If you are easily distracted, staying focused on your business can be harder than doing the actual work of your business! It is very easy to procrastinate, especially when you are a WAHM. There are always ‘so many other things to do’.
Here is a secret that you may not have heard yet: The dishes can wait! The laundry can wait! So feel free to make those phone calls or answer those emails. The laundry and dishes will still be there, waiting for you! However, if you wait too long to call a client back, they may move on to someone who gets back to them faster than you do.
Why did you become a WAHM in the first place? Did you need to bring in an extra $500 a month to help out with household expenses? Was it to put money away for your children’s college fund? Or was it to save for retirement? Whatever the reason, write it down and put it where you will see it on a daily basis. When you are feeling distracted, look at what you wrote down. It will be easier to work when you remember why you are working in the first place.
You may want to team up with another WAHM. Send each other your goals and keep one another accountable. Call each other at the end of the day and discuss what you accomplished; you can share your successes or lend each other a sympathetic ear over things that didn’t go as you planned.
Stay motivated by setting daily, weekly and monthly goals. If you “work backwards” you will create a road map to your success. For instance, if you are in direct sales and your financial goal is to sell $1500 in product that month. Do the math and you’ll see that you need to sell $375 of product each week. Now, how many home parties do you need to hold each week to accomplish that? How many phone calls do you need to make each day in order to schedule those parties?
Today’s interview is with a sister who successfully operates two online businesses simultaneously: Styles by Shamael and Guile Graphics.
Shamael was kind enough to consent to being interviewed about her work-at-home businesses and the challenges of balancing business with family:
1) How do you make an income online?
I have two ways where I try to make an profit online, I have my blogsite Styles By Shamael where I sell Islamic Attire for Women and Children and sometimes Arabic Books for children and adults. My second business is a graphic design (business).
I (also) offer graphic designs for people with small businesses. My graphic design company name is Guile Graphics & Designs. I offer Logo Design, Banner and Header designs for websites and blog sites, Button Design, and Book Cover Designs. so far I have with only a handful of clients but most I do work for my own self for personal and commercial use, I do all the editing and advertisements for the pictures that are inside the post on my blogsite.
2) What company do you work for/what is the name of your business?
I have worked for two book publishing companies in the past where I provided book cover design and interior cover design, and banners for one of the companies website. The names of my two businesses are Styles By Shamael and Guile Graphics & Design
3) Do you telecommute, freelance/contract or operate your own business?
Basically all these jobs are freelance.
4) How did you come across this opportunity?
I started out with my business Styles By Shamael about 7 years ago. I started out making handmade hijab pins/stick pins and sewing my own khimaar and niqaabs sets. I would vend at local islamic events or sisters gathers such as primp and pampers,cookouts, etc.
5) How did you get started?
I am self taught practicing on my sewing machines with old clothing and sewing patterns making khimmars, niqaabs, and skirt sets for the females in my family. Once I became good at sewing, I’d offered and advertised my services to other sisters in my community. As for the hijab pins/stick pins I made them as a hobby and as a way to make an income while in high school. That was my first job making hijab pins, khimaars, and niqaabs.
As for my graphic designing, I’ve always been into graphic design every since starting Styles By Shamael, I’ve made my own business cards, Flyers, Labeling and Packaging Stickers, graphic and logo design for my website and so forth. so in the begging I started out as doing graphic design for myself (personal and business use). It wasn’t until around 2008 that I started getting more serious about wanting to know more and learn more about graphic design. I’m pretty much an self taught graphic designer. I’ve learned a lot of things through trial and error and by doing research online reading articles and watching videos about graphic designing. My future goal is to apply online for web and graphic design so that I may obtain an degree in that field .
6) How long have you worked online?
I (created) my first website up back in early 2000 for about three years. I got married in 2003 and moved overseas (and) I didn’t continue with it for a while, until I (had) steady Internet access to sell products online.
7) Do you work full-time or part-time?
I work part-time through out the week I spend one half of the day doing my business and the other have is dedicated to my family and taking care of things that need to be done for them and for the house.
If you freelance/contract services or run your own business, how long did it take for you to become profitable?
I have worked under both conditions as a freelancer and under a contract. I don’t worry to much as to how profitable I’ll become or want to be because the Rizq is from Allah (swt) I like to focus more about the work and business relationships that I have with the people I’m working with or for. You want them to feel important and that you can carry,deliver and provide the need that they want. I think that having a good customer service base and relationship with your clients is (important); that helps build up your reputation and you’ll always have a loyal customer base. If a person feels satisfied with the work or products (they receive) from you/ by you then they will feel confident enough to continue to work with you. having good work relations is important.
9) What is your typical workday schedule like?
It depends on the mood and health condition I am in.
10) Do you have children?
Yes I have 3 kids
11) How do you balance work with family/kids?
That is still a process that I’m learning to deal with.
12) If you worked a traditional job prior to working from home, how was the transition?
I’ve never worked outside of the home. I’ve always worked for myself or worked with my family.
13) What are your biggest challenges?
My biggest challenge right now would have to be trying to sell products at reasonable prices and making things appealing to customers during this ecomony without me losing out on too much of a profit. As for (my) graphic designs, I would say (the biggest challenge is) staying focus and and not losing the determination and confidence.
14) What does the money you make online mean for your family?
It is a way for extra income for my family, and to help out my husband, and also as a small income for me to do my own personal shopping and spending.
For more information about Styles by Shamael, contact Shamael by visiting her website.
If you’d like to contact her about graphic design projects you can email Shamael at: guilegraphics@gmail.com
I always eagerly await the sighting of the moon announcing the start of Ramadan, masha’Allah. Like many households we’ve spent the past two weeks frantically preparing for this blessed month. I’m a big believer in planning ahead for success, and that also applies to Ramadan. As we turn our attention to earning the many blessings this month provides, creating a personal plan is a must.
Time is truly in limited supply when you run your own home-based business- especially if you are operating it around small children and the typical household responsibilities. Effective planning is the key to maintaining sanity and balance and moderation. Ramadan is such a precious time and I want to ensure that I have enough time to experience it with my family. Here are a few websites to help you organize your own Ramadan goals;
My summer is quickly coming to a close. In less that 2 weeks my kids will ALL be going back to school which will give me more uninterrupted time during the day to get my work done (rather than working sporadically throughout the entire day). With our summer coming to a close so quickly, I’ll be taking the rest of this week to devote time to my family. I’ll be back on Monday with a fresh, new post, insha’Allah.
I wanted to share a couple of links to two blogs worth mentioning. Head over to http://amalfilbayt.wordpress.com/ for a list of back to school/office supply items currently on sale across the country (USA) at all time low prices (I visited my local Kroger on Sunday after reading her post and snatched up a TON of $.15 notebooks – can’t have too many!).
If you run your own business targeting the ummah (or are thinking about it), check out the most recent consumer statistics revealing the powerful purchasing power of the Muslim consumer over at M&M Blog. Have a productive day!
Yesterday I had the immense pleasure of reconnecting with a very dear friend of mine – a sister who recently relocated with her family to Virginia, masha’Allah. My friend works from home as a licensed medical coder telecommuting for a major hospital in Georgia so relocating to another state was not an issue. She is only required to fly back into town for quarterly meetings. A small price to pay for the flexibility.
My sister-friend has been working from home now for a little over a year. When I asked her how things were going, I wasn’t too surprised to find that she was still having a difficult time dealing with work-at-home isolation.
She had been working in a pretty tense work environment, and although she loved her work going in to work each day had become increasingly difficult. She was relieved when her employer announced that they were finally ready to allow the coders to work from home. She looked forward to working whenever she liked (she’s an early bird who likes working from 4am to 12 noon so that she has the rest of her day free), making salat without worrying about finding a place to go etc. What she didn’t count on was missing some of her coworkers. Even the most casual interactions throughout the day were suddenly missed.
It’s very easy to become isolated when working from home – especially if you have other family obligations like caring for young children, an aging parent or other family member. If you are telecommuting, you probably have a certain number of hours you’ll be expected to log in each day. If you operate your own business, you’ll have to split your time between actual work time, administrative tasks and marketing to get more customers/clients.
I could certainly sympathize. When I’d quit my eight year advertising job in 2003 after the birth of my twins to stay home to care for them and their two-year old sister, I was blindsided by how alone I suddenly felt. Even if you truly hate your job, we are social creatures by nature, so you may be surprised to find that you miss this part of a traditional work setting. Establishing and maintaining professional and personal connections is very important. Here are a few ideas:
Meet other sisters in online chat rooms that meet your interests. Muslim Moms’ Cafe is one such online community to check out.
Start a work-at-home group in your community. Set up meetings once a month where you might meet at a sister’s house from breakfast or lunch to discuss parenting and work-related issues.
Join a professional association for your industry. Attend meetings and conferences. There are a number of women only professional organizations like Ladies Who Launch and the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO). Find out if there is a local chapter in your area.
Volunteer. Spend time at least once a month participating in community efforts through your local masjid or the greater community helping out with neighborhood cleanup projects, feeding the homeless, job training, etc.
Make time to get together with friends regularly. These relationships are precious, so take time to nurture them.
Don’t allow your business to become so consuming that you are left with no social outlet. Spending quality time with others is an important part of having a balanced, healthy, happy life.
I’ve been so pleased to connect with more and more Muslimahs and Muslimah-owned businesses on Twitter lately. For the past two years I’ve networked my own copywriting and content development business on Twitter with some pretty good results. Twitter has introduced me to other writers, work-at-home-moms, and even a few new clients. It has been an excellent way of increasing traffic and readership to my blog(s).
The key to success with Twitter, and any other promotional strategy, is creating a plan otherwise the results will be hit or miss. Focus your attention on two objectives:
Focus on the Fundamentals
Analyze your progress and make improvements
What are the Fundamentals?
Success with Twitter and any other social media website depends on understanding the fundamentals of the site and establishing a solid foundation. Here are a few tips to help you get started:
Set Up a Professional Background
Avoid the generic, complimentary backgrounds Twitter provides and set up a professional, customized background instead. Think of your Twitter page like a website. Add your logo, contact information and the benefits of doing business with you, etc. You may tweak your background from time to time to see how others respond.
Mind Your Time
It’s so easy to get caught up in conversations and updates on Twitter while work sits undone. There are few free tools you can use to help manage “conversations:” Ping.fm, SocialOomph and Hootsuite can help. These tools not only allow you to keep up with Tweet communicated directly to you, they also allow you to preprogram say 30 Tweet over 30 days which can reduce the amount of time you spend posting updates.
Measuring Progress
The measuring tool you choose will depend on your business goals. Do you want to drive more visitor traffic to your website? Are you interested in increasing the amount of time visitors spend on your site? A free tool like Google Analytics can help you keep track of these important statistics. You’ll find out exactly how many visitors to your website come from Twitter, how many are first-time visitors and how many visit multiple pages.
Commit to Tweeting at Least Twice a Day
Strategy is important when it comes to your updates. Engaging in casual conversation is good, but you also need to keep your business objectives in mind. Post updates that include calls-to-action, informative links, targeted keywords, re-tweeting information and hash tags. Pay attention to your audience to find out what they most positively respond to.
Analyze Results and Make Improvements
It’s important that you not fall into a pattern of blindly making updates. From time to time pay attention to the updates that get the response you’re looking for.
Use tools like Hootsuite (which measures the number of clicks the links in your updates receive) and Google Analytics (which measures page views, the number of first-time visitors, etc.) so that you can find what’s working and repeat it.
Last week was complicated. So much so that I was forced to let several things fall to the wayside – including this blog. The overwhelm of client projects, pre-k orientation meetings for my youngest, attending all of the children’s doctor and dentist appointments in preparation of the upcoming school year and helping DH with his current job search – it all just became too much to keep up with.
This is a reality I try very hard to communicate when someone expresses an interest in working from home. Yes, working from home is a dream come true for me. I get to be available to my family and earn an income. I do love the idea of self sufficiency. I can adjust my schedule to attend parent-teacher conferences, shuttle children to appointments or care for sick children without missing a beat. But running a business from home involves a lot of work: marketing to find business, finding time in your day (or night) to work, administrative tasks while managing your household, preparing regular meals, caring for and spending quality time with your children and husband – it’s the ultimate juggling act.
There are days when I sail through and meet all of my business and personal priorities seamlessly, and others when I crawl into bed exhausted and shaking having just kept my head above water. Time management is a skill I’m always working to improve.
I’m currently writing an ebook full of tips and work-at-home ideas for Muslimahs. No matter what stage of life you are experiencing – whether you are a new mother or retired, there is a way to earn a living, or an additional income from home. I’ll be giving the book awayfor free. I will keep you posted on my progress.
If you have any questions about home-based business, online businesses or the challenges of working from home, please feel free to email me or post in the comments section. I want to create a truly useful guide, insha’Allah.
One way of earning a passive income is through affiliate marketing. With affiliate marketing you promote the products of others by signing up for their affiliate marketing programs. Each time someone makes a purchase, you get a commission from the sale. The key is finding providing a product that your target market demands. Matching the right products with your audience is key.
The good thing about affiliate marketing is the start up costs are low and there is a real potential to bring in large profits if you consistently put in time learning, promoting and marketing.
When you’re just starting out, it’s important to build trust with your readers and establish your credibility. When you present your readers with affiliate links, start with products you’ve actually used yourself. It’s more of an authentic recommendation. Share your personal experiences honestly. Your readers will appreciate having an honest perspective. Make providing your readers with informative content a priority – affiliate marketing is not just about creating blog posts full of affiliate links. Here are a few blog posts that explain the process of earning an income with affiliate marketing:
If like me you are responsible for generating enough of a monthly income to cover basic living expenses, you know the pressure that accompanies such a responsibility. Even with the highs and lows, the feast and famine that often comes with choosing self-employment, I find more security in fending for myself each day than I did in the eight years I spent working in my old corporate job. One reason is that I assist several clients at once. This means that losing one client has less of a devastating effect than if I’d lose a job. I still have my other clients, and can simply increase my marketing efforts to find a new one.
I’m always looking for ways to increase my earning power and financial security for my family. I believe that having more than one income stream is one way of accomplishing this. I own a service-based business, but I’m working on building some “passive income.” Passive income is profit that is earned without your direct involvement. There are many different ways of earning passive income – especially online.
For instance, if you are a homeschooling parent with a blog that has a generous readership, you might consider collecting your knowledge of developing an Islamic and academically challenging lesson plan for specific ages/grades into an ebook you can sell. The money you’d make from ebook sales would be considered passive income. Other ideas for earning passive income include:
Affiliate marketing
Creating an information product (ecourse, ebook, podcast/video series, etc.)
Creating Software products
Google Adsense
I’ll spend this week focusing on each of these topics in detail and sharing other ideas that can help you increase your earning potential by including passive streams of income.
Welcome to Muslimahs Working at Home, a community for the entrepreneurial Muslimah. This blog is intended to share ideas, resources, guidance, inspiration, encouragement and support for Muslimahs who run, or are preparing to start, their own online businesses. I hope you'll find the information useful and that you'll return from time to time as your business grows.
"Allah loves for any of you, when he does something, to do it well." - Ahasan hadith by Al-Bayhaqi in Shu'ab al-Eemaan, 4/334, from Aa'ishah
Tips for staying focused on your business
If you freelance/contract services or run your own business, how long did it take for you to become profitable? 
