Celebrating YOU!
Tell me a little bit about you!
My name is Megan & I have been married to my husband for seven and a half years & we have two children. We have lived in Duluth, MN for over six years now. Besides being a WAHM, I also spend time giving back to my community by volunteering with Junior Achievement & the March of Dimes.
What did you do BEFORE you became a WAHM?
I worked in the financial & insurance industry as a licensed financial and insurance planner. I did retirement planning and worked with all lines of insurance.
Why did you decide to become a WAHM?
It was definitely a big decision! I became pregnant with our daughter while I was working. At that time, my job was very stressful & the stress was starting to affect my pregnancy. My husband & I made the decision after looking at our finances that we could afford for me to stay home. Once I became a stay at home mom I decided that I needed to do something. I am the type of person that cannot keep still for more than two minutes! That is why I looked into getting a direct selling business to keep myself busy & bring in some extra income.
What is the best part of working from home?
The best part of working from home is that I get to make my own schedule & I can make it around my family’s needs. My husband works out of town A LOT! Being a WAHM gives me the ability to be there for my kids when they need me. I do not have to worry about taking time off of work if one of them is sick. I get to experience my kids growing up!
What would you tell someone who wants to work at home, but doesn’t think they could?
I think that it really depends on their situation at home. Especially if they are already working outside the home & trying to see if they could just work from home. It has to make sense financially so making a family budget is important & sticking to that budget is also important.
Do you think more companies should offer the opportunity to work from home?
I think that more companies should offer more ways to work their businesses. My business is in the direct selling industry and in that industry people think that it is an only party based business. My company is changing the way that their consultants can work their business. Everyone has different strengths ,different circles & more companies should give more ways & options in order to do and grow their businesses..
What advice do you offer new WAH moms?
Know when you want to work!! Your calendar is your best friend. Also know how to prioritize your monthly activities. Something that I do every month is I sit down & review my calendar. Make sure I have my husband’s travel schedule & my kid’s schedules in there. Then I highlight & mark off the days that I want to do parties or events. That way I am making time for my family & also when I come across someone who wants to book a party or an event comes along I know what dates I have available.
Is it hard for you to keep your work & home
life separate?
It is sometimes hard keeping work life & home life separate because my office is in my house. Finding that balance between work & family is key. One way to do that is prioritizing & keeping your schedule up to date. One of the reasons why I started to work from home was because I wanted the ability to put my family first, but I also have to make sure that I give my business the time that it needs to grow & become successful.
What is your secret to not letting your work life consume your family time?
I schedule time when I can work during the day but I think one of my biggest secrets is that my daughter goes to daycare twice a week so that I get two full days a week. I use this to get work done, run errands or volunteer in my community. Since my husband travels so much, there are some weeks where I do not get any time to myself. So this gives me the chance to get things done & also have time so I do not go crazy.
Where do you think is the best place to look for work at home jobs?
That depends on what you want to do. The places to look
are on social media platforms, doing searches for the type of business that you want to do or just start asking around. More & more people are starting work at home business and more and more businesses are developed every year. My suggestion would to do a lot of research on the business you are thinking about choosing. Present it to your family and friends and see if they are interested in it because if it is a business with products they will most likely be your first customers.
Work at home moms taking super mom to the next level
Megan Swap
Former Military wife and mother of two, Megan Swap has been a WAHM for over two and a half years. FW Magazine Editor Christina Boyer had the pleasure of speaking with her about her journey, and found this mom thinks being a WAHM is "Simply Fun".
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Clebrating You! Continued on Page 31