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Women For Hire’s

Work From Home Webinar Resources

Sponsored By

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Every effort has been made to verify the accuracy of links. Inclusion here doesn't constitute an endorsement. Please notify us to report a problem at amorita@toryjohnson.com.

Speakers’ Contacts

Sara Fell FlexJobs

- www.flexjobs.com - @flexjobs - FlexJobs Facebook

Holly Hanna The Work at Home Woman

- www.theworkathomewoman.com - @Holly_Hanna - The Work at Home Woman Facebook

Janine Heydrick Virtual Assistance

- www.pmspecialist.net - @PMSpecialist

Paula Stein My Personal Valet

- www.mpvalet.com - @mypersonalvalet - My Personal Valet Facebook

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Jennifer Campisi Senior Helpers

- www.seniorhelpers.com - @SrHelpersNatl - Senior Helpers Facebook

Lanae Paaverud The Social Networking Nanny

- www.socialnetworkingnanny.com - @SocialNetNanny - Social Networking Nanny Facebook

Stephanie Manley CopyKat

- copykat.com - @copykatrecipes - CopyKat Recipes Facebook

Shannon DalPozzal Traveling Mamas

- travelingmamas.com - @travelingmamas ; @CajunMama - Traveling Mamas Facebook

Cheryl Bier Mama Made Them – Etsy Shop

- www.etsy.com/mamamadethem

Cathi Nelson Association of Professional Photo Organizers

- www.appo.org - @photoorganizers ; @cathinelson - APPO Facebook

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Sandra Williams Photo Organizer

- www.infinityphotosolutions.com - Infinity Photo Solutions Facebook

Kittine Moreno Arise Virtual Solutions

- partnersetup.arise.com - @AriseVSInc - Arise Virtual Solutions Facebook

Melissa Jefferson Arise Chat Professional

- partnersetup.arise.com

Joan Connor PartyLite President

- www.partylite.com - @PartyLite

Jen Hardy PartyLite Consultant

- www.partylite.com

Danae Ringelmann Indiegogo.com

- www.indiegogo.com - @Indiegogo - Indiegogo Facebook

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Resources

Work From Home Assessment This excerpt is from the Women For Hire book, Will Work From Home. Working from home has its pros and cons. It’s a lifestyle for many, but not everyone. Think it’s time for you to take the plunge? Invest about five minutes and learn some valuable facts about yourself. Are you ripe and ready to bear the fruits of at-home labor? Or do you have some growing yet to do? No grades here, but let’s find out. Circle the most appropriate response, then rate yourself. 1. Have you been considering the idea of working from home for six months or longer? • Yes • No • Not really 2. If you’ve told anyone else about your idea, has the response been positive, as in “Wow, that sounds perfect for you?” • Yes • No • Not really 3. Have you sought out anyone who works successfully from home and asked questions about how it really works? • Yes • No • Not really

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4. Do people (including yourself) consider you a disciplined self-starter who enjoys working independently without constant feedback? • Yes • No • Not really 5. Once you get an idea in your head, do you typically pursue it until you’ve achieved it? Are you persistent? • Yes • No • Not really 6. Do you consider your workplace your primary source of friends and social connections? • Yes • No • Not really 7. Do you constantly crave the company of others? For example, do you feel lonely after a few hours at home alone on a weekend? • Yes • No • Not really 8. Do you have strong powers of concentration and an ability to ignore distractions? • Yes • No • Not really

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9. Do you consider yourself a highly-organized person who knows how to manage time and tasks? • Yes • No • Not really 10. Do you typically set goals, make lists and in other ways measure your progress? • Yes • No • Not really Rate yourself. As promised, no grades! But if you’ve answered “no” to Questions 6 and 7, and “yes” to all the others, you’re well on the way to working from home. If not, don’t fret. This test is not a black-and-white predictor of future success. Use this as a mini-barometer for deciding if you’re really ready to stay home.

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Flexible Job Resources - FlexJobs

o Examples of companies hiring for freelance work with flexible work options:

American Health Association The Chicago School of Professional Psychology Aon Hewitt American Express Shutterfly

o Examples of companies hiring on a long-term basis with flexible work options:

HD Supply Xerox IBM Adobe Lockheed Martin Citrix Nielsen Sony

o Examples of companies hiring on a contracting basis with flexible work options:

American Express Planet Pharma LiveOps VMware Razorfish Nintendo SAP General Electric

- The Work at Home Woman o Places to explore to verify scams:

Google Rip-off Report Scam Busters

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o Sites to look for legitimate opportunities:

The Better Business Bureau The Direct Selling Association

o Sites that offer gigs for quick tasks:

TaskRabbit Amazon Mechanical Turk EasyShift (app) Craigslist

o Sites for Web Search Evaluators:

QuickTake LeapForce

o Sites for Transcription:

LionBridge Verbalink

o Sites for Online Tutoring / Teaching:

Kaplan Sylvan Learning K12 Connections Academy Tutor.com

o Sites for Virtual Assistance:

Time Etc. Zirtual IVAA.org

- Ten Til Two - Aquent - On-Ramps - Part-Time Professionals - Ivy Exec - Mom Corps - Flexible Executives

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Virtual Assistant Resources - Project Management Specialist

o Dropbox o Small Business Association o Chamber of Commerce o VA Classroom o The Techie Mentor o The International Virtual Assistants Association

- My Personal Valet - Social Networking Nanny - Assist U - VA Networking - Get Friday - VIP Desk - Charm City Concierge - IVAA.org

Elder Care Opportunities - Senior Helpers - A Place for Mom - Care

Blogging Resources - Google Keyword Planner - WordPress - Google Adsense - Amazon

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Resources for Monetizing Your Blog Article included with permission from author Zenee Miller

Step One: Finding Your Niche Find Your Passion: In blogging, your niche is your topic that you decide to write about. Finding your niche means finding the topic that your blog will narrowly focus on. This step takes planning and decision making. Planning because you have to map what type of content you will blog (or write) about. Decision making because you will commit to this topic and ensure your content is closely related to this decision. Brainstorm Ideas: This step is fun because you will brainstorm about things that you are most passionate about. Jot down at least 20 ideas about your potential topics on a sheet of paper. These ideas may come from questions you are constantly asked, advice you always give, or email tips that you always send. Keyword Research: Google has a tool called Google Keyword Planner. You will use this to find relevant keyword phrases to use on your blog. Your blog will be focused around a central topic so you want to select keywords and keyword phrases that are related to this topic. Google has millions of keyword phrases so take the time to find the ones that best fit your blog. Organize Your Efforts: The last part of step one is to commit to getting organized. Creating a blog takes time, research, perseverance and fun. The

Take the time to do Step One. People tend to skim over this step

due to their excitement but planning is essential in creating a successful,

productive, and monetized blog.

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more time you spend organizing your efforts, the better it will be to track your results and progress. Step Two: Setting Up Your Blog Buy Your Online Identity & Space: Once you have committed to a niche, you can start setting up your blog. This is a technical step but you can do this. This step involves: Buying your domain name (your blog’s home online or http://www.yourblogname.com/) Buying your hosting (your blog’s online rent) The cool part about this step is it is very inexpensive. Domain names can be purchased less than $10 per year. Hosting is typically $9 per month. So an initial investment of $19 can get you started with your blog business. Are you ready? Install WordPress: I use WordPress for 98% of my blogs. I have been using it since 2009 and I love it. It is an easy online tool to use…it reminds me of Microsoft Word. Installing WordPress will take about 1 hour for a newbie. I will give you a brief overview here, but more details can be found on http://www.monetizingyourblog.com/. Add Your Theme & Plugins: By default, WordPress has hundreds of free themes available for your blog. Themes give your blog a distinctive look. You can switch your theme in a matter of seconds so don’t commit to the first theme you “think” you like. Based on looks, themes may look

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great but the functionality may be limited. Try several themes until you find the one that fits you best. Plugins are used to further customize your blog. Again, there are thousands of free plugins available within your WordPress. You will add plugins to assist with: SEO, spam management, traffic analysis, etc. Whew. We are done with the truly technical components of installing your blog. Once these steps are done, you can focus on adding your content and then making money with your blog. Step Three: Adding Your Content Here is the kicker about blogging. It requires you to write. You must write content to attract visitors to your blog. Your blog’s content will be a representation of you. Find a style that works best for you and get started. Posts: Your posts are the heart of your blog. They are your articles that you write and post for your faithful visitors. Typically your first posts will be articles that are at least 400 – 500 words (minimum) in length about your targeted keyword phrases for your blog. These posts will assist with SEO and also with educating your visitors about your expert opinion about your niche. Some people only write long articles as their blog’s sole content. But you can diversify your content to keep your readers interested. Step Four: Making Money With Your Blog This is everyone’s favorite step…time to make money. Before I show you how, I must preface this by stating, I’m showing you my techniques and I cannot guarantee this will work for you.

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There are several ways to make money online. When you start blogging, consider the different options and select the one that works best for you. o Contextual Marketing Ads – This monetization method allows Google (or other marketing companies) to place ads on your blog. You are paid if someone clicks on these ads. You must apply for these programs. In my five years of blogging, I’ve only know one person to get declined from this type of monetization. o Affiliate Marketing – You apply to well-known companies and place their links and/or banner ads on your blog. You get a commission of sales that occur in this type of monetization. Companies pay different commissions depending on a variety of factors. One of the most famous companies in this arena is Amazon. o Products – This method involves creating a digital or physical product that you promote and/or sell on your blog. o Sponsorship – This method involves selling ad space on your blog. As you develop your blog, you will begin to develop relationships with online and offline vendors. Together, you can develop a symbiotic relationship that gives them dedicated ad space on your blog. Step Five: Analyze your results I made $1.23 my first month of blogging. This was exciting but I took an extra step to understand where this $1. 23 came from. I installed analytic tools on my blog so I could understand where my traffic was coming from and how I was earning income.

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Analytics answers questions regarding your blog visitor’s needs and how they are using your blog. As a blogger, you may think you know what’s best as you setup the blog, analytics will show exactly what your visitors want. Use analytics to help your blog grow and expand according to your readers’ exact needs. There are several analytics tools on the market. Some of the best ones for beginners are absolutely free. Below are some analytic tools that you can use to analyze your blog traffic: 1. Google Analytics – This free analytics tool gives you a 360-degree review of your blog. It contains a real time tab that shows you the current number of visitors on your blog. It also shows the following:

a. Number of visitors per day b. Keyword phrases that sent visitors to your blog* c. Length of time visitors spent on your blog d. Links that were clicked on your blog

2. Clicky.com – This free analytics tool gives you a 360-degree review of your blog. It contains a real time spy tab that show you the current number of visitors on your blog. This tool shows a world map so you can see what pages are visited based on keyword and country! It also shows the following:

a. Number of visitors per day b. Keyword phrases that sent visitors to your blog* c. Length of time visitors spent on your blog d. Links that were clicked on your blog e. Instant traffic comparisons of previous day f. Instant traffic comparison of same day last week

These are just a few of the analytics tools that are available on the market. Pick the one that works best for you. As for me, I use four

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on a daily basis because I realize they all show the same information but in a different format. (Bonus) Step Six: Don’t Give Up When I started blogging, I made $38 in my first four months. I continued to blog because it was fun. I didn’t know the income potential. I just enjoyed writing about a topic that was my passion and I loved helping people.

At the end of 2009, I made $38. At the end of 2010, I made over $5000.

At the end of 2011, I made $27,000. At the beginning of 2012, I sold this blog for $55,000.

DON’T GIVE UP.

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How and Why to Use a Blogging Calendar Article included with permission from author Rachel Cool; @rachelccool

Don’t just blog for the sake of blogging. Blog to tell your story, reach your market, inspire people and achieve your goals. We always hear how important it is that we blog and for so many businesses, it has become one of those things they do just to check it off the list. But, to really tap into the power of blogging and use it to grow your business, you need to do it strategically. The “So What?” Factor When you set up your blog, plan your content and write each post, ask yourself “so what?” Why should people care about what I’m writing? What does this mean for my market? What do I want people to do after they read my post? The “so what” factor will help you achieve purpose. It will help you take your ordinary, mundane blog to something that gives your business a voice and helps you succeed. Pencil it In One of the best and easiest ways to turn your blog into a strategic tool is to use a content calendar. This doesn’t mean that you have to lose all flexibility or that you can’t be spontaneous. But, a calendar will help you stay focused and strategic so your blog posts don’t turn into ramblings without a purpose. Build in Your Overall Goals Whether you blog once a day or once a week, you need to keep your overall goals in mind. What is your business striving to

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accomplish? Write down your goals and then start brainstorming ways your blog can help you reach those goals. Look at the Big Picture, not Each Post Using a blogging calendar is the easiest way to look at your blog as a whole as opposed to a collection of individual posts. It lets you see running themes, gaps where you could provide more content or information and calls to action more easily. Use your calendar to develop a blog series or use a consistent message for an entire month. Pay close attention to the topics you choose and the order you arrange them in. Instead of focusing on each post, focus on how each one works with the others. Organize Promotional Tactics You can also use your blogging calendar as a sort of checklist or outline for how you plan to promote your blog posts. Make a note of when you will share the post on social media, what social media networks you will use and how else you plan to share your content. The real power of this comes by recycling older posts. Add calendar entries that note when you plan to promote a post again, even months after it was published, to complement your newer content, meet industry trends or go with current events. Stay Flexible There’s a reason you should “pencil in” blog posts. Blogging isn’t meant to be completely rigid. It needs room to develop, cover new ideas and highlight inspiration as it comes.

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Don’t become so tied to your calendar that you don’t give yourself room to cover current events, company news or just those fun, personality-adding posts. It’s okay to rearrange things as needed or even scratch out ideas that don’t seem relevant anymore. A blogging calendar gives you direction. It helps you avoid losing sight of your goals and turns your blog into a powerful marketing tool that will bring results. Start developing a calendar now by incorporating your goals, content ideas, themes and promotional strategies so that next month you’ll be ready to hit the ground running with a smarter blog.

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Photo Organizer Resources - The Association of Professional Photo Organizers

Is Photo Organizing for You? Included with permission from author Cathi Nelson

1. Photo Organizers earn their income by charging a fee for

their services. Do you have the confidence to charge an

hourly fee for the services you provide?

2. Photo Organizers work closely with individuals and families.

It is very personal work; do you enjoy people and have a

sincere interest in learning their family stories?

3. The digital photo industry is constantly changing and it is

impossible to be an expert in every area. Are you able to

adapt to a changing world by being an active learner?

4. Your client is often overwhelmed and every job is different.

Are you a creative problem solver, able to consider new

ideas to meet the diverse needs of your clients?

5. Many photo organizers enjoy working with photos and

designing beautiful, unique, one of a kind photo albums and

gifts. Do you enjoy the creative process?

6. Being a photo organizer requires different skill levels for

different projects and many organizers subcontract the work

they are not experts in. Are you willing to delegate projects

and allow others to assist you in the area you aren’t

proficient in?

7. There are numerous niche markets within the field of photo

organizing from working with downsizing seniors to busy

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professionals. Are you able to define your ideal client and

create a marketing plan to ensure you have access to them?

8. Being a photo organizer requires little capital investment but

it does require training. Are you able to budget for training?

9. Finding clients can take time and happens through

networking. Are you able to attend networking meetings,

join online networking groups and network within your

community?

10. Photo Organizers love to WOW their clients by delivering

phenomenal customer service. Do you believe that every

client is important and requires “white glove treatment?”

If you said yes to 7 of the 10 questions above then photo organizing is definitely a career for you!

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Virtual Customer Service - Arise - TeleTech - TeleReach - Intrep Sales Partners - Alpine Access - LiveOps - West - Working Solutions - Convergys

Resources to Form a Business - Small Business Association - Your State Labor Department - Score.org

Direct Sales Resources - The Direct Selling Association - PartyLite

Resources for Medical Transcription, Coding and Billing

- Mmodal.com - Precyse.com

Resources for Writers - Author101.com - WritersMarket.com - MediaBistro.com - FreelanceWritingGigs.com

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Resources to Promote Pet-Sitting and House-Sitting Services

- PetSit.com - Care.com - Craigslist.com

Resources for Aspiring Fitness Instructors - ACEFitness.org - National Strength and Conditioning Association

Translation Services Utilizing Home-Based Workers

- SDL.com

Resources for Crafting Services - ScrapBook.com - eBay.com - Etsy.com

Setting Up a Website and Making Money Through Online Advertising

- GoDaddy.com - Google Adsense - Adsense.Blogspot.com

Sources for Creative Talent and Marketing Experts to Explore

- Aquent.com

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Sources for Organizational Expertise - National Association for Professional Organizers

Companies that Hire Tech Experts to Work From Home to Provide Remote Support

- GeekSquad.com