kids to contend with, it can be overwhelming. 

For example, agencies I work with for sponsored content make you sign a contract. There is this perception companies will email you and offer you money for a sponsored post. There are rules you must follow. Sponsored posts are a lot of work. If you do not have the numbers on social media or blog subscribers, some companies will not work with you.

You cannot make a blog and apply for sponsored posts. Yes, you apply for them. Many brands use marketing and influencer agencies for sponsored posts. Like I said this is a job. I consider sponsored posts freelance writing because this is a paid post. Many bloggers make money not from sponsored posts but from MLM and affiliate sales. If you read many income report posts, they list Swagbucks as their income. To be honest, I do not feel that belongs it pads their numbers. 

I’ve gained 10 pounds since I started this blog. I spend every moment multi-tasking and I sit for several hours a day. As a mom who has almost no friends this makes everything harder. Many bloggers that do well from the start have friends and family to support them. If you are lucky family and friends will leave comments, share posts, and re-tweet. You get this gist. No one will stumble across your blog or biz in the beginning. 

I do not have time to work out anymore.

To run a blog or be good at sales takes diligence and a lot of hard work and commitment. When no one backs your play that work can increase tenfold. If your bff and sisters share your Facebook posts your likely to get traffic from that. When your solo and no one is following your Facebook page, you need to find people to follow you then ask them to share. 

I spent several months working 14 hours a day promoting my blog. If you can afford ads or a promoted Pin that may cut back on the time you spend promoting yourself. The object is to make money not spend any. We do this to make money. That is why direct sales is not the best idea. I am not trying to be negative. I am being real with you. I am a Legging Army Affiliate (sales) and I made one sale. For a long time I was spending 15 hours a week on selling leggings on top of the blog. I got nowhere. Most sales will start with family and friends and will putter out of you do not invest. 

That means buying leggings and wearing them everywhere for self promotion. These things do not sell themselves. I always recommend starting a business that will sustain itself with little investment. A Virtual Assistants job is something I recommend looking into. The best way to earn is use your skills. If you earned a BA in English, then perhaps tutoring or working as a proofreader is your best bet. I am not saying do not sign up for a MLM but do your research. 

As someone who spent over a decade trying to recruit and sell things for income, I can say this with certainty. A blog is not a reliable income. How much you earn depends on how hard you want to work. The internet has hundreds of blog posts dedicated to starting a blog. They can be helpful. 

However, I urge you to research what platform you will use to host your blog. Most bloggers who use a free platform limit themselves. You do not own your content if you use certain platforms so be aware. Blogs are not free. At the minimum you spend your hosting fees and your time which is valuable. If you are serious, you will want to use Tailwind that cost at least $15 a month.

If you decided today you wanted to start a blog or at home business, give yourself at least 6 weeks. Research what you want to do. Write blog posts even if you are starting a business. A blog will help promote you so write at least months worth of posts before you launch. You also need to figure out how to build and manage all the social media accounts you will need. I recommend you start working now before committing to a sales contract or starting a website. 

This period will help you understand if working from home is the right fit for you. You must get up before the kids. Grab a cup of coffee and start a load of laundry because you need to get the day started right. Sit down and try to get done whatever you can that requires silence. It is hard as hell to write with kids running around. I get distracted a lot so I will work after my kids are in bed. Some nights that means mom sleeps for two hours. 

The hardest part is being able to pay attention to your kids, keep house, and eat. My kids are home schooled too so my plate is full. I recommend breaking your tasks up. Click here for a free printable daily planner sheet I made to help you stay focused throughout the day. I find breaking up my tasks increases the odds they will get done.

Here are suggestions to help keep you sane, the kids fed, and the house clean.

I love Focus Keeper which boosts my productivity this app is free. Use the five-minute breaks the app gives you to get up and walk around and grab a snack. Sometimes I use the long breaks to exercise or clean. 

I cannot stress enough how important flexibility is, but it also requires structure. Try to have a routine but if something arises, it will not throw a wrench in your plans. Kids get sick and other unexpected things will pop up. I block out my time. I only work by the clock when I am cleaning. 

This is why I am a fan of speed cleaning and of doing a speed cleaning session in the morning and one at night. My house stays cleaner this way. Most days aim for 10-15 minutes. Pick one day a week to spend longer cleaning to get the more time-consuming tasks done. My post on speed cleaning can help you. My laundry tips will be helpful too. 

Make sure you have a workspace that is child friendly. My kids will sit next to me at my desk and color or do homework while I work. Sometimes I let them play ABC Mouse and use my phone to get tasks done. Canva is what I use to work from my phone. I use Canva for some of my Pinterest Graphics.

Fivver is great! If I get paid for a post, I invest the money back into my blog. I outsourced some of my Pinterest Graphics. I ended up with attractive clickable pins. 

This costs a little more but we waste less food this way. I buy pre-cut fruit and pre-made sandwiches so I can eat something decent. When I remember to eat. 

A Keurig helps. When I don't lose my coffee or forget to put a mug under the dispenser coffee keeps me alive, I mean awake. 

Mom brain is real.

The local library is a great resource for moms. Most offer activities or story time. This allows you to network with other moms for a few minutes and work from your phone. The kids get out of the house. What's not to love. 

Let your kids do things for themselves. Around four or five a child should be able to get a drink of water or make a peanut butter sandwich. Leave cereal, bowls, and milk where little hands can reach them.

Buy a new or used running stroller. Walk or run to get exercise. You can run to the local park and reward the kids for behaving. I will then walk to the store and pick up groceries. I pick a park down the street from the Grocery Store or Wal-Mart. Remember, you do a lot of sitting so make the most of the time you spend outside. It's also harder to overspend or buy too much if you are walking home. 

Some blogs can succeeded right away. Which is rare. Many factors helped that happen. A new money blogger may have worked as a financial planner for twelve years then started a money blog. She did well from the start because she was an established professional in her niche. 

A lot of bloggers work very hard. You will work for free. You must be passionate about whatever you blog about. Thousands of blogs about blogging exist to help you and many will also talk about being a mom blogger. You will find a lot of useful and free advice from those.

I was a Disney Instagrammer before it a thing. Now I am watching people who came along after me who copied me make money. I never realized the potential until my husband lost his job. Watching others do well while you struggle is one of the hardest aspects. I had to work hard. There was no other option.

You must be serious. Use any criticism you receive as fuel to grow stronger. You will lose sleep. Some days it will overwhelm you and you will want to quit. Remember how empowering it is to start something from the ground up. This is hard work but you must realize if you can endure and push forward there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Most blogs fail in the first year. If you are not passionate, save yourself the trouble and do not start.

It is doable to run a blog or home business and keep house and raise kids. Remember this takes a lot of trial and error and a lot of stress on your end. I wish you the best of luck and hope that this helps you along your journey.