quick clicks

moms today articles

moms today q&a

community & groups

research baby names

prepare a birth plan

content channels

ip channel rss feeds

read birth stories

read parenting stories

recommended books

e-newsletters

safety recalls

ip diaries

ip store

mom of the month

dad of the month

editor's letter

letters to the editor

Working from Home

It's Not As Easy As It Looks

By Kelly D. Burgess

Gisella Del Frate of Richland Township, Pa., started selling Pampered Chef products a few years ago when her husband was laid off from his job. She knew he would find something else, but she wanted to bring in some extra income in the meantime. She has a Master's degree in finance, but she definitely didn't want to work full time or have to deal with going into the city, where parking and stress are both at a premium. After some research, she decided to give home sales parties a try because she felt it fit her personality, required no initial investment and allowed her to be involved in every aspect of a business.

It was a good choice for her, and now she works as much or as little as she chooses. She says she makes as much as she would working part time in an office, but she is able to work her business around the family schedule, which is very important to her.

"You can't go into a business like this and think you're going to make a lot of money with little effort," says Del Frate. "You get out of it what you're willing to put in, but that also means that you can fit it to your life."

To Del Frate, it's rewarding to be able to do this, and she's found it's helped her family beyond the financial aspect. Her sons, Christopher, 11, and Alex, 8, have become closer to their father because they spend time together when she's hosting parties. She thinks home product parties are a great way for women to test how dual employment will affect their family and are also a good way to keep a hand in professionally while the kids are small.