When Sue Sradeja's husband, Art, became ill this year, taking care of him became close to a full-time job for her.
The retired bank employee became her husband's main caregiver after he had unexpected surgery and retired on disability. She had to change his dressings twice a day.
"If I had worked at the bank I wouldn't have been able to do it," she said. "They would have never given me the time. No place would.
"I had to take him to the hospital for an IV for 28 days straight. His recovery was dependent on me being able to do these things for him."
Sradeja was able to take care of her husband, and she was able to work full-time as an Avon representative during his recovery.
Sradeja and many other women are choosing home-based businesses because of the freedom they provide, including financial freedom, flexible scheduling and being able to earn income and spend time with their families.
Mary Ellen Benedict, chairwoman of the economics department at Bowling Green State University, said women often choose home-based businesses in part because of the economy and the availability of financial credit.
"In general, men and women might go into self-employment when there are recessions because the other job opportunities are not there for them," she said.
Women have more challenges getting credit to start those businesses.
"It's an issue for everyone, but men have easier access to it than women do," Benedict said. "It becomes a real stumbling block for women. Women have lower self-employment rates than men, and I believe that's one of the reasons why."
Women are more likely to choose self-employment options that don't have large start-up costs.
Sradeja, a Carroll Township resident, "didn't retire well" six years ago, and soon after she became an Avon representative. Now she sells about $1,000 per campaign and has 83 members in her team.
"I'm making at least as much as I did at my regular job, and because of that we can afford to do the things we really dreamed of doing when we retired -- taking our vacations, having our boats -- all of that were things that we dreamt of doing," she said.
Things would be different for the couple without Sradeja's Avon income.
"We would be getting by. The bills would be paid. The roof would be over our head. A lot of the fun stuff wouldn't be there," she said.
For Sradeja, the freedom is in the schedule. She worked 30 to 40 hours per week during her husband's recovery, and the pair recently returned from a cruise vacation.
A member of her team, Michelle Stone, found freedom from financial stress when she lost her full-time job. Sradeja said Stone had been a "personal shopper" with Avon before the change, but had the tools in place to replace her lost income.
"We worked together for three months, and she has gone from a minimal order representative to a member of the President's Club and a unit leader. Empowering women to be all they can be is priceless."
Stone, who also lives in Carroll Township, has close to 15 representatives on her team. She has another full-time job, but it is temporary.
"I'm not quite where I want to be, but I will be there," she said. "I still work a full-time job and right now my job is seasonal, so I'm getting ready to get laid off. It's going to help cushion being laid off. ... I've got that little bit of freedom."
Rebecca Cross, of Port Clinton, sells products from Close to My Heart, a scrapbooking company.
Her husband works 12-hour shifts, which switch from days to nights. She has a 6-year-old daughter and a 2-year-old son.
"It does give you the schedule that you want and the income that you want because you get out of it what you put into it," she said. "When I need more money, I can put myself into my business more."
She has 34 people in her network, and has earned several vacations for her family.
Her schedule is based around what her family needs. "I can stay home with my children. I don't have to call a baby sitter if one of them is sick," she said. "I work between 40 and 50 hours a week, but a lot of time it's when my kids are in bed."
At a recent vendor show in a Portage Township home, MaryAnn Snider sold her handmade greeting cards.
The creative freedom is important to her. Making cards is a hobby that supports itself, but is not a big money-maker. Snider gets a feeling of accomplishment when she finishes a card-making session.
"It's another creative outlet for me. It's my time," she said. "I'm not doing it for someone else."
Her creations range from cute to elegant. "Some of them are whimsical," she said. She intentionally makes each card different from all the others.
At that Portage Township vendor show, several product representatives said their businesses are growing.
Corie Newman sells Scentsy brand products. "Definitely on the increase," she said. The stay-at-home mother said the business gives her something to do outside the house.
Deena Camerato sold Tastefully Simple foods. "When I moved to Port Clinton seven years ago, I was the only one in the area," she said. She estimates there are now at least a dozen representatives in Ottawa County.
She began her business when she lived in the Cleveland area.
"I have 96 people under me, but only six are over here," she said.
The business has allowed her to replace the income she made when she worked for Xerox, and she works fewer hours.
Sharon Rood, of Norwalk, is the area manager for Arbonne. She was at the vendor show to support two local representatives.
"If you can't find a job, you have to make one," Rood said.
She said the network marketing concept makes sense for consumers because the product is shipped from the producer to the representative, then delivered to the customer.
Customer service is key, because representatives let their customers know about sales and new products.
"You have a consultant, someone who takes care of you," the area manager said. "Customer service is where we really shine."
She said more people are getting involved in the business. "We are definitely on the upswing," she said.
"While I am unable to pinpoint Arbonne's growth in Ottawa County, I can tell you that our consultants' advancements in rank increased over 60 percent from this time last year."
Jennifer Simpson, of Port Clinton, sells 31 brand bags, purses and totes.
"It's just exploding, actually. They had a freeze on consultants."
Simpson said now that the company can keep up with orders, the freeze has been lifted. "Now they're letting us recruit again."
Other vendors at the party said the number of representatives for their product lines is on the increase.
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