I'm writing this post on behalf of all my fellow Photographer Moms, but also on behalf of Mom Entrepreneurs of all kinds. I'm sure many of you are in the same situation as me.
Today I had someone refer to my Photography Business as "extra money". I have great respect for this person, and I know she didn't mean anything by it, but it made me feel that it might be time to dispel some myths and misconceptions about we Moms who run businesses from our homes.
After my first son was born, and maternity leave was almost over, it become apparent that between child care costs, and the cost to commute to work each day, retuning to work would not be very profitable. So like many mothers I made the choice to stay home with my son, and work from home.
I've been fortunate enough to be able to do this. I love that I can stay home with my sons, and accommodate my work day around their needs. But I do need to work. I love my husband, he works very hard, and he is a good provider. But in this increasingly expensive world in which we live, if I don't contribute to our family's income, we fall behind.
So like many Mom's out there, I do my best to supplement our family's income with the talents I have, mine being Photography. What I'm able to bring in pays for bills, groceries, and clothes. It's not extra money. It's money we need.
If some of you Moms out there are fortunate enough that what you bring in from your home business is "extra money", then I am happy for you. But even if it is extra income, it still needs to be enough to cover your time, and expenses that are incurred when you provide a service, or make a product for sale.
Given the misconception that money a Mompreneur make is all "extra money", people often think we should provide our services, skills or talents for a very cheap price, like a Department Store.
Too often Big Box stores are creating the attitude of "that's too much money", and "I can get it cheaper at ________". I know this is increasingly the case for Photographers. We can hardly compete with Department Store prices. But the level of quality and service being offered by an individual who takes their business seriously, does not even compare to what you can buy in a Big Box store.
What you are getting from me, and my fellow Mompreneurs, is our time, talents, skills, and hand-crafted work. You can't buy that at a Big Box store, or even compare it to that. If something is crocheted, knitted or sewn by a Mom from her home, you can't compare it in price or quality from something made from a sweat-shop or factory. If a Photographer provides an on-location sitting, helps you select a beautiful presentation for your home, and hand-delivers your order, you can't compare their price to Wal-Mart or Sears.
Our work is often our biggest passion, next to our children and family. It's a labour of love. We are up late after our children are in bed, working hard to provide the best of our skills and talents to our customers. Please do not begrudge Mompreneurs their living. We love the work we do, but we also need to support our families.
