Afford to Stay Home Lens at Squidoo

Just wanted to invite you to view my Afford to Stay Home lens at Squidoo.

Free Marketing Tool - Directory Submitter

Have you ever attacked the task of submitting your website to the too many to count directories on the Internet?

I have. And usually after the 5th or 6th time, it gets old. I begin to think, "My God! I don't have time for this!" or "I could be spending my time doing something more productive!"

It can be pretty daunting.

I know, submitting your website to directories is part of getting coveted one-way links - something of value that is considered by search engines.

But there are some things to think about before submitting to the directories. If you've ever used a directory submitter that just submits to numerous directories all at once, you know the uneasy feeling of not really knowing whether or not your submissions really ever made it or were accepted. And to submit to the directories one by one, well, that speaks for itself. It can be overwhelming!

I received an offer today for a free program called Directory Submitter.

I want to say up front: I do not download every tom, dick and harry program that is offered in my Inbox. Those days are over. (Yes, when I was a newbie on the Internet I think I did download and try just about everything :-) )

But the "marketing pitch" was catchy, and I was also invited to watch a video to see how the program worked before downloading it.

So, I watched the video.

I won't tell you because if you click on my link, you can watch the video, also.

I just want to say that I like the idea of having control over where my website submissions go. And I like the idea that I can prefill information so I'm not filling in the same name, email address, website link, description, etc. etc. And even then, the prefilled info can be changed to my liking before submitting.

So, I clicked on the link. It collected some information like my first name & email address, which is a typical request. I know the person asking is collecting my email so they can send me updates and perhaps a marketing message. I can always delete or unsubscribe later if I like.

So, I filled out the info they wanted and next came the "one-time offer" sales page. I quickly read through the sales pitch - sounded like some useful programs I may want to try in the future - but I clicked the "not interested at this time." Yup, you're right. I just didn't feel like giving up those bucks at this time. I was just interested in the free program.

A little pop-up came up and asked if "you're sure," and I clicked yes.

It then brought me to the download link. I downloaded it, installed it and plan to give it a workout tonight.

So, in truth, I can't tell you yet whether it's going to be a great tool or a mediocre tool. But I promise I will report my findings.

Of course, if you're brave (like me) and want to try it out (for free) and post a comment back here about what you liked or didn't like, you can download Directory Submitter here.

More to come later...

Slow and Steady

I remember when I thought you could get rich quick on the Internet.

That was back in the '90's.

I thought that because "they" said it, it was true.

Not that I'm a materialistic person. I'm really not. But my desire to be home with my family can cloud the reality of starting up an Internet business. Not to mention, I like to think that people are honest and truthful.

The reality is: You may be able to "get rich." It just doesn't happen overnight. And you may not "get rich" at all - but you may be able to work your way into a nice income.

Your goal to afford to stay home is reachable. And as everything else, the "journey" is usually more enjoyable than when your reach your destination. So enjoy each day you are moving in the direction to afford to stay at home.

However, it's not easy - or quick - by any definition of the words. It takes work... and a goodly amount of commitment, persistence, and determination.

I read a quote from a long ago President of the United States, Calvin Coolidge:

"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'press on' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race."

I am so inspired by this quotation that I typed it and hung it up ON my computer... and I think it's a good thing to pass on to anyone who is thinking of starting up a business, even an Internet business.

Just as the tortoise vs the hare tale, the slow tortoise won the race; So, too with Internet marketing.

You can rush into this... and as quick as you came in, you can rush right out - discouraged and defeated, saying it doesn't work.

If you know from the "git-go" that making a success of your business is going to take patience and w-o-r-k on your part, then you're going to make it.

Take time to learn. And whatever mistakes you make - and you will make many - don't quit and throw in the towel. You need to persist.

And an important point I have learned: When someone is trying to sell you something that they say will make you rich quick - you need to step back and think. If it sounds too good to be true, then it is. Listen with your head - not with your heart.

For very few, quick riches (i.e. lottery) comes to them. For the rest of us, the reality is that we need to persist, work smart and be patient.

More on this later.

I Like To Stay Home

I like being home.

Well, let me clarify - I work a full-time job outside my home. So, when the weekend comes, I look forward to sleeping in (until 7:00 a.m.) or not having to immediately get dressed for the day.

I usually get up. If it's cool in the house, I throw on some sort of jacket or sweater over top my pj's and go downstairs to make coffee and let the dogs out. My labs are always excited to see me get up and are happy to go outside to "do their duty" after sleeping through the night - good doggies.

So, on my way to the door I turn on my computer so it will be ready for me when I'm ready to sit down with my coffee.

Ahhh! Weekends - life is good!

I remember in the not so distant past when I did this almost every day. My children were young. Computers were not common in anyone's home. But I liked to read - and still do!

While it was early and the kids were still sleeping, I'd sneak downstairs and make my coffee, snuggle up in a chair (if it was cool outside) or go out to my sunny front porch with a book to start my day.

In those days I didn't work. Well, some of us women would object to me saying that. I DID work. I was raising my children. And no better job there is than being able to stay home and do this most important job. If I had to do it over again, well, I'd do it over again and again the same way.

Now, my children are grown and have homes of their own.

This is why I look forward so much to [early] retirement. I want to be home again to enjoy my children and my grandchildren.

But I'm a worker. So in my early retirement, I suppose I shall still "work."

My computer offers me so many opportunities to work at so many things. My options are so great that it's hard for me to hold back the fact that I want to "do everything."

Whoaa horse!

Anyway, for those who might be interested - I have a website that sells wild bird-related products. It's been online since late 2004.

No, I can't retire yet...perhaps someday...

What Are Your Talents?

What sort of business will you start?

If you have a special talent or a cherished hobby - and all of us have a special talent somewhere lurking within us - think about how your special talent or hobby may be turned around into a business that you can run from home.

If you like to do something or have previous experience in a field, it will be easier to turn it into a possible money maker.

Start off writing down your interests, hobbies and abilities. It doesn't have to be spectacular. Just things you enjoy doing or things you've been trained to do, as in a work environment.

I worked 13 years in a general insurance agency and became quite knowledgeable about insurance coverage and recommending different programs for a variety of applications. I also worked as a telephone operator for a time and enjoyed it immensely. I've also helped install in-ground swimming pools! The point here?

We all have different experiences and abilities that make us who we are as individuals.

Think about all the variety of experience you bring "to the table" and - write it down. It will help you sort through the maze of discovering what type of home-based business you can start and eventually help you afford to stay home.

Afford to Stay Home

I don't pretend to be an expert...

I work a full-time job.

For those of us who have a dream of working from home, whether you're a young mother, a single dad, a person nearing retirement (but wants to take an easier and more fun route to make money), or a person who finds it hard to fit in the 9 - 5 "mold", - whatever your circumstance - the common denominator and burning desire is to be your own boss.

Can we afford to quit our traditional "day job" to come home?

I come from a long background of family members who worked from home.

My grandfather started a dairy farm back in the 1920's. In addition to the farm during the Great Depression, he trucked produce from his farm in Orange County, New York to New York City - which was 75 miles away! In those days, trucks (and roads) were not what are today!

Sometime in the 1930's, he built a small roadside "stand" for my Grandmother to work during summer hours. She sold beer (on tap and in bottles), soda (pop) distributed from a local business ("Sweeney" beverages), Hershey's ice cream, and flipped hamburgers when the hard-working farmers and others came in to break for lunch.

I was a little girl in the late 1950's standing behind the curtain that separated the the room where patrons were served and the kitchen which was a private area where there was a stove, sink, table, chairs and a couch. My sister and I daily peeked through the curtain to a life of hard-working, hungry black-dirt and dairy farmers along with other locals that came to take a break to laugh with friends, share a bit of local gossip and relax from the toils of life.

This was business!

After my dad married my mother in 1944, he moved into the house that was part of my grandfather's dairy farm. Along with my grandfather, he also worked the hard business of a farmer - milking cows, planting and harvesting corn, "getting hay" and more. My dad was his own mechanic because he had to know how to fix things when they broke down.

In the 1960's after my grandfather suffered several health setbacks, my father took over the farm totally. My father had no boys - just us three girls... and guess what?

My sisters and I worked the farm side by side with my father. And yes, he was a stay-at-home dad.

At this point I want to say, this was not a glamorous life...being girls and also being kids, we wanted to play - ride our bikes, wade in the brook and catch frogs, climb trees and later (when we got older) paint our fingernails and socialize with our friends. No, at that time we did not appreciate that we had to be there to help work the farm - the animals had to be tended to every day.

But this life taught us how to be responsible and ... WORK! And looking back in retrospect, my sisters and I had my father at home every day when we got off the bus from school!