I have talked many times about my accountability partner Angie Newton.  We have been partners for quite a while now.  It has been a partnership that has helped me build and advance my business.  While Angie and I were at the NAMS 3 workshop in January, we were approached by several people asking all sorts of questions about accountability partnerships.

The questions about being accountability partners continues.

Since we have returned we still continue to get questions.  Here are some examples: How do you find an accountability partner?  What do you do when you meet?  How often do you meet? There are also many other questions.  During a recent call between Angie and I we discussed these questions and decided to address them by writing a report.

All your questions will be answered!  Now we need you questions!  Please comment in this post and share what you want to know about accountability partners!

Now think, think, think!  Also please pass this on to a friend and have them think too!  Now what are you waiting for go leave a comment!

Thanks,

Continuing in the affiliate marketing series this is a follow up to my post a few days ago – What is Affiliate Marketing? Today we are going to cover some of the advantages of affiliate marketing.  In other words the why?!  I have four kids and every one of them have gone through the “why?” stage.  It always drove me crazy and I often had the desire to say “Just because!”.  Just as with kids it is important to ask and answer Why?!

What are the Advantages of Affiliate Marketing for the companies?

Have you ever wondered about a new Mexican restaurant that you saw a commercial for?  The restaurant looks really good but how much does it cost?  Does the food taste just like Taco Bell or is it good traditional Mexican food? One day you are talking to the neighbor and she mentions that her family went to this restaurant last night.  You are so excited and you ask her all the questions.  It turns out it is a fabulous restaurant and even accommodate children really well!  So the next night you plan to take your family to the restaurant.

In this example the neighbor is not getting paid for her recommendation of the Mexican restaurant but she willingly gives it.  The restaurant benefits from this greatly!  Companies would rather have personal recommendations given they pay the high costs of advertising.  People look at commercials skeptically but when someone you know recommends it you are very likely to use a product or service.  As an encouragement companies will pay people to recommend their stuff! It ends up being a win-win situation.

What are the Advantages of Affiliate Marketing for marketers?

If I like something I am going to tell you about it!  Recently I told my accountability partner Angie Newton about how much I love Quicken Home and Business.  I gave her such a recommendation that she went out and bought it!   Then she said “Why haven’t you written a blog post about it and told others?”  When I told her about Quicken I had no intention of her buying from my affiliate link but she did.  She trusts me that I am not trying to get her to just buy something. I just saw that she needed some organization with her checking account and told her what I use.  Now I am getting paid a commission from Amazon!

Most of us are going to recommend something to someone.  If you see a need and you know of something to help why not give an affiliate link to them.  Honestly people don’t have a problem with this.  So keep recommending things to people that know, like and trust you and if they decide to buy from your link you will get paid.  If not that person still will remember that you cared enough to share something that works for you!

Success,

photo credit: kevinspencer

When it comes to finances I am not a wizard! I even convinced my school counselor in High School that I didn’t need anymore math.  I only took a semester of Geometry and no Algebra.  So when it came time to budgeting and balancing a check book I wasn’t great.  About eight years ago I got a free copy of Quicken with my Turbo Tax.  I downloaded it and found that it would balance everything for me.  I later bought Quicken Home and Business. This helped me keep track of all the business expenses and income that I received as well as my family finances!

Why buy Quicken Home and Business?

Are you wondering why I am sharing this with you?  I am getting to a point.  My accountability partner Angie Newton and I were talking a few weeks ago.  She shared with me how behind she is in balancing her check book.  This was such a burden on her.  As we talked I could feel the weight on her shoulders to get it done.  I told her about Quicken.  These are some of the things I shared with her:

• With Quicken I don’t have to worry about putting in every receipt because it is connected to my Credit Union.  I press a button and Quicken Home and Business will update all the recent transactions.  Then all I need to do is match them up with what I have already recorded.
• I can keep track of when my bills need to be paid.  I also can include all your bills, such as: utilities, cable, internet, mortgage, insurance, etc.  When it is close to the date these are due I will get a reminder within Quicken.  I can even set up a reminder on my desktop.

More features of Quicken Home and Business:

There are other things about Quicken that has been very helpful.  For instance it memorizes the transaction and if you go to record a new transaction it will fill in the entry slot with the memorized information.  This makes things very quick.

This is a feature I have not used really but you can set goals for saving and getting out of debt.  Quicken will track your progress so you can have birds eye view of how you are meeting those goals.  You can also create graphs and reports to see how you are spending your money and where you income is coming from.

The business portion of Quicken helps to keep track of all the expenses you are incurring and income you are receiving!  I have recently started using Quick books for my business and then I very quickly stopped.  For my business the Quicken Home and Business has been able to keep track of everything I need to remember and track.  One last benefit I have seen is that you can import everything from Quicken to Turbo Tax when you do your taxes each year.  This saves loads of time.

After my conversation with Angie she decided to buy Quicken Home and Business.  After having the burden of balancing a check book she is done!  Quicken has been my life saver in so many ways.  I don’t forget to pay my bills and I know how much money I need for the upcoming bills.  I always know how much I have to work with and with my husband we can set financial goals for our family and my business!

Success,

PS. Right now if you purchase Quicken Home and Business you can get a great discount on Turbo Tax Home and Business!  Check it out!

PPS. If you just want to start with the beginner Quicken as I did that works too.  There are many different versions to fit your needs!

If you have followed me in my journey to find a business I love you know that I have decided to focus on affiliate marketing. When I talk about it do you ever wonder, what in the heck is affiliate marketing?  Maybe you don’t but I want to help those that don’t get it.

In the last few months I have been talking to people that I know, but don’t know what I do.  When I tell them I work at home doing affiliate marketing I always, back that statement up by asking them if they know what that is.  Most of the time they say “No”.

What is Affiliate Marketing?

By definition from Websters Online Dictionary and affiliate is: “A subordinate or subsidiary associate; a person who is affiliated with another or with an organization.”  This is absolutely true an affiliate is someone who has associated with a retail company or someone selling a product.  Now affiliate marketing is marketing for that company or person.

You become an affiliate by applying to an affiliate program.  You can go to affiliate networks such as Commission Junction, Click bank or Pepper Jam Network. These networks have many companies and products that you can become affiliates for. In other words sell their products and get paid for it.  Each company and program will offer a different percentage of commission for products that are sold through your link. You can also find a company or product you want to be an affiliate for and contact them to see if they have an affiliate program. The Super Affiliate Handbook goes into great detail about this.

How do you market a product or program?

Okay, so you have picked out one product or service and are now their affiliate.  What do you do now? You can market a product or program in many, many different ways.  The key is to have someone to talk to that would be interested in what you have to offer.  A few ways you can promote a product is with a blog, a mailing (e-mail) list, forums, an e-book, all of these things and others!

How in the world do I get paid for affiliate marketing?

When you sign up for an affiliate program you are given your own unique URL or website link.  When you are promoting this product or service to your market you use that link in your blog post, Facebook message, Twitter message, etc.  For example say my niche is Barbie dolls.  I sign up for Mattel as an affiliate.  I have a link that looks like this: http://mattel.com/aid=12349.  Now that number at the end is my member identification or affiliate number.  When I am talking about Barbie dolls on my blog, the Barbie Doll Collector, I would hyper link an image and/or the word Barbie dolls to the my affiliate link: http://mattel.com/aid=12349.

So far, so good right? Now if someone clicks on that link and buys something from Mattel you will get the 4% commission on whatever they buy.  So if they buy a collectors doll for $100 you will get paid $4.

Get the idea?  Now if you have a list of moms who want to work at home or maybe want to have their own blog you can offer them a start up guide that is free and include links to GoDaddy for the domain, Hostgator for hosting, maybe Aweber for a list management system and maybe a mom mastermind forum like Mom Masterminds.

How do you make a lot of money doing this?

Great question!  You create multiple product pages or posts on your blog, reports, e-books, articles, Squidoo lenses.  Cover all of the social media sites with great content free and paid when you do, include your affiliate links.  Make sure you follow the rules on forums and other social media sites when you do this but there are so many things you can do with affiliate links!  At NAMS we talked about strategies for social marketing.  This is a great way to get yourself out there and also an opportunity to share your affiliate links.

I hope this answers the question: what is affiliate marketing. If you have any other questions let me know!  If you want to see someone who has been very successful in affiliate marketing check out this interview of Lynn Terry. This is a PDF transcript of an interview Nicole Dean did of Lynn Terry.  This was my very first introduction to Lynn and as you know I am a huge fan!

Best,

PS. If you are going to take a serious look at doing affiliate marketing as a business make sure you get the Super Affiliate Handbook by Rosalind Gardner.  She gives you a clear picture as to what it is affiliate marketing is and how to be successful!

photo credit: ElizabethHudy

Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.

Aristotle

Love is when the other person’s happiness is more important than your own.

H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

In the next few weeks I am going to cover some basics of affiliate marketing. Today, I am going to give you a bit of a history about me and share with you my favorite affiliate marketing ebook: Super Affiliate Handbook! This is the book that changed everything for me in business online and it happened over six years ago.

Super Affiliate Handbook, the affiliate marketing ebook!

I have always had the entrepreneurial bug!  I was never great in school and I didn’t finish college but I always felt like their were great things ahead for me.  I got married and had my first two children in the first two years of being married.  All along I was always thinking “What can I do to make money?”.  In 2003 I started an eBay business.  I made money but it was a lot of work! Work that I didn’t enjoy.  After that I found my first affiliate marketing ebook by Rosalind Gardner.  I had no idea what affiliate marketing was.  I was really clueless that anyone did such a thing.  I thought it was great that you could get paid when people clicked through a link on your website and bought something.  I also thought it wasn’t going to be a lot of work.  Boy, was I wrong (it is work I love though)!

When I purchased the Super Affiliate Handbook, I learned how to set up a affiliate marketing business, step by step.  To be honest this is one of the first ebooks I had read all the way through!  Not only did I read it all the way through but I made my husband read it too!  We were on board.  I purchased a domain and I used site build-it to create the website.  We created a few pages and then we did nothing more.  I am not sure what happened maybe self-doubt set in, but in 2003 that was then end of affiliate marketing for me.

Super Affiliate Handbook was always in the back of my mind.

After my experience with my first try at affiliate marketing I went onto some other businesses.  Ebay again and a company called Melaleuca (I still get a check from them each month).  Last year I got the bug again.  I decided I am not going to try to make money fast.  I want to make money consistently and have a business to last forever.  My mind immediately went back to affiliate marketing and the Super Affiliate Handbook!  That is when I started this blog and I started looking over the ebook again.  I still had that copy from 2003 on a CD.  I decided to go ahead and purchase it again to get the latest version.  Rosalind Gardner is the author and she has done a fabulous job of keeping it up-to-date and covering all the bases!

Once again I began to learn all about affiliate marketing and all the changes!  I also found Lynn Terry and the Elite group to answer questions I have had. Since last year I have made some money.  I am not making nearly as much as I would like but I am learning so much as I go.  I also know that this business is a snowball business.  It will grow and pick up speed!

Affiliate Marketing is a business that will last.

I have felt from the first time I read the Super Affiliate Handbook that affiliate marketing is a business that I would enjoy and that would last.  Just like all businesses you must stay on top of the changes in the industry but it is possible to make consistent money, pay-off debts and save for the future.  This is why I have chosen this business to focus on!

If you are not so sure about what affiliate marketing is, how to do it or whether it is for you keep following this blog for my blog series on affiliate marketing.  I am not an expert but I do know a lot.  If you want a comprehensive view of affiliate marketing get the Super Affiliate Handbook by Rosalind Gardner!

Until next time,

PS. My last two post I have written about the Niche Affiliate Marketing System workshop.  This workshop was focused on how to run an affiliate marketing business.  You can still purchase a flash drive with power point presentations and audio of the speakers here.

My last post I talked about the top 4 things I learned at NAMS3.  NAMS (niche affiliate marketing system workshop) was such a great experience for me.  In my last post I barely touched on all the things I learned.  I must say I learned a whole lot after hours.  I am so grateful that I stayed in the hotel!  I had some great room mates Kelley Denz and Kristen Arnold (pictured at the right, Kristen on the left, Kelley on the right).  We spent some time together but it was mostly mingling with everyone.  I have shared in that past about the brainstorming group I belong to.  It is Lynn Terry’s Self Starter Weekly Tips Elite Group.  I spent a lot of time with elite members at NAMS.  We had such a good time and spent time helping one another!

What is the Value of a Brainstorming group?

To me the value of a brainstorming group is huge, maybe even invaluable.  When I went to NAMS I knew I was not alone.  I felt like I knew all these people.  The reason why was because I am on the forum with them and at least once a week we get together for a brainstorming webinar.  Now when I found the elite group I wanted to join right away but I couldn’t because the membership was closed!  So I waited and watched the tweets coming in about brainstorming hour “the best hour of the week”!   In July the membership was finally opened again.  I jump on it!

Why?

I will tell you why because that is access to Lynn Terry!  Lynn has fourteen years of business experience online.  She knows how to make an income and do it right!  She has integrity and is one of the “what you see is what you get” kind of people.  I really found that out at NAMS.  That was the main reasons I joined the Elite group but it has become much bigger than that since then.  In September I found my accountability partner in the elite group – Angie Newton.  You can see her pictured in my last post.  We talk and text over Skype several times a week and we keep each other on track.  At NAMS we really helped one another and stuck together.  One of the best compliments I got at NAMS from my room mate Kelley was that Angie and I were so much a like we are like the same people!

Another reason why I am so glad that I joined the elite brainstorming group is that I get my focus there.  Every week during the webinar I am reminded of what I need to be doing to advance my business in affiliate marketing.  Also every time I talk with my accountability partner Angie I am once again focused.  I feel like I have a team of people that are there to cheer me on and pick me up when I fall.  In internet marketing that can be huge.  You can often feel lonely and lost in the vastness of the internet!

Back to NAMS

I felt so at home there because I was in the company of friends and because of this I was able to meet people that I didn’t know.  It was just so fun.  Literally we were up until midnight and later one night and what were we talking about?  Our businesses and how to help one another!  Sharing knowledge with each other.  On Saturday night Lynn has an Elite member reception.  We had time to mingle with each other and Lynn even gave away prizes I was lucky enough to win Socialnomics: How social media transforms the way we live and do business by Erik Qualman. It is a fantastic book.

During the reception people were actually turned away because they didn’t belong to the Elite group!  Out of 180 people that attended NAMS3 there were 70 or 80 that came from the Lynn’s private elite group!  We were there in full force.  I am not sure how many people actually joined while we were at NAMS but I am sure it was more than just a few.

Do you have to join a brainstorming or mastermind group?

No, not at all.  What I am sharing with you is one of my best tools to success in my journey!  I have learned more from this forum and this group of giving people than an other place on the internet. Lynn also has a free forum that you can join and then you can upgrade to the elite forum later. The elite members do venture over to the free main forum to help out.  If you are desiring to move your business forward join a forum. It may not be Lynn’s but join a brainstorming or masterminding forum!

Until next time,

PS.  Why are you still here?  You should be checking out the Elite Brainstorming Forum!

I am back from NAMS3 and am ready to get to work and work my tail off!  If you recall last week I wrote about my goals for NAMS 3. I wanted to get certain things done and I learned most everything while I was there I wanted to.  What I wanted to do today is share the top four things I learned at NAMS3.  I learned a whole lot more then four but these were the top four!

Top 4 things I learned at NAMS3:

I was already on the right track

Not until the first day and I listened to Lynn Terry and Jeff Herring did I realize that I already knew what they were teaching and I was following a plan to get it done!  That was a great feeling.  Don’t you ever wonder if you are doing things the right way?  I do, ALL THE TIME!  So day one was very much review but it was also clarification that I need to focus on getting content out there on the internet and use long-tail keywords and so forth!

Affiliate Marketing is really so simple.

Now I didn’t say easy but it is simple.  If you choose a product, get a keyword, write a post and do link building “They will come”!  I make things complicated!  I get into information overload and don’t know where to start because I am looking at every one’s methods.  It is very basic!  Have a product, get long tail keyword, write a post and link build.  Simple, simple, simple!!

It is ALL about WORK.

Yes, I said work!  Those pictures of people sitting on the beach with their laptops can be true. What you don’t see in the hours and hours of work that they spent building a business.  Remember it is simple but affiliate marketing is work!  It is work that I love to do.  So if you are reading this thinking that working at home or working on the internet is easy, don’t fool yourself!  It is work!

Other people care about you succeeding in business.

I loved the hours I spent away from the workshop in the hotel.  These were hours spent mingling with the instructors, Elite members and others just trying to build a business online!  I have been to other “seminars” and found that those making all the money stayed away from the beginners.  This was not at all the case at NAMS!  Everyone was accessible.  I learned just as much “after hours” as I did the workshop itself!  One thing I never felt was that I wasn’t “good enough” or “not worth their time”.   Not only did the instructors care but there were others that helped out as well.  Erin aka NetKickStart helped me out with redirects which I have been having issues with for a very long time!  Traci Knoppe helped me figure out how to use the tweetdeck with multiple accounts. There was always someone to reach out to and get help from.

NAMS 3 was about action.  Making sure you applied everything you learned.  I am doing that now.  I have a plan and I am working it.  I have a schedule to keep with my blogs and I am taking action right now!  If you want to learn the details of NAMS don’t hesitate to purchase the NAMS 4 U jump drive.  I will tell you a little secret…this will be the last year that they will sell the information they used in NAMS1 & 2.  So get it while you can!

NAMS 4 will be coming up in August.  I plan on attending this event as well.  Keep watching and you will be able to sign up as well!

PS. If you want to learn from all the instructors from NAMS 1, 2 and 3 your can purchase a flash drive with audio, ebooks and power point presentations. Purchase the NAMS4U flash drive here.  One more thing.  This will be the last time you have the opportunity to get access to NAMS 1 & 2.  David Perdew is putting them in a vault!

Today we are going to celebrate Give a kid a Smile Day!  What a great day!!  I can’t imagine what life looks like from my kids point of view sometimes.  What if we were just able to tell are kids “You make me Smile.” ?  What a difference that would make in the life of a kid!

Growing up in my family whenever we got together with extended family there was always laughter.  I am not exactly sure where that came from but what a blessing it was to always here the adults laughing.

I guess it was after that, that I made an observation.  We would often go to Seattle for hockey games when I was young.  I loved it but as we walked down the street I watched people.  When they made eye contact I would always smile.  I felt like people always needed a smile and I felt so good when I approached smiling people.  It is an amazing thing when you share a smile.

What a simple gift!

A smile is a gift to others.  Even now I love to see smiling people.  It says something about them doesn’t it?  It says for just one moment all is good in my life.  For just one second I want to share that goodness with others.  So in difficult times smile!  When things aren’t going well at home smile.  Most importantly smile at children!  Don’t they deserve it?  Even when they are “naughty” they need to know they are loved.  You can share that when you smile at them! 

I feel a song coming on.

I can hear Michael Jackson singing it.  “Smile though your heart is aching. Smile even though its breaking. When there are clouds in the sky, you’ll get by If you just Smile.”  It just makes you feel better to smile!  So today give a smile to a kid!

Have a Happy Day,

]]> http://daniellesjourney.com/tell-your-kids-you-make-me-smile/feed/ 0 http://daniellesjourney.com/tell-your-kids-you-make-me-smile/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DaniellesJourney/~3/LljjfH6nA0Y/ http://daniellesjourney.com/sunday-quote-art-quotes/#comments Sun, 31 Jan 2010 04:24:16 +0000 Danielle http://daniellesjourney.com/?p=1518

Today, Sunday is Inspire your heart  with art day, so I thought I would share some good  art quotes with you!  Many things can be thought of as art.  Do you consider yourself an artist?

“The music that really turns me on is either running toward God or away from God. Both recognize the pivot, that God is at the center of the jaunt.”
Bono

“Man can’t do without God. Just like you’re thirsty, you have to drink water. You just can’t go without God.”

Bob Marley

“You come to nature with all her theories, and she knocks them all flat.”
Renoir

“The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection.”
Michelangelo

Check out more Sunday Quotes at Sunday Citar!

Happy Sunday!

photo credit: Asbestos Bill

I am at Niche Article Marketing System workshop.  I have been having such a good time and surprisingly I am not in information overload.  I am close but not there yet.  I have been really looking forward to today because the topic is traffic!  How to drive traffic. If you recall from my last blog post with my NAMS goals, one of my goals is: I need to learn how to bring in more traffic.

This morning five incredible marketer sat down and shared great strategies for social media marketing.  I have learned so much and I am excited to implement it today!  You can learn the same things that I did from these fabulous marketers: Willie Crawford, Joey Smith, Jeff Herring, Kevin Riley and Maritza Parra! There presentation was recorded and is now available to listen to on audio!

Check it out at Strategies 4 Social Marketing.  This is going to help me get really use to using social media marketing.  This is something I have not been great at and it will bring in traffic to my websites and blogs.  It will do the same for you.  I have found the I have a hard time justifying my time on Twitter or Facebook. I just feel like I am wasting my time but I have learned today that I am absolutely not.

One more thing that is shared on the audio is… the experts secret weapons for social marketing!  These are things they use to save time and not sit in front of the computer all day.  So I invite you to use this social media marketing training.  It is so worth it!

The time has arrived for the Niche Affiliate Marketing System Workshop in other words NAMS3! I have been waiting since August to attend this NAMS event.  In preparation I have written my list of what to pack.  I have decide a niche to work on and I downloaded the NAMS Action Guide by Dan Morris.

In the NAMS action guide Dan encouraged everyone to write down what they are taking to the event.  Now this is not physical items but your skills and knowledge.

So here are the things I am taking to NAMS:

• I know how to use XSitePro.
• I know how to set up a wordpress blog.
• I know how to transfer files.
• I know how to use Aweber and set up a opt-in box.
• I know how to use  Tweet deck and Twitter.
• I know how to search for keywords.
• I can set up a affiliate accounts.
• I can use some html.

The list goes on from here!  I think that often times we don’t realize we know how to do something until we discover someone who doesn’t know how! The next list is what are your business goals for the event and what are the things  you want learn at the Niche affiliate Marking System workshop?

Here are some specific business goals I have:

• I need to learn how to streamline everything I do.  This includes, blogging, Squidoo lenses, traffic, link building, keyword research, etc.
• I need to learn how to bring in more traffic.
• How to maximize a mailing list.  This includes getting people to sign up and sending out messages.
• How to make more money.
• Simplify!

So here it is I am going to learn these things, make my business better.  I will bring home a recap of events and learning moments!  Maybe next time we can meet at NAMS 4 next August!

Best,

As you read this I am currently at NAMS in Atlanta. You can follow my tweets about NAMS at foreverjohnson on Twitter!

photo credit: juliejordanscott

I have been looking for ways to increase my traffic in the niches that I am working in.  I have learned a lot over the past few months year.  I have learned about bookmarking, link building, social media, press releases, article marketing but the one thing that has really brought income to me is Squidoo!  I first discovered it through a post by Tiffany Washko called Seasonal Affiliate Sales.  I purchased the Info Product Killer after reading her post.  Next that lead me to Tiffany Dow and Squidoo! Tiffany Dow has a fabulous book out called Social Networking on Squidoo and she uses Squidoo in combination with Info Product Killer (IPK).

Why am I telling you all of this?

I am sharing this with you because after I followed Tiffany’s advice on how to create Squidoo lenses with the IPK formula I made money!  It was so exciting because I would open up my Amazon account everyday and I would see more and more sales!

At the beginning of this month Tiffany started a 52 week Amazon Lens Challenge.  The challenge is to create Squidoo lenses every week based on a Amazon best seller! I have been doing this and having great fun.  We have a Facebook page that we keep track of each other and our lenses in.  Tiffany is there to offer encouragement and help!

Again why am I sharing this?

Sorry sometimes it takes me a minute to get to the point.  This year I wanted to share with you my journey through this challenge.  I will share with you how well the lenses are doing and I will share my new lenses with you.  Squidoo is really fun to work with and Tiffany Dow is just a gem!  She is not getting paid to do this but is doing it willingly!

Here is one of my first lenses for the year:

I wrote it on the Nintendo Wii Console.  Our family received a Nintendo Wii Console for Christmas this year and it has been a blast.  I share some personal thought and experiences with you on the Squidoo lens. Go check it out!

Why Squidoo?

Here are the reasons I really like Squidoo.  A lens is very quick to create, as little as an hour.  You can get great back links to your blog or website that gets you noticed by Google.  You can use keywords and affiliate links in the lens which acts as a mini website for you.  These are some of the main reasons I love Squidoo.  I also am excited to create hobby type lenses.  I created my first one on How to Enter Mail In Sweepstakes about two weeks ago!  You can create a lens for fun, business, education, anything and it is really fun to do.

Do you want to start on Squidoo?

If you are interested in starting to create Squidoo lenses I would recommend Tiffany Dow’s ebook Social Networking on Squidoo!  It is very details and she updates it often.  Without it I wouldn’t have known the first thing to do!  Next join the Facebook group, it is free and you can join at anytime.  Jump on and say hi.  If you have questions feel free to ask me.  I am not an expert but I do know some things now.

The reason for the 52 week challenge:

Christmas time you can make a lot of money from your lenses.  When you are trying to make money online it is always easier to let your websites age a little.  Yes, kind of like cheese!  The search engines take time to find you sometimes but once your found you usually are able to get consistent traffic.  That is the same with Squidoo lenses.  I am continuing to have my lenses found by the search engines.  Which means more traffic.  Which means you will start to earn commission.

The 52 week challenge means you will have at least 52 lenses that can be making money at Christmas time next year.  Try it out!  I would love to retweet about your lenses or even show them on my blog! Come back and see what lens I create!

Until next time,

Last Thursday was Organize your home day.  I didn’t organize my home that day because I have been sick with a bad ear infection.  So I didn’t do a whole lot of anything.  I do try to organize my home through out the year.  I am a list maker.  I have a list for everything.  So we have chore charts at our house and calendars to keep us on track.  Having four children it can be difficult to keep everything organized but we work at every day!

I found these quotes and I think they really fit my perspective on things.  I like things very simple!  If they aren’t kept simple I do agonize over it all.  The pictures are from a day that I had my kitchen exceptionally clean and organized!  This is a constant battle at our house!

“The secret of all victory lies in the organization of the non-obvious.”

Marcus Aurelius

“Don’t agonize. Organize.”

Florynce Kennedy

Don’t forget to visit and participate in Sunday Citar!

Today is Organize your home day! I think it is kind of funny that we have to have a day named after organizing our homes! But it is true a lot of us live in chaos. Each day we come home we don’t know where to put things and they just pile up. Or maybe you are one of those people that do really well keeping your physical home clean but it is pure chaos in your mind!

How disorganization affects me.

I don’t know about you but for me when my house is a mess then I am a mess. I must have things clean around me or I can not concentrate or get work done. This can be challenging for me since I have four children ages 8 to 1 and a husband! I have been really diligent on having a chore chart and having my children and husband help out each day. It is a team effort right?! When we all work together to get the house clean it works. Then reality sets in and we get sick or we have activities that keep us from our schedule. I found this great article about how to get started at a Christian Home.

Meals are hard to organize.

My husband and I really like fast food or any restaurant food in general. It is our downfall! So if we do not have a menu of what we are going to eat ahead of time then we are in trouble! Last fall my neighbor mentioned on facebook that she has been loving emealz! I decided to check it out. With Emealz they send you a list of recipes that use products that are on sale. We have been subscribed for about 20 weeks now and we don’t follow the recipes exactly but it has really helped us become organized in our meals. This has been extremely helpful.

So how ever you spend today I hope that you are getting organized in some way!

To you,

PS. Check out some of these great books on organization: Eliminate Chaos: The 10-Step Process to Organize Your Home and Life by Laura Leist, Organize Now!: A Week By Week Guide To Simplify Your Space And Your Life by Jennifer Berry and my favorite Organizing from the Inside Out, second edition: The Foolproof System For Organizing Your Home, Your Office and Your Life by Julie Morgenstern.

photo credit: evelynishere

Way back in August I wrote a post about the Niche Affiliate Marketing Systems.  In August was when  I registered for NAMS3.  This is a workshop that is put on by David Perdew.  David has put together a number a of speakers to teach different niche marketing strategies.  NAMS3 is in just about 2 weeks!  I am so excited to go, learn and do!

What is Niche Affiliate Marketing?

Niche affiliate marketing is when you pick a niche, for instance World War II fanatics.  Once you have your niche you market to them in some way with affiliate links.  Another example, say you have found a fabulous World War II book that just came out.  You read it and review it on your World War II blog and but your affiliate link in your blog post.  That is a simple way of doing niche affiliate marketing.

Niche Affiliate Marketing System

At the NAMS3 workshop,we will be taught by those who are successful in niche marketing! Some of the speakers that will be attending will be Mark Hendricks, Kathleen Gage, Willie Crawford, Nicole Dean, Aileen Bennett, David Preston, Jeff Herring and many more!  One speaker I am looking forward to seeing and hearing is Lynn Terry.  I have belonged to Lynn’s Self Starters Weekly Tips Elite Group for six months now and I love it!  Each one of the speakers have there own kind of angle on a niche marketing strategy.  Some specialize in article marketing other are experts in teleseminars.  Each one have something to give at NAMS3.

Newbie

I would consider myself a newbie when it comes to niche affiliate marketing.  I have a lot to learn.  I do know quite a bit from the trial and error I have gone through in the last nine months but I am ready for more.  NAMS3 is set up in such a way that if you are a newbie there are classes or sessions set up for you.  If you are a little bit past the newbie stage you can attend the intermediate sessions and if you are advanced there are sessions for you!

Workshop

What I am really excited about is that NAMS3 is not a seminar!  It is a workshop.  During this workshop we will do everything hands on.  I will have my computer there and I will be working while I am there!  I will be making sales while I am there.  The things being taught will be things I will be implementing not when I get home but right there!  So I am planning on making some money while at NAMS3.

NAMS3 is sold out.

It has been sold out for at least a month.  So unfortunately you will not be able to attend.  I was not able to attend in August for NAMS2 but I did purchase the NAMS4u jump drive.  It had everything on it that was taught at NAMS1 and NAMS2.  If you are wanting to learn everything I will learn at NAMS3 you can purchase a NAMS4U jump drive!  It includes loads of information and I am so glad I purchased it last year! Also make sure you are ready to register in February to attend NAMS4 in August of this year!  You will have the deepest discounts available in February!

I will keep you posted on NAMS3 through this month and February.  I can share bits and pieces of my goals, learning moments and breakthroughs!

Best,

P.S. Don’t forget to checkout NAMS4U!

photo credit: Anonymous Account

I am sure you have noticed my absence from my blog.  First of all forgive me for not giving any kind of notice.  I decided to take some time and think about the direction of this blog.  I have really enjoyed writing and posting pictures this last year and I have truly enjoyed the learning experience but I felt like it wasn’t serving anyone.

Hence the absence.

I have decided to make several changes!  First of all the theme.  The theme that I currently have is just temporary.  My custom theme caused my blog to go down and the only way to keep it up is to remove that theme.  So I will be in search for a new theme.

Next I have had some major issues with my RSS feed since October. I finally deleted it.  I am going sit down on Saturday and try to resolve it all so that you can subscribe to my feed again!

Lastly, I will not be blogging every day.  I have too many other projects going on and so I want to focus on quality posts not quantity!  So I will not be posting a regular Wordless Wednesday post each week.  But I am really excited about some of the things I plan on sharing with you in the future weeks and months!  This blog was meant to share my (Danielle’s) journey and that is what I want to do.  I want to serve  you by helping you learn from some of my mistakes and triumphs!

My ultimate goal is to help you!  I will do that by sharing what has helped me most along the way!

Come join me,

P.S. If you are just getting started in blogging I would absolutely recommend Kelly McCausey’s  Blog Internship!  This is how I learned the in’s and out’s of the blogging world and how to keep up with my blog!

photo credit: dusk-photography

We are now 10 days into the new year. It is a chance to celebrate new beginnings.  The last few weeks I have been thinking a lot about the businesses I have started in 2009.  I have reevaluated and set new goals with my priorities in mind.  I want to spend more time with my family and have a business so a schedule was made and so far things have worked really well!  I am so excited for this New Year and the new beginning I have created!

Here are a few quotes on new beginnings:

“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.”

Seneca

“Every day is a new beginning. Treat it that way. Stay away from what might have been, and look at what can be. ~

share this New Beginnings saying”

Marsha Petrie Sue

A few New Year quotes:

“It wouldn’t be New Year’s if I didn’t have regrets.”

William Thomas

“Cheers to a New Year and another chance for us to get it right.”

Oprah Winfrey

I hope you have made a great new beginning out of this new year!  It is an exciting time to be in 2010!  Enjoy and I hope come 2011 we all have few regrets for this year!  Here is to a fabulous 2010!

photo credit: Pink Sherbet Photography

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photo credit: hlkljgk

“Friendship is certainly the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love.”

Jane Austen (1775 – 1817), Northanger Abbey

photo credit: ineffable_pulchritude

“For Unto us a child is born…”

Merry Christmas everyone!