Crayon Writer

Tags: daycare, homeschool, home business, wahm

Photo credit: Renee Yarter

Well, I finally jumped into the deep end. I enrolled my daughter, just three months shy of three, in a daycare center. She only went the past two days, but it’s such a difficult thing to do.

My daughter’s been home with me pretty much every day since she was born, and this separation is tough on us.

So why am I doing it?

I mentioned it’s time for me to get a day job so I can amass some money to properly fund my freelance business. And there’s almost no way to look for a job with a busy toddler at home. Her previous sitters, close family, aren’t able to watch her as much as they’d like, so here we are.

So far it’s okay. She tells me she likes school, and she clearly likes playing with all the kids.

But tonight she woke up from a bad dream, saying something about, “I want to go outside to see Mommy. I want to go outside. Where’s Mommy?” Almost broke my heart. The first day I dropped her off at the playground when everyone was out playing, and then I picked her up later when they were outside. So she firmly believes that Mommy is outside, and that if she just goes outside she’ll see me. So far it’s been true. Today I picked her up on their second playground outing.

Both days the teachers said she really wanted to go outside and kept asking to go. They assumed it was for playing purposes. I wondered. Now I know.

Luckily I only have her enrolled part-time, but I

may have to ease her into it a little more slowly. She’s okay, and isn’t crying much, but when she heads out to the playground you can tell that she’s looking for me and getting visibily upset when she doesn’t see me (I was peeking through a window to see how she was doing).

Long story shorter: Daycare is going to be rather hard for us to deal with. I feel horrible for abandoning my baby, but I also need to provide a secure home for her. Maybe when I get back on my feet we can go back to homeschooling, but for now daycare is a necessary part of our lives.

What about you? How has daycare affected you, your business, and your child(ren)?

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Is it ever a good idea to work for free, or close to it?

I just took on a project the past week that really took a lot of time, but there might be some benefit for all of my hard work.

1. One thing I got out of it is a stronger desire to charge what my time is worth.
2. I also dabbled a bit in a new program, In Design, so I learned something new.
3. I worked on a souvenir booklet for a non-profit, service-oriented group, so maybe I did some good in the world too.
4. Just in case, I also made sure the ad I bought for my business was placed in a prominent spot, so maybe I’ll get new business that way.

Time will tell. So, is working for pennies ever worth it? Maybe. Just be sure you have the time, and settle your feelings before taking on the project.

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Photo credit: Elvis Santana

Anyone who knows me knows that I am extremely disorganized at home. I don’t have “a place for everything, and everything in its place,” though I desperately want to.

Business owners, whether at home or in an office, also need to maintain some sense of order so they can be productive.

Are labelmakers the answer? Maybe for some of us.

DYMO has labelmakers for all types of folk. There are several simple, “turn and click” designs that even children can work. These are probably best for household labeling, like food canisters, files, and drawers.

DYMO also has high-tech labelmakers for offices, including LabelWriters for printing. There’s also an easy way to get online stamps using DymoStamps for your postage needs.

How can labelmakers simplify your business? Perhaps you’re a freelance writer, and you send your clients a copy of their project on disk. DYMO has a DiscPainter that can turn your CD into a marketing tool.

Files and shelving space with clearly written labels make it easier to put everything where it goes, especially if you’re working out of your home. You can obviously make your own on your computer, but the labelmakers save you time by omitting several steps.

Check out DYMO’s website and take a look around. It’s easy to navigate, and it may give you some ideas for your business as it expands. Or you might find something handy for your home life.

Are you organizationally challenged like I am?

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Even though I want to own my own business, I realize I may have to take a detour on that path.

In the next couple of years I have my sights set on buying a house. To get there, I have to be on a path that includes saving money for a substantial down payment. Mortgage rates fluctuate all the time, and it’s important that I have as small a mortgage as possible.

With people losing their houses left and right, unable to pay their Mortgages, my plan has to be well-thought-out.

Right now that includes getting a full-time job so I can use my freelance writing to add to my savings. It also includes taking a first-time home buyer course so I can be well-informed about mortgages, closing costs, and more.

My dream house? Right now it’s one with a clear view of the mountains and lots of room to grow. I need an office, a playroom, and maybe room for another child.

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Over the years I haven’t owned a watch because I never really pay much attention to time. I get up when the sun (or my daughter) wakes me up, and I kind of just know what time it is.

But if I were to finally get a watch, I’d definitely be sure it includes a stopwatch feature, like the one featured above from Seiko Watches. With constant interruptions from my daughter, I need to be able to literally stop time so I can accurately time a business event (versus getting up and changing a diaper).

Why is it important for freelancers, or any business owner, to properly keep track of their time?

Whenever you take on a project, even if it’s work done for your own business (like accounting, marketing, or even brainstorming), it’s crucial that you know how long it’s taking you.

When you do work for a client, keeping track of how long it takes for each task will help you price future projects more accurately. Be sure to include time spent on the actual writing. But you also have to take into account researching, editing, talking to the client, and more.

Keeping track of time spent on your own business should be accounted for also. This way you can see more clearly how much time it really takes to run your business. Use this information to adjust your hourly rates. You’ll quickly be out of business if you only consider your billable hours when setting your rates.

How do you keep track of your time?

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Before my daughter was born, I decided we would not watch T.V. at all. I heard all about the studies that said T.V. was bad for kids, that there’s no real interaction, that it may affect their ability to pay attention, and other scare tactics.

For us, television has been a sanity saver. There are times when I can’t be my daughter’s only source of entertainment, and we both need a break from each other. My daughter gets to visit places she’ll never see otherwise, she gets to see all kinds of people, and she’s introduced to lots of different concepts. For instance, she’s never seen snow in real life. The other day I pointed out that there was snow on the mountains, and she said, “I can ski on that snow!” I don’t ski. I don’t talk about skiing. She learned that on television.

I tape record educational shows for us to watch together, and we interact with them together sometimes. Our huge favorite is The Backyardigans. While there isn’t a teaching curriculum, she (and I) love to sing and dance together. When she was younger we watched Teletubbies.

Why do I mention this here? Lately I’ve found some shows on PBS that are wonderful programs that teach reading and writing. My educational favorite is Super Why. My daughter watches them read words, sound out letters and letter blends, write letters, and sing the alphabet. I find her telling me, “S. Sssssssss,” or “Tuh Tuh. T!” I love how she’s getting introduced to phonics. She answers their word questions, sings the alphabet with them, and pays close attention when they’re spelling out words.

While I’m still working at home without daycare, television is also a way for me to get a few minutes to concentrate on work.

So if you’re looking for another way to teach your toddler reading and writing, or if you’re a work-at-home parent, maybe rethink the whole television ban idea. Television might not be so bad after all, when used wisely.

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Marketing successfully means marketing constantly, and you have to be creative.

Using magnets as a marketing tool isn’t new, but I think it’s definitely effective. And judging by the number of business cards I get when I go to networking events, magnet advertising isn’t wildly popular among small business owners. So it makes sense to blaze a new trail to make your small business stand out from the rest, doesn’t it?

Whenever I get a business card or flyer that I really want to hold onto, I always grab a magnet (usually a pizza magnet), and attach it to my refrigerator. But it would be even better if the business card was actually a magnet itself.

Your business or service will be front and center more often. Besides being easy to put on their metal object of choice, your card will also be functional. In my case, whenever I feel like ordering a pizza, I never have to drag out a phonebook. I just go look on my frig. And sometimes I never even planned to get pizza, but that magnet is always there to remind me. I’m guessing a business card magnet will work similarly, especially if your customers put them on their file cabinets (refrigerators probably aren’t in their offices).

Recently I posted about VistaPrint’s business cards, announcements, and other products. But they also offer save the date magnets and business card magnets. On your next VistaPrint order, be sure to include the coupon code “Blog25FreeMag” to get 25 Free small magnets. I know I will.

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In the not-so-distant past I was a substitute teacher for about six years. More recently, I’ve toyed with the idea of subbing again, or possibly even going back to school to get my certification. For me, substitute teaching was actual teaching, not just babysitting. I made it a point to follow the regular teacher’s lesson plans, and I brought along my own plans just in case.

As a freelance writer or home-based business owner, you may consider substituting because you’ll have some flexibility in your work-life, and you can even teach kids about your profession.

If you do decide to teach, check out this new blog for teachers called, appropriately, Teacher Lingo. It’s chock full of lesson plans, teacher blogs, and a helpful forum. I would love for it to have a special section for substitutes, though.

If you’ve ever taught, you know that teachers do talk to each other, but aside from lunchtime, you don’t really have a chance to connect with everyone. Teacher Lingo is basically a really cool social networking group.

Just like any other social networking site, there are contests from time to time. You can win a $50 gift card to either Barnes & Noble or Amazon.com if you share one of your lesson plans in March.

Even if you’re never going to teach, I think it’s an interesting blog that could serve as a model for others.

Have you ever been a teacher? Would you consider substitute teaching as a way to supplement your freelance income?

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If you’ve been reading Crayon Writer for a while, you know that my primary method of getting new clients is via cold emailing instead of cold calling.

I’ve never gone into much detail about how I do cold emailing, and I also wanted to discuss the anti-spam legislation as it relates to cold emailing.

Thanks to my Entrecard travels, I met a great blogger who asked me to be to his first guest blogger. I was honored, and the article I wrote is up and running. Of course, the guest post I wrote is about getting new clients using cold email.

A big thanks to Marcus Hochstadt from the Internet Business Guide for this wonderful opportunity. His blog has some very helpful information about building an Internet business, so definitely hang out there for a while. And enjoy my guest post too.

If you get a chance to check it out, please leave a comment here or on Marcus’ site (or both). We’d love to hear your thoughts! 

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One of the perks of owning a home-based business is that you set your own hours. You can work late at night, early in the morning, or during “regular” hours. It’s up to you!

But when are you most productive? It probably depends on the task you have to complete, and also on your lifestyle.

For me, mornings are best for dealing with clients and for marketing. I work with clients all over the country, so I need to be able to contact people who live on the east coast. If I wait too late, they’re usually gone for the day. I’m most productive in the morning hours once I’ve woken up, eaten, and cleaned up.

My writing is best done late at night. I’m no good during the middle of the afternoon. That’s when I get overcome with sleepiness. So I’m kind of a night owl, and I get my second wind after 9 p.m. This might be because my daughter is blissfully asleep then, and I can’t write well when she’s up running around.

Blogging activities (replying to comments, dropping Entrecards, writing posts) are another story. When my daughter’s at home I can usually take care of most blogging tasks, but sometimes I wait until the wee hours of the night/morning.

What are your most productive times for the jobs you do at home?

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