A Mom Who Made It Happen
Tammy Guadagnoli
Hometown: Beaver Pa
Hometown: Beaver Pa
Tell Us about your business and why you created it.
"I always tell people I have a job and a business.
My job came about after we lost our first daughter, Faith, in 2001 to stillbirth. From that moment I completely changed focus career wise and felt a strong desire to work from home if we ever were fortunate enough to have more children. That started the process of researching and scouring the internet in search of a legitimate and stable profession. If you are willing to put in the time weeding out the scams and are smart about it (never pay for work) there truly is a lot of options out there to make a nice living from home. I started out answering phone calls and taking orders for one of the home shopping channels. It just took a computer and a headset. But in 2003 I got a job in insurance transcription and have been making a nice income from that ever since. When an insurance company interviews their client or a claimant for a car accident, slip and fall, auto theft, etc, I am the one that types up the interviews so they will have the needed transcript/document for the claim to use in court, etc.
My business started as a hobby in 2005 when I felt the desire to have a creative outlet. Over time more and more people got word of my cake decorating and I started getting many phone calls and emails. Again, I spent a lot of time researching, guiding my own way through becoming an official business, and launched Faithfully Cakes in 2009. I decided if I was going to have a business I wanted to excel at ONE specific thing and concentrate on quality over quantity. So I devoted the business solely to custom made cake designs."
Tell us about your family.
"Married for going on 13 years to my best friend, who serves full time in the PA Air National Guard, 171st Air Refueling Wing, in Coraopolis.
Mom to 3 vibrant, beautiful, and crazy like their mom girls, who currently are 9, 8 and 6."
What Advice do you have for other moms looking to make it happen at home? Looking to have it all!?
"Be patient and persistent when looking for a job or starting your own business. Over the years I have had countless people come to me for help on working from home or starting a business, but even when pointing them in the right direction, seldom do any follow through because it really takes a lot of time and research to get going. 99% of the time it's not going to just land in your lap. You have to be willing to put the initial work in and once you have it pays off tenfold. Take initiative, educate yourself, and make the internet work for you! We are so fortunate to have it as a tool.
Other than that, don't spread yourself too thin. Work out a time plan and budget plan of how much you need to make, what you're realistically capable of handling, and stick with it. Remember you're working at home to BE WITH your family.
Lastly, take pride in and be good at what you do! Handing in a sloppy transcript or a falling over cake because I was up with a crying baby the night before is not what my clients want to hear, nor do they care frankly. Stay professional and committed and you will be amazed at the job security you will feel and the success you will have.
I am extremely proud to say I have been making it happen for 9 years and counting! :)"
What do you love about having your own business?
"I am in a unique situation where, again, I have a job. That is my main source of income. To be blunt, I can make far more with transcription than I ever will with cakes regardless of how I price them. Creating cake is VERY expensive, both in supplies, utilities, time, and exhaustion LOL, much more than people realize.
Therefore, my job is for my income and my business is for love. It truly is a perfect combination.
It seems a pitfall of many when turning what you love to do into a business is that it becomes 'work', your perspective changes and your passion fades. Because I don't have the pressure of having to sell a certain number of cakes to pay the bills I am able to keep the business solely out of desire. I consider it a luxury, and it's to the benefit of myself and my clients in the caliber of work they get from me."
When did you know it was going to WORK!?
"When I started transcription I was working a part-time job outside of the home in the evenings to supplement. The day I was able to quit that job because I was now making enough with transcription was the day I knew I had 'made it'."
What challenge(s) did you find most prevalent as a mom running a business?
"Balance! Balance! Balance! Being a doubly employed mom of 3, it's all about the balance. it is quite a juggling act, multi-tasking to the max. I sometimes forget my time management skills and I know when I do when I see more gray hairs popping up on my head. HA! It's not easy by any means, but it is doable by compartmentalizing what needs to be done and what blocks of time are devoted to what."
Did you ever want to quit, throw in the towel!? What kept you going?
"I so wish I could answer a happy NO WAY to this question, but that would be a big, giant lie. LOL Yes, on both counts.
Trying to get 3 young children to understand that mommy has to be on the computer right now and can't be interrupted every two seconds is a challenge to say the least. It took a lot of time to, for lack of a better word, train them to have a work at home mom. There have been multiple times in the past where I have told my husband it may just be easier if I left the house for work where I could actually focus. LOL But over time as the kids have grown that's become less and less of an issue.
With cakes, it's a different challenge. I hate hate hate saying no to people, and it's even harder to say no when launching a business. I got to the point about a year and a half ago where I was ready to give up on it. I was cranking out way too many cakes a week because I didn't want to turn anyone away, running on no sleep, and spending no time with my family, which kind of defeats the purpose of working from home. I still never enjoy turning business down, but that has been my biggest lesson learned in this venture of mine. Unfortunately limiting myself is a necessity for me, my family, and my clients. Otherwise the quality will go down, I will be miserable, and cakes will become a thing I used to do. I have some clients now that have learned and contact me about 6 months in advance for their cakes. We kind of laugh about it, but hey, they never not get their cake :) and I am flattered that they consider it a priority."
Check out her awesome cake business!
In case you are interested in the transcription business, here's a list of companies that hire :)
http://www.wahm.com/forum/transcription-services-scopists-55/445937-companies-hire-ics-general-medical-legal.html
I have known Tammy for more years than I care to tell you all! We met in a mommy's group that found us and our children fast friends. I watched as Tammy took her hobby into a business and even was there during the "naming conversation." I'm so proud to showcase Tammy's Faithfully Cakes as well as her business advice which is sure to hit home with so many. As a mom of three, dedicated wife and incredibly talented business owner here in our area-- I am proud to not only recognize her in our publication-- but proud to know her as a person.
Debby P Editor, Macaroni Kid of Pittsburgh LLC
I have known Tammy for more years than I care to tell you all! We met in a mommy's group that found us and our children fast friends. I watched as Tammy took her hobby into a business and even was there during the "naming conversation." I'm so proud to showcase Tammy's Faithfully Cakes as well as her business advice which is sure to hit home with so many. As a mom of three, dedicated wife and incredibly talented business owner here in our area-- I am proud to not only recognize her in our publication-- but proud to know her as a person.
Debby P Editor, Macaroni Kid of Pittsburgh LLC
