Meet Holly Reisem Hanna of The Work At Home Woman
July 16, 2009
We are pleased to introduce you to Holly Reisem Hanna, founder of The Work At Home Woman. Holly has a passion for helping women who want to work at home, and that comes through not only in this interview, but especially on her website. She provides great content that can help not only women who want to start their own business, but also women looking for companies and ways to work from home. She also features women who share their success stories in working from home, providing inspiration to those just starting out. Her interview is a great read, as she describes how she got the idea for The Work At Home Woman and the support she received from other women along the way.
Hometown: St. Paul, Minnesota
Current Residence (City, State): Austin, Texas
Education: Associate Degree in Nursing (RN) and a Bachelor’s Degree in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin.
Professional Background: I have worked in various nursing roles from a pediatric floor nurse to a RN clinical research coordinator. When my daughter was born in 2007 I decided to quit my full-time job become a full-time stay at home mom. During this time I started working part-time from home as a joint venture and social network liaison for a small publishing company that a friend worked for. I became fascinated with the work at home realm and decided to create The Work at Home Woman.
What you wanted to be when you grew up: Nurse, Teacher & Airline Attendant.
What you are: Nurse, Entrepreneur, Social Network Liaison and Work at Home Mom.
Brief Summary of your Start Up: After 16 months of research and writing content I was able to launch The Work at Home Woman, an online business resource for women and mothers who wish to work from home or become self-employed.
Company Website? http://www.theworkathomewoman.com
What inspired you? My daughter was my inspiration.
How long have you been in business? 3 months
How did you fund it? I saved money from my part time job as a social network liaison.
Do you have a Fairy Godmother (or Mentor)? There are so many great women that have helped me along the way. From friends to women in my business group, to women that I have reached out to and they’ve been more than willing to provide advice and recommendations.
Do you belong to any Business Organization or Networking Groups? Yes, I belong to the Business + Balance Austin group for entrepreneurial moms and I can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.
Current Business Challenge? Continuing to grow the number of readers that I have and balancing my work and family responsibilities.
What are you doing about it? I do a little bit of marketing everyday so that it doesn’t seem so overwhelming. I also create a daily schedule to help me balance all of my daily activities.
Favorite motivational quote: The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams – Eleanor Roosevelt.
Family? Yes, I have a terrific husband, an adorable daughter and a feisty cat.
If so, how do you balance family and business? I work in the mornings before my daughter wakes up then again in the afternoon while she is napping. Occasionally I have to work at night or on the weekends, but my husband is able to watch our two year old.
Favorite book? For business books, I like the Chic Entrepreneur by Elizabeth Gordon, as well as Tory Johnson’s, Will Work from Home. My favorite fun read is the Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding.
What do you do to relax? I love to travel, read and spend time on the lake.
What do you want to change most about your world? I’m pretty happy at where I’m at. Of course I want The Work at Home Woman to grow into something bigger, but that will take time and for right now I’m just enjoying the journey and the people I meet along the way.
What are you most proud of? I had always dreamed of being my own boss, but I was afraid to take the plunge. So I am most proud of the fact that I took the plunge and I am now following my dreams. I feel very fortunate to have a very supportive husband.
What advice would you like to offer other Start Up Princesses? Take your time and do your research. Don’t be afraid to reach out to other entrepreneurs for their advice and support, most of them are more than willing to help you out.
Favorite Magic Wand (tool/resource)? I currently use site analytics from my website’s hosting company, and this is a fantastic tool that let’s you know where your marketing efforts are paying off.
If you could design a tiara, what precious stones would you use? Diamonds.
Would you be interested in being a Fairy Godmother and writing articles or speaking at Startup Princess events? Yes.
What business subjects would you feel comfortable mentoring in?
Working at Home, Social Networking and Marketing.
