Work & Family
Book Club Pick: It's A Jungle Out There And A Zoo In Here
Book Review by Sonja Meyer
You might be a work-at-home mom, also known as a WAHM, if
you:
--- Call four hours of uninterrupted sleep a good night's
rest;
--- Synchronize your working hours with the 'Blues Clues'
TV schedule;
--- Type e-mail while nursing; and
--- Think a great anniversary gift is a new laser printer.
Those are sure signs that you're busy each day balancing
your roles of mom and business owner, according to Cheryl
Demas, author of "It's A Jungle Out There And A Zoo
In Here: Run Your Home Business Without Letting It Overrun
You," (Warner Books, 2003, 224 pages. Paperback, $14.95.)
Her book is the May pick for the Work & Family Book Club
at BellaOnline.
Like many women today, before Demas had children she was
quite the career professional. Unlike some women, she used
her degree in math and computer science to do what traditionally
has been a man's job: writing computer software for an avionics
group that produced "black box" computers for airplanes.
After losing her first baby at birth and then having a healthy
girl, she worked hard to balance motherhood and a career.
When her child was diagnosed with diabetes and a second baby
girl was born, though, she took the plunge: she gave up her
job and stayed home.
Again, like many women, one question haunted her: "How
would we pay the bills?"
Her solution was to become a WAHM, a work-at-home mom, and
she shares her experience and her advice in "It's A
Jungle Out There And A Zoo In Here."
This book offers a humorous and hopeful hand to women who
are caught in the stressful situation of trying to take care
of their children while meeting the family budget. It gives
a good overview of what to expect as a work-at-home mom,
with tips for deciding whether you have the WAHM personality
and drive, and suggestions for how to figure out what kind
of business to run.
It touches lightly on the basics of setting up a business,
such as whether to incorporate or operate as a sole proprietor,
on balancing work and family, on setting up an office and
on promoting your business.
However, "It's A Jungle Out There" is best at
introducing mothers to what a work-at-home life can be like,
suggesting things you should consider to get started and
then inspiring you to research more specifics on your own.
Demas includes a good resource list with books and Web sites
where you can get more business information. You can also
find a wealth of information on her Web site, www.WAHM.com.
"The successful WAHM may have big goals and dreams,
but she also has a realistic vision of what she will be able
to accomplish with her home business," Demas gently
advises. "She looks at the time and resources she has
available and makes a realistic plan."
Demas used her computer job experience to first start a
Web site design business. Later, she began her own Web site
to help other work-at-home moms, www.WAHM.com, The Online
Magazine For Work-At-Home Moms. When the site started generating
income through advertising and affiliate programs, she closed
her Web site design business to concentrate on WAHM.com.
In fact, in her book, Demas weaves in the stories of women
who visit her WAHM.com site.
Those stories and her own make reading "It's A Jungle
Out There And A Zoo In Here" feel like you're talking
to a good friend.
Sonja Meyer is the host of the Work & Family
site at BellaOnline: http://www.bellaonline.com/site/workandfamily.
She is also the mother of three girls and a freelance writer
and editor. You may visit her business sites at http://www.CoventryParkCommunications.com and http://www.CoventryParkGifts.com.
