It's a Jungle Out There and a Zoo In Here-- Sounds Like My Life
Written: Jan 24 '07 (Updated Jan 25 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Humorous look at the life of a Work At Home Mom.
Cons: Short on actual business advice covering the nitty gritty of running a business.
The Bottom Line: If you're looking for a light-hearted book about Work At Home Moms, Cheryl will make you laugh.
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| Barefooter's Full Review: Cheryl Demas - It's a Jungle Out There and a Zoo i... |
In the last several weeks, I've been on a book rampage. I've grabbed every "work at home" or "start a successful business" book I could lay my hands on. I'm at the point where I'm looking for a way to supplement my income from Epinions-- because the water bill, electric bill and gas bill keep adding zeros each year.
I came across It's a Jungle Out There and a Zoo in Here, by Cheryl Demas after surfing through some "Work at Home" websites. Cheryl runs her own website at: www.wahm.com.
I'll say this: Cheryl is funny. Her writing style reminds me of Erma Bombeck-- witty and wry. On the very first page, Cheryl provides a quick test (three short questions) to see if you have what it takes to be a Work At Home Mom. I took the quiz and discovered what I suspected, I do enjoy being a Work At Home Mom. Now if only I could make money from it.
Cheryl's journey as a Work At Home Mom was something she had not planned on. She enjoyed her career and planned to continue to work after having children.
Tragically, her first child did not live long after birth. After her second child was born, Cheryl tried some creative work scheduling so that she and her husband could spend time at home. She eventually went back to work full-time when her daughter was three. Everything came crashing down when her daughter was hospitalized with diabetes and Cheryl gave birth to another daughter. Right then and there, she made the decision not to go back to work. Instead, she started a website design business, which eventually lead to designing Work At Home Mom, www.wahm.com.
Peppered throughout the book are suggestions and tips from other Work At Home Moms that Cheryl gathered from her website. Cheryl identifies what it takes to start a home business: an entrepreneurial spirit, resilience, dedication, creativity, independence, a realistic attitude and desire.
A very simple business plan is offered in the book and short descriptions of different types of businesses (profit, non-profit, sole-proprietorship, etc.) are covered. Several tips on getting started with marketing are covered.
Juggling children, significant others and home life while working at home is an issue that Cheryl covers in detail with excerpts from her own experience as well as input from other moms.
As much as I was entertained from this book, I wish there were more details-- such as the rules for filing taxes on a quarterly basis or how to track the money that starts flowing in. Instead, Cheryl's advice is simply to find an accountant. Cheryl also suggests that one become an online expert by setting up your own business website but does not offer tips on how to do so.
Despite the lean amount of actual information about running a business, this is a humorous tale of one mom's journey into a Work At Home business. Definitely worth the read if you plan to take the Work At Home plunge.
ISBN: 0-446-67972-0
www.wahm.com
Recommended:
Yes
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Member: Karen
Location: Chicago area
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