I discovered a wonderful web site for working moms, Mom Corps.  The site asks the question "Wondering how you can have it all?  Career, family, and Balance?"  This issue plagues many women who want or need to work but at the same time want to be with their children. 

At Mom Corps, they give "candidates" (you), the flexibility you need to achieve your goal of finding success both personally and professionally.

With today's economy, many stay at home moms are finding themselves having to go back to work.  This is where Mom Corps comes in.  Mom Corps is a web site that allows working moms to fill out information about how flexible that they need a job to be and submit their resume.  So you can find flexible work that you can schedule your hours so that you can work around your child/children's needs.

If you are looking for employment that will offer you the flexibility to earn an income as well as allow you to take care of your families needs and responsibilities, I suggest you check out Mom Corps.

It is free to register with Mom Corps and post your resume, as well as, search their job boards.  They do have a featured listing that you have to pay for, that places your resume on the top of the search results when a potential employer looks for candidates.  I would suggest saving your money though, and forego this feature.

Good luck and happy job hunting!  If you have already had experience with Mom Corps, share your experience  with us.  Hope to hear from you.  Enjoy life!!!

Well it's here guys!  The final installment of my four part series on Work From Home Job Opportunities.  For a refresher, you can check out part one, two and three here.  In our last installment we will discuss my favorite way of earning a living from working at home...a POD (Print On Demand) business.

POD is a system whereby you can get t-shirts and other gift items printed by another company.  These companies  sell your design on tee shirts, tote bags, coffee mugs, journals, and much more plus they deal with all the logistics including packaging, shipping, payments and even customer complaints.

Most people don’t have the finances to set up their own t-shirt printing company so these Print On Demands have created a way for people to do so with little or no start-up costs:

1. ArtApart.com - use your own artwork, text or clipart and sell t-shirts; it's free.
2. Bountee - great way to showcase your original artwork and make some money;  it's free.
3. Cafepress - use your artwork, graphic designs or clipart on t-shirts, home and office supplies, greeting cards and much more for to sell; you can get a basic shop for free or Premium Shops cost $6.95 at the monthly rate, or as little as $4.99 per month at the yearly rate.
4. CustomDesignPrinted.com - use your own artwork, graphic designs and clipart on a variety of t-shirts and gift items, such as watches and cuff links; for a limited time they are offering free stores.  My understanding is it is more for creating your merchandise to sell yourself (like for online auctions - like Ebay or real life markets, etc.).
5. E-shirt.com - sign-up for your own FREE T-shirt store in seconds.  Upload designs and set your own profits (All FREE).
6. Printfection.com - same as all above.  You upload your designs on a variety of products, create your own store and sell them for a profit; it's free as well.
7. RedBubble - feature several different products (including t-shirts), but the emphasis is on artwork.  They feature framed and canvas prints so if you are a gifted artist you can sell your art on Redbubble for free and get commissions .  They also have a creative writing area where you can read and share poems and short stories.
8. Shirt Magic - design and upload your images onto products that you put in your own store and sell for a profit; also free.
9. Shirtcity - open your own shop with your own designs and sell your creations from your own site or blog; for free.
10. Skreened- open up a free account and add your designs to your shop and sell for a commission.  They only have t-shirts but all of them are American Apparel; made in the USA.
11. Spreadshirt - open a free shop to showcase your designs to be sold on a variety of t-shirt products.
12. Zazzle - add your design to many t-shirt products and gifts for sale for a commission.  They are free and instead of a shop you set up a gallery, to showcase your designs.

I personally have a shop at Cafepress where you can Create What's On Your Mind at CafePress and just started with Printfection and Zazzle.  That's the other great thing with these POD websites...you can have as many as you want.  In fact, the more shops you have with different Print On Demand companies the better chance your designs have to be seen.  Now don't get me wrong, selling your designs through a POD website isn't easy.  You have to create your designs upload them, which is the easy part; then you have to tag them and write descriptions.  It is very important to write good keyword rich content describing your designs for SEO ( search engine optimization ) this is how your designs will be found through the search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN.  You also have to get traffic to your shops.  Without traffic - no one sees your designs which equals no sales.

The other good thing about PODs is that you don't need your own website.  You open up your shop within the business you choose, like Cafepress.  So people will find your store by typing in www dot CafePress dot com/YourShopsName.  If you have your own website or want to have your own domain name you can sign up for web hosting at companies like Web Hosting - $6.95/mo! .  This way you can mirror your shop...so your POD shop on say Zazzle will look identical to your domain name.  This way you can add your tees from several Print on Demand shops all together on your own website,  as well as other affiliate programs or services. 

If you have artistic abilities...maybe you paint landscapes in watercolors or you have great computer graphics skills, or maybe you are like me and have creative ideas but no artistic abilities you can do text designs or use clipart.  Check out 1 Million Clip Art Images at Graphics Factory.  

If you are wondering if you can really make money from PODs, I'll tell you... YES you can.  I am pleased to say I opened Be Shirt Happy up ten months ago and am doing very well.  My goal is to make the equivalent of a full-time income from my shop by the first of next year.  See anyone can create designs and sell them on merchandise.  And each of these PODs are very user friendly.  If I can do it, anyone can do it!

If I left off any PODs let me know and I'll add them.  Also if you have any questions concerning PODs let me know and I'll do my best to answer it.  I hope to hear from you!  Enjoy life!!!

We can all use better time management skills!  Whether you are a WAHM (or dad), finding ways to fit it all in is a dilemma faced by most everyone these days.   Many people assume that work at home moms have it easy; however, if any of those people have ever lived a day as a WAHM they would know it isn't as easy as it appears. We have children to take care of, a house to clean, laundry to do, a dog to walk, groceries to buy, dinner to cook and dishes to wash, to name a few. Oh, and then there's that business to work! 

We can all use better time management and organizational skills and how to tips on better managing our time effectively. So here are a few time management strategies or time saving tips you can start trying today:

• Get to know dawn - early morning that is.  Get up before everyone else in your house.  I know getting up early for most people is a challenge, but getting up before the kids wake up can be the difference between a stressed out, psychotic mother and a sane one!  If your children tend to wake up between 6 and 7am, set your own alarm for one to two hours earlier.  Use this time to have a quiet cup of coffee, check your email, exercise, read the paper or prepare for your workday. Do not spend this time doing housework, etc.  Make this time "you" time.
• Plan your meals in advance - If you plan your meals for the week and go to the grocery store once, you will save lots of time during the week by not taking those daily quick trips to the market, as well as save money.
• Prepare the night before - just about every time management or get organized article you read suggests laying out your things the night before.  There is a good reason for this...it is much easier and the mornings will go much smoother if you have your clothes and supplies laid out the night before.  This way you don't have to rush around in the mornings.   Make lunches the nights before. Pack backpacks with homework and library books at night.  When you get ready to leave in the morning, you will be less likely to forget something important.  You can avoid morning chaos by using good organizational skills.  Select a place near the door where you can keep your keys, briefcase, purse, school supplies, important papers and letters to be mailed. Keep a petty cash fund handy for all those times that a quarter, 50 cents or $1.00 is needed for school or a parking meter, work, etc.  This is one of the best time saving tips I can give you, prepare the night before!
• Don't Spend so much time cleaning - What I mean is don't try to do it all in one day.  If you do a few things each day, you'll never have to spend an entire day cleaning the house from top to bottom. Get your children to help you- children as young as two can be taught to do simple chores.  A good tip for a family with children is to do a load of laundry every day, from start to finish. Don't take it out of the dryer and let it sit in the laundry basket, either!  Wash, dry, fold and put away- one load each day.  This will avoid the dreaded laundry day- when you spend hours and have to fold seven baskets of clothes.  It keeps laundry under control and you never have to be without clean clothes.   Also, save any chores that require your undivided attention for nap time or after bedtime. Don't  frustrate yourself by trying to do these things while your young child needs your attention, company or play companionship. Whatever chore that may need to be done, can wait.

Most importantly, do not feel as if you have to do it all by yourself. You are not a super hero. If you have a spouse or significant other, ask them to chip in on household chores. Children love to help out, and depending on their ages, there are multiple things they can do. In addition, when all is said and done, remember, don't forget to take out some time for yourself.  Everyone needs a break especially work at home moms!

If you have a time management tips or getting organized tips, please share them with us.  Hope to hear from you!  Enjoy life!!!

On June 23rd, we discussed getting paid for taking surveys, promos, trying out products and more with CashCrate and on June 30th, we talked about Pay Per Post blogging.  It is now time for part three of our four part series - ‘Work From Home Job Opportunities’.

The third way to make money working from home is…affiliate marketing.  Affiliate marketing is one of the most popular and lucrative Internet business models in the world. Simply put, affiliate marketing is a system of advertising where a merchant website will share revenue with webmasters in exchange for exposure, advertising, or other marketing efforts on the website.   Affiliate programs are extremely popular due to their simplicity and effectiveness. You can join an affiliate program, set up links and begin earning money in a matter of minutes. 

In some cases, you can join a network of affiliates that allows access to numerous merchants and a multitude of sales items. Joining one of these associate programs is a great way to build a long-term relationship with a number of affiliates.  I want to point out that affiliate marketing is a lot of hard work.  To be a successful affiliate marketer you need to…

1.  Choose a niche market

2.  Choose the best affiliate programs

3.  Create great content

4.  Track your progress

We will go into these four tips on being a successful affiliate marketer in more depth later this week.

Affiliate marketing is a win-win situation.  You make a commission for selling a merchants product or service, so the merchant is happy, because he may not have made that sale otherwise.  You are happy because you made money by having a link on your site for a particular product or service and the customer or visitor to your web site or blog is happy because they got what they needed. 

I know that if I am in the market to buy a particular item and I find it on a website that is affiliated, I will purchase it through the affiliate link because I realize that he/she will be earning a commission.  My whole way of buying online has changed since I learned that I could help other work at home moms (or anyone trying to make a living from working at home) stay wahms by making my purchases through affiliate links.

Here is how I look at it…if I’m looking for a kitchen gadget, for example, I could go to a particular stores web site and purchase it straight out, or I could go to a work at home moms website or blog (who has tried out this kitchen gadget and reviewed it) and purchase it through her affiliate link.  See the price will be the same…the difference will be that the work from home mom will get a cut of the money.  Therefore, I feel good knowing I am getting a kitchen gadget that has a good review and at the same time helping someone to continue to work from home.

Well there you have it… three ways to monetize your blog or website so you can become a work at home entrepreneur.  Next Monday we will discuss the fourth way of making money by working from home.

Did you try out the work at home opportunity of taking surveys and trying out companies promotions?  If you didn’t get a chance to explore this opportunity, you can read about it in Part One of this four part series. 

This week we will discuss pay per posting.  The one we will talk about is the most popular and that is PayPerPost.  What is pay per posting?  It is a way for bloggers to make money blogging about products, companies, reviews and more.  Advertisers get buzz generated about their products, etc. and if your post is approved you get paid. 

You have to have a blog up and running for at least 30 days.  This keeps the fly-by-night bloggers away.  You must have a blog, no websites, forums, etc.  You must let your readers know that the particular post is a sponsored post (paid by an advertiser).  Check out their TOS to get a better understanding of what you can or cannot do.  You will be looking at the blogger specific terms.   

It is free to sign up for PPP and you can make money by writing a review about a particular advertiser’s product or service.  You choose what you want to blog about and if approved, after 30 days you are paid.  Usually it is $5 - $15 per post.  If you love to write, why not get paid for it.  Just remember it is up to you to make sure you do not turn your blog into a press release. 

My advice is to write about what you want to blog about and scatter your paid post out among them.  As a rule of thumb, sponsored posts should be less than 5-10% of your blog posts. If you write 10 posts per month (about 2.5 per week), then a maximum of one sponsored post per month probably won't kill your readership.  On the other hand, if you write several posts a day you can get away with three or more paid posts a week.  In my research, I discovered bloggers that make hundreds of dollars a month, but I think it is more realistic to say that the average blogger could make $10 - $30 a month.  You cannot have more than three paid posts in a 24-hour period and there must be at least one interim post between the paid posts.  So it is possible to make approximately $45 a day.  If you love to write and have the time to make several posts a day, you could make a good living from getting paid to posts on your blog.

Give your readers good honest content.  Only do paid posts for advertisers that you honestly believe in.  This way it is a win-win situation.  To get loyal readers to your blog put them first.  Many sponsored post opportunities are for reviewing a product or service.  I recommend that you make sure you actually use the product or service before reviewing it for cash.  Don’t recommend a product or service that you know nothing about. 

Similarly give your sponsors (the paying advertisers) what they are paying for.  Write good, honest and interesting posts and you will continue to get advertisers wanting you to write for them.  This is more money for you.

In closing, I think it is up to you how much money you can make working from home.  How much time you can put into it and what you are willing to do.  As of now, we have discussed CashCrate and PPP and next week we will continue with part three of the series Work From Home Job Opportunities.

If you have any comments about Pay Per Post, we would love to hear them!  Hope to hear from you.  Enjoy Life!!!

In this four part series, I will share with you 4 ways in which you can become a work at home mom.  For that matter, a work at home dad or any work from home person.  If you are retired and want to make a little extra cash, or a college student that needs extra money these four strategies will work for you as well.  You can choose to do one, two or all four of these ideas and make a lucrative work at home income. 

Today we will discuss CashCrate.  Cash Crate is a work from home program that provides folks with a chance to make money through various company's promos and surveys.   You are rewarded a small fee for performing these activities.

This program also has a referral program that allows you to make money by promoting CashCrate to others. Once people have joined under your referral link, you will also make a small percentage from the surveys and promos they complete, usually between 10-25%. 

One thing that I like about them is that they specify which offers require credit card info. This lets you avoid those offers if you are not comfortable disclosing that information. 

The reason I’m mentioning CashCrate is that you do not have to have a website or blog to make money with them.  All you need is Internet connection.  It is free to join and you find offers to complete.  You Get Paid to Do offers, trials, daily surveys and shopping.  If you have a blog or website, you can place a link on it to get referrals but completing the surveys, trials, etc. only requires that you have access to a computer.

One tip, be sure you read the Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and any other relevant information on an advertiser’s site before you do an offer. While Cash Crate tries to give you a general idea of what an offer is and how much it costs, they can’t guarantee that the information is accurate or up-to-date.  Be sure to check for yourself first.

Now to be honest, I’m not sure if you could make a great living from CashCrate alone.  It is very possible to make $30 to $40 a month.  And, yes, I know many people make more than that but I think it takes a lot of time and effort to do so.  In fact, I know a couple of moms that make over $30.00 a day, and there is a woman named Amy Bass who got a check for $1,800.00 from CashCrate and averages $400.00 a month.  However, I think making an extra 30 bucks or so a month is quite possible and it is free to join.

I am a member so if you join I will get a referral.  And if you have a blog or website and you place a referral link on your site, when someone clicks and joins from your site you will get a referral.  I am a strong believer in the Law of Attraction, so if you do something to help someone else it will come back to you tenfold.  For example, I discovered CashCrate through a blog so when I joined they got credit, I could have gone through the site without clicking on her referral link but since I was interested in ways of making extra money any ways, why not let someone else benefit as well.  I see it as a win win situation.

My main reason for telling you about these work at home opportunities is that I strongly believe that women should help each other.  We need to support and lift each other up.  I love being able to work from home so that I can be with my son.  I want to share with other mothers ways in which you can stay at home with your kids and make money too.

Next Monday we will discuss the second work from home opportunity.  Until then, if you have any comments or questions concerning CashCrate let us know.  Hope to hear from you!  Enjoy Life!!!

Are you *qualified* to start an Internet business? If you're like most people, you probably measure your qualifications by your technical skills...

• Your ability to design a web site...
• Your ability to write sales copy...
• Your ability to drive traffic...

But the reality is, NONE of that matters.

Building a business is a FORMULA. If you can understand instructions and follow the formula, you WILL make money online. So if it's that simple, why do SO MANY people fail at it?

Personality!

See, there are certain personality traits -- inherent in some, but LEARNED by others -- that allow people to easily succeed, and other traits that cause people to constantly FAIL. If you could identify those traits, wouldn't you have a better chance at being successful?

Well, here's your opportunity to find out...

... because I've been authorized by none other than Derek Gehl *himself* to offer you a FREE copy of his brand-new report, which lays out the exact traits necessary to succeed online.

The report will be available within the next 48 hours, and is based on Derek's personal observations following a DECADE of working with thousands of successful Internet entrepreneurs from around the world.

And like I said: he's allowing me to offer a copy to all of you for free... no strings attached.

When you get it, you can do one of two things:

• Nothing... which is definitely an "unsuccessful trait".
• Study it and figure out if you have the inherent prerequisites for success, or if you need to LEARN them.

So if you would like a copy of this report, for FREE, go to:

http://www.marketingtips.com/qualify/t/1260157

This morning I got a very interesting email from Derek
Gehl, talking about some project he is working on. 
It was kind of cryptic and I am still scratching my head
trying to figure out what the heck he is up to...

But if I know him, we should pay close attention because
I am sure it will be profitable for all of us.

Anyway, rather than retype everything he wrote me, I
have just pasted it here...

DEREK’S EMAIL TO ME:
----------------------------------
Hey Donna,

Derek Gehl here... I hope all is well with you and your biz!

Just wanted to drop you a quick email to let you in on
an “amazing project” I am working on that has to be
one of the best training ideas I have ever come up with...

I’ve finally found a way for my team and me to work with
people who want to start their own Internet businesses
on a level I am surprised I’ve never thought of before...

A way for us to be right beside their computer...

In their own homes...

Teaching people how to build their own successful Internet
businesses from scratch!

I am still wrapping up the loose ends and I will not be completely
ready until late June but I got excited and wanted to tell some
key people about it now.

And Donna, if you have anyone you want to
tell about this, you must do it now...

... because I can only allow 300 serious entrepreneurs to take
part. So please don’t show this link to people who you think
will waste my time.

Anyway, I am not giving out too much info today but to give
you a hint, go to...

http://www.marketingtips.com/dereks-project/t/1260157

And if you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to call...

Derek Gehl, CEO
The Internet Marketing Center

---------------------------------------
So what was the first thing I did when I got this email?

Simple... I clicked on the link he gave me, and then followed
the instructions to take a sneak peek... even I don’t want to
miss out on what he is working on! 

So go to the link he gave us...

http://www.marketingtips.com/dereks-project/t/1260157

Follow his instructions and let’s see what he is up to! 

Btw, if you don't know who Derek Gehl is, Wikipedia says '"Derek Gehl is a noted Internet marketing strategist, software developer, and e-commerce columnist and seminar speaker".

"Gehl currently serves as CEO of the Internet Marketing Center, a company that produces small business software and home based business and online business training guides, in addition to offering business mentoring services and marketing workshops".

I hope you find this information useful in your Internet business ventures!  If you try it out let us know how it has helped you.  Hope to hear from you!  Enjoy Life!!!

Have you been searching for FREE quality information that you can use to build a successful online business, but getting totally frustrated by the lack of *useful* content out there?  Believe me, I feel your pain!  I was in the exact same boat that you're in right now... No matter how *much* I searched, I just kept coming across  the same old recycled tips from a bunch of so-called "experts," which turned out to be nothing but thinly disguised plugs for products nobody needs or even wants! But then I came across Internet marketing guru Derek Gehl and his team at the Internet Marketing Center... ... and I quickly discovered that not all experts are created equal!

See, thanks to a lot of advice and help early on, Derek took a $25 investment and turned it into $60,000,000 in online sales -- and now, in appreciation for the support he received when he was starting out, he's determined to give back. (For instance, in the past couple of weeks alone, he's given away over $450,000 worth of free eBooks. Talk about being committed to helping YOU succeed!)

Anyway, Derek's now offering FREE TRIAL subscriptions to his exclusive members-only online profit newsletter, "Secrets To Their Success," and he's agreed to reserve a few for you!  If you haven't heard of "Secrets To Their Success" before, be prepared to be blown away, because every month, Derek and his team put together TWO extensive case studies of real people like YOU who have created online businesses that make a minimum of $100,000 a year. And these are NOT just "fluffy" personality profiles... Using intense "question and answer" interviews, Derek totally *dissects* each business, and exposes every tip... every strategy... every tool they used to start, build, and grow their businesses to their current success. You'll even hear about the mistakes they made, and how they suggest YOU avoid them!  You should check it out.

Like I said, it's totally FREE to try.  Here's the link to find out more: Secrets To Their Success.  Enjoy!

By the way,  Derek might be *enthusiastic* when it comes to giving stuff away, but he's not crazy. He's only got a limited number of FREE Trial subscriptions to go around (he IS running a business, after all), and once they're gone, they're gone... ... and I have NO idea when they'll be available again (the last time he offered them was over 3 years ago)!  So you should claim your FREE TRIAL right away. Just go to Secrets To Their Success.

It is easy for me to come up with reasons why I love working from home.  And I do love being a WAHM ( work at home mom )!  Over at SparkPlugging-WAHM 2.0, Kelly has a new blog meme for wahms - and there's a gift. She is asking moms why they love to work from home and here are my top ten reasons:

1. Being at home everyday with my son - I don't miss out on his growing up. 
2. I spend more time with my husband.
3. Being my own boss.
4. Setting my own schedule - the flexibility to work early mornings and have the rest of the day for my family or I can work at night.  The point is I work when I want to work.
5. I can make as much money as I want - if I'm willing to put in the time the skies the limit.  I don't have to wait for a yearly raise.
6. No commuting - with today's soaring gas prices this one is a big plus.
7. I can take off in the middle of the day to see a matinee with my family or take a whole day off when I want.
8. It is a great creative outlet.
9. I can stay in my jammies - all day if I want (I don't, but just knowing I can, is nice).
10. Saves money - Not to mention gas money as I mentioned above, but child-care, money spent on lunches and expenses for clothing.

If you are a wahm make a post about why you love working from home and let Kelly at sparkplugging know by clicking on the image.  I would love to hear why you love working at home so feel free to comment.  I hope to hear from you!  Enjoy Life!!!