How to turn your passion into a work-from-home venture/business

Too many times we give up on the idea of entrepreneurship, only because it seems like an un-scalable  dream/goal. Try these 5 baby steps to break that goal into doable steps and launch your dream biz (and be boss-free!). 

Here are my top 5 tips:

1.     Make a list of your degrees, skills, and passions, and zero down on a few that you'd like to build a business around.

2.   Check what you need to learn & which skills you need to upgrade before you begin to earn.

3.   Set small but achievable goals with the business building.

4.   Create a Facebook page to share your work portfolio and service offerings with your circle.

5.     Take that plunge.

To explore these further & know about the 6th bonus step, listen to my Audio post on my Youtube Channel here (click on the linked text or the photo below to go to the audio post).

And read the corresponding blog post here.

#milpreneur #entrepreneur #workfromhome #workingfromhome #businessideas #smallbusiness

The Brigade that Builds Brands: Air Force wife & home baker Hakikat Kaur on how to build a creative life around your talents

Hello! We're back with another milpreneur interview. Today, I'm speaking with a fellow Air Force wife Hakikat Kaur, who is a home baker as well as a super creative person. She has juggled her many talents and interests all through this military wife journey and believes that each of us can use our own creativity to stay happy and fulfilled.

Hakikat Kaur

CB. Please tell us something about yourself – what do you do, where are you based and how long have you been a fauji / military wife?

HK. I am married to an air force pilot. I am a peace and nature loving spiritual person who believes in simple living and high thinking. Love, kindness and honesty is what I live by. Natural surroundings rejuvenate and inspire my creativity. I am an avid sports lover and regular with exercise and holistic healing.

CB. What has been your business or creative journey been like; how & when did you start your venture?

HK. The first venture was Kiki Cupcakery. My husband was posted in Chandigarh, the year being 2014. Chandigarh being my home town, we would often have people over, a whole lot of birthday parties and dinners etc. Eager to always set a fine table of eatables, I would spend a lot of time in the kitchen cooking and baking a variety of sweets and savouries. This was much appreciated by all and soon I was inundated by orders, and the journey of Kiki Cupcakery began.

Plan your way into 2020 with this planning system (a planner review)

This year – 2019 is on its way out, and the brand new year 2020, freshly minted and sparkling, is about to roll in. It’s at this time – at the cusp of the years that we reflect on the year that’s fading off and plan for the year’s that’s shining bright on the horizon. And a good planner is one the best tools to make this transition with.

Plan your business & lifestyle with a handy planning system

Honestly, as much as I like the idea of using a planner (and every year I look for one to use), I haven’t ever got down to getting one. I’m one of those people, who vouches to start on a new daily planner, only to give up on the idea before January is out. I prefer going with the flow and a simple to-do list jotted down in a notepad has worked for me till now.

But now that I’m juggling 3 ventures (two of which are in newborn and toddler stages), homeschooling my rambunctious son, devoting time to multiple military wife commitments, and carving out time to work on my health, I do need a simple system to jot down ideas, plans, goals and dreams. This is why I like fellow milpreneur Shreya Sharan Pawar’s digital bundle of planners – its user-friendly, visually appealing and flexible in the way I want to use it as a personal & business tool (thanks Shreya, for sending it to me to use & review).

Podcast Episode 5: Reality checks every milpreneur must contend with to grow a successful brand/venture

Have you ever wondered that when you’re a military wife, who wants to start her own work-from-home career, you have to take into consideration many unique challenges that come your way? From unexpected postings to long stints of single parenting when the hubby is deployed, to the many logistical issues that happen when you’re living at a small base, there are lots of big and small things that add color to entrepreneurial life.  But when you're prepared for these reality checks, you can Be your Own Boss From Anywhere, with style.

Here's what you'll need to know. Please click the image below to go to the podcast episode on Youtube:

Click the image to go to the podcast episode on youtube

Read the show notes aka the corresponding blog post to this episode here.

*Join our aspiring entrepreneur's exclusive Facebook group.

*Get my Free book + only-for-subscribers entrepreneurial tips by subscribing to my newsletter here. 

*Listen + download inspiring Podcasts in the "Be Your Own Boss From Anywhere" series at my Youtube Channel here.

:) Till then, find me here:

Twitter @ChandanaMilSpo

Instagram @chandanamilspo

Facebook @chandanabanerjeewriter

#workfromhome #entrepreneur #milpreneur #bossbabe #militaryspouse #militarylife #workingmom #milpreneur #mompreneur #beyourownbossfromanywhere

Easy & Fun Christmas Crafts for Kids

With Christmas just around the corner, my son and I decided to dedicate a few of our homeschooling days to getting into the festive mood. And what better way to usher in the season than create Christmas decorations to hang onto our “upcycled” tree?!

Image credit: Chandana Banerjee

When a mom friend asked me for DIY Christmas tree decorations that her son can make as well, I decided to put it down in a blog post for all other moms out there, who’d like to do some Xmas crafting with their kids.

So, here we go.

Your Christmas craft kit:

6 Steps to turning your passion or skill into a work-from-home career

“With my qualification, I can’t find the right job where we’re based.” Is this something you feel often, as you move from one base to another, waiting for the right work opportunity to pop up?

If a tailor-made job offer is difficult to find at the boonies where you are stationed, you can always come up with an idea, skill or talent that you can upcycle into a career for yourself. Take a course, get a new degree or spend some time honing your talents before you turn it into a dream job.

Here's how you can do this:

1.     Make a list of your degrees, skills, and passions. See if you can merge your educational qualification with your skills or interests. Or maybe, you’d like to run with your passion and turn it into a tangible work-from-home career. What are your skills, qualifications and passions?

The Brigade that Builds Brands: Army wife, artistpreneur & businesswoman Sucheta Jaitly on creating a successful business on the move

Hello friends! Today, I’d like to introduce you to Sucheta Jaitly, an Army wife & a successful artist and businesswoman, who runs a brand of hand-painted wall plates that decorate the walls of restaurants and homes across India. She also teaches this art to underprivileged girls, runs a brick-and-mortar store in MHOW, takes part in handicraft exhibitions as well as in all the fauji wife activities with elan.

Let’s dive into this interview from The Brigade that Builds Brands series, which turns the spotlight on military wife entrepreneurs aka milpreneurs J.

*For updates on the #workfromhome series & #milpreneur inspiration, do follow us at @chandanamilspo on Instagram + check out the "Be your own Boss from Anywhere" series on Youtube here.

Sucheta Jaitly with her hand-painted wall plates

CB. Please tell us something about yourself – what do you do, where are you based and how long have you been a fauji/military wife.

SJ. I  am an  entrepreneur, running a startup of handicrafts called Earthenwallplates since last 2 years. We have decorates hundreds of client walls across India. Recently our venture was awarded by Times of India Group in Madhya Pradesh , in the art and culture category for creating vocational opportunities for the underprivileged girls.

After successfully creating a workshop in Lucknow, we are presently working from MHOW. We receive most of our orders from our website  www.earthenwallplates.com . Here at the shopping hub of faujis (MHOW),  we took a plunge of opening our first  retail store . We are also a supplier to some famous art selling portals like world art community, Quirkstation and Bomway, to name a few.

Recently I earned an Artisan card from my native state Uttaranchal which enables me to represent my state in various art fairs organized by the government of India like Delhi haat . It’s been 19 years being an Army wife. All the exposure at organizing various club activities and welfare meets, have finally been put to practice while running this venture .