Moms, Jobs and the Gig Economy
I recently spoke to Whitney Bonds, Founder of Tried and True Mom Jobs, a platform for women looking for legitimate ways to make money from home while raising a family. Whitney helps thousands of women around the country learn how to find success in the gig economy, where she shares advice on trends and the future of remote work.
Adam: Thanks again for taking the time to share your advice. First things first, though, I am sure readers would love to learn more about you. How did you get here? What experiences, failures, setbacks or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth?
Whitney: I’m a wife, mother of two with another baby on the way and founder of the website TriedandTrueMomJobs.com.
How did I get here? Well, it all started with exciting news. I found out I was pregnant with my second child. I realized how much of my toddlers life I’d missed at work and no longer had the desire to continue to climb the corporate ladder. I wanted to be home raising my kids so I could “be there”. My husband and I were living on a two-household income so if I was to quit my job as a Marketing Manager, I had to figure out a way to supplement my income.
I scoured the internet looking for ways moms could make money from home with kids but I couldn’t find any success stories. I knew there were moms out there making money from home and after months of frustration I decided to reach out to work at home moms and ask them what they do, how did they get started, how they do it with kids, and most importantly how much they earn.
They were kind enough to share their stories, so I documented everything and created a website for moms like me looking for LEGITIMATE ways to make money from home with kids from moms who do them today. My challenge to find a solution birthed my business.
I am considered by many to be a blogger and I believe I was able to turn my website into a six-figure business quickly because of pure determination and desperation.
I was desperate to stay home with my kids so I spent every waking minute trying to figure out how to monetize my website and get traffic. This website HAD to work, there was no plan B.
Learning SEO (search engine optimization) was one of my biggest challenges but I knew to have a successful long-standing website that I needed to learn how to implement it on my site to show up in search engines like Google. After months of research, practice and a very helpful coaching session I feel like I’ve mastered it. I believe learning SEO is a direct result in turning my website into a six-figure business
Adam: What do you believe people misunderstand about millenials? What would you like everyone to know?
Whitney: I think a lot of people think millennials are lazy and don’t know the meaning of hard work, but I think we just have a different mentality.
The power of the internet has allowed us to get so much further even financially. We have access to all the information we need at our fingertips so the steps others may have taken before us to get something done, we simply don’t have to do.
It’s not about being lazy, it’s about finding a better, easier way to get things done which to me, is just being smart.
Adam: What should everyone understand about the gig economy? How should people assess whether they should partake in it and how to best partake in it?
Whitney: I want everyone to understand that in the gig economy there is no cap! You can make as much money as you want opposed to a typical day job. You set your limits, work when you want, and earn how much you want... It all depends on you.
People should consider getting involved in the gig economy if they want to be their own boss or have certain financial goals they want to accomplish like eliminating debt or saving up for something. I definitely believe you need to have some fire under you to get things done because it’s so easy to become complacent.
If you have a true need to make extra money and don’t know what to do, Google and Facebook Groups will be your best friend. I recommend using Google to try and nail down what type of gig you could see yourself doing and use Facebook groups to talk to people in that community to learn first-hand everything you need to know.
I have found that people in the gig economy are very helpful because they understand the need to earn extra money and the huge learning curve.
Adam: Where do you see the gig economy headed? What trends should we look for?
Whitney: I can see the continued rise of Virtual Assistants. Entrepreneurs and Small Businesses are doing so many things like podcasts, blogs, social media, planning, strategy, etc that it becomes impossible to handle alone. The need for outsourcing becomes apparent which creates the need for Virtual Assistants to take on certain tasks to free up time for small business owners.
It’s even more important to niche down to what type of Virtual Assistant you want to be such as a Virtual Assistant that focuses on copywriting that can add value by doing email marketing, newsletters, social media, blog content, etc. The more you work on a certain area the more perfected you become and the more knowledge and value you bring which increases the amount you can charge per hour.
Adam: How can businesses most effectively evaluate freelancers?
Whitney: I live and die by reviews. If I can get a couple of good referrals from the freelancer that I can talk to it gives me a sense of trust and confidence that this freelancer has what it takes to get the job done. Reviews are everything, so freelancers, if you have to do the work for free to get that review or referral, do it. It’s invaluable.
Adam: How can managers most effectively manage remote workers?
Whitney: I think managers can most effectively manage remote workers by having the assigned work completed. Was it done on time? Did they do everything you asked? The days of micromanaging are gone when dealing with remote workers, so you can only effectively manage by the task assigned and if it was completed to your liking.
It’s important to be specific on the deliverables you want to be accomplished and this is how you effectively manage.
Adam: In your experience, what are the defining qualities of an effective leader? How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level?
Whitney: I think the defining qualities of an effective leader is the ability to make decisions, be respected, and trusted. I think leaders can take their skills to the next level by continuously learning, and surrounding themselves with other leaders that will strengthen their leadership skills even more.
Adam: What are your three best tips applicable to entrepreneurs, executives and civic leaders?
Whitney:
Remember why you are doing what you are doing
Remember you can’t do it all so it’s important to surround yourself with people who can set you up for success and delegate tasks so you can focus on more important areasof the business.
Never stop learning
Adam: What is your best advice on building, leading and managing teams?
Whitney: I think the best advice on building and managing teams is to always keep the mission at the forefront. Keeping this in mind will not only keep you focused as a leader but the team members will also have a sense of purpose to help accomplish the overall mission.
Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received?
Whitney: You never know unless you try.
Adam: Is there anything else you would like to share?
Whitney: I was able to quit my job and earn more than four times my corporate salary and stay home to raise my kids. If people want to put in the work, they can have the best of both worlds, making money from home and raising kids.