Working While Homeschooling with Rachael Alsbury
Summary:
Are you a homeschooling parent looking to balance working or starting a business while educating your children at home? In this episode of the Show Me Homeschool Podcast, host Erin sits down with Rachael Alsbury, a homeschool mom and entrepreneur, to discuss the art of working while homeschooling. Rachael shares her experience of managing her business, photography, and writing while homeschooling her children, providing insights into how to balance the dual role of teacher and entrepreneur. Listeners will gain valuable advice and encouragement in navigating the challenges of being a working homeschool parent and learn about the benefits of incorporating entrepreneurial values into their homeschooling journey.
Resources & Links:
Find Rachael at her website, www.rachaelalsbury.com or on Instagram, @rachael.alsbury
Connect with Erin and Joe at Show Me Homeschool:
Show Me Homeschool Website
On Instagram, @show.me.homeschool
On Pinterest, @showmehomeschool
Be sure to leave a rating and review, and subscribe so you never miss an episode! For questions or comments email us: info@showmehomeschool.com
Transcript:
Erin [00:00:00]:
Welcome back to the Show Me Homeschool podcast. We are back with Rachael Alsbury. She and I were talking last episode about the minimum viable school day that she's created in her systems and processes. And I really hope that you've had time to go to her website, check those out, buy a course that she offers, and, really get into the groove of that minimal viable school day. And then, you know, see how that plays into your optimal school day. I'm Erin.
Joe [00:00:30]:
And I'm Jo.
Erin [00:00:31]:
We're the hosts of the Show Me Homeschool podcast, where we guide parents through the wilderness of home education. Each weekly episode will focus on supporting and encouraging homeschool moms and dads through conversational interviews with like minded Christian leaders and the homeschool community.
Joe [00:00:48]:
In our experience, we've seen the lack of resources and support available for homeschool dads. So we want to address that by covering relevant topics concerning husbands and fathers as they lead their families through this lifestyle of home education.
Erin [00:01:01]:
We understand the need for creating connections and building authentic relationships to sustain a healthy homeschool environment for yourself and your children.
Joe [00:01:10]:
Our goal is not to show you how to replicate our homeschool, but to show you how you can create a home learning lifestyle that is sustainable for your family.
Erin [00:01:18]:
Show Me Homeschool is here to come alongside you. So, Rachael, welcome back. Thank you for having me. Yeah. Well, I'm excited to dig a little deeper because, you know, as homeschool moms who also are entrepreneurs, we have a dual role to play. We are teaching and educating, but we are also trying to, you know, earn an income and make time for that in our school day. So let's start there. How how long have you been a working homeschool mom?
Rachael Alsbury [00:01:56]:
Well, I've always been a homeschool mom with a hobby. So I have done my blogging and photography for many years. But I probably didn't start really monetizing it till really recently, when my kids got a little bit older. Actually, you know what? That's not true. We'll back that up. I've actually been doing photography since my kids were little. And so what that would look like was we would homeschool Monday through Thursday. And then on Fridays, I would have a babysitter that came, and I would schedule all my sessions for Friday.
Rachael Alsbury [00:02:32]:
My kids actually loved it. To be to tell you the truth, we had, a homeschool girl that was, like, the middle of, like, 8 kids, and she was, like, super chill. And she loved being with kids, and she would come every Friday and just be with my kids while I went out and, you know, did my sessions. And they have the best memories
Erin [00:02:53]:
of this babysitter time. Mhmm.
Rachael Alsbury [00:02:55]:
I would also tell moms that, like, sometimes we feel guilty to, like, higher childcare or something like that. And it turned out to be, like, some of my kids' core memories that they had Gabby. So I did that for a while, and then I've always blogged at nighttime when my kids were in bed. Bedtime was always, like, a set thing for us for them to go to bed and for me to get to work. And then I monetize writing by doing courses and, like selling ebooks and things like that.
Erin [00:03:22]:
Mhmm. Yeah. I think you touched on a good point here because a lot of times we're focused on what, where we are right now with homeschooling. And, you know, I was a working mom too, before, we, we began our homeschool journey. My kids, worked at a doctor's office and I would work. I was working full time for a short time and, you know, I, I had my kids in daycare and I was that mom, you know, I was working to provide, a supplemental income for our family. And then I went back to one day a week on Fridays. My mom would watch the kids and yeah, that's, that's such a good, important reminder because I think a lot of times we can be in circles where people are ashamed to ask for help or to be paying for help to meet some of their family's financial goals.
Erin [00:04:09]:
And, you know, as moms, we just need to, like, get that spray bottle. Just stop it. You know, I just wanna spray people's and stuff like, stop it. We don't need to be like that. Everyone's where they're at, you know? And, so, yeah, before homeschooling, that's where we were was, I was a working mom and my mom would watch the kids on Fridays. And then afterwards, we started our homeschooling when my oldest was going into kindergarten. So it was just kind of interesting to see how that shifted in my life, but then always trying to do some sort of side thing. So, you know, the MLM marketing or whatever it could be to supplement the income.
Erin [00:04:46]:
I've been that mom. So I think if you're listening and you're a mom with a side hustle or some sort of business that you are running, that's a great, noble thing for you to be doing to help provide for your family. So Rachael, when, when you started homeschooling, how did your working shift? You said you did a lot at night. Did you see any major things that came up as you shifted from just from working and the evenings and side things to being a homeschool mom?
Rachael Alsbury [00:05:14]:
Actually, I felt that they went together really well. Yeah. I definitely thought that, you know, when I first started, of course, I thought this is gonna take 8 hours a day. Like, I'm not gonna have any kind of a life. Like, I'm just gonna lose myself, you know, in this and not, you know, have any hobbies or whatever. And it turns out that it only takes a few hours a day to homeschool. And when I would give my kids that concentrated attention, which actually is one of my probably one of the greatest benefits of homeschooling for us is I learn how to do that with my kids and give them my full focus attention. Then, like, in the afternoon, they'd be, like, run off and play, and I would have time to do photography because sometimes I would do, like, photos from my blog or I might do, like, photos for, wild and free.
Rachael Alsbury [00:05:57]:
And so then I would do that in the afternoon, and then it would be dinner, and I would make dinner. And And then after dinner when the kids were in bed, then I would go edit and write. And I would have that time to stay up late and be creative. So I actually found that that went together really well. Being a homeschool mom, like, actually increased my creativity, my productivity because I'm like, I happen to have to get done today. And it increased my just, I guess it kinda opened up the world for me in terms of, like, books to read and things to write about and Mhmm. Things to take pictures pictures of. So, like, as a creative, I just found that actually fueled me, to be a homeschool mom.
Rachael Alsbury [00:06:33]:
And so it gave me a different type of focus.
Erin [00:06:36]:
Yeah. So I think that's a really great thing to bring up that you helped get that focus as a homeschool mom, that it wasn't a detrimental situation, that it was actually enhancing what you are doing working. Because one of the biggest things that I hear from people that are considering homeschooling or feeling that pull towards that lifestyle is how am I gonna afford it? And I mean, there's 2 things that play there. 1, it doesn't have to cost a lot to homeschool your children. I mean, it can be very minimally budgeted to 1,000 of dollars a year. You could, you know, you could do that. But then also the second part of it is how do I fit it in as a mom? And, and I think like you're saying, homeschooling does not take all day every day. It is a a very, just a really concentrated time that you have with your kids.
Erin [00:07:23]:
And once that's done, then you can do your thing. So as a mom that works, what tools have you put in place? Do you have like a minimum viable Workday that you operate under?
Rachael Alsbury [00:07:35]:
I will be so honest. No. I have tried so many times to, like, systematize my work. I mean, I have workflows for things like editing pictures or, like, making a reel or something, but I actually am very random. And be I because I do a lot of creative stuff. Uh-huh. So, like,
Erin [00:07:52]:
well, I found in
Rachael Alsbury [00:07:53]:
the that in the morning sometimes in the morning, if I need to do something administrative, that's the best time for me. But for most of what I do, afternoon and evening is my best flow. And I'll just be like, okay. What do I wanna do today? So I have had very little, like, actual deadlines and things like that. So I do write articles or, like, I'll I will have sessions or do product photography or something, but a lot of what I've chosen to do is something that I can get done on my own time.
Erin [00:08:18]:
Mhmm.
Rachael Alsbury [00:08:18]:
And so I'm able to just be, like, pretty creative with it. And I will say that the point you touched on about needing to make extra income as a homeschooling family, what I've noticed that how that dynamic plays out for me and David is it has forced us to get so much more creative. Like, thinking about ways, like, as entrepreneurs, like, how can we generate income that doesn't constantly require us? And so it's caused us as a couple to branch out into how do we build machines that work for us and, like, how do we make our money work for us? And it's caused us to step into a different way even of thinking about money. Mhmm. And so that's actually because I wanna be home full time. I wanna be home with the kids. You know? And so he's like, yeah. Like, how can we make this work? And it's actually been cool to see how that's forced us into creativity.
Rachael Alsbury [00:09:08]:
That didn't answer your exact question, but that's okay. To be totally honest about your question, like, I'm very I go with the flow with my work. And then sometimes I'm like, I can't do it. I'll for days, I'll just be like, I'm just I can't do work right now.
Erin [00:09:21]:
Uh-huh. Well, I think like you said, if you can build a structure of business, you know, like, what Joe and I have done with our show me homeschool business is we, we spent the money out front on marketing and branding and made sure that we got that right. And then, you know, we've got our website and we have actually, because our business is primarily online, you know, like you said, it's, it's not taking a lot of our time or time that we have to be there every day and show up like a 9 to 5 because it is an entrepreneurial small business and we can work it however we want. So I I love that you're sharing that because as moms, you know, both of us have businesses now that where before I was working outside the home for doctor's office, doing reception work and records and things like that, and then coming home and then trying those MLMs or things that I could do from home. And, you know, obviously, like that was an abysmal failure. You know, I just, the more I've done it, the more I'm like, there's a very, very small percentage that this actually works for people to make a a livable income off of. And I'm not that person. I sold more things to myself in those situations than to anyone else.
Erin [00:10:29]:
But as homeschool moms, we've kind of pivoted. And I think that there's a lot of us out there, like each individual homeschool mom, if you have a good structure or a plan or an idea, we're all doing homeschool different. And, and the way that our business is set up is it is a business around home education and the, the pain points that homeschool parents have and similar to what you're doing. So I would encourage moms that are thinking about, Hey, how can I stay home? How could I homeschool? Maybe you do pivot to an online content creation type entrepreneurial, adventure. Maybe you, you find the thing that you're good at and you say, how do I wrap that around what I do every day with my kids? And you know, that creativity piece, like I was telling a mom last night, like the one thing about homeschool moms that I absolutely love is just how creative we all are. We're all figuring out all these different things and how they tie together. And that's just so encouraging. So how how would you encourage a mom that may be wanting to start an entrepreneurial venture, and focus it on a homeschooling niche?
Rachael Alsbury [00:11:34]:
Yeah. I mean, the first way to let's just say you just needed to generate cash. Because you're like, I need some money. The first way to do that, well, they'll which they'll always tell you is a service based business. So So the drawback of a service based business is, like, you're trading your time for money. But as homeschool moms, we have flexible time, so we can choose things. Like, I can do photography. So I I always know that if I need cash, I can fall back on my photography business and schedule bookings, you know, on the weekends or in the evenings.
Rachael Alsbury [00:12:03]:
My husband, you know, he fully supports that, of course. So the first way to do it is to do a service based business, whether that's like baking or making candles. I have a friend that makes candles. I have a friend homeschool mom friend that started making candles that her business blew up into, like, a full on, like, selling candles and boutiques and, like, spas. So Mhmm. Like, that could that is totally real. Like, you can make a full business out of stuff like that. So if you wanna generate cash, just start there.
Rachael Alsbury [00:12:31]:
And then if you are like, I want to actually serve the homeschool niche, the homeschool crowd, I would say, content based, like, online content based is really important because everybody's on their phone right now, and everybody has problems that they need help with. So if you can go into a space and serve, like, how can you serve, you know, in that space? How can you can you offer something funny and humorous for people? Can you offer, you know, a an answer to a problem? What can you sir offer? Can you offer curriculum? Can you make a guide for something? Curriculum is huge, by the way. Like and some of my favorite curriculums are homeschool mom made curriculums. Like, those have been some of our favorites. Like and people I know people that just started doing that that are doing really well because people are like, I want your style, and I like that, and I wanna buy yours. And then it's digital, so it doesn't cost you anything to produce. Like, that is huge and people like that because it's cheaper for them. So that's actually one great way.
Rachael Alsbury [00:13:30]:
Memberships are huge. I mean, that's a little bit harder to build. Honestly, you need a little bit more tech infrastructure, but, like, digital products coming in with, like, blog content that you can monetize. I mean, there's so many ways to monetize digital content, and some ways are faster than others.
Erin [00:13:46]:
Right. Yeah. And I think with the digital market, you think about market saturation, you know, with homeschool, because there's so many people right now because homeschooling is hot. You know, it's the way that people are choosing to educate. And, you know, I I would say don't let that be a deterrent. If the just because there's a lot of content out there already, that doesn't mean that all of it's good, all of it's helpful. Like you said, that serving other people, doing something outside the box of your comfort level. You know, podcasting was not something that I ever thought that I would be doing, but it turns out I really love it.
Erin [00:14:22]:
And it's a great way to connect people quickly. Like you said, everyone's on their phone. As a homeschool mom, I'm driving all hours and hours a week to get my kids to the things they're doing. So for me, listening to a podcast or an audio book or something on the way to or from, those things is a great way. So maybe it is something where maybe you really liked communications when you were in college, or maybe you have a marketing background, or maybe you could partner with other homeschool moms and create a service serving them in a way, that's business minded. You just getting those creative juices, maybe making that list of what am I good at? What are my skills? What did I go to school for? What did I always say that when I was an adult, this is what I wanted to do? Because it can sometimes feel all consuming as a homeschool mom that we're wrapped up around those choices with what are we doing with our kids that I think sometimes what I've seen is, you know, our kids are teenagers now and we have a little one, but I've had friends that go to get their real estate license. And that is something that's super easy for them to work around their schedule, or their kids can come along with, or, you know, finding those things. So what other tips can you think of that you would say if there's a mom that, maybe just starting out, maybe she's already got her business model in mind.
Erin [00:15:40]:
What would you think would be a good thing to encourage her?
Rachael Alsbury [00:15:43]:
Well, first, I wanna encourage you that even though anytime you look at the market and it looks saturated and it looks like there's a lot of stuff out there, that's actually validation that there is a demand. Mhmm. And you even though it looks like, well, maybe everybody else has a blog, can I really do that? This is this is the tape that will play in your head. Oh, well, so and so already makes sourdough or, like, so and so already has a blog. No. But you're going to bring your unique version to that, and there is going to be people that want your version of whatever that service is. And so this scarcity mindset a lot of times we have, like, a scarcity mindset where, like, okay. We see, like, making money or being in business like a pie.
Rachael Alsbury [00:16:23]:
Like, there's only so many slices of pie. No. When you go into the market and you bring a service, you're creating more opportunity for more people, and you're giving people in the market more choice. And so I would just encourage moms because that's often the first thing that comes to our heads. Like, oh, what can I really bring? You can bring a lot. And who knows what you could make? Like, who knows when you start serving people, start taking their feedback and start saying, like, how could I make this better? What is it you really want? Because sometimes we'll go and make a product like I've done this before. I make a product that I think, oh, this will be good. And people are like, no.
Rachael Alsbury [00:16:56]:
Actually, what I really liked about that was this other thing. And then I pivot and I create that. And so you can do that. It's super simple to do, and you can bring a lot of value to the market. And who even knows what you can build? Like Mhmm. It's really limitless.
Erin [00:17:10]:
Yeah. And you touched on something else that I think is an important aspect of being a homeschool mom is we are constantly pivoting. Each day looks different. No matter what our system is, no matter what our curriculum is, we can have in mind that we're going to do this, this and this today. And the kid throws up in the middle of reading aloud, you know, or there's a crisis that comes up or you get a phone call that you weren't expecting and it just derails the day. So you're always trying to figure out, okay, this is what I wanted. This was my goal. How can I re hash my day? Or how can I restructure my day to create that? And that is a really strong trait that you can have as an entrepreneur.
Erin [00:17:49]:
So like homeschool moms, I think, and, and dads too, we're, we're doing those things. We're already thinking outside the box in, in choosing to home educate. So let's expand that a little bit more and, dive into those small businesses. As you've been a small business owner with you and your husband, and how have you seen that benefit your children as you've homeschooled?
Rachael Alsbury [00:18:11]:
Well, entrepreneurship is because it's a value to me and my husband, it is a value of our homeschool. So that's one of the things we do in the homeschool DNA workshop is we talk about, like, what are your values as a family? And so we value entrepreneurship, and that's one reason why we like unschooling because we want them to follow their passions and do things like start businesses. And so talking about investments, talking about how to build a business, like, those are all common topics that we talk about as a family. We do in our homeschool. We just got a bunch of books about kids investing and kids making money, and everybody was, like, way into those books. And so that has definitely been a part of what we've told our kids we're doing. And so, like, when I work, like, sometimes my kids don't like that. Like, I'm one that's like, oh, you're working.
Rachael Alsbury [00:18:55]:
I don't like that. And my husband and I have had to sit down and be like, this is part of our family values is that we're building businesses so that we can be home with you guys and so that we can set you guys up to do the same thing so that you can follow what, you know, you're passionate about and what you care about, and we're here to help you with that. But it's a family thing.
Erin [00:19:15]:
Mhmm.
Rachael Alsbury [00:19:15]:
And so, that is definitely part of the way that we homeschool, and it's played into a lot of the decisions we've made about, you know, how we do our day and, you know, what kind of curriculum we pick and the philosophies that resonate with us.
Erin [00:19:27]:
Yeah. And you hit on a pain point that I think a lot of homeschool prospects are asking is, you know, or criticism that people have of home education is, well, you know, having your kids home all day and then letting them just do the things they're interested in, that's not realistic for them getting a job or being hireable later. And you're like, actually, I don't want them hireable. I want them to be the person doing the hiring with their own business.
Rachael Alsbury [00:19:53]:
Exactly. I mean, well, the reason I know it works is because it's what my husband did. And that is I I would never have been open to this idea of unschooling until I realized my husband kept telling me, like, he did public school. He did private school. He he's like, I hated it. I hated public school. I had things I wanted to do, and I couldn't do them. And so he convinced his mom two times to let him skip grades.
Rachael Alsbury [00:20:15]:
So he skipped 2 different grades. Then he was 16, and he was he didn't wanna go to high school, so he was doing independent study. But most of what he was doing in independent study, he'd get his schoolwork done, and then he was working on his computer programming business. So he started the business that he uses to support our family that he's used for the past 30 years. He started when he was 16 because he didn't have to do all the school stuff. Then he he went to one college class and decided, I already know more than the professor because he would read books. He would Yeah. People leave, and that was part of their family values.
Rachael Alsbury [00:20:47]:
Was that they were like, well, what do you wanna learn? We'll get you with some books and a computer. And he built his entire business on that when he was 16. He had a, like, a full salary job when he was, like, 19 or 20. And so I'm like, I know it works. Like, he didn't he did he have training in, like, writing ML, you know, essays and, like, you know, these different like, the things that I learned how to do in college. No. He didn't. But he's very successful because he learned the things he wanted to do.
Rachael Alsbury [00:21:14]:
And if there's something that he needs to know, he'll go learn it. Mhmm.
Rachael Alsbury [00:21:17]:
He'll get on YouTube or, you know, go to the library. He'll bring home big books like this. And so I'm like, there are lots of ways to be an educated person, and I I really like this version. Like, this is really cool. We have a lot of freedom as a family and, we really enjoy living life that way.
Erin [00:21:33]:
Yeah. And I think as a as I'm walking this out too with our business that we've just started last year, because I have older kids, they're able to, if I'm working on something, they have more free time that's unstructured. And so, my dad came to visit a couple of weeks ago and my, he was asking my 15 year old, you know, what have you been up to? What are you learning? And he's like, well, I'm learning Python coding. And I was like, you are? I had no idea. And I'm like, are you writing this down? Because I can totally count this as school, you know? So, you know, I think sometimes as homeschool moms, we think hyper structure, hyper scheduling, I mean, is going to be the thing that's gonna help us. But really when we are pursuing our own passions, we sometimes allow our children that extra free time to pursue their own passions. And it is interesting to see how that plays out because, you know, he's my 15 year old particularly is super bent on like coding and, you know, getting into Minecraft things and changing how their, the worlds are and things like that. Things I have no idea how he knows how to do, but he's doing them and I didn't teach him those things.
Erin [00:22:41]:
So before we, in this episode, I really think that this is an important topic because there's so many moms out there who are like, if I could just bring in a little extra income, I feel like I could totally stay home with my kids. What's maybe one last piece of advice or, something that you would like to share with those moms that are kind of on that precipice or who maybe are struggling. They've started a business. It's not going how they thought. They're not bringing in that money right away. What would you say to someone who's maybe on the struggle bus right now?
Rachael Alsbury [00:23:10]:
I mean, I'm on the struggle bus. So what would I say
Erin [00:23:12]:
to you? Like, talk to me.
Rachael Alsbury [00:23:15]:
Yeah. I mean, being an entrepreneur is trying things and seeing what works. And if you're not having failures, you're not gonna be learning. And so we're in a transition point, my husband and I right now, where we're like, our businesses have worked for us, but we actually need to generate more money because we have family to take care of right now. We have extended family that needs help. You know, we have different situations there. And so we've put our heads together and been like, alright. How can we level up? So I would encourage you.
Rachael Alsbury [00:23:43]:
Keep learning. Keep leveling up and keep learning. Get into spaces that make you feel really uncomfortable. And there are people out there this is what I tell my husband. There are people out there that are dumber than you, that are being really successful right now. The only thing that's stopping us is usually us.
Erin [00:24:00]:
Uh-huh.
Rachael Alsbury [00:24:01]:
I will give a caveat to that, which is that I have had to grow slower and do less because of my value of being a stay at home homeschool mom. And so it does go a little bit slower, and I don't move as fast. And, like, a lot of the typical business advice doesn't always apply to me, but I think keeping on learning, keeping your mind open, and being willing to try new things is so key to being able to make those shifts. And we're we're on the edge of making some of those shifts ourselves, but we've really had to be like, how can we get uncomfortable and learn something completely new, which I know you're doing right now too.
Erin [00:24:38]:
Right?
Rachael Alsbury [00:24:38]:
You're like, how do we run this? You know, how do we do this?
Erin [00:24:41]:
Yeah. So Yeah. And, you know, I didn't have entrepreneurial parents. It wasn't something that was taught, you know, my husband's parent, parents also worked full time jobs. You know, they were not creating their own businesses. And so I think the one thing that also can crossover for homeschool advice and business advice, if you're wanting to start is just consistency, you know, just showing up a little every day. Like you said, that slow growth, that's more meaningful in the longer run. I think because, you know, as, as homeschool moms, we see that in our children just showing up for them every day.
Erin [00:25:15]:
If you go back to January, even of this year and you look at where they are now, there's progress. And, it can be discouraging if, if you're just starting out or if something new transitionally has happened in your life, but keep going. And, you know, if this is a topic that you want to explore with our, Show Me Homeschool podcast, we would love to get some feedback on that and, see where you're at. And if this is something that you wanna talk more about as homeschool moms and dads, I think right now we're in this place where there's so much stuff going on online. COVID really brought out online businesses and content creation. And so there's a lot of different ways we could encourage and support each other through that. So, Rachael, thank you so much for talking through this. I know this is not really the typical homeschool podcast episode where we're focused on, homeschool by itself, but I really appreciate your insights.
Erin [00:26:12]:
And so where can our listeners find you, connect with you, purchase some of your courses?
Rachael Alsbury [00:26:19]:
So I'm always hanging out on Instagram. So rachel.alisbury, spelled a little different. It's rachel.alisbury. And then my blog, rachelalisbury.com, that has tons of freebies, archives of recaps of our homeschool years, all of our favorite curriculums on there, and then, of course, my courses and free blog posts for days where you can read about all of my
Erin [00:26:41]:
systems. Excellent. And we will link all of those resources in our show notes. So thank you again. And if you have any questions, would, you would like to reach out to us over at show me homeschool. Our website is show me homeschool.com, and we look forward to hearing from you. This episode was sponsored by Podcast With Faith, our favorite Christian podcast production company. For more information, visit them at www.podcastwithfaith.com.
Erin [00:27:11]:
To learn more about booking 1 on 1 or group homeschool coaching sessions with us, upcoming events, see our speaking schedule, or to get access to more resources, be sure to check out our website, www.showmehomeschool dotcom and sign up for our weekly newsletter. You can also follow us on Instagram at show.me.homeschool on Pinterest at show me homeschool or email us at infoshowmeshomeschool.com.