ShowMomTheMoney.com - for Work at Home Moms

We are Moving...

2006-08-06T13:55:00.000-07:00

Come on over and watch me set up my new blog ... www.NicoleontheNet.com ;) Everything from here is moving over. I hope you'll join me there.

Nicole

Lifetime advertising special.

2006-08-04T10:40:00.000-07:00

I promised my friend, Christina that I'd let my readers know about her special offer.

She's offering a ridiculous special on Lifetime advertising - 2 lifetime ads on 2 sites for $9.99.

You can find the special deal at HERE

Have a great Friday!
Nicole

Having a JOB sucks!

2006-08-04T05:33:00.000-07:00

My friend Kristie T pointed me to this blog post about being an entrepreneur vs. having a job.
Blog Post - Having a Job Sucks

I agree that having your own business is 100 times better than a Job. Oftentimes, people get trapped working for an hourly wage and don't even see the option of starting a business.

In my opinion, the best time to follow your Entrepreneurial spirit is when you're a teen.

Here are some ideas for your teen to start his own business -
http://www.ShowKidstheMoney.com

And, for adults, of course, you can visit www.JustBusinessIdeas.com

What do you think?

Is having a job a trap?
Is being an Entrepreneur overrated?
Do you agree that a child can start a business or do you think it's important to learn to work for others before you work for yourself?

I'd love to hear your opinion.
Nicole

Free book "I Love My Life: A Mom's Guide to Working from Home"

2006-08-02T15:55:00.000-07:00

I mentioned at the beginning of summer that my friend, Kristie T is giving away 10,000 copies of her book "I Love My Life: A Mom's Guide to Working from Home"

In this book, you can learn how to successfully be a WAHM achieving YOUR personal and financial goals.

The regular price is $14.95, but your price is free - (you pay only shipping costs). Well, she still has some of the books left, so, if you missed the offer the first time, be sure to grab it while you can. I'm still reading mine and it's packed full of info.

Grab your free book

Let me know what you think when you get it.

Nicole

Does your Site Reach Women? Make Money and Win Prizes...

2006-08-02T09:34:00.000-07:00

You may know that I'm on a mission to find quality Affiliate Programs for Moms to promote.

The program I want to tell you about today is DineWithoutWhine. It's a family menu planner program. It's actually pretty impressive. Each week, you get a full week's worth of meal ideas, PLUS a corresponding grocery list. So, all you have to do each week is print off the grocery list and go. What a perfect gift idea for your favorite busy Mom!

I digress... My point is that the owner, Christine, is rewarding ALL of her affiliates this month with a great contest. Every single affiliate who generates any traffic at all (by putting up a button, banner, blogging about her, or by publishing an article of hers or even by sending a newsletter) -- any traffic will get you an entry into her contest to win prizes.

So, sign up for an affiliate account and start promoting. Not only will you make money, but you can win prizes, too!

Here's the link:
http://www.DineWithoutWhine.com/offer

This just in... Healthy Menu Mailer is teaming up with DineWithoutWhine to offer the same contest. So, if your website reaches Health-minded people -- Sign up and promote this program.
http://recipes.healthymenumailer.com

For more affiliate programs that have the Mom Seal of Approval, visit http://www.MomAffiliateNetwork.com

What's the story with Adfusion? Feeds that make you money.

2006-08-01T13:30:00.000-07:00

ok. Here's the report after two days of using Adfusion... (this feeds content into your site and the content can make you money).

I've made a bit of money. Each day, a little ka-ching. The positive thing is that my adsense hasn't dropped, that I've noticed. The other thing I like is that my pages look nicer with all the article photos.

It is free to join and to try.
Click here to apply ... ADFUSION

They offer channels on food, family, health, career, travel, money and more.

Let me know what you think.
Nicole

PS. Here's sample of a site with Adfusion on the bottom of the page -
http://www.freequickrecipes.com/recipes/hot-taco-salad.php

Moms and Online Shopping: How to Reach this Lucrative Market

2006-08-01T09:17:00.000-07:00

So great is the boom in Internet retailing, that a Forrest Research survey estimated U.S. online sales would grow from $96 billion in 2003, to more than $200 billion by 2008. Who is out there, doing all that buying?

A good part of the market is women, particularly young mothers who are part of the consumer group that cite a preference for Internet shopping to avoid crowds, get better prices, compare products, and reduce the need to travel around to find what they want.

In 2003, women in the 18-34 year age bracket made up 15% of Internet users. They also constituted 24% of the buyers from cosmetic and fragrance sites, 20% of the customers for wearing apparel, and 22% of the shoppers for jewelry and other luxury items.

With 50% of online purchases being made by someone from a household where the chief wage earner is between 25 and 55 years of age, there is growing evidence that the family unit, particularly where women are responsible for the buying of goods for personal use and gifts for others, significantly impacts the annual sales figures for all online retailers.

It also impacts local retail sales, with industry statistics showing that the research done by potential customers online, results in $1.50 spent locally, for every $1 spend on Internet shopping.

According to a recent survey conducted by Marketing Sherpa, one of the best ways to tap into the lucrative mom’s market is through solid information. If you’re looking for great content to appeal to moms, get it cost-effectively at Mom Content.

Catch me on the Hot Summer Seminar - Article Writing Tips

2006-07-31T09:15:00.000-07:00

I'll be doing a call with Kelly McCausey chatting about what to do and what NOT to do in your Article Writing and Article Marketing efforts.

Our chat will be free if you catch it live this Wednesday. Sign up here to get notified how to get on the call.

HOT SUMMER SEMINAR SERIES

I hope to hear you on the call...
Nicole

Face Painter: Featured Business Idea of the Month

2006-07-27T19:17:00.000-07:00

Our featured Business Idea for Moms of the Month is ... Become a Face Painter!

Face Painting - Anyone With The Desire Can Learn The Skills Necessary To Have A Successful Face Painting Business ... Even If They Feel They Have No Artistic Talent At All!
Click here to learn how

Not a Face Painter at heart? You might want to check out JustBusinessIdeas.com for more business ideas for Stay at Home moms. :)

Hope that gives you some good ideas... not every business needs to be an online one, as you can see from the sites above.
Nicole

Would you like to be on Wife Swap? Looking for Frugal Families...

2006-07-27T09:22:00.000-07:00

First, let me say you can make $20,000 if you are chosen to be on the show....

I was contacted by ABC to help them find the perfect frugal family to be on an upcoming show.

If you or someone you know loves living a frugal lifestyle and would like to be on Wife Swap, here are the details...

Here are some of the basics the show provided for your information...

* Each family receives $20,000 for appearing on the show. Just let them know you heard about the opportunity through ShowMomtheMoney.com
* The application process includes phone interviews, a possible home video submission, and a visit from one of our producers.
* All families being seriously considered for the program go through extensive background and medical checks - the safety and well being of each family (and our crew) is of the utmost concern.
* Moms selected to appear on "Wife Swap" switch homes for a total of six days. For the first three days of the swap, the new mom follows the family's typical household patterns. For the second three days, she implements changes as she sees fit.
* All moms sleep in a guest room in the new home, where there is complete privacy. If there is no guest room available, we create one.
* Also, moms travel with our production crew at all times and families who are selected to appear on the show have a minimum of two meetings with producers before filming even begins.

If you're a frugal family and you're interested in the show, contact the Casting Producer below:

Alena Jemas
Casting Producer, RDF Media/ABC's Wife Swap
440 9th Avenue, 11th Floor
New York, NY 10001
Phone: 212.404.1468
Alena.jemas@rdfusa.com

Note: Be sure to tell her you heard about the opportunity through ShowMomtheMoney so we keep hearing about these opportunities first! :)

Why I’m Promoting your Competition’s Affiliate Program and Not Yours

2006-07-26T16:23:00.000-07:00

Here's an article I wrote today. :) Can you tell I was in quite the mood?

Why I’m Promoting your Competition’s Affiliate Program and Not Yours

Today, I’m sitting at my computer, about to launch a new site and I’m going through Clickbank, looking for potential affiliate programs to promote.

Time and time again, I’m shaking my head, wondering if these Internet Marketers realize how many potential affiliates they are losing, as I click the red “x” and go to the next product. And, of course, this isn’t only the products listed at Clickbank. Affiliate Programs everywhere are lacking in their professionalism and respect for their affiliates.

It’s pretty obvious that many people don’t realize what turns off a potential affiliate. Could it be, perhaps, that the people writing these books have not been successful at Affiliate Marketing themselves?

After much frustration, I’ve decided to run through my list of reasons I did not choose your product to promote, and, instead chose your competition.

1. Your page is gaudy and unappealing.
Now, we all know the saying that ‘Ugly sites sell’. That’s absolutely true. A plain blue background with Arial text can make millions. However, a site that looks like a sparkly, flashy mess and gives your visitors a seizure is not cool. Leave the cursors alone. Don’t stick animation on there. And, for goodness sakes, stick with only one or two fonts, please.

2. Typos and spelling errors.
This one is actually kind of frightening. If the product you’re selling is an e-BOOK then please act like you know how to write. Have a friend or even an enemy read and reread your sales letter for you. If you don’t have any friends or enemies, then pay someone. Just don’t try to sell an e-book on a sales page that looks like a third grader wrote it. It’s not going to sell. At least I’m not going to sell it.

3. You offer more sales options than Clickbank on the sales page.
For instance, a hard-cover version of your book through amazon. Tacky! Why should I send you traffic through Clickbank so that you can make a commission on amazon? Not a chance. Or even worse, you have both a Clickbank button and a paypal button.

And, my #1 biggest irritant --

4. You’ve got google ads or actually have the guts to sell advertising on your page. (And, no, I’m not joking here.) I don’t even need to go there. Anyone who’s a successful affiliate knows that this is the sign of death for any affiliate program.

So, there you have it. four reasons why your competition is getting my business and you are not.

Nicole

PS. For affiliate programs that don't stink, check out www.MomAffiliateNetwork.com
Also, stop by www.FreeAffiliateArticles.com for some free articles that make you money.

Woo hoo! A new affiliate system!

2006-07-26T13:22:00.000-07:00

My prayers have been answered! I've got a few e-books I've been working on and I needed a shopping cart AND an affiliate program in one. And, it needed to be affordable.

Well, I'm beta testing this new shopping cart and I LOVE IT! And, it's affordable and run by WAHMS!

Sign up to get info on this new Shopping Cart if you've got an e-book or teleseminar you're selling. I can't wait!

http://www.wahmcart.com/special

And, yes, I'll be announcing my brand-new affiliate program soon. Just stay tuned. lol.
Nicole

Questions I get asked about Creating a Website

2006-07-21T11:51:00.000-07:00

I get a lot of questions about how to easily and affordably create a website. From "what's the cheapest hosting" to "how do I get a logo made"?

That's a pretty loaded question. Yikes. ;)

The first thing you really need to do is figure out how much control you want to have over your website and how technical you are.

Option #1 - Pay someone to create your website.

I create websites for businesses, so this is something I am familiar with. This option is only best if you don't plan to add content to the website after it is created.

OR if you plan to learn how to maintain the site down the road.
Otherwise, you're going to be paying me or whoever your designer is every time you want to make changes. Ouch.

Option #2 - Create your own Website

If you want to learn how to create websites, then I recommend purchasing

Front Page
or
XSP - http://www.makewebsitesfast.com

I use both and they each have their pros and cons. If you're creating a lot of sites, then XSP is MUCH easier. In fact, I prefer it and use it for many of my newer websites. It's great for information sites (content) sites, but does not have a shopping cart built in.

Option #3 - Use a Site Builder.

A lot of moms opt to go with this option. It's easy are pie. The only hard part here is that you pay a higher monthly fee, but it does include hosting so it's your only fee.
Here are the programs I recommend -
http://www.internetbasedfamily.com/?offer=EasySite
Includes a shopping cart. This is as easy as it gets.
and
http://buildit.sitesell.com/startnow9.html
This is the Rolls Royce of site builders. It not only helps you build a website, but it also helps you choose keywords to make it rank well in the Search Engines.

My recommendation? Both companies offer a trial period for free. Sign up for each, log in and play around. You'll quickly discover which is right for you.

Option #4 - Go with a WordPress blog.

It's a simple and easy content management system. If you're not technical, you can pay someone to install it relatively inexpensively, and have a website in the blink of an eye.
I have several Word Press blogs. You can see an example here -
http://www.WhatCanIMakeWithIt.com

HOSTING -

You'll need hosting for each option above except the site builders.

The hosting I use and recommend can be found here -
Web Hosting Reviews
If you are building one or two small sites, the 1.25 per month plan is plenty.
If you plan to build a lot of sites, or store large audio and video files, then I recommend the unlimited plan listed.
I use both.

Whew. Please let me know what additional questions you have about starting a website. I'm happy to get more in depth and cover things like logos, pictures and content in the coming weeks.

Warmly,
Nicole

Claim Your Free eBook: "Top 10 eBay Secrets for Successful Selling"

2006-07-21T11:47:00.000-07:00

Whether you have a business or not, everyone has JUNK to get rid of. Why not make some money from it by selling on e-Bay?

Claim Your Free eBook: "Top 10 eBay Secrets for Successful Selling" http://www.showmomthemoney.com/ar.htm (It's in the newsletter signup box)

Here's a wonderful article by an e-Bay expert that I'd like to share with you.

Top Ebay Business Secrets Revealed
Copyright 2006 by Jason James

Ten million-let me say that number again-over ten million people visited the Ebay website last month. With everything from online auctions to drop shipping opportunities, the Ebay business website has something for everyone. If you are thinking about joining in on the hysteria and trying to make your fortune with an Ebay business of your own, here are some of the best things you can do to
maximize your chances for success.

Do Your Homework

To begin with, you want to know as much as possible about the items you plan on offering on the Ebay auctions. This not only helps you create more interesting descriptions, but it also helps when trying to answer the barrage of questions that inevitably fly at you from potential buyers. The more knowledgeable you appear, the more likely you are to make a sale!

You also need to know if there is actually a market out there for what you are planning to sell. While you might occasionally hear about some off-the-wall item commanding big money at auction, these are the exceptions and not something to base your Ebay business upon. Run a search on the item and see how many items for that
keyword come up to get an idea about your potential market. Chances of success are poor if no one else is selling a similar item.

Keywords and Descriptions Will Make or Break You

People find their way to Ebay auctions by using keywords to find the items they want. Your listing will use keywords to draw people in to bid on your item. If you try employing a keyword that no one uses, then who will come to bid on your item?

There are websites out there that will allow you to type in a keyword and see how many people used that keyword in the past month. These sites are free and a great way to test the keyword you intend to use. Just go to any search engine and type in "free keyword selector tool" and a number of sites will come up offering
help finding the perfect keyword to attract people to bid on your item.

Once you have the people coming in to look at your item you are going to need a great description in order to get them to actually bid. If you are not the best writer but are serious about succeeding with your Ebay business, you may want to consider hiring a freelance writer to compose stunning descriptions that will awe
people into bidding on your item. But, by doing your homework, it is usually possible to write a great description simply by being knowledgeable about the item and simply conveying some of that knowledge in your description.

Post Items During "Hot Periods"

Anyone serious about succeeding with their Ebay business needs to know when to post items and when to hold onto them. Online auctions offering leather jackets in July may solicit a few bids but they will obviously be lower than they would be had the item been posted in late fall or early winter. If you have an odd item and are not
sure what the best time would be to post it on Ebay auctions, try searching for the item on the Internet. Find out what the current buzz is or whether there is any for your item. Also, try finding other sellers on the Ebay business site offering the same item. If you find a lot of people selling the same item now, then clearly it
is a good time to post. Timing can really make a difference in the final price you receive for your item.

Now there are of course other things you need to do if you want your Ebay business to succeed such as: post the item in the right category, make buying easy by offering a number of payment options, and keeping your shipping costs to a minimum. All of these are essentials to a successful Ebay business but are not likely to have
the same effect upon your chances of success like the other ideas mentioned earlier.

There is no doubt that Ebay auctions are a great way to make some serious money. By doing your homework, using the right keywords and descriptions, and by posting during the hot periods for your items, you significantly increase the odds of your Ebay business succeeding and making all of your financial dreams a reality. So
what are you waiting for? Start doing your homework now!

Article by:
Jason James is a 10 year Internet marketing veteran and an eBay Seller of 4 years. His website "The Auction Resource Network" reveals his inside secrets, tips, and sources that help him pocket over $10,000 per month on eBay. His proven step-by-step system shows even users with little or no business experience how they too
can make huge profits selling products at online auctions.

Claim Your Free eBook: "Top 10 eBay Secrets for Successful Selling"
http://www.showmomthemoney.com/ar.htm

Nicole

Free WAHM Magazine...

2006-07-21T11:45:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to quickly remind you to sign up for the free WAHM magazine I told you about earlier this month.

Just to be clear, this is a REAL magazine that will arrive in your home mailbox each month -- on paper -- with a stamp, even!

Grab your free subscription here - http://www.showmomthemoney.com/wc.htm

Talk with you soon.
Nicole

Free Adsense Blogging e-Book - Time sensitive

2006-07-02T07:15:00.000-07:00

Hi again. I'm on vacation and wasn't planning to send a message, but I found a great freebie and couldn't resisit sharing it with you!

Do you know of Joel Comm? He's the ADSENSE GURU. I've bought most of his e-books and they're definitely worth every penny.

~~~
*If you don't know what adsense is? Read this and sign up asap. I'll be holding classes on adsense soon, but you'll want to already have an acccount in order to understand the course* -
http://www.momaffiliatenetwork.com/google_adsense_tips.html
~~~

Today Joel is giving away his ebook "Blogging for Profits" free, but you only have until July 5th to claim it -- then it'll turn into his sales page....

Grab your free copy here -
http://www.freeaffiliatearticles.com/instantadsense.htm

Have a happy 4th of July holiday weekend!
Nicole

PS. Kelly McCausey is still giving away subscriptions to her Magazine for WAHMs. Grab your copy now in case she changes her mind - http://www.showmomthemoney.com/wc.htm

Take a Survey - Get free e-book

2006-06-29T12:57:00.000-07:00

A fellow Internet Marketer contacted me to let me know he is conducting a survey about "transactional trust" - how people build and determine trust between buyers and sellers through classified ads, auctions, social networking sites, etc.

Since surveys take time, he is giving away a free e-book about Google tips and tricks and an MP3 audio file about using craigslist as a publicity tool. ( $40 value between them)

Here's the link to the survey: click here

And to the blog post telling more about it: click here

Enjoy the free e-book. :)
Nicole

How do you get Traffic to your Website?

2006-06-29T12:38:00.000-07:00

I got an email from a reader today that said....

Ok, Nicole. So, I get that you write and submit articles. ;) What ELSE do you do to get traffic?

Cute. Sometimes I get on my articles rant and forget to mention some of the other ways I get traffic. lol.

You're welcome to sign up for my free course at www.WebTrafficBasics.com to learn more ways to get visitors to your website. No scams or posting ads in classifieds. These are ways to build long-term traffic to your website.

Nicole

I've got NOTHING to write about in my Newsletter this week!

2006-06-29T12:33:00.000-07:00

Do you ever have that dilemma when you have NOTHING to say for your newsletter and just feel BLAH?

When that happens, there's a solution for you. Free reprint articles. You can use these articles on your website, blog, or even your newsletter. If you have a printed newsletter that you mail out, you can use them there, too. The only rule is that you don't change the article at all, and that you include the author's resource box AND link to their site.

Here are some places you can find free reprint articles -
www.LadyPens.com - Free reprint articles by women
www.The-Best-You.com - Health articles

And, one of my favorites - http://www.freeaffiliatearticles.com/directory/ -- and the bonus here is that ALL of these articles have affiliate programs tied with them. So, when you include that link, you can use YOUR affiliate link for their program. Articles that make you money when you publish them. Not a bad deal, eh?

Use as many as you need. That's what they're there for.
Talk soon,
Nicole

Summertime -- Keep that Business Booming

2006-06-29T12:30:00.000-07:00

I know it's hard to keep things going when the kids are home, and the gorgeous weather is calling. Heck, I head to the pool every chance I get.

However, summer is also the time when you can get ahead of the competition! While they're lazying away the days, you can get things in place to be light years ahead of them by fall.

How do you do this? One big part is planning and scheduling. I know... yuck. I hate it, too.

However, if you know you'll only have an hour each day to work your business, then think of the ONE thing you can do that will impact your bottom line.

If you're in Direct Sales that means PICKING UP THE PHONE. That's the best way to get those events booked and get your schedule rockin'.

If you're in Internet Marketing like me, then you may need to do some rotating.
Write and Submit Articles
Post to your Blogs
Add content to your websites
Add content to your autoresponders

Got an online store?
Do a little promoting of your site every day. Whether you write and submit articles, write a press release, or promote your affiliate program, get the word out.

Get things in place so your business is building, a little each day.

Yes, we have the flexibility to work our businesses when we want to, but sometimes that can bite us in the butt by allowing us the flexibility to NOT work our businesses as well.

Get going. I'm cheering you on!
Nicole

I think Kelly McCausey has lost her mind!

2006-06-21T09:14:00.000-07:00

My good friend, Kelly McCausey is a great business woman -- or so I thought. I'm thinking she's completely lost her mind, though.

She's announced that she is GIVING AWAY her magazine for WAHMs. I've been a writer AND a paying subsciber since September so I'm really excited that it'll be free.

Of course Kelly is a smart business woman, so I know this move will grow the WC, and its advertising revenue like wildfire.

Grab your free subscription here -
http://www.showmomthemoney.com/wc.htm

YOU GO KELLY! Remember us little people when you're rich and famous!
;) Nik

Law of Achievement (Comes with bonuses AND helps charity)

2006-06-20T08:19:00.000-07:00

I wanted to tell you again about this great offer. You know how much I love helping charities through my Pay it Forward Program. Here's a way to help a great cause and get bonuses in the process....

In early May I participated in an exciting book launch campaign with authors Kathleen Gage and Lori Giovannoni. The launch of the book was so successful The Law of Achievement became a best seller on Amazon.com with 24 hours.

How it worked is when someone bought the book from Amazon.com they were eligible to receive over 100 bonus gifts from experts around the world. I am excited to be one of those experts.

Because the campaign was so successful, Kathleen and Lori decided to make this offer again, but for a very limited time. Not only do you receive lots of gifts when you order the book, you are also helping raise funds for a program called The Reading Rally.

You receive all the bonus gifts when you order one or more books today. All you have to do is go to http://www.lawofachievement.com/special1.htm, order your book from Amazon.com and return to the special page to fill in your name, email and confirmation number at which time you will receive the special link.

These gifts include eBooks, teleconferences, special reports, MP3 files, and much, much more. Topics range from professional development, healthy living, successful sales strategies, Internet marketing courses to name just a few. You are eligible to get all of the bonuses when you order the book.

I hope you enjoy it.
Nicole

Free Work at Home Book (the real kind that you can read at the beach)

2006-06-09T06:10:00.000-07:00

I've been buying up a bunch of paperback books lately. It's hard to take an ebook to the park or the beach. And, nothing is more "summer" to me than reading a book in a lawnchair. Ahhh...

I'll definitely be grabbing a copy of this one...
My friend, Kristie T is giving away 10,000 copies of her book "I Love My Life: A Mom's Guide to Working from Home"

In this book, you can learn how to successfully be a WAHM achieving YOUR personal and financial goals.

The regular price is $14.95, but your price is free - (you pay only shipping costs).

Grab your free book

Have a great weekend!
Nicole

Money Saving Ideas

2006-06-04T18:10:00.000-07:00

Summer is oftentimes a hard period for a work at home mom. Not only does income tend to drop -- but you can't work as much because the kids are in school.

Well, when I'm not making as much money as I'd like to be, I'm working on ways to save the money I am making a little better.

This is a great time to point you to the Frugal Tips and Money Saving Ideas at ShowMomtheMoney.com and the New Uses for Your Food blog I created to help us all take advantage of our gardens and big sales where you can stock up on big savings.

Enjoy and please share your best money-saving tips, too.
Nicole

Free Internet Marketing Audios from the Gurus

2006-06-04T18:07:00.000-07:00

I signed up for this free audio series to see what it was all about. I don't mind being a guinea pig first so I don't waste your time on JUNK. ;) (Believe me ... I get offers for TONS of garbage every day.)

Well, I've got to tell you ... I'm impressed. They have gathered a panel of experts and they are interviewing them one at a time on different topics related to Internet Marketing. So far the interviews I've heard have had great information.

CLICK HERE to check it out.

Let me know what you think.
Nicole

MommyFest is Coming...

2006-05-20T06:52:00.000-07:00

Every year, my friend Marie Ynami puts together an event called "MommyFest". I was fortunate enough to be invited as a presenter again this year. I did a call with Marie about How to Get More Website Traffic (based upon my website www.WebTrafficBasics.com ). She has the exclusive interview available to participants of her free event. Here's the scoop -

MommyFest is coming!
The 3rd Annual MommyFest is on May 23-25, 2006
Mark your calendars - it is going to be an info and FUN packed event.
Visit http://www.mommyfest.com

There are lots of informative workshops both via audio and online chat.Some Topics covered are:

- Blogging Basics
- Adsense
- How to Drive Traffic to your Website
- Teaching your Baby Sign Language
- Establishing a Web Presence
- Resilience Training for Moms
- Effective Communication for Moms
- How to Host an Online Event and so much more ...

To see audio Workshop schedule, visit
http://www.mommyfest.com/2006_Audio_Workshops.html

To see our Interactive Online Chat schedule, visit
http://www.mommyfest.com/2006_Online_Chat_Schedule.html

Make sure to MARK your calendars!

There will also be Games, Contests, Freebies and networking opportunities. Take a virtual tour of MommyFest when you visit the site so you know what to expect - http://www.mommyfest.com

Are you working your butt off?

2006-05-04T07:10:00.000-07:00

Oftentimes, moms work their butts off day in and day out to be
successful in business. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

We promote other people's products and get paid a percentage for
our efforts. There's nothing wrong with that. However, it WOULD be
nice to have other people out there promoting our products instead,
right? Of course it would.

Alice Seba has done it again. She's offering a free call about how
you can have your own info product (ebook, software, audio or
video) and have other people promoting it for you. :)

I'm looking forward to the call. I've got a few projects in the
works, and I hope to learn how to make them even better.

Find out more and sign up for the information call here:
FREE CALL

Warmly,
Nicole

Be an Internet Talk Radio Star!

2006-05-02T07:23:00.000-07:00

Have you ever thought of promoting your website on Internet TalkRadio?

I have something pretty cool for you today. I grabbed my goodfriend, Kelly McCausey, pioneer in the world of Internet Talk Radio, and hostess of www.WAHMTalkRadio.com.

I asked her all my top questions about how to get an interview, what to do and most importantly what NOT to do.

I've added the interview to the WebTrafficBasics.com course here where you can get a sneak peek - http://www.webtrafficbasics.com/onlineradio.htm

If you're already in love with Talk Radio, Kelly has a course she teaches to start your own talk radio show. It walks you through the steps for starting an Internet Talk Radio show on a shoestring budget. Check it out - Shoestring Internet Talk Radio

Nicole

I Graduated from Mom Masterminds

2006-04-08T10:02:00.000-07:00

I wanted to stop by for a minute and celebrate my graduation from MomMasterminds. Here's my awesome gradution certificate I just got in the mail. Isn't it cool?!

Thank you to Alice, Kelly, Lynette, Nell, Carrie and all my amazing and inspiring friends there. You all ROCK!

Nicole

PS. If you haven't heard of MomMasterminds, you're missing out. Check it out through this link.

Free Article Marketing Call

2006-04-05T18:11:00.000-07:00

Kelly McCausey of WAHMTalkRadio and I held a live call on Monday and answered 10 of your Top Article Marketing questions. We had a great time, shared lots of information, and we recorded it so you can listen in.

Grab the free call recording and our notes here:
http://www.easyarticlemarketing.com/QandASession.htm

Let me know if you have any questions!

Are you a SQUID, too? I am!

2006-03-31T11:37:00.000-08:00

What the heck is a Squidoo and why am I telling you about it?

It's kind of cool. You can have a free webpage to refer people to to find out more about yourself. And, you can actually have potential to make money from it.

Set up your Squidoo page and post it in the comments below. :)
Sign up Here

Nicole
Check out my Squidoo - http://www.squidoo.com/NicoleDean/

Free Q&A Call about Article Marketing

2006-03-31T07:16:00.000-08:00

I'll be having a free Q&A call about Article Marketing on Monday night at 8pm EST.

You can learn more about article marketing and get the call info here - (sign up in the bright pink box on this page)
http://www.webtrafficbasics.com/articles.htm
(If you've already signed up for the EASYArticleMarketing.com coures or ecourse, you got notice already so you don't need to sign up again.) :)

Grab a friend and come to the class. If you have a team or JV partner, tell them. ANY type of online business can benefit from article marketing, if you do it right.

See you on the call!
Nicole

You can hear goofy me on WAHMTalkRadio.com

2006-03-31T07:12:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to let you know that I was interviewed on www.WAHMTalkRadio.com this week, so you could listen. The interview was for the WAHM MVP contest, which I was fortunate enough to be nominated for again.

If you haven't voted yet, please stop by and do so. http://www.wahmtalkradio.com/mvp/ - There are a bunch of awesome women on there. Some of my best friends are on the ballot! You can't make a bad choice.

That's it for today.
Have a great weekend.
Nicole

Truth about Affiliate Marketing

2006-03-28T12:20:00.000-08:00

Hi. Happy Tuesday.

I just got some exciting news. My friend, Alice Seba, A.K.A. "The Internet Marketing Sweetie" has just told me that she is going to be holding a completely free teleseminar to reveal exactly why some people make it for the long-haul in Affiliate Marketing & others just don't quite get there.

She'll also be exposing a number of so-called Internet marketing software products that are, unfortunately, designed to make you fail. (UG. I HATE scammy stuff. I can't wait to hear this!)

But, first, if you don't know what affiliate marketing is ...it's covered here: http://www.showmomthemoney.com/affiliates.asp

Affiliate marketing is one of the best ways to make money online, no matter WHAT business you are already in. You can add affiliate marketing to any business to put more money in your pocket, doing what you're already doing -- referring people to good quality products that you enjoy.

To learn more how you can make it for the long-haul as an affiliate, sign up for the free call at:
http://freeaffiliatearticles.com/affiliatesweetiecall.htm

Also sign up for Alice's affiliate program here. It's a good one.
http://freeaffiliatearticles.com/aliceseba-affiliate.htm

I hope you can make the live call, but, if not, it'll be recorded.

Have a GREAT week!
Nicole

WAHM MVP Contest is ON!

2006-03-22T07:20:00.000-08:00

I wanted to let you know about the WAHM MVP Contest.It's on again, and I was fortunate enough to be nominated.

Please support the hard work Kelly McCausey has done in puttingtogether this contest by stopping by to vote for one of the nominees here: http://www.wahmtalkradio.com/mvp/

Honestly, I am friends with several of the WAHMs on the list and you can't make a bad choice choosing any of them. ALL great women, and I'm proud to be listed with them. :)

Over $20,000 in Savings per Year?!

2006-03-22T06:55:00.000-08:00

I recently met the owner of this website through MomMasterminds.

She claims that each of her newsletters will help you find over $200 in savings on the internet.
HOW COOL IS THAT?!

I know I don't have the time or energy to find savings like that, so I'm looking forward to her free trial newsletter to see what it's all about.

You can sign up for a free trial here - or sign up for a year's worth of savings.
PICK UP YOUR SAVINGS HERE

Do let me know what you think! And, be sure to post your best savings tip in the comments below. :)
Nicole

Tag- You're It!

2006-03-15T11:47:00.000-08:00

Carrie tagged me in Blog Tag so here's more than you ever wanted to know about me.

Four Jobs I’ve Had :

Camp Counsellor
Purchasing Dept for a Bank
Writing Bank Manuals
Virtual Assistant

Four Places I’ve Been On Vacation :

Mexico
Las Vegas
Crater Lake, Oregon
Miami

Four Tunes That Play In My Head :

Theme to Barbie Mermaidia (thanks to my 4 year old)
Whatever was playing in the car on the way to drop my 8 year old off at school
Monster Ballads - Yes, I'm a dork, but this is usually playing while I work. (It explains some of my weirder posts.)
And, oftentimes, the theme to SpongeBob Squarepants. (thanks to the kids again)

Four Favorite Dishes :

Burritos
Pesto (anything!)
Soups
Salads

Four Websites I Visit Daily :

MomMasterminds - the #1 where I learn and grow in my business.
My Ryze Network - the place where I share what I've learned and get to chat with the girls
LadyPens.com - to approve and decline articles
www.moms.aweber.com - to check and see if my lists are growing and to update them and write more.

Four Books I Really Love :

Dance Through Time (Time Passages Romance) - I love all her books. I'm a time-travel junkie.
http://www.lynneklippel.com/webwonderwomen/index.htm - I just finished Web Wonder Women and enjoyed it much.
"When You're About To Go Off The Deep End, Don't Take Your Kids With You." - written by my friend, Kelly Nault
The rest of the books I've read lately have all been work-oriented ones. :)

Four Places I’d Rather Be :

In bed
At the beach
on a bike ride
by the pool

Four Blogger Friends I'm Tagging :

Nicole

Free Web Traffic School for Moms in Business

2006-03-13T14:11:00.000-08:00

Recently, I collected questions from my subscribers, and the most common question asked was "How can I get more Traffic?"

Here's a full tutorial I created just for you. It's a "scheme-free" and "hype-free" zone. Just the facts, ma'am.

http://www.webtrafficbasics.com/

Please let me know if you have questions!
Nicole

Celebrating Women's Day - March 9 & 10th - Free

2006-03-08T09:09:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to invite you to join us at the Free Online celebration for Women on March 9-10, 2006.

It's a fun 2 Day event - 2 Days of Empowerment for Women.There will be FREE downloadable resources for women, networking,and even goodie bags.

Learn more about the event by visiting the event site at http://www.celebratingwomensday.com .

Enjoy!
Nicole

The #1 Question asked by Work at Home Moms is ...

2006-02-16T08:19:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, I asked for questions on anything & everything related to working from home. The response was great! Keep the questions coming.

There was a very obvious trend in the questions as I read through them. The #1 most asked question was... (drumroll please)

"HOW do I get traffic to my website?"

Let's get started.

Those of you who have taken or are currently taking my"ShowMomtheMoney 101" course will see some repetition here, but I think it's all good reminders with new ideas added in. You'll hear me get into more depth about topics like article marketing, blogs, contests, press releases , link exchanges, joint promotion among other things.

So, how DO you get visitors to your website? Without traffic, nothing else matters. You won't get sales or leads or income. Traffic makes the online world go round. Right?

There are many ways to get visitors to your website. I'll be sending you a series of messages highlighting my favorite methods.

I'm not going to cover things like posting ads in free classifieds. I'll be sharing the ways I personally get traffic to all my websites as well as paid and free resources that I use and recommend. All legit stuff that actually works. There's no siver bullet -- and anyone who tells you otherwise is either mistaken or lying.

I'm going to focus on what I consider the more effective methods. It may be scary to step outside the comfort zone of posting ads, but you'll be so glad you did. And, no, I'm not saying posting ads is wrong, but you need a well-rounded approach to marketing your website for the best results.

So, make sure you're signed up for my newsletter so you receive every last tip.
Sign up at the top of this page.

In the meantime, if you'd like to get a head start, here's a freee book that I enjoyed. It's not really filled with "secrets" like it says, but it does have lots of good ideas.

10 Traffic Tips - pdf

Keep those questions coming.

Nicole

PS. If confidence is holding you back from moving ahead with your business, please check out THE CONFIDENCE TO ACT

The Mini-Magazine for Work at Home Moms is on Sale!

2006-02-09T07:19:00.000-08:00

The WC News is on SALE!

Here's what people are saying about this printed magazine JUST for work at home moms -

Read some of our Applause:

Love the new mini mag style... fantastic job Kelly! - Mila Sidman, UK

Got my copy today - it looks fabulous Kelly - you rock! I will be blogging about this too! - Marie Ynami

GET YOUR COPY TODAY!

**********************************
Here's an exerpt from an article I recently wrote for the WC -

Life is Boring in that Bubble
From Seinfeld -
Jerry: He's a bubble boy.
George: A bubble boy?!
Susan: What's a bubble boy?!
Jerry: He lives in a bubble!
George: BOY!

When I consider everything good that’s happened in my life, it’s all been due to taking risks. When you look at your dreams, do they require you to sometimes be uncomfortable? To stretch outside of your safe zone – outside of your ‘bubble’? Absolutely!

Do you want to hear a confession?

The first few times Kelly McCausey asked me to be on WAHMTalkRadio.com, I made excuses! I tried to hide in my bubble….

“I have Boy Scouts that night.”
“I’m not feeling well.”

BAWK! BAWK! I was terrified to record with her. I admired her so much and didn’t want to make a fool out of myself.

After this happened a few times, I was getting embarrassed. My friend Annette Yen and I dared each other to do one thing we were scared to do. She promised to write an article and I agreed to go on Kelly’s show. We shoved each other out of our bubbles. Now, Annette is an article-writing machine – and Kelly can’t get rid of me!

Consider one of the biggest risks in life – parenthood. If we had been too scared to take the chance to become Moms, think of everything we’d be missing.

Yes, it caused considerable agony at times.

Being naked in a room of doctors? NOT fun.
Dealing with a screaming baby in an airplane? Absolutely awkward.
Driving your 4 year old to the emergency room with a broken leg? Downright terrifying.

The rewards of parenthood? Priceless. Thank God for risks and rewards.

Your business is the same way. Yes, it’s hard to reach out and to take risks, but that’s where the payoff is.

Think about it.

I hope that this year brings you rewards and joy beyond anything you can imagine. Dream big and set your goals high.

You deserve every happiness.
Nicole Dean is the mostly-sane mom behind www.ShowMomtheMoney.com - a fun and informative resource for Work at Home Moms. She invites you to sign up for her free ShowMomtheMoney 101 Tutorial at www.showmomthemoney.com/free-tutorial.htm

* This article was originally published in the WC * GET YOUR COPY TODAY!

Free Press Exposure?

2006-02-08T06:56:00.000-08:00

Would you like to have the newspaper feature YOU and your business? The press needs inspiration for news stories. Why shouldn't they talk about you?

Although Article Marketing is my #1 passion, I also enjoy the free traffic and publicity that press releases offer.

Here's a free tutorial to get you started with the basics.

FREE PRESS RELEASE TUTORIAL

Let me know what you think!
Nicole

Business is Sweet

2006-02-07T06:52:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day is around the corner. But, what does this have to do with your business?

Well, if you've been saving your pennies to purchase the amazing "Internet Marketing Sweeties" course, I have something sweet to
tell you about.

The Internet Marketing Sweetie course has been reduced from $47 to only $19,95 -- until Valentine's Day... I have listened to this course several times and think it is easily worth the $47, so $20 is a steal. Check it out...
INTERNET MARKETING SWEETIE

Here's an example of one of my Sweetie projects.
FEATURED WOMEN WRITERS
You can get free exposure, too, for your business here -
BE A FEATURED WRITER

More soon...
Nicole

Looking for True Love Stories...

2006-02-03T11:54:00.000-08:00

Share your Favorite Romantic Tips and Your True Love Stories and you Can Win Prizes!

Enter for your chance to win these prizes

www.bodybubbles.com

Women have been enhancing their environment with natural fragrances for centuries. Now you too can infuse the romantic and elegant fragrance blend of Ylang Ylang, Lavender and Jasmine essential oils plus organically grown infused Texas rose oil in a Sweet Almond Oil base.

www.FunontheArk.com
14" Dil Bear dressed in our Heart Boxers and Bow Tie (boxers and bow tie included in price

(more prizes coming soon)

To Enter

Email us with the following information:

Your name
Mailing address (to ship prizes)
Email Address
Your Romantic Tip or True Life Love Story
Click here to enter now

You may enter as many times as you'd like. Every unique tip or story will be considered a separate entry.

Each entry will be judged on the basis of the following criteria: originality, sincerity and warmth.

Simple Contest Rules

By submitting your entry, contestants grant permission to www.romanceyourhusband.com to display all or part of their entry on their website, as well as any marketing materials or publications (at any time and for any length of time) without remuneration.

This contest is open only to US and Canadian residents.

All entries become the property www.RomanceYourHusband.com and its respective owners and will be used for commercial purposes, without remuneration.

Deadline for entry is February 14th, 2006 by 11:59 pm (pacific)
Winners will be notified by e-mail or telephone after judging is complete.

Free Guide to Starting an Online Business

2006-01-30T07:24:00.000-08:00

There’s a lot of information out there about starting an online business, but it can be quite confusing. Here’s a step-by-step guide that shows you what do – starting from the very beginning. Learn what types of businesses you can start and how much time and money might be involved. Learn how to get your first website up and running and how you can get marketing guidance along the way.

You can download your complimentary “A Step-By-Step Guide to Choosing & Starting Your Own Online Business” guide here:
CLICK HERE

I hope you enjoy it!
Nicole

Web Content Awareness Day - Feb 9th

2006-01-22T09:16:00.000-08:00

Imagine if All the Right People Knew About You?

Time to tell the Web... you're a Stellar Content Provider too.

Join us for the First Ever Web Content Awareness Day on FEB 9.
Get inside secrets, content creation tips and free downloads from Top Marketers at http://WebContentAwarenessDay.com

Sneak peek: attend the Countdown to WCAD Blog "preview party" and learn
how you can ride our wave of high web traffic.

http://wordfeeder.typepad.com/web_content_awareness_day/

WCAD Loves Nicole Dean! Nicole, thanks for helping us kick off the first ever holiday for amazing web marketers like you. :)

My Affiliate Program Doesn't Stink!

2006-01-21T11:21:00.000-08:00

If you're listed in the "good affiliate" program list at http://FreeAffiliateArticles.com , you may proudly show off this button.

Criteria include --
Providing training and tools for your affiliates and valuing your affiliates. Anything less and ... you STINK! ;)

Nicole

Featured Writers at LadyPens.com

2006-01-21T08:51:00.000-08:00

Meet the first five featured writers at LadyPens.com

Stacie Mahoe - All About Fastpitch
Nell Taliercio - Telecommuting Expert & Affiliate Marketer
Kelly McCausey - WAHM Talk Radio
Carrie Lauth - Natural Mom
Annette Yen - Direct Sales Success Story

Would you like to be a featured writer at LadyPens.com? Check out the details here -
http://www.free-ebooksonline.com/featuredwriter-lp.htm

I hope to receive many many submissions.
:) Nicole

Mom - Take some time to De-Stress

2006-01-18T18:54:00.000-08:00

With the start of a new year, it's time to pamper yourself.

Here are some of the ideas I've gathered over time.

Romance on a Budget - Love is Patient. Love is Kind. Love is CHEAP!

Cheap Romantic Meals - Cheap Meals for a Romantic Evening.

Home Facial Recipes - When money is tight, but your pores are not! ;)

Foot Soak Recipe - Oh, my aching feet.

Free Bath Salt Recipes - These are always so inexpensive and heavenly.

More Frugal Spa Ideas - Submitted by Moms

More are coming soon. I hope you enjoy these!
Nicole

Have you seen Squidoo?

2006-01-13T18:28:00.000-08:00

Squidoo is a new.. .interesting concept.

Here's my Squidoo "LENS", although I'm not quite sure what I'll be doing with it yet -
http://www.squidoo.com/nicoledean

Here's some information from their FAQ -

1. WHAT'S A LENS?

A lens is one person's (lensmaster's) view on a topic he cares about. More specifically, a lens is a single web page filled with information and links that point to other web pages, to continually updated RSS feeds, or to relevant advertising. It's a place to start, not finish.

It appears this will be growing pretty quickly. You can add multiple lenses about any topics you are interested in. And, they'll help you grow traffic or to establish your expertise.

So, go squidoo and check it out. Also, it looks like there will be monetization options in the near future with their business model. It's free to join and they say it always will be.

I hope you enjoy it!
Nicole

Awesome Featured Women Writers!

2006-01-13T16:45:00.000-08:00

We're featuring the awesome women at www.LadyPens.com!

Check them out here -
The LadyPens Writers!

The first three are Annette Yen, Carrie Lauth, and Kelly McCausey -- three of my favorite people. :)

Soon, we'll open the Featured Authors to all members of LadyPens. I'm just ironing out the questions and answers process right now.

If you have any questions you'd like asked, please let me know.

More coming soon.
Nicole

Online Business Ideas for Kids

2006-01-11T06:41:00.000-08:00

Many parents would love to see their kids start their own business and would love the opportunity to foster their child's entrepreneurial spirit. If you're a parent and have been interested in getting your kids involved, but thought it was too expensive or that your child would lose interest in the project, I have found a great free guide to help you.

This guide, written by Alice Seba, who has been teaching people to start inexpensive and fun online businesses since 2002, has created "A Parent's Getting Started Guide: Your Guide to Helping Your Children Start an Inexpensive & Fun Business Online"

You can download your complimentary guide here:
http://www.free-ebooksonline.com/books/ibfparentsguidepdf.pdf

Have you been thinking of starting a website, but you're terrified
of all that technical stuff? I understand.
Here's a great option --
http://www.internetbasedfamily.com/?offer=EasySite
It takes 5 minutes to build a website with this service -- Seriously! And, there's a free 10 day trial to see for yourself just how easy it is.

And, if you are looking for offline business ideas for kids, I've started compiling ideas here -
from face painting to tutoring to baby sitting and more -
www.showmomthemoney.com/business_kids_teens/ideas.htm

Dear Affiliate Manager, Women are from Venus

2006-01-07T12:23:00.000-08:00

Dear Affiliate Manager, Women are from Venus by Nicole Dean

Question: My target market is women, and I’m having a hard time getting them to promote my products. They just seem unmotivated. I don’t get it. Does my affiliate program stink or am I recruiting bad affiliates?

Dear Affiliate Manager:

This just goes back to basic psychology. Women and men value different things.

Car salesmen are taught this in their training. When a husband and wife walk into a car showroom, the car salesman will face the husband when he talks about things like … horsepower and engine stuff. Then, he’ll turn to the wife and talk about safety and color options. Is this condescending? Yes. But, it’s also effective. My eyes glaze over when it comes to horsepower, but I want to know what I’m going to look like in my car! Sunroof? Radio? Now we’re talking.

So, what does this have to do with your affiliate program? Simple. Although I can’t speak for all women, obviously, I can tell you the things I value in an affiliate program.

Quality. I value my newsletter subscribers and am building a relationship with them. (According to recent studies, women go online to find relationships and support.) If your product or service is junk, then you could offer me 99% commission with a 99% conversion rate and I’m still not going to sell it to my visitors.

Affordability. I can’t promote a product that I, myself, would not buy. If you’re overpriced for what you offer, I can not promote your products to my subscribers.

Dollars and Cents. Of course money is a factor. It’s just not the #1 factor, as you may be surprised to know. 20% commission vs. 40% -- I’m not as concerned about that as I am the other items in this list.

Tools: Yes, tools. This is really big, and so few affiliate managers “get it”. I think I’ve finally pinpointed why this is such a big thing (at least for me). This scenario happens way too often: I find a product I am really excited about and I eagerly sign up for their affiliate program. I log in so I can start telling everyone I know about this great product or service. I can’t wait to see what they have in the “links” section. Will there be articles, or a rebrandable e-book maybe? Or even an informative video? It’s like Christmas morning… what will I find? And, then it the affiliate section opens and there’s one measly link and a button.

My initial gut reaction is “They’re not even trying!” And now, I don’t feel valued or motivated in the least bit. You just succeeded in turning your biggest fan into someone who stuck a lousy button on her page and knows it’s not going to sell at all.

I know what you’re thinking. It’s the affiliate’s job to sell. Yes, you’re right. As an affiliate, I know that writing reviews and recommendations is the best way to sell a product. No doubt about it. All I’m saying is that you’ve got to give us at least an indicator that you’re interested in building a working ‘relationship’.

Is it hokey to want a relationship with an Affiliate Manager? Yes. It is. But, I can tell you that any affiliate program where I get some attention and appreciation is going to get a lot more loyalty from me than an Affiliate Manager who sits on the couch drinking beer and watching football while I’m running around working my butt off... (Hmmm.... did I say that?)

So, yes, women are from Venus. You can decide to embrace it and reap the rewards, or ignore it and wonder why your affiliates aren’t motivated. It’s your choice. As an affiliate, I’m challenging you to embrace this information and run with it.

Nicole Dean is on a mission to find a few good affiliate programs. She’s found a handful of programs that don’t stink. Check them out at
http://www.freeaffiliatearticles.com/free-affiliate-programs.htm and be sure
to grab some Free Affiliate Articles while you're there.

Article Source: www.ladypens.com

Your Affiliate Program Stinks!

2006-01-06T14:03:00.000-08:00

How can you tell? Find out here -
Affiliate Programs that Don't Suck!

I'm on a rampage with Affiliate Managers right now. I'm tired of signing up for affiliate programs that don't work with their New Affiliates. A little training, and a few tools wouldn't kill them. ;)

I had a lot of fun writing this article. I hope you have fun reading it.
Nicole

Free Reprint Articles that can Make You Money

2006-01-06T06:16:00.000-08:00

Yep, she's at it again. ;)

We all know Content is King (or Queen) and that article directories are a great way to get content for your website or blog.

But, you have to include those darned author bios in every article. Every time someone clicks on that resource box, you lose traffic.

I've searched the web for affiliate programs that provide articles for your use. So, they aren't leaky anymore.

Read more here...
http://www.freeaffiliatearticles.com/

I hope it proves valuable for finding monetized content..
I'm adding more in the next few days, so come back often.
Nicole

Happy 2006! What will you make of it?!

2006-01-01T10:25:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! I am recovering from a GREAT celebration last night. A little too much bubbly, but other than that, it was a great way to start 2006.

I am really excited about this year. Are you? Do you feel passionate and eager about having a fresh start? Are you setting new goals and planning ways to achieve them? Do you feel in your bones a sense of excitement that this year your business is going to reach new heights?

I hope so. If not, then I hope you'll take a second look at what you're doing and figure out where your true passion lies or what you can do to reclaim your excitement. You deserve to be excited about your business, and look forward every day to another opportunity to share your product or design more webpages or recruit more team members. I know I run to my computer every morning! Do you?

As usual, I have some new freebies and information for you. Enjoy!

First of all, if you haven't signed up for the ecourse on growing your newsletter list, then I hope you will. It's at

NEWSLETTER TIPS AND ADVICE

Newsletters (aka List building) is an important part of making money and keeping happy customers. There is a right way and a VERY wrong way to communicate with your list. Are you growing a list of people who look forward to getting your emails or are they just clicking the 'delete' button?

I also need to share with you something that is really impacting my business. I hear of new products every day that I could offer you and I skip most of them. I don't tell you about products that I don't personally use -- or have highly recommended by a handful of my very picky and much respected friends.

Well, there's a new program that I signed up for and I've gotta tell you that I'm more excited about this than I have been about anything recently. And, the thing is that it's super-cheap (which I know we all appreciate).

If your business is online -- if you have a website or blog and are trying to make money, then please take a look at this program. I'm definitely sold. In the 48 hours since I've joined, I have had SO many ideas spinning through my head that I can't even grasp them all.

If you can give up one family trip to McDonald's each month, then this program is paid for and your business will benefit.

Here's the scoop - LIST & TRAFFIC

Now, because I like to be completely honest with you, then I want to say -- who should NOT sign up for this program.

If you are brand new to online business and want hand-holding, then don't sign up for the course, yet. It is a self-taught course, with videos and audios, and, although there is a forum, it's not for someone just starting out.

So, for you, I'd recommend this ebook written by my good friend -

101 FREE AND LOW COST MARKETING IDEAS

It's a better, less overwhelming starting point for someone brand-new to online business. :)

A lot of people have been asking me what hosting I recommend. Here are my favorite programs that I use - START A WEBSITE

Also, I wanted to let you know that I'm having a contest on LadyPens.com -- a Race to 10,000 articles. Check it out here - LADY PENS CONTEST

And, before I overwhelm you, I have two last things....

Feel free to claim these twenty-five free articles that you can use on your website or blog (except you can't submit them to article directories). - FREE ARTICLES

AND - I have many new free ebooks available at FREE EBOOKS -- many of them will be brandable (coming in the next few days) so you can MAKE MONEY by giving them away. Hold your horses... more info on this coming soon.

Are you excited about the new year now? I know I sure am! Feel free to pass this message on to your friends. The more, the merrier.

I look forward to reaching new heights in 2006 with you.

Nicole

PS. Don't forget to check out Jimmy D. Brown's program if you're interested. I promise you it'll knock your socks off. Plus, after you join, you can email me with questions and I'll answer them in my newsletter. ;)
LIST & TRAFFIC PROFITS

Make Six Figures - Free Ebook

2005-12-30T15:16:00.000-08:00

If you could choose between these two, which would you
most like to have beginning today...

* A huge list of hungry subscribers, or
* A flood of eager beaver visitors to your site?

Tough decision, huh?

What if you could do both?

Here's our latest free ebook that'll help you do just that.

MAKE SIX FIGURES - FREE Ebook

This ebook was written by Jimmy D. Brown.
He has just released a set of videos teaching you exactly
how to grow and profit from opt-in lists and web site traffic.

The shocking part is this: he's basically giving
them away for only $10.00.

So, after you read the ebook, check out the videos here

I'm listening to the audios in his site now -- and learning a lot.

Happy New Year!
Nicole

PS. Feel free to share this free ebook and any of the ebooks on our site
with anyone you think would enjoy them.
Free-eBooksOnline.com

Free and Inexpensive Marketing Ideas

2005-12-30T11:47:00.000-08:00

I found this interesting ebook and got to know the author. She's a great lady and definitely knows her stuff. :)

I thought you might be interested in this ebook filled with ways to market your buisness -- on a budget.

If you think all marketing is expensive, think again!

Inside this 50 page eBook are 101 FREE and Inexpensive Marketing Ideas, with real life scenarios proven to take your business to the next level.

Let me know what you think!
Nicole

Ladies - Submit articles and WIN!

2005-12-27T08:03:00.000-08:00

LadyPens.com has been growing like crazy and I'm just thrilled about it!

Article writing is one of the best ways to get consistent traffic to a website -- free! It's really exciting helping the community of Work at Home Women embrace this method of marketing.

To celebrate our growth, I'm holding a contest -- a race to get 10,000 articles at LadyPens.

I look forward to giving away lots of prizes!
Nicole

To Enter:
It's simple. Just set up an account at www.LadyPens.com (if you haven't already), and submit quality, original
articles -- lots of them. Not only will your business benefit, but you can WIN, too!

Note: All articles must meet our Submission Guidelines to be considered. Ladies only.

Who will win

Every 500th article accepted!

Prizes for submitting the most articles on "Nicole's in a Good Mood" day
(This could happen a lot. I tend to be in a good mood often.)

Prizes for most creative author bio and most creative article title.

Prizes for "Making Nicole laugh so hard she sprays coffee onto her
computer screen."

Best 'series' of articles.

Prizes for "Making Nicole open her purse and spend money."

Prizes for innovative ideas.

Many more prizes as I come up with them.

The prizes are rolling in... Check it Out Here

Have a great day!
Nicole

New Year's free ebook to share with your visitors

2005-12-26T13:48:00.000-08:00

This new ebook is just in time to give as a gift to everyone starting their New Year's Resolutions. Healthy Breakfast Smoothie Ebook (pdf) - Because breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
Thank you to Susanne of Healthy Menu Mailer for this gift.
Enjoy!
Nicole

Business Ideas for Teens

2005-12-24T14:46:00.000-08:00

You read that right. :)

The topic of teaching our kids how to make and save money keeps coming up with my friends. I've put together a few resources to get you thinking of some ways your kids can earn not only money, but also confidence and self-respect by teaching them some business skills.

Business Ideas for Kids and Teens
Face Painting
Tutoring

Enjoy!
Nicole

Free Brandable eBooks

2005-12-21T15:09:00.000-08:00

I've found even more ebooks that you can get branded with your affiliate links.

Check them out HERE

I hope they bring you much affiliate sales. ;)
Nicole

Free Holiday Recipes Ebook

2005-12-19T08:35:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays. :)

Santa stopped by and gave me this wonderful Holiday Recipes ebook, so of course, I wanted to share it with you.

Feel free to share this ebook with those you love, or just enjoy
the delicious recipes. Free Recipes Ebook for the Holidays

Here are just some of the yummy healthy recipes included -
Butterflied Beef Eye Roast
Garlic Potatoes
Low Calorie Hot Chocolate
Holiday Egg Nog
Low Fat Peanut Butter Cookie

Grab Your Copy HERE

Happy Holidays!
Nicole

PS. You can find many more free ebooks here -
Free Ebooks for You

Freebies and Learning for WAHMs

2005-12-14T09:51:00.000-08:00

As usual, I've stored up a bunch of treats for you.

I wanted to send you a quick note to let you know that
MomMasterminds will be closing its doors after this week.
The countdown is on. Whether or not you are ready to sign up for
the free 7 day membership, make sure you do take advantage of the
free ecourse they provide at
Free ecourse

My friend, Marie Ynami, has put together a fundraiser
for Breast Cancer research. You can hear me, Kelly McCausey, Annette
Yen and several other WAHMs singing Christmas songs.
Get access to these recordings by donating to Breast Cancer research here.
Carol for a Cause/ (Please spread the word)

Do you need any holiday articles for your website or blog?
Check out Free Reprint Articles - HOLIDAYS and
Free Reprint Articles - Christmas
These articles are free for reprint as long as you include the
author bio at the end and make all links clickable (when
published online).

If you'd like to give a holiday gift to your clients or newsletter
subscribers. here are some ebooks you can freely share .

Have a great Wednesday!
Nicole

Freebies for the Holidays

2005-12-13T14:11:00.000-08:00

Here is a brandable ebook for you to give away -
Activities for Little Fingers Ebook

And, a brandable piece of software to share -
Christmas Card Creator

Enjoy!
Nicole

How to Have a Successful Newsletter that Makes You Money!

2005-12-11T09:09:00.000-08:00

My good friend, Carrie Lauth, has put together a short ecourse about Newsletters and allowed me to tweak it and share it. :) (Talk about a girl who knows the meaning of the word Networking!)

She's compiled really good information. I hope you'll take advantage of this -- and do let me know what you think!

SIGN UP HERE FOR THE FREE COURSE ON MAKING MONEY WITH YOUR NEWSLETTER

Enjoy!
Nicole

PS. If you're ready to jump into Newsletters with the Pros, also sign up for The EZine Queen's newsletter.

Your Letter to Santa

2005-12-06T06:56:00.000-08:00

I know that you are very busy this time of year so I thought I'd save you some time by writing your letter to Santa for you. :)

Since you're asking for gifts for the Holidays, why not choose gifts that will help your business? Just imagine where you could be this time next year if you ask Santa for business tools instead of trinkets.

Feel free to copy and paste the letter below and send it off to the North Pole. :)

I hope you enjoy your letter to Santa!

Have a wonderful week!
Nicole

Dear Santa,

I've been a very good mom this year. I've worked very hard and kept my focus on what really matters -- my family.

I'd love to have more traffic to my website so people can see all the great things I have to offer. Nicole Dean says that article marketing is a fantastic way to get people to my website -- it's long term advertising and it's free.

So, for Christmas this year, forget about the candles and picture frames and instead get me
http://www.EasyArticleMarketing.com
so I can learn how to use articles to benefit my business.

And, if you could, please throw in a membership to MomMasterminds. They are almost full, and I really want to get in while I can.
There's a free trial here -
CLAIM YOUR MOM MASTERMINDS FREE TRIAL HERE
And, here you can see success stories of women who have already
joined -
SUCCESS STORIES

Thank you, Dear Santa. I hope that you are nice and cozy in the
North Pole with Mrs. Claus.

((insert name here))

Holiday Sanity Savers from a Mostly-Sane Mom

2005-12-04T09:53:00.000-08:00

The Holidays are a stressful time. Between the additional errands, the extra traffic, and the stress of spending money that you don’t have – even the sanest mom will be questioning her sanity as the holidays near.

Here are a few ideas to help you keep your sanity this holiday season.

Make a list (and check it twice). Keep your shopping list in your purse to keep from being overwhelmed or worse – overspending. If you walk into a store and are bedazzled by all the shiny things, I can relate. I get so overwhelmed that I get nothing accomplished. But, as the Holidays near, I tend to switch into “SuperMarket Sweep” mode and I start throwing everything into my cart (whether I really need it or not). Having a list can help fight this urge, keep you sane – and help your budget stay sane in the process.

As soon as you start buying, start wrapping. There's nothing more stressful than tackling a mountain of unwrapped gifts two days before Christmas. Save on the cost of wrapping paper by buying it after the holiday each year and stowing it away for next year. Be sure to attach gift tags as you wrap. If you're wrapping a month in advance, there's no way you're going to remember what that funky rectangular shaped box is, let alone who it's for.

To save time and sanity, wrap gifts that go together in all the same paper. For instance, wrap all gifts that will be going with you to your mother-in-law's on Christmas Eve in the red paper with the gingerbread men. And put all gifts for your friends and neighbors in the blue paper with the snowflakes, etc.

Cook in advance. Did you know that you can make mashed potatoes during the summer, freeze them, and have them ready for the holidays? Mashed potatoes can be kept in the freezer for months if you use a freezer-friendly recipe. Cook your mashed potatoes in advance and offer to bring them to Christmas dinner. You can skip the stress of cooking, because they’ll be ready and waiting for you.

Limit your travel. The holidays are about family, but they are also about togetherness and making memories. If you’re spending your holidays trapped in the car together, driving down icy roads, stressed out, consider ways to travel less.

The Holidays are a time to make memories. Oftentimes the memories we are making are of a stressed-out mom, running around missing out on all the fun because she’s trying to create a perfect moment. Instead, relax and experience the holidays with your family. Between a little planning and taking some of the pressure off, you’ll have a Holiday that would make Norman Rockwell sigh.

Nicole Dean is a mostly-sane mom and creator of http://ShowMomTheMoney.com – a fun and informative site to help moms achieve success working from home. She invites you to learn more Frugal Tips and to take her free tutorial for work at home moms at http://www.showmomthemoney.com/free-tutorial.htm

This article is free for reprint with author bio intact and all links active.

Work at Home Moms - Save Money This Holiday Season

2005-11-26T10:50:00.000-08:00

As the holidays approach, many work at home moms begin feeling a sense of dread --

* How will we afford gifts?
* Will I start the new year even further in debt?

Saving money is the same as making money, in my opinion. Either way, you'll have more money in your bank account. Here are a few ideas to help you save money this holiday season as well as earn a little extra cash. I hope these help give you some hope heading into the holidays.

Save on Advertising Expenses
Reduce your Advertising Budget. I hear so often from moms who are using paid advertising as their sole method of promoting their online businesses. Advertising is great, but it is just one of the many ways to promote your business. Enhance your exposure with some of the free ways to promote your business, from press releases and articles to more effective networking. Make an effort to stretch beyond your comfort zone to try new ways to draw more traffic to your website.

eBay - List it Now
People are spending money like crazy this time of year. List all your extras on eBay to earn a little extra cash for the holidays. Outgrown clothing, toys that your kids don't play with, movies, books -- all the items currently taking up space in your home could put cash in the bank. Plus, by cleaning out the house, you'll have more room for the new goodies that Santa brings.

Bartering
Have you tried bartering? You can trade products or services with other work at home moms that you meet. If you have a talent with writing or website design, trade with a mom in Direct Sales for products. It benefits both of you. The mom receives much needed help with aspects of her business that she may not enjoy or care to learn - and gets rid of extra inventory. She may also receive an ongoing customer from the barter, once you fall in love with her products. And, you receive products that you can give to loved ones for the holidays.

You do not need to start the new year further in debt. Plan your business promotions, barter for gifts, and sell your excess stuff. The holidays will be much more enjoyable, knowing that you took efforts to make them affordable.

Nicole Dean invites you to visit www.easyarticlemarketing.com to learn how writing articles like this one can be the most cost-effective way to bring traffic and sales to your website.

(This article is free for reprint. Affiliates of www.easyarticlemarketing.com may replace that link with their affiliate link when publishing this article online.)

Have you Considered Getting Your Degree?

2005-11-21T18:38:00.000-08:00

Now is the perfect time for a Stay at Home Mom to get a degree -- An Associates, Bachelors or a Graduate Degree. So many schools offer online and distance learning that it's a great alternative for any mom.

Here's more information about ADULT CONTINUING EDUCATION ONLINE.

Happy Thanksgiving!
Nicole

5 Mistakes you Might be Making when Choosing a Password

2005-11-20T11:01:00.000-08:00

Are you making yourself a target for fraud? More and more often I am hearing stories of people who have had their accounts hacked. They have had money stolen, lost sleep, spent hours setting up new accounts, or had their credit ruined. Don't let this happen to you.

Are you making these dangerous mistakes?

Mistake #1: Using the same password for all your accounts.
Please don't do this. Use different passwords for every email account, and definitely use unique passwords for shopping websites where you'd enter your credit card.

Mistake #2: Short passwords
The risk of someone guessing your password is increasingly difficult the more characters are in it. So, go for the gusto and make your passwords long.

Mistake #3: BradPitt, Charlie, Sarah, Princess, Barbie, Gandolf -- Did I guess it yet?
Do not use kids' names, pet's name, nicknames, names from characters in books or movies or celebrity names. Even if I didn't guess it in my list, someone who knows you could.

Mistake #4: Easy to remember English words
Easy to remember is also easy to guess. Passwords should not contain English words found in a dictionary. Non-English words or any words in any dictionary are a high risk as well. And, for goodness sakes, if your password is "password" or "test" then it's a wonder you haven't been hacked yet!

Mistake #5: Numbers are no-no's.
Seriously, stay away from birthdays, anniversaries, addresses, social security numbers or telephone numbers. They are all too easy to guess.
Choose random passwords for banking sites like PayPal. Combine letters (both uppercase and lowercase) and numbers.

If all of this sounds too hard to remember, then consider using a Password program. Most of the good password programs will not only store your passwords on your computer, but they'll generate completely random passwords when you need one.

Here are a few to try.
http://www.fgroupsoft.com/Traysafe/
http://passwordsafe.sourceforge.net/
http://www.treepad.com/treepadsafe/

It's never a good time to find out that someone has stolen money from you -- or locked you out of your own email account. It's a waste of your time and money. Please protect yourself.

Nicole Dean is the mostly-sane Mom behind http://www.ShowMomTheMoney.com. Are you a Work at Home Mom looking for help in your online business? Take the ShowMomtheMoney 101 Tour - Free! http://www.showmomthemoney.com/free-tutorial.htm

* This article is free to reprint with author information intact. *

WAHMs Gone Wild?!

2005-11-19T08:46:00.000-08:00

Ok, this is just getting silly. As you know, I'm a huge fan of
MomMasterminds. It's been the key to my business success.

Well, I think Alice and Kelly are just losing their minds.

They've added the following courses to the
free resources -- members get access to them free.

Internet Marketing Sweetie - $47 value

The Confidence to Act in Business - $46.97 value

Home Business Tax Smarts - $24.97 value

as well as Press Release Profits, Google AdWords from Start to
Finish, Increasing Your Sales Through Online Auctions, 7 Deadly
Website Sins, Building Blocks for Getting Organized and Managing
Clutter, and more.

And, I think I'm starting to catch their insanity. :)

Anyone who signs up for MomMasterminds through my link will not
only get all the items listed above as part of the membership
everything electronic, not the printed materials, but you'll also
receive ...

A Free 1/2 hour of Business Coaching from ME!

Yep. An entire 1/2 hour of my uninterrupted time -- trust me when I
say this is very limited. I'm busy as I can possibly be these days.

I will talk with you on the phone or via IM or email and help you
with the questions that come up after you dive into the resources
at MM -- believe me, you'll learn more in a week in MomMasterminds
than you would in a month of struggling by yourself.

So, sign up through this link -- then email me to
let me know you signed up to claim your free business coaching.

I'll help you by critiquing your site, your ads, or answering
questions that you have about how to make money online with
articles, blogs, newsletters, or anything.

Sign up for the trial here.

Then email me to let me know you've signed up. Once you've signed
up, we'll set a date and time to chat.

I'm only offering this through the weekend. My husband will not be
happy if I schedule 10 hours of chatting, so get in on the offer
now. ;)

Have a great weekend!
Nicole

PS. Don't forget to check out the blog to get more free help.

Free ebook on Article Marketing Tips

2005-11-18T15:20:00.000-08:00

I just compiled this new ebook from ideas provided to me from my friends at MomMasterminds. I hope it gives you some courage to try this very effective method of advertising.

FREE EBOOK HERE

Enjoy!
Nicole

Holidays are Coming -- Is Money Short?

2005-11-17T09:42:00.000-08:00

As the holidays near, you may be feeling a sense of dread --

* How will we afford gifts?
* Will I start 2006 even further in debt?

I've gathered a few resources for you. I hope these help give you
some hope heading into the holidays.

GET RID OF YOUR ADVERTISING BUDGET
I hear so often from moms who are using paid advertising as their
main method of promoting their online businesses. This is just NOT
the way to succeed.
Kelly McCausey and I have put together a free ecourse to help you
rethink the way you promote your business. Make More & Spend Less.
SIGN UP HERE

JOBS FROM HOME
My friend, Nell Taliercio has a great Telecommuting website
that is full of jobs that you can do from home.
JOBS FROM HOME

5 DEADLY MYTHS OF SAVINGS AND HOW TO SAVE ANYWAY
Enjoy this free ebook from my friend, Dar. It's got great tips
to keep more of your hard earned money in your pockets. (pdf file)
FREE PDF EBOOK

CAN'T AFFORD MOMMASTERMINDS?
Alice and Kelly have put together a blog with tidbits - free. Enjoy!
FREE TRAINING BLOG

If you have additional resources to share, please let me know.
I know this is a hard time of year for a lot of us financially --
and I definitely want to help.

Have a wonderful weekend.
Nicole

Simple, Easy Way to Get Long-Term Advertising

2005-11-16T10:24:00.000-08:00

Can you really use articles to get more traffic, make more sales and increase your credibility? You betcha!

This teleseminar will show you how -

Easy Article Marketing - CLICK HERE

Hope to see you there.
Nicole

Sell the Hottest Toys on Ebay for a Profit.

2005-11-15T06:13:00.000-08:00

I just finished reading this ebook and I have to say it is pretty informative. It will show you which toys you can easily make money selling on ebay for a profit and how to do it. If you need extra spending money this holiday season, this is a pretty cool way to get it.

Definitely check it out.
2005 HOLIDAY SELLING GUIDE: SELLING TOYS FOR PROFIT

Nicole

Stress Relieving Exercise

2005-11-09T19:14:00.000-08:00

Are you ready to fight the holiday weight gain? Here are some fun ways to get some stress relieving exercise --

Team Sports: Join a volleyball, softball or basketball league. Having your team-mates rely on you to attend practice will help you stick with your exercise program.

Play Time: Grab your kids and a ball and head out into the yard. Teach them all the games you used to love. I’ve gotten some of my best workouts playing freeze tag with my son in my front yard. The workout was fun and cost a lot less than buying a piece of exercise equipment. Jump on a trampoline, pogo stick, or grab a hula-hoop. It’s all good.

Quiet Time: If you enjoy quiet time, bike riding, walking, kayaking, rollerblading, cross-country skiing, swimming or hiking – any of these will encourage your mind to s-l-o-w down.

Shake it Baby: There’s a new trend in workout videos. From Ballet and Hip Hop to Belly Dance and Breakdance, you’ll find every kind of dance workout video available.
SHOP FOR VIDEOS HERE

Take the time to take care of you. Now, get moving! There's no excuse not to get some much needed stress-relieving exercise.
Nicole

WAHM Perspective from an 8 year old.

2005-11-09T15:35:00.000-08:00

Here's what my 8 year old said when I asked him "What does Mommy do?"

That's my sweet boy!
:) Nik

You can record Audio to your Blog, too!

2005-11-08T14:11:00.000-08:00

What does Mommy Do?

Here's a little audio I recorded of me asking my 4-year old what mommy does...

You can record audio directly to your blogger blog, too, for free. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP.

Have fun!
Nicole

PS. If you want to record audio for your website, then this is the service I use for ShowMomtheMoney - AUDIO ACROBAT FREE TRIAL

Frugal Food: Don't Waste Money this Holiday Season on Fast Food

2005-11-08T10:04:00.000-08:00

As the holidays approach, it gets harder and harder to keep up with everything that needs to be done. You may end up spending a lot of extra money on things like Fast Food, just because you're too busy to cook.

Here are some great articles for Frugal Meals for Busy Moms. I hope they give you some ideas and save you some money.

Talk to you soon.
Nicole

PS. I'm a huge fan of Once a Month Cooking. I don't mind giving up a few hours and making a freezer full of food. Check it out.

Dazed and Confused by the Gurus?

2005-11-07T12:15:00.000-08:00

Are the Gurus confusing the heck out of you? I know the feeling!

I consider it my job to act as a translator and help toss out the hype and break things down into bite-sized pieces. If you have questions you'd like to ask about being a WAHM - either post them to my blog or leave a message on my phone line.
(214) 231-2905 ext 4487

I'll be answering questions in upcoming notes. Thanks much!

I am Thankful for My Blessings...

2005-11-07T10:36:00.000-08:00

Happy November! Thanksgiving is around the corner in the United States. Are you counting your blessings?

As WAHMs, we have so much to be thankful for. What other career would allow us the opportunity to express our creativity, set our own hours, network with wonderful people, and make money while doing it?

AND, most importantly, we get to spend time with our kids, too. Wow.

It doesn't get any better than this!

If you watched Desperate Housewives last night you may have been as disgusted as I was when Lynette's boss mocked her suits during the meeting (even pointing out spit up!). Then, I was horrified to hear her boss say "Dance Puppet Dance"! UG -- you probably felt as lucky as I did to be a WAHM.

I was thinking about what I am most thankful for business-wise this year and the things that have most impacted my business in 2005.

I wanted to share my short list with you of my Top 5 Resources I am thankful for in my business .... These are tools, not people. The list of people is coming soon. ;)

1. Google Adsense & Chitika -- Thank goodness for Pay per click. If you aren't using it and you have a resource site -- get moving! It's money in the bank.
MORE INFO

2. MomMasterminds -- I've got access to the best resources online in one place. I've been a member of MomMasterminds since February and I feel like I am so much further now than if I had tried to learn on my own. I spent enough time struggling. I only wish I had been less stubborn and joined 6 months before I did.
MORE INFO

3. LadyPens.com is over 100 women strong and growing... I'm very excited for this new resource. I hope you'll find it helpful.
More info on how writing articles can help your business - Excuse my scratchy voice if
you listen to the audio. I'm fighting a nasty cold.

4. As you know, 'I (heart) my autoresponder' so I won't get into that again. ;)
MORE INFO

5. Teleseminars. I'm listening to teleseminars during my walks. Thanks to mp3 audios, I'm learning how to write a book, promote my website, and more. And, I get to share all my
new-found knowledge with YOU! :) Stay tuned...
More info on my cheapo mp3 player

What resources are you thankful for this year? I hope that 2005 has given you more business blessings than you can count.

Please remember those who may not be feeling blessed this holiday season, and help however you can --

Donate Money - http://www.redcross.org/
Send words from home to a soldier http://anyservicemember.navy.mil/
Prayer
Volunteer locally
Give blood

Thank you so much for sharing this year with me so far.
Nicole

PS. Please share your blessings as a WAHM in the comments section below.

Get Paid per Click on Your Website - Chitika & AdSense

2005-11-03T07:26:00.000-08:00

If you have a website or blog, you can sell advertising 24 hours a day in your sleep, and get paid for it -- automatically.

Pay Per Click programs are viewed by many as one of the best ways to make money online.

I have two favorite programs I use.

Chitika eMiniMalls

What is it?
eMiniMalls are a pay per click advertisement with a storefront or mall look. It shows individual products with images. I've been using this program for a few weeks and have been enjoying the additional income (very much). ;)

Why choose eMiniMalls?

It's Free to join
Easy to use
Can use it WITH Google AdSense
They have an Affiliate Program to make even more money

Join Chitika here

Plus, as a special bonus enjoy this Free Copy of my Notes on this Program (pdf file)

Google AdSense

What is it?
AdSense is a pay per click program with text links run by Google. Every time someone clicks on an ad on your site, you make money.

Why choose AdSense?

Free to join
Easy to use
It's by Google - you know it's good.

Google Adsense Tips, Articles and Advice

And, if you decide you want to make the big bucks with AdSense, then be sure to check out AdSense Secrets. I own it and it has paid for itself many times over.
ADSENSE SECRETS

Just make sure you read the Terms of Service on any program very thoroughly, and never never click on your own ads or ask anyone else to, as it is theft. So, follow the rules and this is a GREAT way to make money.

Now go make some money.
:) Nicole

PS. Don't forget to sign up for Chitika HERE

I heart my autoresponder!

2005-11-01T13:56:00.000-08:00

I was thinking of getting a bumper sticker that says

"I *heart* my autoresponder"

Do you think that's too geeky?

I am a woman in love with my autoresponder and I want the world to know! ;)

Ok, I'm joking a little. But all joking aside, an autoresponder is an invaluable tool. I know my business would suffer without mine.

What is an autoresponder?
An autoresponder is a business partner. It sends your messages out automatically easy as pie -- whether you are at your computer or not.

Some examples:
* My newsletter gets delivered to you through my autoresponder.
* If you signed up for my ecourse, you received it through my autoresponder, automatically, whether I was at my computer or playing Whack-a-Mole at Chuck E Cheese.
* If you've ever ordered anything online, you probably received a confirmation email automatically through ... you guessed it - an autoresponder.

If you are in Direct Sales, you might be wondering what this has to do with you. Well, my friend Annette wrote a great article that ran in last month's issue of the WC citing several ways to make your Direct Sales business more efficient and more effective by using an autoresponder.

You see, Annette is a busy lady.
She successfully runs her Direct Sales business. She homeschools. AND she does all the other important stuff that we WAHMs juggle every day. How's she do it? Well, I'll let her tell you about it in her article.
click HERE to read Annette's article
Her autoresponder even trained her downline and followed up with her leads while she was on a company cruise. You can't beat that!

If you own an online business not related to Direct Sales, your business could also benefit from an autoresponder. You can automate your contests, write ecourses, manage all your newsletters in one place (even family ones), follow-up with customers and more.

Here's a free trial for the autoresponder that I *heart* -
CLICK HERE to try the autoresponder I recommend If you sign up and have any questions, just let me know and I'll give you a hand. :)

So now you know why I love my autoresponder.

Speaking of love, I just posted a picture from my vow renewal this summer. See the post below.

Maybe I'll get a "I (heart) my hubby" bumper sticker instead. :)

Have a great day!
Nicole

PS. If you'd like to get more amazing articles like Annette's, then be sure to
subscribe to the WC here.

PPS. Stop by Annette's blog to sign up for her training and learn more about her business opportunity. She's a great lady!

My Vow Renewal

2005-11-01T10:03:00.000-08:00

I 've gotten more requests for pictures from our vow renewal this summer so... here you go!

In June, we celebrated our 10 year anniversary by renewing our vows.

Can you tell I love this man?! I told him I'd marry him 100 times if he let me. He said "Sweetie, 2 is plenty." lol.

I wrote a little article about putting together a Marriage Vow renewal. Marriage Vows

And you can also read my whole story here:
You Don't Renew Your Vows at the DMV

Thanks for letting me share my "why". Please share your stories of romance. I love hearing them.
Nicole

PS. Enough chit-chat. Get back to work. ;)

Write Off Your IPod as a Business Expense

2005-10-30T14:53:00.000-08:00

If you recall, a few weeks ago, I wrote about how I was loaded down with mp3s and starting a new exercise program and getting Sexy, Skinny and Smart by hitting the road with my new mp3 player. Well, I found this great article which made me hunt down my reciept for my little mp3 player. I'm definitely going to look into this! ;)

Write Off Your IPod as a Business Expense

If you've been eyeing those sleek new Ipods but you didn't like the price tag, Uncle Sam wants to help you buy one.

Before I go on, here's the standard CYA...

I'm providing this as information only. It's up to you and your tax professional to figure out if this is indeed a legitimate tax strategy for you. Now on with the show...

There are two principles at work here:

1) You have the right to deduct reasonable and necessary business expenses from your income before calculating tax on that income.

2) Continuing education to improve your business results has long been recognized as a reasonable and necessary expense.

So where does that shiny new Ipod fit in?

If you're like me, you have many hours of mp3 recordings on your hard drive-- recorded conference calls, teleseminars, webcasts and other educational materials. I know I have well over 100 hours of such material on my hard drive.

There are also an increasing number of podcasts available dealing with business topics. Listening to those relevant to your business contributes to your ongoing business education.

There are also similar offerings on subjects like investing, tax planning, and so on.

Purchase your iPod through your business, and you can expense the total cost the year you buy it.

How's this for leverage?

You (meaning your business) spends $200 for a new Ipod. You write off the entire cost this year, reducing your taxable income by $200.

You load up that 4 hour webinar you've been meaning to get around to, and listen while commuting. You learn something that adds $200 to your bottom line immediately.

Congratulations! You just got your iPod for zero net cost.

And the iPod is so small and light that you can leverage a lot of dead time (commuting, waiting in line, workouts at the gym, etc.) into productive continuing business education.

And it even plays music!

Music to help you concentrate while writing that new article or newsletter.

Making that music a deduction on its own.As one guru said, the proper question is not"Can I deduct this?"

The proper question is

"How can I deduct this?"

John McCabe covers business topics like tax savings for the Success Letter, part of John McCabe's Web Guides.

What is a Mastermind Group?

2005-10-20T14:08:00.000-07:00

If you follow my blog or newsletter, you know that I rave on and on ... and on about MomMasterminds.

I wrote an article today answering one of the most popular questions I get asked.

"WHAT IS A MASTERMIND GROUP ANYWAY?"

Let me know what you think!
Nicole

What is Chitika? Can it make me money?

2005-10-17T20:05:00.000-07:00

I’m a big fan of google adsense (who isn’t?!) So, when I read about this new program, Chitika, I didn’t give it much attention.
I don’t know if you’ve tried Chitika yet, but it’s basically a new kind of adsense, but with an e-mall setting (with product images).

I’m testing it right now, and thought you might like to see what it’s about. Plus, they have an affiliate program.

Here’s the link:
TRY CHITIKA NOW

You can have it on the same pages as adsense as long as you have it set so you enter the keywords, and don’t make it contextual. If you have it on a page with google search, then you have to disable the search feature on the minimall which is super easy to do. Once you apply, I’ll send you my little tutorial on Chitika. Just let me know when you apply. 

I am pretty excited about this. I hope it makes us some good money. ;)
Nik

PS. Still not convinced? Here's a little tutorial for you
Chitika eMiniMalls Tutorial

Vote for Nell -- She's awesome!

2005-10-16T14:51:00.000-07:00

Mary and Heather, of MomsTown.com, are appearing on Dr. Phil on the 21st of this month. They are putting together a listing of top mom sites and they are putting this list together with YOUR votes!

So if you have a spare moment to fill out a very quick form, I’d sure appreciate your vote for MommysPlace.net, owned by my friend, Nell. It's a Work at home mom website about telecommuting and home business.

Nell has helped me a ton the last year, and is a great friend, so if you get a minute,
PLEASE CLICK HERE TO VOTE for Nell

Thank you so much!
:D Nik

I love this free SEO ebook!

2005-10-12T09:55:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading this free ebook about improving your Search Engine Optimization. I thought it was a great beginner course -- and it had tips in it that a more advanced user might benefit from as well.

I hope you enjoy it! Feel free to share it with your friends or ezine:

SEO Made Easy

Let me know what you think of it!
Nicole

If you only had 1 hour a day to devote to your business...

2005-10-11T13:57:00.000-07:00

A few months back I posted this story on my network.

I was recently forced to really streamline my business activities. For personal reasons I have had to limit the time I can work on 'my stuff' while still needing to see my income drastically increase. Quite the predicament I'm faced with, no? ;)

So, as always, when I need advice,
I talked to my friend, Nell Taliercio of www.mommysplace.net ,
I posted at my Ryze Network/
and I asked my mentors for advice at MomMasterminds
MM: MomMasterminds Free Trial - Special Offer

I asked "If you only had one hour a day to devote to your business, how would you spend it?"

When I asked myself that question, it made me focus more on thigs that are most productive. Personally, I've given up a lot of my forums and ryze groups, and, as you know, I've bought my cool little mp3 player so I can combine learning with exercise.
MP3 player: My mp3 player

Other than that, I'm making a list every morning of 6 things I want to accomplish for the day and am trying to stick to it. (those who get the WC saw my mostly-sane daily list -- a little scary, isn't it? lol)
WC: What is the WC?

Whether your business is online or offline, I do think this is important -- to identify your time wasters and to focus on the activities that make you mo.ney.

Here are some replies from the smart members of my Ryze network.

They said...

Go online only to check emails once or twice per day - and just briefly. I have an autoreply set up with the office phone number if people want to reach me quickly. I check the messages if I am out of the office.

I spend more time networking offline than online as it is much more effective.

I carry cards everywhere and pass them out as I go along.

One thing I would work on is getting good link parteners. Not only will good links get your site indexed more, it can lead to increased traffic.

Stuff like emails and posting I think need to come after the mo.ney making activities like calling leads and building quality content webpages.

I'd automate my business as far as I could.

If I had only one hour per day I would focus on my customers, my business leads and my downline. Helping people comes first.

I too have become very selective of which forums and networking groups I'm involved in.

I have developed a large list of customers and leads, contacting 4 per day by phone it would take me more than a year to get through them all!

I would improve my web site's SEO. This is a never ending project.

Income generating activities... anything that builds my customer base or helps my team build their business...phone calls and specific networking geared toward that....

I'd say adding content to my websites, writing on my blogs, putting together my newsletter, posting to my forum...the things that I enjoy and make me money.

To make money immediately and really connect with people, I need to use the phone more.

A note on using the phone. Remember this:
Two calls a week is 100 calls in a year.
Three calls a week is 150 call per year...
One call a day is 365 calls in a year.
It really adds up.

I hope this gave you some inspiration to help you to gain focus on your computer and work time.

I'd love to get your thoughts on this. I can always use good advice. :)
Talk to you soon!
Nicole

Free Ebook Full of Website Promotion Ideas

2005-10-03T13:02:00.000-07:00

I found a great free ebook a few weeks ago on getting traffic that I think you'll learn a lot from. Feel free to share it with your friends. Free ebook

Free Reprint Articles for your Site, Blog, or Ezine

2005-10-03T13:00:00.000-07:00

Do you ever struggle to come up with interesting information for your direct sales team, your website, blog or ezine?

Free reprint articles are the perfect solution. There are people all over the world who have written informative, entertaining articles on topics and you have permission to share them.

Just make sure to include their 'resource box' at the end of the article. Here's a new collection of articles written by women (with reprint rights). http://ladypens.com/

By the way, sharing articles is a very good way to get free advertising. If you're unfamiliar with the benefits of writing articles for others, then check out my article about it... Why-Write-Articles.htm
I hope you see the potential of this type of free marketing.

If you have any questions, just ask. :)

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

2005-10-03T12:59:00.000-07:00

Please stop by http://www.thebreastcancersite.com for your holiday shopping. It's a great place to shop, and a wonderful cause to support.

And, it's that time of year to promote BreastPals once again.
If you know anyone with a great sense of humor about breasts -- then send them here. http://www.breastpals.com
(YES - she paints with her breasts, but it does benefit Breast Cancer Research - read her FAQ. You'll love the one about eggplants) ;)

If you'd like to set up a free store selling t-shirts, mugs, or even dog clothing with your logo, set up an account
here

Are you a mostly-sane WAHM, too?

2005-10-03T10:01:00.000-07:00

*Note: This article was originally published in the WC *

I have a confession.

I’m a mostly-sane WAHM. I’m far from the ‘got it together’ work at home mom that I’d like to be.

I believe that there are a lot of women out there like me – clutching onto your sanity while juggling family, daily work requirements, basketball practice, ballet recitals, PTA meetings, and the many other responsibilities we carry on our shoulders.

If you’ve been a WAHM for more than a minute, you know the predicament we face. We chose to work from home so we could spend more time with our children. This is great in theory. What happens, though is that we end up with no scheduled and defined work time, so it becomes a struggle to find time to spend with our kids. When you hear other people say “It must be so nice to work from home so you can spend time with your kids all day”, you roll on the floor laughing. If only it were so simple! Finding the balance between work and home can be a constant struggle especially when work IS home.

I remember the days when I worked out of the home in an office job. I had two separate and distinct compartments in my life. There was the office, where I could work in peace and quiet, focus on projects and be productive. And, then there was home, where I was able to focus on my children and have fun. I had scheduled working hours, and also distinct family time.

Now, I have the ‘hom-ffice’, an odd melding of home and office. The line between the two compartments is unclear. My office is now an extension of home. And, home is becoming an extension of my office.

Because of this dilemma, I find that I’ve got the focus of a gnat. Here’s how my work day goes.

I wake up, grab a cup of coffee, and sit in front of the computer to check my email. Fifty new messages. No problem. I get ready to tackle the first one.

“Dear Nicole, I was wondering if you might be interested in” …

“juice in a sippy cup, pretty please my pretty mommy?”

Whoa!! Ok, brain switch! I turn and look at my little girl who just crawled out of bed. She is a perfect picture of childhood, with her big brown eyes, sweaty wildly curly hair and big grin. I hug this rosy-cheeked angel and go to the kitchen to get juice. Then, I sit back down and attempt to read my email

“Dear Nicole, I was wondering if you might be interested in my new affiliate program selling” ...

“the new Lego robot I built!”

Brain switch again. I swivel my office chair and see my son, his blue eyes twinkling, and his face beaming proudly, holding up his Lego creation. I ‘ooh’ and ‘ahhh’ over the new Lego invention -- a robot that can climb walls. I rub his blonde head and tell him how wildly creative he is. He grins and goes back to Lego-building.

I swivel back to work, and try to get as much done as I can between the many interruptions, karate practice, dinner and bedtime stories. Oftentimes, late at night, you can find me working, while watching late night TV shows. My husband comes in to check on me. I swivel my chair to get my good-night kiss and I tell him that I just want to wrap up a few last projects. I stagger to bed late at night only to start again, before the kids wake up in the morning.

Are you seeing the pattern? Is there any wonder that I’m mostly-sane? Look at your own days and I’ll bet they are very similar to mine.

Despite the frazzled hours and days, and all the distractions, I love being a WAHM. The honest truth is that I wouldn’t trade my job for any corporate job in America.

However, as I meet more and more work at home moms, it’s becoming apparent that I’m not alone in my struggles. Other moms are setting expectations that are just not matching reality. What can we do about it?

1. Reclaim your office:

If you have one room that you can dedicate to your work, stake your claim on it. Clear out all toys and non-work items. Make your “hom-ffice” a real office. No more messing around with half a commitment to your business. Your office is your turf. Protect it.

2. Buy a timer:

If your children are old enough to understand the concept of time, invest in a timer. It’s a life saver. The next time you need uninterrupted working time, tell the kids that you’re setting the timer for 20 minutes. If they give you 20 minutes of uninterrupted work time, then reward them with quality time with you. Play a board game together or go to the park.

Set goals this month to reclaim your work area and your time, and you will take a step closer to being a happy, relaxed, and successful WAHM!

Nicole Dean is a mostly-sane WAHM, and proud owner of http://www.ShowMomTheMoney.com – a fun and informative site to help moms find success at home!

* This article was originally published in the WC It may be reprinted online or in print with author resource box and credit to the author intact.*

Sexy, Skinny & Smart!

2005-09-29T10:46:00.000-07:00

Can you relate to this dilemma?

I sit in front of the computer on my keister too many hours each day.

Now, I don't want to get into a dissertation about my
keister, but let's just say it's not the best thing for *any* keister
to be sitting too long each day and leave it at that. ;)

Do you spend too much time on your keister, too?

That got me thinking. A lot of my time sitting is spent
listening to recorded teleseminars to boost my business, and learn
about topics I can share with you.

So, I decided that I'd use the teleseminars as an excuse to get
Skinny, Sexy and Smart! How? By getting an mp3 player and listening
while I walk or run.

Of course, the first player I looked at was the Ipod which is awesome
and comes in a lot of different colors that would be really cool
.... but, the Ipod is pretty expensive. I didn't know if I was THAT
dedicated to walking just yet, even though I was really drooling

over this green one

So, I looked some more options and found a cool little mp3 player
that was a fraction of the price. I got it last week, and I love
it! It's working just great for what I need.

My mp3 player

The first thing I did when I got my little mp3 player was to load
about 20 hours of audios from MomMasterminds
on topics like...

"Traffic Magnets" -- How to drive traffic to your website
that will convert to sales.

"Increasing Your Sales Through Online Auctions" -- Learn to benefit
from the massive amounts of traffic that online auction sites like
eBay receive and increase your website traffic and customer base.

"The Power of a Focused Business" -- Discover the philosophy of
getting so crisply focused with your business that decision making
is easier, less time consuming and you spend more time doing what
you love.

"7 Deadly Website Sins" -- Very simple
things you must do with your website now to increase your sales.

"Building Blocks for Getting Organized and Managing Clutter" -- A
recorded teleseminar to help you regain control of your chaotic life.

So, needless to say, I've got a lot of walking ahead of me. I'm
feeling like Forrest Gump. I may start running ... and never stop. ;)

Reminder: Claim your free 7 day trial at MomMasterminds, available
through through this special link -
http://www.showmomthemoney.com/MMfree-trial.htm

If you're dreading the holiday weight gain, but don't want
to take time away from your business, an mp3 player might be a good
investment for you, too.
http://www.showmomthemoney.com/mymp3player.htm

As they say in Madagascar, "I like to move it, move it!"
Do you like to "move it, move it", too?

Send me a note to let me know if you decide to get your
keister in shape, too. We can do it together!

Have a happy day!
Nicole

PS. Don't forget about Kelly McCausey's new printed newsletter
You can read it on the excercise bike at the gym. ;)

Are you feeling Isolated?

2005-09-27T10:40:00.000-07:00

Janice Ferrante, the Queen of KAOS, shared a great article this month about how taking care of yourself.

Isolation Doesn't Have to be Desolation: A popular reason that most women stay home to work is so that they won’t have to leave their kids and home to go to work.
Another reason is to leave the “rat race” of 9-5, become our own boss and get to work wearing a bathrobe and fuzzy slippers!
Some of us are just natural born homebodies.
But some days it can seem a double-edged sword.

Enjoy!
Nicole

Online & Offline Promotion

2005-09-27T09:35:00.000-07:00

Lisa Gonzalez, owner of www.keywordprincess.com has written two fantastic articles about business promotion. I'd like to feature both articles here. I hope you enjoy them!

Offline Business Promotion for WAHMs - A lot of work at home moms are working from home with traditional businesses such as party businesses, direct sales and even home made, home grown businesses but many encounter the same hurdles…how can I promote my business to the fullest? It’s a common question for many entrepreneurs period. It may sound crazy, but are you using any traditional forms of advertising?

Online Business Promotion for WAHMs - This week we’ll continue this discussion about business promotion but we’ll explore a few ways to promote your business online. I want to mention a message board that I came across the other day, work at home moms were in fact talking about business promotion and I ran across a post from one work at home mom who said she’s afraid of online business promotion. Afraid? I thought, how could anyone be afraid?

Please let me know what your business promotion ideas are. And, of course, please check out our resources on Business Promotion...

Another new ebook - on finding Keywords...

2005-09-18T06:26:00.000-07:00

I found another GREAT ebook for you. If you're struggling with keywords and Search Engine Optimization, you won't want to miss this one. :)

FREE keyword Research Guide (pdf file)
An e-book packed with insight, tips, and techniques on keyword research that you can apply easily to your own website.

I hope you enjoy it!
Nicole

Another free ebook -- Saving Money!

2005-09-17T09:03:00.000-07:00

This one is awesome! My good friend, Darlene Arechederra, who I mention a lot, put together this great free ebook "The 5 Myths of Saving -- and How You Can Save Anyway!" and I'd love to share it with you.

You can find it at
Free Ebooks Online!

Or, if you'd like to go right to the pdf file, here it is...
Five-Deadly-Myths-of-Saving.pdf

Once you get a feel for what Dar has to offer, then swing by and take her quiz to see if you can afford to stay home.

As with all the free ebooks on http://free-ebooksonline.com/, they are free to share with clients and friends.

Do let me know what you think!
Nicole