Anita

WAHM.com: We're happy to feature your book as our December book club selection. Many of our readers already have home businesses, while others are working mothers who are looking for a home business. We explore the challenges and turmoil faced by mothers who are considering leaving the "traditional workplace" to strike out on their own.
I've read that since your book was published, you are now a mom.

Anita: Yes, I am a mom now, of three children (Katie is almost 4; Will is almost 3 and Michael is almost 1). After running a business for 10 years without children, Ive had the experience of doing it with three children ... all in diapers. When does it end? Too soon I am told by more experienced Moms.

WAHM.com: You had 10 years to build your business before your children came along, do you think you would have had the time, energy and desire to build your business if you would have had children when you started?

Anita: I think I would have built it, just differently. Now that Im older and wiser, if I were to start a business again with my kids, I would be very clear about what my job as CEO would entail and what I would delegate to others. The trick is to save the high level stuff for yourself (large volume sales, negotiating contracts with clients and vendors, setting corporate strategy, establishing overall operations goals) and delegate the lesser work to lower paid people or vendors such as prospecting for new business (--my company does that for 100s of clients across the US), answering the phones on the second ring, being a primary contact with clients who call every day, doing bookkeeping , invoicing, actual operations work. I think the ideal goal is a CEO job that pays well, challenges my brain and business skills and requires 30 hours of my time per week to allow me quality time with my family. You cant run every business this way, but those are the businesses Id stay away from while my kids needed me.

WAHM.com: Do you spend as much time on the business now that you have kids?

Anita: Without kids and with a very supportive husband I had no boundaries. I worked till 4 a.m., I worked weekends, I averaged 60 hours of work per week and never really knew when to quit. Now I work about 40 highly focused, highly delegated, tightly managed hours per week and leave my early mornings, evenings and weekends for my family.

WAHM.com: Do you ever work from home?

Anita: More than ever. My home office is my control center of the corporation. I show up at the office to run meetings, return phone calls and review work and help where needed. I do no paperwork, study no reports and do no reading in our corporate headquarters location (about 10 minutes from my home).

WAHM.com: Have there been any changes in your business since your book was published?

Anita: We now have about 70 employees and are growing. I can see clearly how the company will get to 200 employees and my role in it . Eventually, I hope to become its CEO and let someone else be President and Ill just be the largest shareholder. My husband has no financial interest in the business so its really my "asset." I do not like the role of "manager" and thats what running a company of this size takes. Ive had to hire good managers and a good VP of Operations and VP of Finance. They do a super job. Both working moms. Marys kids are grown now and shes a grandmother. Jane has an active 5 year old and I pay her full-time wages for a 4 day work week and flexible scheduling (she can work from home when it makes sense).

WAHM.com: What were the consequences of the public exposure you received after your book was published?

Anita: I discovered to my amazement that other women had businesses and thought they were failing or not getting it right. I found out that thousands of people (who wrote, callad, faxed, e-mailed me) men and women alike, struggle in business and have their fair share of victories too. I didnt feel so alone ever again.

WAHM.com: Any other advice for our readers?

Anita: Someone sitting out there somewhere in the country has the answer to everyone of your business dilemmas. You just have to name your problem and put it out there and thousands of people will come to your aid. So dont sit quietly at home thinking you are stupid because you cant figure something out. You just dont have enough experience in that particular problem. And the biggest difference between building a business and having kidswith kids you have to try hard every day because there is no way to start over. Every mistake you make as a parent is going to have some effect on you kids. But in business, every day is a new day.
Good luck to all of you, if you wish, you may send feedback about the book to drmtdr@usaor.net