Woman To Watch – Holly Hanna of The Work At Home Woman

Today marks the first official “Wednesday’s Women To Watch” post and I’m excited to start it off with such an inspiring lady as Holly Hanna.  Holly has built a wonderful network for women earning their living from home and given them many resources and opportunities to learn from one another.

Take a few minutes and learn a little more about Holly and how she brought her business to the success it is today.

Woman To Watch – Holly Hanna of The Work At Home Woman

To start off, Holly, could you please describe what you do and how you earn your living?

I am the publisher and founder of The Work at Home Woman, an online business resource dedicated to helping women and mothers acquire the skills and knowledge to be able to successfully work from home or become self-employed. To fund this business I also work part-time as a social media marketer for a small publishing company.

What most influenced you to launch your business?

My beautiful daughter… before I had my daughter I worked full-time as an RN Clinical Research Coordinator, but from the moment she was placed in my arms I knew that I would not be able to leave her in daycare and return to my full-time job. With the support of my husband, I was able to quit my full-time job and become a full-time stay a home mom; but after nine months of caring for my daughter I felt the need to exercise my brain.

I started my work at home search by asking past employers and friends if there was any work that I could do for them while caring for my daughter at home. My networking efforts paid off and in December 2007 I started working from home as a social media marketer. While working for the publishing company, I learned a lot of valuable marketing skills and decided to launch The Work at Home Woman as a way to help other women and moms find legitimate work at home jobs and opportunities.

Why do you think the female factor is so important in today’s economy and business world?

I believe that women bring a new and refreshing outlook to business and the economy. I think because so many new businesses are owned by women that the business realm is starting to reflect a more caring and nurturing environment that is conducive to a more altruistic actions. I think as more and more women start their own businesses that we will see many new and exciting changes that benefit all members of the community.

Have you used the marketing concept of tribes in your business?  Do you feel this concept can help other female entrepreneurs in their business pursuits?

Yes, I do use this concept in my business practice. I find that women are very receptive to helping each other out by sharing knowledge and lending emotional support freely – you just need to ask.

How do you use social media for your business?

I use social media first and foremost to meet new people and cultivate new and existing relationships. It has also been a wonderful way to moderately promote my site and get important news and updates.

What aspect of social media have you found to be the most help and/or most hindrance to your business?

Social media has really broken down the wall to physical boundaries; I am now able to connect with people from all over the world.

The downside to social media is that is can be very time consuming and distracting.

Have you had a mentor and if so, how has that helped you?

I haven’t had a specific mentor, but there have been a bunch of wonderful women who I have been able to ask questions and lean on in times of need. If you don’t have a mentor or career coach, I highly suggest joining a local business group where you can reach out to other members for support and information.

What would you say is the single biggest reason for your success?

There are really a couple of reasons… one because I am very motivated to make this work and secondly, I absolutely love what I am doing. I am able to help other women while taking care of my daughter, what better scenario can you ask for!

If you could step back in time to when you were just starting out, what advice would you give yourself knowing what you know now?

My advice to myself and other entrepreneurs would be to be more vocal. My very first graphic designer was totally unreliable and ended up taking advantage of me and the situation. I now know that if something doesn’t seem right, speak up and let your voice be heard. There is a difference between being polite and being taken advantage of.

Can you share with us any plans or lifetime goals (personal or business) that we can look forward to from you?

I have started to write a book and I hope to be finished with it by the end of 2010.

What is the best way for our readers to learn more about you or contact you for more information?

People can visit me at The Work at Home Woman, on Twitter @Holly_Hanna or on Facebook. They can also contact me at holly (at) theworkathomewoman (dot) com

Many thanks to Holly for stepping up and getting back to me after this week’s call for women entrepreneurs to be featured here!  Please leave your comments and any questions for Holly below.

To Your Success,

P.S. ~> Would YOU like to be featured on Market Like A Chick? If you have a great success or marketing journey you would like to share and use to inspire other women entrepreneurs let me know!  I will be featuring one woman each week for my new Wednesday’s Women To Watch posts.  You can find all the details and guidelines on my Be Featured page.

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Tagged as:  Women Entrepreneurs · Women In Marketing · Women To Watch