Wow it is over two years since I started my trip down the e-commerce internet sales, and how was I to know the economy was about to take a dump just when I jumped in! I am not giving up but what an eye opening and wallet emptying experience! Being laid off for the first time in my forty years of working pushed me into jumping and investing my entire 401K. The alternative I see now was to watch it dissappear as the economy tumbled and that would not have been fun. I have had fun as I have been learning about Social Media, Blogs, Lenses and much much more. Linking In and Facebook, Twitter and all the rest each takes time to learn how to best utilize each service to the fullest advantage. Not to mention submitting to directories, forums and keyword searching. The funniest thing, I can see it all coming together and it is getting clearer at how it all fits together while continuously changing. One day I may even make a dollar or two.
Seriously if you are one of the millions who started to get into e-commerce and have invested in a website or two and are yet to make any money, try to hold on. Take this time to learn all about the backlinks and link building steps to get more traffic to your website or blog. I have had to put some sites on hold until I can afford to keep paying the monthly fees. I have not stopped working towards the day when orders will come and I am still learning and staying hopeful.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Health Concerns Behind Need to Earn Income Online
Ten years ago my husband was diagnosed with Hepatitis C. He underwent three different Chemo sessions and was finally determined to be a non-responder to treatment. His Doctor at that time told him his health would continue to deteriorate and become serious in about ten years. Since that time we have dealt with all the emotional ups and downs and fears associated with such a diagnosis. We both continued to work our jobs and for awhile could not even discuss what we should do.
Nearly two years ago he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. This opened the need to discuss who would get what and how he would leave this life if it came to that. This is not an easy thing for any family to face. On October 31, 2007 he went in for the surgery to remove his esophagus and pull the stomach up. He was in the hospital for over one month. Being the fighter that he is, he has recovered and returned to work.
One day after he was home from the hospital to recover, I was laid off from the construction industry; this was two weeks before the Christmas season. I went into a tailspin for several days. I was a few months away from my sixtieth birthday, the construction industry was failing hard in our area and jobs in my field of expertise were few and far between. I had never been unemployed, my emotions were raw and I did not know what to do.
I went to a seminar for Stores Online and invested my first $50 in a license for a website and started to learn about e-commerce and selling on the internet. The next seminar about two weeks later I invested nearly $6000 dollars with Stores Online for an unlimited number of websites and thought my problems with an income were finally behind me. I could not have been more wrong! I have spent the last year and one-half learning all I can about the internet and websites, media marketing, online sales and everything else that came along. At times I felt like a kindergartner in a college class. I started a corporation, signed on with The Tax Club, registered agent people, bookkeeping people all at quite an expense. During this time the economy was failing and my 401K was dropping rapidly, I made the decision to pull my money from the 401K and used it for these expenses. I fully believed that I would be making my money back within a few months. The hype tells you this is possible and I truly believed it. It does not happen that quickly however. I also invested in two different companies that claim they will get you successful with their coaching, it still does not happen that quickly. It takes time to build an internet presence. Of course at this time the economy was continuing to spiral downward, and no one was spending any money. Talk about poor timing.
Being the optimist that I am, I am still not totally dismayed or in the frame of mind to give up. I did however invest in things I did not need to, and spent money trying to do everything and anything the right way. Well my 401K is gone, money is not pouring in, it is still just trickling in. I am not one to give up and am still plugging along tweaking here and there as I learn new things.
Then three weeks ago my husband was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy. Although this is not life threatening it opened our eyes to the fact that his health is really starting to go downhill. We do not know how much longer he will be able to work, and I know that nothing is certain in this life. I am still trying to earn a living at home as I want to be here when he needs fulltime care. I am thankful that I started an online presence when I did, because things are starting to take off. I am still hopeful that we will be okay. We are lucky in the fact that we both have family that have and will help when things get too tough.
I am hoping that others out there in similar situations will follow my blog and glean some insights and give advice and just share in these really tough times economically and spiritually. Maybe we can help each other get through knowing that none of us are alone in our trip through this life. I still am a positive and optimistic person, I am thankful and grateful for all that I have and all that I know I am capable of. No matter what life throws at you, you can overcome if you stay positive and hopeful.
Nearly two years ago he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. This opened the need to discuss who would get what and how he would leave this life if it came to that. This is not an easy thing for any family to face. On October 31, 2007 he went in for the surgery to remove his esophagus and pull the stomach up. He was in the hospital for over one month. Being the fighter that he is, he has recovered and returned to work.
One day after he was home from the hospital to recover, I was laid off from the construction industry; this was two weeks before the Christmas season. I went into a tailspin for several days. I was a few months away from my sixtieth birthday, the construction industry was failing hard in our area and jobs in my field of expertise were few and far between. I had never been unemployed, my emotions were raw and I did not know what to do.
I went to a seminar for Stores Online and invested my first $50 in a license for a website and started to learn about e-commerce and selling on the internet. The next seminar about two weeks later I invested nearly $6000 dollars with Stores Online for an unlimited number of websites and thought my problems with an income were finally behind me. I could not have been more wrong! I have spent the last year and one-half learning all I can about the internet and websites, media marketing, online sales and everything else that came along. At times I felt like a kindergartner in a college class. I started a corporation, signed on with The Tax Club, registered agent people, bookkeeping people all at quite an expense. During this time the economy was failing and my 401K was dropping rapidly, I made the decision to pull my money from the 401K and used it for these expenses. I fully believed that I would be making my money back within a few months. The hype tells you this is possible and I truly believed it. It does not happen that quickly however. I also invested in two different companies that claim they will get you successful with their coaching, it still does not happen that quickly. It takes time to build an internet presence. Of course at this time the economy was continuing to spiral downward, and no one was spending any money. Talk about poor timing.
Being the optimist that I am, I am still not totally dismayed or in the frame of mind to give up. I did however invest in things I did not need to, and spent money trying to do everything and anything the right way. Well my 401K is gone, money is not pouring in, it is still just trickling in. I am not one to give up and am still plugging along tweaking here and there as I learn new things.
Then three weeks ago my husband was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy. Although this is not life threatening it opened our eyes to the fact that his health is really starting to go downhill. We do not know how much longer he will be able to work, and I know that nothing is certain in this life. I am still trying to earn a living at home as I want to be here when he needs fulltime care. I am thankful that I started an online presence when I did, because things are starting to take off. I am still hopeful that we will be okay. We are lucky in the fact that we both have family that have and will help when things get too tough.
I am hoping that others out there in similar situations will follow my blog and glean some insights and give advice and just share in these really tough times economically and spiritually. Maybe we can help each other get through knowing that none of us are alone in our trip through this life. I still am a positive and optimistic person, I am thankful and grateful for all that I have and all that I know I am capable of. No matter what life throws at you, you can overcome if you stay positive and hopeful.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
About To Lose Everything In This Economy
I am sure that I am not the only one with this sinking feeling that all my investments in internet businesses this past year, and I invested everything I had after a lay-off, is ever going to pay-off. I have done everything I learned in the education I also invested in. I have marked all my merchandise down to meet or beat my competition and still I have have very few sales. Of coarse, I did not realize how far the economy was going to fall, and how long people would not be spending money, but I can hold on only so long before I too will be in a financial bind.
I have been putting content out continuously and keeping faith that all will turn around soon. Now I am faced with cutting my seven websites down to only two, I have begun marketing my artwork in several tourist gift shops both locally and in other states where I have family, as well as online.
It is a great time to clean clutter and sell no longer needed or wanted items, anything to keep going. Okay I have put things on E-bay and Craig's List still only nibbles and no buyers. I know the need to keep positive thoughts and energies going forward and so far I am able to maintain. I hope others are able to keep motivated and moving forward. The road has become very steep at this point, but it is still a road, right?
I have been putting content out continuously and keeping faith that all will turn around soon. Now I am faced with cutting my seven websites down to only two, I have begun marketing my artwork in several tourist gift shops both locally and in other states where I have family, as well as online.
It is a great time to clean clutter and sell no longer needed or wanted items, anything to keep going. Okay I have put things on E-bay and Craig's List still only nibbles and no buyers. I know the need to keep positive thoughts and energies going forward and so far I am able to maintain. I hope others are able to keep motivated and moving forward. The road has become very steep at this point, but it is still a road, right?
Monday, February 2, 2009
Reaping the Rewards of Your Article Marketing
One of the most incredible strategies ever to be incorporated with online advertising is article marketing and It has proven to be the most cost-efficient and most effective of them all. By writing articles that are content-rich, you will be able to reach more people online. Not only that, you will be able to project a credible image to those who may have chanced upon your articles. With the internet now reaching world-wide market, there is a higher possibility of you getting the attention and interest of potential customers. This is what article marketing can do. If you have not been using this in your business, you are missing more than you know.
Some helpful tips to article marketing that will guide you on your way to achieving the kind of articles needed for your kind of business are:
Create premium quality and informative 300 minimum word articles about topics related to your business. For example, if your business is about family living, you can write an article that discusses how to spend more quality time with families. Keep your subject matter consistent with your product or services. After you have the content written, you need to include a resource box at the end of the article. The resource box is basically a brief summary about you and your business and with a link that goes right to your website. Putting a link to your site in the resource box makes it possible for people who read your article and are interested to go directly to your website. This could essentially result in a larger amount of new traffic to your site.
Then it is time to submit your articles to the many article directories and there are many some free and some for a small fee. If you are on a budget, you may opt for the free submissions being offered. But if you have money set aside for your article marketing, paying for the submission sites is also a wise move. Whenever somebody reads your article displayed on directories, the link that leads to your site enables the reader to go directly to your website. Interesting and informative articles can direct buying traffic to you and your product or service.
Well written articles are more apt to get picked up by a printed publication, and the readership of the same would get to know the products or services which your business offers. You should know that article directories are being displayed on various websites. They are seen by millions of people all over the world. This apparent visibility also makes it easier for search engines to index them. The technique behind article marketing is back linking. Back links are links to your websites that you have somehow displayed on sites with higher page ranks. To put it simply, your site is basically sharing instant success with the sites you are linking to.
Getting recognized by search engines can be a long and trying process that can take months before being acknowledged. You cannot get the instant online recognition in the shortest amount of time and effort with any other marketing effort.
Not sure you have the talent to write your own articles? You can always hire a ghostwriter to write your articles for you. The price rate for writing articles is from 3 to 10 dollars per article which is pretty affordable considering all the advantages being presented by article writing.
Start your article marketing and you will open another avenue for people to find your site and your products and services.
Some helpful tips to article marketing that will guide you on your way to achieving the kind of articles needed for your kind of business are:
Create premium quality and informative 300 minimum word articles about topics related to your business. For example, if your business is about family living, you can write an article that discusses how to spend more quality time with families. Keep your subject matter consistent with your product or services. After you have the content written, you need to include a resource box at the end of the article. The resource box is basically a brief summary about you and your business and with a link that goes right to your website. Putting a link to your site in the resource box makes it possible for people who read your article and are interested to go directly to your website. This could essentially result in a larger amount of new traffic to your site.
Then it is time to submit your articles to the many article directories and there are many some free and some for a small fee. If you are on a budget, you may opt for the free submissions being offered. But if you have money set aside for your article marketing, paying for the submission sites is also a wise move. Whenever somebody reads your article displayed on directories, the link that leads to your site enables the reader to go directly to your website. Interesting and informative articles can direct buying traffic to you and your product or service.
Well written articles are more apt to get picked up by a printed publication, and the readership of the same would get to know the products or services which your business offers. You should know that article directories are being displayed on various websites. They are seen by millions of people all over the world. This apparent visibility also makes it easier for search engines to index them. The technique behind article marketing is back linking. Back links are links to your websites that you have somehow displayed on sites with higher page ranks. To put it simply, your site is basically sharing instant success with the sites you are linking to.
Getting recognized by search engines can be a long and trying process that can take months before being acknowledged. You cannot get the instant online recognition in the shortest amount of time and effort with any other marketing effort.
Not sure you have the talent to write your own articles? You can always hire a ghostwriter to write your articles for you. The price rate for writing articles is from 3 to 10 dollars per article which is pretty affordable considering all the advantages being presented by article writing.
Start your article marketing and you will open another avenue for people to find your site and your products and services.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Are You Tired of Procrastinating Yet Put Off Doing Something About It
Procrastination can get you spinning out of control, first you put off a task then you stress because the deadline is fast approaching, then you can’t concentrate because of the stress because the deadline is fast approaching. Sound familiar? You are not alone; there are millions of people afflicted with the procrastination habit. Procrastination is a habit that one develops over time. Though many would not admit it, they would prefer to think of it as a virus, or a disease that they have no control over. Not so and every procrastinator out there would benefit greatly if they could change this one habit. It is not easy and will take exactly that WILL. THE WILL TO CHANGE.
If you are one who has a strong will and you have the desire to shake off your habit of procrastination, then you have come to the right place. The following helpful hints will help you overcome procrastination and in doing so become a more productive and reliable person. For most procrastinators, putting off their work for later is more habit than desire. It can be hard to get into a groove where starting your tasks in a timely fashion is a priority yet after a few times
Set schedules – It is very important that you have a list of activities to accomplish per day. This will help you realistically budget your time and resources. One of the cardinal sins people commit in regards to performing their tasks is to put off their work because they feel like there is so much time left. A journal, organizer, or calendar of events will help you plan and schedule your task so that you can start them promptly and finish them on time.
Save the Vacation for Later – Many people put their work off for later saying, “I'll just have a little fun then buckle down to work later.” While it may be true that they may have more than enough time to accomplish their tasks, it would be better if they finished their work first and relax afterwards.
Wouldn't relaxation be sweeter if it were after a taxing job? If you choose to lay back and relax before doing your tasks, you will be more prone to burnout and will have nothing exciting left to look forward to after accomplishing a task. It is always better to have slack period AFTER a job than before one, especially considering that people are wont to overusing their slack time. This is suicide if you are heading towards a deadline.
Never Underestimate Your Tasks – Sometimes procrastination sets in because people underestimate the resources, difficulty, and time spent for a particular task. They will usually say, “It's just mowing the lawn, its easy; I could do it in a jiffy.” The problem is, no matter how trivial the task, it still takes time and resources to accomplish. If you underestimate a task, you will most likely set too little time to do it and schedule it too close to its deadline.
Don't Allow Yourself to Get Comfortable Doing Nothing – It would definitely help if you kept a subconscious alarm whenever you are doing nothing. Get this alarm to remind you of things that may need to be done. This will help you foster the notion that jobs accomplished now means more time for relaxation later. However, even if this is the case, do not forget to put ample time in for rest and to remove all thoughts of troubles before hitting the sack. The trick here, however, is not to overdo you rest. There is a difference between resting and idling. Always set the right amount of time for rest and stick to that schedule.
If you are one who has a strong will and you have the desire to shake off your habit of procrastination, then you have come to the right place. The following helpful hints will help you overcome procrastination and in doing so become a more productive and reliable person. For most procrastinators, putting off their work for later is more habit than desire. It can be hard to get into a groove where starting your tasks in a timely fashion is a priority yet after a few times
Set schedules – It is very important that you have a list of activities to accomplish per day. This will help you realistically budget your time and resources. One of the cardinal sins people commit in regards to performing their tasks is to put off their work because they feel like there is so much time left. A journal, organizer, or calendar of events will help you plan and schedule your task so that you can start them promptly and finish them on time.
Save the Vacation for Later – Many people put their work off for later saying, “I'll just have a little fun then buckle down to work later.” While it may be true that they may have more than enough time to accomplish their tasks, it would be better if they finished their work first and relax afterwards.
Wouldn't relaxation be sweeter if it were after a taxing job? If you choose to lay back and relax before doing your tasks, you will be more prone to burnout and will have nothing exciting left to look forward to after accomplishing a task. It is always better to have slack period AFTER a job than before one, especially considering that people are wont to overusing their slack time. This is suicide if you are heading towards a deadline.
Never Underestimate Your Tasks – Sometimes procrastination sets in because people underestimate the resources, difficulty, and time spent for a particular task. They will usually say, “It's just mowing the lawn, its easy; I could do it in a jiffy.” The problem is, no matter how trivial the task, it still takes time and resources to accomplish. If you underestimate a task, you will most likely set too little time to do it and schedule it too close to its deadline.
Don't Allow Yourself to Get Comfortable Doing Nothing – It would definitely help if you kept a subconscious alarm whenever you are doing nothing. Get this alarm to remind you of things that may need to be done. This will help you foster the notion that jobs accomplished now means more time for relaxation later. However, even if this is the case, do not forget to put ample time in for rest and to remove all thoughts of troubles before hitting the sack. The trick here, however, is not to overdo you rest. There is a difference between resting and idling. Always set the right amount of time for rest and stick to that schedule.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Considering Starting an Online Presence
Things You Need To Think About First
One of the first things that you should bear in mind when setting up an online business of any sort, is that you must treat it as just that – a business. Getting your foundation or structure in order and your tax structure in place is vital. If you want it to succeed you must treat it as if it were already successful. Do you want to incorporate, or are you in a partnership however you set it up get a tax structure in place. Do not try to get away without paying taxes as this will hurt you in the long run. Starting a business is the best tax shelter there is but everything must be in place. This means that you must be prepared to put in the time and effort in order to reap the rewards, even if you are only starting it as a part time venture at first. Most businesses that fail, fail because of getting started carelessly and skipping the foundation.
Be aware that as in all business ventures you must invest money and a lot of time into it. You cannot simply build a website and sit back waiting for dollars to roll in. It just doesn’t happen that way no matter what the ads tell you. You do not need to put in large amounts of money. In fact, online stores are much less expensive to start up compared the cost involved in a brick-and-mortar store. Time is another matter. It will take time and if you are not internet savvy be prepared for a huge learning curve.
The best place to begin is by picking what you like from the existing successful online business models already out there. So talk to others who have already made money in the niche that you have chosen, and then study, then implement the steps that they took to make it successful. So now you need to think about just what sort of business it is you like to run. It is a good idea to start an online business based on knowledge and experience that you have already, what are your hobbies, what industry do you currently work in and how can you bring it to an online presence. One of the most important things that you can do is research, research and more research. Who is your competition, and how many people are searching for your product or service.
You do not need to work from home, but this a convenience many online business people prefer. You must be a self starter, and not get tied up with thoughts of things that need doing around the home just because you are there. Think of your home office as you would an office you travel to. Be professional in both your attitude and your work environment. If you follow these suggestions and treat your new venture with the respect it deserves it will put you on the path to a successful business venture.
One of the first things that you should bear in mind when setting up an online business of any sort, is that you must treat it as just that – a business. Getting your foundation or structure in order and your tax structure in place is vital. If you want it to succeed you must treat it as if it were already successful. Do you want to incorporate, or are you in a partnership however you set it up get a tax structure in place. Do not try to get away without paying taxes as this will hurt you in the long run. Starting a business is the best tax shelter there is but everything must be in place. This means that you must be prepared to put in the time and effort in order to reap the rewards, even if you are only starting it as a part time venture at first. Most businesses that fail, fail because of getting started carelessly and skipping the foundation.
Be aware that as in all business ventures you must invest money and a lot of time into it. You cannot simply build a website and sit back waiting for dollars to roll in. It just doesn’t happen that way no matter what the ads tell you. You do not need to put in large amounts of money. In fact, online stores are much less expensive to start up compared the cost involved in a brick-and-mortar store. Time is another matter. It will take time and if you are not internet savvy be prepared for a huge learning curve.
The best place to begin is by picking what you like from the existing successful online business models already out there. So talk to others who have already made money in the niche that you have chosen, and then study, then implement the steps that they took to make it successful. So now you need to think about just what sort of business it is you like to run. It is a good idea to start an online business based on knowledge and experience that you have already, what are your hobbies, what industry do you currently work in and how can you bring it to an online presence. One of the most important things that you can do is research, research and more research. Who is your competition, and how many people are searching for your product or service.
You do not need to work from home, but this a convenience many online business people prefer. You must be a self starter, and not get tied up with thoughts of things that need doing around the home just because you are there. Think of your home office as you would an office you travel to. Be professional in both your attitude and your work environment. If you follow these suggestions and treat your new venture with the respect it deserves it will put you on the path to a successful business venture.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
E-commerce & what to offer.
I started my e-commerce presence earlier this year, after facing layoffs from the faltering construction and housing industry. In this troubled economy with high fuel prices and rising food costs I believe that online shopping is the green way to go, as it saves gas, money and time.
The most important part of getting started in ecommerce is BRAINSTORMING. So simple, yet very powerful. Many people do not get the full benefit from brainstorming because they forget the most important thing, no judgemental thinking. So get out the pads and paper and get friends or family or both and write a list of everything you love, are familiar with, work experience and hobbies. If needed start with a fun mind game to loosen your mind, like listing all the uses you can think of for a paperclip, other than the obvious. See if you can think of twenty-five different uses, and remember don't leave out something because you think it is silly because that is judgemental thinking.
Okay so now you have your list of ideas that you can start to work with. You will be surprised at what pops up in these brainstorming sessions.
The most important part of getting started in ecommerce is BRAINSTORMING. So simple, yet very powerful. Many people do not get the full benefit from brainstorming because they forget the most important thing, no judgemental thinking. So get out the pads and paper and get friends or family or both and write a list of everything you love, are familiar with, work experience and hobbies. If needed start with a fun mind game to loosen your mind, like listing all the uses you can think of for a paperclip, other than the obvious. See if you can think of twenty-five different uses, and remember don't leave out something because you think it is silly because that is judgemental thinking.
Okay so now you have your list of ideas that you can start to work with. You will be surprised at what pops up in these brainstorming sessions.
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