Our winner was Samantha from Aussie Infants. The judges felt that her entry best reflected the theme, and showed a terrific glimpse into her life as a work at home mum. Her image’s quality was good and with 576 points, she clearly worked hard to get support from her fan base.

Congratulations Samantha! We’ll be in touch soon to let you know how to claim your prizes.

The top five entries were:

• Samantha from Aussie Infants
• Mel from the Baby Emporium
• Jenna-rae from Lexi and Lily
• Danita Jo from Rose and Birch Bridal Boutique, and
• Alison from Photoshow on DVD

I hope everyone had a lovely Mother’s Day yesterday!  Make sure you’re on the lookout for our International Top WAHP Awards to be held in August/September this year!

It’s not much of a contest really. In just about every single measure, the government plan is fundamentally better than the opposition plan.

There are four major issues with the coalition’s NBN plan.

Firstly, they buy Telstra’s copper network (and this funding is very vague in the opposition plan).

Telstra can’t believe their luck that anyone is stupid enough to buy their ageing rotting copper that has been in the ground for up to 80 years, and has NOT been proactively maintained for the last ten years or so on the basis it’s likely to be replaced. This is a ticking time bomb in maintenance costs which the coalition NBN would have to absorb.  The last figures I found showed that proper maintenance of the copper would entail upwards of $1b per year (and rising). This is an ongoing cost which the government NBN just does not have. Maintenance of the Fibre Optic Cable is considerably cheaper due to its higher robustness (and age).

Secondly, the coalition relies on building nodes throughout the suburbs.

These are fridge size cabinets on every street corner which require separate electricity supply, and are likely to be visually unappealing for many (see http://www.smh.com.au/it-pro/government-it/nbn-street-cabinets-hideous-20130411-2hoka.html). The government plan will also require nodes as switching stations; however, these nodes will be small briefcase sized pillars which do not require any power supply or back up battery. In short, the installation and running costs of the coalition nodes are magnitudes higher than the government plan.

The requirement for power to the coalition nodes also decreases the reliability of the network in the case of major catastrophe. In the aforementioned Brisbane floods, it is likely that the Government NBN would have continued to function for the most part, while the coalition NBN would have almost certainly gone down in flooded areas (and require considerable effort to bring back up).

Thirdly, the coalition NBN is not easily upgradable beyond what is finally delivered.

Copper has reached its technological limit (and is fast degrading in the ground) and you cannot get any further speed down it. Fibre, on the other hand, has the potential to move data at almost the speed of light. Labour’s NBN plan is limited by the equipment at the exchange which can be upgraded beyond 1gb fairly easily, once the technology becomes available. The Coalition’s is limited by copper, which would need to be ripped out and replaced by, you guessed it, Fibre.

Tony Abbott has stated that 25MB is more than sufficient for home use today, and on the whole he is correct. However, there are already applications (high definition on demand video for instance) which would require in the order of 25mb speed. Fast forward 10, 20, or 50 years, and we will be requiring speed well beyond what we currently envisage as required. It’s also worth pointing out that some lucky people on cable or on ADSL2+, who live close to an exchange, can achieve close to 25mb now. For them this plan is a status quo – not a leap forward.

Lastly – the cost. 

You might say that this is where the coalition plan has the Government’s beat, and of course, on paper it can look that way.  But let’s look at the return on  investment. $40b from the Government to install 100mb (upgradeable) to 93% of houses, as opposed to $25b to install 25Mb to those same houses. Simply put, we could say we are getting 2.5mb (upgradeable) per $1b from the government, but only 1mb (none upgradeable) per $1b from the coalition. That makes no economic sense to me, and that’s without taking into account the considerable increased maintenance and running costs for the coalition NBN as discussed above.

Given this is ALL from borrowings anyway (both the government and coalition plan), and we can afford to borrow the money due to the business plan of the approximate seven percent return forecast for the Government’s model (and probably similar for the Coalition), we may as well borrow the money to do it right in the first place, and not shackle future generations with the upgrade costs.

I might point out that the upgrade from FTTN to FTTH/P is not just a case of an extra $15b either. Several billion will have been spent on purchasing and installing the nodes, as well as labour to connect the copper to the nodes – all of that is wasted money if you are just going to upgrade to a FTTH/P plan later anyway!

As an aside you might also want to look at what New Zealand has done/is doing. They started to roll out a Coalition like fibre to the node several years back, and have now realised their mistake. They are now actively engaged in a Fibre to the home rollout fairly identical in scope to what the Government NBN is doing!

As a final point I would like to hone in on something I said earlier. The government is funding this as an asset with an expected rate of return. NBN Co is the new generation’s Telstra. It will fully own the network, however, unlike Telstra, it will not be allowed to sell access to the general public. Instead it will act as a wholesaler to existing ISPs to allow users to pick the plans and company which suits them. There will be a considerable income stream form this, and it’s expected (under Labour’s plan) that the debt held by NBN Co will be paid off and become a positive over approximately 30 years. The only access to government money, as such, is NBN Co using the Government’s AAA rating to get cheaper credit. Presumably the above points would also apply to the coalition NBN.  Therefore we need to look at this as building an asset for future generations (much as we did when we built Telecom Australia, and OTC which merged to become Telstra), and not just as a money trap for today.

Conclusion

In this article I have shared some of the basic differences between the two networks and their various limitations, but it is by no means comprehensive. The Opposition plan in particular calls for all sorts of different technologies to be used in different circumstances, but this would just make for noise in a discussion about the basic differences. Home based businesses are dependent on fast and reliable internet connections, and this requirement is only going to grow in the future. In our case, Support A WAHP is run at home but I rarely work at home from my office job because sharing the internet connection with the home business, the kids, and my work requirements means that things slow down to a crawl.

Faster internet connections have moved beyond the 1990’s and 2000’s thinking of being a luxury to now being an absolute necessity. It is a shame that partisan politics have come to dominate the broadband debate (the Opposition could just as easily have accepted the Government’s plan rather than come up with their own inferior version), however that is the world we live in. Come September 14 we will know which vision of Australia’s future is likely to come true.

This is the first in a two-part blog-post series about the impact of Australian government policy on home based businesses that rely heavily on broadband connectivity. 

We have all been bombarded with media reports in recent days about the Government’s NBN and the Oppositions plan for an alternative NBN. Both are offering to increase the download speed of the average house, and both are promising to spend a LOT of money doing it, but what actually do all the acronym’s and tech speak mean? In short, whose plan is better technically, and whose plan is the best value for money?

Getting Internet Today for your Home Based Business

In this first post, let’s start with the internet connection you are using now, and why it needs to be replaced. As a general rule you are probably reading this blog via an internet connection at home, hooked up in one of three ways – either wireless through Telstra, Optus or Vodafone or another reseller; Cable via Optus or Telstra; or lastly (and most numerously) via ADSL1 or ADSL2 down the telephone cable.

Let’s look at wireless first. 

One of the major criticisms opponents of the NBN have is that it’s based on a physical connection to get the internet.

“This is a crock” they say – “everything is wireless now and it’s all going to get better – typical government wasting our money building networks which are out of date before they are finished”.

It’s a persuasive argument to those who either are not tech heads (as Tony Abbott once described himself on the 7:30 report), or those who only have a limited understanding of how wireless works. The fact is, wireless is not a viable long term technology for broad adoption of a national network, and the reasons are twofold.

Firstly, when people think wireless, most of the time they say WiFi which is the technology used to connect your iPad to your router at home, or to pick up that signal while enjoying a coffee at McDonalds watching the kids play in the adventure park. However, WiFi is just a mechanism for moving an already existing internet signal to your iPad or computer or phone or whatever. It’s a local wireless solution, and the internet signal you are picking up and broadcasting to is connected to a physical line such as ADSL or fibre. WiFi is great in the home or the office, but it’s not the way that the internet gets to you – it’s just the way it goes the last 10 metres or so.

The other wireless technology is 3G (or 4G now in some areas), and this indeed is a broad based competitor to a wired network. It’s broadcast from telecom towers (where the signal is connected to a fibre backbone), and is picked up by phones, tablets, and a range of other internet connected dongles. People usually look to this and say why do we need an NBN when we have this.

There are a couple of reasons why wireless solutions won’t cut it for home based businesses in the longterm.

The first is contention - Have you ever noticed that the more people who connect to a tower and download via 3G, the slower the connection is? That’s contention. I remember during the 2011 Queensland floods we lost power for three days, and the only news we could get was via my 3G phone, and it was PAINFUL.  The signal was so slow and was virtually unusable. That’s because hundreds of thousands of homes had no power and were all trying to connect to 3G services to get their internet. Simply put 3G is broadcasting on a limited bandwidth, and once that bandwidth is full, it’s full – no exceptions. Critics of the NBN usually say something like “it will get better in time,” but there are physical limitations on the frequencies available to broadcast on. Simply put it is IMPOSSIBLE for 3G/4G or any of its successor technologies to handle anything close to  the bandwidth used by Australians today, let alone in the next 10, 20 or 50 years. 3G/4G is great technology for those on the move, but it’s not a viable long term individual solution for everyone.

The other main reason wireless is not suitable is the download limits and the sheer cost of the currently available plans.  In order to run a business properly you are likely going to use a fair amount of data, and thats going to leave a nasty taste in your mouth when the bill arrives.  This may get better over the years, but the technology required means it is very unlikely that wireless internet will ever be anywhere near the cost of wired internet.

Secondly, we have cable.

This is usually HFC cable which was laid by Telstra or Optus in order to deliver pay TV. Cable is a good technology and is used fairly extensively in America to deliver internet (and pay TV) to the suburbs. Australia’s cable networks however are very limited. In the 90’s, Telstra and Optus both competed to roll cable out – sometimes following each other down the same street. This was a heady time for the telecommunications industry, but the fact is, it was unsustainable.

Telstra and Optus soon stopped their rollout and moved on to satellite as a means of delivering pay TV in a more efficient manner. As a result HFC cable has an extremely limited footprint and technically was connected only to a small number of homes (comparatively) and absolutely no unit blocks at all. HFC cable is also similar to wireless in that it suffers from contention. Those lucky users who have cable and are in areas where it is not heavily used can usually get a fast and fairly reliable connection. They unfortunately are in the minority of Australian users.

Thirdly, most homes in Australia have ADSL.

ADSL is a technology used for delivering internet signals down the same copper cable as your current fixed phone line is delivered by. ADSL is a good technology for delivering data, however it suffers from a range of issues – most importantly are the so called “Technology Blockers”.

In order to receive an ADSL signal, you must have several things in your favour.

• Firstly you must be within a reasonable distance of your exchange (which also must be upgraded to broadcast ADSL which is most exchanges nowadays) – no more than 5km on average, and secondly
• you must have a copper line direct from the exchange to your place. Most older buildings suit this capability, but there are huge numbers of new developments or redevelopments in older areas where these conditions are not me.

As a cost saving measure, Telstra has deployed either sub exchanges, or roadside cabinets called RIMS (Remote Integrated Multiplexors) which interrupt the signal from the exchange to your home. RIMS, in particular, are used in new estates where Telstra runs fibre optic cable from the exchange to a RIM, and then run copper from the RIM to your place. This suits the requirement of being able to provide a telephone signal, however, as ADSL requires a copper connection to the DSL equipment in the exchange, placing a part of the connection via a RIM means ADSL will not work. Telstra does have ways around this–specifically, a technology called a Minimux, which they can put inside a RIM. However, these are limited and often you can be in an area where there are plenty of ADSL connections available in an exchange, but you still cannot get the internet because of limitations on the RIM or sub exchange.

ADSL generally doesn’t suffer from contention like wireless or cable does, but it is severely limited by distance as the copper cable degrades the signal the further it has to travel.  The further from the exchange (or RIM) you are, the weaker the signal. Once you get past a certain distance you cannot receive ADSL at all, and you are restricted to 3G/4G only.

The biggest issue with ADSL however is the limitation put on the signal by the copper cable itself..

Copper in Australia has been rolled out over the last 80 years or so, and there are areas where the copper network is 80 years old. Copper is a metal. It suffers in the ground. It oxidises. It gets wet. It decays.  In addition the longer the signal has to travel, the weaker it gets.  It may be only 1 kilometre as the crow flies to your local exchange, but the copper might be three or four times as long according to the network design.

Over the years, Telstra has spent billions on maintenance of the network. However, in the last ten years or so, Telstra has deliberately moved to a ‘just in time’ maintenance process, only fixing issues when they come up rather than proactively maintaining the network. This has been both a cost saver for now, and a future bet that the network would be decommissioned soon for a new network and is therefore no longer required. In some areas, the network is virtually unusable. At my house, I can only receive ADSL1 (as I am behind a RIM), and the internet frequently dies whenever we have heavy rain.

So what are the opposing parties’ (National Broadband Network) solutions?

Labor’s NBN Plan for the future 

NBN Co is a company founded by the Labor government to replace 93% of Australian homes’ telephone and internet connections with fibre optic cable.  This is simply a bundle of fine glass-based wires which transmit signals at up to the speed of light from the exchange to your house. Because it’s a light signal inside glass, there is minimal loss of signal when it’s transmitted over long distances, therefore there is no need for RIMS or other ways of getting the signal from point A to Point B.

This is called FTTH/P or Fibre to the Home/Premise.

Fibre Optic Cable will give internet speed of up to 1GB (compared with a max of 25mb on ADSL2+), but this is not the physical limit of the cable. The cable can potentially deliver speeds at a much faster rate (speed of light remember). However, the signal speed is limited by the capabilities of the equipment in the exchange (and in your house) to transmit and receive the signal. The Fibre optic cable also delivers your telephone signal, so there is no longer any need for the old copper cable at all. Simply – it’s an entirely new network based on 21^st century technologies rather than the late 19^th century technologies we have at the moment.

The downside, of course, is the cost. It’s not cheap. We are talking about connecting millions of homes directly to the various exchanges. The current projected cost is around the $40b mark, but let’s be honest, ANY big project like this will almost certainly suffer cost blowouts over the years. The opposition says it will cost $90b, which, frankly, appears to be a politically motivated figure they have picked out of the air, but it’s fair to say it’s likely to cost more than the $40b, the government says. My guess is, it will probably come close to the $50b mark by the time it’s completed (if it is).

That’s a lot of money, and it’s funded mainly by borrowings (both government and private). The government is using an administrative trick, which, ironically,  Peter Costello first introduced when he was treasurer. They are treating the entire build as investment in an asset which will eventually give a return. Therefore it’s “off the books” as a budget investment. The opposition’s criticisms about this being an invalid way of doing things ring a bit hollow when you know that Costello was the architect of the method. It’s also a bit hypocritical when you look at the fact that the coalition NBN plan is actually funded the same way!

Because it’s funded by borrowings, it also does not take money away from other parts of the budget – i.e. if there was no NBN project, we would not have another $40b to spend elsewhere. The effect on the budget, bottom line, is effectively $0 (but the NBN co does carry debt). Eventually the network will generate a return,  as they will (and do) sell access to the fibre optic cable to internet service providers, who onsell it to those lucky customers who have it. Getting a return,  however, will take a LONG time. MUCH longer than any private sector company would be willing to accept (probably around the 20-30 year mark).

The opposition has been uniformly critical of the NBN since its inception (Tony Abbott charged Malcolm Turnbull to “destroy the NBN” when he became shadow communications minister). However, the NBN’s popularity has been a thorn in the opposition’s side for a long time, and as a result, they have now introduced their own NBN plan, which leads us to…

The Liberal/National Coalition NBN Plan.

The opposition NBN is a very different beast to the government one. Where the government intends to bring Fibre Optic to 93% of premises, the opposition plan is much, much smaller. In fact, only newly built estates will have fibre optic. Any currently built homes (or homes being built in established suburbs) will continue to have copper wiring to their front door. Instead, the opposition plans to install around 60,000 “nodes” on the sidewalks of Australia. Nodes are refrigerator-sized cabinets containing bulky batteries and a power supply, and are designed to be the intersection between fibre optic coming from the exchange, and your house.

In this way they are similar to the RIMS currently being employed by Telstra (but a LOT more numerous). Under the coalition plan the fibre optic cable will be run from the exchanges through to the nodes, where the existing copper cable coming into your house at the moment will be connected. This is called FTTN (Fibre to the Node).

Because there is Fibre Optic cable to the node, the speed of the internet connection will be extremely fast (as fast as the government’s plan) right up to the node, and maybe for one or two houses right next to the node. The speed will quickly degrade thereafter, unfortunately, as the signal travels down copper to your house. Copper has a low resistance factor to electronic signals, but it’s still magnitudes higher than Fibre Optic. Therefore, while it may be a Gigabit speed at the node, it’s down to 25 Megabits speed by the time it reaches your house one kilometre away from the node.

The cost of all this is around $25b, approximately $15b cheaper than the government’s version. The reason for the dramatic price reduction is the massive reduction in human labour in rolling out the fibre optic to every single house. This also contributes to the completion date which is about two years quicker than the government’s plan. Given that we would expect the government plan to bust its budget over the coming years, there is probably a fair case to say the same would apply to the opposition plan, as it has similar risk factors. $25b will probably end up being more like $35b by the time it’s all done and dusted.

The drawbacks to the opposition plan are obvious–lower speed (approximately 1/4 of the government speed and potentially much less), but, on the flip side we are looking at less outlay and a faster delivery. One thing which has not been mentioned much, though, is upload speed (which is essential for video conferencing applications–something a LOT of home based consultants use for things like live streaming broadcasts and webinars). Copper is severely limited in the upload speed it can handle (while also handling downstream signals), therefore the lower speed will be considerably less than 1/4 when looking at upstream signals.

So, which broadband policy is best? I’ll answer that question in the next post.

This week Cas interviewed Alison Dias-Laverty  from PhotoShow on DVD who not only shares her passion for capturing family memories on DVD but also shares some golden tips on how to harmoniously work with your partner when you run a family-owned home based business.

Tell us a little about the person behind the business?

I am a Portuguese originally from Singapore. I speak 4 languages and love cooking. As a mother of two very active pigeon-paired kids, I enjoy their vibrant energy and their sense of humor and adventure. My passion is music and I could spend hours going through my old family photos, just reminiscing the good old days of my travelling adventures.

And now a little about the business itself?

Photoshow on DVD was created to help you celebrate life and remember your joyful memories by creating your story in a meaningful way. Using your photos and videos, mixing it to your favourite music and adding special effects, I create personalised slideshows. I don’t just display your photos to music, I help you create your story.

How did you come up with your business name?

The name Photoshow on DVD was chosen because I use photos to create shows and transfer them onto DVD. It is just a descriptive name of what we actually do.

What made you want to begin a home based business and how did you get started?

The idea to start a home business came about just after my son was born in 2006. I wanted to be with him and guide him in his young life. It took me nearly two years to research online and to see if there was a market niche to fit into. I also had to find and test various multimedia software that would help me with the slideshow creation as well as create a system that worked. The Australian Business website was the first place I looked at for information and they provided me with everything I needed to know with starting a home based business.

What inspires you to keep your business going?

My inspiration comes from my passion for music and my fascination for inspiring stories of survival. As a young kid, I loved reading stories of ordinary people who lived extraordinary lives. Now, I think it is truly amazing to see photos and videos that show the simple joys of a person’s journey through life, their love for family and their passion to help the community. This truly inspires me to help others remember simple and joyful moments in life.

How do you advertise your business and which methods have proven more successful?

A lot of our projects come from clients’ recommendations or from word or mouth. Since I first started Photoshow on DVD, I have requested permission from my clients for them to subscribe to our email updates. I have been consistently updating them with lots of tips and ideas to help them preserve their photo and video memories. This has proven to be the best way for me to build a relationship with clients, and they in turn have always recommended us to others. I also write a blog of which has brought in many clients from organic searches. I have to admit that I still have a lot to learn and I always like a good challenge.

Do you have a current best-selling product or service? If yes, tell us about it.

Our slideshow creation and our good old fashion customer/client service is our unique selling product and service. I believe not just in providing a service but to share an experience with my clients that builds a continual relationship of mutual trust and integrity. 80 percent of our clients are regulars or from word-of-mouth. All of them have expressed their joys with our slideshows and our friendly service. Some have become our good friends, and in many ways we feel fortunate to be a part of this amazing community.

How do you juggle your family and your home based business? Any tips for other work at home parents?

It is never easy juggling family and work. Photoshow on DVD will turn 5 in 2013. During these five years, I had two kids and we shifted twice. Having very active young kids under seven is never easy, and there are many challenges. I’ve had many late nights and lots of naps during the day when my kids sleep. As my business grew my husband started working with me and we took turns to help each other with work and nursing my two year old daughter.

At least once a week my husband and I go for a coffee together to just to hang out while my mum helps me babysit my daughter ,and my son is at school. It is really tiring, but I enjoy it because my work is my passion. I have a really good relationship with my husband working together. Multitasking and flexibility are skills I learned from my work in the corporate sector. I work while feeding my daughter, while reading to my son and even while my daughter sleeps in my arms. I’d have it no other way.

My tip is to never give up, especially when you are tired. There will be times when you feel that everything is way too much to handle. Just remember, you have the choice to create a new day differently, choose your attitude wisely and believe in yourself. Take a leap of faith. As time passes, you will be glad you hung on, especially during the tough times.

And finally, what advice would you give to anyone wanting to start a WAH business?

My advice would be to just go for it. Make sure you do your research. Find your purpose through your passion. Once you find your passion, you’ll never feel like it’s work. Others have gone before you and they have succeeded; so will you, if you press on. Don’t be afraid to fail because it is through failure, you find the courage you need to move forward.

Do you offer any discounts to Support a WAHP members?

I offer 15% discount to all Support a WAHP members.

Connect with Alison:

Name: Alison Dias-Laverty

Business: Photoshow on DVD

Website: http://www.photoshowondvd.com.au/portfolio/

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/photoshowondvd

Twitter: https://twitter.com/alisonlaverty

Location: Brisbane, Australia

Want to Share your Story?

If you’d like to share your Kitchen Bench Business Tale, sign up here!

Tell us a little about the person behind the business?

I have an extensive background in Accounting & Administration. I am married with two young children and a family rabbit named Bunny! Growing up, I was always the “dependable, organised” person and although I don’t think I am overly manic about it, I do love to be organised and live in a clutter free home. Life is just easier that way – who needs added stress in todays world?!

And now a little about the business itself?

Organise My Space is a new Professional Organising business. Founded in September 2012, we can help you and your family find easy organising solutions. We have a website and a social media presence which grows by the day. We offer a home decluttering & organising service either in person, within the Greater Sydney area or via Skype to anyone in the world! We also have an Online Shop on our website to provide organising products & printables to make life easier and give you a place for your precious items.

How did you come up with your business name?

I wanted a business name which was simple, easy for people to remember, and also didn’t pose any questions about what it is I offer. Organise My Space just seemed to cover it all!

What made you want to begin a WAH business and how did you get started?

During 2012, I found myself at a crossroads as a contract position I had, ended. After soul-searching for months and working through my strengths, weaknesses, and relating this to my experience, I came across the Professional Organising field. Who knew there was such a job?! I researched online, and via books and procrastinated for a bit (through fear more than anything!), then after having yet another conversation about it with my long-suffering husband, decided to get the ball rolling. I have always dreamed of my own successful business, and I have “dabbled” previously, but I’m older & wiser now, so I’m ready to “Go For It”!

What inspires you to keep your business going?

I have to say, what inspires me the most is people–Successful people who I encounter through networking and researching, my family, who are always supporting me, my daughter who is older and “gets it.” I want to inspire her to be the best she can be, so I try to lead by example, and last but not least the lovely people who support my business via social networking. I love interacting with them and knowing that, in some small way, I have helped them.

How do you advertise your business and which methods have proven more successful?

I am currently advertising on kidspot.com.au and taking part in a program on their website called “Mums Say”. I have fliers in all of the community centres in my area, plus I do a lot of networking via Facebook. I have found Facebook to be the more successful method of getting my name out there, so far. I work on new content for my website every day. I offer daily organising tips plus weekly tasks–a bit of inspiration and laughter via my website and blog. I’m currently looking into link parties (I’ve only just recently discovered this) and other ways to network virtually as I’m trying to increase my website’s daily unique visitors.

Do you have a current best-selling product or service? If yes, tell us about it.

I have put together a product called the “School Memory Organiser,” which is a series of pocket folders that house your child’s school memories – currently from Preschool – Year 6. Each year contains a one page interview sheet where you can record your child’s achievements, stats, likes/dislikes, etc + room for favourite artworks; school photos, etc.

How do you juggle your family and your WAH business? Any tips for other WAHPs?

I am lucky I have an extremely supportive husband. Overall, though, we have systems in our home and schedules that we follow. Again, we are not manic about these things. We do have flexibility, but we tend to do things at the same time each day and every member of the family knows what they need to do. My biggest tip to other WAHPs would be to be realistic about what you can achieve in a day! You are only one person and I think sometimes we expect way too much of ourselves.

And finally, what advice would you give to anyone wanting to start a WAH business?

My advice would be to:  Write down your strengths/weaknesses/work experience.  Work out if any of these can be transferred to a passion of yours?  Do your research. Building a business takes a long time – be patient!  Don’t forget your big picture – envision what your business will look like in ten years time!

Do you offer any discounts to Support a WAHP Members?

10% Discount on Products & Services

Other Comments?

I recommend Support a WAHP mainly within my Facebook networking groups. I think any business who supports Work at Home Parents is worth mentioning to everyone! We all need tips, tricks and support for success.

Connect with Samantha:

Name: Samantha Godfrey

Business: Organise My Space

Website: http://www.organisemyspace.com.au

Facebook: http://facebook.com/organisemyspace

Location: Penrith, NSW, Australia

Competitions can be a great way to boost your home based business, whether you’re entering them (and hopefully winning some!) or whether you are running them. You can use competitions to build your mailing list, boost interaction on your blog or social media pages.

If you’re keen to give competitions a try, here are some simple tools you can use for running and entering competitions and, we have an awesome competition to promote in partnership with new competitions website Competition Crazy, to get you started on winning big with competitions (more on that below)!

Running Competitions

If you want to run a competition, your blog is a great place to start, but you can also run competitions on Facebook (using a third party app such as Woobox or Shortstack), Pinterest and Instagram!

Pinterest is a great avenue for running competitions. There are less rules, and if your target market is mums, research shows that Pinterest is dominated by women 25 to 40 (up to 80%), and that they spend a lot of time on the platform. You can read more about the latest stats here.

Entering Competitions

If you are keen to enter competitions to win free stuff for your family or your business, but you feel a bit lost, a new website has just launched that you will love!

The new Competition Crazy website is set to be an incredible hub for finding the best competitions out there, but, in the future, also for promoting your  own competitions. No more worrying about your great competition disappearing in the newsfeed. Make sure you keep an eye out on Competition Crazy for when they enable this function on their site.

On the Competition Crazy website you’ll find competitions split into different categories so you can find competitions that you’ll love with ease:

Plus, they have a blog with all kinds of helpful information about running and entering competitions and how to get the most out of them.

And now for the really awesome part of this blog post.

Competition Crazy are launching their own competition where you can win a $10,000 Gold Coast Holiday package including an Apple Prize pack valued at $3000 and $2000 cash! All you need to do to enter is simply guess the weight of the sandcastle in the picture on their website (I’ll give you a hint… it’s between 2 and 4kg). This is a game of skill, so you might want to do some backyard experiments to see how much your sandcastles weigh before entering. You must be an Australian resident to enter. You can enter multiple times, but you must use different email addresses each time (You can read the rest of their terms and conditions on the comp page).

To enter, simply click on the image below:

Good luck!

Do you love to enter competitions? Have you run a competition on your blog or website? How did it go? Why not share your thoughts below in the comments.

ps: In this comp, you will be made a whole bunch of offers for other comps and promotions (some are terrific). If you don’t want to sign up for any of these, I promise you, you do get to the end after about 20 clicks. Also, be sure to confirm your entry upon receiving an email.

pps: Disclosure: This post is a sponsored post. I turn down a lot of requests for sponsored posts because they’re not a good fit or they don’t value you, my readers; so know that if I’m sharing about it here, it’s because I think it’s really very cool and useful for you!

Tell us a little about the person behind the business?

I am a mum of three children, we home educate and love our flexible lifestyle that facilitates lifelong learning. I love to connect with people one-to-one and love to help solve problems!

And now a little about the business itself?

I not only give nappy advice and provide modern cloth nappies for purchase at Bean Sprout Bubba, but I also created my own line of cloth nappies called ecoBumba. I have been operating since 2009 and have seen the changes in online business during that time.

How did you come up with your business name?

Bean = pregnant in belly, Sprout = labour and delivery, Bubba = Baby!

What made you want to begin a WAH business and how did you get started?

I just wanted to be with the children, yet I needed a creative outlet after a day with a young baby.
We also planned to home school from early on, so I structured my business to fit in with the flexible lifestyle I now have.

What inspires you to keep your business going?

Knowing that I can reach out and help another mother to start using cloth nappies and reap the benefits that go with using cloth is what keeps me going.

How do you advertise your business and which methods have proven more successful?

I write a lot of nappy-related niche content on my blog, contribute to other blogs as a guest nappy blogger,and also do a small amount of wholesale for my ecoBumba cloth nappies. I have participated in numerous collaborative showcases, and have also supported various reputable charities run by people I trust. I use social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter (sometimes) and Instagram to reach out to other audiences.

Do you have a current best-selling product or service? If yes, tell us about it.

My best-selling product is the ecoBumba 20 nappy pack. Why? Because it sets up a mum for full time cloth nappy use from newborn to toddler, and also comes with bonus items included with the package like a nappy sprayer (worth $60).

How do you juggle your family and your WAH business? Any tips for other WAHPs?

I prioritise tasks to the time of the day so that I can be fully present on the task at hand, whether that’s working or being with my family. I try my best to prioritise my home chores and errands, because really, if the home environment is calm, my work day will be calm too. Ah the joys of being a home-based business!

And finally, what advice would you give to anyone wanting to start a WAH business?

If you think you will get easy money when working at home, don’t do it. A working at home businesses requires a lot of determination, hard work and the ability to learn new skills and to set up simple systems to keep things running smoothly. To do well and to stay focused you need a plan and accountability to carry it through. Do not be afraid of the unknown; just tackle things head-on with enthusiasm as long as you have the skills to carry it out.

Other comments?

Please visit my websites to find out more about modern cloth nappies in general and my ecoBumba brand.

Contact

Business: Bean Sprout Bubba | ecoBumba

Website: www.beansproutbubba.com.au | www.ecobumba.com.au

Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/beansproutbubba | http://www.facebook.com/ecobumba

Location: Bunbury WA, ships within Australia and worldwide

Tell us a little about the person behind the business?

I am a daughter, a wife, a mother (to three beautiful boys), and a small business owner. So, in my spare time… I know you’re laughing right, what spare time? I love being a graphic designer!

And now a little about the business itself?

dnd graphiks is all about building your brand. Brands are not only important for larger businesses they are more important for small businesses. So dnd graphiks helps you build your brand through graphic design, signage, printing and website design. With a background in marketing and advertising, I can make all of these elements in your business work together.

How did you come up with your business name?

The dnd section of my business name represents my husband (David) and myself (Dani), hence dnd……it also represents ‘design n distinction’.  Graphiks is fairly self explanatory, being what I do, but I never conform so graphiks had to be spelt with a ‘k’.

What made you want to begin a WAH business and how did you get started?

My background is predominantly marketing and advertising and I’ve always had very hands on roles in this area. When I got back into work after my kids went off to school again, I found myself in a marketing role that included graphic design. The more I did, the more I loved it, so I pursued formal qualifications and got a part time role doing graphic design work.

The hours were difficult with the boys at school, and one of my sons has Autism and we were going through a rough stage, so I was having to leave work to go to school or call on family to do that. So one day I decided to go out on my own, work from home and be there for my boys, my biggest boy, Dave included.

What inspires you to keep your business going?

Love. Agitation. Drive. Enthusiasm. My philosophy for success in life and business is to love what I do, be agitated to deliver outcomes that positively overwhelm, be driven to be efficient and effective, and to be enthusiastic about the community I live in and the industry work in.

Love 

Love is particularly important for me. I love what I do and I love life. By embracing and loving life I give every opportunity in life and business my all, I find confidence in knowing I have given my best.

Agitation

For me, being agitated in business is about persistence to strive for and achieve more. I am forever learning and experimenting with new ideas and software to keep me ahead of the pack. My agitation and excitement for the industry contributes to my success and pushes me to seek more and in turn deliver better results for my clients.

Drive

I believe success in business is also about making a profit. I’m very driven to ensure my business makes a profit. I believe more profit means a better business overall, which leads to better outcomes for my clients, a better economy, a better community and a better world at the end of the day. If you are not making a profit, then you need to seriously consider why you are in business.

How do you advertise your business and which methods have proven more successful?

I advertise in a local business magazine on the Sunshine Coast. This is predominantly to grow my brand awareness. I am also involved in a number of networking organisations in my local area, Kawana Chamber of Commerce, Maroochy Chamber of Commerce and the Sunshine Coast Business Womens Network. I find networking and building relationships is the best advertising for me.

Do you have a current best-selling product or service? If yes, tell us about it.

No particular product is in more demand than another. I look at the service I provide as being a full package.

How do you juggle your family and your WAH business? Any tips for other WAHPs?

Work and life balance is paramount to my success. I run my business from home and this means time management is critical, because it is important for me to find the balance to be the wife and mum I need to be for my four boys (one of them being my husband!), and operate dnd graphiks. Working from home allows me to schedule time to drop the children at school, pick them up and take them to afternoon sports. My three young boys are extremely active and eager about life.

My eldest son, Cam, has Autism which has made life extraordinary, challenging and rewarding all at the same time. It is a priority for me to be available for my boys whenever they need me. The challenge with working from home is that it can be hard to switch off and it is very easy to work late into the night when meeting deadlines for clients.

I believe it’s important for business women to not try and be ‘Superwoman’ all the time – whilst we are good jugglers of many things, sometimes we just can’t do everything and that is OK. The technique I use to overcome this challenge is to schedule time for work and timeout in my diary. This means drawing a physical line through the page when I’m not in the office. Time out for me when I’m not being a wife and mum is spending time at the gym or having a coffee with friends. These activities remind me why I live here on the Sunshine Coast and assist me to put life in perspective. In other words, they help keep the anxiety levels down and maintain some sort of balance. Sometimes, when competing deadlines become difficult to deliver, I manage clients’ expectations by communicating any necessary changes to timeframes upfront and in plenty of time. This is achievable due to the positive, honest and trustworthy relationships we have established with our clients from the beginning. Having a supportive husband and great children whom I love and adore is also a bonus!

And finally, what advice would you give to anyone wanting to start a WAH business?

Love what you do. Life is too short to be doing something you don’t love! Persevere through the ups and downs. Realise you can’t do everything, concentrate on what you are good at and work with people who are good at the things you’re not.

Do you offer any discounts to Support a WAHP members?

I don’t publicise it, but if someone said they found me through Support a WAHP I definitely would.

Connect with Danni here:

Name: Danielle Royall-West

Business: dnd graphiks

Website: http://www.dndgraphiks.com.au

Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/dndgraphiks

Location: Warana, Sunshine Coast Qld

This week Cas spoke to creative entrepreneur Tanya Markham about small pleasures and how they inspire business dreams.

Tell us a little about the person behind the business?

I am a stay at home mother of four who makes things my children love with the theory that others will loves them, too.

And now a little about the business itself?

I make hot chocolates, laundry powder and small crocheted gifts, such as coasters, scarves and coffee cuffs.

How did you come up with your business name?

I’ve been using the name InfoxicatingLady for over 10 years, based on a pun regarding foxes. It seemed a natural progression.

What made you want to begin a WAH business and how did you get started?

I realised that with three children aged 10 and under, I couldn’t get a “conventional” job. I looked at a few home based businesses, but didn’t like the start up cost. Making and selling things has allowed me to create without a large start up cost.

What inspires you to keep your business going?

My children. I want them to know that no matter what your circumstances, you can always do something to make yourself feel worthwhile.

How do you advertise your business and which methods have proven more successful?

So far, I have not been advertising except by linking my business Facebook page and my personal profile.

Do you have a current best-selling product or service? If yes, tell us about it.

My scarves. Each of my scarves is made to specification in colour, type of yarn (acrylic, alpaca wool, sheeps wool, etc) and form.

How do you juggle your family and your WAH business? Any tips for other WAHPs?

With great difficulty. My only advice is to make sure that everyone knows that certain things are off limit to everyone else if necessary for your business, and to make time either each week or each day to do something for it.

And finally, what advice would you give to anyone wanting to start a WAH business?

Research carefully, and make sure you do something that distinguishes your product or service from others.

Other comments?

I recommend Support a WAHP to other WAHPs because I understand that networking is a wonderful way to create business traffic, both for yourself and others.

Contact

Business: Infoxicating Designs and Flavours

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Infoxication?ref=ts&fref=ts

Location: Millthorpe, NSW

Join women across Victoria for two days of pampering, information and ideas to inspire and celebrate all things womanly.

As GO Festival founder, Susan was committed to her dream for an event for women, and now it is a reality with over 10000 women expected to walk through the doors.

Just some of the attractions of the GO Festival include:

• LifeStyle YOU’s Massage Zone where you can enjoy afree massage
• Talks / Presentations / Workshops
• The Brand Smart Fashion Parade
• Free Self Defense classes for Women
• Free Cooking demonstrations
• And Lots of free samples and show specials fromexhibitors.

The GO Festival is also giving back to the community by planning to raise over $10,000 for Ovarian Cancer Australia over the weekend.

So, if you’re in Victoria this weekend, don’t miss what is sure to be a fantastic experience allowing women to get hands on lessons and listen to presentations from experts in their fields.