Contact: Lesley Spencer  
512 266-0900 or 512-659-7584

ASSOCIATION OF HOME-BASED WORKING MOMS CELEBRATES 10 YEARS
HomeBasedWorkingMoms.com Celebrates 10 Years of Helping Moms Combine Careers With Motherhood

AUSTIN, TX – The national association of Home-Based Working Moms (HBWM.com) celebrates 10 years of helping moms combine motherhood with a home-based career. Founded in 1995, HBWM.com provides networking, support, camaraderie, guidance and information to parents working from home or wanting to work from home.

“Today many moms are willing to sacrifice a traditional corporate career for a slower-paced home business that puts them in charge. Working from home gives these women the opportunity to continue building their careers while taking time to enjoy their families and their lives," Lesley Spencer, MSc., founder and director of HBWM.com says.

There are a variety of businesses being run by home-based working moms including virtual assistants, web designers, travel agents, writers, editors, home party reps and internet-based businesses. According to the Census Bureau Alert October 20, 2004 nearly 4.3 million people worked at home in 2000. This is up from 3.4 million in 1990. Estimates from the American Community Survey show 4.5 million people worked at home in 2003.

In addition, having a home business can give these moms a new sense of accomplishment and self-worth. Even though some may argue that stay-at-home moms have the most demanding and important job on earth, others may still view their jobs as less significant. Working from home enables these moms to gain more self-respect while taking charge of their future.

“But getting started can be very difficult,” Spencer warns. “We recommend that moms find a support group to help with the many facets of starting a home business. Many parents just aren’t sure where to begin. There also are a lot of scams to be aware of, and we try to educate people about home business scams with our 10 Tips for Avoiding Scams.”

In addition, HBWM has created the “Mom’s Work-at-Home Kit” which includes a workbook to guide moms through the process of selecting and starting a home business, books on home business ideas and marketing a home business as well as membership in HBWM. HBWM also offers a free downloadable eDirectory of Home Based Careers from their website.

"I feel HBWM.com is a great resource for individuals looking for not just opportunities, but also learning great tips to improve upon their success and people skills. Relationships are key to any business and certainly make working from home more enjoyable. And for those working mostly alone, HBWM.com can serve as a wonderful vehicle to network and share ideas as well as be connected to like-minded individuals," HBWM Member Anna Armstrong shares.

HBWM is an advocate of home business and home employment to allow parents to spend more time with their children. HBWM offers free ads in its newsletter and on its web site to any company offering home-based employment for temporary or permanent projects.

“Hiring home-based working moms to do projects such as word processing, writing, computer programming, mass mailings, clerical and any other jobs that can be done at home makes a lot of sense. These companies can save money by hiring these home-based working moms, and at the same time boost their company’s image as a family-friendly company,” Spencer added.

Home-Based Working Mom Lesley Spencer of Austin Texas founded HBWM.com in 1995. She has two children ages 10 and seven.


For more information on Home-Based Working Moms, view the web site at: http://www.HBWM.com or send a business-size #10, self-addressed, stamped envelope to: HBWM-10NR, P.O. Box 500164, Austin, TX 78750-0164.

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