Do You Work in Your Robe?

The carefree life of a homebased entrepreneur--making your ownhours, not fighting traffic, working in your bathrobe. Wait aminute--you don't work in your bathrobe? That's about tochange, at least if Kristie Tamsevicius has her way.

Tamsevicius is the co-founder of WebMomz, a Gurnee,Illinois, organization that aims to empower work-at-home parents,and the co-creator with partner Michelle Floyd of Doing Business inYour Bathrobe Day. The new holiday, being held for the first timeFebruary 10, is designed to call attention to the more than 25million homebased business owners in the United States. "As anentrepreneur, you really get no recognition or high fives,"Tamsevicius says. "Corporate businesspeople are constantlygetting press about their big promotions. We felt it was high timeto recognize the efforts and dreams of entrepreneurs."

To do that, Tamsevicius took advantage of a common misconceptionabout at-home workers. "While people joke about [homebased]entrepreneurs eating bon-bons, wearing pajamas and watching soapoperas all day, it's simply not true," she says."People who work from home do not wear their pajamas everyday."

But so what if they did? "The cool point of this holiday isthat entrepreneurs do it because they can," Tamseviciusexplains. "I don't think you would ever see a stock traderdriving to work in his Mercedes wearing a bathrobe."

This holiday, which Tamsevicius hopes will become an annualevent celebrated the second Monday of February, isn't justabout getting entrepreneurs to dress in their sloppy best, however.It's about recognizing the hard work and dedication it takes tobe an entrepreneur. In addition to wearing bathrobes, Tamseviciusalso wants participants to use the day to draw some attention tothemselves. Tamsevicius is doing her part with a press release shecreated--entrepreneurs can enter their information into it and sendit off to local media. "We have received notes from hundredsof small-business owners who have gotten an article aboutthemselves in their local paper by doing this," she says.

To further the cause of homebased entrepreneurs, WebMomz is alsohosting the Home Business Success Summit in Chicago on March 14 and15. The event will include speakers on topics like moneymanagement, publicity and branding as well as an opportunity expo.Entrepreneurs can also enter to win prizes: First prize is a freeticket to the conference, second prize is a $100 gift certificatefor office supplies, and third prize is a $75 gift certificatefor--what else?--a new bathrobe.

Though her holiday has yet to take place, Tamsevicius isconfident this new observance will be a success: "Before youknow it, Hallmark will have 'Happy Doing Business in YourBathrobe Day' cards, I just know it."