Well, I must say I am a bit surprised at the success of this little work at home moms blog. I’m not doing anything to promote it (though I did get a little blog boost today! Thanks guys!!), and the site is getting as much, if not more traffic than eSelfHelp.

So I had a really great conversation today with my friend and fellow entrepreneur Todd Smart of BeTuitive Marketing, and we threw some ideas around for this little business I have going here. I was wondering… should I go with what’s working and pursue eMoms more aggresively? Or should I go with my passion and continue to devote my resources to eSelfHelp?

But then we both kind of came up with a better question at the same time ::

What if I were to MERGE the two company visions together into one more seamless entity? What could I accomplish by converging my passion for self help and targeting it more specifically at stay at home moms?

I thus far have kept this blog more business oriented, and kept my eSelfHelp blog on the more personal side. But to be frank, if I didn’t have my act together personally, I would NEVER be able to pull off working from home professionally. And since it was personal problems that really kept my first two home businesses from succeeding, I have a hunch that there are a few other moms out there with the same frustrations.

So I have come to a huge ‘fork in the road’ so to speak. My business plan thus far will have to be substantially reworked, and that’s ok. I don’t like excluding people who don’t work at home, (or work for themselves), yet this is what I have done for half of my career - I know what I am doing in this space…

I guess I am saying I have almost made my decision, I just need some time to readjust to this new direction and take some time to let my mind “stew” on this convergence of opportunities…

If you are a regular reader (or even just here for the first time!) I would really LOVE your feedback on this issue. Do you want to hear about internet marketing and work and kids? Or do you also want to know about what it takes to keep yourself motivated day after day when there is no boss to hold you accountable? And what to do to if you start getting really depressed because you are stuck in a basement office with no light and you can’t get out because you don’t have a sitter for days on end?

Your input is requested, as I want to ensure the material I am putting out is still relevant to you and adding value - my ultimate goal. Please comment, comment, comment!

I saw an email a few months back from one of the many internet marketing ‘gurus’ who was selling their new formula for instant riches online. I take it all with a grain of salt, but this one had a solid, great idea underneath it all - republishing public domain content. You can take content in the public domain, change it, or even leave it completely intact, sell it, give it away, whatever the heck you want. I think you can even claim you are the author, though I’m not quite sure about that one. No matter what, the content is here for all of us now, free to do whatever we want with it, including profit from it.

Joe Vitale caught on and is selling a book for $19 about Psychic Demand, basically an early text wrapping What the Bleep do we Know, The Secret, and Vitale’s own The Attractor Factor into a powerful text called The Culture of Courage by Frank Haddock. Included in this book is the material he is promoting called Psychic Demand:

“And if you who read these pages will but swing up to the white life harmony-plane, Health, Happiness and Power must be yours as surely as air rushes into a broken vacuum. If you ask, ” What are the limits of this truth?” I answer, “I don’t know.” To speak otherwise would be mere speculation. I affirm the great truth: All things are yours. That you, if stricken through and through with disharmony, may be able to receive all you crave, I may not affirm. Nevertheless, it is permitted to say: “Launch out! Launch out in the New Thought of Life, and receive, as you do so, whatever is rightly your own, as you are increasingly able to do so.”

And since this stuff is in the public domain, I can publish the material too - which I have.

You can download it here free if you are interested. The material is great, though his language is definitely dated (not surprising considering he wrote it in the early 1900’s).

I’m now trying to get the word out that I am giving away something for free that others are selling. I have no problem with others selling the material. It’s just that I need traffic more than I need dollars right now. I’ll track how I get the word out and publish my results here as they happen.

I already rank #2 if you do a Yahoo search on “Psychic Demand” (with the quotes). I’ve also put the word out to two groups I am a member of, one of which has 125 members, the other over 4000.

We’ll see what happens… stay tuned .

Ah, a topic near and not-too-dear to my heart. Clutter. I don’t just have it in my home office, I got it everywhere! Well, actually, I will admit in all fairness that my home is much less cluttered than ever before in my life. This is mostly due to the fact that we finally have a home large enough for our 5 person family. Keeping clutter out of the way in a tiny home with so many people is a disaster waiting to happen - but it happens to all of us from time to time.

I found a great blog today called “It’s not about your stuff!Get productive, the lazy way! Jessica Duquette, lifestyle and productivity consultant, has the recipe to make your life flow more smoothly…”. (more…)

Love the Yahoo news headlines… found one today about a 19 year old college freshman who is running his own multimillion dollar business between classes. Unfortunately, the link is now dead… if I find it again I’ll add it.

Another one - Mugglenet.com was started by this kid named Emerson when he was 14 or so. Now the success of the Harry Potter series made a big “difference” in his revenue model, but the kid is now in college, making over 6 figures from the site, and even received a personal invitation from JK Rowling to interview her when the last book came out. [Sorry, there’s no permalinks on the Mugglenet Blog, you’ll have to scroll 2/3 down to “A call from… Jo Rowling (!!!)”]

Another one you may or may not have heard of, the 21 year old college student who wanted to make a million dollars to fund his education. He targeted a million dollars thinking he would hopefully net a small percentage of that - by selling pixels on his “Million Dollar Home Page” until he got so much PR that his page pretty much ’sold out’ and he made his millions (and probably more with the added attention he got)

So these things all beg me to ask the most simple of questions, “If these kids can pull off these huge successes with their level of experience, can someone else do at LEAST this well, if not better, with MORE experience?” Actually, does experience even make a difference, when these kids DIDN’T have it, and they made it anyway? They just had an idea, and a plan - with probably a good amount of determination. I think any eMom at Home can come up with THAT!

Tags: Online Business, Inspiration, Kid Millionaires, Young Millionaires, Success Stories

My Mastermind Group has been garnering a lot of attention lately. My usually disinterested family is asking about all the things I am accomplishing when we talk on the phone. My children are so caught up in the process that they are OFFERING to help with my commitments when they are able to. My friends who aren’t participating are starting to feel jealous and left out (and these are people who generally do not have a jealous bone in their bodies!). And I even received my first quote from Elana Centor, Editor of the Business and Career section of BlogHer (I was quite flattered).

Seems there is some confusion as to what a Mastermind Group really is. Where do you find one? How much do they cost? What is the point?

The name, it seems originated from Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich: The Andrew Carnegie formula for money making. But Hill never put together the actual structure for a Mastermind Group, just spoke about the “power of the mastermind”. This, simply speaking, is the premise of modeling others who are more successful than you are. He says to find people who you have what you want, in money, business, or anything, really. Do what they do, think like they think, adopt their beliefs, and you will be taught how to be and live like your mentors. I guess there is some confusion in regards to any supposed ulterior motives of Mastermind Groups. Are some a way to hook people into a bigger (and more expensive) program? I’m sure some are, and some aren’t - just like any event participation, homework should be done.

A formal Mastermind Group is one that meets regularly to help each other grow professionally (and personally, I’m sure). They can meet via phone, webcam or in person, it doesn’t really matter.

The Mastermind Group I am participating in is unique in the addition of severe leverage. I haven’t had to grow out my moustache or give up coffee cold turkey (AND still maintain my normal level of output). And I haven’t collected any money from my fellow group members either. We are finding each of us has tremendous value to give each other.

We are all Master’s Track participants with Anthony Robbins & Associates, in which we get full access to all events over a two year time. These events include 2 different 3-day weekend seminars, 4 free coaching sessions, 2 one-day seminars, and several smaller events, such as this Mastermind Group, a Leadership Training, and a Time and Life Management program. Plus we get to go to all events over and over again for the length of the 2 years. So even though we are technically paying for participation in this Mastermind group, it’s a small part of a huge program (though I will add that is a very huge part of the results of Master’s Track!!).

Many successful and accomplished individuals offer their participation in a Mastermind Group for a fee - some are nominal, some are quite hefty. If I had the opportunity to learn directly from someone like Tony Robbins, I would! His Platinum Partnership is a bit out of my price range right now (something like $100K a year, I hear!). Frankly, if I had an extra $100K laying around, I would drop it on this kind of opportunity in a heartbeat. To learn directly from someone living at such a high level would be worth every penny - even if I just found out that I am already doing everything right in my life. I found one program online that met via phone for 42 weeks for $129. Another one ran for 12 2-hour sessions for $600. I know of another like-minded group of people who are putting together their own group and are just doing it for free for each other - adding value and receiving value.

In the end, the value you get is the value you are willing to give. Whether that be your money given to learn from a prominent mentor or your time given to someone who needs your help is up to you!

So don’t underestimate the value of a Mastermind Group - I’m of the belief that any worthwhile mentoring opportunity is worth it’s weight in gold.

Tags: Mastermind Group, Napolean Hill, Productivity Tools, Motivation, Leverage, Mastermind, Think and Grow Rich

I found a really interesting new site today thanks to our dear friend Google. It’s WinBig.org. I found it because I just joined a Mastermind Group, and in doing some work for my fellow participants, I found his link. WinBig has a series of programs for business growth, leadership training, and, not surprisingly, Mastermind groups! Particularly intriguing is his free Six Steps to SuperGrowth - a 6-CD set audio program. I’m downloading as I type. [Check out the comment on this entry below to get the package for FREE!!]

You may be wondering what a Mastermind group is. Each week, for 16 weeks, we get together with our group of 3-4 people, and publically make known what we are committing to do within the next 7 days. These are commitments above and beyond what we are currently committed to. We also then impose our own consequences. I don’t mean light consequences, either - these have to be REALLY PAINFUL consequences. Such as, two of the women in my group have committed to giving each of the other participants $100 if they don’t do what they say they are going to do. Another said she would have to go without makeup for a week. I said I would have to grow out my usually well hidden moustache - and don’t forget, I am a woman .

This is just the leverage I need to move ahead on all of my new home-based business projects. I’m already through 5 of my 11 commitments and we just started yesterday. But I’ll also admit that I took the easy ones out first!

Tags: WinBig.org, Mastermind, Mastermind, Group,

Wow! I have hardly touched this site beyond daily blogging and my Alexa rank has skyrocketed nearly as much as eSelfHelp has! I”ve broken the top 100,000!

I have to tell you that even though this is my third home-based business, I have never been more gratified by what I am doing. And frankly, I’ve made all of $3.08 so far (don’t be scared folks - I don’t have my revenue streams in place yet!!).

I think one of the reasons I really want to create eSelfHelp is that I really want people to find the happiness I have - or more precisely, their own. That might not be a work-at-home business, but for me it is for now. And I know there are millions of other moms out there who really want more time at home, yet also want to maintain their career, or need the extra income.

Yes, it’s a risk. Yes, it’s scary. YES, you may fail. But you may SUCCEED! And I can tell you from my heart that it is SO worth it!

Tags: Alexa, Web Traffic, Startup Inspiration, Home Based Business

When I review applicants for the affiliate program run through Commission Junction, I have some easy rules I follow as I determine whether I accept or decline them.

Here they are:

• The site MUST look professional. We may not have the biggest brand on the planet, but it’s rather important to us. So we take who we affiliate with seriously. If the site you put up is atrocious, we can only guess how you will treat our brand - and we will NOT guess in your favor if your site looks like $%&*. Harsh, I know, but true.
• The site MUST not be a canned affiliate site. This may work well for some Advertisers, but our products are very, VERY niche - do-it-yourself legal forms. If I was at a general “virtual mall”, the chance that I would buy a kit to create my living will is slim to none. Here is a good example of a canned site: http://www.thezenwarehouse.com/. They may do well with general consumer products - but not very likely with OUR products.
• This leads to the third and probably most important rule. Context. Context! Context!! I immediately turn down any affiliate that is selling collectibles, cell phones, or clothing. If they don’t understand their audience, they certainly won’t be able to sell our products. People come to a site for a reason. It’s up to you to know that audience and give them content and products they will be interested in.
• If anything comes even close to shady on the site, I deny them immediately and in some circumstances, turn them in to CJ as well. This includes covertly trying to switch my home page, random redirects and pages opening without my knowledge.
• Your site must not have any broken links, under construction signs, or worse, not even be live. Now, I cut people slack if they have a good structure/site map going, the site is a good match for our products, and the design is good, but there is still work to be done. At least I know that the site is on the right track and will be a good future partner for our company.

Here are some good matches for Socrates, and can be a good guide for you as you choose what affiliate programs to promote:

Gaebler Ventures :: They sell a lot of our business start-up products

HumanResources.com :: They sell our Payroll and HR forms

ForSaleByOwner.com :: They are a more prominent partner and not a true affiliate, but nevertheless, they sell thousands of dollars of our real estate products monthly

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I’m super lucky to work with a phenomenal coach. I wish I could link to him but he doesn’t have a web site - something I am bugging him about because he is losing business because of it. Regardless, I sent him a huge list of all the things I want in my life - but most of all I want to create a road map for my business to ensure I know where I am going and how I am going to get there.

We’ve all heard a lot of cliches about goals - but many of us still focus on what we don’t want. I have found, from direct experience, that focusing in this direction completely works against me. It’s like getting into a cab in Chicago, and saying, “I don’t want to go to the Sears Tower”. What’s a poor cabby to do? In fact, if he must drive, since all he has heard is “Sears Tower”, which direction do you think he is going to head? Yep.

I choose to use a coach because I love having someone besides me to be accountable to, because it helps me to stay focused and because this one in particular is extraordinarily talented at getting past any of the conscious and unconscious blocks that I have to my ultimate success. It’s one of the best investments I could ever make in myself and in my business.

So I have one huge goal before my next coaching session. 1-To come up with an action plan to map out and complete all of the content on eSelfHelp.com by the end of May. Considering that is well over 100 pages of content, I am definitely stretching myelf. Stretching is good.

Today I had the talk with my company about my need to leave the position. It went perfectly - as of Monday I will be working for them 10-20 hours per week at home until they are able to replace me. It will take them 2-3 months to do that, as Online Business Development isn’t an easy position to fill. Until then, I have a steady stream of income, and by not paying day care anymore ($1500/month), I’ll be close to breaking even. Best of all I get more time to work on my passion - eMomsatHome.com and eSelfHelp.com.

I’m taking a huge risk here, as we just bought our big dream house in Februrary and we just started renting out our first property as landlords. I had been afraid to take the plunge in the face of so much uncertainty. I was letting myself make excuses for settling for less in my life so that I could have some certainty. But my belief in what I am doing with these sites has inspired me to make some radical decisions:

• I will not indulge in any negative, self-defeating thoughts of lack or insecurity. Period.
• I will no longer stand for unhealthy environments in my life. My environment now wholly supports my focus to create a life-changing destination on the web.
• I will hold myself to actions that are at all times consistent with high standards of integrity.
• I will move forward towards my dreams even though I am afraid - terrified at times, in fact!
• With 2 web sites and blogs, I am now publicly publishing my commitment to deliver extraordinary content and value to the individuals who come to these sites.

And now you have my full permission to hold me to that commitment!

And hopefully one or two of you might be inspired to make some of your own decisions about launching your own business. Let me know if I can help!

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