Whether you are looking for a valuable resource that supports making a change in your life, or you just feel like browsing around and laughing at some relatable mom and dad anecdotes, this blog was created for you and parents everywhere.
We are parents who are contributing to a vibrant change in the choices we make as consumers, and we appreciate the value of purchasing from parents who have chosen to stay at home.
Visit Our Milk Money for more information.
Meet Jennifer Marko, President of Bottle Snugglers. She lives in Jacksonville, Florida and is married with one son who is now 4 ½. Continue reading to learn how she took an everyday problem experienced by most moms and turned it into a great product and successful business that now helps moms!
Finally: What does your “Milk Money” provide for you and your family? Being a parent-preneur allows me to provide a stress-relieving and problem-solving product to other Moms; it allows me to fulfill the business-oriented side of my personality; and it shows my son that Mommies are multi-faceted and multi-talented people who can do anything they want in life.
Meet Kim Curran, mother to Jack 4 & Isabelle 8, wife to Richard for 11 & a half years. She worked as an account executive at a large publishing company before becoming pregnant. In preparation of the arrival of her new baby, Richard bought a digital camera. As a child, she had a passion for photography. The birth of her baby girl ignited that passion once again. She began photography playgroups & her business was born.
Okay, so life didn’t give you lemons, but it gave you something else.
The most common challenge I hear from the parents who are searching for a new avenue that will allow them to earn an income from home is this:
“I don’t know what I can do.”
The amount of times I hear that phrase is staggering.
It’s time that we dive into this common issue. Why is it we feel so inadequate and
unaccomplished? Are we still all searching for our purpose in life? Is it possible you were really branded with no such talent to offer the world?
Start with realizing what kind of lemons you were handed in this lifetime, and where you are under-utilizing yourself. Remember those career assessment tests they made us take in grade school? This is a little bit like that, only it isn’t so broad as to try and fit your square peg into a round hole. Start by making a list of your skills. What have people paid you to do in the past? Do you make a mean lasagna? Know a foreign language? Sew? Play an instrument? These are all gifts just waiting to be recognized by you.
Its time for you to discover the gift life has given you, but more than that, its time for you to share your gift with the world.
Self -employed Parent Enthusiast Ally Loprete is the Founder of OurMilkMoney.com, a
nationwide online business directory of self-employed parents, and the host of This Little
Parent Stayed Home, a live weekly radio show, on The Toginet.com Radio Group which can be downloaded on iTunes. Ally is on a mission to help other’s deal with the sometimes overwhelming prospect of leaving a full time job to start a new business, while running a full time household and raising kids. She is resolute about creating a haven in which parents across the nation will continue to thrive and obtain the support they need in their personal journeys. Self-employed parents, list your business for free at www.ourmilkmoney.com. Private coaching is available at www.thislittleparent.info.
The last time I checked I wasn’t a fifteen year old girl from the 60s, but I was surprised at how affected I was by the death of Davy Jones last week. Then again I guess it makes sense. I was a Monkees fan before I was a Beatles fan (and anyone who knows me knows there ain’t no bigger Beatles fan). My brother and I used to come home from school and watch the reruns of the Monkees show in the 70s. Then we would play the Greatest Hits album and transform ourselves into the band playing in front of thousands of screaming girls. My brother was a Mike Nesmith fan so he would play the guitar (on a tennis racket). I was a Micky Dolenz guy so I would play the drums (on my hamper). I know the Monkees are seen as a bubblegum “fake” group, but the show and their music is brilliant and still holds up 45 years later. That band sparked my love of comedy and music, two things that still play such a big role in my life to this day.
So what does this have to do with a Daddy blog? Well, I got to thinking about memories and when they start to stick. My oldest will be six next month. I think I was around his age when I discovered The Monkees ergo music and comedy. My sixth year of life was when things really started to click. 1977: The year of my first obsession, “Star Wars”. First grade. The year I started to make friends that I still have today. Six is still my favorite number because of that year. I swear. I remember at the time my mom asking me “What’s your favorite number?” I yelled out “Six!” My older brother looked at me and snarked, “Oh so is seven going to be your favorite number next year?” (jackass). I replied”uhh…no.” and so it stayed six.
So as far as my son goes, the window of “Oh he won’t remember this when he’s older” has slammed shut. This time when I screw up as a father, it’s very possible I’ll be doing some real damage. How’s that for pressure? I also gotta get my head in the game and start the wheels of influence. First up? I’m breaking out the season one DVD box set of The Monkees. (Yup. I own it.)
Chris Loprete, aka the father of Our Milk Money, began writing his experiences as a new father upon the launch of Our Milk Money, calling his work, appropriately, The Daddy’s Den. Chris is no stranger to comedy composition. He wrote and performed his one-man show You’re from Philly, Charlie Brown, having successful runs at Circle X Theatre, The Lonny Chapman Repertory Theatre and The Comedy Central Workspace in Hollywood, California as well the Philadelphia Fringe Festival. Chris has performed all over the country in theatrical productions, television and film. He is an alumni of The Circle X Theatre Company and The Groundlings Sunday Company. Currently, he is a writer/producer for the Comedy and Reality Promo Team at ABC Television. Chris lives in Stevenson Ranch, California with his wife Ally, founder of OurMilkMoney.com and his two beautiful sons, Braden and Henry.
Meet Dionne Wright-Jones. She is a wife and a mother of two. Her son is 7 and her daughter is 4. She has been a WAHM for 7 years. She started JH Custom Designs 5 years ago.
1. Please tell us about your business and the service that you provide:
JH Custom Designs is a gift basket business specializing in custom theme gift baskets. We provide gift baskets and gifts for individuals and corporate clients primarily from our online store. We hand deliver locally in Baltimore, Maryland and ship anywhere within the United States. You can also find us on Facebook.
2. What motivated you to start your business?
About 10 years ago I was diagnosed with and survived cancer. At that time I was told I might not have children after chemotherapy treatment. I made a promise to myself and to God that if I was given the chance to have children I would do everything I could and work as hard as I could to be the best Mom I could be, and to me that meant being able to stay at home and raise my children myself. I felt like there had to be something I could do from home that would allow me to stay home and be a Mom while also contributing to the family’s income. I never returned to work after my maternity leave. I started working as a Medical Transcriptionist from home when my son was 6 months old. Being a Medical Transcriptionist helped pay the bills and allowed me to work from home, but it wasn’t rewarding. My husband, and biggest supporter, pushed me to start the gift basket business because he knew I had creative talents.
3. What kind of background or expertise do you have in your field?
I’m an entrepreneur at heart. I’ve always been known as the party planner, decorator, and creative one to go to. I’ve made gift baskets and towel cakes for years for friends and family as a hobby.
4. What trends do you see in your current industry?
I think people are really starting to realize how important it is to keep current customers and build relationships especially in this economy. We provide a way to show appreciation while also strengthening those relationships. We’re trying to show people that gift baskets can be more than not just fruit in a wicker basket. Gift baskets have come a long way, and we are always looking for new and exciting products to add. I love to create unique designs specifically for the recipient.
5. What are the most demanding aspects about your business?
It’s a lot of pressure running a business and also being a wife and mother. My business is one of strict timelines. We pride ourselves on delivering a quality product in a timely manner, but it’s hard being a one-woman show at times.
6. What are the most rewarding aspects about your business?
We’ve had customers place orders from as far away as Australia and Canada. Our customers put a lot of trust in us to deliver not only a nice looking gift but the sentiment along with it. I love it when a customer calls to say thank you for doing a great job.
7. What advice would you give to someone interested in starting a business like yours?
Make sure you do lots of research first on the best wholesale places for baskets and products. Seek out others in the industry for advice. Be ready for long hours and hard work.
8. What are you most proud of as a parent-preneur?
I’m so proud that I’ve been able to stay at home with my two children. I am the one who picks my son up from school every day. I’ve been able to make all his field trips and see him star in his first school play. It’s Priceless!
9. How have you been able to balance your time between work and your family?
My husband has always been very supportive and helps out a lot with the business. I couldn’t have made it this far without the help and support of my family. Many volunteer hours have gone into helping this business to grow.
10. What has been the most effective way for you to promote and market yourself?
Most of our sales come from our website. We’ve decided not to go into a brick and mortar store just yet. Having a part-time retail office and home office allows me the time to focus on the website and get out and meet with our corporate clients face to face.
Finally: What does your “Milk Money” provide for you and your family?
My milk money has given me the opportunity to completely enjoy every special moment in my children’s lives so far. My husband works very hard to support our family, and being able to financially contribute helps to make it a little easier on him. I’m keeping that promise that I made and also being the entrepreneur that I’ve always wanted to be. I love it!
Meet Denise Galati. She is a native Southern California resident of 45+ years. She grew up in the San Fernando Valley and relocated to the Santa Clarita Valley in 1995 to raise her daughter and has remained there ever since.
1. Please tell us about your business and the service that you provide:
I am a Realtor and a member of California Association of Realtors, National Association of Realtors and Southland Regional Association of Realtors. My motto is to provide; 100% Commitment – 100% Of the Time.
2. What motivated you to start your business?
I was in the corporate world for 30+ years and always knew that was not my calling. So I decided to bridge two things that I am interested in, people and real estate. I truly care about people and love helping them find the right house for them to call home! It is very gratifying.
3. What kind of background or expertise do you have in your field?
I am SFR (Short Sale and Foreclosure Resource) certified.
4. What trends do you see in your current industry?
Short sales will continue to be a big part of the real estate market but, having said that, standard sales are rebounding!
5. What are the most demanding aspects about your business?
The real estate market is constantly changing and keeping up with all these changes can be challenging.
6. What are the most rewarding aspects about your business?
When my clients get the keys to their new home! It is such an exciting time!
7. What advice would you give to someone interested in starting a business like yours?
Be aware that the real estate market is recovering and that making a living is hard work.
8. What are you most proud of as a parent-preneur?
That my daughter is a good, caring person and has a beautiful singing voice that is God-given!
9. How have you been able to balance your time between work and your family?
I plan ahead by structuring my time. This enables me to run my business, take care of my clients and make sure I get quality time with my family!
10. What has been the most effective way for you to promote and market yourself?
Getting out in the neighborhood and talking to people! Listening to their needs and offering my help, whenever possible. Although we live in a technological world, I am old-fashioned at heart. I still believe that the best way of communicating is in person.
11. Finally: What does your “Milk Money” provide for you and your family?
Because I am an animal lover, if any of my clients have a favorite pet charity/ rescue, I let them know that I will send a charitable contribution to that organization!
Can You Afford to Quit Your Job?
One of the biggest misconceptions that parents who want to quit their job make is in the financial preparations. If it takes at least a year to build a business from home, then logically that would mean you would need to save at least your full annual income to live off of in that year, right? WRONG.
No wonder so many people think it is impossible and remain STUCK in a less than desirable situation. The good news is that you are NOT STUCK. The bad news? There are still sacrifices to be made.
Before losing all hope, create a financial spreadsheet. Cut out all of the expenses that go along with working outside of the home, such as daycare expenses, house cleaning, commuting, etc. With your spouse’s income, you should only be in the negative $200-$500 a month. That negative amount x 12 months will equal the more logical annual goal to have saved before you quit your job. $2400 is much more attainable to have saved than $60,000, and should minimize the fear of jumping without that safety net. Furthermore, this now gives you a new income goal as a first time business owner. Concentrate on earning that negative amount back to replenish your savings, and before you know it, you’ll be thriving as a self-employed career parent. For more support in preparing to make that leap, visit www.thislittleparent.info.
Self -employed Parent Enthusiast Ally Loprete is the Founder of OurMilkMoney.com, a nationwide online business directory of self-employed parents, and the host of This Little Parent Stayed Home, a live weekly radio show, on The Toginet.com Radio Group which can be downloaded on iTunes. Ally is on a mission to help other’s deal with the sometimes overwhelming prospect of leaving a full time job to start a new business, while running a full time household and raising kids. She is resolute about creating a haven in which parents across the nation will continue to thrive and obtain the support they need in their personal journeys. Self-employed parents, list your business for free at www.ourmilkmoney.com. Private coaching is available at www.thislittleparent.info.
Meet StacyMcGuiga, Party Conciege!
1. Please tell us about your business and the service that you provide:
Special Events Company, provide invitations, theme ideas, centerpieces, favors, just ask and I will find (florists, caterers, DJs, etc…)
2. What motivated you to start your business?
I have been giving people party ideas for years as well as throwing great parties not only for my kids but for my husband and our friends, it was time to get paid for my creativity!!
3. What kind of background or expertise do you have in your field?
I was the PR/Marketing Manager and Special Events manager for The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner.
4. What trends do you see in your current industry?
More home parties.
5. What are the most demanding aspects about your business?
Meeting your client’s budget and giving the WOW factor!!!
6. What are the most rewarding aspects about your business?
Seeing the person who the party is for, their face when they see the event all pulled together. Seeing people have fun at the events I create and getting their feedback.
7. What advice would you give to someone interested in starting a business like yours?
Be specific with what type of events you want to do and go for it, put yourself out there, be positive and know that it takes a while for people to call you, but once they do, they will keep calling.
8. What are you most proud of as a parent-preneur?
Showing my children that if you have a passion for doing something, take the chance, work hard and you can be very successful and happy at the same time.
9. How have you been able to balance your time between work and your family?
It is very hard but I try to work when the children are in school or when they are in bed. If they can help me with a portion of the event, they do. We are successful together and support each other in our family.
10. What has been the most effective way for you to promote and market yourself?
WORD of mouth and making “friends” with reporters in the local papers. Within one year of being an official business I have had 7 articles written either about me or thanking my company.
Finally: What does your “Milk Money” provide for you and your family?
As a new member, I hope more exposure for my company and potential new clients.
I come downstairs and see my 5 year old practicing his piano. He’s practicing a song he wrote called “Riding the Waves”. It’s a little derivative of “Breathe Me” by Sia but he’s added some nice changes. If he can add a strong bridge, he’ll have a hit on his hands. And yes I know I sound casual, but I am constantly amazed that my five year old son made up a song one day and consistently plays it the same way every time. Then I turn and see my 2 year old who has just discovered singing. He is belting out “I Just Can’t Wait To Be King” from The Lion King. He’s not just singing it however. He’s crooning. He’s bending the notes in a way that would impress Michael Buble. The emotion on his face makes me utterly convinced how eager he is to begin his reign over the Serengeti. This real life scene transports me into the following fantasy which is laid out instantaneously in my head…
My boys continue to develop their vocal and instrumental skills as they grow older. Braden, the older brother, becomes not only prodigious on the piano, but the drums and bass as well. He also becomes a brilliant songwriter. Henry, the younger, develops his singing voice and good looks while learning a little rhythm guitar.
At 13 and 10 respectively they cut a fun little video of an original tune and post it on YouTube. It quickly explodes into a viral sensation garnering millions of hits and the Bieber-esque journey begins.
The boys are signed by Hollywood Records and the band name officially becomes LoPrete. The P is capitalized so that it can have a more aerodynamic look on CD covers. Much like the VH in Van Halen
They make their national television debut on “Teens of 2018!” the new Disney Channel show. Their first CD “Meet LoPrete” goes multi-platinum and the ensuing world tour is the largest grossing tour of the year.
They begin work on a Disney XD sitcom called “Brothers in Rock!” which quickly climbs to the top of the ratings. Critics call the Lopretes “charming….likeable….naturally talented.” Variety writes” The eldest, Braden, exudes a Lennon-esque bad boy confidence and rugged handsomeness while Henry fills the McCartney dreamy eyed gentle soul role”
Braden and Henry Loprete are named one of Barbara Walters Most Fascinating People of the Year. Miss Walters, who has ignored calls for her retirement and instead chooses to increase the soft filter effect on her camera, interviews the boys as well as their parents. Ally, their mother, is a celebrity in her own right as her 10 year old business and radio show has reaped national recognition as well as a multi book deal and reality show on the Lifetime network. Chris, their father, has recently recovered from a mild heart attack and looks aged and …well…just tired. He’s proud of the boys though and while he does take a small percentage of their profits to cover expenses and invest in a college fund, most of their money goes to them. He’s charming and funny, but at times borders on stealing the spotlight from the boys. Almost as if he’s making it about him. It’s not quite Michael Lohan but it’s still kind of embarrassing. Luckily the editor of the piece puts a stop to any grandstanding that takes place.
LoPrete enjoys continued success for 5 more years and two more albums. When LoPretemania begins to wane the boys decide to jump off the fame train and continue a normal adolescence. Luckily their father has not only been fiscally responsible enough to set enough money aside for college, but has made a number of smart investments that has made enough for the whole family to retire to the beaches of Hawaii where the father will host the morning show “Aloha Waikiki!” and-
HENRY! DON’T!
SLAM!!
I am hurled back to reality by an ear piercing scream and a cacophony of piano notes as my two year old has begun to bang away on the keys. My five year old begins to bang away as well…on my two year old. My wife tries to break them up all the while yelling at me, “DO YOU THINK YOU COULD WAKE UP LONG ENOUGH TO HELP ME WITH THESE DAMN KIDS?!” I move to intervene with a hint of a smile breaking out on my face. This will make a great story for the Barbara interview.
Chris Loprete, aka the father of Our Milk Money, began writing his experiences as a new father upon the launch of Our Milk Money, calling his work, appropriately, The Daddy’s Den. Chris is no stranger to comedy composition. He wrote and performed his one-man show You’re from Philly, Charlie Brown, having successful runs at Circle X Theatre, The Lonny Chapman Repertory Theatre and The Comedy Central Workspace in Hollywood, California as well the Philadelphia Fringe Festival. Chris has performed all over the country in theatrical productions, television and film. He is an alumni of The Circle X Theatre Company and The Groundlings Sunday Company. Currently, he is a writer/producer for the Comedy and Reality Promo Team at ABC Television. Chris lives in Stevenson Ranch, California with his wife Ally, founder of OurMilkMoney.com and his two beautiful sons, Braden and Henry.
If you’re looking to make money on the internet, chances are you’ve run across a few scams already. Which methods of making money online are actually real and which ones are scams? Let’s take a look.
Real: Be an Online Writer
There is a nearly endless demand for people who can write easy to read, compelling, and informative articles for website owners.
If you want to try your hand at being an online writer, the first step is to get a little bit of experience. Perhaps try writing 10 articles for free first. Once you have a few samples, then you can easily find work on various marketing forums or companies that hire freelance writers, like Demand Studios.
Scam: Make Money Posting Links on Google
This is one of the most popular scams around today. It generally comes in the form of a story or news report of how a stay at home mom is making $6,000 a month from home posting links on Google. The reality is, Google AdWords is quite a difficult skill to master. There is no easy way to make money “posting links online.”
Real: Be an Online Virtual Assistant
Business people and travelers all over the world need virtual assistants. The trick here is to find a real reputable company to work with. Avoid companies that ask you to pay an upfront fee to “apply.” Avoid companies that try to make it sound like you’re going to get rich being a virtual assistant. Find companies with a great track record of providing real service and develop relationships with those companies.
Real: Freelance Sites
Sites like eLance, Guru.com and Craigslist Gigs are great ways to make a bit of extra money. If you have skills in design, programming, audio/video editing you’ll quickly be able to find some extra cash. Even if you don’t, there are many ways to make money: Modeling, voice overs, transcripting, you name it.
Scam: Fill Out Surveys Online
The sales pitch here is that businesses need people to take surveys for their opinions. While this is true, generally user-feedback surveys are done in person, not online. Most “make money doing surveys” sites you see are scams. If it requires you to pay for a guide or pay to apply for anything, avoid it like the plague.
Figuring Out What’s Real and What’s Not
In general, if the opportunity looks like you’re providing real value for other human beings and getting paid fair value for it, chances are its real.
If it sounds too easy, sounds like you’re going to get very rich overnight, or sounds like it requires zero work, then it’s probably a scam. If you want to make real money online, then be prepared to put in a little bit of work. Rest assured however – You can make money online. Many people do.
Julianne Alvarez-Wish is a military wife, mother, business owner, professional writer, blogger and legislative advocate. She is the Director of Communications for Our Milk Money, the Colorado State Leader for the National Association for Moms in Business and the owner of Buy By Mom and Buy By Mom Blog. She is the Colorado Springs Stay-at-Home Mom Examiner for Examiner.com. She also blogs at A Wishful Thought. Her passion, purpose and goal is to help parents work from home so they can be home with their children.
If you’re a content producer, sooner or later you’re going to come to the point where you have to ask yourself: “What am I going to write about?” Sooner or later, we all have trouble coming up with ideas. Don’t worry though – If you follow these quick tips, you’ll be on your way to producing great content in no time at all.
Tip #1 – Explain an Expert’s Concept
One great way to produce some killer content is to take some of your favorite quotes and expert ideas and use them as fodder for your content. For example, if you’re running a business blog, you might take an idea like Donald Trump’s “it takes as much effort to think small as it does to think big, so you might as well think big” quote and turn that into a blog post about goals and planning.
Tip #2 – Mistakes to Avoid
Another great way to write articles is to teach people what not to do. What mistakes have you personally made in this niche? What are common mistakes other people make?
You can either list several mistakes in one article, or go in depth on one common mistake that they should pay attention to and spend the whole article on that.
Tip #3 – Share a Personal Experience and a Lesson
Is there a personal story you can tell that will help teach your readers a lesson? If you can tell your story in an entertaining and informative way, that will definitely be a great article.
For example, Zappos’ CEO Tony Hseih often shares the story of how he learned business lessons from playing poker. The lessons he learned later helped him sell his company for $1.2 billion dollars. The story is both entertaining and highly educational.
Tip #4 – Browse Related Websites
If you’re really having trouble coming up with ideas, go take a look around other websites in your industry. As you browse through what other people are putting in their content, a great idea for your site will likely hit you like a thunderbolt. If it doesn’t, then go browse some niche forums. Specifically pay attention to questions people seem to be asking again and again and see if you can answer some of those questions in your content.
Tip #5 – Tell it Differently
If you feel like you’ve really exhausted everything you have to say, then take a concept you’ve already touched on and go deeply into it. Expand on it in depth.
In the spirituality industry, there’s one primary teaching that’s repeated over and over: “Be present.” This one concept is expanded upon again and again, filling up thousands of pages of content. This concept doesn’t get boring because every time it’s told it’s from a different angle, with a different story or a different emphasis. You can do the same with your content. What’s one important concept you can expand on?
These are just some ideas of how to quickly produce more content. Use these tips to help stimulate your mind, then use your creativity to create some knockout content.
Julianne Alvarez-Wish is a military wife, mother, business owner, professional writer, blogger and legislative advocate. She is the Director of Communications for Our Milk Money, the Colorado State Leader for the National Association for Moms in Business and the owner of Buy By Mom and Buy By Mom Blog. She is the Colorado Springs Stay-at-Home Mom Examiner for Examiner.com. She also blogs at A Wishful Thought. Her passion, purpose and goal is to help parents work from home so they can be home with their children.
Having a great newsletter can increase your business by as much as 5 fold – Or more, if you do it right! In fact, a newsletter is one of the most crucial tools in business, yet many beginning marketers miss out on it. Why is a newsletter so crucial and how can you start your own newsletter? Here’s the inside scoop.
Why a Newsletter is So Important
A newsletter is crucial because most people aren’t willing to pull out their credit card the first time they hear about someone. Instead, they prefer to get to know you and your content bit by bit over time. As they get to know you and realize you’re the real deal and that you can help them, then that’s when they’ll be willing to pull out their credit cards and make a purchase. To build this trust, you need to build a connection over time. A newsletter allows you to stay in touch with people even after they’ve left your site.
Getting Started With a Newsletter
The first step is to get an autoresponder service. There are many services, such as Aweber, GetResponse or iContact to choose from. If you have a shopping card system, that may have a built in autoresponder as well. Once you have your autoresponder setup, the next step is to get people to sign up for your newsletter.
The best way to do that is to have your newsletter on the front page of your website. Clearly tell your readers what they’ll get by signing up to your newsletter. Then ask them firmly and powerfully to join your newsletter.
Consistency
It’s important that you have a set consistency at which you send your emails. In general, anywhere from once a week to once a month is a good consistency.
If you send your emails more than once a week, people may start to think its spam. If you send your emails less than once a month, people will forget about you. Once you pick a consistency, stick with it so that people know what to expect from your website.
Building a Relationship
A lot of newsletter writers spend a lot of time on their headline. Because, that’s what gets emails opened after all. Right? Wrong. Your real headline is in the “from” column. People look at who the email is from more than the subject when they’re deciding whether or not to open an email. Your goal is to build a relationship with your readers, so that they know when they get an email from you that they’re in for a treat. It’s going to be interesting, informative and useful. You’re not going to spam them. If you build a relationship with them like that, then your emails will get opened – Almost every time.
Again, having a good newsletter can increase your business by many fold. Start by creating your autoresponder and getting signups. Then, pick a mailing consistency and start to build a relationship of trust with your readers.
Julianne Alvarez-Wish is a military wife, mother, business owner, professional writer, blogger and legislative advocate. She is the Director of Communications for Our Milk Money, the Colorado State Leader for the National Association for Moms in Business and the owner of Buy By Mom and Buy By Mom Blog. She is the Colorado Springs Stay-at-Home Mom Examiner for Examiner.com. She also blogs at A Wishful Thought. Her passion, purpose and goal is to help parents work from home so they can be home with their children.
If you want to succeed online, then meeting people who’ve already succeeded before you is going to be a huge help. In fact, this could be the sole difference between success and failure. How do you network locally and at seminars? This crash course will help you build relationships that’ll help boost your network and your business.
Make Friends First
In online business, this business axiom holds very true: “All things being equal, people prefer to do business with people they like. All things not being equal, people still prefer to do business with people they like.”
If you want someone to share with you their success techniques for building an online business, then the first step is to build a friendship with them.
Get to know them as human beings and allow them to get to know you. Show a little vulnerability, as well as curiosity and interest towards them.
Once you have a bit of a relationship, then talk business.
Give As Well as Take
If you’ve discovered a technique that’s been working really well for you, don’t horde it for yourself.
There has to be a give as well as take relationship in any kind of business relationship. Share your knowledge and your contacts freely and others will do the same.
Join a Mastermind Group
Meeting with other likeminded people on a regular basis can really help drive you forward.
There are two important things that happen when you’re around other people like yourself. First of all, you get to share ideas, techniques and stories that’ll help you figure out more ways to be successful.
The other thing that happens is that you start to build off of each other’s momentum. If one person is making more money than the others, everyone else will start making more money. Everyone will start taking more action. The energy begets more energy.
If there isn’t a mastermind group near you, then start your own group. It’s not that hard to find likeminded people near you. Get these people together and ask them to bring people they know. Soon, you’ll have a great group of likeminded individuals.
Find a Mentor
If you’re making $2,000 a month and want to be making $5,000 a month, then find someone who’s making $20,000 a month.
This relationship can be a paid relationship, a friendship or a mastermind group relationship. Whatever you need to do, just make sure you have someone in your life that’s where you want to be financially.
This will have a very powerful magnetic effect on your finances. You’ll slowly but surely start making more money.
The bottom line is, who you spend time with has a great deal of influence on your success. Make sure you’re networking properly so that you’re spending your time with the right people.
Julianne Alvarez-Wish is a military wife, mother, business owner, professional writer, blogger and legislative advocate. She is the Director of Communications for Our Milk Money, the Colorado State Leader for the National Association for Moms in Business and the owner of Buy By Mom and Buy By Mom Blog. She is the Colorado Springs Stay-at-Home Mom Examiner for Examiner.com. She also blogs at A Wishful Thought. Her passion, purpose and goal is to help parents work from home so they can be home with their children.
There’s a big difference between stale writing and writing in a way that really builds a genuine connection with your prospects. Can you guess which one generates more sales and traffic? You guessed it – If you build real connection, you’ll see the difference in your bank account. How do you write in a way that actually draws people in and builds connections? Here’s how.
Share Yourself
Be who you are. Chances are, you’re not the only person teaching what you’re teaching! But people will listen to what you’re saying, not only because of your content, but because they enjoy hearing you share your experience.
If you had a specific experience that relates to what you’re talking about, share it. Believe it or not, this can actually have a big impact on people feeling like they can trust you. Because they feel like they know you more.
“What’s In It For Me?”
The “WIIFM” question is a question that you should answer as quickly as you possibly can. Internet content that rambles on and on without being crystal clear about what they’re getting does not get read, period.
Not only should your WIIFM be totally clear, but you should put it as early in your content as possible. That way, people will know why they should keep reading before they even start reading.
Be Conversational
Write like you talk. Don’t use corporate fluff speak. You’re having a person to person conversation, just over the internet.
Use slang. Start your sentences with “and” or “because” if it sounds natural to you.
And most importantly, put your passion and spirit behind your words.
Let It Sit
Before you publish your content, let it sit for a day or two. Then, come back and review it one more time before you publish it.
Often times the second time around you’ll pick up on things you didn’t the first time. These could be grammatical mistakes, or it could just be more information you can put in that’ll make your content even better.
Credibility
One crucial element to having people listen to what you have to say is credibility. There are so many people on the internet giving different advice; it’s hard to know who to listen to. Have you helped over 1,000 people solve this specific problem? Make sure they know that. Have you been featured on Fox and CNN? Make sure that’s plastered all over your website. Have you done exactly what you’re teaching, in spades? Make sure they know that.
In short, the question of “why should I listen to you” and “why should I trust you” should be answered before you ask your readers to take your word on something.
Here’s the bottom line: If you write in a way that really connects with your readers, you’ll build more traffic, more loyalty, more referrals and more sales. Write to connect with your visitors.
Julianne Alvarez-Wish is a military wife, mother, business owner, professional writer, blogger and legislative advocate. She is the Director of Communications for Our Milk Money, the Colorado State Leader for the National Association for Moms in Business and the owner of Buy By Mom and Buy By Mom Blog. She is the Colorado Springs Stay-at-Home Mom Examiner for Examiner.com. She also blogs at A Wishful Thought. Her passion, purpose and goal is to help parents work from home so they can be home with their children.
Another great post sent to us by my favorite Parenting Expert, Amy McCready of Positive Parenting Solutions! Just had to share with those of you who are also as excited as we are to learn from her interactively at our FREE PARENTING WEBINAR on Wednesday, Jan 25. 9pm EST/ 6pm EST .
There are still a few seats available, so RSVP HERE—>
3 Tips for Battling the Winter Blues
For families with young children, the winter months can seem like the most punishing time of the year: shortened days, cold temperatures, and snow days all drive kids indoors. How do we keep our kids happy, healthy, and active when we are already struggling to do the same for ourselves?
It can be done – use these tips to hold the winter blues at bay for your family:
Turn off the TV. It’s easy for our kids to weather the winter storms by enjoying all their favorite shows, but Jacob watching four straight hours of SpongeBob is doing him more harm than good. A little TV is fine, but other activities will be better in the long run to keep them mentally and physically fit. Set limits with your kids, then encourage other pursuits, from puppet shows to hallway bowling to creating masterpieces from dried pasta. Still stumped? Plenty of websites offer fun ideas for bored kids and their parents. If it’s too cold for outdoor time, schedule a visit to a local YMCA or play place to go swimming, shoot some hoops, or even just run around.
Remember Routines. With cold weather zapping everyone’s energy, and snow days throwing off our whole schedule, it’s easy to give in to laziness or chaos. Combat this by making it a point to stick to set routines each day—even when bad weather cancels school or quells activities. When the expectation exists that household chores and homework continue to be done daily, they’ll be no need for questioning or quarreling later.
Encourage Enthusiasm. Keep the winter blahs out of your home by maintaining a fun environment. Cold weather and shortened daylight hours often take away some of our kids’ favorite outdoor activities—which can be pretty disappointing to little ones. By encouraging any of your kids’ positive indoor pursuits, finding ways to get everyone active and staying upbeat yourself, you can make great strides in keeping your family happy and healthy, no matter how chilly it is outside.
While most of us still won’t look forward to winter, it helps to find some ways to survive—and even thrive.
How do you manage winter with your kids? Visit our Facebook site and tell us about your favorite strategies and activities!
If you’re an online service provider looking for more clients, then read this article carefully and apply at least one of these techniques – Your bottom line will thank you. Below you’ll learn several different ways to add more clients to your client base almost right away.
Industry Forums
There are many internet forums where your clients may be hanging out in. These are great places to meet future clients, especially if they have a services section.
For example, if you’re a writer, then go on webmaster forums and create a services post about offering your writing services.
Craigslist
There are two ways to get business from Craigslist.
The first way is to post what you’re offering in the Services section. The key to success in doing this is to make it sound like they’re getting a deal – Because that’s what people go on Craigslist for.
The second place to look for clients is in the Gigs section. This is where others will post what they’re looking for in terms of service providers.
Work with Established Firms
If you’re a graphic designer, why go through the trouble of trying to find your own clients if others have already done it for you?
There are many firms out there that provide all kinds of services to clients. Many of them outsource most of their work.
For example, they may charge their clients $80 an hour for design work, and then outsource the actual work at $60 an hour. If that works for you, then just get in contact with a few different firms and ask what it takes to work with them.
eLance and Guru
eLance and Guru are both great ways to find potential clients. In fact, for many people who’re looking for service providers, this is the first place they look.
Keep in mind that eLance and Guru can be a little hard to navigate at first. Bear with the process as you learn your way through.
Depending on what industry you’re in, you might find it difficult to go up against low-cost service providers. You can either differentiate yourself based on value rather than price, or you can use other methods of getting clients.
Building Your Personal Brand
Having your own website that you’re driving traffic to is the ultimate way of getting more traffic. This method is slower than the other methods above, but once you start becoming known in your industry, you’ll start getting clients without having to work for it.
The end goal here is for people to really know what you’re about and what sets you apart. Once you build this reputation in your industry, then your perfect clients will come to you instead of the other way around.
Each and every one of these techniques described above is powerful enough to build a whole business around. Pick one that you’re not already doing and put it into action today! The results might just surprise you.
Julianne Alvarez-Wish is a military wife, mother, business owner, professional writer, blogger and legislative advocate. She is the Director of Communications for Our Milk Money, the Colorado State Leader for the National Association for Moms in Business and the owner of Buy By Mom and Buy By Mom Blog. She is the Colorado Springs Stay-at-Home Mom Examiner for Examiner.com. She also blogs at A Wishful Thought. Her passion, purpose and goal is to help parents work from home so they can be home with their children.
Defining your target marketing is one of the most important things you’ll ever do in your internet business. This one decision may very well determine whether or not you’ll have a profitable business a few weeks or months from now.
How do you find your target market? Where do you look for ideas? Once you have a target market in mind, how do you research it? Here’s how.
What to Look For in a Market
There are several factors that make for a good target market.
The first factor is that the market is small enough that you can be a major player, but not so small that you can’t make good money. For example, you wouldn’t want to start a new online dating site because Match.com and eHarmony clearly have the market in a stronghold.
However, you probably don’t want to start a site on underwater basket weaving, as it’s too small to make any money.
The second factor is that there is money being spent. Sure, “dog pictures” may not have a major player – But chances are, there’s no money being made!
The best markets are markets that have a problem that needs to be solved. People who have problems are more willing to spend money.
Where to Look for Ideas
There are several great places to look for target market ideas.
The first is Google Trends. Google Trends will give you a good idea of what things are hot right now. This can often help you identify new target markets and become a major player before others hop on the bandwagon.
Another great place to look is Amazon Magazines. If there’s enough of a market for a magazine, chances are there’s enough of a market for you to make money online.
eBay Pulse is another great place to look. Again, you’re looking for potential markets where you can become a major player.
How to Research a Target Market
Once you have an idea, then what? How do you do your research to see if it’s viable?
The first step is to check the volume to make sure there’s enough traffic for you to make a living. You can do this through checking the Google Keyword Tool.
Once you’ve made sure you can actually make enough money for it to be worth your while, the next step is to get to know the market and the market’s spending habits.
There are two main places you should look: Your competitors and the niche forums. How are your competitors doing? Are they selling high ticket items, or are they scraping by with advertising? Are AdWords bids high or low? These factors will help you determine how much money is being spent.
Take a look at the niche forums to find out what are typical problems people have in this market. If someone asks a question and others say “I have that same issue!” then you should definitely take note.
Once you’ve brainstormed a few niche markets, identified the ones with promise and then narrowed them down to the winners through a good research process, then the next step is to take action and make it happen.
Julianne Alvarez-Wish is a military wife, mother, business owner, professional writer, blogger and legislative advocate. She is the Director of Communications for Our Milk Money, the Colorado State Leader for the National Association for Moms in Business and the owner of Buy By Mom and Buy By Mom Blog. She is the Colorado Springs Stay-at-Home Mom Examiner for Examiner.com. She also blogs at A Wishful Thought. Her passion, purpose and goal is to help parents work from home so they can be home with their children.
Here’s what my favorite Parenting Expert, Amy McCready of Positive Parenting Solutions has to offer on this common question (yea, just getting really repetitive now)
WHY DO KIDS WHINE?:
Because we, as parents provide a PAYOFF! When kids whine – we DO SOMETHING and that something offers a payoff that makes the behavior continue.
When children whine, cling or display other annoying attention-seeking behaviors, they are trying to achieve a particular goal, or payoff. These irritating, frustrating, maddening behaviors are actually symptoms of a deeper issue.
All humans are hard-wired with two basic emotional needs – attention and power. The whining and attention-seeking behavior the whining child is displaying is intended to fulfill those two needs. 
We also have to remember that children only continue behaviors that “work for them.” That is – they continue behaviors that get results. For a child who whines, clings and displays attention-seeking behaviors, she realizes that “Hey, this is a pretty effective way to get them to pay attention to me” or “Hey, this is a pretty effective tactic for me to get my way”…the child learns that whining provides a payoff. This behavior – if left unaddressed – will continue well into the teenage years.
Every time you pick up a whining child you’re providing a payoff for the behavior. He doesn’t hear your frustrated tone or your annoyed remark. He only knows that whining got him what he wanted. Parents essentially “train” their children that if the child is persistent with their whining, they will eventually get their way. This behavior “works” for the child and so she continues it. When this happens, the parent typically responds by picking up the child to make her stop, or, they respond with a reprimand such as “don’t hang on me”, “don’t be so whiny”, or even “I’ll give you something to cry about.”
Whether the adult response was positive or negative, it fulfilled the child’s need for attention, and therefore the behavior resulted in a payoff. As the frequency of the whining and clinging increases, the parent’s response is almost always a negative reprimand. The child really wanted positive attention; but negative attention is better than none at all. And the cycle continues…whine/cling –> adult reprimand –> attention basket filled with negative attention –> child repeats (“maybe if I keep doing this, I’ll eventually get the positive attention I need) –> parent repeats with negative reprimand, etc.
Here’s the deal…children WILL have their needs for attention met – one way or another. If we don’t fill their attention baskets in positive ways – they will use negative attention-seeking behaviors. They know this works!
What kind of attention are you putting in YOUR kids’ basket?
Amy McCready
Amy McCready is a wife and mom of two teenage boys. She founded Positive Parenting Solutions, Inc. in 2004 and developed the popular and successful Breakthrough Course that has changed the lives of thousands of parents through in-person seminars, speeches and online parenting training webinars. For more parenting articles and tips like the one above, visit Amy’s blog.
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Free Training Webinar← Watch this 1-minute video to meet parenting expert Amy McCready, Positive Parenting Solutions Founder and TODAY Show Contributor and discover how this webinar will be your answer to better behavior and parenting peace. |
Wednesday January, 25 – 9 PM EasternBrought To You By: Our Milk MoneyWed. January 25 – 9 PM EST
Who Should Attend: Frustrated parents of kids ages 2-16 (Note: Please encourage your spouse or other caregivers to attend. Parenting is a lot easier when everyone is on the same page!)
What You’ll Learn: Amy McCready, Founder of Positive Parenting Solutions will present a strategy-packed, interactive, LIVE online webinar designed to teach you…
Building a website the right way will ensure you get plenty of traffic – Not just today, but repeatedly over time. Most people who get started in web marketing try to cut corners and end up getting nowhere. The reality is, if you build your website the right way from the start, you’ll be able to create a very nice steam of traffic and income for months and years to come.
What Makes a Successful Website?
A successful website is based on giving real value to your visitors. In other words, it’s not based on trying to game the system, not based on trying to earn a quick AdSense check, not based on any black hat or spammy techniques.
These are websites that people will actually pass on to their friends, because the content is so useful. If you create a genuine online asset, that’s when the payoff really comes.
Why Great Content Matters
There’s a saying in the world of journalism: “Content is King.”
It doesn’t matter how pretty your site is or how good you are at writing copy. If the actual content, the real meat of your website isn’t good, then you’re not going to succeed.
Having great content will mean having your content passed around, getting links and getting ranked. Make sure your content is truly first class.
Work With, Not Against, Google
It’s true that you can game Google for a short period of time. However, eventually Google will update their algorithm and put these kinds of sites out of business.
It really doesn’t make any sense to try and game your way around Google when you can actually give Google what it wants instead.
What does Google want? Good, high quality, relevant content for its searchers. If you give Google’s users that, then every time Google updates it’s algorithm you’ll win instead of lose.
Connect With Your Visitors
Connecting with your visitors is key. If you can build a real relationship with the people you’re serving, you’ll get both links and traffic.
You’ll also start to become better and better known in your market. If you treat your market as just a “target market” to market to, you will get some traffic and sales. However, if you treat your market like you’re talking to real people, then you’ll actually start to build trust and a reputation in your industry.
That’s when your site will start moving away from small-time internet website to a real business.
It Doesn’t Pay to Cut Corners
There are many, many marketers who’ve been trying to cut corners for years. They’ve started website after website trying the latest blackhat techniques to no avail.
Sure, you may make a few bucks here and there by cutting corners. But in the long run, you will spend far more effort cutting corners than if you just built an asset with real value right from the beginning.
Julianne Alvarez-Wish is a military wife, mother, business owner, professional writer, blogger and legislative advocate. She is the Director of Communications for Our Milk Money, the Colorado State Leader for the National Association for Moms in Business and the owner of Buy By Mom and Buy By Mom Blog. She is the Colorado Springs Stay-at-Home Mom Examiner for Examiner.com. She also blogs at A Wishful Thought. Her passion, purpose and goal is to help parents work from home so they can be home with their children.
There are many different ways to make money on the internet. Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, the fastest and easiest way to ensure your success is to replicate a model that’s already proven to make money. Here are five such models.
The Informational Website
The informational website is based on giving away free information. It’s primary source of income is AdSense, advertising and affiliate product sales.
For example, if you were to start a small website on fishing, put up 50 articles about various fishing tips and techniques and populated it with AdSense ads, you’d very likely get decent traffic as well as make a decent amount of money.
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is when you’re making money by selling other people’s products. Instead of having to create a product, a detailed website, setup billing and handle customer service, all you need to do is bring in traffic.
Once you get the traffic to their website, their job is to make the sale. Once the sale is made, you get a percentage of the sale price. For physical products, the commission is usually between 5% and 20%. For digital products, the commission is usually between 50% and 75%.
eCommerce Stores
Another way to make money online is to actually sell products from an eCommerce store. Here, you would actually own a web store where customers would place orders and then ship them a physical product.
At first you might start out by having a dropshipping relationship with manufacturers so you don’t have to warehouse your own products. Then, as you become more successful you’ll want to start housing some of your own products to reduce your per item costs.
Infoproduct Marketing
Infoproduct marketing is when you’re selling products that teach people how to do things. These products can be anything from “How to Get a Girlfriend” to “How to Get a Babysitting Job” to “How to Increase Your Miles Per Gallon.”
The possibilities are endless. You need three primary skills to succeed in information marketing:
1) The ability to bring traffic to your website.
2) The ability to create good content in a specific area.
3) The ability to convince people online that your infoproduct is a good investment that will help them solve their problem.
Once you have these three skills, you’ll be able to produce many profitable infoproduct websites.
The Made for Acquisition Model
If you’re looking to build something larger than a website that’s making a few thousand dollars a month, then you’re looking at building a real company that’s meant for acquisitions or IPOs.
These are companies like LinkExchange (acquired for $250 million,) Facebook (valued at over a billion.)
The trick to building such a company is to find a market need to serve and to serve that need. In the process, you’ll generally have to learn how to raise capital from Venture Capitalists and angel investors.
Before trying to build such a business, it’s usually a good idea to build at least a couple smaller successful online bsuiensses using the models above.
There you have it – Five different online business models with a proven history of success. Just pick the one that sound smost actionable to you now and get started today!
Julianne Alvarez-Wish is a military wife, mother, business owner, professional writer, blogger and legislative advocate. She is the Director of Communications for Our Milk Money, the Colorado State Leader for the National Association for Moms in Business and the owner of Buy By Mom and Buy By Mom Blog. She is the Colorado Springs Stay-at-Home Mom Examiner for Examiner.com. She also blogs at A Wishful Thought. Her passion, purpose and goal is to help parents work from home so they can be home with their children.
