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by Hope

As you know, I began a traditional full time job this past week. Wow, it’s a big difference. And maybe most of that is in my head. But it definitely feels different to have a daily team I work with, a boss I must report too and not quite as much flexibility on my work hours. This is especially true since the company I am working for is in the financial industry so they really do work “bankers hours.” (Is that still a term?)

I knew it would be a lot to keep up with my existing stable of clients + take on this new work. But the thought of shutting down my now 14 1/2 year old business upset my stomach. I did cut lose a few newer clients as I knew I couldn’t give them what they deserved. And took a hit for it…

Keeping My Business Afloat

But I am excited to announce that Sea Cadet has decided to accept my offer to join my business on a part time basis to help me keep up. He will have a lot of learning to do, but it truly is a win-win. He will get to supplement his EMT income, have flexible hours and I will have trusted help without having to sort through a bunch of applicants.

For the first month, he will be a contract worker, 10ish hours per week. We agreed that at least 1/2 of his hours must be money making hours, billable hours and the other 1/2 will be administrative tasks and I will pay for some training time to get him up to speed. By doing it this way, his billable hours are paying for his training hours. I am so thrilled.

One of his tasks this months is to research setting himself up as an employee. I’ve never had an “employee” but have used contractors a lot. We both agree that this could be the start of a really great opportunity for us both.

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Have you hired your child to work with you? Any words of guidance both financial and otherwise?

Hope

Hope is a resourceful, solutions-driven online business manager with over two decades of experience helping clients streamline operations, manage projects, and grow their businesses through digital marketing and technology.

But life has a way of rewriting your plans.

A year ago, Hope made the decision to move in with her aging parents full time – a season she wouldn’t trade, even as it came with its own financial and emotional weight. Earlier this year, she lost her mother, and is now walking the tender, disorienting path of grief while learning what “forward” looks like from here.

Hope came to the Blogging Away Debt community in 2015 as a single mom raising five foster and adoptive children. She’s written through job changes, financial setbacks, and the bittersweet transition to an empty nest. Her kids are finding their footing in the world now – and so is she.

Rooted in faith and fueled by the same perseverance she’s brought to every hard season, Hope is ready to face her finances with fresh eyes and an honest pen. She believes that clarity, courage, and community can change the trajectory of anyone’s story including her own.

She lives in Austin, TX with her dad, loves adventures with her dog Addie, and is figuring out, one step at a time, what this next chapter is meant to be.