Kim Rowley is a single mom of 4, owner of Key Internet Marketing, Inc. and has worked from home full time since 2001. She's turned her own interests and hobby website building into money makers through performance-based marketing. Her business has allowed her to provide for her busy family and stay involved in their many activities. She runs 3 blogs, Shopping Bookmarks, Shoe-aholics Anonymous, and I work in my pajamas. Kim continually gets involved in her industry to help others succeed as well. She is speaking at Blogworld Expo and has been an active participant in the Affiliate Summit Mentor Program for the last 2 years.
Thoughts about working from home with kids
How did you get started? I actually started making websites as a hobby and shared them with family and friends, who in turn shared them with their family friends. My hobby became even more fun when companies starting paying me to promote their deals and freebies through affiliate marketing.
What do you find to be the most challenging about working from home with kids? When the kids aren't in school, they seem to think they need to eat! They don't always realize that just because I am home, I am actually working and can't always attend to their every need.
What are some of the benefits you've experienced being a work-at-home parent? The biggest benefit is being able to set my own hours, so I can be there for my kids' doctor's appointments, sporting events, volunteer events, etc. And being a single mom of four keeps me quite active!
Getting the work done
A typical day working from home I say my "office hours" are 8-3 while the kids are in school, but more often than not I'll have stayed up late working that I end up napping after taking the kids to school!
How do you stay in touch with the outside world? I communicate with colleagues mainly through email, AIM and Skype. I belong to local civic organizations (ie Kiwanis). I love to travel to industry related conferences. The networking alone motivates me to come up with new ideas.
How do you market/promote your business? PPC, organic search and social networking
Do you have a specific office space set up for your work? When I designed my new house - HouseForKim.com, I strategically planned my office so I can sit at my desk and be able to see the front door, outside and watch TV all while working.
What advice would you give to someone considering working from home with kids? People don't realize just how many hours I put in per week (over 40). And my kids are old enough to fend for themselves (ages 11, 15, 15, 18) if need be. If they were younger, I would not be able to log as much time in front of the computer, or I'd have to get a sitter for them.
About Kim Rowley has been in the affiliate marketing space since 1998 and is the founder of Key Internet Marketing, Inc. where she authors several niche blogs, including ShoeaholicsAnonymous.com. Ms. Rowley has been featured in several publications including USA Today and Revenue Magazine. Kim also volunteers her time as a SCORE counselor to share her marketing expertise, is a regular panelist on TheSpew.fm podcast and serves as a member of the Affiliate Summit Advisory Board.
Additional contact info: Twitter kimarketing Facebook kimarketing Linkedin kimarketing
Comments
Nice article! And Kim is speaking at Affiliate Summit West in Las Vegas in January on a Panel about "MommyBlogging" (yeah, it's supposed to be all one word, lol).
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