Of Kids and Working Spaces

This morning, as I was tearing out the door for an early-morning meeting, I discovered I was out of to-go coffee cups. So I had to leave the house with my steaming-hot coffee with one Splenda and a shot of hazelnut fat-free creamer in a sippy cup. Yes, we’ve reached new depths around here.

My plastic, heart-covered coffee cup got me thinking about mixing kids with your office space, and work in general. It’s funny, some folks (usually the ones with young kids or grandkids themselves) will talk about kids all day long, and some bristle at the fact that you are even at child-bearing age.

Here’s my philosophy: if you work from home mainly to be more available to your school-aged children, you really have to take extra steps to maintain an extremely professional façade (depending, of course, on the line of work you are in. I follow a blog of a lady I went to college with http://www.annamariahorner.com/ and part of her charm is the fact that she produces an absolutely beautiful product while managing a household with five kids).

This means you need to lose the giant photo holder from your key chain with pictures of your darling children, don’t let little Johnny pick up the phone at home, and don’t regale clients of how you are late because Suzy Q forgot to brush her teeth this morning so she missed the bus.

Lest you think I’m too harsh, let me share this story that perfectly makes my point. A few years ago, I had a client who was around my age, no kids, not married. Gorgeous gal, blazing her way up the ladder in the corporate world. She was always kind enough to inquire about my kids and how they were, and I always gave the perfunctory “They are amazing, thanks for asking!” Then we moved on to business talk. Don’t get me wrong – we had a great relationship. She’d share the latest about her new boyfriend, her crazy brother, her wonderful godchildren. So one day when we were on the phone (not a scheduled call, just a quick question kind of call), and I had given her three times the heads up that I needed to go – she was clearly not getting the hint – I said, “Hey – I’ve really gotta run, my kids are going to be at the bus stop wondering where I am!” She was great when we got off the phone – or so I thought. I got a call from my boss the next day, who prefaced the call with “this is ridiculous, however, clearly this woman is uncomfortable on some level that you work from home and have responsibilities to your children.”

This case is extreme, but since then, I’ve been clear with clients on two things: I’m all yours from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m., but after that there’s a good shot that little ones are going to part of the picture.

And while I’m working I stay 100 percent focused on building their business. Even if I am drinking my coffee from a sippy cup.

Have a great weekend! AMD

"If this is coffee, please bring me some tea; if this is tea, please bring me some coffee."Abraham Lincoln

An Easy Spring Distraction

I’ve been busy today with all the little nagging to-dos, like catching up on email, putting the finishing touches on a new business proposal, planning what to pack (and making sure it’s clean) for a business trip and ordering new business cards. The little things that gnaw at my conscious when I’m on deadline – have you noticed how little things seem mighty important when more important things lurk around the corner?

I promised myself that once I completed five nagging tasks, I’d go outside for a quick walk up the street in the gorgeous Atlanta springtime. Here’s what I noticed right outside my front door: these gorgeous blooming trees so thick you can barely see the sky.

So whether you are lucky enough to live in the South where everything is blooming, or you are still waiting for the warm, gorgeous days of Spring, decide on the distraction you’ll reward yourself with today.

I have always tried to hide my efforts and wished my works to have the light joyousness of springtime which never lets anyone suspect the labors it has cost me. -- Henri Matisse

Calling in the Professionals

I had an experience recently which, while entirely unrelated to business, reminded me how important it is to know when you can handle a project yourself, when you need to call on someone better equipped than you to handle the project, and having the good judgment to know where to draw the line between the two.


The Situation: a black, slinky-looking lizard, a little longer than the length of my index finger, had somehow slipped through the seal on my front door and had firmly planted itself in my front entryway. Those of you who know me can attest to the fact that I am ill-equipped to handle disposing of the tiniest of spiders or the most innocuous little bugs without screaming, slapping and waving of arms, and generally making a fool of myself. You can only imagine my feelings when faced with this little reptile in my cozy home, where I make my office.


The Solution: With my husband holed up in his corporate office building 10 miles away, and all my neighbors off at their various jobs, my options were limited. I knew I had to end the standoff with the lizard before he started running to escape his current predicament and I lost him. So I called my trusty neighbor Lynn who isn’t afraid of any sort of creature. She came in, grabbed a broom, set the lizard free in my front yard, and sealed up the crack in the door. Love her.

To be successful in any business, but especially one you are running from your home and perhaps on a limited budget, you have got to know where to draw the line between what you can and should do and when you need an outside expert to take care of a task (or pest.) Whether it is designing your web site or balancing your books, know when to relinquish control so you can concentrate on whatever it is that you do best.



Happy Spring! AMD


“I am the lizard king. I can do anything.” ― Jim Morrison, The Doors