From the comments I get from former co-workers, friends, family, and what I read all over the Internet, the world definitely has an inaccurate view of mompreneurs. What is it actually like to be a work at home mom? Here’s the Top 7 Myths about Work At Home Moms:
- We are not "real" business owners. I personally know work at home moms who are making six and even seven figures. I also know work at home moms who just make a few thousand bucks a year — and that’s exactly what they want. How much money you make, and whether your business is in a fancy office, is not determinative upon whether your business is "real."
- We all work in our underwear. I’ve never (okay, maybe once or twice) worked in my underwear and rarely work in my PJ’s. Actually, I wear regular casual clothes 1/2 the time (today I am wearing a t-shirt and capri pants), and business casual the rest of the time, with a few fancy outfits for networking events. Now, I do work in the early morning or late night in my PJ’s, but so do employed-office people who take work home.
- We all are doing MLM or network marketing. Yes, some of us are, but many of us are also doing service-based businesses, information products, manufactured or home craft products, consulting, or internet businesses.
- We all homeschool our kids. Some WAHM’s homeschool, but heck, my 2-year old is in preschool. Not that I don’t admire homeschoolers, but it just does not work for us, and that’s not why I’m staying home.
- Our business income is "second-income" to the family and is not as important as our husband’s income. Pleeze. Some moms’ income is the non-essential stuff (toys, family vacations, eating out, etc.), but some are making more than their spouse, and some are single moms — for example, my sister.
- You can always tell if a business is a "home business." I doubt it. It’s not too hard to look "real" or "big" — I constantly have clients who think I am in a fancy office building and are very surprised to pull up to my house for a meeting. I also get calls from salespeople who want to know if my marketing budget is over $100,000, and if my annual revenue is over or under $10M. (ha! not quite yet!)
- We are going to get a "real job" when our kids are in school, or go off to college. I don’t know about you, but I will never work for someone else again. Once I’ve been an entrepreneur, I can’t go back.
Do you have any myths you would like to share? Leave a comment below and I will address them in an upcoming post.
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I'm Elizabeth Potts Weinstein, a writer, teacher, and coach.