Julianne Wish, Member Contributions
Many of us self-employed parents who blog dream of earning money from our blogs. There are many stories of bloggers earning the “big bucks” and we would like to be one of those ‘stories’. You can earn money by blogging, if you are dedicated to doing so.
According to Technorati, the average American blogger earns $6,000 per year. The top 1% earn $200,000 or more.
Blogging requires long hours and a lot of work. Make sure you pick a subject you are passionate about. For me, it’s all about helping parents work from home so they can be home with their children. Find a subject that ‘ignites your fire within’. You are less likely to get burned out and more likely to stick with it if you do.
If you pick a topic like celebrity gossip, politics, photography or gadgets, the competition is fierce and it will be difficult to get yourself established. Select something else and remember…make sure you are passionate about it.
If you want to earn money from your blog there are several ‘musts’:
- your blog must be well-written
- your blog must not contain any spelling error
- your blog must not contain any grammatical errors
Here are some of the best ways to earn money from your blog.
- Advertising. The most obvious way to make money from your blog is with advertising. Advertisers pay a few cents when an ad is clicked. They may pay a certain rate per 1,000 page views. The most popular advertising program is Google AdSense. It places ads within context of your blog on your site. Regardless of the traffic level on your site, you can register for Google AdSense. There are other advertising methods, such as BidVertiser, AdBrite and AdGenta. If you are well know and have a large readership, you can contact advertisers on your own. To make money from ads on your site, you need thousands of visitors each month.
- Affiliate programs. Affiliate programs are similar to advertising. You can place a button/banner ad or text ad on your site. You can also place hyperlinks within your posts. For affiliate links to pay, the person who clicks on them usually has to make a purchase…you then get a percentage of that purchase.
- Pay-per-post. Some companies will pay you to write about their products or services. You will need some blogging time under your belt before you can get involved in pay-per-post programs. Be cautious, though. Your readers are reading your blog because they are interested in what you have to say. If you are getting paid to write about a product, be sure you tell your readers that. Full disclosure is important and your readers will respect that.
- Sponsorship. You may be able to get a corporate sponsor. However, your site will then carry only the sponsor’s branding and there will be less of your own ‘personality’ coming through.
- Employment. Many businesses have their own blogs. They use the blogs to stay in touch with their customers. You may find work by being a paid blogger for a company. This takes a lot of dedication. You have to show companies that you are worth hiring. This means you have to be well established and have posts with no errors. If you are really well known, businesses may come looking for you. More than likely, you will have to seek them out. Remember to treat this like any other job interview.
There are many ways you can earn money by blogging. It does take considerable time and dedication. Most bloggers earn a little bit to supplement their main source of income. If make a lot of money by blogging is your goal, dedicate yourself to the process and you will reap the rewards.
Julianne Alvarez-Wish is a military wife, mother, business owner, professional writer, blogger and legislative advocate. She is the Director of Communications for Our Milk Money, the Colorado State Leader for the National Association for Moms in Business and the owner of Buy By Mom and Buy By Mom Blog. She is the Colorado Springs Stay-at-Home Mom Examiner for Examiner.com. She also blogs at A Wishful Thought. Her passion, purpose and goal is to help parents work from home so they can be home with their children.
Ally Loprete, Community, Resource Articles
If you are a parent who has a product or a service to offer as a way to earn extra revenue, there is simply no excuse for not being listed in the Our Milk Money business directory.
Our Milk Money is still the largest parent-owned business directory in the world, and it was created by a mom just like you. Besides being a free service (thank you for donating!) it has been a proven way to network with other parent entrepreneurs for over a decade. (Move over, Linkedin!)
Therefore, the benefits of listing a business or two, or three, is available to anyone who fit the criteria of “self-employed” parent with an approved online application form.
People ask me all the time, it seems in disbelief, “What’s the catch?” The answer is simple. I realized that the fee itself to join our effective mission and all of its potential was far less valuable than the involvement and enthusiasm of the members themselves.
It quickly became apparent that when you erase the complications of money and fees, parents and business enthusiasts congregate with sincerity and passion rather than skepticism. The moment we made our decision to provide benefits free of charge, the directory grew more than 1600% within 5 weeks! The excitement spread like a contagious wildfire. How can you make the most of your membership of Our Milk Money? Start by joining.
Create a profile. Tell others where to find you. Connect with other parents and shop their businesses. Remind them to return the favor (wink, wink). Oh, and you can always be a business blog contributor, or request a spotlight on your business… or just YOU.
Julianne Wish
This installment of the series focuses on ways that a blog can help your business.
There are many ways that blogging can help you build your business. Here are some of them:
- Networking – Blogging gives you a great opportunity for networking. You should leave the comments function on/open. This gives you an opportunity to interact with your readers. They can leave comments and you can reply to them. Always reply to comments! You can then also visit their blog and leave comments. This builds a base of readers for your blog that will stop by frequently.
- Presence on the Internet. Having a blog gives you a presence online. You can get a URL for your blog if you’d like…the URL can contain some or all of your business name. This gives people two ways to find you.
- Services. When you have a business blog, you can have a separate page about you and your business where you can describe what your business has to offer and how to contact you. You can link to this page when you send out proposals to prospective clients, send out newsletters and e-mails. It is important that you keep this page up to date.
- Portfolio. If you have a portfolio, your blog is a great place to display it. Again, you should set up a separate page for this. Clients can get a good sense of your skills and work. Remember to also keep this page up to date.
- Subject Matter Expert. While you are letting people get to know you, networking and establishing relationships, you are also establishing yourself as a subject matter expert. By writing about your business you are establishing yourself as an expert in your field. However, it is important to remember that you should keep your posts professional. If you get too personal, it will hurt, not help, your business.
The next installment in the series will provide you with the information you need to get started on your own blog!
Julianne Alvarez-Wish is a military wife, mother, business owner, professional writer, blogger and legislative advocate. She is the Director of Communications for Our Milk Money, the Colorado State Leader for the National Association for Moms in Business and the owner of Buy By Mom and Buy By Mom Blog. She is the Colorado Springs Stay-at-Home Mom Examiner for Examiner.com. She also blogs at A Wishful Thought. Her passion, purpose and goal is to help parents work from home so they can be home with their children.
Ally Loprete, Member Contributions
Work at Home Parents who are constantly on the go between their business and their families run more of a risk of “breaking down.”
A written schedule can help to keep you accountable to all your responsibilities, including yourself.
- Schedule work time for yourself that you know you can count on, such as while the kids are at school or during nap time, but remain flexible.
- Break tasks down into categories and dedicate 1 day of the week to each category. Marketing and PR on Monday, Social Networking on Tuesday, Blogging on Wednesday, etc.
- Plan quality time with the kids each day. Put those super multi-tasking skills to work! Kid time and house chore time can go hand in hand. Get creative and make a game out of the daily chores.
- Don’t forget to eat and sleep. You may laugh, but these are often the first things to go for a busy Work at Home Parent. The body needs food to stay nourished and sleep to stay refreshed, and both will contribute to more productivity and alertness.
- Wind down time: In addition to going to sleep at a decent hour, you must give yourself at least 1/2 hour of “wind down” time before bed. Read a book or do a crossword puzzle. But do not work. Just like a computer, your mind needs to adequately shut down and reboot for the next day.
Self -employed Parent Enthusiast Ally Loprete is the Founder of OurMilkMoney.com, a nationwide online business directory of self-employed parents, and the host of This Little Parent Stayed Home, a live weekly radio show, on The Toginet.com Radio Group which can be downloaded on iTunes. Ally is on a mission to help other’s deal with the sometimes overwhelming prospect of leaving a full time job to start a new business, while running a full time household and raising kids. She is resolute about creating a haven in which parents across the nation will continue to thrive and obtain the support they need in their personal journeys. Visit more at www.ourmilkmoney.com. Private coaching is available at www.thislittleparent.info
Member Contributions
Seriously, I want to hear from you. You’ll be doing me a favor, yes. I am going to use this information for my upcoming book. The publishers apparently need to see proof that this is a trend, and parents really are becoming self-employed as an alternative to daycare and long hours away from home.
So, help me out, and you’ll be helping the movement.
WHAT IS MILK MONEY?
It’s the revenue that you bring in from your home based businesses. Its the funds that help you give to your family, and lead lives of freedom. Milk Money does not make you rich, we all know that, but its filled with value. It’s filled with the freedom to be your own boss and to be able to make your own choices in support of your kids. Leave me your comments. I’ll go first.
Direct Sales, Member Contributions
It’s fascinating, the phenomenon of trends.
Who sets them, and how do they come about? Are they really just a result of our current social progression?
We can chew over what came first, the product or the current. Or we can create our own trend based on what our current society is in need of…or um, ahem…what we are in need of! Imagine the power we have to create a global movement simply by working together and using our commonality as parents to drive our ambitions.
You already know that I am on a mission to bring 1 million parents home…but I am also on a mission to support the ones who are already at home. In the past, I’ve given specific steps that will help you see yourself and value that you were intended to bring your community. But lets go a step further by implementing a simple method that could begin a sweeping new trend immediately.
Stay-at-home parents make up the largest group of consumers in America today – so by catering to their needs, you have a greater chance of success. Our most valuable asset in our modern society as parent entrepreneurs is each other. Why? Because we sell to one another. We are not only networking to grow our businesses, we are each other’s target demographic!
Julianne Wish, Member Contributions, Resource Articles
If you’re looking to make money on the internet, chances are you’ve run across a few scams already. Which methods of making money online are actually real and which ones are scams? Let’s take a look.
Real: Be an Online Writer
There is a nearly endless demand for people who can write easy to read, compelling, and informative articles for website owners.
If you want to try your hand at being an online writer, the first step is to get a little bit of experience. Perhaps try writing 10 articles for free first. Once you have a few samples, then you can easily find work on various marketing forums or companies that hire freelance writers, like Demand Studios.
Scam: Make Money Posting Links on Google
This is one of the most popular scams around today. It generally comes in the form of a story or news report of how a stay at home mom is making $6,000 a month from home posting links on Google. The reality is, Google AdWords is quite a difficult skill to master. There is no easy way to make money “posting links online.”
Real: Be an Online Virtual Assistant
Business people and travelers all over the world need virtual assistants. The trick here is to find a real reputable company to work with. Avoid companies that ask you to pay an upfront fee to “apply.” Avoid companies that try to make it sound like you’re going to get rich being a virtual assistant. Find companies with a great track record of providing real service and develop relationships with those companies.
Real: Freelance Sites
Sites like eLance, Guru.com and Craigslist Gigs are great ways to make a bit of extra money. If you have skills in design, programming, audio/video editing you’ll quickly be able to find some extra cash. Even if you don’t, there are many ways to make money: Modeling, voice overs, transcription, you name it.
Scam: Fill Out Surveys Online
The sales pitch here is that businesses need people to take surveys for their opinions. While this is true, very few are legit. Qualtrics is a credible platform, but there aren’t many others. Most “make money doing surveys” sites you see will try to get you to pay for a guide or pay to apply. Avoid it like the plague.
Figuring Out What’s Real and What’s Not
In general, if the opportunity looks like you’re providing real value for other human beings and getting paid fair value for it, chances are it’s real. Ask questions. If you can’t talk to an actual person, you are probably going to get scammed.
If it sounds too easy, sounds like you’re going to get very rich overnight, or sounds like it requires zero work, then it’s probably a scam. If you want to make real money online, then be prepared to put in a little bit of work. Rest assured however – You can make money online. Many people do.
Community, Resource Articles
Parents, our generation is not over, it’s just beginning!
We are radically reshaping the world we live in, not only by creating new business practices and the economical climate, but for the first time in decades, thanks to the booming home business trend, our children have the opportunity to watch us in our professional elements.
An effective and innovative way to educate, today’s youth is no longer oblivious to what will be expected of them once they hit adulthood. For this reason alone, it is important that we embrace, and not deny, the human condition and all the emotions that go along with it.
Our children have the opportunity to experience first hand how acting with courage will reward us at the end of each day, and that the reward is not the money, but the journey itself. By maintaining at home presence, they are able to see the importance of having courage and perseverance without the vulnerability.
It’s important that our children fully realize the pride that comes with being able to behave fully human.
Everything worthwhile comes with hard-work and tenacity. Nothing is a guarantee in life, and furthermore, it’s simply not healthy to live with a false sense of entitlement. Besides, those who have earned greatness appreciate it the most.
Now go make the world a better place!
Family, Uncategorized
Nearly a year ago I made a new years resolution that I would be more conscious of and limit my need to apologize for everything. Along with this new initiative, came a new desire to embrace myself without vindication for the things that make me who I am.
In my tiresome “need to be liked by everyone and not to make waves where there needn’t be any,” I admit I had allowed my Jewish heritage to become somewhat invisible through the years. Being Jewish in the current society had just become more trouble than it was worth. I’d married a Catholic man who had always wanted to support my traditions, but even so, celebrating my culture’s customs had become such a chore amidst a Christian holiday society. Being non-religious, I didn’t really see a need to make it a priority. As far as I was concerned there were more important things to fight for, and quite frankly, I didn’t feel like fighting anyway.
So for a while I took the easy way out, jumping into the celebration of Christmas with both feet, dressing the tree, hanging the stockings and telling stories about Santa and his elves. It was so much easier to celebrate without the fear that I would be targeted. I guess you could say I conformed to fit in.
Through the years, I’d think back to Hanukah, spin a driedle or two in remembrance, but the truth is it felt a bit like I was letting a part of myself die a little. It saddened me, but I wasn’t sure of what I could do about it. The area we live in is sparsely Jewish and what little Jewish circles there were, I didn’t run in.
This year, along with swearing off my addiction to apologize, I realized I no longer wanted to deny my Jewish Heritage. Religious persecution in a less diversified suburb might have led me to choose not to worship at all, but this was no longer about religious beliefs. This was not a choice. The same way a Chinese or Italian person cannot deny their ancestry, I cannot deny mine, nor would I teach my children to deny theirs.
This year, Hanukah came earlier than Christmas, a perfect time to celebrate it without the chaos or the competition of Christmas. By gosh, I was going to take advantage! Hanukah is not yet over and already we have had a wonderful time spinning dreidels, making latkas, hiding presents, and telling the story of the Macabes and the miracle of the burning oil. In honor of my reborn heritage, my husband and I brought our boys to the Skirball Center for the Hanukah celebration this year. It was such a wonderful time for all of us!! Full of laughter and celebration.
It felt like home.
We learned such things such as the correct title for what most of us call a Menorah: The Hannukiah. The most wonderful revelation is how many of my non-Jewish friends and neighbors have taken part in helping me celebrate. They have set aside any preconceived notions and have seemed genuinely interested in learning about my heritage and all of its traditions.
What a glorious time all of us have had!
If only I’d realized earlier the importance of pride, I would not have spent all those years being afraid to be my very self, my only self, and all the things that make me exactly who I am. I didn’t choose to have frizzy kinky hair and freckles, I did not choose to be born in a free country and I did not choose to be Jewish. But I am grateful that each of those choices were made for me.
New Years Eve is still a month away, but I already know that my resolution this year will be to embrace my birthright and honor myself in love and festivity!
![Santa Behavioral Therapy]()
Chris Loprete, daddysden, Dads
I’m a sucker for the holidays. I LOVE this time of year even though I live in Southern California and I ache for that winter crispness of the East Coast and the country Christmases I enjoyed so much as a kid…and despite the fact that I start to panic every time I look at an anemic bank account that has to endure another gutting for gifts… and except for the crowded stores and credit card debt and shopping for that PERFECT gift for my wife when I have NO IDEA WHAT THAT IS! Oh man, am I stressed. Anyway I really do love the holidays. And since I became a father, another element has been introduced which truly makes this the most wonderful time of the year. What’s that you say? Seeing my kids’ faces light up with the magic and joy of the season? Uh…okay, sure. Whatever. Two things then.
My wife is very big on behavioral therapy when it comes to our kids. In fact she devoted one of her This Little Parent Stayed Home radio shows to it (insert link here). I am teaching her a very special behavioral therapy that only comes around this time of year. It’s a method that’s been passed down from generation to generation. That of “Santa Behavioral Therapy” Allow me to demonstrate…”Clean up your toys! Santa’s watching!”, “Don’t talk back to me! Santa probably heard that, you know!”, “Go to bed now! You hear that sound? That’s the sound of Santa erasing your name off one list and writing it on the other!” Works like a charm. Yes, Virginia there IS a Santa Claus. And he’s a parent’s best friend. In fact I’ve begun using this form of discipline year round. Like in March. “Hey! Santa’s back from vacation and cranking up the workshop so you better check that attitude!” I go even farther. I turn on the Lord Of The Rings trilogy and point to the evil eye of Sauron and say,”Hey that’s kind of like Santa. He has a giant eye that can see EVERYTHING YOU DO.” And then I chuckle quietly. Oh, man. Sit back and watch them eat their vegetables. You’re welcome…and happy holidays!
Many of us self-employed parents who blog dream of earning money from our blogs. There are many stories of bloggers earning the “big bucks” and we would like to be one of those ‘stories’. You can earn money by blogging, if you are dedicated to doing so.
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