Disclaimer: The Articles in this section are extracts of my work in The People Daily Newspaper. Get your free copy every Wednesday here http://epaper.peopledaily.co.ke/
Who Said Being a WAHM (Work At Home Mom) Was Easy?
Nothing comes easy. This phrase has become my least favourite and as days go by, my dislike for it increases. I want my life to change and I want it now. I cannot have three children and still be stuck in a rut hole. I had hoped to get something I could do and still be around my babies. I looked around and got two things I could do: offer to be my boss’s virtual assistant so I get to wok from home or get into freelance writing. I could do both but since I was home and free, I decided to try out online writing. Without wasting time, I took up a course that assured me I would start earning $$ in two weeks. ‘How awesome!’
I made $230+!
Being a newbie in anything sometimes means that you get to learn some stuff the ‘hard way’ I felt pretty lucky for landing my first client. Without taking time to request a ‘milestone payment’ (this is what they call a commitment to pay as the cash is released but held by the site owners until the client gives a go ahead to pay), I jumped right into it. Four days in and I had submitted 14 articles. Yes, I was that determined! My timer app was counting in the $$ and I had already made $230! Man! Why hadn’t I tried this writing thing years ago? I was beyond thrilled! If only I knew what lay ahead.
…And Then I lost it
In disbelief, I began over analysing my client. What if he is a con? What if he was robbing me of my work? Aiyaiyai! “Did you ask for a milestone?” My husband checked with me. I hadn’t. I immediately logged onto the site and begged for a $100 milestone. The client had no cash in his account so it bounced and the site owners immediately sent me alarm emails. My heart sank. When I refused to write any more until my milestone request was honoured, he closed his account and just like that, he was gone. That was it: I had officially recorded my first loss.
