Archive for home business

What an {Online} Community Can Do

Thursday, July 22nd, 2010

Recently a friend lost her baby boy. What an amazingly sad and difficult time it is right now for her and her family. She’s an internet business owner/marketer.

You’ve probably heard me talk about her if you’ve read my blog or emails for any period of time. She’s Melissa Ingold, the Internet Marketing Sweetie. Her son who left all too soon was Kyle.

Just recently the work at home mom community stood up in response to a call out for help that Kelly McCausey made. It was to raise close to $7000 for Kyle’s funeral.

Yes, Melissa does well online. But like any of us she and her husband had made commitments that needed to be filled even in a difficult time like this. She was in the process of selling/buying a house when this happened suddenly. Kyle was sick, but he was expected to live well past his second birthday and on to be about ten years old.

My heart hurts for Melissa. I watched a very close friend and her husband loose their newborn baby after just a day and saw firsthand the pain they went through. I can’t imagine having to say goodbye to a child after holding him, loving him and being there for him every step of the way for almost two years.

I also understand that in a time like this the last thing my friend and her husband SHOULD have been dealing with were funeral costs and arrangements. But they did. They didn’t have the money for the funeral and I watched as they tried to hold their greif together while making calls and figuring how in the world they would pay to lay their little angel to rest.

But what I saw happen with Melissa makes me very proud to be a part of this community. A community online that cares, that isn’t just in it for the money and that stands up to help a friend with open arms when needed.

Here’s an update from Kelly:

Donation Update as of July 14th:
Total Given: $6824.50.

The Fundraiser is Officially Over…

Melissa wrote me to say that the bill is officially taken care of. She is totally blown away of course!

Kelly, what a wonderful thing you did for Melissa and her family – I’m so proud to call you a friend!

And to you – the Work at Home (& WAHM) Community I’m so proud of YOU for stepping up to help in whatever way you could – be in funds or in thoughts or in prayers.

And Melissa I’m so sorry for your loss and I hope this community effort has in some small way helped to ease the situation. My friend also had two children and I know staying strong for them helped her to move forward and live life to honor her daughter’s memory. Hugs!

Now don’t let anyone ever tell you the friends and business connections you meet online are not ‘REAL’. They are as real as the money they raised to help a friend in need!

That’s what a community can do.

Let’s keep sending Melissa and her family our deepest condences while they come to grips with a new life without their baby boy.

Angela Wills
Angela Wills

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Categories : home business

Vacations and Business Clarity

Thursday, July 8th, 2010

It’s been quiet around here, real quiet.

I apologize if you’ve been waiting for a new post!

I took a short-planned vacation to my home province of Newfoundland. During the last two weeks I’ve been on very light business duty. My only real responsibility was to my students at Website Design Mojo where impressive new websites are being created!

Newfoundland is a gorgeous place. I grew up here until I was 13 and then later came back to go to University at 19. While I lived here it was just a place where I grew up. It was nice.

But I didn’t see the real, amazing beauty of this province until going away and returning with fresh eyes. I mean take a look at these scenes, which are all over the place here:

The same thing seems to happen with your business when you take the opportunity to step back and look at things after you’ve taken a break.

I have exciting new plans for Marketers Mojo that have been allow to steep while I’ve been away and allow me to get even more clear on what I need to do next.

I’ll share some of my plans with you soon and I’d love your feedback.

For now, though, I encourage you to take a step back and see your business from the big picture point of view – you might be surprised at how different it looks and how much you can do when you see things from another point of view!

Angela Wills
Angela Wills

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Why Learn Website Design?

Monday, May 10th, 2010

I have a friend who is 33 years old and still doesn’t have her license. Now if she were in a big city with subways to get her anywhere in a zip no problem, but she’s in a more rural area where often she’s left stranded with no way to do what she needs to.

Luckily my friend is married so her husband drives her around for free. But can you imagine how expensive it would be for her to pay a cab driver every time she needed milk, groceries, to shuttle the kids around, visit friends, go to work, etc?

You’re in exactly the same situation if you don’t know how to build, update and maintain your website.

Now let’s say you have it in your budget to pay a website designer and you feel you just don’t have time to do it yourself. I beg to differ and here’s why:

- Indecision Costs: If you don’t understand the software for your website you will spend a lot of time asking your designer for help or revamping what you thought you wanted, this is going to cost you big time. Kind of like if you asked the cab drive to just start driving and you’d figure out how to get there as you go!

- Stagnation Costs: Let’s say you’ve got a great idea for your website but instead of popping in to do a five minute fix you need to engage a website designer for services, explain to them what you need, wait for them to get to it, check if they did it right and then maybe have them tweak if you need changes. This is going to take a LOT longer than a quick DIY tweak. Because of that you’ll end up doing a LOT less and becoming stagnant.

- Knowledge Pays: Even if you do intend to outsource your website design to a smart, responsive and quick website person, it will pay off big time to know your software and know it well.

There’s a Time to Outsource

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you should never outsource but I am saying that first you should learn to do it yourself. That way you KNOW EXACTLY where you’re going and how to get there – just like you do when you order a cab!

How?

Well I highly recommend WordPress. It’s a free software program that you install on your hosting account. It can be accessed from anywhere and with a little practice you’ll be able to update your site in no time flat!

Website Design Coaching Program Fast Movers Discount

This is so important and something I see so many marketers needing badly that I’ve decided to put together a thorough coaching program for a limited number of students. For now up until May 12th there is a ‘fast movers‘ special happening where you can get $100 off the already low class fee. Check it out here:
http://www.websitedesignmojo.com

Angela Wills
Angela Wills

ps. If you’re not quite sure yet you can sign up for the free teleseminar on May 25th, just keep in mind the fast mover special will be over by then. Here’s that link again, scroll down to the bottom to sign up for the ‘sneek peek’:
http://www.websitedesignmojo.com

Powerful Women Only Interview with Lady T

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

This morning I had the opportunity to be interviewed by Teisha Houston, aka Lady T on her internet radio show called ‘For Powerful Women Only’.

You can listen to it here:
Finding Your Business, Finding Yourself

Well I just spilled my guts over there this morning. I talked about:
- selling rocks at age 5
- selling beaded jewelery in my teens
- starting my first ‘adult’ business
- going from overwhelm to buliding and growing a business I LOVE!

Make sure you check it out by clicking the link above.

Lady T is empowering moms to change the world through entrepreneurship and conscious parenting. Known as The Business Coach for Moms?, Lady T specializes in helping moms start, grow or transform their home-based business, as they grow and transform themselves!

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Working Hard Means Nothing

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

You’re supposed to grow up, go to university, get a ‘good job’ and ‘work hard’ until you’re like 65 – THEN you can retire and enjoy life.

Riiiiiiight?

BA.LO.NY!

I was just reading a post by Alice Seba on Melissa Ingold’s Internet Marketing Sweetie Blog. Alice was talking about the post series Melissa has been writing about Working Less & Earning More.

We tend to associate working more with earning more but that doesn’t have to be true. I know I’ve fallen into that trap a time or two and I’ve worked with many clients who were working their buts off and even putting their health at risk.

Here is something that Alice said in the post and I wholehearted-ly agree:

You gotta admire Melissa and all that she’s accomplished. She’s the mom of 3 and is fighting daily to get appropriate medical care for her littlest one who has been diagnosed with a very rare disease. You can bet she’s got a lot on her plate, but she seems to manage it flawlessly and with zero complaint. This gal has her priorities in order.

I’m going to be going back over Melissa’s posts with a fine-tooth comb to see how I can work smarter, not harder.

How about you?

Check out the blog and you won’t be sorry. Come back and tell me how you plan to work smarter in your own business!
Click here to visit the Internet Marketing Sweetie blog

Busting Through Work at Home Loneliness!

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010


“life’s a journey, not a destination”
Steve Tyler, Aerosmith

Hi again!

Just a couple of days ago I mentioned how I’m coming up on three years working from home full time. It’s been a wild ride and I love being able to pick up and work whenever and whever I want.

That’s exactly what I want to talk about today.

Is It Lonely Working From Home?

For the first couple of years I spent all my time working on my home computer, which resides in the corner of my living room. Then I got myself a laptop and thought it was awesome that I could work from the couch, from the kitchen or while sitting out on the porch on a sunny day.

That was enough in the beginning.

But now, three years into working from home I realize how very isolating it can be. The only people I was seeing were my parents (who’s apartment I live in), my son and my boyfriend. While I love them all I believe we really need a LOT more human interaction than that.

So this year I did something about it!

Here are my tips and ideas on how to bust through work at home lonliness whlie keeping up productivity:

- Work somewhere else – Yea seems simple enough but sometimes we think it’s harder than it actually is to be mobile with our business. I do a number of services for clients including website updates, affiliate management, email marketing and more and I thought it would be just too hard to organize that all and take it on the go. Well, Roboform and a simple USB drive later my netbook is loaded with days work at the library, the coffee shop or even at a friend’s house.

- Get Networking – I love going to a monthly networking group I belong to for women. It’s not even really to me about making money. I just love getting out and getting to chat with people who can relate to the joys and struggles of being a business owner. If you’re interested in checking the group out it’s called WINGS. Of course I also love getting out to conferences and seminars too like my recent trip to Podcamp Toronto.

- Connect Via Phone – I’ve made some great friends at networking events and conferences and I love to connect with them via phone to catch up and talk business too. It’s a great way to get ideas and share stories with people who really get it. You could also add a phone component to your current business if you want more people to talk to. Schedule conference calls or teleseminars to share your expertise and talk with real live human beings all at the same time! (by the way CLICK HERE if you want to learn how to set up teleseminars for free)

There you have some of my best tips for beating the work at home blues.

Isn’t life a fun journey!

Angela Wills
Angela Wills

My name is Crissy and I am the founder of www.IndieBizChicks.com. Angela’s writing a guest post on my blog, and I am writing one on her’s. (Thanks for letting me do this, Angela!)

Many people make resolutions in early January. They resolve to eat healthier, to exercise more, spend less money, get organized, etc. You may have made resolutions like these yourself… But what about your business?

Have you made any resolutions that will help you develop a stronger business this year? Here are a few business resolutions that I recommend:

Planning For The Future – If you lived in Wisconsin and decided to go on a road trip to Texas, it would make more sense to plan your route rather than just driving south and hoping you get there. The same holds true for your business. What do you want to accomplish this year? How much would you like to make this year? Create a plan now to achieve those goals.

Promoting Your Business Regularly & Consistently – One of the questions I get asked a lot is “How much time do I need to spend on marketing?” There is no magic number. Marketing is something that needs to be done all the time. Instead of spending a lot of time on marketing in short bursts (like when you are running low on clients / customers), spend an equal amount of time on it each week of the year.

Learn New Things – When a business owner starts to see some success, they may start to feel like they know all they need to know. New technologies and ideas are always developing and it’s important to learn new things. Would your blog be more appealing if you learned how to add some video or audio? Would learning new copywriting or marketing strategies increase your sales? Of course, keep in mind that you have to implement the things you learn in order to see results!

If you would like to read about more business resolutions, fill out the form below and I will email you a guide filled with 10 Business Resolutions to help you improve your business in 2010. You will also receive my Weekly Biz Tips emailed to you each week!

First Name:
Email Address:

Crissy Herron
www.IndieBizChicks.com

Getting Grounded & Balanced in Business

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010

This video really spoke to me.
It’s by Video Marketing Queen Maria Andros on getting grounded in your business and balancing your work with breaks and health.

All good stuff for your ‘mojo’!

I love the sound of the ocean:

Angela Wills
Angela Wills

Comments (2)
Categories : home business

guestblogger
SharonGoodCrop
Hey! Angela here for just a sec. I want to introduce you to my friend Sharon McMillan who has written a blog post just for my loyal readers here at Marketers Mojo. Sharon and I have met in person a few times and she’s a great lady with a knack mixing useful information with actionable solutions. Check out her post below:

Making It Happen

Sharon McMillan

The biggest news of the year in many households is the economy. The CBS program 60-Minutes just did a feature on the town of Wilmington, Ohio where 10,000 jobs were lost in the last year alone.  What happened in Wilmington is happening all over the country. But I think the news here isn’t so much about the economy but about the shift in thinking that is slowly happening among employees.

Jobs Do Not Equal Security

Ultimately all we can really count on is the ingenuity, the energy and the skill set each of us has or can develop. I’m talking about entrepreneurship and the ability to create our own income by serving the needs of even a fraction of the millions and millions of people who are part of the marketplace that the Internet connects us to so affordably and so efficiently.

“Some make it happen, some watch it happen, and some say “What happened?” – Unknown

As I watched that CBS program and listened to the good people of Wilmington discussing how they were so emotionally and financially devastated by the company layoffs in their town, I thought about all the people I know who purposefully left their jobs before the economy melt-down to start their own businesses.

The publisher of Marketers’ Mojo, my good friend Angela Wills is one of those people and I could list dozens of other  enterprising individuals that I know personally who made the careful decision to transition from full time employment to full time entrepreneurship in the last few years.

The Future Is Filled With Entrepreneurs

As we look at the rising unemployment rates today, I’d say those choosing to be an independent contractor or entrepreneur are pretty wise. Most governments are recognizing small business owners as the silver lining to our current economic crisis. Our future rests with the work at home moms, the whiz kids starting businesses in their parents’ basements and the millions of other small business owners who are managing companies that are actually growing in this economy.

These are people who made the conscious decision not to be caught saying to themselves “what happened?”  Deciding how we will support our families and our personal dreams are too important to leave entirely up to an employer who might at any time close shop or cut staff.

What’s equally important is how we live our lives. Are you enjoying the work you do? Life doesn’t have to be something that “happens to us.”  The opportunities that are available today through the Internet to explore running a business that reflects your priorities are numerous.

You owe it to yourself and to your family to explore your entrepreneurial interests. If you worked for any length of time, you’ve got skills that you can develop and put to use developing a business that the market needs. Or if you’ve never looked into the kind of work or business that reflects your true passions and interests, now is the time to do that.

What Opportunities Appeal To You?

There are many independent learning opportunities that you can access online – from well written ebooks to online conferences and self-directed online tutorials.

Make a commitment to yourself to “make it happen” in 2010 and realize your full entrepreneurial abilities and personal goals.

Sharon McMillan is the owner of Small Business Academy, an online resource for new and experienced entrepreneurs to learn everything from creating a business plan to starting a small service business.

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Don’t Decide on a Business In Desperation

Tuesday, November 24th, 2009

Overwhelmed Office WorkerYou know I love sharing my business flops and fumbles with you and today is no exception.

In my six plus years online I’ve chosen a number of businesses strictly in desperation. It was the mindset of: “I want success now. Why do I have to wait? Look at all the money these people are making. I’ve worked so hard why can’t it just happen now, Now, NOW, NOW, NOW!”

So, I’d hop from one business to the next desperately waiting for my internet marketing cash ship to come in.

BUZZ. NO. ERROR. Read More→

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Categories : internet marketing

Social Media, Twitter & Tassimo Coffee Machines

Sunday, November 22nd, 2009

tassimo-coffee-machineTassimo Canada should be given some great props for their use of social media to spread the word about their coffee machine.

About a month ago I was on Twitter and I saw a post from @ErinBlaskie that said to shout out to her if you wanted to win a Tassimo Coffee Machine and you lived in Canada. I tweeted that I would love one.

And just like that @TassimoCanada said they’d be sending out my new coffee maker shortly!

Now, there were no stipulations, no requests to do reviews. And when I got my coffee maker all it said was please be sure to tell family and friends if you love the coffee maker.

That’s a great use of social media!

Here’s a little video I shot after the package arrived by courier: Read More→

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I am a WAHM – Work at Home Mom

Saturday, October 24th, 2009

AffiliateIncubator 123I think I’ve made a big mistake in the way I’ve blogged and marketed my business in the last few years.

You see, in an effort to keep up ‘professional’ appearances I haven’t talked much about being a WAHM.

WAHM being Work at Home Mom.

In some ways I was hiding it. Not really in shame but because I wanted to attract the kind of market that doesn’t talk about how to work around the kids or how amazing it is to be able to pick up and go on a field trip anytime your little guy has one. In past years I was blogging to get clients and I felt that field trips and volunteering at the school just weren’t appropriate to blog about.

Yep, I see now it was a big mistake not to get more used to sharing who I really am though and I’m a proud momma.
Read More→

Did You Put Your Heart Into It?

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009

Print30 Printable PDF Version
This blog post has been inspired by The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

I’ve started a new habit.

Ever since I started doing the Super Affiliate Handbook review I’ve started reading every night before bed. I take about an hour I might have used for working and I get off the computer to read.

In the past I would have thought that would take me away from my work but it’s actually helping my work, a lot.

Right now I’m reading The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I’ve read it before. It’s a classic of course.

In the book Stephen talks about the power of treating employees as volunteers because they volunteer their greatest assets….their hearts and minds.

Ever Hate Your Job?

If you’ve ever had a job you hate (and who hasn’t) then you know exactly what I’m talking about!

This Post
Was Inspired By…

7-habits-of-highly-effective-people

Read More→

Dear Resort: Phone Spamming + Wasting My Time = Fail!

Saturday, September 26th, 2009

phoneI’m annoyed again by a telemarketer.

I actually am not annoyed at the telemarketer, I’m annoyed at the company who told her it was a good idea to market their resort like this.

I just got a phone call and right off the bat they asked for the wrong person. Obviously it’s a total sales call when they ask for someone else, you say wrong number, but they proceed to offer you something anyway.

So, Ms. Telemarketer says she has a special offer of $89 for three Read More→

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Categories : home business

Totally Free Tuesday for new WAHMs

Friday, August 28th, 2009

totally-free-tuesday-125Mark your calendars for Tuesday, September 8, 2009 – it’s the day we’ve set aside to welcome new Work at Home Moms to our community by showering them with amazing free gifts and top notch resources.

It’s the first ever Totally Free Tuesday!

We know how tough it is when you’re a new WAHM. There’s a lot of information out there, and not all of it is reliable. That’s why we’ve organized this special event – consider it your unofficial ‘WAHM Community Orientation Day’!
Read More→

How to Get UNSTUCK

Wednesday, August 19th, 2009

A little while ago I sent an email to my list asking for questions and struggles being faced regarding making money on the internet.

A few people replied to me that they are stuck.

I hear ya.

I get stuck too. Read More→

On Gene Simmons & Confidence

Tuesday, August 18th, 2009

I was watching TV last night (something I do rarely) and I caught ‘The Hour’. I think George Stroumboulopoulos is awesome and has a fantastic interview style, so laid back and open.

On the show he had Gene Simmons, you know from KISS.

And it just struck me how awesome Gene thinks he is.
Read More→

Keep Track of Projects Online

Monday, August 17th, 2009

keep-track-of-projects-onlineLast week, a member of a mastermind group I belong to posted a question to the forum about how to manage multiple websites and projects at once.

Being entrepreneurs we are full of ideas. Often those ideas turn Read More→

Angela, What Do You Do?

Wednesday, August 12th, 2009

Business Woman Working at Home on CouchLately I am getting the question “Angela, What do you do?” on a fairly regular basis. So, I thought I should write a post on it.

The straight to the point, short version of what I do:
I help small business owners make money online.

How do I do that?

Well, I wrote a post back a few months ago called ‘How I Make Money Online’ and it does Read More→

ConnectHey there!

I’ve got just a short announcement for you today.

Just added a page to this site where you can ask your questions about a wide range of topics, including:

  • internet marketing
  • affiliate marketing
  • virtual assistance
  • and more!
  • I want to know what you’re having trouble with, what frustrates you, what you need to know to move forward!

    While I can’t guarantee I will be able to answer every request, I will do my very best to provide answers to everyone I can right here on this blog. My goal is to help you make more money on the internet with YOUR business and find that Marketer’s Mojo!

    Go ASK ANGELA right here

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