Janet Galati email
Money Mailer of the Chain-O-Lakes
Lake Villa, Illinois
Year started working from home: 2001
Hours work per week: 45
Happy at home index: 1 - miserable, 10 – nirvana. 9—My husband and I also own a
restaurant… which means we (my girls and I) do not get to see very much of my
husband. Owning my own direct mail business has put us in the position that we
are selling the restaurant and when that happens and my husband joins me in this
business or starts his own daytime business we will have our nirvana.
What kind of business do you have at home?
Direct Mail Advertising
What did you do before you started a home business?
Advertising Sales
Why did you start a home business, and why this particular business?
My husband and I believe that if it is financially feasible that a mom should be at
home with her children. My husband and I also, realistically, knew that since I had
started my own career in advertising out of college that it would be difficult for me
to solely stay at home -- that I needed to feel like I was contributing financially to
the household.
When the company that I had worked for eleven years would not let me work from
home so I could stay home with my first child, I left them and went to work for the
competition who proceeded not only to give me the work from home position and
insurance but also more money than my previous company. After six years
working for them I ran into a Money Mailer franchiser at the bank who told me that
they wanted to sell half of their territory. I jokingly told him to give me a price.
When he actually came back with a price I was floored and approached my
husband. My husband and I decided that I had spent years making other people
money and he wanted to place his bet that I could make more money working for
myself than I made working for others, but neither of us wanted to offend the
company that I had gone to work for after I left my first job.
I approached the owner of that newspaper and told him about my opportunity. He
shook my hand, and wished me every success. As I walked out the door he stopped
me and said he wanted everyone to know that his publication was my first sale…
and took an ad for every one of his hometown papers advertising for subscriptions
in all of the zones that I purchases; he advertises every mailing to this day.
What was your biggest challenge in starting your home business?
Even with a college education I had no computer skills at all. I had never used e-
mail. I thought Microsoft Word was a foreign language, and a Power Point
Presentation was a presentation with a magic wand. Crash coursing in computers
and getting the knowledge to work in “today’s world” with Blackberry’s and up to
the second communication devices was a harsh reality.
What has been your biggest challenge staying in business?
Not being able to "do it all” and having to learn to delegate responsibility
What do you love about working from home?
Sitting on my back porch watching my children play in the sand on our beach near
the lake we live on as I make phone calls to set appointments with clients.
What do you hate about it?
People always know where to find me, but fact of the matter is they would always
be able to find me even if I worked for someone because I have always made
myself available to my clients when they need me.
How do you inspire or motivate yourself everyday?
Motivation is something that comes from within yourself, wanting more out of life,
expecting more of yourself, and learning to live with others shortcomings. At the
end of each day I expect to be able to name a list of things I did on behalf of others.
A shining star is much better than a shooting star because the shooting star is there
and then gone, the shining star glows abundantly every night. I want to be a shining
star.
How do you separate home life from your work life?
Children-Husband-God-Work. I prioritize what is happening in my life in this
order no matter what comes up.
Where is your office in your home?
In our basement
What is your daily routine?
Get my children up, dressed-fed, one on the bus, another driven to preschool and
wait for the baby sitters who watches the baby for four hours in the morning while I
see clients four days a week in the morning.
What is your biggest (or proudest) achievement so far?
Making the President’s Club (top fifteen franchises) in Money Mailer in my second
year with the franchise and the same year winning four awards including the
Business Marketing Award, Largest Piece Count in a single Zone During 2006 (144
spots in one envelope -- which was the all time Money Mailer record beating the
previous all time record of 101 spots), highest increase in total spots from the
previous year, and Sensational 60’s Club Member (which was the highest number of
spots averaged across the country every mailing of the year.)
What are you working on right now to grow your business?
I just doubled the size of my franchise from six to twelve zones mailing ten times,
and have developed a Specialty Hispanic Envelope mailing nine times in 2007.
What advice can you give about starting a home business?
Organize your time, and know when it is time to “go home”
If you had to do it all over again, what would you do (or not do)?
I would do it all the same.
What do you do for fun when you’re not working?
Play with my children and spend family time, go boating on our lake, visit with
friends and family
Click here to read more Home Office Weekly Profiles
Would you like a Home Office Weekly
Profile written about you and your
business? Write to the editor:
MarciaDuffy@HomeOfficeWeekly.com
Money Mailer of the Chain-O-Lakes
Lake Villa, Illinois
Year started working from home: 2001
Hours work per week: 45
Happy at home index: 1 - miserable, 10 – nirvana. 9—My husband and I also own a
restaurant… which means we (my girls and I) do not get to see very much of my
husband. Owning my own direct mail business has put us in the position that we
are selling the restaurant and when that happens and my husband joins me in this
business or starts his own daytime business we will have our nirvana.
What kind of business do you have at home?
Direct Mail Advertising
What did you do before you started a home business?
Advertising Sales
Why did you start a home business, and why this particular business?
My husband and I believe that if it is financially feasible that a mom should be at
home with her children. My husband and I also, realistically, knew that since I had
started my own career in advertising out of college that it would be difficult for me
to solely stay at home -- that I needed to feel like I was contributing financially to
the household.
When the company that I had worked for eleven years would not let me work from
home so I could stay home with my first child, I left them and went to work for the
competition who proceeded not only to give me the work from home position and
insurance but also more money than my previous company. After six years
working for them I ran into a Money Mailer franchiser at the bank who told me that
they wanted to sell half of their territory. I jokingly told him to give me a price.
When he actually came back with a price I was floored and approached my
husband. My husband and I decided that I had spent years making other people
money and he wanted to place his bet that I could make more money working for
myself than I made working for others, but neither of us wanted to offend the
company that I had gone to work for after I left my first job.
I approached the owner of that newspaper and told him about my opportunity. He
shook my hand, and wished me every success. As I walked out the door he stopped
me and said he wanted everyone to know that his publication was my first sale…
and took an ad for every one of his hometown papers advertising for subscriptions
in all of the zones that I purchases; he advertises every mailing to this day.
What was your biggest challenge in starting your home business?
Even with a college education I had no computer skills at all. I had never used e-
mail. I thought Microsoft Word was a foreign language, and a Power Point
Presentation was a presentation with a magic wand. Crash coursing in computers
and getting the knowledge to work in “today’s world” with Blackberry’s and up to
the second communication devices was a harsh reality.
What has been your biggest challenge staying in business?
Not being able to "do it all” and having to learn to delegate responsibility
What do you love about working from home?
Sitting on my back porch watching my children play in the sand on our beach near
the lake we live on as I make phone calls to set appointments with clients.
What do you hate about it?
People always know where to find me, but fact of the matter is they would always
be able to find me even if I worked for someone because I have always made
myself available to my clients when they need me.
How do you inspire or motivate yourself everyday?
Motivation is something that comes from within yourself, wanting more out of life,
expecting more of yourself, and learning to live with others shortcomings. At the
end of each day I expect to be able to name a list of things I did on behalf of others.
A shining star is much better than a shooting star because the shooting star is there
and then gone, the shining star glows abundantly every night. I want to be a shining
star.
How do you separate home life from your work life?
Children-Husband-God-Work. I prioritize what is happening in my life in this
order no matter what comes up.
Where is your office in your home?
In our basement
What is your daily routine?
Get my children up, dressed-fed, one on the bus, another driven to preschool and
wait for the baby sitters who watches the baby for four hours in the morning while I
see clients four days a week in the morning.
What is your biggest (or proudest) achievement so far?
Making the President’s Club (top fifteen franchises) in Money Mailer in my second
year with the franchise and the same year winning four awards including the
Business Marketing Award, Largest Piece Count in a single Zone During 2006 (144
spots in one envelope -- which was the all time Money Mailer record beating the
previous all time record of 101 spots), highest increase in total spots from the
previous year, and Sensational 60’s Club Member (which was the highest number of
spots averaged across the country every mailing of the year.)
What are you working on right now to grow your business?
I just doubled the size of my franchise from six to twelve zones mailing ten times,
and have developed a Specialty Hispanic Envelope mailing nine times in 2007.
What advice can you give about starting a home business?
Organize your time, and know when it is time to “go home”
If you had to do it all over again, what would you do (or not do)?
I would do it all the same.
What do you do for fun when you’re not working?
Play with my children and spend family time, go boating on our lake, visit with
friends and family
Click here to read more Home Office Weekly Profiles
Would you like a Home Office Weekly
Profile written about you and your
business? Write to the editor:
MarciaDuffy@HomeOfficeWeekly.com
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| HOW Profile: Janet Galati / Direct Mail Advertising |
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