[Workaholics] || [MOTHER KNOWS BEST] || [Balancing business & baby] || [at-home moms] || [Home Work] || [Flexible work styles] || [The Happy Home Office] || [Teleworking] Mothers Knows Best Anyone who ever thought working from home was easy has never seen Stacy Zonis change a diaper while talking to a client on the phone. They've never watched her feed her 15-month-old son, Jake, while hurrying to meet a deadline for her Web page design business. They may not have imagined her working hard on projects at 2 a.m. while the rest of her Frisco neighborhood is sound asleep. "People think that work-at-home moms have all the time in the world, " Ms. Zonis said.
At least once a month, she meets with businesswomen who know otherwise. Members of the newly created local chapter of Moms Network, a national a support group for mothers with home-based businesses, understand the intricacies of trying to balance career and motherhood under one roof. They've gathered every month since April to offer one another support and ideas. "It helps to know that I'm not alone," said Tracy Bickhaus, 28, of Frisco. She's a former personal trainer and a mother of three, who heads an e-commerce business that handles unique baby gifts. In fact, an increasing number of mothers have opted to trade in long hours and hectic commutes for the flexibility of spending more time with their children. There were 9.1 million women-owned businesses in 1999, up from 6.4 million in 1992, according to the Washington-based National Foundation of Women Business Owners. An estimated 40 percent of those businesses are run from homes, said Bruce Rosenthal, the group's public relations manager. In the Dallas-Fort Worth area, women-owned businesses reached 123, 900, up 41 percent from 1992. More and more jobs revolve around computers, fax machines and phones, and these jobs can be completed in a variety of places. The growth of the Internet opened up a greater number of opportunities for mothers, Mr. Rosenthal said. "The Internet made it easier for women and men to start a business and do it around the clock," he said. Support groups offer mothers an outlet for the exchange of ideas and the camaraderie that often is missing when a woman works alone at home, said Cyndi Webb, who in 1997 started the national Moms Network from her home in Rosemount, Minn. There are now 40 chapters, or exchanges, across the nation. Unlike other groups for work-at-home moms - such as the Home Based Working Moms in Austin - Moms Network offers an opportunity to organize local chapters. The North Dallas suburbs exchange - which includes Plano, Allen, McKinney and Frisco - has 10 paid members. Another 35 women have expressed an interest in joining and more inquire daily. Angela Rodriguez, 28, dropped into the Moms Network June meeting. She works as a pre-school teacher in Richardson. But the commute from Frisco, along with the task of toting her 1-year-old son, Andrew, to a sitter in Plano, is wearing thin. So she's started exploring options that eventually will allow her to work from home. "I really want to make sure that I can make it with my business first, and that's why I'm here to learn and network," Ms. Rodriguez said. She's started selling educational materials distributed by Discovery Toys. The support group offers mothers an opportunity to expand their businesses. Members can advertise in the group's national directory. Ms. Zonis received five inquires about her services from a single announcement. One call led to her business' biggest contract, which will rake in $9,000 during the next six months. Other mothers partnered with group members to expand their businesses. Newcomer Melissa Gastineau, 28, heard counsel from more experienced entrepreneurs on the more lucrative options. "I'm still not sure whether to sell cosmetics or books," said Ms. Gastineau, mother of 10-month-old Joshua. "I just know I want to do something because I have too much energy."
Moms Network also initiates philanthropic activities that allow women to become involved in the community. This year, they'll organize drives for clothing and school supplies.
The group's primary goal remains honoring a mother's choice to work at home. Frequently, members talk about the ups and downs of their choices. And they help one another get through endless days, Ms. Zonis said. Sometimes it's as simple as making a late night call to a peer she knows will be working overtime. "It's nice to talk to someone else with a crazy schedule," she said. PHOTO(S): 1. (The Dallas Morning News: Richard Michael Pruitt) Stacy Zonis works from her home computer as 15-month-old son, Jake watches. Ms. Zonis is a member of the recently formed Moms Network, a group for stay at home moms. She operates her Web page design company from home. Ms. Zonis is one of 123,900 women business owners in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. 2. (The Dallas Morning News: Richard Michael Pruitt) Stacy Zonis speaks at a Moms Network meeting. The group has meet monthly since it formed in April. Patricia V. Rivera / Special Contributor, MOTHER KNOWS BEST: Networks provide support for women who workfrom home. , The Dallas Morning News, 07-01-2000, pp 1J.
[Workaholics] || [MOTHER KNOWS BEST] || [Balancing business & baby] || [at-home moms] || [Home Work] || [Flexible work styles] || [The Happy Home Office] || [Teleworking]
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