Episode 88

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Published on:

23rd Dec 2021

The Cost of Self-Employment, with Mark Degallier, Ep. 88

Mark Degallier, owner and web developer at Little Light Media, appreciates the benefits and challenges of working from home. Being empty nesters and working from home, Mark and his wife, Elisabeth, moved from Wisconsin to sunny Arizona in 2018, specifically to Oro Valley, of the greater Tucson area, after researching the best place for them to settle down. Before entrepreneurship and working from home was "cool", they tried it when they were first married and having their first child back in 1990. After several false starts and many years of struggle, the benefits have paid off and they are now at the place they imagined all those years ago. 

In this episode, Mark talks about how he remembers thinking about what he wanted to be when he grew up, and that was to be a "dad". He also wanted a big house, fancy cars, a plane, etc. As he started adult life, his top priority of being a father who was present for his family rose to the top, and he felt self-employment would help him achieve his goals. He tried several times to start businesses and work from home, but the sales weren't happening and they didn't always have the financial margin to sustain the start-ups. After working for several small companies that demanded many hours, mediocre pay, no benefits and long commutes ... he started freelancing. After a few years, Mark was making as much freelancing as he was in his day job for only a fraction of the hours. He and his wife decided to go for it again since it was not sustainable to continue working two jobs, one had to go. Since, his employer already didn't offer great pay or benefits, he started the current business of 15 years!

Mark has decided there is more to life than big houses and private planes on a private lake. He decided if he wanted to be his idea of the ideal dad, there would be a cost, and for his family it meant sometimes not having the full benefits package of a traditional job. It has been said, "If you want something of value, there will be a cost.” Mark found that one of the biggest headaches (literally) has been healthcare, especially as he and his wife have had some medical issues. However, working from home and as his own boss has also made it easier to make medical appointments and take the time to manage their conditions. Mark mentions that the cost of healthcare for self-employed people is ridiculous, so he was happy to take on a few additional classes, teaching at a local college from where they lived on the Wisconsin/Minnesota border that eventually provided benefits has eased that pain this year.


Mark can be contacted through the contact form on his website: https://littlelightmedia.com


Covid project: https://litebook.app

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About the Podcast

Yes, I Work From Home
April Malone interviews people who work from home
Yes, I Work From Home is a community where people share stories about their work-from-home journey. April Malone is the host and interviews a wide variety of people who work from home in different capacities. Guests include entrepreneurs, freelancers, teleworking employees, and those managing a home-based business or remote team. April and her guests discuss how they started working from a home office, some of the challenges they've faced, benefits, and tips and tricks that might help others. Interview guests will talk about why and how they work from home, what they do, who they help, and how they balance work with household responsibilities. They'll also talk about how they manage staying connected with colleagues, clients, and work to maintain healthy habits and a social life. Listeners will be informed about upcoming WFH community events and hear about helpful physical products, digital tools, and services that April and her guests feel are worth recommending.

This podcast has a typical run time of 45 minutes, published twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Learn more about April Malone and the community at Yes, I Work From Home: https://www.yesiworkfromhome.com/

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April Malone

April Malone is the founder of Yes, I Work From Home and the host of this podcast. She is an adult educator who helps people improve their work-from-home situation by cultivating a community of sharing and accountability for people who work from home. April has worked from home for 12 years in a variety of roles including as an employee of a major health organization, running an online store selling physical product, and she spent two years as a full-time online ESL teacher. April is in the USA and is originally from the northern state of Minnesota known for its lakes, mosquitos, and brutal winters; but she now lives with her husband and three children in Arizona, where the desert summers are incredibly hot but the winters are lovely.