Linda Mastaglio
TWI Publishing
Email: mastaglio@earthlink.net
Van, Texas, USA
Year started working from home: 1996
Hours worked per week: Average about 40 hours per week
Happy at home index: 1 - miserable, 10 – nirvana. That’s a definite 10.
Success at home index: 1-can’t make ends meet 10-fabulously wealthy 8-9...not as fabulously
wealthy as I’d like but definitely extra-comfortable.
What kind of business do you have at home?
TWI Publishing publishes ColorPads, a line of
decade-specific color books and coloring tools
designed specifically to bring pleasure to
senior adults. The ColorPad system offers
the added dimension of journaling that creates
a memory tool for the senior adult and
documents their memories for their families.
These are extremely therapeutic for seniors
with memory loss or Alzheimer’s and are used extensively by activity directors as
memory care activities in assisted living and skilled nursing facilities.
What did you do before you started a home business?
I worked in a senior public relations position with an international engineering firm.
Why did you start a home business, and why this particular business?
I wanted to start a publishing firm for several years but the ColorPad Concept
ignited my decision to found TWI Publishing. I watched an adult senior friend of
mine color a Daffy Duck coloring book assigned to her as an art therapy activity. I
wondered why she couldn’t color something of specific interest to her, something
that would offer art therapy and be memory enhancing at the same time.
What was your biggest challenge in starting your home business?
Giving up a secure income and the nine-to-five routine (that I could leave at the
office as the commuting miles passed behind me) both challenged and excited me.
What has been your biggest challenge staying in business?
Staying focused, not ruling out any possibilities but making sure I follow each
project through to its greatest potential.
What do you love about working from home?
My home office reflects my life goals in all aspects: design, organization, comfort
and workability. I have customized my space for ultimate creativity and
production. The ColorPad system has developed and grown out of this
environment.
What do you hate about it?
I can’t honestly say I hate anything about it.
How do you inspire or motivate yourself everyday?
I continue to think of my adult senior friend and the many like her who will benefit
from the ColorPad System.
How do you separate home life from your work life?
My desk sits in a sanctuary away from the kitchen, laundry, and other household
pressures that would pull me from my chair.
Where is your office in your home?
My office is down stairs with an inspiring view of acres of
woods filled with trees and foliage and wildlife.
What is your daily routine?
I’m up early, take a cup of coffee downstairs and watch the
resident roadrunner scope out the bird feeder.
Correspondence takes the first time slot. After adding
to the schedule and checking the existing items, I prioritize
my to-do list and begin to tackle a day of writing,
designing and marketing.
What is your biggest (or proudest) achievement so far?
The ColorPad system: Life in the ‘50s, Life in the ‘60s and Life in the ‘70s.
What are you working on right now to grow your business?
I am developing the fourth ColorPad in the series. This one is based on Life in the
‘40s, a time rich with eventful memories in the life of many seniors today.
What advice can you give about starting a home business?
Identify a need, research the market, develop a plan, and then work the plan.
If you had to do it all over again, what would you do (or not do)?
If I had it to do all over again, I would do it all over again.
What do you do for fun when you’re not working?
After each increment of work accomplished, I reward myself with a bit of gardening.
I also enjoy traveling and visiting with friends.
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HOW Profile: Linda Mastaglio / Specialty Publisher