Work at Home Moms Talk Radio

Twitter really does connect people!  I “met” Robyn Bloom from Purely Cosmetics on Twitter last summer.  Robyn is a WAHM (1 kid, 1 dog, 1 hubby), has created her own line of mineral makeup and she blogs about it.  Robyn’s tweets (you can follow her @PurelyCosmetics) are always so funny – I can just picture her in her pajamas with minerals everywhere waiting for the UPS man!  Robyn noticed a need in the market (mineral makeup for the over 30-set) and created a product to fill that need – and with a lot of hard work, she is making a real success of it!

How and when did you decide to start Purely Cosmetics from your home?

Purely by accident, as is almost everything that I’ve done.  Actually, I’ve been a WAHM for over 10 years, when I had to leave my “real job” on disability.  I had another successful business I operated for several years (long story, not worth going into), and enjoyed having the ability to be able to be home for my (then) 5 year old daughter.  A couple of years ago, a friend turned me on to Bare Minerals (just like everyone else, that was my first exposure to mineral makeup), and I loved the feeling of not wearing makeup. My then 13 year old daughter and I were in a mall shopping one day when we were accosted by one of those kiosks that stand in the aisle and make you trip over them.  I thought he’d go away by my telling him that I wore Bare Minerals, but such was not the case.  He was actually the one who started me on my mineral makeup education, explaining about bismuth oxychloride, etc.  I plunked down $60 (yikes) for a jar of foundation for my daughter.  2 weeks later, I decided I didn’t want that stuff (bismuth) on my face either, and drove 30 miles each way to plunk down another fortune for me.  I was looking at their other products (eye shadows in particular), and noticed EVERYTHING had tons of sparkle and shimmer.  When you’re (cough cough) well into your 40’s, you really don’t want to wear makeup designed for teenagers.  I saw a need out there for women of my age, and one thing led to another…..

How do you divide your time between your company and your family?  Do you have a routine?  What are your secrets for making it work?

HA HA HA!  The one thing I discovered about working from home is that you spend far MORE time working than you did elsewhere, because it’s always “there”.  It’s not unusual for me to put in 15+ hour days.  My routine?  Wake up, boot up the computer, start the coffee.  Notice the computer comes even before the coffee.  Work all day long, with brief breaks to become the Teenage Taxi to and fro while also being the Money Tree for my daughter.  Make dinner, go back and do some more work.  Go to bed.  Exciting life, huh?  Actually, it works very well for me – I always need something to do.  And since I now have a teenager, she hangs out in her room texting/IMing/doing homework/listening to her iPod (simultaneously, btw) whenever she’s home, so we’re one on top of the other (her bedroom is upstairs directly above my office), while my husband watches whatever sport he can find on TV - even if it’s bass fishing.
I first met you on Twitter and I see you on there all the time, your tweets make everyone smile.  How important has Twitter been for your business?  What other social networking has been successful?

If it weren’t for Twitter, I’d probably have not much business, and certainly not as much fun.  I’ve met wonderful people on Twitter.  When you’re working all day long with no one with whom to interact, it’s nice to have your virtual friends to talk to.  Keeps you from feeling so “alone”.  I’ve been befriended by many important bloggers in the beauty industry, who have written some rave reviews of my products.  It’s a snowball effect!  I also use LinkedIn, where I originally met some of my Twitter friends, and Facebook, which has turned more into a virtual reunion of my elementary through high school friends, which is also a blast.

You were recently in a panel about beauty blogging at the Makeup Show in LA, what was that like?

Scary as all hell!  I’m very confident about myself when it comes to my products, but confident as a blogger?  Uh, no.  I was scared to death to be on a panel with some of the biggest beauty bloggers—and me.  Facing a room chock full of other bloggers who know what they’re doing.  But once I started, it just came to me.  In case you haven’t noticed, I have been blessed with the gift of gab, lol.  I was very worried about being on a panel when all the others blog about all sorts of different products, whereas my blog is directed strictly towards my company and my products.  It turned out to be a very good thing: it gave a totally different perspective for the audience about what companies who they review look for.

What advice do you have for other WAHMs?  What has been the most important thing you have learned as a WAHM.

You have to have great organizational skillls to be a WAHM.  It’s easy to start too many projects, and never see them through to the end.  There’s a huge drawback of not working around others, and not being able to “leave work” – it’s always just a few feet away from you.  But with social networking, you don’t feel so alone.  I love the flexibility that you get – not to mention the fact that you get to work in your jammies.  All too often though, I’m working in those jammies until I realize it’s time to pick my daughter up from school!  The most important thing I’ve learned?  It can be anything you want it to be.  You get to control your own destiny, how much time and energy you want to put forth, and can work whatever hours you please.  I’ve managed to be my daughter’s Girl Scout leader for 10 years, have never missed a school play, swim meet, or any other thing because I “had to work”.  OK, instead I’ve had to miss some sleep, but that’s over-rated anyway.

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Do you have a need in your market that you can fill like Robyn has done?