As part of my job blogging and network marketing, I am a member of several networking groups on Facebook. I love to share success stories with you of other women who took their ideas and made them come to fruition. I met Ehrica Dorsey in the Facebook group, Blogging Like we Mean it. I love how Ehrica said to me, “I figured if I could get a piece of the Internet, I could share my passion with the world.” I asked her if she would be willing to participate in a written and video interview to share her mission with my audience.

If you would like to listen to the interview check out the video version below.

For the text version in her own words….keep scrolling!

Tell us a little about your background and how you started this blog/job?

My name is Ehrica and I blog at Milestone Mom. I work as a Pediatric Developmental Therapist for the Early Intervention Program. I have been doing this for almost 10 years and realized that I needed to create something for parents to go to so they could learn about typical and atypical development. My passion and drive is to make parents their child’s developmental expert. 

What is your site called and what is the focus?

I blog at Milestone Mom, my desire is to educate parents on what’s typical and atypical development. Milestone Mom also highly focuses on families that have a special needs child. There is something very emotional that goes along with that, whether it be a basic speech delay, autism or a terminal illness. I want to be that advocate and guiding force for families that don’t know where to turn. A membership site is in the works where parents can come and talk to other parents who have a child with special needs. I will also have my therapist friends join us to talk about everything from speech concerns to behavioral issues. 

What is your career/education background? Did you need it for your position now?

I have a degree in Elementary Education, Special Education minor and eventually became licensed as a Developmental Therapist for Early Intervention. If you have a child that is under three and have concerns, please use this link provided to find the Early Intervention Program in your area. 

What was your motivation behind wanting to work from home?

I wanted to have more flexibility in my schedule. My family is my top priority. Even though I work full-time and attend several meetings weekly, the majority of my work is completed at home. Working from home makes me feel like I juggle that, “home/work” life better. If I forget to put a roast in the crockpot in the morning, I can still do that even if it’s 10 am because I’m home. Or I can throw a couple loads of laundry in that day. 

What was your journey like to become a blogger?

Can I just be honest? It’s been a long one! I started about three years ago and I am nowhere near where I want to be as an online business owner. Don’t let anyone fool you and tell you blogging is easy. I thought I could start my journey for free. I was excited that I didn’t have the start-up costs of a brick and mortar company. But little did I know that the business that I’m creating does take money and there is a huge learning curve. I joined EBA (Elite Blog Academy) at the beginning of my journey and have met some amazing friends/bloggers through that. Networking has been huge for my online business and without EBA I don’t think I would have that. I’m learning as I go, that’s for sure! Once I found my “niche” and figured out my marketing strategy (still learning that one), parents started really “needing” what I have to offer. I’m in it for the parents that need me and my expertise. My online blogging business is never about me, but the families that are struggling and suffering because they are at a loss when it comes to child development or having a child with a need. 

How long have you been doing this? 

I have been a Developmental Developmental Therapist for almost 10 years. I have also worked as a Service Coordinator for EI for almost 5. I’ve been on my blogging journey for about 3 and have taught for VIPKID for 2. As you can see I have my hands in a few different things that I am passionate about. I definitely have an entrepreneurial spirit! 

How long did it take you to become successful? Or are you still working on it?

I define my success as doing something that I love. I love being able to have the flexibility that my career provides me and I absolutely love doing what I am doing. I have so much more room for growth. However, I’m all about enjoying the journey. I don’t ever want to get to the end of a journey that I have been pursuing and have regrets. I will take it one day at a time and be grateful for it all. 

What type of products do you sell and what made you choose to use Shopify?

I am so excited about my Shopify store! At Milestone Mom we have been working really hard to provide families with different printables that they can do with their child. Remember, my mission is to help parents be their child’s developmental experts. It is so important to me that I create these printables and tell parents how to use them and what purpose it is serving. Most parents don’t know what fine motor skills are or how to work on them. Make sure you visit our Shopify store and Milestone Mom for different activities and lessons. 

What is your day to day life like now? Is it a difference compared to when you started? How many hours do you work now? 

My day starts pretty early since I teach for VIPKID, China’s time is about 13 hours ahead of us. So, my early morning is their evening. Here’s a rundown of my day:

4-7:00 am Teach online for VIPKID

7-8 am Get my kids off to school

8-2:30 Work my job as a Services Coordinator for Early Intervention ( I am home-based but depending on the day I might have to run out to a few meetings), work on Milestone Mom.

2:30 pm Get my daughter from school

2:30-5 pm Finish up on unfinished tasks, start on chores and prep/cook dinner.

Can you give a ballpark figure on how much you make each month or per hour? 

My work with Early Intervention is salaried so that is where the majority of my income comes from. As you can see with VIPKID, I only work a few hours per day each week and I have made enough to send our middle child to Guatemala on a missions trip this past summer, put a front porch on our home and pay down some debt. On average I bring in $1,200-$1,500 per month with VIPKID. Some of my VIPKID friends are making $2,000-$5,000. All of this just depends on how much you want to work. You can either work early mornings or late at night. This is a great job for stay-at-home moms that want to make some extra money.

Here is my VIPKID link and code EHRIC0001 if you are interested. Or, feel free to email me at ehrica@milestonemom.com to ask any questions. 

If you could go back what would you have done differently from the beginning? 

I think we all live in this, “what could I have done differently” mentality. I’m going to try and extend myself some grace and not beat myself up because there is a lot that I could have done differently. But, you can’t turn back time. I will give you an example though, when I first started blogging, I thought I needed every single course and offer that was flooding my inbox. This cost me a lot of money and I would say 90% of the courses I have not made it through yet. 

What Tips do you have for balancing working at home and taking care of your children? 

Create a system that works for your household. I have had days where I was so busy but by the end of the day I looked back and couldn’t really mention anything that I accomplished. Does that make sense to you busy moms? I have learned to really prioritize my day. I get up before anyone else in the house to have some quiet time. I will then list out at least 5 things that HAVE to get done today. Everything else waits until the following day. We also shut everything off (phone, computer, TV) and have family time in the evening. We play games and just focus on each other. I have also started my journey to declutter my home several months ago. I’m tired of “stuff” and it was affecting how I did life. I also got more intentional about meal planning. We were eating out way too much. Now we shop 1 x week and go out to eat on special occasions. By being more intentional with meal planning I can feed my family healthier meals. For me it’s about being one step ahead of my chaos. 

If you are a parent who has a child with a special need. Please consider signing up for a written interview with me. Parents want their stories to be heard and I am hear to share them. If you want to be interviewed please sign up here. 

Thank you for taking the time to read about my journey. I look forward to seeing everyone over at www.milestonemom.com.

Are you curious how to set up your own blog?

Check out this post that helps you get started!