Supplemental Income From Home

Review of The Money Book for Freelancers, Part-Timers, and the Self-Employed

2012-02-10T17:12:00.000-08:00

If you don't work, you don't get paid. Every self-employed person knows this. One thing so many self-employed folks forget though is that when they do get 'paid' they should be paying themselves first. No one else is looking out for their taxes, savings and retirement. Authors Joseph D'Agnese and Denise Kiernan show you how to do this right in The Money Book for Freelancers, Part-timers and the Self-Employed. They call their system feeding the monkey.

So, a lot of people actually do know some of the basics. When I was a twenty-something who thought she could go into business for herself with no savings, I obviously didn't know the basics. This is an excellent book for people who need to become a little more grounded in reality like my former self as well as for those who think they can't squeeze any money out of their earnings for savings.

The first task is to get organized and the authors first give a bare bones approach to organizing paperwork. And then they task you to take an honest look at your spending since you need to know exactly where the money is going in order to organize savings. But before they get to the basics of their savings plan, they also want you to look at your debt, both bad and good debt. Examples of bad credit are credit cards and good credit are car loans and a mortgage.

After this, they discuss what they call the holy trinity of savings which are an emergency fund, taxes and retirement and their system of putting money aside for each one. Basically, their system is that of percentages. You decide what percentage to put into each account every time you get paid from freelance work. This takes a lot of discipline but once you get rolling it becomes easier.

What about fun money? They talk about that too, but the authors rightly point out that if you have these other accounts set up and are paying off debt, then the money you want for fun or for dreams is a lot easier to save.

When I was without an emergency fund, I would put expenses like emergency auto repairs on my credit card which would keep me in debt and I never seemed to be able to save for fun things. Unfortunately, I had a bad card habit and started to put what I call my entitlement mindset purchases on cards. You know the ones. "I deserve a little treat for myself" or "It's just a small amount." As my debt mounted, my ability to save was nil and so I eventually had no credit or cash for those entitlement purchases I thought I deserved just for being human. Now, I know that saving and paying down debt is not only a reward in itself but one that pays off exponentially. While I already knew some of the techniques in The Money Book, it definitely inspired me to be more organized and look at my spending and saving habits honestly.

This isn't a book that will tell freelancers what to deduct on their taxes or how to do their business taxes. But I think it's a good resource to get you excited about saving and become much more organized for things such as emergencies and taxes rather than having a vague idea of what your financial state is like many freelancers are apt to do.

Related reading:

Overdraft Protection and the Freelancer

Overdraft Protection and the Freelancer

2012-02-01T16:30:00.000-08:00

I'm in the middle of The Money Book for Freelancers, Part-Timers, and the Self-Employed: The Only Personal Finance System for People with Not-So-Regular Jobs by Joseph D'Agnese and Denise Kiernan. It's an excellent book that I'll be doing a review of when I'm finished. In it the authors discuss opening up different bank accounts for different savings purposes, i.e. emergency fund, retirement, etc. and how to discipline yourself into saving. This is good advice, but I wanted to talk about something I consider even more basic—overdraft protection.

I wrote the article Create Your Own Overdraft Protection with self-employed people in mind. You can always apply for overdraft protection with your bank. But banks charge interest for this and paying down debt is one of the first things you should be considering if you're self-employed or want to be instead of taking on more debt through overdraft protection. Instead, create your own by saving up a set amount and keep it in the account you pay bills with and don't touch it. This will keep you from accruing overdraft fees which are upwards of $30 now. Why should you care? Maybe your credit sucks and you can't even get overdraft protection through your bank. Maybe one of your clients checks bounced which caused checks you wrote to bounce. For a small-time freelancer without other credit sources and low income, this could spell disaster.

Basically, the technique is to keep extra cash in your account, around $100 or $200 to cover a small check bouncing and one or two overdraft fees and discipline yourself not to spend it. Even if you're broke and need to save $5 a week until you get there, start now. Bank fees could stall your small business plans and preventing them is one step on the road to begin saving for the really important things.

Related reading:

Review of the Money Book

Google Adsense, Affiliate Program, Cabela's and Guns

2012-01-24T10:29:00.000-08:00

I've had a Google Adsense account for a few years and signed up for the Google Affiliate Network program just last year. Last week, I received an email from Cabela's, one of the companies I signed up for through the GAN, that stated that GAN was going to send out an email stating that they will no longer pay commission on gun-related sales and that they (Cabela's) may be looking for alternatives. At least that is how I read it. I received the email from GAN today stating that very thing, so I'm hoping that Cabela's chooses another affiliate network to associate with as they really are the only reason I would stay with GAN.

Google Adsense also has a similar policy that states sites that include Google ads with "sales of weapons or ammunition (e.g. firearms, firearm components, fighting knives, stun guns)" will have their account disabled. I don't sell guns on any blog. But I do have an emergency preparedness blog that I discuss gun use on. This is probably not prohibited by Google, but I really don't want to take the chance of having my account yanked from all of my blogs and revenue-sharing sites, so I've removed Google Adsense from my other blog.

I'm now looking for an alternative to Adsense for that one blog. So far, I've found AdBrite which states that "certain weapons" aren't allowed. If I can't find more specific info on their website, then I'll email them and ask them to explain. I don't begrudge Google their policy (well maybe just a little), but as a business, they can choose to support whatever legal activities they want. I do find it more than a little ironic that Google owns Blogger which is partnered with GoDaddy which bloggers can choose to register their domain names through. Why is this ironic? Because GoDaddy owner Bob Parsons is a hunting buddy of rocker, hunter and 2nd amendments rights advocate extraordinaire Ted Nugent. So, there is that wee bit of hypocrisy.

Anyway, I continue my search and will post a list of alternatives I find to Adsense in a later post.

LinkShare Affiliate Program

2011-12-27T17:16:00.000-08:00

Greetings all,

I know it's been over a month since I posted but that doesn't mean I haven't been busy working on my supplemental income. I've been branching out to different writing sites and getting some crafts and supplies ready to open an Etsy store, but in this post I want to share the experience I've had with the LinkShare Affiliate program so far.

I first learned about the program in the Squidoo forums and lensmasters seem to have success with this program along with some others. I'm not a marketing expert. I really just wanted to try my hand with a company that allowed me to sign up for various programs so that I could put links up on many different articles across several sites and blogs.

How does it work?

LinkShare is basically the middle man between you and the companies whose products you want to earn commission from. When you sign up for LinkShare, which is free, you then apply to be accepted into the affiliate programs for companies you're interested in. There are choices for every type of product such as jewelry, household goods, clothing, furniture, you name it.

So far I've only earned just under $200 in the last year. But that's with just putting links on existing articles and blog posts. I haven't even tried aggressive marketing and I don't write articles on the most popular topics, so I think this is a fair return for just plopping links and banners in articles.

You can have multiple channels, one for each site you write or blog for. It's easier to keep track of what's doing well this way. You can set your payment threshold as low as $1 but I have mine set higher. I'm attempting to branch out and write on different and more lucrative topics but that's something I'll have to experiment with.

One suggestion I would make is to keep a spreadsheet of what links you have put where. Sometimes companies will change the terms of their offer and you might want to leave their program or they may stop partnering with LinkShare. It's much easier to take down links if you've got a list of where you put them.

To sign up, just click on the banner below.

HubPages and eBay Earnings

2011-09-29T18:42:00.000-07:00

Good news for HubPages writers who were turned down by the eBay Partner Network (I was). From what I understand, when HubPages first launched it was a lot easier to be accepted by eBay and earn through your hubs with the program, but eBay made it increasingly difficult to be accepted.

HubPages has entered into an agreement with eBay to allow hubbers to sign up for the Partner Network through the HP Earnings Program (formerly the HP Ad Program). You have to turn on the earnings program to be eligible to apply. This is a great opportunity for extra earnings from HP. Some people do quite well with eBay on HP and I hope to make a bit myself, though I haven't focused a lot on sales hubs. I've been adding a few more lately to diversify my income sources. This program will begin to be rolled out in early October.

For more info, read the HubPages FAQ on the program and the blog post by Paul Edmondson, the founder of HP.

HubPages Ad Program Update and Subdomains

2011-08-29T08:44:00.000-07:00

In my earlier post on the HubPages Ad Program, I concluded that it didn't seem to be the right fit for me. But May was such a dismal month for me with the Google Adsense program that I decided to give the HP program another try. I'm happy with the results. I've received one payout so far and have earned enough this month to get another payout. One change that may be positively impacting my results is the new subdomain policy that HP has put in place. Now, each HubPages author has their own subdomain on the site, i.e. instead of www.hubpages.com/name-of-article, it's now pjdeneen.hubpages.com/hub/name.

I'm not completely clear on all of the reasons HP did this except that they believed it would make Google happier post Panda. A couple theories I've read are that the crap will fall to the bottom while good content will rise and that this will also give authors better ability to create a personal brand. I generally measure my success in earnings and if the subdomain change is the thing responsible for my increased earnings, then I would say it's a success. There may be other factors for the traffic and earnings increase, though in the HP forums, there do seem to be some happy campers with the new change.

One other positive change that I noticed is that my Google Adsense earnings didn't drop to practically nil like they did when I switched on the HP program before. They aren't like they were pre-Panda but they've stayed steady since I turned the HP program back on. Here's to hoping things stay steady or increase.

No Job For Mom - Telling it Like it Is

2011-07-05T06:28:00.000-07:00

No Job For Mom is a site run by freelance writer Felicia A. Williams. It's been an inspiration to me with all the info she shares about the different sites she writes for which include Suite 101, HubPages, Demand Studios, Associated Content and her own sites. She's honest about her experiences and I believe fair in her appraisals. She doesn't sugarcoat things or get vicious if she's had a bad experience. She just tells it like it is.

NJFM has been up since 2008, so you'll get a good look at the ups and downs of online writing from someone experienced. She shares info about her earnings in graph form. This has really been helpful in light of the Panda update.

Reading her posts reminds me how much I have to learn, but not in a depressing oh my God I'll never get there way, but in live and learn and keep going sort of way. One piece of advice I'm really taking to heart is how to bring more of my own personality to my blogs and other writing. I've also always been a proponent of not putting your eggs in one basket and Ms. Williams often reiterates this concept in her posts.

She also gives reviews of tools for writers to help them be more productive and earn more. Her main goal is living off residual income from writing sites. So if this is the type of writing you want to do and need some inspiration, check out No Job For Mom.

Top Herb and Vitamin Direct Sales Companies

2011-06-29T15:29:00.000-07:00

Health Supplement Self-Employment Opportunities

Do you appreciate the importance of vitamins and supplements for good health? Do you think you can convince others to buy products you believe in? If so, then direct sales of herbs and vitamins might be the business for you.

Below are 6 of the top companies that provide business opportunities by selling their products. I share any personal experience I have with the products. There are many more to choose from, but this list will give you a good starting point into this lucrative field.

As I did with my article, 5 Top Direct Sales Businesses for Women, I provide links to counter opinions about these companies so you're not just getting a one-sided view in order to help you make an informed choice.

Watkins Products

Watkins is an old and trusted name in natural personal care and food items. But did you know they have supplements as well? The company started out in the Minnesota kitchen of founder Joseph Ray Watkins in 1868. The first product was a homemade liniment. Eventually, the company grew to add more products including familiar items you might see in your local grocery store such as vanilla and black pepper. Watkins has expanded even more to include natural supplements and weight management products.

Two advantages to having a Watkins business is a low-cost start-up package and the fact that Watkins is a recognizable brand. To learn more, visit the Watkins Official Home Business Opportunity website. You can also visit this thread at scam.com for a discussion on the pros and cons of Watkins.

Shaklee

Shaklee has a popular line of green cleaning products as well as health supplements, weight loss and beauty items. They were one of the first companies to produce eco-friendly cleaning products. One of the first multivitamins was created by the company's founder, Dr. Forrest C. Shaklee.

To learn more about the Shaklee opportunity, visit the company website. To read a differing opinion of Shaklee, visit Hilary Shepherd's article Shaklee & Oprah - Has Shaklee Sold Out?

Nature's Sunshine

Nature's Sunshine has been around since 1972. They have health supplements for problems ranging from muscle pain to digestion and more. My first introduction to this company was through a naturopathic student who sold the products and used muscle testing and her knowledge to help me choose the right supplements for my concerns. I had success with them and highly recommend the products, though your mileage may vary.

To learn about the Nature's Sunshine business opportunity, visit their website. The company has had some legal troubles. You may be interested in this article about a class-action lawsuit filed against the company in 2006.

Vemma (formerly New Vision)

I had a roommate who kept getting liquid minerals drop-shipped to her. When I asked her about them, she said they were the best she'd ever tried and then I promptly forgot about it. Years later, I met her then New Vision (now Vemma) distributor and I decided to give the liquid minerals a try. I don't use them as often as my former roommate, but the Vemma liquid minerals are also the best I've ever tried as far as taste goes. I've also felt a difference in energy levels when I take them.

But minerals aren't the only thing this company sells. They also carry diet systems, vitamins and other nutritional supplements. Their business opportunity follows a pyramid model. You can learn more at the Vemma official website. MLM Watch has this article on their site regarding New Vision's history with the FTC.

Melaleuka

In the early 1990s when I first became interested in alternative health, the only thing I knew about the Melaleuka company was that it sold tea tree oil, which is an essential oil from the Melaleuca alternifolia tree and native to Australia. It's often used in skin treatments and cleaning products and is a focus of many of the company's products.

Their environmentally friendly cleaning products are popular in this age of green awareness. But they also sell vitamins, supplements, and body care to round out their product line and of course, tea tree oil.

Visit the Melaleuka website to see their complete line of products and learn about the business opportunity. To read positive and negative reviews, visit the Melaleuka page at Pissed Consumer.

Herbalife

Herbalife is best known for its weight loss products but the company also carries other nutritional supplements including vitamins and minerals. It was founded by Mark Hughes in 1980 and grew strong under his leadership. It's still a leader in the MLM industry, claims to have a generous compensation plan and is involved in charitable efforts.

To learn more about Herbalife products and the business opportunity, visit their official website. For opinions on Herbalife's supposed negative aspects, visit the Herbalife Report.

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Note: I am not a member of any of these programs and none of the links are referral links. This article had been up at HubPages for a while. Unfortunately, after the Panda update, HP has been cleaning house of articles they feel are being penalized by Google. I've complied when I have agreed. But I don't agree with their decision that MLM articles are always a bad thing, so I'm republishing this article here, especially since I point readers to negative reviews of the companies to help them make an informed decision.
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HubPages Ad Program - My Experience So Far

2011-05-11T06:15:00.000-07:00

In my post about the Google slap-down of supposed content farms, I mentioned that HubPages was rolling out their own ad program to rival Google Adsense on the site. I have two IDs on HP and gave their new ad program a shot on my primary ID for a month, but decided it wasn't worth the cut in Adsense revenue I was taking. I had originally intended on trying it for 6 months, but the earnings were terrible.

The first week or so after the slap-down my Adsense revenue didn't take a hit too badly, but after that the traffic and earnings tanked. I thought HP would make up a bit for that but not so. I've since learned through the HP forums that some writers do well with the HP program while others still do better with Adsense. After turning Adsense back on, my earnings are back to what they were before Google made the changes, though this will take some time to properly gauge. I simply need to go where the cash seems to be, though I may try the HP program again in the future.

Web writing is a hobby and not a living and I haven't been big on heavy-handed SEO and keyword tactics, though I do some keyword research for some articles. I just don't have a reason as to why Google performs better for some of the HP writers than its own ad program. I can't advise people one way or the other as I'm not an expert. The only thing I would say is to try it out for a month or two and see what happens for you. I still have the HP ad program active on my secondary account since I only have a few articles there that are travel oriented and don't make as much cash as my primary account, so I won't take as much of a hit from loss of Adsense income.

If you're a HubPage writer or want to be, it's best to go to the HP Learning Center page about the ad program to learn more.

Blog Name Change

2011-03-23T14:39:00.000-07:00

I've changed the name of this blog from Work for Yourself to Supplemental Income From Home. While I've always been honest that my goal was supplemental income and not full-time income, I chose the first name because I was completely self-employed, mainly as a medical transcriptionist independent contractor. But I recently accepted an employee position with another medical transcription company. It's still a work-at-home job, but since it's as an employee, it seemed disingenuous to keep the old blog name.

I still write online for supplemental income and have over 15 years experience at self-employment, so this blog isn't going away anytime soon. I'll still be posting on my writing progress and tips for people who want to make cash through a side business as well as some of my favorite sites from inspiring web writers and entrepreneurs, so I hope you'll stick around.

Rethinking Backlinking and Tips for Web Writers

2011-03-18T11:55:00.000-07:00

I've experimented with backlinking this past year with sites including SheToldMe, Xomba, Snipsly, Lensroll and SquidUtils with varying success. Some allow you to add your Google Adsense ID to their site with the hopes of earning. From what I understand, with the new Google algorithm, the value of these types of sites is questionable. Xomba has changed it's policy towards backlinking in favor of article writing to try to counter any penalties from Google. I haven't earned but a few dollars from SheToldMe, Xomba, and Snipsly and I don't think I've gotten a great deal of traffic to my articles from those sites, so I won't be using them for backlinking any more. Xomba also proved to be a great disappointment as far as article writing for me when members of the staff left rude comments on an article I posted about prepping. Lensroll and SquidUtils are specifically for Squidoo lenses and I will continue to use them.

In the Squidoo and HubPages forums, the common theme is that content is still king. There are still people who think backlinking is valuable, some even pay for services to do it for them. But I started writing for the web with the belief that evergreen content is the best long-term investment of time. It may not get the bursts of traffic that news-oriented articles get, but I still believe that steady traffic and content that attracts quality outside backlinks will bring long-term income results. I write very part time and my goal is supplemental income. I haven't yet reached my monthly income goal, but it's slowly, steadily growing. Except for less Amazon sales this month, I haven't experienced the Google slap some others have who've focused on trying to game the Google system.

If you're new to web writing, you might be overwhelmed by SEO and keyword speak. But begin by writing about what you care about and are interested in. As far as keywords, think about what words and phrases you would search for in a Google search and use those sparsely in your articles. Check their popularity in the Google Keyword Tool. It's even better if there is low competition for the keywords you've chosen. Google has a history of changing the terms of the game, but quality content often comes out on top. Organic backlinks help but I wouldn't focus too much on them in the beginning. Start with the writing basics and evergreen content. Interlink between article sites if their terms of service allow it. For instance I do this between Squidoo and HubPages. Social networking helps as well as blogs but again, begin with content. You may come across marketers who tell you all kinds of ways to create backlinks including spamming forums and commenting on blogs. Some bloggers may not mind if you link to your site from your signature but frown on people leaving links to other sites when they comment. I personally delete any spammy comments but usually allow signature links.

So to sum up my philosophy, create good content, backlink sparingly, use keywords as naturally as possible, interlink articles when you can, writing according to the TOS of each site and above all be patient. Revenue share web writing is not a get rich quick scheme but will pay off, maybe not as highly and as quickly as some internet marketers will tell you (or more likely charge you for their supposed "secrets"), but slowly and steadily.

Google Algorithm Effects

2011-03-02T05:26:00.000-08:00

I'm glad to say that I haven't noticed a big change in revenue or traffic with the new Google algorithm changes that have the internet universe atwitter. I did notice a slight dip in traffic for a couple days following the change but it's trending back up and revenue is steady. There are some sites that I've written for that have been hit hard including Suite 101 and Demand Studios. Luckily, I don't have that many articles at Suite and had pretty much given up on them anyway and I've only ever done up-front pay articles for DS. Squidoo seems okay but some folks at HubPages took quite a bit of a hit from what I understand by reading the forums.

The word is that Google is cracking down on the "content farm" model of site, but according to the article linked above, Google isn't saying that straight out. I think only time will tell. In the meantime, I'm going to keep on doing what I'm doing. In response to the changes, HubPages is changing its payment structure to give writers a bigger piece of the pie. This change is in the beta stage now and will be rolled out by June of this year.

Work-At-Home Options for Disabled Workers

2011-02-28T14:42:00.000-08:00

Working at home has definite benefits for those of us in the best of health, but it can be a matter of paying the bills or not for disabled workers.

In my travels in internet work-at-home forums, I've come across all types of opportunities for home workers. Many, as you can guess, are most likely scams while others may take more effort than you're willing to put forth. My field of medical transcription is something able-bodied and disabled workers can do, but it does require knowledge of medical terminology. Employers will most likely require specialized education.

One company I've come across that caters to disabled workers is National Telecommuting Institute, Inc. (NTI). They hire at-home disabled workers including disabled veterans for technical support, quality assurance, general and medical transcription, sales, data entry and more.

Most applicants will need to provide NTI written documentation of a disability to work for them; however, some exceptions are made such as in the case of non-disabled bilingual applicants. Visit the company website to learn more and apply.

NTI isn't the only company that hires disabled workers. So, if you apply and they don't have work for you, don't give up your search. Visit my article about my two favorite work-at-home forums that will help you wade through the legitimate offers and scams.

New Emergency Preparedness Blog

2011-02-24T06:02:00.000-08:00

I've recently started a new blog about two things I'm passionate about, emergency preparedness and frugal living. I've been considering blogging on this topic but put it off for various reasons. Due to a recent unfortunate incident at Xomba, I believe it's more important than ever to speak out on prepping.

Here's the link: The Silent Prepper and Frugal Living Blog

How to Set Up Adsense on HubPages - via HubPages Learning Center

2011-02-09T07:54:00.000-08:00

Every once in a while I peek into the HubPages forums and am still amazed that people go there for answers first rather than the HubPages Learning Center. One common question is how to add Google Adsense to your HubPages account so you can start earning revenue. HubPages has done an excellent job of explaining how to do it on this page in the learning center which includes instructions for people who already have an Adsense ID and tips for those who need to sign up for one.

While you're at it, consider browsing around the front page of the learning center as you're bound to find the answer to your question. By no means am I discouraging you from posting in the forums, but remember that even though some seasoned hubbers may be kind enough to answer, many of the people who post are brand new and give contradictory information that they read or heard somewhere else. It's best to get info from the horse's mouth so to speak.

Update on January and Thoughts on Diversification

2011-02-09T06:56:00.000-08:00

In my New Year's post, I mentioned my goals for web content writing this year and this is my update on how those are working out for me. My initial goal was to get 15 pieces up and I did that at Squidoo plus added a lighthouse blog post and one HubPages article.

Thankfully, I have nothing but positive things to report for my January results. I've refocused my energies at Squidoo to add more sales oriented lenses and this has paid off with more Amazon orders. I think branching out to different topics is helping and I plan on continuing to do this at Squidoo and HP. I signed up with the LinkShare affiliate program and while I don't have orders yet, my page impressions and clicks are continually growing. Affiliate marketing besides Amazon is new to me and I'm still learning the ropes.

Google Adsense (which I earn through HubPages and blogs) had me worried at the beginning of last month, though I know that January tends to be slow. However, it picked up the last week of January and is going strong again now. It's not as high as I'd like, but I've picked up my publishing efforts at HP as well as doing more keyword research. One of my latest is already on the first page of my Google Analytics.

I'm still working on getting the backlinking schedule down, though I have at least doubled my efforts compared to last year. I've started doing more with Snipsly which I only barely touched on last year and hope to see results in a few months.

I think the key to my increased earnings is stepping out of old comfort zones. I started at Squidoo mainly to write about medical transcription and republish my articles from BellaOnline. Those earn a bit but not enough. I've also started to use some of the same tactics at HubPages, that is diversification and add more sales hubs, which has increased my Adsense and Amazon earnings. All in all January was a good month for earnings increase and a great month for learning.

If you want to see what I did in January, here is a list at Squidoo.

Top 5 Web Writing Goals for 2011

2011-01-08T10:59:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again, and like most people I have resolutions with regards to most areas of my life, but this post focuses on what I want to accomplish this year with my web writing. In my last post, I mentioned that I will be doing monthly resolutions, but I have decided to put together a Squidoo lens with my top 5 goals for the entire year. I think these are pretty reasonable and allow some flexibility depending on how much time I have for writing and for the other goals I want to accomplish on the top 5 list linked below.

But just so you don't think I've broken my first resolution already, my January 2011 writing goal is 15 new articles for the month. I'm progressing pretty good with 5 new lenses since January 1st. Here are the newest including the goals article:

My second January goal is that by the end of the month I plan on having a good backlinking routine down. You can read more about this on the goals list at the #4 position. Feel free to leave a comment here or on the Squidoo lens about your writing goals for 2011.

Writing Update and Newest at HubPages

2011-01-04T08:37:00.000-08:00

Like most people, I've got some resolutions for the new year, but this isn't that post, though I will be updating soon with my January resolutions. Notice I didn't say 2011 resolutions, as my main resolution is to set realistic monthly, not yearly, writing goals.

Anyhow, I've been slightly more active on HubPages and Squidoo lately. Here are the latest articles on HP. Squidoo to follow in my next post.

Emergency Water Storage Supplies for Home and Travel Preparedness

Supplies for Growing Your Own Seed and Bean Sprouts

Supplies for Growing and Juicing Your Own Wheatgrass

These are all sales oriented which is something I'm rethinking in regards to writing at both sites. I hope you all have the 2011 you wish for and remain healthy and happy.

Article Published in Natural Awakenings

2010-12-09T07:59:00.000-08:00

Hello folks. It's been a busy season but I wanted to check in and let you know about the article I mentioned in a previous post. I was approached by an editor at Natural Awakenings Magazine which is an alternative and natural health publication. As someone who worked in health food retail in the mid 90s, I was very familiar with this type of magazine. It's full of helpful articles that health food stores and other businesses usually give to their customers to promote wellness and as an advertising tool for local businesses. Many of them now are also published online.

This editor wanted to republish one of my articles from Suite 101 on crystal healing for the winter 2010 issue. My article is appearing in magazines across the nation. As you can imagine, I'm quite excited not only to have my work out there this way but also that I had such a positive experience with this company.

The article is called Healing Crystals: How Natural Stones Can Support Wellness. You can see it online in many places, but I found one of the easiest is the Phoenix area edition linked here. It's also in one of the editions for my home state in the Metro Detroit area (Wayne County) linked here. For this edition, you need to click on the cover and you'll find the article on pages 22-23.

Natural Awakenings made my article look beautiful and the editor was great to work with. If you want to learn more about them, visit the link above for more info. This has inspired me to consider sending out my work to online and print magazines in the new year.

Suite 101 Update

2010-11-11T05:38:00.000-08:00

Earlier this year, I left Suite 101 for reason the reasons I posted here. But I always like to keep up with the places I used to write for and see what changes they've made if any for better or worse. Recently, I stumbled across the blog of freelance writer Felicia A. Williams where she has a few entries about Suite's changes and her earnings experiences.

In her post Suite Just Got Sweeter , she relates two positive changes Suite has made which are allowing 2nd person writing and doing away with quotas. These are huge changes in my book and make Suite more attractive for writers. I'm almost tempted to reapply even though I wish they would take a look at the issues I suggested in my post linked above.

Almost but not yet. Ms. Williams also has more recent posts here and here detailing her earnings drop and how she's reevaluating writing for Suite. She hasn't given up hope and I admire that. But if someone in her usually good ad-income generating field of insurance is reevaluating the earning potential of Suite combined with what I mentioned in my previous post, then I'll keep my wait and see attitude regarding the site.

How to Write a Freelance Writer's Invoice

2010-10-06T07:16:00.000-07:00

I've recently had occasion to write my first freelance writer's invoice. This was my first instance of being paid through something other than Google, revenue share, or from affiliates (I'll share details in a later post). Even though I create weekly invoices for my day job, for some reason I was nervous coming up with a writer's invoice. I got over that nervousness as it was pretty easy.

Below is a good video by Laura Minnigerode on what you should consider putting on the invoice. The main difference in my invoice and what's discussed in the video is the client gave me a project ID to include.

Massage Therapy Business Link Roundup

2010-09-24T09:23:00.000-07:00

I'm continuing my efforts at organizing the sections of this blog. I've been remiss in my web writing about sharing much of my self-employment experience with massage therapy which I practiced for 10 years. I plan on remedying that, but in the meantime, here are the articles I've written so far on the subject.

If you're interested in a career in massage, you'll want to check out Massage Therapy Organizations Based in the USA. This is a good starting point to find a school near you as well as information on certification.

Once you're ready to set up your practice you'll need to keep good records. Massage Therapy Documentation and Software for a Successful Practice will help with the basics.

While this next article is geared towards employers, How Seated Workplace Massage Saves the Boss Money and Keeps Employees Happy will give you some selling points to give to potential corporate clients. One of my first gigs was doing seated massage on blue-collar workers at Detroit auto factories and later lab techs (mainly) at the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor.

If you've already got you're massage therapy business up and running but want some ideas on how to expand, here is How to Make Massage Therapy Clients Feel Like They're Getting Special Spa Treatment. I give you tips on treatments that you can add to your practice that your clients will love.

In How to Blend Your Own Massage Oils, I share the basic recipe I used in my own practice. I did buy commercial blends, but this was an old standby that never let me down.

I have more articles planned on this subject drawn from different experiences including independent contract work for salons, a chiropractor and corporate settings as well as practicing out of my own office in a more rural setting (seriously, there was a horse vet and a carpenter with offices in the same building). I look forward to helping aspiring MTs with my own experience, both the good and the bad.

Web Content Site Reviews Roundup

2010-08-25T17:09:00.000-07:00

I'm working on getting this blog a little more organized including category sections to point people to related posts. Here are the reviews I've done so far of the different sites I've written for. Keep in mind that some of the features of these sites may have changed since I wrote for them.

The Benefits of Writing for BellaOnline - The Voice of Women

Demand Studios - Opportunities for Freelance Writers, Copy Editors and Titlers

My Not So Pleasant Experience with Examiner.com

What is HubPages? - The Good

What is HubPages? - The Bad and the Ugly

Medical and General Transcription Link Roundup

2010-08-25T11:02:00.000-07:00

The job that pays my bills is medical transcription (MT). I do this as an independent contractor (IC). While some companies hire MTs as employees, you'll find that IC work is very common in this field. In this post, I share links to my articles about medical transcription as well as some info about general transcription for those who don't want to do specialized work.

All of the articles are based on my own experience but most of them will apply generally to those who want info on the best schools and where to look for jobs. If you aren't sure if this job is right for you yet, first read A Career in Medical Transcription - What You Need to Know Before You Decide.

Medical Transcription Education

I went sort of a round-about way to earning my certificate in medical transcription. In these articles, I explain why I did this and why I finally chose the Everett Community College online MT program.

Referral plug disclosure: Since this blog is about working for yourself and making some extra cash, I do post affiliate links here. The school I graduated from used the Career Step curriculum. I encourage you to do your research as to the best school for you, but if you are interested in Career Step and use my referral ID when you sign up, then I make a commission. Here is my referral link for more info.

MT Job Search

Once you've earned your certificate or degree, you'll want to know where to find MT jobs (you should actually be getting leads about this even before you start school). This article explains some of the top places to begin your job search.

Working as an IC

In Medical Transcription Independent Contractors, I explain the pros and cons of working as an IC in this field. In addition, this article explains generally how at-home MTs get paid, though this varies by company.

The Impact of Voice Recognition

Are you already an MT worried that voice recognition software will eliminate your job? Learn how VR is changing the role of the MT from my article Will Voice Recognition Put Medical Transcriptionists Out of Work? and how it's not going to get rid of us yet.

General Transcription

General transcription usually includes non-specialized work such as letters, transcribing meetings, phone interviews, etc. Here is my lens at Squidoo describing this in more detail and where to look for work.

These will help get you started if you're completely new to transcription. Good luck!

Amazon Announces Marketplace Shipping Program

2010-07-30T18:08:00.000-07:00

Are you an Amazon Marketplace seller or interested in becoming one? I received an email from Amazon recently announcing a the launch of the Amazon Marketplace Shipping Service. They state:

"Using this new service you can purchase USPS postage directly through your Manage Orders pages. To start the process of buying postage for an order, click the Buy Postage button under the order's Product Details section. For more information, visit the Manage Your Orders page."

They sweeten it with delivery confirmation:

"One advantage of the Marketplace Shipping Service is that Sellers will be able to purchase USPS delivery confirmation for First Class and Media Mail for .19¢ and receive free delivery confirmation for Priority Mail."

I haven't used it yet, but it could prove to be quite convenient, especially if you're a small seller who doesn't live close to a post office. According to Amazon's website, there is a fee of 7 cents per postage purchase. You can read more about it on the seller's area at Amazon.

When I was selling on eBay, it was convenient to be able to print postage from PayPal. I live close enough to a post office that I probably won't use this if I start selling on Amazon on a regular basis, but this will come in handy for a lot of sellers.