Balancing Home And Work?

Congratulations! You're a lucky stay at home mom if you are balancing home and work. You have managed the best of both worlds by choosing to stay at home with your children while still advancing in your career.

So how do you make it work? Here are a few tips:

PRIORITIZE. A clearly defined schedule will help you stay on task. When you are balancing home and work as I do, it helps to have as much of a schedule as you can...

Break your 'home based business work' into manageable chunks.. While my children are doing their homeschool... I like to do admin and computer work as much as I can, in between explaining their lessons. I save most of my phone work for when they are all done and off playing or doing chores.

If you have pre-school ages, you will need to make the most of quiet time. When are you most productive? It may be possible for you to get work done during the day (while your children are napping or at pre-school), but, chances are, the best opportunities for productivity occur when your child is down for the night... or before they are up for the day!

Remember your priorities. It seems to work better, as you are trying to balance work and family.... if you see to their needs first, then they will often be more content while Mommy is working...

I think it is important to understand it can be difficult to be a successful mom and worker at the same time. For a lot of us ' moms in home business' we had to find what worked for each of us to be working at home with kids running around! It will not be the same for everyone. While it will work for one Mom to work a few hours in the wee morning, it may work best for another to work in the afternoon or evening.

One of my good friends, a young stay at home mom with 4 children under the age of 8, has built a very successful home business, working only a few hours a day, during naptime. She works her business, by calling leads , so she puts the kids down for their nap (she is very organized, by the way!) and during their 2 hour nap, dials like her hair is on fire and connects with as many people as she can!

She will also work an hour or so at night after her husband is home and able to help with the kids...

My kids are so whiny when I am working...

...or am I the only one with unhappy kids at times?? Why is it, that when we have the most to get done, our children seem to need us the most?! I am not sure I have all the answers on that yet, but I will share a bit of what I have learned so far...

Include your children in your work when you can. Children between the ages of 3-10 can be great workers. If you have a direct sales business where you have to sort product for customers, let them help you put it in the bags. If you're doing a mailing, teach them to put stamps on the envelopes. If you hand out business cards, let them all have some to hand out... they love giving the cards to people they meet.

Take breaks from your work and spend them with your kids. Sit down and read for 15 minutes to them, maybe even watch an educational program and let the little ones climb in your lap.

Those few minutes with them will rejuvenate ALL of you and will actually be 15 minutes well spent as they will go off playing for quite awhile again.

For the wee ones, let them play with a box full of lids, or a few pots and pans. I think sometimes we forget the simple things that can keep a one year old occupied. My little ones used to play for an hour with a box of plastic lids!

Teach your children what is expected of them when you are busy on the phone with a client. If you have an office in your home, teach them that when you close the door, it means you may not be disturbed - unless in an emergency, of course. When I first got started working from home, my kids would come into my bedroom, which is where my office is, every few minutes. It was all new to them. But after a few months, they got used to it. Children are very adaptable.

Children love guidelines and schedules. We forget that sometimes, but the most contented children are often the ones with very specific guidelines and rules.

Let your children know when you will be done working. Then, they know that your time is their time. And give them the same respect as you want them to give your business... when you are having 'special time' with them, don't answer business calls or check emails!

And above all else, Have an attitude of gratitude! Because, after all, you are one of those lucky stay at home moms that is balancing home and work, with kids running afoot!

Viola is the owner of Moms in Home Business, a website designed to help women become successful work at home Moms!

Google Basics

Google dominates the search engine world, despite the fact that the conversion-to-buyer rate at MSN is much higher. This forces most ecommerce businesses to try and dance Google’s waltz, without fully comprehending the ins and outs of how Google works.

Navigating Google is difficult. Most SEO optimizing specialists and SEO Internet marketers do not understand what they are doing. In fact, most of them are so far behind the times that their information is useless. Summer 2007 saw the latest change in Google’s algorithm leaving many ecommerce businesses with sharp decreases in traffic.

What is a Google Algorithm

The Google Algorithms are basically the math formulas used to determine which web pages rank high in the searches, and which ones rank low, or are banned. Google changes the rules every 18 - 24 months to help them sweep away websites that are not optimized and MFA (Made For AdSense) static sites.

Google also makes changes to meet the needs of the webmasters. When Google brought in their inbound link ranking system, it gave many webmasters an opportunity to build link farms, gaining an unfair advantage. In response Google now looks for content around a link. If there is no content, then the link has no value.

When Google started to focus on content, webmasters and programmers created Content Management Systems. Unfortunately, until recently, Google could not read database pages. Now, the programmers have created a static page method of page creation, and search engines learned how to read content off databases.

Search Engine Optimization

Many webmasters do not understand what this means. And, many SEO optimizers do not understand what this means. To many, it still means coding a page so that the keywords are highlighted, and under .05% of the content (including link bars). They believe it is a method of web design.

Ecommerce businesses are still scrambling to pay SEO optimizers big bucks to make their pages rank high, when meta tags and SEO tricks have very little importance. Now, the search engines are looking for good content, with heading titles, and a site full of similar content, with articles linked together using the same ‘keyword anchors.’

Google’s new algorithms have made it possible for many small ecommerce businesses to build their page rank, and search engine rank, without ever paying a dime to a SEO specialist.

The Google Sandbox and Supplemental Index

Both of these cause chills to run up most webmasters spines, but only because they are not understood, Google does not have a Sandbox. Yes, it may take a few months to get your website listed and showing up, inbound links may not appear for a long time, and a website may not show up when searched - but that is not a sandbox. It is just a backlog. One way to overcome it is to take part in Google’s PayPerClick program. Even if you only invest $20 a month, being a part of that program immediately links your site, so you do not need to wait.

The supplemental index is as easy to get out of. First, take a look at the meta information - is it too generic? If so, then do not use keywords but use keyword phrases. The keyword ‘ecommerce’, is too generic, so is ‘ecommerce business.’ However, ‘learn how to start an ecommerce business’ will help that page target. Next, make sure the page is linked to a high ranking page. This can be done by putting links inside the page - or by adding it to the website’s navigation system. Within a short time, that page will no longer be in the supplemental index.

Are You an Opportunist?

The definition of an opportunist is a person who takes actions, makes decisions, and incites changes without regard to principles or consequences. In the business world an opportunist is someone who builds wealth by taking money, often unscrupulously, form another. Another business definition is one person who skips from one business opportunity to another, like an MLM junkie, staying with each long enough to cause problems in the community and then leave.

There is a third trend in the business world. This involves someone who exploits trends, conditions and the marketplace to cut a niche that may not have been there before. On the bad side is the ticket scalper. On the good side are the multitude of companies taking advantage of global warming and consumer’s environmental enlightenment by bringing them products and educating the public.

Out of the deluge of opportunist will arise two types of business people, the entrepreneur and the solo-preneur. Each of these classes have worked hard to make success a habit. These people make an art out of finding good opportunities. But, where do you find an opportunity?

If you are an opportunist, then you want to pave the way, not follow the crowd. By the time the scam artists have posted the ‘get rich quick’ sites, you have totally developed the market and may be on the cutting edge of new breakthroughs.

But, where do you find opportunities. The first place to find them is among the general population. In the brick and mortar world, an opportunity is found by offering people something that helps them take life easier, solves a problem, or increases their wealth.

In the Internet world, an opportunity is something that makes the world a little smaller. If you can find a way to bring products and people, or people and people, together then you found a powerhouse.

One of the most difficult aspects of the ecommerce world is to convince people to buy. While internet shopping is growing by billions a year, most people do not go online to shop. They go online to socialize. That is where most opportunities are found - in the social circles.

A good listener will find opportunities. They will follow the forums and blog communities, listening to people’s rants and social concerns. An opportunity is hidden behind every rant. Every web site that solves a problem also creates one. The new problem is an opportunity.

Opportunities are also found in the areas where current businesses do not want to venture. Remember that the web lets people experience things from the comfort of their own home that they would not normally attempt in the real world.

When online gambling became big, many opportunity seekers asked themselves, ‘what is the problem with this industry.’ They found their opportunities in the problems, namely gambling and social weakness. Now you can find fun and safe ‘no cash’ gambling sites, you can find free gaming sites that offer a sterile version of gambling, and you can find support groups online. None of these industries existed before online gambling created a problem.

Online education is another area where may savvy businesses jumped in and made life easier. Now there are hundreds of tools that make it easier to teach an online course, platforms where people can manage their courses, and student services. Each of these did not exsist five years ago.

There are new markets and products waiting for an opportunist to turn them from a problem, or an idea, into a sound business product.

Why Small Business Owners Need a Networking Group

The number one benefit of a networking website, or group, is that it gathers resources that group of business owners knows will work, and brings together people who can make the programs work.

Surfing for Business Opportunities

Most work at home business owners start by surfing the net, looking for business opportunities. They usually become victim of a few scams, or a program that will not work for them, before finding a networking group.

For example, many new work at home business owners are quickly attracted by the affiliate programs on the web. They expect to build a passive stream of income. While the possibility is there, the probability of a new small business owner making a substantial amount of money is very low. Content Management Systems do well in the affiliate field. They have thousands of pages, with hundreds of thousands of hits. Their sole purpose is to attract people who are looking for the products they promote.

Most new business owners fall into two or three scams before they find a network where the webmaster has worked to bring together resources and tools to help their members succeed. Once a small business owner finds a good network and resource website, they have a place that will help them succeed.

Save Money

Small business owners who belong to a networking group will save money in the long-term. They avoid wasting money on programs that do not work – like Pay Per Click, and focus on programs that do work, like niche marketing.

Each new member benefits from the collective intelligence of the group, and by the intelligence of the web site owner. We mentioned above that affiliate marketing does not work, but a web site that is designed to help business owners succeed can only succeed if the information and products are good.

Trust

This can reassure new business owners. Any website that has built up a vast list of inbound links, is willing to give away free information, and prepares a plan for success, can be trusted based on the time needed to build up a vast resource, and the cost of building a complete ‘small business start-up’ kit.

This cannot be started over night, it takes time. Most ‘get rich quick’ schemes are here one day, and gone within three or four months. They never have time to build up a list of inbound links. Other websites do not link to them. In the end, the only websites that succeed are the ones who benefit small business owners and have them link to the site, refer other potential business owners, write reviews, and come back to buy more of the proven products.

Learning

The small business world is constantly evolving. The Internet world evolves faster than the brick and mortar world. What works today, may not work tomorrow.

It can take new business owners months to learn the current trends and find ways to increase their profits. However, belonging to a small business organization will save them time by brining all the learning resources needed into one place. A network can also save time by weeding out the weak performing products and techniques, warning against the scams, and explaining how to use the new resources properly.

Page Rank & Promotion

The internet works on page rank. The higher the Google Page Rank, the higher the web site will rank in Google searches. A small business owner that networks with other similar businesses can exchange links. Each member in the network is in business, so when they link, they are joining business-to-business websites. A few dozen B2B web links will increase page rank higher than a thousand Business-to-communities, or business-to-online store, or Business-to-private website links.

So, next time you think that those web sites with all the products are just ‘out for your money’ and have very little to offer – think again. They can save time, money, and help you find places and methods to promote your business, reducing the time between start up and wealth building.

What I Love About Work At Home

I Love work at home because . . .
When I have a birthday, I have cake for breakfast for two or three days becuase I can :)
I can turn the television on and listen to my fav movies while working.
I have a good excuse to stay up until 4 am.
I can read a novel while my computer is booting up.
I am home when my kids get home from school.
None of my relatives think I have a job, so they don't ask me to do things for them.
I can read my favorite magazines and call it research.
I can play on the computer for 10 hours and call it promotion.
I need to work hard, but I do not need to put up with office gossip.
I can dress up in comfe old clothes to work.
I can get to work with other writers.
I can turn down work that I don't feel good doing.