Julianne Wish, Member Contributions, Member Spotlights
Formerly a staff member at Our Milk Money in it’s first few years, Wendy did our books for years and we can’t say enough about her!
For tax preparation in Santa Clarita CA, you can count on Wendy Conte at Bookkeeping Scv, Inc. Wendy Conte assists taxpayers and small businesses with taxes in Santa Clarita CA and the surrounding communities. Whether you are an individual or a local business in or around Santa Clarita CA, Wendy Conte has years of valuable experience as an IRS registered tax preparer.
1. Tell us about your business and the service that you provide:
I am a Certified Bookkeeper and Quickbooks ProAdvisor. I offer a full range of bookkeeping services in the Santa Clarita, San Fernando and Antelope Valleys.
2. How did you decide to get started?
After working for someone else for over 15 years, I decided to take control of my employment and use the skills I have to work with a wider range of clients rather than just the employer I had.
3. What kind of background of expertise do you have in your field?
I have an Associate’s degree in Accounting, I am a Certified Bookkeeper and I am Quickbooks ProAdvisor. I am always looking for more learning opportunities in my field.
4. What trends do you see in your current industry?
Bookkeeping is a key part of every business. Businesses will always need bookkeepers. Businesses are always looking for ways to cut costs. An outsourced bookkeeper is a way to accomplish that.
5. What things do you find to be most demanding about your job?
Deadlines are a demanding part of my job sometimes. My clients like to see the status of their financial picture on a regular basis and that means making sure that all of their records are always up to date. There is also the issue of invoicing client customers on time. Finally, reporting information to tax entities for payroll and sales tax.
6. What do you find to be the most rewarding about your job and your day to day routine?
The most rewarding thing about my job is being able to help people. I really enjoy working with very small businesses, many of which cannot afford to have an on staff bookkeeper. I love being able to take the stress of that task off of their hands.
7. What advice would you give to someone else who is interested in starting a business like yours?
I would recommend getting formal education in the field both in the basics of accounting and the software options that are available for the job. The Quickbooks ProAdvisor program is very helpful in learning the overall use of the program and how to set it up properly. Then I would say network and get your name out there.
8. What are you most proud of as a parent-preneur?
I am most proud of being able to demonstrate to my son the hard work ethic that I was raised with.
9. How have you been able to manage your time between work and your family?
Balancing time is always a challenge. I try to work around the schedule of my family as much as possible during the week and to take weekends off unless there is something that really needs my attention or my family has plans that do not include me.
10. What has been the most effective way for you to promote yourself?
Word of Mouth is extremely powerful. Actions certainly speak louder than words. I provide the best service that I can consistently and with attention to the details. Giving at least 100% to your clients is something they talk about.
Finally: What does your “Milk Money” provide for you and your family?
My Milk Money provides a way for us to pay the bills and have a bit left over to have fun.
Family, Uncategorized
We were out to dinner so we didn’t get the news at the same time as the rest of the world. It took a phone call from a friend for us to become informed. Suddenly my husband and I were hugging one another happily and cheering.
Our little boys, 5 and 2 came out of their room in their pajamas wanting to know what the jubilation was all about.
Did we just win a million dollars?
Did Daddy’s favorite team win the Superbowl?
Maybe we were going to Disneyland?
It had to be one of those things, or something like it by the way mommy and daddy were whooping it up.
It was none of those things. We’d just heard the news that Osama Bin Laden, the most evil and villainous man of our generation had been brought to death.
DEATH.
It suddenly became apparent that there wasn’t an easy way to explain to innocent children that the death of anyone is a good thing and reason to jump for joy. I began by telling them that a very bad man had been killed, but then found myself frozen at the word “kill”.
The innocent eyes of my 5 year old looked at me as if he didn’t recognize me at all. I worried that he saw me as a fraud, or worse, a killer myself. Was this the same mommy who doesn’t like him playing with guns or violent video games? The same mommy who teaches the value of all living creatures?
I was numbed by my own altercation. I could assure my little boys that there were no monsters hiding in their room, but now I was being forced to tell the truth about the monsters that walked among us, and ones we couldn’t simply “walk away” from when threatened with name calling or even sticks and stones.
It made me question whether any form of celebration was really appropriate when someone’s life has just been taken. Sure, my initial reaction to the news was that of victory. Bin Laden’s death meant that I might begin to feel safer than I’d felt in 10 years, and that my children might also be safer in a post 9/11 world. It meant hundreds of Americans who’d lost their lives on that wretched day could rest in peace. It meant that those who’d lost loved ones might finally begin to have some closure. It meant that our nation’s division might be bridged and maybe we’d all stop pointing fingers and blaming one another for the decade’s setbacks. I hated this man as much as anyone…but I couldn’t dance on his grave, nor did I want my child to think I was anything other than who I’d always been- a person who valued life.
My husband and I had done our very best to teach our sons tolerance of those that are “bad” and those that have not been given the gift of love and acceptance.
We’ve taught our boys to be compassionate about bullies and not provoke them with hatred or rivalry. We taught them how to keep the peace by simply walking away from those who wish to cause pain. How could I justify this hypocrisy when in his point of view, we were reveling in someone else’s demise?
But even worse, how could I even begin to explain why this was a rare exception without introducing him to the horrid and evil acts of this man?
I realized it wasn’t my son who was in need of a lesson. It was me. My 5 year old in this instance was my teacher and he helped me recognize that evil or no evil, the death of any person is not something to celebrate. Loss of life, no matter who’s it is, is precious and sacred. But I also realized that my son deserved more credit than I was giving him. His eyes told me that he wanted to understand, and that he couldn’t be shielded from the pain that lives in this world forever. I could, however, help him to feel safe and loved by me and his father.
After I took my son in my arms he looked up at me and said, “Mommy, I feel sad for the bad man. He probably didn’t have a mommy like you to teach him how to be nice to others.”
He probably didn’t.
Chris Loprete, daddysden
As I write this, I am sitting poolside in Vegas with a Tequila and Tonic in my hand talking to five of my closest buddies about what to do with the money I just won from a bet on an NBA game. Okay that last sentence is not entirely true. I’m writing this 2 weeks after that scenario.
To be honest sometimes writing these blogs is work and the last thing I want to do when I’m on vacation is anything that resembles work. And two weeks ago I took a much needed vacation. I won’t go into the details of the trip (what happens in Vegas blah blah blah), and if I did it would probably bore you anyway. Let’s just say I’m getting very old.
The point and this month’s Daddy’s Den lesson is how important it is to take a break. Whether it’s an evening with the guys, a movie by yourself, or a longer vacation even just overnight, recharging your battery is essential to a healthy family life. Believe me, your wife and kids will thank you for it. Not only do you come home happy, rested, and ready to take over the domestic chores and parental duties for awhile, but you’re also so grateful to your wife for letting you go that you’re taking care of the kids and “honey do” list two weeks before you even leave.
And ladies, don’t think I’m forgetting about you. You need a break as much as the Dads. More so if you’re a stay at home mom. But I’ve found that men and women are wired differently in that regard. Whenever my wife has girl’s night out or a weekend without the kids, she always ends up coming home early because she misses us. On Mother’s Day y’know what she likes to do? Spend it with her family! What’s up with that? I don’t know whether to hug her or get mad at her for making me feel guilty for wanting to get away once in a while. I mean am I a bad father for wanting to do everything on Father’s Day BUT be a father? I’m outta there! I have learned one thing though. Getting away is important. But since becoming a husband and father, I’m no longer sad when it’s time to come home.
Uncategorized
When I think back to before I came home to work and take care of my new son, I remember how “stuck” I felt. I envied other women and men who had their own businesses and I believed that the only reason that I didn’t have one was because I lacked the motivation.
No, actually that wasn’t the only reason. Now that I think about it, I had a whole list of why I couldn’t be my own boss: I didn’t think I could hold myself accountable if I didn’t have a boss, I was sure I’d never get out of my pajamas during the day, I was afraid I might blow off all the work I was supposed to do and I’d eventually run my business into the ground, this little business of mine would end up being a hobby of some sort ike a never ending project of scrapbooking, I didn’t know what the start-up costs were, I didn’t have the money, I didn’t have a unique idea or a business plan, I was sure that I lacked whatever skills I needed, I was certainly not organized, I didn’t know the first thing about becoming a business owner, or about financing, taxes, or even the slightest notion what I could actually DO. I’d also had way too many jobs (more than I care to share, actually) where bosses had convinced me that I was capable of very little. The sad thing is that I really believed them.
Now that I am self-employed, I look back and laugh at how absurd I was thinking that I couldn’t pull this off, and I wonder what took me so long to get here. I know that it was the fear of the unknown, but had I really grasped what it would be like to work for myself, I would have started 10 years earlier, and spared myself all of those confidence crashes, not to mention the most difficult year of my life while my infant son was in daycare.
The really crazy part is that I know how many others still feel stuck the way that I did, and are probably surfing all over the internet right now for the answer. I have no problem admitting that 90 percent of my corporate salary was spent surfing the internet for a way out. I found that to be so ironic when being a stay at home parent pays nothing and is literally one of the most difficult jobs there is.
If you are looking for a quick easy answer, sorry to tell you there isn’t one. I do not have a fool proof business to sell you, I personally don’t have a job to offer you, and I certainly don’t have any specific answers. But I promise you… you can do it, because anyone can. If you have a skill, you can work for yourself. So many people do not realize that they already have what it takes to become self-employed. The simplest question is this: What are you doing for someone else that you could be doing for yourself? Without making a single excuse, just answer the question. Make a list of your skills. Then, trust that you will figure out the rest. You’ll find ways to market, to connect with others, to tap into resources that will give you whatever information you are lacking. Trust that you will find the answers and that there will always be someone to help you.
The internet is an amazing thing and has given us unlimited resources as far as information is concerned. Plus, it connects us to just about everyone on the planet, so when you do decide to venture out on your own, you will have help and support. The possibilities are endless. All you have to do is ask. I had no idea a year ago that the internet community existed to support one another the way that it does. I have been blown away by the generosity of those that I’ve met in my first 2 years as an entrepreneur. I am astounded every day at the passion others have to see ME succeed. Why? Because my success means their success. I GET IT NOW.
So the reason I wanted to write this article is because it wasn’t out there when I was looking for it. I wish that back when I was feeling stuck, someone had invited me to THIS party, just for a moment. I needed to be taken by the hand and introduced to this encouraging world of self-employed parents. Perhaps I wouldn’t have quite realized the compassion and the support that it contained, even if it was staring me directly in the face, but I do know that it was something even greater than what I was searching for, and others need to know that it exists as well. So if this is you, then welcome to the party. You’ll love it here.
Self -employed Parent Enthusiast Ally Loprete is the Founder of OurMilkMoney.com, a nationwide online business directory of self-employed parents, and the host of This Little Parent Stayed Home, a live weekly radio show, on The Toginet.com Radio Group which can be downloaded on iTunes. Ally is on a mission to help other’s deal with the sometimes overwhelming prospect of leaving a full time job to start a new business, while running a full time household and raising kids. She is resolute about creating a haven in which parents across the nation will continue to thrive and obtain the support they need in their personal journeys. Visit more at www.ourmilkmoney.com. Private coaching is available at www.thislittleparent.info
Julianne Wish, Member Contributions
Today, there are many work at home options available. In order to stay motivated and succeed, you will want to choose something you are good at and enjoy.
Of course, there are scams out there that promise you thousands of dollars for doing nothing but what you want all day, and this simply isn’t realistic. Working from home is still work! It will be much easier, though, if you choose something that interests you and that you enjoy doing. Here are some options and how you can determine what works for you.
Time
Be honest about how much time you have. If you have young children, you’ll need to arrange for childcare or work around their schedule. If you only have ten hours a week to put toward a work at home job, then it’s better to go ahead and admit that now rather than bite off more than you can chew.
List your skills.
Making lists is not always our first instinct, but it’s a good exercise for looking truthfully at your abilities, hopes, dreams, etc. Begin by making a list of your practical skills – these can run the gamut from meal planning to typing to teaching.
Then, make a list of all your income needs. How much money do you need to quit your day job, or to pay the mortgage? List all expenses from groceries to car payments.
Finally, make a list of your goals and dreams for your business. Where do you envision your business going? Are you content working for others or do you want to go into business for yourself? Include in this list your financial goals – maybe you’d like to afford a vacation, a new car, or just the utility bill.
Having these lists will help you determine if a work at home opportunity is a fit for you. If it doesn’t help you meet your goals, it probably isn’t right for you.
Practical Steps.
If you’re working from home, you have a computer and an internet connection, right? So, get online and research. If you are going to work at home for a company, research that company thoroughly.
Another online option is to join a work at home community where jobs are posted regularly.
How much money do you have to invest?
Some legitimate companies do require a cash outlay. If you are going into business for yourself, you will need to consider the cost of a website, possibly hiring a designer, marketing and advertising.
Next: Top Business Ideas for Work at Home Moms on a Shoestring
Julianne Alvarez-Wish is a military wife, mother, business owner, professional writer, blogger and legislative advocate. She is the Director of Communications for Our Milk Money, the Colorado State Leader for the National Association for Moms in Business and the owner of Buy By Mom and Buy By Mom Blog. She is the Colorado Springs Stay-at-Home Mom Examiner for Examiner.com. She also blogs at A Wishful Thought. Her passion, purpose and goal is to help parents work from home so they can be home with their children.
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