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My next interview is with Miranda Grimm.  She has a very successful work-at-home blog called WAHAdventures.com.  She started out like many of you did…trying to find work at home and hopefully obtaining a steady online income.
What obstacles did she have to overcome?  
What companies did she work for?
Did she get discouraged at times?  
These questions and more will be answered in this encouraging interview.  She also has some advice for those who are thinking of starting their own blog or website in the year 2014.  Please read and share this most insightful dialogue.
What made you decide to work from home?
 
Becoming a mother is when I decided to work from home.  My original plan, while pregnant and before deciding to have children, was to use daycare.  However, as most new moms realize, the thought of leaving my daughter with a complete stranger for most of the day was just beyond imaginable.  I could not stomach it.  Fortunately, my husband agreed that no matter what it meant I was going to stay home and raise our children.  Of course, in order to stay afloat, I knew I needed to figure out a way to make some money- ideally enough to pay our car payment.
What was your first work at home job?
 
The very first work-at-home gig I began working was ChaCha.  But I would really consider my first solid work-at-home job to be as a call center agent for LiveOps.
What obstacles did you overcome?
 
The biggest obstacle for me was managing my time so that I could work.  I needed my husband home to care for our kids so I could go to a quiet room by myself to work answering sales calls for LiveOps.  So, I was in need of something flexible enough to work around my husband’s schedule and something I could drop at the last minute if my kids needed me- since they were a priority.  LiveOps really had the flexibility I needed to live the lifestyle I desired.
 
How much was your first paycheck and from what company?
 
I do not know.  It’s been a long time.  If I were to guess it was probably around $100 from ChaCha.
How long did it take you to earn a steady or full-time income from home?
 
Ha.  This one makes me laugh because it was last year that I began earning a steady income and it ended up being from my blog.  It was unexpected but suddenly one-day last year in June I realized my blog was earning three times what it was the year before and it was consistent.
When did you start your work-at-home blog?
 
I started WAHAdventures.com in June of 2010.
Why did you decide to start your own work at home blog?
 
I started my blog while I was going through the process of looking for a non-phone job.  I couldn’t believe how many real opportunities there were and I felt like I wanted the entire world to know too.  I was getting tired of repeating myself over and over to online friends through Facebook and so I thought a blog would be ideal.  Then, I could just share a link to answer the same questions.
How much did your blog make in the first 6 months/year?
 
I know it took me from June 2010 to February 2011 (8 months) to earn $100 from my blog.
How much does your blog earn in revenue yearly or monthly?
I have two main sites that earn a substantial income.  My income is steadily rising from quarter to quarter but at this moment I anticipate grossing around $45k for 2014.
Did you ever think of giving up and if so what helped you to continue?
 
Oh my gosh, so many times.  I gave up over and over for a day or two.  But every single time I would give up someone would message me and tell me how with the information shared on the blog they were able to stay home with their kids or keep the electricity on another month.  I know God has called me to this and these people were there to keep me going when I felt it was all a waste of valuable time.  It took years to really say that I was making enough money to compensate for the time spent- so initially I was working part-time from home while trying to develop and manage a website- it was stressful.
What tips/techniques did you use to get your blog noticed?
 
I think the biggest thing that is still true today is being genuine.  Even if it’s not what other people want you to say, being real earns you respect and trust from people who will then tell others about your site and keep coming back themselves.
Please share any personal information about your family, where you reside, how they support you, etc.
 
My family is great.  My husband has been by my side through all of the blogging.  Although sometimes he acts as though I’m just on the computer playing on Facebook, at the end of the day he recognizes the work I do and sees my passion.  Although he works full-time as a regional truck driver, he helps me keep things up around the house by tossing in a load of laundry when he is home or maybe drying the dishes.  Those little things are so big in our minds when we are busy and feel as though everything is falling behind.  I’m so blessed.  My children are still too young to really understand what I do for a living but they don’t understand why Daddy can’t just work from home too.  He is gone for a day or two at a time and they don’t understand why.
Would you have done anything differently or kept it the same?
 
I love the path I’ve been down.  I’ve made a lot of mistakes and been through some rough patches but each and every experience prepared me for something in the future.  I didn’t know it at the time but later I can look back and see it clearly.
What advice would you give to other moms about starting their own business or possible blog or website in 2014?
 
Be honest with yourself about who you are.  It takes real tenacity and a high level of resourcefulness to succeed at anything where someone isn’t holding your hand.  Finding your passion can be a difficult thing to do- I can’t say Work at Home is my passion even though my blog is all about working from home- my passion comes through helping people.  If you are blessed enough to be able to recognize what puts the sparkle in your eye and gets your heart racing- then follow it!  It’s a rare thing to recognize a passion for something- don’t let it go to waste.
What would you be doing if you were not working from home?
 
Oh who knows…probably working as an office manager somewhere- which is what I was doing before I had kids.
Thank you so much Miranda for participating in this interview.  I learned a lot from your experiences.  You can find Miranda at visit her online below at:

1 Comment

Denise Hilton · October 17, 2017 at 6:29 am

I know of another website http://www.webemployed.com that is relatively similar to Wahadventures and they also publish detailed guides about sources for making money online.

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