My Life as a Mommy with her own
Home-based PR Agency

Can you parlay your own talents and experiences
into a home-based job like I did?

By Jenny Kefauver for Work-from-Home.org

As a self-employed, work-from-home mom, I feel fortunate to not be one of the many parents who fights traffic and the frantic day-to-day pace of going to another office to work outside the home.

I have no grueling commute. I no longer have to tolerate office politics. My only time away from my family is a two-minute walk to the home office in bathrobe and slippers. I pay nothing for fuel to drive to work, and I no longer pay for other work-related expenses, like big dry cleaning bills and other commuting costs.

As the queen of my own PR agency I am flexible. I control my own schedule. I have more time with family; and less stress.

My typical day consists of waking up, giving the kids breakfast, school/camp drop-off (if during the summer), then coming back to answer emails and tend to client phone calls – or attend meetings, if need be, in the city. Then in the afternoon, school/camp pick-up, dinner, baths, bedtime, and more emails. I confess to having a baby in my lap while while on a conference call and typing on my PC at the same time, and loving it. I have found myself checking my Crackberry late in the evenings and on the weekends.

I’ve enjoyed this lifestyle for six years, and counting… and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

I am grateful for the unexpected corporate layoff that led me to this fabulous lifestyle. At the time my husband and I were also in the process of starting a family. After much soul-searching, we decided that we wanted for me to find a position that would allow me to be at home with our baby in the first year (implementing child care once needed as they got mobile and more active). The thought of going back to the 9-5 daily grind, the commute, and the lack of flexibility was unappealing, so I became motivated to start my own company – and make it a success. Fortunately, the bulk of my public relations work can be done via telephone, email, and fax, which makes having a virtual agency a lot easier.

Suddenly my home-based PR agency was born.

I told all of my friends, family, former clients and colleagues that I was in the process starting a PR company and actively seeking accounts. I networked with organizations that I had formerly been affiliated with, via internships and other connections which soon paid off. A couple of friends also helped me out by taking me under their wing to show me the ropes of how they did it successfully. Slowly but surely, via word-of-mouth and referrals, I starting building a portfolio of clients, and have been successfully employed for the past six years. My company has never advertised and I do not yet have a website. There have been some bumps in the road as any young company can expect, but my company’s only real expenses are Internet/phone/fax and my cell phone. We are able to cut down costs by having my home office, of which a percentage is tax-deductible, along with any office-related expenses. Of course, check with a Certified Public Accountant to ensure that certain expenses are acceptable, as one never wants to deal with a time-consuming IRS audit!

My firm focuses on book author promotions and publicity; booking interviews on a variety of issues; pitching new media including bloggers, a new and growing source of information, and almost any other organizational aspect of public relations. I price my services accordingly, given my experience with two PR firms and a longtime public policy/political background. The income can be quite good, especially considering that even without advertising my company, I’ve been able to almost match my corporate income without the headaches of working for someone else.

Working from home, however, can come with its own set of challenges.

If YOU are an aspiring work-from-home mom, here are a few tips and questions to help get you started:

- What are your interests, talents, and hobbies? Can you parlay any of those things into a job like I did?

- Is your current position one that can be done from home via phone and email? What adaptations can be made to make it so?

- Network, network, network like crazy! Tell everyone you know from your neighbor, dry cleaner, old colleagues, and family that you are interested in becoming a work at home mom – perhaps they can even give you leads or ideas.

- Join a professional association of the industry that you work in, and the local Chamber of Commerce. Perhaps there is one locally in your community that you can become involved with. Find out when they meet and make sure to introduce yourself.

- Get involved in your community, whether it is through your children’s school, house of worship, political organization, or a charity – it is a great way to meet people on common ground, and expand your social circle.

- Don’t be afraid to look at social networking sites like LinkedIn and Facebook. And keep it professional! Keep non-work oriented links to a minimum, unless they are related to your job.

- Quality child care is essential in being an efficient, self-employed professional, as you want a home office that is free of noise and distractions as possible. Make sure that you research all child care options carefully, whether you decide to go with a home daycare, center or a nanny. Not having back-up child care can be a challenge as a work-from-home mom – no one wants to be considered unprofessional for having a tantrum-throwing toddler or a crying baby heard while negotiating a potential contract!

Being a work-from-home mom can be a demanding, time-consuming endeavor especially in the initial phases, in addition to a juggling act, but once you find your personal niche and decide to take the plunge into entrepreneurship, you will find that the rewards you reap are well worth it!

Jenny Kefauver owns her own virtual public relations agency, JK Public Relations, LLC in Virginia where she lives with her two children, husband, and dachshunds. She may be via email at jenny@jkpublicrelationsdc.com and via Facebook.