(Here's an article that I wrote for HisAir.net.)
When I found out I was pregnant last year, I knew that
there was no way I could spend 10-12 hours away from my baby every day in
traffic and at work. Yet, I needed
to work for financial reasons, and I also happen to still love what I do after
all these years.
One year later, I do my daily shows on 95.9 The Fish and 99.5 KKLA from my home studio, along with VO. And maybe you could, too! I”ve heard from a lot of moms that are interested in trying this, so I wanted to break down how I approached my boss with this idea, what equipment I’m using, and how it works out on a daily basis. I’ve also met some fantastic women who also make it work from home, so I’ll share some of their insights, too.
1. The Ask
If you work in Christian radio, chances are you are already with a company that is family-oriented. If the reason that you would like to try transitioning to a home studio is to spend more time with your kids, I encourage you to share your heart with your boss. Radio is still a business, however, so you must also show that what happens on the air and your commitment to doing an excellent job will not suffer. Start laying the groundwork today by being the best employee at the station! I am fortunate that I had almost 4 solid years in the office at Salem, so they knew that I was always on time and getting everything done without having to be “nudged.” You might also put together a proposal that details what you would like to do, and address questions like these: Will you be live or tracked? If you track, who will load everything in at the station if you mp3 your breaks? Will you work from home every day, or a few days a week? Will you do your show at the station, but then take client calls and do production at home? If you are tracking, what time will you get the log? In my case, I’m at home every day, and then I come in and do my show from the station when we have fundraisers (about once a month). I also do 1-2 station events a month, such as concerts.
Something else to consider is taking a cut in pay. Most companies just assume that they will pay you less if you are not in the office every day. If you are able to do that, that is a HUGE motivator in a company saying yes to something new. Plus, you will save money on gas, car maintenance, and work clothes, since you can now “commute” in your pajamas. I love what Ruthie J from Reach FM said: Basically it came down to the fact that I can give more to the station if I can include hours out of the office and manage them at my own pace. Remote log-in has been necessary as well as having audio editing and recording capabilities at home. The big issue, though, was coming to the understanding that 1) I am able to give more to the station if I'm allowed to from home and 2) the station benefits from my extra hours. It's been a win-win for all of us and a true blessing for me! And that brings up something else that makes it easier for your boss to decide this is an awesome idea: You buy the equipment, or as much of it as you can. That way, too, if it doesn’t work out, you still have your studio and can take on other jobs. And please, please, please….get it all in writing, so there aren’t any surprises for you or your company. And after all of this, if the answer from your employer is still no, you can always pursue tracking opportunities with companies that are already using independent contractors. I can even recommend some of those to you.
2. The Equipment
Most folks that I know who work from home do so in their walk-in closet. If you have carpet, it is nearly perfect as is. My friend Frankie Di Vita uses her closet as her VO booth, and then edits everything at her desk in the adjoining bedroom. We have zero closet space, so we looked into buying a booth. Besides the fact that they are tres expensive, I was also told that I would run out of air in about 10-15 minutes, which wouldn’t work for a show, so that was the end of the booth. Here’s a great idea for you, if you don’t have closets, either, and a booth won’t work: Beth Warden purchased an older, Narnia-style wardrobe, lined it with foam, and then built a work station inside.
My hubby came up with the idea of turning the bathroom off of our son’s room into a studio, since he won’t be needing it for a little while. The hubbs ripped out the vanity and toilet, and we hung some thick curtains from Bed, Bath, and Beyond over the window and shower. My desk is where the sink was, and the walls are covered in bright orange foam. I use a Behringer Board, Electro-Voice RE-27 mic, and Mackie speakers. My computer is on loan from Salem, and I log in to the station from here to run NexGen. I use Vegas for editing VO. I also drink tons of caffeine, which seems to make everything run smoother.
3. The Daily Routine
How will you focus on work if you have kids? When I was pregnant, I assumed that that Baby Dallas would be peacefully napping or playing quietly by himself while I was working. Oh, how innocent I was! I realized that that was not going to happen about 30 minutes after he was born, and started texting everyone I knew for babysitter references. Since I don’t need someone for 8 hours a day, I have 3 different ladies who wanted part-time that come in during the week to watch my little munchkin while mommy is upstairs doing her shift. The Fish and our listeners deserve respect and my full attention while I’m working.
So what will you do? If your kids are in school, you are all set. If you’re tracking, you might be able to get it all done while the little ones are napping or after they go to sleep. Or, like me, you might need someone to care for them, or they could go to daycare. After my sitter arrives, I prep and go through email. I may have already updated Facebook and Twitter at this point, and I blog at least once a week. My shift is 10-3, and when I finish that I talk to clients, go through email again, and prepare everything for the next day. One other thing that I do is check the studio right after I wake up. If there are any computer or internet problems, I know that I”ll be heading in that day to work from the station. You might consider tracking some emergency breaks for those days (and they will happen!) when everything crashes.
One last thing I have discovered is that working from home can be, well…a little lonely. Invite some of your friends over, get baby out for a music class or park visit, or at least keep in touch with friends online. If working from home is your goal, I hope you go for it and share your success story with me!
One year later, I do my daily shows on 95.9 The Fish and 99.5 KKLA from my home studio, along with VO. And maybe you could, too! I”ve heard from a lot of moms that are interested in trying this, so I wanted to break down how I approached my boss with this idea, what equipment I’m using, and how it works out on a daily basis. I’ve also met some fantastic women who also make it work from home, so I’ll share some of their insights, too.
1. The Ask
If you work in Christian radio, chances are you are already with a company that is family-oriented. If the reason that you would like to try transitioning to a home studio is to spend more time with your kids, I encourage you to share your heart with your boss. Radio is still a business, however, so you must also show that what happens on the air and your commitment to doing an excellent job will not suffer. Start laying the groundwork today by being the best employee at the station! I am fortunate that I had almost 4 solid years in the office at Salem, so they knew that I was always on time and getting everything done without having to be “nudged.” You might also put together a proposal that details what you would like to do, and address questions like these: Will you be live or tracked? If you track, who will load everything in at the station if you mp3 your breaks? Will you work from home every day, or a few days a week? Will you do your show at the station, but then take client calls and do production at home? If you are tracking, what time will you get the log? In my case, I’m at home every day, and then I come in and do my show from the station when we have fundraisers (about once a month). I also do 1-2 station events a month, such as concerts.
Something else to consider is taking a cut in pay. Most companies just assume that they will pay you less if you are not in the office every day. If you are able to do that, that is a HUGE motivator in a company saying yes to something new. Plus, you will save money on gas, car maintenance, and work clothes, since you can now “commute” in your pajamas. I love what Ruthie J from Reach FM said: Basically it came down to the fact that I can give more to the station if I can include hours out of the office and manage them at my own pace. Remote log-in has been necessary as well as having audio editing and recording capabilities at home. The big issue, though, was coming to the understanding that 1) I am able to give more to the station if I'm allowed to from home and 2) the station benefits from my extra hours. It's been a win-win for all of us and a true blessing for me! And that brings up something else that makes it easier for your boss to decide this is an awesome idea: You buy the equipment, or as much of it as you can. That way, too, if it doesn’t work out, you still have your studio and can take on other jobs. And please, please, please….get it all in writing, so there aren’t any surprises for you or your company. And after all of this, if the answer from your employer is still no, you can always pursue tracking opportunities with companies that are already using independent contractors. I can even recommend some of those to you.
2. The Equipment
Most folks that I know who work from home do so in their walk-in closet. If you have carpet, it is nearly perfect as is. My friend Frankie Di Vita uses her closet as her VO booth, and then edits everything at her desk in the adjoining bedroom. We have zero closet space, so we looked into buying a booth. Besides the fact that they are tres expensive, I was also told that I would run out of air in about 10-15 minutes, which wouldn’t work for a show, so that was the end of the booth. Here’s a great idea for you, if you don’t have closets, either, and a booth won’t work: Beth Warden purchased an older, Narnia-style wardrobe, lined it with foam, and then built a work station inside.
My hubby came up with the idea of turning the bathroom off of our son’s room into a studio, since he won’t be needing it for a little while. The hubbs ripped out the vanity and toilet, and we hung some thick curtains from Bed, Bath, and Beyond over the window and shower. My desk is where the sink was, and the walls are covered in bright orange foam. I use a Behringer Board, Electro-Voice RE-27 mic, and Mackie speakers. My computer is on loan from Salem, and I log in to the station from here to run NexGen. I use Vegas for editing VO. I also drink tons of caffeine, which seems to make everything run smoother.
3. The Daily Routine
How will you focus on work if you have kids? When I was pregnant, I assumed that that Baby Dallas would be peacefully napping or playing quietly by himself while I was working. Oh, how innocent I was! I realized that that was not going to happen about 30 minutes after he was born, and started texting everyone I knew for babysitter references. Since I don’t need someone for 8 hours a day, I have 3 different ladies who wanted part-time that come in during the week to watch my little munchkin while mommy is upstairs doing her shift. The Fish and our listeners deserve respect and my full attention while I’m working.
So what will you do? If your kids are in school, you are all set. If you’re tracking, you might be able to get it all done while the little ones are napping or after they go to sleep. Or, like me, you might need someone to care for them, or they could go to daycare. After my sitter arrives, I prep and go through email. I may have already updated Facebook and Twitter at this point, and I blog at least once a week. My shift is 10-3, and when I finish that I talk to clients, go through email again, and prepare everything for the next day. One other thing that I do is check the studio right after I wake up. If there are any computer or internet problems, I know that I”ll be heading in that day to work from the station. You might consider tracking some emergency breaks for those days (and they will happen!) when everything crashes.
One last thing I have discovered is that working from home can be, well…a little lonely. Invite some of your friends over, get baby out for a music class or park visit, or at least keep in touch with friends online. If working from home is your goal, I hope you go for it and share your success story with me!
