SHARING FROM "A TASTE OF HOME MAGAZINE"
To Clean Windows:
Inexpensively, take a small handful of cornstarch to 3 to 4 quarts of water. Wash the windows with this solution and dry with a paper towel. Works great! I cleans and dries them faster than anything else.
Here's a way to save money on cleaning supplies: Use a wet sponge with baking soda to scrub your kitchen sink, bathroom and even your tile floors. You get a nice shine!
To clean mini blinds or slats of shutters, use a clean paintbrush. It's a lot cheaper than buying expensive blind cleaning tools!
To clean bathroom drains of hair and kitchen drains of grease, pour 1 cup of baking soda into drain, then i cup of vinegar. When it starts to foam, flush the drain with hot water.
When washing windows pour a little vinegar into the pail of warm water. The glass will clean brighter and you won't have streaks.
To rid a room of tobacco odor, put a pint of hot water in a bowl and add 3 tablespoons of ammonia. Leave the bowl in the closed room overnight. The air out the room in the morning.
Use baking soda to polish the chrome fixtures in your bathroom. Put a small amount on a wet cloth, rub the fixtures and dry with a soft cloth. They'll look like new.
To wash shower curtains, fill your washer with warm water and add two large bath towels, 1/2 cup detergent and 1/2 cup baking soda. Run through an entire wash cycle. On the rinse cycle, add 1 cup vinegar.
Do Not spin-dry or wash out the vinegar. Hang curtains immediately. Wrinkles will disappear once the curtains are dry. Note: this won't work without the bath towels!
To remove a soil or grease spot from a nylon or wool rug, just apply cornstarch to the soiled area, rub with a nylon vegetable brush and sweep up with a vacuum.
Salt is great for removing fruit and wine stains from your tablecloth and napkins. Cover the stain immediately with salt; let stand a short time. Wash in cool water.
You can remove stains from the inside of your dishwasher inexpensively and without scrubbing if you use this hint. Just fill the soap dispenser with dry orange flavored breakfast drink mix and run the empty dishwasher through a cycle. The dishwasher will sparkle!
One of the oldest ideas for removing rust stains - and one that still works best - is to moisten the stain with lemon juice, cover it with salt and dry in the sun. Then wash as usual.
An uncorked bottle of lemon juice is an effective bathroom deodorizer. The lemon juice doesn't give off any odor of its own, and is a pleasant alternative to sweet-smelling commercial air fresheners.
To get onion aroma off your hands, simply wet them and gently rub in salt. Then rinse and wash with your usual soap - the smell will be gone.
I use an inexpensive paintbrush sprayed with furniture polish to dust model cars, picture frames and hard-to-get-at nooks and crannies.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Friday, May 14, 2010
Are You A Mom? What Do You Buy?
Are you a mom? What do you spend your money on? The big impact on the consumer market, is the buying power of moms, and this cannot be denied. Keep reading and see if we get it right, there is something you might learn about the way mothers are buying.
Moms with Young Children
When you have children the buying habits change. Even though moms secretly love to shop and get the cute clothing and gadgets for their babies, most of the buying is necessary. In fact, according to an Online Behavior and Demographics survey by Jupiter Media Metrix, over 40 percent of moms will buy items online that are on sale. These same items probably wouldn’t have been purchased in the store.
Adding children to the mix becomes a whole new arena of buying to think about. New moms are buying diapers, bottles, breast pumps and onesies, instead of buying fashionable shoes and clothing (which you can still squeeze in if you are a savvy shopper). Fashion has come to the small and sweet-smelling and moms are all for it. Why shouldn’t your baby be the best dressed on the playground in Old Navy and OshKosh B’Gosh?
Moms with babies and young children are new to the scene, they are curious to find out about new products before buying them. They get recommendations from other moms, or veteran moms, online or off line that influencing the buying power of moms with babies and young children.
Moms with Older Kids
This is where the buying habits gets interesting. Ten years ago the one thing moms knew that technology cost quite a bit of money and they made sure their money was well spent. They didn’t know how to shop for an iPod, a PDA or an Xbox.
Now the moms of older children are leaning the lingo. The moms are becoming knowledgeable about iPods, gaming systems, netbooks and other gadgets, they are shopping and purchasing now. Moms have found that using technology is just as fun as purchasing it for their kids.
Baby Boomer Moms
Life has come full circle for these moms. They are now taking care of aging parents. New issues take precedence in their life such as senior healthcare, coping with illness, reverse mortgages, assisted living and managing more than one household.
No more diaper or bicycle buying for these moms. They are now searching for specialized items to fit the needs of their parents while adjusting to life as empty nesters. Moms 45 and over are downsizing their homes and shopping for items related to their favorite hobbies, buying vacationing packages.
The buying habits of moms change and grow as their responsibilities do the same. If you a mom in any of these phases, we have tried to present an accurate picture of you. For young moms, you now know what is ahead of you.
Moms with Young Children
When you have children the buying habits change. Even though moms secretly love to shop and get the cute clothing and gadgets for their babies, most of the buying is necessary. In fact, according to an Online Behavior and Demographics survey by Jupiter Media Metrix, over 40 percent of moms will buy items online that are on sale. These same items probably wouldn’t have been purchased in the store.
Adding children to the mix becomes a whole new arena of buying to think about. New moms are buying diapers, bottles, breast pumps and onesies, instead of buying fashionable shoes and clothing (which you can still squeeze in if you are a savvy shopper). Fashion has come to the small and sweet-smelling and moms are all for it. Why shouldn’t your baby be the best dressed on the playground in Old Navy and OshKosh B’Gosh?
Moms with babies and young children are new to the scene, they are curious to find out about new products before buying them. They get recommendations from other moms, or veteran moms, online or off line that influencing the buying power of moms with babies and young children.
Moms with Older Kids
This is where the buying habits gets interesting. Ten years ago the one thing moms knew that technology cost quite a bit of money and they made sure their money was well spent. They didn’t know how to shop for an iPod, a PDA or an Xbox.
Now the moms of older children are leaning the lingo. The moms are becoming knowledgeable about iPods, gaming systems, netbooks and other gadgets, they are shopping and purchasing now. Moms have found that using technology is just as fun as purchasing it for their kids.
Baby Boomer Moms
Life has come full circle for these moms. They are now taking care of aging parents. New issues take precedence in their life such as senior healthcare, coping with illness, reverse mortgages, assisted living and managing more than one household.
No more diaper or bicycle buying for these moms. They are now searching for specialized items to fit the needs of their parents while adjusting to life as empty nesters. Moms 45 and over are downsizing their homes and shopping for items related to their favorite hobbies, buying vacationing packages.
The buying habits of moms change and grow as their responsibilities do the same. If you a mom in any of these phases, we have tried to present an accurate picture of you. For young moms, you now know what is ahead of you.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Burning the Fat: Aerobics and Your Body
Sharing an aerobics programs can do many great things for your body. You can use it to burn fat in ways that are easier on your body than dieting is one of the greatest things about aerobics.There are many ways that you can train your body to do the work that it is supposed to in order to really get the most out of the aerobics that you are doing. That is why it is very simple to burn fat using aerobics as exercise
When you are doing aerobics on a regular basis burning fat is something that you can finally take control of. Building up a sweat and working on your heart rate, all of your muscles are also getting great things out of the aerobics work that you are doing. As you bring new blood and oxygen to all of your body systems, you are going to find that you are giving yourself the best chance to really get rid of all that unwanted fat as you go along.
Keeping you body in constant motion, all of the body systems are working hard to maintain body functions at a normal rate. Your muscles need to be moving more; your heart is going to have to work harder because the only way to get your muscles to move faster is to supply them with more blood and therefore more oxygen. Because your heart has to work harder your lungs need to work harder to provide your heart with the oxygen that it needs to keep pumping.
All of these things are going to work, with each other to make a situation in which you are really getting the most out of your entire work out.
With all of these systems are working together, you are going to find that you are much stronger than you think you would be. As your entire body fights to work harder, you are going to find that actually you are burning fat because your body needs energy to keep moving and to stay moving at a certain rate.
It will find this energy in the stored pockets of fat that you have in your body. All of these things are going to happen quickly, and you will find that you are going to be much better off as you start to work out using aerobics more often.
Want more information: How to E-book Based on University Studies on Burnning Fat up to 9 Times Faster Than Tradition Cardio Exercises While Strengthening Your Heart In An Hour or Less Per Week Click Here!
When you are doing aerobics on a regular basis burning fat is something that you can finally take control of. Building up a sweat and working on your heart rate, all of your muscles are also getting great things out of the aerobics work that you are doing. As you bring new blood and oxygen to all of your body systems, you are going to find that you are giving yourself the best chance to really get rid of all that unwanted fat as you go along.
Keeping you body in constant motion, all of the body systems are working hard to maintain body functions at a normal rate. Your muscles need to be moving more; your heart is going to have to work harder because the only way to get your muscles to move faster is to supply them with more blood and therefore more oxygen. Because your heart has to work harder your lungs need to work harder to provide your heart with the oxygen that it needs to keep pumping.
All of these things are going to work, with each other to make a situation in which you are really getting the most out of your entire work out.
With all of these systems are working together, you are going to find that you are much stronger than you think you would be. As your entire body fights to work harder, you are going to find that actually you are burning fat because your body needs energy to keep moving and to stay moving at a certain rate.
It will find this energy in the stored pockets of fat that you have in your body. All of these things are going to happen quickly, and you will find that you are going to be much better off as you start to work out using aerobics more often.
Want more information: How to E-book Based on University Studies on Burnning Fat up to 9 Times Faster Than Tradition Cardio Exercises While Strengthening Your Heart In An Hour or Less Per Week Click Here!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
What Can I Do With Personal Development PLR Articles?
I have always wanted to have an influx of high quality content to use for my website and I'm sure you want that too. However, once people have it they don't know what to do. It can be a little overwhelming when you have always struggle with the creative end of things and you suddenly don't have that standing in your way.
Excellent self-help private label right articles (PLR), the content is already optimized, such as the ones from PLR.me, to bring visitors to your website and provide them with valuable information. You can combine them to create totally new products. You can copy and paste them or tweak them any way you like. The choice is yours.
Ways You Can Use Your Personal Development PLR Articles.
When you have a membership with PLR.me you'll be able to accomplish a ton with you PLR self-help articles. Some of the things you are encouraged to do include:
• Offer the articles, affirmations, reports, eBooks, and worksheets as a bonus.
• Combine the articles to create a unique eBook.
• Provide them as a valuable addition to your membership site.
• Give the articles away to your costumers to boost loyalty.
• Revise and rename the articles to make them unique.
• Package them with other products to add value.
• Post them as content on your website.
• Use them to entice new subscribers to your newsletter.
You will be able to do even more, within these ideas, with your PLR personal development articles. Such as:
1. Present a teleseminar with the information.
2. Post the content on a blog.
3. Create a video and post it on your website or YouTube.
4. Use the material within an e-book as a starting point.
5. Use the information to record a podcast or audio CD.
6. Offer print-on-demand books quickly and easily.
Your options with PLR.me's Personal Development PLR content are wide open. Be as creative as you want. In face, the open ended nature of the content is what makes PRL self-help articles so attractive! Do what you want with the content to make it yours and to appeal to your targeted audience to the very best of your ability.
With the membership at PLR.me you can take the PLR articles and content packs and bend them, shape them and mold them to your needs. Each month you will have all the content you need to keep you website looking fresh and to really drive traffic like never before.
Are There Limits?
While you use your PLR health articles to promote your website in new and interesting ways month in and month out, there are some limitations to your private label content from PLR.me.
The few limitations include:
• You cannot syndicate the articles in the article directories.
• You cannot sell the resale rights.
• You cannot sell the content in an auction.
• You cannot sell the master resale rights.
• You cannot sell the private label rights.
As you can see, when you use PLR personal development articles from PLR.me there is a lot more that you can do than you cannot do!
Take the initiative today to generate a constant flow of traffic to your website that will bring in targeted prospects and profitable sales.
Check out PLR.me for the best private label content, and your customers will reward you. Go Here.
Excellent self-help private label right articles (PLR), the content is already optimized, such as the ones from PLR.me, to bring visitors to your website and provide them with valuable information. You can combine them to create totally new products. You can copy and paste them or tweak them any way you like. The choice is yours.
Ways You Can Use Your Personal Development PLR Articles.
When you have a membership with PLR.me you'll be able to accomplish a ton with you PLR self-help articles. Some of the things you are encouraged to do include:
• Offer the articles, affirmations, reports, eBooks, and worksheets as a bonus.
• Combine the articles to create a unique eBook.
• Provide them as a valuable addition to your membership site.
• Give the articles away to your costumers to boost loyalty.
• Revise and rename the articles to make them unique.
• Package them with other products to add value.
• Post them as content on your website.
• Use them to entice new subscribers to your newsletter.
You will be able to do even more, within these ideas, with your PLR personal development articles. Such as:
1. Present a teleseminar with the information.
2. Post the content on a blog.
3. Create a video and post it on your website or YouTube.
4. Use the material within an e-book as a starting point.
5. Use the information to record a podcast or audio CD.
6. Offer print-on-demand books quickly and easily.
Your options with PLR.me's Personal Development PLR content are wide open. Be as creative as you want. In face, the open ended nature of the content is what makes PRL self-help articles so attractive! Do what you want with the content to make it yours and to appeal to your targeted audience to the very best of your ability.
With the membership at PLR.me you can take the PLR articles and content packs and bend them, shape them and mold them to your needs. Each month you will have all the content you need to keep you website looking fresh and to really drive traffic like never before.
Are There Limits?
While you use your PLR health articles to promote your website in new and interesting ways month in and month out, there are some limitations to your private label content from PLR.me.
The few limitations include:
• You cannot syndicate the articles in the article directories.
• You cannot sell the resale rights.
• You cannot sell the content in an auction.
• You cannot sell the master resale rights.
• You cannot sell the private label rights.
As you can see, when you use PLR personal development articles from PLR.me there is a lot more that you can do than you cannot do!
Take the initiative today to generate a constant flow of traffic to your website that will bring in targeted prospects and profitable sales.
Check out PLR.me for the best private label content, and your customers will reward you. Go Here.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Recipe: Blueberry Pancakes
Sharing recipes are a favorite of mine just want to share this great breakfast one with you.
Per Serving: 280 calories, 10g fat, calories from fat is 32.1% protein 8g, cholesterol it 59mg, dietary fiber 207g.
In the (vegan substitute version)
Ingredients:
1 cup blueberries
1 cup buttermilk (1 cup of soy milk and 1 teaspoon of Bragg's apple cider vinegar)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt (sea salt)
2 tablespoons of sugar (dry sweetener)
1 egg slightly beaten (egg replacer to equal 1 egg)
2/3 cup of all purpose flour (unbleached flour)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup whole grain flour
Cooking Directions:
Shift first 6 ingredients except blueberries, together in a large bowl. Combine next 3 ingredients in another bowl. Stir buttermilk (1 cup of soy milk and 1 teaspoon of Bragg's apple cider vinegar) mixture into dry ingredients until just combined. Do not over mix.
Heat a heavy nonstick skillet or griddle over medium high heat to 375 degrees F. When hot, lightly brush surface with oil.
Add about 1/3 cup of batter per pancake to skillet. Sprinkle a few blueberries over each round of pancake batter and cook 2-3 minutes, or until small holes appear in batter and bottom is browned. Turn cakes and cook about 1 minute or until browned.
Repeat process until all pancakes are cooked. Serve immediately with desired toppings or keep warm in a 200 degree oven until ready to serve.
Per Serving: 280 calories, 10g fat, calories from fat is 32.1% protein 8g, cholesterol it 59mg, dietary fiber 207g.
In the (vegan substitute version)
Ingredients:
1 cup blueberries
1 cup buttermilk (1 cup of soy milk and 1 teaspoon of Bragg's apple cider vinegar)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt (sea salt)
2 tablespoons of sugar (dry sweetener)
1 egg slightly beaten (egg replacer to equal 1 egg)
2/3 cup of all purpose flour (unbleached flour)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup whole grain flour
Cooking Directions:
Shift first 6 ingredients except blueberries, together in a large bowl. Combine next 3 ingredients in another bowl. Stir buttermilk (1 cup of soy milk and 1 teaspoon of Bragg's apple cider vinegar) mixture into dry ingredients until just combined. Do not over mix.
Heat a heavy nonstick skillet or griddle over medium high heat to 375 degrees F. When hot, lightly brush surface with oil.
Add about 1/3 cup of batter per pancake to skillet. Sprinkle a few blueberries over each round of pancake batter and cook 2-3 minutes, or until small holes appear in batter and bottom is browned. Turn cakes and cook about 1 minute or until browned.
Repeat process until all pancakes are cooked. Serve immediately with desired toppings or keep warm in a 200 degree oven until ready to serve.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Start Your Own Affiliate Program
Affiliate marketing is a hot topic these days. With the economy in such a slump everyone is looking for ways to earn a few extra bucks. Affiliate programs are providing that need to many people.
Or maybe you are on the other end of that spectrum and have products or services you would like to promote and sell and would love to offer an affiliate program where your affiliates can do the 'leg work' for you.
Check out the Mom's Talk Biz Guide, Start Your Own Affiliate Program and learn not only how to start an affiliate program but the types of tools and options are available, the different promotional resources you can use, how to choose a commission rate and how to pay your affiliates, just to name a few!
Even if you decide not to purchase the guide you can still grab, no strings attached, a free learning guide about setting up an affiliate program. Check outStart Your Own Affiliate Program for more details and to grab your free learning guide.
Or maybe you are on the other end of that spectrum and have products or services you would like to promote and sell and would love to offer an affiliate program where your affiliates can do the 'leg work' for you.
Check out the Mom's Talk Biz Guide, Start Your Own Affiliate Program and learn not only how to start an affiliate program but the types of tools and options are available, the different promotional resources you can use, how to choose a commission rate and how to pay your affiliates, just to name a few!
Even if you decide not to purchase the guide you can still grab, no strings attached, a free learning guide about setting up an affiliate program. Check outStart Your Own Affiliate Program for more details and to grab your free learning guide.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
When You Want To Learn Wordpress
When You Want To Learn Wordpress
Wordpress is the website building tool of choice for many business owners these days. It’s a great option. No software needed on your computer, great functionality and flexibility – and you can update your site content from any computer, netbook or smart phone. It’s no wonder that it’s become so popular.
You’ve probably heard that Wordpress is incredibly user friendly – and it is! Still, most first time users find it overwhelming at first. If you ever tried to tackle Wordpress on your own and felt like giving up, you’re not at all alone. There’s a lot to take in at first.
I was lucky though. I had several patient friends available to help me over the learning curve. Still, I wouldn’t say that I felt truly comfortable for months after. The more I got to know it, the more I realized that Wordpress is both simple and complex all at the same time.
If you only want to use Wordpress to publish content, it’s pretty darned simple. The visual editor operates like any basic word processor. You enter content, press publish and you’re finished.
Think of Wordpress as being three things at once.
1. It’s a Content Management Script that runs on your web server, letting you enter content as easily as writing an email.
2. Your content is stored in a Database on your web server.
3. Finally, it wears a Theme, a set of template files, that determines how the content is displayed online.
Entering content is easy. The database takes care of itself. Customization, want to alter your design and manipulate the database for special needs, you have to tap a whole other area of knowledge and that’s where many get stuck.
There’s good news and bad news for those who want to learn more about managing their Wordpress site. The good news is that there’s a huge resource of documents and a large community of developers and users who are willing to answer your questions. The bad news is that there’s a huge resource of documents and a large community of developers and users… ;)
The trouble for newcomers is usually that they don’t know how to ask the right questions to produce the answers they really need. The documents and forums seem to be written in a foreign language and newbie questions are often answered with links to more foreign explanations that just add to their feelings of overwhelm.
My advice? Don’t give up. Keep asking questions. To get the best answers, provide as much information about your problem as you can. If you’re persistent, you’ll find that things come easier over time.
About the Author:
Kelly McCausey of Mom’s Talk Biz invites you to Wordpress Orientation, your all access pass to exclusive Wordpress learning. We demonstrate answers to your questions during our live web conference sessions. If you’re goal is to do it yourself Wordpress Orientation is your pathway to learning how.
Wordpress is the website building tool of choice for many business owners these days. It’s a great option. No software needed on your computer, great functionality and flexibility – and you can update your site content from any computer, netbook or smart phone. It’s no wonder that it’s become so popular.
You’ve probably heard that Wordpress is incredibly user friendly – and it is! Still, most first time users find it overwhelming at first. If you ever tried to tackle Wordpress on your own and felt like giving up, you’re not at all alone. There’s a lot to take in at first.
I was lucky though. I had several patient friends available to help me over the learning curve. Still, I wouldn’t say that I felt truly comfortable for months after. The more I got to know it, the more I realized that Wordpress is both simple and complex all at the same time.
If you only want to use Wordpress to publish content, it’s pretty darned simple. The visual editor operates like any basic word processor. You enter content, press publish and you’re finished.
Think of Wordpress as being three things at once.
1. It’s a Content Management Script that runs on your web server, letting you enter content as easily as writing an email.
2. Your content is stored in a Database on your web server.
3. Finally, it wears a Theme, a set of template files, that determines how the content is displayed online.
Entering content is easy. The database takes care of itself. Customization, want to alter your design and manipulate the database for special needs, you have to tap a whole other area of knowledge and that’s where many get stuck.
There’s good news and bad news for those who want to learn more about managing their Wordpress site. The good news is that there’s a huge resource of documents and a large community of developers and users who are willing to answer your questions. The bad news is that there’s a huge resource of documents and a large community of developers and users… ;)
The trouble for newcomers is usually that they don’t know how to ask the right questions to produce the answers they really need. The documents and forums seem to be written in a foreign language and newbie questions are often answered with links to more foreign explanations that just add to their feelings of overwhelm.
My advice? Don’t give up. Keep asking questions. To get the best answers, provide as much information about your problem as you can. If you’re persistent, you’ll find that things come easier over time.
About the Author:
Kelly McCausey of Mom’s Talk Biz invites you to Wordpress Orientation, your all access pass to exclusive Wordpress learning. We demonstrate answers to your questions during our live web conference sessions. If you’re goal is to do it yourself Wordpress Orientation is your pathway to learning how.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Virtual Assistants Are Oftentimes Moms, Like You and Me
Mom, You Can Become an Online Virtual Assistant
by Nicole Dean
Virtual Assistants are oftentimes moms, like you and me, who want to work from home. A Virtual Assistant (or VA) can offer clients any number of services from their home-based location, rather than being at a traditional office. VAs can earn a nice income, charging somewhere in the area of $10 to $30 per hour, with specialized or more technical services ranging around $50 per hour.
If you have basic computer skills, a general knowledge of how an office works, or even specific skills that business owners are looking for, you certainly will want to consider starting your very own Virtual Assistant business from home. Your start up costs will include a good computer and home office setting, but the ongoing business expenses are minimal. Here are some tips to help you get started.
Services You Will Offer: Before you start, decide which services are within your skill set or expertise. Do you love booking travel plans for people? Can you type extremely fast? Are your spreadsheet or word documents dead-on accurate all the time? Are you in your element talking to people on the phone? Can you troubleshoot mixed-up orders or information? Can you design a web page? In offering services to clients, you'll need to decide what you are suited for, and develop a strategy for working with your clients that hire you.
The Virtual Assistant Starter Pack” can help you with this step and each of the ones below.
Put Together a Business Plan: Before taking the next step of starting a Virtual Assistance business, you will want to write a business plan that includes an overview of your business, mission statement, marketing and financial plan. To help you put together your plan, decide which services to offer, etc., please review the link at the end of this article.
A Home Office That Suits Your Business: Many people have small home offices, but you'll want to go beyond working from your laptop on the kitchen table. The home office used for your Virtual Assistant business should be quiet and comfortable -- preferably with a door that you can close! Invest in a nice desk for your computer and printer when you can afford it. Consider a separate telephone line in your home office if you wish to keep client calls from being answered by family. Keep in mind that, as your client list expands, so will your business, so in the future you may want to include items like a scanner and additional storage for client information.
Your Software Needs: The software you choose for your computer will depend on the services you intend to offer clients. Your budget will determine which software programs you can purchase, but be sure you are installing only reliable programs. Upgrading your computer and purchasing new software is something that you'll be doing right along as your business grows. We suggest researching and networking with other VAs to get recommendations for the best software available.
Marketing 101: Along with getting business cards, letterhead and address labels professionally prepared, you'll need to set up a website that will serve as your "virtual office"; a place where potential and current clients can visit you online. Add information about your services, contact information and testimonials once the work starts coming in. To get started, you might offer some services free to a few business owners in return for feedback and to build your portfolio. Your service business will grow best through word of mouth.
You can enjoy your new career and make good money in the process from home. Virtual Assistants are highly in demand in an uncertain economy. When a small business owner has the option of taking on the expense and commitment of a full-time employee verses opting for a Virtual Assistant as a consultant part-time, you can see why this opportunity is growing. Get started today.
Recommended Additional Resource:
To get a full overview of what you need to start your Virtual Assistant business, how to set up your website, market your business and keep your clients, check out the Virtual Assistant Starter Pack”. You’ll learn from two professional VAs who share their success strategies, allowing you to cut your learning curve and get your business profitable much more quickly.
by Nicole Dean
Virtual Assistants are oftentimes moms, like you and me, who want to work from home. A Virtual Assistant (or VA) can offer clients any number of services from their home-based location, rather than being at a traditional office. VAs can earn a nice income, charging somewhere in the area of $10 to $30 per hour, with specialized or more technical services ranging around $50 per hour.
If you have basic computer skills, a general knowledge of how an office works, or even specific skills that business owners are looking for, you certainly will want to consider starting your very own Virtual Assistant business from home. Your start up costs will include a good computer and home office setting, but the ongoing business expenses are minimal. Here are some tips to help you get started.
Services You Will Offer: Before you start, decide which services are within your skill set or expertise. Do you love booking travel plans for people? Can you type extremely fast? Are your spreadsheet or word documents dead-on accurate all the time? Are you in your element talking to people on the phone? Can you troubleshoot mixed-up orders or information? Can you design a web page? In offering services to clients, you'll need to decide what you are suited for, and develop a strategy for working with your clients that hire you.
The Virtual Assistant Starter Pack” can help you with this step and each of the ones below.
Put Together a Business Plan: Before taking the next step of starting a Virtual Assistance business, you will want to write a business plan that includes an overview of your business, mission statement, marketing and financial plan. To help you put together your plan, decide which services to offer, etc., please review the link at the end of this article.
A Home Office That Suits Your Business: Many people have small home offices, but you'll want to go beyond working from your laptop on the kitchen table. The home office used for your Virtual Assistant business should be quiet and comfortable -- preferably with a door that you can close! Invest in a nice desk for your computer and printer when you can afford it. Consider a separate telephone line in your home office if you wish to keep client calls from being answered by family. Keep in mind that, as your client list expands, so will your business, so in the future you may want to include items like a scanner and additional storage for client information.
Your Software Needs: The software you choose for your computer will depend on the services you intend to offer clients. Your budget will determine which software programs you can purchase, but be sure you are installing only reliable programs. Upgrading your computer and purchasing new software is something that you'll be doing right along as your business grows. We suggest researching and networking with other VAs to get recommendations for the best software available.
Marketing 101: Along with getting business cards, letterhead and address labels professionally prepared, you'll need to set up a website that will serve as your "virtual office"; a place where potential and current clients can visit you online. Add information about your services, contact information and testimonials once the work starts coming in. To get started, you might offer some services free to a few business owners in return for feedback and to build your portfolio. Your service business will grow best through word of mouth.
You can enjoy your new career and make good money in the process from home. Virtual Assistants are highly in demand in an uncertain economy. When a small business owner has the option of taking on the expense and commitment of a full-time employee verses opting for a Virtual Assistant as a consultant part-time, you can see why this opportunity is growing. Get started today.
Recommended Additional Resource:
To get a full overview of what you need to start your Virtual Assistant business, how to set up your website, market your business and keep your clients, check out the Virtual Assistant Starter Pack”. You’ll learn from two professional VAs who share their success strategies, allowing you to cut your learning curve and get your business profitable much more quickly.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Starting a Mom Blog: What’s the Motivation?
Blogging is a way to create a presence in cyberspace for a number of reasons. Mom’s blog for many reasons. In the age of product review perks from big companies, what is the motivation for mom bloggers?
It is true that your motivation will either spur you on to continue or lead you to quit in midstream. Determining your motivation before you begin a blog can keep you honest throughout your blogging experience.
1. Keep in touch with family and friends. Many of the mom blogs on the Internet won’t take off virally like the ones you read about. They are created as a way to share photos of the new baby and stories about his or her activities. For soldiers overseas and family members living miles apart, using webcams and blogs help them to stay connected with their family.
2. Sharing knowledge with other women is important. Moms crave interaction with other moms and women in general. There is no handbook for perfect child rearing so moms share what they have learned or situations they are in and need advice about on their blogs. If even one mom’s life is changed for the better then it was well worth the effort.
3. Sharing stories about kids. When you upload photos into cyberspace, remember that these photos could end up anywhere else on the Internet. Avoid posting embarrassing pictures of your children or anything that you wouldn’t want shown anywhere else.
4. Take the good with the bad. As a blogger, you are going to get feedback. Everyone won’t be complementary with their opinions of your views on life and the world. Be prepared for negative feedback and crazy people. It can be disconcerting the first time but you’ll develop a thick skin as you strive to make a difference.
5. Make a few bucks online. There are many ways to monetize a blog. Joining affiliate programs can bring you money as you blog away about your favorite topic – your family. There is nothing wrong with making money while you blog. The problem is coming in when moms make money with their blog posts, specifically product reviews that are a result of company freebies and monetary compensation. This isn’t to say product reviews shouldn’t be done and free products shouldn’t be accepted, but be honest about what you review. If you didn’t like something about a product, say so. Remember, you have readers who are counting on you to be honest with them…don’t sell them out just to make a few dollars.
6. Being true to yourself. At the end of each day, you will have to look at yourself in the mirror. Will you like what you see? Some believe that mom bloggers are selling out to the corporations. If you are not, maintain your integrity even in the event of company courting. It is not a crime to take free merchandise. Make sure that you inform your readers about the free items and give your honest opinion in the review, good or bad.
Are you thinking about beginning a mom blog? Examine your reasons for writing before getting started.
It is true that your motivation will either spur you on to continue or lead you to quit in midstream. Determining your motivation before you begin a blog can keep you honest throughout your blogging experience.
1. Keep in touch with family and friends. Many of the mom blogs on the Internet won’t take off virally like the ones you read about. They are created as a way to share photos of the new baby and stories about his or her activities. For soldiers overseas and family members living miles apart, using webcams and blogs help them to stay connected with their family.
2. Sharing knowledge with other women is important. Moms crave interaction with other moms and women in general. There is no handbook for perfect child rearing so moms share what they have learned or situations they are in and need advice about on their blogs. If even one mom’s life is changed for the better then it was well worth the effort.
3. Sharing stories about kids. When you upload photos into cyberspace, remember that these photos could end up anywhere else on the Internet. Avoid posting embarrassing pictures of your children or anything that you wouldn’t want shown anywhere else.
4. Take the good with the bad. As a blogger, you are going to get feedback. Everyone won’t be complementary with their opinions of your views on life and the world. Be prepared for negative feedback and crazy people. It can be disconcerting the first time but you’ll develop a thick skin as you strive to make a difference.
5. Make a few bucks online. There are many ways to monetize a blog. Joining affiliate programs can bring you money as you blog away about your favorite topic – your family. There is nothing wrong with making money while you blog. The problem is coming in when moms make money with their blog posts, specifically product reviews that are a result of company freebies and monetary compensation. This isn’t to say product reviews shouldn’t be done and free products shouldn’t be accepted, but be honest about what you review. If you didn’t like something about a product, say so. Remember, you have readers who are counting on you to be honest with them…don’t sell them out just to make a few dollars.
6. Being true to yourself. At the end of each day, you will have to look at yourself in the mirror. Will you like what you see? Some believe that mom bloggers are selling out to the corporations. If you are not, maintain your integrity even in the event of company courting. It is not a crime to take free merchandise. Make sure that you inform your readers about the free items and give your honest opinion in the review, good or bad.
Are you thinking about beginning a mom blog? Examine your reasons for writing before getting started.
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