Work At Home Success Story: Wendy D Wolf, Double W PR
This week’s Work-At-Home Success story comes from Wendy D Wolf of Double W PR.
PR was something that sort of claimed her, rather than something that she initially pursued. She had landed a great internship at a major television studio during the summer between her sophomore and junior years in college that was supposed to be in the writing & development department, but got switched to PR at the last minute. This was her first introduction to the world of PR and ended up being an amazing experience that lead to her knowing that PR would be the career she would pursue upon graduation.
She worked in a small firm during her senior year of college and after graduation, She began working for a small firm in Santa Monica, CA. From there, she ventured into the (then) exploding craze of the dot com businesses and then back to entertainment, where she worked in PR departments for film and television studios for about 6 years. She eventually decided that entertainment PR was not for her for the long-haul and moved into lifestyle PR – first at an agency and then going off on her own.
She began Double W Public Relations in July of 2005, and it was the best professional decision she ever made! Now, nearly 11 years later, she’s still so grateful every day that she get to do what she loves the way that she wants – working with clients she truly believes in and enjoys – on her own schedule, in her own home.
1) How did you get started working from home?
I started working from home when I decided to open up my business. I was not sure at the time if that would be a long-term situation OR if I’d get a separate office down the line, but once I got into a groove at home, I loved it.
2) How did you choose the work-at-home career you do?
I had already established myself in my career before starting to work from home. As I mentioned in the bio, I really began on my career path when I was still in college, so by the time I started on my own and from home, I had already been working in this career for close to 10 years with well-established contacts, clients, etc. I loved what I did, but the time was right to be on my own, and working from home was just the logical step as I opened my company. I am very fortunate that many of my colleagues and associates also work from home, so it was a non-issue from the very start.
3) How did you get started (basic initial steps)?
Once I made the actual decision to go out on my own, I took several months to really set myself up properly. I worked with my CPA to establish the business in the right way. I got the business together as a sole proprietorship, got my email set up, business cards made, etc, etc. I had several clients who had expressed interest in working with me directly for quite some time, so that part was great – I knew I would be successful right from the start, which was a HUGE relief! And then I let my contacts know what I was doing and where to reach me when the timing was right too.
4) How did you get your first client or customer or job?
I was quite lucky, actually. Before I even decided to go out on my own and work from home, I had three clients who asked to work with me directly. I had a great working relationship with each of them and they were all extremely supportive of my move… and none of them cared where I worked from (all of them worked from home too) as long as the work got done, which it did.
5) How do you market your business?
I really don’t do a lot of personal marketing. I am very fortunate that about 98% of my clients have been through referrals – from either past or current clients, contacts and/or friends… something that I think is quite rare, but I think says a great deal about me and what I do for my clients.
I also do get profiled from time-to-time, which is great, and I post most of my work accomplishments on Facebook and LinkedIn.
6) What does your usual day look like?
Every single day is different, which I love. Since the very beginning of when I started working from home, I have always made sure to get myself up and working just as I would if I were going to an office. The first step is always checking emails and then prioritizing the tasks of the day from there, allowing time for meetings, food, etc too.
7) What do you know now that you wish you knew when you started?
It is OK – and even smart – to set boundaries … for yourself between your work and home life, as well as with your clients. You have to do this in order to maintain any kind of balance. This is very hard to do at the beginning, but once you do it, you will be so happy that you did!
8) What advice would you give someone who wants to work from home?
You have to be self-motivating because sometimes you can get lonely or distracted. I’d also go back to what I touched upon above – make sure you have balance in your life because you don’t want your work to take over your personal life too. Devote yourself, of course, to your work during business hours, but then allow yourself to shut down and unwind at the end of each day … it will do wonders for your soul!
And most importantly – believe in yourself – you can do it!
To connect further with Wendy, visit
Website URL: www.doublewpr.com
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/
