When I was pregnant with Landen, I was teaching in my third school in four years. I thought I didn’t like any of the schools, but looking back I realized it was the job I didn’t like. (A note to any former students who may be reading this (Ilana): I love you all. My dislike for the job is unrelated to you. Also true for former colleagues – you guys are amazing and I’m inspired by your ability to stay in the field.)
So, when you’re making a teacher’s salary and not enjoying it and your childcare costs will be almost as much as your salary, you quit your job and become a full time mom. It seemed like what I was meant to do. And don’t get me wrong, I loved being Landen’s mom full time, and now I also love being Joey’s mom. But being a stay at home mom is boring, yet somehow super time consuming and stressful at the same time.
As time went on, I began to want to go back to work and have something for myself, but I couldn’t imagine leaving my babies every day, especially to go back to a job I didn’t like. I also was not ready to give up the freedom and flexibility to do anything any day of the week. Don’t get me wrong, having a toddler and infant is not “flexibility”, but I wanted to still be able to go to grandma’s house on Tuesday and not be confined to weekends.
I was jealous of moms who work from home and could work whenever they wanted (during naps, after bedtime), from wherever they wanted (grandma’s house, the car), but also take their kids to music on Monday and the playground on Wednesday.
But as I did my research, I found that as a former teacher I had no skills that most work from home jobs required. So looked into what I could do from home without any specific experience. The answer was direct sales. You can sell makeup, clothing, beauty products, CBD oil, weight loss supplements, children’s books, and the list goes on. I am NOT a sales person by nature. I won’t host Facebook parties and harass people begging them to buy a product they don’t want or need. And I CERTAINLY won’t host at home parties and actually have face-to-face CONVERSATIONS with people to try to sell my product. I’m a millennial.
Then I saw a post on Facebook where a woman said that she was a travel agent for a company called ET Family Travel, specializing in Disney vacations. I AM a planner by nature and this seemed SO FUN. I love to plan dinners, parties, and most importantly trips! I love making itineraries and researching the best restaurants and hotels. So why not do it and make some money? I checked out the website and clicked the “Join our team” button not expecting much more than some information. Within 24 hours, I received a call from an owner and had a contract in my inbox.
I pretty much ignored it for two weeks. I would be an independent contractor and would have to find my own clients, using those same personality traits and skills as sales jobs, which we already know I don’t have. But that’s not why I didn’t sign. I didn’t sign because they told me the best way to announce my business was on Facebook, and I was embarrassed. I wondered what my family and friends would think when this popped up on their newsfeeds, so I spent those 2 weeks trying to think of other ways to find clients.
In the end, I thought about the most successful work from home moms and bloggers that I follow, and they all had one thing in common: they stopped caring what people thought to make their businesses and their passions successful. So I signed the contract, did the training, and posted my business on Facebook (AND Instagram). I even shamelessly sent people messages that I thought would be interested in my services – something I NEVER pictured myself doing.
Since then I’ve researched a ton of all-inclusive resorts in Mexico, and the Caribbean. I’ve planned intricate trips to Hawaii with multiple flights, hotels, and excursions. I’ve booked Disney World, which is the most magical place on earth with the most details on earth – hotels (8 million of them), tickets (so many choices), dining reservations (which must be made 180 days in advance if you want to meet the princesses), fastpasses (which must be scheduled 60 days in advance at 6 am if you want to ride space mountain), photo packages, VIP tours, airport transportation, etc.
So far, I’m loving it enough that I created a business page on Facebook and I started this blog, throwing it in people’s faces WAY more than I am comfortable with, and trying not to care what they think. Because at the end of the day, I’m not forcing you to use my services, and I am having fun.
For more information, check out this article that was just published!
TRAVELING WITH ARDEN 