Ebay & Ecommerce » Productivity

Improving Your eBay Workspace

Jenn Cangelosi — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 09:58:24 +0000

Sparkplugging is starting a new tradition called “Spark an idea Thursday.” As part of this tradition, I’ll be sharing with you my experiences and interpretations for each week’s topic for those of you who sell products or services online.

I invite you to grab our image over there to the right and carry the tradition through to your own blog. If you do, please link back to this post so we know where you were inspired!

The theme of this week’s Spark an Idea Thursday is: Spark an Idea about Improving Your Workspace.

Don’t you feel refreshed and ready to get things accomplished when your workspace is neat and organized?

I love a clean work area. For me, there is nothing worse than sitting down to a mess of paperwork in front of your computer. Or having to step over piles of items you need to take pictures of and get listed to your eBay store. It’s so UN-motivating.

Do you have a pile of invoices and packing slips that have to be filed? Articles that you printed out that have to be read?

Try this:

I like to call it the ‘paper game’. Take the pile of papers that are stacked in a pile in-front of you and make them disappear once and for all. And I don’t mean putting them in the trash can under your desk .

Start at the top of the pile. Take the first piece of paperwork in your hand and don’t put it down until it is filed away in it’s appropriate place. Do this with each piece of paperwork until your are done with the pile.

On to your eBay inventory. This is a tough one for some of us – it’s OK. Keeping things organized may depend on the items you sell. Storing clothing is a little easier than storing toys. I used to use the big rubber bin method:

OK, yea – I’m 5ft. tall – as my business grew – so did my bins, all the way to the ceiling! Not a very productive use of time when your digging for an item to ship that is in the very bottom bin! So, I cleaned up my bins and went to the shelving method:

MUCH more organized. When an items sells, I can see it, reach out and grab it in a second and ship it out the door. Isn’t an organized space a happy space?? Oh, and the treadmill in the last picture – sold it on eBay.

How do you organize YOUR space? I look forward to hearing from you!

Enjoy A Holiday Business-Free

Michelle Waters — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:22:37 +0000

I invite you to grab our image over there to the right and carry the tradition through to your own blog. If you do, please link back to this post so we know where you were inspired!

The theme of this week’s Spark an Idea Thursday is: Spark an Idea about enjoying a holiday business free .

Can you really enjoy a holiday when you’re running an online business?

One of the things that I love about being plugged in techologically, is that I can take my business with me wherever I go — to a relative’s house in Texas, to the lake a few miles away or a beach in Florida.

The downside of this is, it’s not easy to let go and take a few days off without constantly running back to the iPhone or the laptop to check on business.

This is not good.

One of the things I’ve learned over the years is that you’ve got to give your brain — and your family! — a break from your business. If you don’t, you’ll get burned out and your customers will sense this from your attitude. It’s very important to take time away from your business and a holiday is the perfect time to do it.

So how do you take time away from your business, when you’re the only one running the show? I have two recommendations.

If you’re a very small business and the products or services you are offering are not time-sensitive, then you can simply shut down the business for a short time. Close the doors and hand a sign, so to speak. Here’s how:

Put a notice on your website notifying your visitors that you’re on vacation until a certain date, and that you’ll fill all orders when you return.
Email your existing customers, letting them know that you’ll be gone and that you’ll handle any orders or emails when you return.

While this is a good solution for some business owners, it may not be feasible for others. Like me, for example. As a web host, I can’t just close the doors and say I’ll be back in three days. Too many clients have questions that need to be answered within minutes after we receive them.

Those of you who can’t just close up shop, need to start outsourcing now. Even if you don’t plan on going on vacation until next year.

What is outsourcing? It’s when you hire someone else to do a specific job for you. That someone else is often a virtual assistant who provides the same services to many businesses. For example, one of my VAs provides customer support via helpdesk to several clients, including me.

Why start outsourcing now? Because you need time to get to know your new assistant, and she needs time to get to know your business. This way, when you leave for your vacation, you’ll know that she’ll be able to handle whatever comes her way. And she’ll know how and when to reach you in a worst case scenario.

While it’s very tempting to take your business with you, it’s also very important to take a break and rejuvenate yourself. Outsourcing can help you do that. If you’d like to learn more about outsourcing, my friend Alice Seba has a resource for you called Outsourcing Sweetie. I highly recommend it, as Alice is one of my mentors who helped me learn the importance of getting the help I need in my business. Click here for her free outsourcing tips.

Do You Have A Bunch Of Unfinished Projects Lying Around?

Michelle Waters — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 11:43:12 +0000

I invite you to grab our image over there to the right and carry the tradition through to your own blog. If you do, please link back to this post so we know where you were inspired!

The theme of this week’s Spark an Idea Thursday is: Spark an Idea To Finish What You’ve Started.

From Jenn:

Do you feel like you’re in a sea of eBay inventory? Are your items in bags or those big Rubbermaid bins just waiting to be photographed? Are you feeling a bit overwhelmed and unmotivated every time you see everything just sitting there?

What is going to get you motivated to get these items in your eBay store or off to an eBay auction?

You’ve started this eBay addiciton…now you need to finish! In an eBay sellers world you can’t say that making money isn’t motivating – can you? Do you have kids or a hobby to support? Maybe a vacation that you’re saving for?

YES?? – picture this…the kids are off to their grandparents house for an entire week. The house is well guarded, being looked over by wonderful neighbors that will pick up your mail each day. The dogs are in the best of doggy day care. All while you and your significant other are sipping margarita’s by the pool on a luxurious cruise ship watching the ocean pass by as you head for the Caribbean islands… OK WAKE UP!!

You’re not going to get anywhere if you don’t make a clear path to reach your goals. Looking at it from my perspective, I see big dollars wasted when it’s not listed to my eBay store. The potential of making money collecting dust? EEWW – No way!!

My goal is to take my husband and my kids on a cruise (yes the kids too!). We were VERY big on taking a cruise once a year before the girls were born. Then, when my first daughter was born, we still went a couple more times. Now that she’s older, we promised the next cruise we went on, that she would come. We now have 2 girls and haven’t been on a luxurious vacation in quite a few years – so you can imagine the burning desire to want to get away. Keeping that goal in my mind, is what is keeping me pushing forward to build my business.

You’re not going to get anywhere if you’re sitting knee deep in eBay inventory. If there is one thing that will keep me motivated to finish a project it’s the end result or goal that was set in the very beginning. Giving yourself a purpose will be such a satisfactory feeling of accomplishment when your goal is reached. List your eBay inventory when you get it! Ship it right away when you sell it. It keeps your head and your goal crystal clear without the worry or anxiety of falling behind.

Happy Selling!

From Michelle:

Finishing what I’ve started is something I’ve struggled with as well. So I’ve come up with a few tips to help me manage my projects. I hope these will help you, too.

Write out a list of everything you need to do to complete a project. If you can’t make it through this list, you know the project isn’t as important as it seemed.
Talk your ideas out with someone else. After consulting with someone who understands what my business is about, I’m often clearer on what my goals are, which makes completion much more likely to happen. Either that, I’ve successfully dumped the project on the “never gonna happen” pile.
Be realistic in your planning. Don’t expect to write an entire ebook in one night. Spread it out over a reasonable amount of time.
Don’t take on too much. If you’re working on two projects, you’ll much likely do a better job of finishing them than if you’re working on 10.
Get help. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I’ll just get stuck on a project and that’s why it never gets done. Remember to ask for help when you need it. If you can get yourself over the hurdles quickly or easily, you’ll be much more inclined to complete the project.

Remember, before you even start on the project, make sure it fits into your overall business goals. The ones in your business plan. You did write out a business plan, right….?

Setting Goals For A Successful E-Business

Jenn Cangelosi — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:28:06 +0000

I invite you to grab our image over there to the right and carry the tradition through to your own blog. If you do, please link back to this post so we know where you were inspired!

The theme of this week’s Spark an Idea Thursday is: Spark an Idea about Goal Setting.

From Michelle:

My husband and I do this at least once a month: We decide that neither of us wants to cook. And we don’t want sandwiches. And yesterday was payday, so, “Hey! Let’s just go get something to eat.”

So we hop in the car and head to town. About halfway down the road, Steve asks me where I want to go to eat. I respond that I’m hungry, but not for anything in particular.

Steve tells me that he isn’t either, but he needs to know where we’re going so that he knows which way to turn — north or south.

You see where this is going.

We have no specific goal — just that we want food, and we don’t want to make it — so at some point in the trip, we end up sitting at an intersection and hoping no one pulls up behind us before we decide what we want to eat.

The point? The business owner who starts out without a goal is going to end up sitting at that intersection…

This business owner knows she wants a successful business, but really has no roadmap for success. And she can’t plan her trip because she has no idea where she is going.

The results:

One client came to me with more than a dozen blogs setup at Blogger, each on a separate topic. Each blog had one or two posts written more than a year ago.
Another client had me design a site. She sent me most of the information I needed to create her site. I did as much of the work as I could and sent an email requesting more information. She sent it — a year later. Her lack of a solid goal, and her fear of success, lead her to put off the website project.
A colleague spent thousands of dollars on seminars, information products and other learning resources — but never setup a website, never put a plan into action.

In spite of my lack of fast food goalsetting, I’ve realized how important it is so set goals for your business. If you’re a bit scared of setting goals, or aren’t sure where to start, try these tips:

Determine where it is you want to end up. Do you want to sell 1 million widgets? Do you want to earn a living as an image consultant? Are you wanting to take the baby sling market by storm with your innovative design? Write this goal down.
Now it’s time to be realistic. What steps do you need to take to make this happen? Do you need to build a website? Do you need to take classes, or educate yourself through research? Do you need to create a product?
Talk to people who have done what you are doing, or done things similar to what you are doing — the experts. Find out what kind of timeline you’re looking at. Is it going to take five or ten years to sell 1 million widgets? Is it going to take 2 years of school and 5 years of on-the-job experience to become an image consultant? Is it going to take a year of trial and error and testing to come up with the perfect baby sling pattern that can be reproduced enmasse and in different sizes?
Write down each step you need to take and how long you estimate it will take. Pin this up on your wall and mark off each step as you complete it.
And finally, the most important step: TAKE Action!

Don’t forget: If you’d like to speak with someone who can help you with your action plan, who is not afraid to take action, contact me for a free 30-minute consultation.

From Jenn:

Isn’t it great to have a goal to strive towards? There are many eBay sellers out there who have the same goal. One that sticks in my mind is breaking outside of the eBay walls and have the ability to open their OWN retail location. Whether it be their own piece of the internet or their own brick and mortar store. If that’s your goal, than go for it!

Be consistent!

I had a great chat last night on the 2009 Hot Seminar Series hosted by Kelly McCausey. One of the obsticals that we discussed about eBay selling was consistancy. Work at a pace you are comfortable with. Your business is not going to grow overnight. Burning the midnight oil is only going to make you overwhelmed and want to give up. You can’t expect yourself to list hundreds of items to your eBay store in one day. BUT, if you’re consistent at listing a few things each night (or whatever you’re comfortable with) – you’re goal of filling your eBay store will be accomplished before you know it! Also, constantly listing will keep the Search Engine traffic coming. If you don’t keep listing – the traffic will decrease – ultimately so will your sales.

Stay Focused

I’m a very schedule oriented person. If something is minute later than scheduled – it just throws me into a tizzy! I’ve been getting better at not letting some things bother me – but when it comes to being focused on my business, there must be a strict schedule so I can stay focused and accomplish what needs to be done in a reasonable amount of time. Focusing on one thing at a time will ensure that you’re putting 100% into what needs to be done. This will make sure it’s done right the first time – and that feels good!

Win a copy of QuickBooks Pro 2009!

kellymccauseyebay — Fri, 29 May 2009 05:39:49 +0000

Intuit has given us 5 copies of Quickbooks Pro 2009 to give away to Sparkplugging readers! That’s a $199 value, baby! One copy will be given to a lucky eBay & eCommerce reader, and four others will be given away elsewhere on the Sparkplugging network.

Read Brandie Kajino’s QuickBooks 2009 review here.

So, now you can get your bookkeeping together and get your digits and customer information organized!

So, I bet you’re wondering how you win? That’s easy. Here’s how:

1. Leave us a comment below by the deadline, June 1, 2009 at 12:00pm (noon) PST / 3:00pm EST. (Be sure to include your email address so we can contact you if you win!)

2. Subscribe to this blog (if you haven’t already).

That’s it!

Winners will be announced Tuesday, June 2, 2009!

P.S. Remember, there are five copies of Quickbooks 2009 up for grabs on our network this weekend – so poke around the other blogs and enter as many giveaways as you like!

Please be sure to visit our giveaway sponsor:

They are running a Small Business Grant Contest – go and vote for your favorite HERE. There are some great small businesses up for some great prizes! Also, check out the Intuit Twitter peeps: @SharnQuickBooks, @kirasw and @rkeuretig

Good luck everyone!

Disclosure: Sparkplugging has not been paid to offer this giveaway.

Winners will be contacted via email, to “sender” email address used to enter the giveaway/contest, and the person receiving and replying to the winner announcement email will be considered the winner unless they specify another person within the reply email as the winner.

Keeping Your Mojo Going This Summer With Your eBiz

Jenn Cangelosi — Thu, 28 May 2009 11:37:54 +0000

Sparkplugging is starting a new tradition called ‘Spark an Idea Thursday’. Each week we’ll be sharing some great ideas for a topic of interest to our readers. We invite you to grab our image and carry the tradition through to your own blog! If you do, please link back to this post so we know where you were inspired!

The theme of this week’s Spark an Idea Thursday is: Spark An Idea that Will Keep You Motivated This Summer!

This is a really good one! Here’s what Michelle had to say about staying motivated in eCommerce:

Staying motivated in the summer is usually not that hard for me. It’s nice and sunny outside, warm, and I just feel more motivated in general. And I have more help around the house with my kids home from school, so I can work in my projects while they are doing their chores.

However, it is easy to get sidetracked with ball games, camping, doing stuff with friends, so here are some things that I do to keep me motivated, and that I think can help any online business owner.

1. Plan and implement projects for my business. Orders, in my industry, tend to slow down during the summer. People are offline, spending time with their kids and not on the computer. They’re going outside and generally enjoying the nice weather. So this is time to create that new information product, build that new website, or work on that new business model. For example, I just finished revamping my website hosting packages and consolidating several websites. My current project is creating full service website development, maintenance and promotion packages for Oklahoma women-owned businesses.

2. Set realistic goals. I tend to be optimistic, generally speaking, and in setting my goals for the summer. I think I’m going to get all these projects done — revamping websites, writing blog posts, updating software, etc. But it IS summer and I have to remind myself that I need a break. So I cut back on client work, focus on building my business during this slow time, and make sure I don’t bite off more than I can chew over a given period of time. For example, I don’t schedule 10 blog posts in one week. Instead, I’ve consolidated several websites and now only need to write two thought-provoking posts and two newsy and short posts. Woo!

Just remember — if your business cycle is like mine, and this is your slow time, be easy on yourself and take a break. But also take advantage of the slow time. If this is your busy time, then bookmark this page and come back for inspiration when your slow season arrives.

Awesome, Michelle!

For me – with eBay on my mind 24/7, I’m constantly thinking of what to sell the next season. I know from experience that while specializing in clothing – you HAVE to know the latest trends, and keep up with what the retailers are pushing off of their racks.

It’s idealy a perfect time to shop for any off season clearance items and get ready for back to school sales! Summer is generally slow if you sell clothing on eBay as well, so what perfect time to catch up on how you want to improve your business in the up and coming busy times.

Of course with a new baby in the mix, and a 6 year old on my heals – making the time for everything is going to be a challenge. One thing that I always have to keep in mind is that working from home is going to always warrant me to work on my terms! It’s a wonderful thing to be your own boss!

I stick to a very strict schedule, making sure to leave any extra time for those unexpected interuptions. It’s also important to put time aside for yourself and your family so you don’t get too overwhelmed. You’ll feel refreshed and ready to go when you make sure your time is wisely planned.

When mommy is happy – everyone is happy! Have a productive Summer!

Making A New Business Ally with eBay & eCommerce

Jenn Cangelosi — Thu, 14 May 2009 10:48:05 +0000

The theme of this week’s Spark an Idea Thursday is: Spark An Idea that Makes A New Business Ally.

Michelle & I have combined forces this week to bring you some of our ideas relating to eBay & eCommerce:

1. Providing an excellent product and customer service. This works whether you’re selling physical or digital products or a service. For example, I recently moved a client to my servers — a client who services a target market similar to mine. In doing so, and going above and beyond what many other hosts provide, I was able to make an ally out of the new client. We are planning to work together on some future projects.

2. Stop by and say hello. Sometimes just being friendly, particularly when the other business owner is local, can form an alliance. For example, I saw one of my ecommerce clients at a local festival about a week ago. We chatted about the products she sells and about how things were going for her at the festival. We are planning to have lunch together soon. This is a stepping stone on the way to building a business relationship.

You can do this at trade shows (remember to be courteous to those who are trying to sell their wares, by not hogging all their time), networking events, local festivals, or even the grocery store.

3. Find a niche that compliments yours – and cross promote each other.
There are a ton of eBay tools that you can use to help you work smarter, not harder. If you can find something that works for you, spread the word! There are a ton of mom owned businesses that love to help other moms and by doing this you will BOTH benefit. For example, keeping track of your eBay sales is very important when you want to know your progress from year to year. I came across Easy Auctions Tracker – and have just fell in love with her spreadsheet for tracking eBay sales. I got in touch with her and we are now promoting each others business. It’s a win-win!

4. Follow Up, Follow Up, Follow Up! Communication is a big, big part of a successful business. Having contact with a customer before, during and after an eBay sale will leave a lasting impression that is sure to give you repeat business. Word of mouth moves faster than you think! Having a positive impact on someone will ensure that you will have new customer contact. In turn your e-business can only grow from there!

Let’s hear your ideas, we’d love to have some comments on how you benefit from a new Business Ally!

Top Tips for Entertaining Your Kids While You Run Your Online Store

Michelle Waters — Thu, 07 May 2009 12:30:40 +0000

I invite you to grab our image over there to the right and carry the tradition through to your own blog. If you do, please link back to this post so we know where you were inspired!

So, let’s get started with the topic at hand: Spark an Idea that Entertains the Kids while you Work!

I’ve been training myself for or running a web hosting, design and ecommerce business for more than 7 years now. I started when my son was less than a year old and continued through a pregnancy and birth of my daughter. He’s 9 and she’s 6 now. So I’m going to break this down into age groups.

Babies

If you’re nursing, babies are easy. Just buy a Boppy Pillow and make yourself comfortable in your office chair. You can type while your little guy (or gal!) is nursing and napping. I did some of my best work done this way and actually built the foundations of my business while nursing babies. I did cut my hours back as much as possible during those early baby months, making sure I napped with my baby and followed his or her schedule.

Toddlers and Preschoolers

This is where it gets more challenging. Toddlers have very short attention spans and are still very much attached to you. Depending on your child, you may be able to put some interesting toys in front of them and keep them entertained long enough to answer a couple of emails or work on a few orders. My son, Chris, would be entranced by anything mechanical, or that he could take apart. He loved his cars and toy hammers. (I had to watch him closely or he’d get out Daddy’s screwdriver and start taking things apart that he shouldn’t… We used to joke that if we blinked for two long, he’d have the TV in pieces…LOL!)

My daughter, Aimee, on the other hand, was very talkative. (And still is!) Toys were not going to hold her attention long. She wanted to be in my lap, doing what I was doing, and yakking about it the whole time. She’s also the one who thought she could nurse upside down and then take off across the room. Ouch! With her, I just had to take more breaks to give her the attention she needed.

Elementary School

The one nice thing about homework is, it gives me a little extra time to finish my work after the kids come home from school. We live 15 minutes from the school, so we talk about how things went that day on the way home. At home, Chris does his homework and Aimee has her afternoon snack. Then we start working on chores. Sometimes, my chores involve work. Imagine that!

Now that they’re in school, I have from 8 am to 2 pm to concentrate solely on my work. Once we’re done with homework and chores, we usually end up outside playing (we’re a baseball family so this often involves playing catch and practicing batting) or watching some of our favorite TV shows. Or going to ball games. Or going to church.

Final Thoughts

In any age group, it’s important to have help from your family. My husband, in our kids’ early years, would come home from work and entertain them while I finished up a project. Now that they’re older, he’ll supervise while they play outside, riding their bikes or kicking a soccor ball around.

I also discovered the beauty of virtual assistants. If you have someone who understands your business, and who is capable of handling customer support or order fulfillment or blog writing, whatever you need help with, she can take a load off of you, giving you the time to spend with your kids.

So, those are my thoughts. Tell me, what are your ideas for entertaining your kids while you work?

Let Me Help You Simplify Your Ecommerce Business

Michelle Waters — Sun, 03 May 2009 03:08:20 +0000

My daughter started full-day kindergarten this school year and my son is in third grade . As much as I knew I’d miss them, I was excited all summer, anticipating the hours I’d have to focus on my business during the day, and the time I could focus on my family in the evenings.

As it turns out, I struggled with a bout of fatigue starting in late September and lasting though November. I started feeling better just in time to make some serious goals for this year.

Hi! My name is Michelle Waters. I’m a wife and a mom to two kids, a dog and a cat. I also run a home-based web hosting, design and ecommerce business. I’m passionate about helping women start and grow their own online businesses.

After recovering from my period of hibernation (Ha!), I took a hard look at my business and my life. And I realized that it was seriously time to simplify things, time to take my focus back to what I knew my clients and family needed.

My main business, Watersweb Solutions, started in 2002. Since then, I’d added more than a half dozen websites, including a blog, a podcast, and two annual online events.

While I two virtual assistants help me run things, all of these websites (one for web design, one for basic web hosting, one for ecommerce, and more…) were too much for me to maintain effectively.

So, I consolidated several websites, and am still working on consolidating more. I can take better care of one site, than I can of several. The changes were made based on feedback I received from my clients, who are home business owners just like you.

So when Kelly McCausey invited me to be a writer here, I knew this would be a perfect fit. With fewer websites to keep up with, I have more time to devote to finding out what you need to know and writing articles to meet those needs.

This fits in with my two most important missions: Simplification and teaching.

So far, I’ve taken a few steps off the Internet to promote my mission: Teaching web design and internet sales classes at Mid-America Technology Center and working with a local women business owner organization to present ecommerce topics and workshops in Oklahoma.

This blog, teaching and my new speaking opportunities give me the opportunity to share what I’ve learned in seven years of online business, with people who are new to the arena. And I’ll have the opportunity to learn what services and products you need, so that I can plan to meet those needs through my business.

And that’s what the whole concept of ecommerce boils down to: Finding out what people need and meeting that need. So that’s my first nugget of advice, if you’re new to online business:

Find out what people need.
Determine what your passions, talents, resources and skills can be harnessed to meet those needs.

There you have it — very simple. But it’s not easy. If you’re new, you’ll make mistakes. If you’re a long-time business owner, you’ve already made mistakes.

And if you’re like most of us, you’re wondering how the economy and some new regulations are going to affect you. I can tell you that I’ve either made most of the mistakes already (like not starting a mailing list back in 2002 when we weren’t overrun with spam), or worked with clients who had made mistakes (like the client who took an Internet Marketing course at a small business school that taught her to setup multiple blogs in Blogger, each with a different topic and only one or two posts, and she couldn’t figure out why no one read them).

The fewer mistakes you make, the less expensive your ecommerce journey will be. The best place to get great advice is from those who have gone before you. So, I’m here to lead the way.

I’m looking forward to getting to know you and hearing your stories. We’ll discuss how-to, issues we face and topics of importance to ecommerce businesses.

Got questions? Just ask!

Knowing When to Take a Pit Stop

Megan Jordan — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 15:20:31 +0000

The problem with rarin’ to go is that sometimes you have to spin your wheels a bit before you gain some traction. You get your wheels all warmed up and find your place again on the track. You begin to pick up speed, find yourself passing the competition, and find it easier and easier to set your mind on the finish line.

Adrenaline rushes and the excitement of the crowd carries you away. You get a little bold and decide that you’ll start cutting your pit stops short, really pull ahead of the competition. Your pit crew suggests you need to change your tires and you breeze through, taking only enough gas to make it to victory circle.

If your house is anything like our house, you’ve watched Cars more times than you can count and you know what happens to Lightning McQueen next…

Your tires blow. With the finish line in sight, you still lose. At best, you tie.

Just call me Lightning McQueen.Â Of course, you know how that movie ends, right?Â Sweeter victory than even Lightning knew he wanted.Â I just have to get there.

Since deciding that it was time to get my “game face on,” I have been reorganizing my eBay business.Â In preparation for holiday sales and armed with more html know-how than I had when I last worked on my store, I have had a lot of revamping to do.Â As mentioned before, I more or less put my eBay store on hiatus the last number of months while I focused more on my own blog and a handful of other side projects.Â Unfortunately, because I never took the time to truly reorganize everything and streamline it, I never fully realized how overextended I had become.

It’s the side projects that get me every time.Â The “sure, I’ll do it” promises.

I appreciate your patience while I have been only sporadically posting here at eMoms at Home and assure you that I am in the process of revamping my efforts here, as well.Â I’m looking to bring in more of the how-to stuff and maybe even some of those obligatory Top Ten lists.Â I know I said I wouldn’t, but that seems to be what you want…Â I hear ya.Â All the best in one place?Â A mix of the technical and the personal?Â Step-by-step instructions and the gestalt?Â If you want it, I’ll find a way to get it to you, even if that means bringing in a little help.

In the meantime, this is a great opportunity to answer some relevant questions you have sent in regarding, among other things, the great shuffle and juggle we as work-at-home parents are constantly doing.

Right now, I am still repaving the road in Radiator Springs.Â But, just like Lightning McQueen, I’m making some great friends and discovering in them the ideal pit crew.Â Look for answers to many of your submitted questions and suggestions tomorrow.Â See, I’m holding myself accountable to you!

eMoms at Home.Â The best pit crew an eParent could want.