homeschoolingincome.com

Get Motivated and Reach Those Goals!

Audrey — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 21:23:51 +0000

This post is a guest post from Mike Reeves-McMillan, who also writes about stress management and other personal development topics at his blog, Living Skillfully.

When you’re juggling a lot of different responsibilities, it’s easy for motivation to slip. You seem to spend your whole day lurching from crisis to crisis, only to come to the end of the day without much of a sense of achievement. What to do?

Here’s a technique which I call two-level goals.

1. Each morning, take a couple of minutes to sit down and write out your high-level goals – business, personal, family. Don’t forget to include one or two goals that support your personal development, rest and refreshment! About 5 goals is a good number. Writing them by hand is supposed to be a better way of focusing than typing them onto the computer. I’ve tried both, and I don’t notice much difference, so do whichever you prefer. They’re likely to gradually change over time, which is one of the two reasons for writing them out each morning – the other, of course, is to get them firmly into your mind.

2. Under your high-level goals, write down achievable things that you can actually get done today which serve those goals. You don’t have to have a second-level goal for every first-level goal, and you can have several second-level goals for one of your first-level goals. But if you’re always loading up one of your first-level goals and completely neglecting another, that tells you it’s time to reassess your focus.

3. Check them off, draw lines through them, write “Done” next to them, stamp them with smiley faces or otherwise indicate when you’ve achieved each second-level goal.

This is the kind of simple technique you could teach your kids to use too – but it’s a great way for you to both stay motivated with achievable daily goals, and also keep heading in the direction of your dreams.

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Selling Startup Websites

Audrey — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 03:20:01 +0000

One business model that has been very popular of late is building niche WordPress blogs, customising them so they look nice, and then adding good content. These blogs can have several methods of monetisation, including adsense income and affiliate products such as those from Clickbank or Amazon. They are then sold with no income or traffic, which gives the creator a quick chunk of cash. But does this still work?

The most popular site for buying and selling websites is Flippa and I have had some success selling websites here. One comment I read recently was that startup sites sell here for an average of $130. That’s not bad considering your costs are basically a domain name ($10), hosting ($5 for a month) and an investment of your time. However, things may be changing.

Whether it because people are less likely to part with their hard earned cash these days, or whether buyers are just more discerning, start up sites aren’t selling very well at the moment.

Here’s an example. I had a good friend visit for a day, and just to show her the basics of site creation, I built a WordPress blog. My niche was a popular one, and my keyword research was good. I used a free theme, spent $1 on a nice image for the header, and added quality content. It was monetised with adsense ads, affiliate products and I had purchased an ebook to sell directly from the site and I could keep all the profits from each sale.

Within a week of its creation, this site was sitting at number 5 on Google search results for its keyword, and had earned $2 in adsense income. So, although it was a start up site, it had real potential. The highest bid for this site was $35. I chose to keep the site.

If you are interested in building websites to sell, you are more likely to get a good return on your investment if you can hang onto it for a little while. Keep promoting it, until you can show some traffic stats and income from the site, and it should sell for a much fairer price.

Develop a Schedule, Get Organized, and Avoid Feeling Overwhelmed

Audrey — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 00:50:40 +0000

Being a stay-at-home parent, as many of you are probably aware, is no picnic. Sure you get to spend all day with your kids and there are certainly benefits, like seeing all their firsts and watching them miraculously grow from crying, feeding, sleeping dependents into actual little people with comprehensible thoughts and emotions.

But the parent who goes off to work each day will probably never understand that while they get breaks and leave their work at the office when they log out, you are on the clock 24/7. And it can be even more difficult if you decide to embark upon a course in homeschooling. Trying to juggle your everyday household duties (cleaning, shopping, errands, food preparation, etc.) with the demands of being a teacher and a parent can sometimes leave you feeling like a sinking ship. But there are ways to swim to the surface, stay afloat, and head for calmer waters.

The first thing you need to do is set a schedule. Then you need to stick to it! The latter can be the tricky part. For some reason, children defy scheduling. When you want them to get moving, they stubbornly cross their arms and refuse, whereas getting them to sit quietly and study can be like wrangling a herd of wild Mustangs. Part of a child’s job is to test your limits, and boy, are they good at it. However, implementing a rigid daily schedule is a good way to get your kids into a habit that they will eventually conform to, so set up a roster of classes, work in break times for play, meals, and going out, and watch your kids fall in line. Of course, some days will be better than others, but at least you’ll have something to fall back on rather than running around like a chicken with its head cut off.

The second step to a good homeschooling experience is to get organized. Unless you want your household to be in constant chaos, you should adopt the following mantra: a place for everything and everything in its place. While most parents set aside bins and shelving for toys and books, you’ll need a specific setup for all the necessities of running a classroom. If you have an office that can double for teaching, you’ll certainly be able to set up storage and workstations for each child. But if you don’t have the extra space, you may be forced to hold lectures in the kitchen or living room, in which case you’ll probably need to integrate some furniture that can be easily hidden. To that end, consider a shelving unit with doors (like a TV cabinet). Use shelves for books, drawers for instruments (pencils, loose paper, arts and crafts items, etc.), and think about ways you can use the TV space to your advantage, such as by installing a dry-erase board (or even a monitor that can double as a hookup for your computer and a television). You can also have open shelving and simply install bins for each child to keep their schoolwork separated (as well as some for your teaching tools). As for desks, you can find folding ones that will easily fit into a closet at the end of the day.

While it’s certainly easy to get overwhelmed, a little organization and a solid schedule can take a lot of the crazy out of your day. If you’re having trouble getting started, there are all kinds of resources online to help you plan a schedule or find the tools you need to get everything in order. Running a tight ship is no easy feat, but parents all over the world do it every day, and with a little research and planning, your homeschooling experience will be smooth sailing.

Sarah Martins writes for Medical Billing and Coding Online where you can find more information about a career in medical billing and coding.

Home Office Ideas for Work at Home Moms

Rocket Product Creation; A Review

Audrey — Sat, 01 May 2010 23:36:35 +0000

I must admit, I’m a fan of Kevin Riley. I like his big smile, and he always looks happy on his videos. Not only that, but his products are good.

Rocket Product Creation was released just prior to Christmas, with the announcement that it would help you earn Christmas cash by creating an info product and selling it online, all within 3 days. It’s now being promoted as a general “how to write a report and sell it” ebook. Sounds too good to be true? Well, I tried it, and here’s my opinion.

Kevin’s report is over 100 pages long, so grab a coffee before you start to read it through. It not only tells you everything you need to know about how to create your report, but also gives you a report template to make layout easier, and a copy of the $7 script. Never heard of the $7 script? It’s pretty powerful. It allows you to set up automatic download of your report after your buyer has paid with Paypal. It also allows you to easily recruit affiliates – people who will promote your report because they can make a commission any sales they generate. Imagine 1000 people you don’t know promoting your report, and you share the income 50/50 – that’s income you wouldn’t have if you’d restricted yourself to making sales on your own.

There are screenshots throughout the ebook on how to set up the $7 script, and Kevin even gives you ideas on how and where to sell your report, and find affiliates.

This ebook does tell you everything you need to know to start selling your report online, but the proof is in the pudding, as they say. Did it work for me? Yes, and no. I did write a report, which I was very happy with. I’m not at all technical, and in spite of the excellent screenshots that are in Kevin’s ebook, I did need help with the script setup, so had to add a few dollars for tech help to my outlays. Overall it took me more like 5 days, slotting it in around making sure the children did their maths, and arranging activities for our homeschool group. I also still have writing clients to keep happy. Yes, I did make sales, so this method definitely works.

This report is currently selling for $24.95, which, for the ebook, report template and sales script, is very good value. All you need to get up and running is a domain and some web hosting. If you want to dip your toe into the world of online publishing, or if you’re already working online in some other capacity and want to try creating and selling your own info product, this report will get you started. Click on the image in this post to find out more about this product. Highly recommended.

Homeschool Moms Can Earn Extra Income

Audrey — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 21:59:57 +0000

This post is a guest post by Laurie Neumann, a home business coach from the Christian Home Business Connection.

Many homeschool moms look for ways to earn some extra income and ease the financial burdens of their family. But homeschool moms are also very busy people. They are not only homeschooling their children, but running them to different activities plus keeping up the house, the shopping, and a host of other things. To even think of them adding a job to their schedule is unimaginable for most women.

Well, there is another way! A home based business can prove to be a such a blessing to the homeschool mom as well as her family. It allows her to contribute to the family finances and eases some of the stress from her husband. What woman doesn’t want to do that?

But there are other benefits as well. Running a home business can be a wonderful example and teaching tool for your kids. They not only see Mom working at her own business, but many times, they can be included in performing routine tasks. This not only teaches them about working at a young age but it can also be a real help to Mom in running her business.

If Mom chooses carefully, the business can also add a dimension of purpose to her life. I know homeschool moms feel homeschooling and taking care of the family needs is their purpose and that should be their first priority. But choosing a home business that uses your gifts and talents can be another outlet to bring fulfillment to your life. You have something to call your “own.”

Determine how much time you have to devote to a home based business. If you have a consistent number of hours per day or week, that can be enough to get you started. Choose wisely so that the business can be a benefit to you and your family.

Sound good but not sure where to start? Laurie Neumann offers coaching to help you choose a legitimate home based business and get it up and running. You can see the details at http://www.christianhomebusinessconnection.com/small-business-consulting.html

Putting My Children To Work

Audrey — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:23:07 +0000

The idea for this post came from my own two children, who desperately want a Nintendo DS lite. Much to their disgust, I tend not to buy them anything they want. I told them they needed to earn their own money so they can buy it themselves.

My children’s pocket money still has to come out of the family budget, so I’d still be indirectly paying for their gadgets. I suggested to them that they earn the money by writing. Sneaky, aren’t I? I know most homeschooling mums will say that their children don’t like writing, and mine are no different. However, with the thought of a sparkling new DS in front of them, they approached it with gusto, particularly my 9 year old. So, what did they write?

It’s not appropriate for 9 year olds to write custom content for people, in most cases they just don’t have the skill set to do a good enough job. We decided to create packages of plr – private label rights articles that can be sold for a lot less money, but sold many times over. I chose a topic that they were passionate about – dogs. We brainstormed some possible titles, made notes on each topic, then they wrote a rough article. I edited it for grammar and spelling with their help, then rewrote little parts to make it read better. They wrote about 7 articles, and I added a few to make it an even dozen, and they were good articles. To add value to the package, we included a lovely wordpress theme created by the very talented Michelle Adams , a list of dog keywords that are often searched for online, and a list of dog product affiliate programs that people could promote and make a commission on sales. We priced the package very low – $4.95 for the lot, and put it up for sale in a few internet marketing forums I read.

I’d love to say it was a financial success. They sold maybe half a dozen packages. We did put the money towards their DS, but they don’t yet have enough to buy it.

However, let’s look at what they did achieve. They have learned how to research, they’ve practiced their language skills, they’ve watched how to zip files and upload them to a server, and they’ve seen me write sales copy. Most importantly, they’ve learned that they can generate a bit of income without having to rely on a job or pocket money. That’s the most useful lesson of all, I think. So, I’m calling this a successful outcome.

I have another project in mind for them to try, and it will also earn a little cash for them, and improve their skill set.

There’s no reason why our children can’t develop an entrepreneurial mindset. I’d love to hear your ideas for helping your children earn their own money.

A Milestone

Audrey — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 23:30:39 +0000

As you’d be well aware, a good chunk of my online income comes from writing web content.

I was sitting back with my cuppa this morning, perusing my paypal account, and I discovered that, although the month is only three quarters through, my income from writing has, for the first time since I started taking it seriously, exceeded double my usual monthly income from my part time “out of the home” job.

Keep in mind that this is writing part time, while I’m looking after my two children and taking them to homeschooling excursions. So, it’s very much a viable option for mums who want to earn from home while they’re caring for a family. I will admit, though, that the housework isn’t always up to date, and I’m often working late at night. I’d rather put up with that than have to find work outside the home.

I was having a discussion with a friend last night about people’ s expectations from money making ventures. What are you most likely to respond to – earn $1000 a week with no work and no effort , or earn a few hundred dollars a month with a bit of hard yakka (for my overseas readers, yakka is Aussie slang for “work”)? There are some who would be tempted by idea of big dollars for no effort, but really, do you think it’s genuine? I think most people would appreciate the honesty of “put in the hours, and earn enough to make your car payment each month”. You could then ramp it up if you wanted to, and earn the car payment and pay the credit card each month.

Unfortunately, the earn lots while doing nothing hype gives people the impression that working online can be a scam. Sure, the scams are out there, but I can assure you, working online is legitimate, productive, and a great fit for people with families.

I’d love to hear your comments. Do you have the impression that online marketing is a scam? Do you think you could do it if you were shown how?

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Membership Money

Audrey — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 17:06:08 +0000

I’m in the process of setting up my first membership site. Actually, I have three ideas for membership sites – for those who know me, that would come as no surprise, LOL.

Membership sites are a great business model because with a regular subscription, you have a good idea on how much money you’ll receive each month. If you provide your members with quality information, there’s no reason for them to unsubscribe.

A membership site may not be the best business to start with, if you’re new to working online. But, it won’t take you long to learn the skills to get started.

So, what skills do you need?

Firstly, you need a topic. What problems can you solve, what knowledge or information do you have that would help others, and that they’d be willing to pay a small monthly fee for? Don’t sell yourself short. Maybe you are very experienced in working with children with special needs, maybe you’re a teacher and can offer advice on helping your child learn, maybe you have a child with food sensitivities and have come up with a series of recipes that are safe. If you feel you have no skills or specialist knowledge, you’re wrong. You know a lot about running a household on a single income, and probably have a ton of techniques on how to save money. Think!

Once you have your topic, then how are you going to co-ordinate getting the information to your members?

There are two ways of doing this. The first is to add their names to your autoresponder and send your information by email. There are ways of integrating this with Paypal and when a person purchases, they’re automatically added to your mailing list, and start receiving your mailouts. This is the method I’m using with my first membership site. I was so excited when I tried to get it set up and it worked!

The second method is to have your information on a website, and have it password protected, so only your subscribers can access it. This can be done with WordPress, and you can set it up so that you drip feed information to your members. So, in month 1, they get access to month 1 content, in month 2 they get access to month 2 content, and so on. I’m going to have a go at this method for one of my other sites.

This sounds difficult, but it’s not. Once you’ve got the idea, the technical side can be mastered, or you can outsource to an experienced person for not a lot of money. Give it some thought. I’ll keep you updated.

The Importance Of Good Graphics For Your Website

Audrey — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 12:35:00 +0000

When you’re building your website, it’s vital that you have good content, to make it worthwhile for your visitors to stay. Articles, videos and even reviews of useful products will make sure they learn something new when they visit your site.

But, how does your website look? I guess if you’re in a serious type of niche, such as business, a sensible looking site is okay, but it could still be improved by an attractive header. If you’re in a non business niche – weight loss, dog training or any other niche – a good looking header will improve the appearance of your site, and make the visit visually pleasing.

Where do you get these nice headers? Well, if you’re not too bad with a graphics program, you can have a go at making one yourself. Create a new document that’s an appropriate size, add some colour, and then pop in a suitable image. Make sure you have the rights to use the image. Use either a photo you have taken yourself, or one you’ve legally obtained from one of the many stock photo sites on the web.

There are also software programs that will create headers for you semi-automatically. This is often quicker and easier than trying to argue with Photoshop or similar.

The third way of getting a good looking header for your blog, and my preferred method, is to get a graphics person to do it for you. This does mean spending a few dollars, but the result is worth it, I think. Have a look at my friend Roy’s work on his site Blog Header Guy. His prices are very fair indeed, and his work is awesome. Not only that, he’s a homeschooling Dad! I was lucky enough to win a header from him for one of my up and coming sites, and I can’t wait to get it on there and show you.

When you’re starting out, it’s fine to stick to either a plain header or your own creation. However, when the budget allows, splurge on a professional header – your site will really shine!

Power Ghostwriting – A Review

Audrey — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 23:56:13 +0000

I’ve mentioned a few times how I’m keeping busy with writing clients. I now have three regular clients I write for, and have also picked up forum posting work through my new writing website. I would say that writing web content has definitely given me the most income online so far. While I quite like writing, and it’s paying several hundred dollars a month, it’s not passive income, and that’s ultimately where I want to go. But, for now, I’m more than happy to write for dollars

I’m not a bad writer, but I will attribute the bulk of my recent success to Jenn Dize’s Power Ghostwriting course.

What this course will do is not only teach you how to research and write web content, but will show you how to find clients and market yourself. This last part is where I fell down. Now, as I mentioned, I have regular clients who come back to me for more, I regularly pick up work on the freelance sites, and I have a website promoting my writing.

I must admit, one of the hardest parts for me was believing that my writing was worth a decent price. Jenn’s course gave me the confidence to put myself out there as a content writer, and boy is it paying off! Jenn’s course teaches you everything you need to get started as a writer.

I know as homeschooing mums, we’re on a very limited budget, but Jenn’s course is something that has already paid for itself over and over again. I’ve contacted Jenn and asked for help at times when I was working through her videos and mindmaps, and she’s very quick to respond.

This will work for anyone, you don’t need any special skill set to write. Check out Power Ghostwriting and see how you can increase your family income without taking time from your family. Highly recommended.