Moms DotCom Dream

What Is Holding You Back?

Today I just wanted to write about something that I believe is holding so many women back from finding the success they are looking for.  I know that I am guilty of it, and I know of many women I have spoken to who are in the same situation.

So – what is it that is holding us back?

Not having confidence in our knowledge, our service, our products or whatever else we need to have confidence in when we are in our own business.

Let me give you my own examples:

I have come to realize that I have been working online for over 5 years now.  I have spent that entire time learning new things, trying new things (some which worked, some which didn’t), and all this time, I have been building up a tremendous amount of knowledge about internet marketing, building an online presence…..

I have spent countless hours learning how to do effective keyword research, finding niche markets, learning everything I could about Wordpress…so much that it would have taken me at least a couple of years in full time training to learn what I know now.

Yet I still was putting myself in the “newbie” category.  I didn’t feel that I had anything I could offer anyone to teach them.

Until I started helping offline businesses around here.  I realized that the knowledge that I have spent so much time learning, trying – failing and succeeding – is useful to others, and I do have alot of information I can share to help people.

That was a huge shock for me!

I have never considered myself an “expert” in anything really, (and I still don’t believe I am anywhere near that status), but the truth is I enjoy learning about internet marketing so much, that I am constantly following with new trends and trying new strategies, which does give me knowledge that is specialized.

Do you do this to yourself?

Do you undervalue what you have to offer?  Doesn’t matter if it is a product you are creating, a service you are providing, or maybe you have a hard time believing in the path you have chosen?

We all go through that – and that is something I have learned.  I hear women talking about how they don’t believe that they can charge more for a product they created because it might not really be good enough.

Or, they doubt if they should take that course, or apply for that job, or in the case for many of us getting into internet marketing – they don’t have confidence that they have what it takes to really be able to work from home, and make a decent living.

You need to stop limiting your thinking like that.  Seriously – do it right from the start.

The truth is, we all have strengths – and if we don’t value what we can offer, or what we can do – then how can we expect others to take us seriously?

“Seldom does an individual exceed his own expectations.”  ~Unknown

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Posted in Marketing, WAHM General | 1 Comment »

Sometimes Your Journey Takes Unexpected Turns

I’m back!

Again, I ended up neglecting my blog – and it seemed that the longer I was away, the harder it was to bet back to it.  It is kind of one of those situations that you start feeling so bad for not doing something for so long, that it just seems easier to bury your head and ignore it.  Sad, I know – and there really isn’t any excuse.  I could offer some – like mentioning how busy I have been (which I have), but that isn’t really a very good reason.

Over the past few months, I have finally figured out how to try focusing my efforts – and to realize that I needed to follow in doing what I truly enjoy – not just what I “thought” was the easiest and best way for me to make money and grow a business I could be proud of.

After signing up with the direct sales company I had chosen as a consultant, I tried to do what was required to start seeing some income from it.  But, since I live in a very small, rural area- it wasn’t as simple as I thought it would be.  People just don’t have the money right now to be spending a lot on photo books and other products that they can get for less money through other sites.

And, that is a hard sell – when you are trying to explain why it is that “your” product is superior, and why it is worth it for them to spend more money for a product they can get cheaper if they shop around.  After talking with other consultants who were feeling much the same way, I realized that I was feeling guilty when people were actually purchasing from me, because I just didn’t believe in my heart that it was the best deal.

I guess that is why I am not cut out for direct sales – that, and the fact that I hate doing parties!  I know when I go to those parties, I always feel obligated to buy something, and I just didn’t want to be making people feel that same way.

So, I have let my consultant status go – I didn’t bother renewing it when it came up in February.

I still really believe the digital scrapbooking, and creating memory books and wonderful keepsakes, is a lot of fun, and is so much easier for many people than traditional scrapbooking.

And, I still believed that I wanted to be able to help others create their own books.  So, I bought a license to software that is very easy to use, which I can offer through my own site.

It may not be as “robust”, or have the bells and whistles and extra embellishments I could offer when I was a consultant with the other company, but it makes products that are just as good, and with a lot more to choose from!
It is far easier for people to use, and the products are SO much more affordable!  (You can see it at www.yourstorybooklife.com).

I have lots more to report, and so many more ideas for things I need to write about.  I am following my heart, and not trying anymore to do the things I have heard I “need to do” to make money – or to grow my business.

And, that has led me into two areas which I can keep doing, and that I know I will enjoy every day.  That is taking my love for online marketing, and putting it with my enjoyment of crafts – and I get to put them both towards growing a business I enjoy doing.

I never realized how much I love internet marketing until I kind of started to move away from it over the past year.  While I don’t make the “millions” that others promise and say they are making – I am doing well enough to know that I actually have learned a great deal over the past 5 years I have been doing this.

Now, I help other small businesses to market themselves online, and I have helped to show some offline businesses in my area how they can benefit from the internet.  I love what I am doing, and I have decided that these are the areas I am going to focus on now.

So, when you come to read my blog – you will learn everything I can share with you about internet marketing – whether you are wanting to make money through affiliate marketing, creating your own products, freelancing, or other ways – or if you have a business (like selling crafts or anything else you can dream up), and you want to learn to market it online.

That is what I know – and what I am going to share with you.  I can point you in the direction to other information that I don’t specialize in – such as finding jobs online, mystery shopping etc. etc…..- if that is what you are most interested in learning.

And I hope you taken the message away from this post I was hoping to convey:  while sometimes you might find that you are “all over the place”, and that you feel like you keep trying things believing that this is “the one” – it can easy to start feeling that you are a failure, and that you just can’t seem to figure it out like everyone else has.  It might be easy to give up – but if you believe in something, and you can find that one thing you enjoy – trust me…it isn’t always going to be the first “great idea” you have…..then you will get there.  And, don’t ever feel bad about the mistakes you have made along the way – that is how you learn, and someday, that information you learned while making those mistakes, will come back and surprise you with how much it can actually help you!

Remember…

“Miracles have been accomplished by people who have kept trying when all hope seems lost.”

And…..

“Success lies in the journey – not the destination.”

I hope you will keep following along, and I promise, I have alot to share with you!

Posted in Direct sales, WAHM General | No Comments »

New Year – New Goals Set

Hi all!  I am so sorry for not posting for so long – again, I ended up getting bogged down with projects and couldn’t seem to find the time I needed to keep up with everything!

I have been busy getting things set up to do some online marketing to offline businesses in my local area who need help getting a website up and running, as well as helping them with some SEO and other marketing.  I got my first client just before Christmas, and have been busy getting their site finished up and everything set up for them.

They wanted to add a blog and a forum to their site, and they want me to do some optimizing and link building for them too – which is great!  Strangely, I enjoy doing all of this kind of marketing, even if I am outsourcing some of the more tedious tasks.

I never realized just how much the offling business world really doesn’t understand about internet marketing and how to use the internet to help bring them customers that are paying.  And, to use the internet for marketing and advertising – the possibilities are astounding, but for some reason, the offline world seems to think that the internet won’t really help them.

So, I will be busy doing this over the next few months and will see how it goes.  I am offering my experience with writing to do articles and submit for clients, as well as write copy on their sites and set up free reports to give away if they want.

This is just another way that you can think outside the box to find a way to make money from home.  If you have a skill, then offer to help people who don’t have the same kind of skill as you do.  Keep your mind open, and you may be surprised what can happen!

Happy New Year to you all – and I wish you nothing but the best for 2009!!

Marie

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Holidays and Getting Ready For An Announcement

This is just a quick post to explain the lack of posts the past couple of weeks!

I have taken the month of July and am camping with my kids.  And, there is no internet connection out there, so I only am coming home now and then to do a bit of laundry and pick up things we need.  I am trying to not do a whole lot of work while I am on holidays – other than the regular writing jobs I have scheduled.

I hope that everyone has a chance to take some kind of holiday, and spend some quality time with your families.  These are the memories that are important to a child – I know because my dad always made sure we had a family camping trip every summer growing up, and I know how wonderful those memories are to me.  And, it is exactly the reason I am hoping to give my own children a treasure of memories of their own.

So – if you don’t hear from me for awhile, don’t worry!  I haven’t forgotten about everyone, and in fact have some very big plans for something wonderful for the coming month.  I am working with another work at home mom, and we are getting something together that I think will be exactly what everyone is looking for when starting to look for ways to work from home!

Make sure you have already signed up for the mailing list so that you can hear about it as it is brought out in the next couple of months!

Until then, have a nice summer!

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Do You Understand Your Reasons For Wanting To Work From Home?

Obviously, if you want to work from home, you must have your own reasons. For most moms, it is being able to be home with the kids, and still be earning money. For some, it may be that they live in a very remote area with little access to daycare or even available jobs which would provide the money they need. Or, maybe some of you are just so tired of having to juggle so many things, watching the times you could be with your kids just fly past you.

Whatever your reasons, it is important to understand them. That way, when you begin to feel discouraged, or think that it can’t be done, you can sit down and think about what made you begin your search in the first place.

Last night, I was reminded why I have been putting so much into building my own business these past 2 years. It hasn’t always been easy, and I have struggled to find what was right for me, and made more mistakes and bad judgement calls than I care to imagine!

At times, I have thought that maybe it just wasn’t meant to be for me – and that maybe it was time to accept going back to work at a J-O-B.

Last night, I was able to remember exactly why I started this journey.

After I had gotten my 3 year old to sleep, I went in to my other daughter’s room. (She is 5. I always lay down with them at night to help them sleep – I know! All the experts are likely hyperventilating – but that is my favorite time of the day, when I can lay with them and watch them go off to sleep. It is probably more for me than them, because I know that soon enough, they won’t need me doing that anymore!)

Anyway! As I went into her room, I could hear her crying. When I asked her what was wrong, she was crying so hard I could barely understand her. She told me she missed Daddy.

He is a truck driver, and unfortunately, has not been able to be around very much. The main reason I had given up my job as a nurse was because I didn’t want my kids to feel like we were both missing in their lives. And, the reason I got started looking for some way I could make enough money working at home, that someday, my little girls could have their daddy at home.

We live in a very small community, so there isn’t much for men as far as good paying jobs, unless you are a banker, accountant – that kind of work. But, I had always figured that if I could be making enough, then my husband could either work online with me or find something around here that he could be home every night.

And – that is still my goal. Not so much for me, as my little girls. And, I know now that no matter what, I will be at home with my kids so that I can be there to comfort them when they need it.

Once you understand your own reasons, it will help make your determination stronger, and will help you get closer to reaching your dreams.

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