I was honoured to be asked by the AlphaWAHM queen herself, Karri Flatla, to be a contributing blogger at the AlphaWAHM site so it’s befitting that I start off by telling you how a bit about myself.
Despite having never considered the idea of self employment before I had children, I find it not that surprising that I jumped into the world of “WAHMhood” back in 2003. But first, you have to know something of my upbringing to understand why.
When I tell people that I am the 11th of 12 children, the first 2 questions I get are:
“Were you raised on a farm?”
“Are you Catholic?”
Almost!
I was raised in a staunch Irish Catholic family in a town of 4,000 near Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. My father was a Federal Government worker and my mom, of course, was a stay at home mom. Childhood is still somewhat of a blur to me but I do remember:
- Sharing a room with 3 sisters – no such thing as bunk beds – you shared a double bed with your sibling and fought for the covers.
- Walking to the hospital as my mother pulled the red wagon with the injured sibling in the little red wagon.
- Being locked outside every “Winter” Sunday afternoon because my mother had “cabin fever.” (We used this time to play in the snow and walk across the frozen river.)
- Sharing baths – only 1 shower in our house!
When the youngest sibling went off to kindergarten in 1970, my mother decided to become a real estate agent and broker in our small town. Throughout the next 12 years, we watched her set up an office in our house (luckily she found a room with no beds in it), list and sell numerous homes and become one of the top selling agents in the Ottawa Valley. My mother had a sound understanding of business and financing and in doing so, secured a good retirement for her and my father.
Looking back now, I realized I learned much from watching and listening to my WAHM.
1. Build a Network; Build a Family
You can be a WAHM but that doesn’t mean you have to be alone. The telephone was my mother’s tool of choice and she used it a lot! Today, reach out online through social media channels, through forums and associations to build a network. I dare you to find 12 online or offline friends that you can run to for questions and concerns; kind of like building a family!
2. Watch and Learn
Remember that as a child you learned to tie your shoes or ride a bike from watching your older siblings or adults. Tap the same childlike intrigue to learn new skills for your business. Bookkeeping was one of the skills I learned from watching my mother. No QuickBooks or Excel spreadsheets for her; it was pen and paper all the way, baby!
3. Listen, Listen, and Listen Some More
Sometimes I think being a WAHM was easier back in the 70’s and 80’s – no Facebook, no Twitter and no email to create excess “noise” that pulls you in so many directions. We are so wrapped up in talking about ourselves and our business that we don’t give enough time to just listen to the wants and needs of others. Even though my mother had a brood of 12 to raise and a business to run, she always had time to lend an ear, especially when in our teenage years.
I use to think I was cursed to be 1 of 12, but in retrospect, I look back and thank my WAHM for giving me some sound traits that have propelled me into entrepreneurship. And today, at the age of 87 she still asks me, “What do you do again?”
About this Alpha WAHM Blogger: Theresa Scholes is the owner of Click Virtual Assistance specializing in social media and internet marketing strategies and implementation for the online business owner. A firm believer in matching the right actions to realistic goals, Theresa helps time strapped entrepreneurs use the social web to raise their profile and boost profits. 
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I didn’t grow up in a fine large family like yours, but only had one bathroom. We learned patience and consideration. (Civility) We were painfully FAIR. No entitlements; no matter what your make-up status, when someone needed the bathroom and you weren’t naked, you were politely asked to step out for a bit. And if I wasn’t naked, I was willing to do that. Sometime later in life, I was at a home where one person was tying up the bathroom, primping while the rest of the family griped. I asked, “Why don’t you just politely and quietly ask her to step out? I think you like to complain.” Neither patience nor consideration were being practiced.