Need a little inspiration for finding that ideal work from home job? Moms Audra Arnold, Jennifer Weedon Palazzo and Veronica Hermes give us the scoop on their unique work from home jobs and how they balance work and family life.
Audra Arnold is an audiobook narrator and producer on the Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX). With over a year in the industry, she enjoys producing quality audiobooks for amazing authors. Audra loves the adventure of reading books before production and then diving into character voices that bring the stories to life through audio. Besides ACX, you can also find her on Twitter.
How did you start working in your field?
I have ALWAYS loved mimicking voices and accents when reading books, especially when reading aloud to my children when they were younger. My mother always told me that I should’ve been in drama or acting. Prior to becoming a narrator, I took Krystal Wascher’s Audiobook School online 5-day course. She makes it very easy to understand how to create an audiobook, and her programs work with you from the beginning of the learning process all the way to recording your very first audition. After I finished her course, I went onto ACX and watched many of their ACX university blogs that help narrators.
How many hours do you work per week?
I spend, on average, about 2 hours per chapter of recording. I know, that sounds like a lot for one chapter, but I first rehearse the chapter, next I record that chapter, and then I finish with a master edit. The master edit is what takes time because I’m editing out any extra unnecessary noises.
What ways do you find best to manage your time between kids and working from home?
I do my best to get all of my recordings done while they’re at school, and usually, I’m editing by the time they get home. Most times, I can put off editing until the next day and pick up where I left off.
How do you find clients, or do they find you?
It’s a little bit of both. I search ACX for book titles in whatever genre I’m looking for, as well as what kind of pay I’m looking for. When searching ACX, a list of books pull up, and I can audition for as many or as few as I’d like. Once the audition is uploaded, it is then up to the author to choose the right narrator for his or her book. If I’m chosen, I get an email from ACX letting me know I have an offer to produce an audiobook.
What’s the best piece of advice you can give moms who want to do what you’re doing?
If you’re like me and love using voices when reading to your children, then becoming an audiobook producer could be for you. Voice acting is something people don’t realize they already do—whether you’re imitating an Australian accent just because it fascinates you, or you’re feigning suspense, shock or sorrow with your voice for effect when reading to your children.
Jennifer Weedon Palazzo is a mama-in-charge, owner of MomCaveTV, and a freelance video editor. She makes snarky comedic videos for parents and is passionate about connecting with others, using humor to deal with the daily struggles of parenting. With over 20 years as a professional actor, most of what Jennifer has learned is from working on sets, as an actor and sometimes as part of the crew.
How did you start working in your field?
About 4 years ago, I moved from New York City to the Berkshires (about 2.5 hours outside the city). I had worked my entire adult life as an actor and model in the city, but with two kids, the one-bedroom apartment was not working out! MomCaveTV.com evolved from me writing a series about being a fish-out-of-water first-time mom. The web series won some awards and was in film festivals, and some other writers and filmmakers approached me about producing more mom-centric comedies. We added a few more series and MomCave was born. We’ve grown to a community of over 66,000 parents with a sense of humor. In the beginning, I was spending a lot of money on editors for our videos. Eventually, I decided to learn to edit myself. After a while of that, I started getting some freelance video editing work as well.
How many hours, on average, do you work per week?
My husband travels for his job maybe 80% of the time, so I’m usually parenting solo. (He’s awesome when he’s home!) I made a video about that and it went viral with over 7 million views. For years, I’ve been working during naps, after kid’s bedtimes, while my kids watch TV (don’t judge!), using any spare moments. This year, my youngest is finally in school full time, so I work during school hours every day and then another couple of hours each evening and on weekends.
What ways do you find best to manage your time between kids and working from home?
I’ve tried all kinds of strategies! This past summer, I did a babysitting exchange with two other mothers. I find ways to work while my kids are around, like setting them up with a craft project next to me at the table or working outside on the deck while they play outside. I have to save projects that require deep focus, like writing or video editing, for when they’re asleep. When working from home, I have to be careful to stay focused on work during work time. My husband and I have to communicate A LOT about our schedules. We have a shared Google calendar with family events in one color, his travel schedule in a second, his work schedule in a third, and my work schedule in a fourth!
How do you find clients, or do they find you?
Brands approach me to promote their products, but I also pitch brands I’d like sponsorships from. For video editing, it’s been word of mouth, people who have seen my work or know someone who has worked with me.
What’s the best piece of advice you can give moms who want to do what you’re doing?
Don’t be afraid to suck. A lot of my stuff has come out as amateur or fallen flat. But over the years, I’ve learned more about production, editing and marketing. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Veronica Hermes is the founder of Nuggets4BreakfastBlog and owner of Nuggets4Breakfast, an online store that specializes in custom apparel—and mom life. She enjoys helping others by having a store for moms to find funny shirts and mugs, a place showing moms that not being perfect is perfectly OKAY! Right now, she’s focusing on creating a “women’s community” and is in school for criminal justice and social work.
What do you sell at your store, and why did you start your business?
I had to quit my job when my husband and I gained full custody of his two children (whom I am in the process of adopting, yay!). I lost my feeling of self-worth and decided I needed a hobby, and it took off. I started my company in March 2017. I make custom apparel, mugs, and occasionally other gift items. I’m also merging my company with a blog in hopes to create a community for women to come together to vent, laugh and learn.
How do you manage work hours and taking care of kids?
I have five kids, and I usually work while my older kids are at school, but there are a lot of pauses while I tend to my youngest two. I’m also in school for criminal justice and social work, so on the days I’m in school, I work for a few hours after all the kids are in bed. And I very rarely work on the weekends. Overall, I work around 25-35 hours a week.
What experience helped you to open your own business?
My education is in criminal justice and social work. On the store side, my education does nothing for me but my background in Social Work definitely helps with the community I am trying to build.
How do you find customers, or do they find you?
They find me! I make it easy for them to find me. I have a VIP group on Facebook, my personal Facebook account, my Instagram for my business, my Instagram for my “community,” my blog website, and my store website. Each of these sites connect to each other, so it’s very easy to find me!
What’s the best piece of advice you can give moms who want to do what you’re doing?
GO FOR IT! There were so many times I would say, “Once I reach this goal, then I’ll do this” or “Once I do X, then I’ll do Y.” You don’t need to wait to do something, seriously, just GO FOR IT!
Want more? Be sure to check out the rest of the articles in our Work from Home Job Ideas for Moms series:
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