Work at Home Success Goal

How to Organize Your Freelance Writing Business

2009-12-14T00:42:00.001-08:00

Are you wondering how to organize your freelance writing business? When we first start our careers, this is often the last thing we pay attention to. However, it should be the first. Being organized can help boost your income because when everything is in order, it could inspire you to make more money.

Here are some tips on what you can do:

Earnings and Expenses - I will have one spreadsheet for earnings and expenses.

Contacts - This is where I'll keep track of editors, other writers, etc.

Markets - I like to keep a running list of markets I might submit to.

Queries, submissions, and pitches - One spreadsheet for each category of ones that I send out.

Current work - This will keep track of my assignments, due dates, when they were paid, and how much.

When it comes to your freelance writing business, it is absolutely important to find the system that works for you. For example, you might be more comfortable using something like Quicken for your bookkeeping. I personally prefer spreadsheets because for me there isn't a learning curve.

I have a new blog

2008-04-16T10:04:00.000-07:00

I just thought I'd make an announcement. I have a new blog so I will no longer be posting here. The problem with this blog is that it just focused on internet marketing. But, my business involves writing, internet marketing, and blogging. My new blog deals with all of these subjects.

You can read it here. Enjoy! I post at it at least once a day.

Thirty Day Challenge 2007

2008-04-07T10:48:00.000-07:00

Ed Dale is creating buzz about the 2008 season of the Thirty Day Challenge and all I could think was ...

Oh crap. I better get cracking on 2007!

When I did it, I didn't get that much out of it because I was so confused and overwhelmed about internet marketing in general that I didn't internalize anything. Then I tried again and went on vacation and lost my grove.

So, the third time's a charm. It took me that long to understand which end is up. I'm on day three of 2007 and I finally get it.

I'll let you know how it all turns out.

Red Sox Are World Series Champions - A New Lens

2008-04-06T07:57:00.001-07:00

I have a new squidoo lens. Hey, I'm just trying to have a little fun!

I created a lens in tribute to the Red Sox who are currently the World Series Champions... my team. :)

They're raising the banner at Fenway on Tuesday.

http://www.squidoo.com/red-sox-world-series-champions

Success Story Update - Deleted Squidoo Lenses

2008-04-05T13:42:00.001-07:00

I am going through a process of simplifying my life and getting rid of the things that I don't want to do anymore.

The first of these was to get rid of some of my Squidoo lenses. I had way too many writing lenses, and I was running out of things to talk about.

Time to move on. I had all these long tail keywords chosen for other lenses. In the end, it didn't matter. I didn't want to work on them.

Expect more squidoo changes as I change things around with my account.

Squidoo - Am I Missing the Point?

2008-04-02T07:34:00.000-07:00

Squidoo is a fun site. I love creating lenses. As a result of this, I want to make money with my lenses. So, I did some things that "experts" have been telling me.

1. Create multiple Squidoo accounts, one for each niche

2. Promote only one affiliate program per lens

3. keywords, keywords, keywords

Good advice, but there's something missing. When I log into my account and I see ten writing lenses, I get bored. I am unmotivated to work on them. I have a hard time with the "separate accounts" thing because it just doesn't make sense.

So, my new goal is this:

1. Have one squidoo lens

2. Put any affiliate programs that I want on my lenses

3. add in keywords as they make sense but don't stress out about it

I'll report to you how I do with this in the coming weeks. For me, I want to have fun with what I am doing. Taking the "Advice" written by the experts seemed to have killed the joy for me.

Check out my lenses. They're all about writing but soon they'll be about anything I can think of!

Internet Marketing Earnings for March 2008

2008-04-01T13:23:00.000-07:00

Here is a rundown of my earnings from March 2008.

Associated Content Affiliate Program - $18

Commission Junction - $40

Clickbank - $17.98

That makes a grand total of $75.98.

Not bad considering I only made $60 my first year as a freelance writer and I am doing just fine right now!

New Month, Fresh Start

2008-04-01T12:51:00.000-07:00

I've made some progress in February. I didn't make much money in internet marketing - probably close to $100, if that. This isn't my only source of income though, which is a big relief.

So far I've:

Created a Free 7 Day Course for my list on how to start a writing business
picked an ebook to focus on, to help me learn how to be a successful internet marketer

In April, I will continue that trend. I have to think about building a business long term. $100 last month will turn into more this month, etc - as long as I keep building.

So I consider this a fresh start. As a first step, I am going to create a brand new business plan for myself. I believe in keeping them simple and to the point. Otherwise, I'd just get overwhelmed.

A newbie's journey into internet marketing

2008-04-01T12:23:00.000-07:00

A few years ago, I started from nothing as a freelance writer. I didn't know what I was doing. In the first year, I made a whopping $60.

It was all uphill from there! I am on track to have my most successful year ever with writing. The problem is, I'm a little sick of it. I love the creative side of writing and I simply haven't been doing much of it.

I miss those days.

So, I am complimenting my creative, fun writing with internet and affiliate marketing.

The problem?

I'm a complete newbie and I don't entirely know what I am doing.

I realize that a lot of you are in this situation. So, I am going to post all the dirt on what it's like to be new at this and then watch me succeed. :)

Wanna play?

Make Money Writing and More

2008-01-29T12:18:00.001-08:00

I have decided to not post here anymore. My blog, Make Money Writing and More, covers all of the topics I've covered in this blog. It's about writing, affiliate marketing, and tools for making a work at home business a success. And since I am a writer first, this blog really doesn't have anything new to offer that I don't already cover there. Check it out! Meanwhile, feel free to dig into the archives here.

Make Extra Money With Affiliate Marketing

2007-11-20T09:33:00.000-08:00

I purchased a copy of Rosalind Gardner's Super Affiliate Handbook and I can honestly say that it has changed my life.

Before I learned about affiliate marketing, I spent a lot of time doing freelance writing work for my clients. It was fine. It paid the bills. But it wasn't creative and once I did the work and got paid for it, I needed to scramble to find more work.

I was tired of the cycle.

I learned about Rosalind Gardner, a woman who used affiliate marketing to help her make over $400,000 in one year. After some thought, I decided to purchase her ebook.

My money was not wasted. She tells you EVERYTHING and shows you exactly what you need to do to find the same success as her.

I've read a lot of ebooks and articles on affiliate marketing. Each time I do, I can tell that the person is holding back. Ros doesn't do that.

Intrigued? Get more details and purchase the ebook here.

Internet Marketing in my Future

2007-11-20T05:10:00.000-08:00

I am working through the Thirty Day Challenge again, this time at a pace that makes more sense for me. The first time I tried to do it, I rushed through it, and missed a lot. In the end, I didn't make any money.

Ed Dale gives a lot of great information. I prefer to work through it at a slower pace so that I could internalize everything.

Internet marketing makes a lot of sense to me. Basically, I try out a product or an ebook. If I like it, I tell people about it. If I don't, then I don't recommend it. The key is to do it with integrity.

My advice is to read the forum rules before posting and don't send people an email unless they want it. The nice thing about the Challenge is that Ed Dale does a great job teaching you how to do things ethically.

And it is completely free - and I don't get any money for recommending it.

I Finally Got the Social Bookmarking Script

2007-09-22T18:51:00.000-07:00

I've been seeing the Social Bookmarking script around the net for a while, and I like it a lot. So, I decided to finally click on the link and get it for myself.

The internet has exploded. There are so many sites out there. If I put only my favorites on my blog, I may be missing out on some traffic. The sites I use may not be the sites someone else uses.

I'm pleased with the way it looks, but it's too early to tell if it's actually effective since I just put it on the blog a few minutes ago.

Click here if you want to get the script for yourself.

Investing Your Earned Money

2007-09-20T17:58:00.001-07:00

If you are self employed, chances are you don't have a pension. (Unless you are retired from something else that gives you a pension, such as military service).

That's why if we want to live a comfortable life into retirement, it is important to come up with a good savings and investment plan.

I am just starting out. My husband and I invest together, and we have been since we got married. But, I opened a money market account and am investing a certain percentage of what I earn. The routine is to put the money in the money market account and then figure out where to distribute it from there.

I am in the early stages, but I can already feel my progress. Check out the Motley fool - it's one of my favorite resources.

International Guide to Make Money Online

2007-08-25T12:23:00.000-07:00

I just updated a lens I started a few days ago. I realized that a lot of people living in countries other than the US have trouble finding sites that will work for them.

So, I went out and found the ones that WILL work.

The International Guide to Make Money Online is a work in progress - I am always finding new sites to add. So, check back often!

How to Write a Bibliography - A New Squidoo Lens

2007-08-23T10:49:00.000-07:00

I just wrote a lens on how to write a bibliography. It's back to school time and I got to thinking about subjects that concerned me when I was at school. This is one of those things that I thought I would never use after school was over.

But now, I realize that a bibliography is something you will always need especially if you do a lot of writing. And this isn't just restricted to writers. Anyone who writes speeches, reports, or even articles may need to put together a bibliography to give credit to the sources uses.

I think twitter is great!

2007-08-20T06:46:00.000-07:00

I first signed up for twitter a few months ago through mybloglog. I didn't understand the point of it, so I ignored my account.

But now, I am doing the Thirty Day Challenge and I understand the importance. You get a list of follows, and you tell them what you are doing. You include links for them to click on. It's another way to build traffic through a sense of community.

And just like anything web 2.0, it allows you to give back as well as receive. You click on their links and follow people's "twitters" and they do the same for you.

And the best part is, it's actually a lot of fun! Here's my profile: http://twitter.com/kohuether

If you are part of twitter, I would love for you to leave a comment with your profile url.

Snowball Plan is Taking me Away From My Goals

2007-08-17T18:02:00.000-07:00

Well, my snowball plan is taking me away from my goals. This is the opposite of what I had intended. The list I am creating made me realize that the sooner I get through the project list (well, I don't think that will ever happen because my project list is ever growing).... What I mean is, as I start to make some progress with that list, I will be closer to where I want to be.

In order for me to complete the snowball plan, I need to write more which is not my intent. Instead, I am going to focus on doing a little creative writing each day. I haven't been writing creatively for some time, and that is why I got into writing in the first place.

My Master List - New Internet Marketing Project Notebook

2007-08-17T17:46:00.001-07:00

I am learning about the power of focus. I have a daily to-do list that includes certain things. Basically, these list items are helping me continue making income through writing while building up my newest projects.

As part of my new phase, I got a spiral notebook and started writing a LONG list of projects I plan to tackle one at a time.

Right now, I am working on the Thirty Day Challenge and making some new Squidoo Lenses.

Day 2 - Snowball Plan - $2 Offer at CashCrate

2007-08-16T10:44:00.000-07:00

I didn't participate in my self-created plan yesterday because I was a Red Sox game. They lost, by the way.

But today, I continued on completing cashcrate offers. I am going to do the offers at cashcrate for as long as it makes sense. I was glad that I found one for $2. I have $4 pending at CashCrate this month. So far, I've made $13.49.

If you are just tuning in to my blog, I reviewed CashCrate in an earlier post. It is the only GPT site that I have experience with and they have paid me.

August 2007 Earnings Tally Update

2007-08-15T19:28:00.000-07:00

Goal is to make $3000. Can I do it?

CashCrate.com - $13.49

Suite101.com - $11.66

ExquisiteWriting.com - $242

Blogitive.com - $20

PayPerPost.com - $10

Squidoo royalties - $7.47

MSC Writing Projects - $100

Commission Junction - $32

Total: $536.62

Work at Home Success and the To-Do List

2007-08-15T19:16:00.001-07:00

I have a lot of things I want to accomplish, but I can't do it all. Not only do I have a business to build up, but a body to take care of, hobbies to pursue, and a house that needs to stay clean. Sure, I outsource the house cleaning. But there are STILL daily chores that need to be taken care of.

So, I am trying to keep it simple. I've stripped my list down to the bare bones. The rule is that I will finish this list, the tackle any other projects I need to get done.

Exercise
Clean for 60 minutes
Promote CashCrate
Any deadlines I need to take care of
Any edits I need to do
Ed Dale's 30 Day Challenge
Update my Blogs

I have a growing list of projects, too. If I stick to this plan, I should have some free time to work on the other projects as well. But I am not going to jump too far ahead!

Day 1 - Snowball Plan - Make Money With CashCrate

2007-08-13T09:17:00.000-07:00

For Day 1 of my snowball plan, I needed to make $1. So, I wanted to do something easy. Remember, after 30 days of this plan I will have made over $300 extra. So today, I decided to complete a $1 offer at CashCrate.

I am waiting for the offer to clear but I cleared my cookies and did what I was supposed to do, so I don't see why it shouldn't. I think I've only had one or two instances where offers haven't cleared.

I realized that if I complete one $1 offer at CashCrate per day, I will have made an extra $30. And every bit really does add up.

Make $1 Extra a Day - My Snowball Plan

2007-08-12T18:15:00.000-07:00

I needed to find an idea that will help me get to where I want financially. I don't mean a specific "make money" scheme or method. No - but a lot of those do have value. I mean, just something to keep things simple and keep me motivated.

I came up with this - Make one extra dollar a day in addition to the money I am already making.

So, the schedule would look like this:

Day 1 - Make $1
Day 2 - Make $2
Day 30 - Make $3

Etc

I did the math and after thirty days I would have made $465 extra.

After 60 - $1830

and so on.

I figure it's worth a try. I can step back from my daily routine and the things I have to do and find ways to squeeze out a little extra productivity.

Building a Downline is Hard

2007-08-12T09:56:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to build my downline with CashCrate for some time and I still only have 2 active referrals. I spent a week on this. I put in 2-3 hours a day. Let's do the math.

I can write an article in 15 minutes for AC. My average with AC is $6 an article.

In the time I dealt with cashcrate and trying to get referrals I could have written ten articles. That's $60 extra dollars a day. That's 300 dollars. After all of my cashcrate efforts, I made $.84 from the referrals.

At this point, I can do one of the following:

decide that downline building is not for me and continue with writing
stop and regroup

I am choosing to regroup. Since I like writing, I am going to start an article marketing campaign to promote this blog. I will submit all articles to both AC and CC. That way, I at least make SOME money for my efforts, even if I never get the referrals.

I chose to promote the only Get Paid To program that has actually paid me. My review on Squidoo gets a good amount of traffic, too so people are at least interested in learning about Get Paid To programs.

My new approach is to merge the two.