Since I didn´t have an interview ready for today´s Motivational Monday, I thought I would answer the questions myself and let you all know a bit more about me. Next week, we´ll be back to regular interviews.

Successful Mompreneur Interview Questions

1. What is your business?

I´m a freelance writer and blogger.

2. How did you get started?

Well, I´ve wanted to write since I was a tiny kid, I used to dictate stories to my mom to write, before I knew my letters. When I was older, I told everyone I was going to be a novelist and I wrote all the time. My dad gave me an old laptop of his when I was about 12, so I could write in my room (and get off his computer ) and when I was 15, I started a young adult novel that I finished when I was 17. It was never published, but there is a certain satisfaction to knowing you are capable of finishing a whole book.

Later, I realized that it was really hard to break into the fiction market. After writing a half dozen children´s books, stories I would make up for my 3 year old sister, and receiving rejections from every publisher I sent them to, I decided to try doing some non-fiction writing.

First, I wrote for a website called WriteforCash, this was back in 1999 or so. I earned quite a bit of money before they closed for submissions. Then I went on with life and forgot about it, left writing behind while I studied to be a paramedic. To make a long story short, I ended up here in Guatemala with a latino guy and when our first son, Dorian, was born, he had some problems and needed several surgeries and a colostomy. I stayed home with him, but after about 6 months, I was going stir-crazy, so my husband started to take the baby for an hour or two in the afternoon and I´d go write at the local internet cafe. Right before my second son, Dante, was born, we got internet at home and I´ve been writing and blogging online ever since.

3. What mistakes did you make when you were starting out? What did you learn from them?

I took on very low paying jobs, figuring that it was a good way to get a start. But it was really stressful and when you have small children, daily deadlines aren´t a good idea. Plus, I had no time to look for something that paid better, so I was slaving away for $20-30 a day!

Finally, I just quit the job and took the time to find a better one. It was the best move I made and I have been taking on better jobs since then, plus building up my blogs.

4. How long have you been working from home? (was this your first business or have you had others where you worked from home?)

It´s not my first business. I´ve worked from home on and off since I was 16. Here, in Guatemala, I´ve done seamstress work, run a bakery and taught English.

5. What are your tricks for balancing work, kids and household chores?

I have to admit that I´m still not very good at balance, but I´m definitely working on it! I try to outsource, we pay a lady to wash the clothes (all by hand here!) and my husband looks after the kids when he is home. My inlaws take the baby sometimes so I can finish up under a deadline, too.  As for housework, that is pretty low on my priority list. Luckily, I have a husband who likes to clean, so he tends to keep things tidy.

6. How many children do you have? How old are they?

I have two boys. Dorian is 22 months old and Dante is 5 months.

7. When do you usually work?

Right now, I try to work early in the morning, during naps (if they both go down at the same time!), and late at night, after the boys are in bed. Before, I was on the computer all day and it just wasn´t good.

8. What is the best part of being a mompreneur? And the worst?

The best part is being able to take a day off when it´s sunny out and take the kids to the park or have an impromptu picnic. Just spending time with the family is a great benefit of working at home.

The worst is that work is always there. I find myself wanting to get back to the computer to finish up just a couple more articles . . . when I should be relaxing with the boys.

9. What are your plans for the future of your business?

I plan to start up several more blogs, with the intention of turning them into a mini network and possibly selling some in the future. Truthfully, I want to get away from the freelance writing where you are just exchanging time for money. Once my blogs and websites are all earning well, I will stop writing for other people.

10. What advice would you give new work at home moms?

Don´t expect too much at first. You might think you can do it all and the schedule looks perfect on paper, but life gets in the way. It´s part of working at home, you have to clean up the toilet that is overflowing because your son stuffed a toy into it, you have to take a day off when the kids are sick, it´s not going to work out the way you planned . . . and that´s ok! Accept that things will get messed up, have a backup plan and keep going.

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