With a ruthless intentionality I pinpointed each of my web projects and demanded that it reveal its fruit and show whether it was delivering a harvest worthy of the amount of work and money being devoted to it.

Some projects passed proudly through the fire.

They generate income commensurate with the effort devoted to  them.  (In some cases, they generate income far above and beyond the effort given - such is the delight of promoting affiliate programs with residual commissions.)

A few projects did not survive.

When I stepped back to evaluate by the numbers I had to admit that while I enjoyed them - they were sapping my time and profits and not delivering sufficient fruit at harvest time.

I used to think it was ok for some parts of my business to lose some money. (That’s actually a tried and true business strategy - lose a little up front in order to profit big on the back end.)  But when I broke things down - I had to admit that the areas losing money weren’t helping me make money elsewhere - they were only sucking profits.

Today, after eleven months of evaluation and improvements, I am a smarter, wiser, richer business woman.

And 2009 is going to Rock!

Today, that answer has to be that I am extremely happy to NOT have to go out into the snow today.

We do not as yet have a clear Top Ten and that means that we’re extending the voting period through December 14th

Nominees - with a prize package worth about $1000 - now would be a great time to remind your friends and allies to vote for you!

Do you think the online community is hungry for offerings that are more “boutique” in nature?

I asked her to clarify what she meant by ’boutique’ and she said “Lesser known, new to the market, or very specialized offerings.”

Reba, you are so bang on that we should be hearing a gong echoing somewhere!

I do think there are a lot of folks out there hungry for specialized learning opportunities.

It’s not that they can’t learn from the big dogs - it’s that they really don’t want to.  There are niche groups that don’t relate well to glossed over, suit wearing, internet marketing guru types.  All the talk of making millions and conquering the world doesn’t appeal to them - rather it sparks distrust.

As you already make mention of in your comment here, I reach an online community (the Work at Home Mom Community) that craves good internet marketing advice but has shown again and again they like to learn from someone they can relate to - showing a real preference for a fellow mom.

It bears mentioning that most WAHMs feel like ‘guru products’ are priced out of their budgets - so even though my learning resource on the subject of Article Marketing isn’t any different than a guru’s learning product - WAHMs are more likely to buy mine because it’s priced for them.

It’s not just about price.  It’s about trust and world view.

Most people want to learn from someone they ‘get’ - people with whom they share common values.

There’s a major opportunity for ’boutique’ internet marketers as you call it.  I’ve actually had my own term  I’ve used with coaching clients for awhile now - I call them ‘Master Translators’.

A Master Translator takes internet marketing knowledge and translates it into the language and shapes it into the world view of their niche.  The core IM knowledge is the same as could be learned from any guru, but it’s expression is unique. Because the Master Translator knows their niche intimately and can explain things in context, their teachings are easily digested and put into action by the end user they teach.

Some niche marketers will develop their own products to sell to their niche but others may act as affiliates for other marketers, building a bridge of trust from one to the other.

Think about the potential for translating great IM information into the language and world view of _____________.  (Fill in the blank with a niche that you have a relevant voice with.)

The key is choosing a niche that’s big enough to build a profitable business around.  (Don’t choose a niche so tight that you can’t find more then a hundred or so people to market to.)

Master Translator Cheats

Setting yourself up as the go to person for a niche is hard work - but there are a few cheats available to make process move along faster.  Just think of all the awesome IM PLR that’s out there just waiting to be tweaked, translated and personalized.

Thanks for this great question Reba!

Now for my next question for you… since you’ve named your site ‘Internet Marketing Boomer’ - Do you see yourself as a Master Translator for the Baby Boomer crowd? How do you think being a Boomer effects how someone wants to learn about making an income on the internet?

What do we have today? Glad you asked. We have prizes that will help you make money through ecourses, and how to organized your home office. You won’t be able to come up with fresh ideas for that ecourse if you don’t have that office in order.

Thanks to all of the business’ that donated prizes to our hard working moms. I want wish all of our WAHM Bloggers good luck! Oh and if you haven’t voted yet go do it now.

Mini Course Money

Okay so you have a list, but you’re still broke. No problem, Carrie & Marie Ynami has come to the rescue. It’s vital to your business to have a list. Without it you’ll go broke, but at the same time you have to know what to offer your list in order to make money.

Through mini ecourses you’ll be able to gain that income you’ve been looking for. Learn what a mini course is, why website visitors love them, ways you can make money using them, and guidance through the process of putting your own course together.

Marie is such a sweetie and knows how to build some traffic to a site. The Mini Course Money guide includes a 31-page ebook, 37 minute recorded interview, marketing tips, newsletter list report, recommended resources, and checklist.

Marie loves to share her online marketing skills on her blog.

Tips for Home Office eBooklet & Organization Audio

You have a home office don’t you? Most of us moms do, but is it organized? If you answered yes then the lovely Brandi Kojino has some tips for you. Actually she has 101 tips to be exact.

With her ebook and audio you’ll be able to create a productive home office, and be organized for good.

Learn more about Brandi and her tips at the Home Office Organizer Blog.

Please don’t forget to vote for your favorite WAHM blog. I’ll be here tomorrow with another post with more prizes.

DIY Email Marketing & DIY Press Releases

Successful business owners know that they need to expose their business to as many people as they can within their target market. Once you reach those people you need to get them on your list. Press releases and email marketing are two things you should be doing.

Susan Payton ebooks will teach you how to create an effective press release to get traffic coming to your site, and once that traffic gets there she’ll show you how to market to them through email.

Each ebook includes step-by-step instructions, examples, and more. You’ll be able to generate more income in no time with Susan’s methods.

Keep up with Susan and learn more about marketing with press releases and email on her blog.

Natural Mom Business Guide

Are you a natural mom that wants to get started with her own natural business or one that just wants to increase her income?

Carrie Lauth the creator of the Natural Mom Business Guide, an advisor at Mom Masterminds, has her own podcast. I’ve known Carrie for along time and I have to say that this woman knows how to make some money.

Carrie’s guide shows you how to make more money, be popular, save time, and how to take advantage of opportunities that are sure to come your way once you get your business up and running.

Included in the guide is an ebook, audios, videos, and checklist about SEO, interviews of moms that have achieved success, resource guide, website brainstorming list, Q&A recordings, blogging guide, and more. Carrie definitely wants you to succeed with all that she’s offering.

Learn more about how Carrie earns her living online at Blah, Blah, Blog.

Natural Mom PLR

Need some content to go with that natural business? Natural mom Tiffany Washko (another great mom I know) has teamed up with Carrie Lauth to bring you that content you’re looking for. Don’t just give your readers any old information and tips to read give them info that is relevant to your market.

By giving your readers exactly what they are looking for (which is information), you’ll become a popular expert in your market. Giving tips and articles that provide solutions to your readers concerns will not only make them happy, but they’ll more than likely join your list too. Start making money with product recommendations, while at the same time gain praise from your new customers.

Tiffany and Carrie a giving you one PLR pack of your choosing to help you get started with your natural business.

Tiffany shares her experience and ideas about making money online on her blog.

We’re still accepting donations for prizes so just give Kelly a shout if you want to bless our mom bloggers.

Offline Marketing Report

Just because you own an online business doesn�t mean you can�t take it offline every once in a while. If you�ve been looking for an effective and affordable way to promote your online business locally you�ll find it here.

You�ll be smarter than your competition and make more money, because other online business owners don�t take their businesses offline and when they do they don�t do it effectively. Reach those customers that don�t go online often due to being busy.

Crystal Unrau is one smart cookie and gives great advice when it comes to marketing offline. You�ll get the best ideas in her 22-page report on taking your online business offline.

Meet Crystal and her mom team at Moms in a Blog.

Internet Strategy Report

Most people don�t know how to market their business on the internet without having to putting in more hours. Once you�re burned out you won�t be seeing much profit from your efforts.

The Internet Strategy Report shows you how to create awareness, make your site popular in your target market, and reach your potential customers/clients effectively.

Elizabeth Ashe has put together a 22-page report showing you internet strategies that have worked over the years for her. You can tell that she is passionate about sharing you love for internet marketing and passive income on her site Internet Marketing Strategy Diva.

How to Improve Your Writing

Writing comes to some people easier than others. It�s important to give your customers and readers solutions to their problems and concerns. That is what makes you a good businesswoman. However, if you find that it difficult, takes too much time to or you�re just not giving your readers they quality they deserve then Jimmy has something for you.

How to Improve Your Writing is a 26 page report that will help you write quality content that is not only easier, but won�t take too much of your time either.

Jimmy D. Brown is one of the people I know that can successfully turn the internet into his personal ATM machine. He�s so great; I became his intern�s intern. I know that if I can get a tiny sliver of what Jimmy knows I can turn the internet into my ATM machine too.

Learn more about Jimmy at 123 Web Marketing.

How to SEO Your Site in 60 Minutes

If you have a website then you know how important it is to get traffic coming to it. One way is to make sure your site is optimized for the search engines. All too often site owners don�t know why they have to make sure the title, meta tags, etc have to be done or they just plan don�t know what to look for.

How to SEO Your Site in 60 Minutes answers those questions for you. You�ll soon start getting that traffic that you�ve been waiting for, because now you�ll be one of the websites that your potential customers will find first instead of your competition.

Matt McGee has put together a 20-page ebook that teaches you how to do a SEO site review on your own site as well as your competitors.

Read Matt’s SEO expertise at his Small Business Search Engine Marketing site.

Tiffany, when did you first decide to look for a way to work from home?

I was forced into it when my newborn son was diagnosed with RSV (a respiratory illness). To be honest, I don’t know that I would have had the guts to try it had I not had this medical emergency, but I am thankful that some good came out of it.

How did you sort through your ideas for a work at home business?

I was surfing eBay looking for Jets memorabilia for my husband (who is stuck in Cowboy country with me in Texas) and I saw a link to a Services area. This took me to Elance, where I began ghostwriting. I had a background in Journalism but it wasn’t the same.

One of my first clients was Jimmy Brown, and he taught me about the difference between college level writing or offline print media and online marketing communication. This began a long career as a ghostwriter for top marketers, but I finally got up the nerve to become a marketer myself once I realized how profitable my talents were for others.

Where did you look for inspiration?

I, like many people, suffer from self doubt and worry that I’ll mess up. Luckily, the Warrior Forum provided a sea of camaraderie for me, where I met so many wonderful men and women who reached out to help me and mentor me. I always try to give back and help others, and to this day, I learn something new in that forum on a regular basis.

Is there anything that you’ve tried that you would say didn’t work for you?

Outsourcing has been iffy. Sometimes I still ghostwrite, so when I’m working on other people’s projects, I’ll maintain my own site’s momentum by using ghostwriters for things like article marketing. I find it very hard to hand over tasks to other people when I feel I could do it better myself.

What do you love about what you are doing to work at home today?

It has to be helping people. I remember the desperation I felt when I held my baby and wondered how we were going to make it because I refused to go back to work. Now, I’m able to help other men and women in a similar situation begin making money online without having to do anything shady or questionable. I get emails all the time saying, “Thank you - here’s where I am now because of what I learned from you.” That feels really good.

How are you applying Web 2.0 tactics to your business?

Web 2.0 is the crux of my business efforts. My first product was Social Networking on Squidoo, and that web 2.0 site remains the best tool in my advertising arsenal. However, with social networks are always cropping up and they’re integrating with one another, like Twitter connects to Squidoo and Ezine Articles Tweets my submissions, and so on. I’m connecting the dots and teaching others how to do the same.

What are your hopes for the future?

I hope that online marketing becomes less of a mystery. I still don’t know anyone offline who understands what it is. They all assume it’s email spamming and I have to try to explain what it truly is. I hope more men and women, more parents, get to enjoy the kind of life I have - raising my children myself, setting my own hours, and working from anywhere in the world that I want to be. I hope more individuals get to determine their own salary rather than having to grovel to a boss who may or may not consider them worthy of a raise.

What advice would you give a new work at home mom?

Carve out time in your day to work, but enjoy the flexibility you have. I take days off to go to the zoo and make up for it by working a few hours in the evening. Keep an Excel spreadsheet for various projects you’re working on - it feels good to delete tasks once they’re finished! And whatever you do, BRAND yourself to the world for your expertise. Don’t be shy! It’s how you sell more and earn the respect you deserve.

Want to donate a prize? Be sure to contact Kelly.

Yummy PLR Article Pack

Owning a website or blog related to food can be a little challenging. You want to make sure that your readers are getting quality information related to their problems and concerns.

Arika Lewis has been around Mom Masterminds for a long time and we share the same mentors. So I feel good knowing that I don’t have to go far to get quality content for an affordable price. The PLR packs have saves time and money, especially when you can’t afford to hire a ghostwriter to do some writing for you.

The Article pack includes 40 articles written by professional writers in the cooking and food industry.

You can found out how Arika is living her life as a WAHM on the They Call me Wahmmy Blog.

Affiliate Commotion Course

Authors, speakers, and small business owners that are short on time, frustrated with the work they’ve put in to make money online and not seeing an increase in income have finally got the help they’ve been looking for.

The Affiliate Commotion Course will help you to increase your profits through your own affiliate program, and make your work easier by having a team of sales people out there doing the work while you focus on other areas of your business such as bringing new products and services to your customers/clients.

I’ve known Angela Wills since she first became an Affiliate Manager and she has become a force to be reckoned with when it comes to an affiliate program. She has worked with some respected online business owners and knows her stuff.

Affiliate Commotion includes 12 weekly lessons, weekly homework, and swipe files you can use to create your own promotions for your program.

Angela gives you tons of information about affiliate management on her blog.

Featured Giveaway Listing

Give something away for free to generate awareness for your business. Hold a contest, give away a free report, a free sample, or coupons. As long as you’re giving it away and it has your business name on it, you are creating a buzz about your business which gets you traffic.

Your business can become popular with moms and it’s all part of your marketing strategy.

Courtney Chowning is a fellow Mom Mastermind member that has a good idea of what it takes to generate a buzz for businesses, so she is giving away a free featured listing on her site to help you get more traffic.

Learn a more about Courtney and the being a WAHM on her blog.

Reba answered my questions here.

And she asks me in return ‘How long does it take to become successful online‘ and ‘What’s it going to take to get there?’

Reba, first I want to thank you for sharing Dr. Mani’s report.  It was excellent of course.

How long does it take to be successful online?

Good question.

I could say six years since it’s been six years for me and I feel pretty successful.  But my definition of successful has changed this year.  I make more money that I ever have in the past - but my dreams have gotten bigger and my expectations for my retirement have grown.

But more than that - time is so subjective.  I don’t think you can give a number of years as say ‘that’s how long it takes’ because every person’s experience is going to be unique.

When I first came on line in 2002 I met a lot of other moms in my shoes.  Completely lost and hungry for income opportunities.  We joined the same forums and email groups and all started our ventures, hoping for the best.

Some of those moms are still in pretty much the same place.  They’ve tried this and that and made a little cash here and there but never found the one thing that could last and provide them with a steady income.  And some of those moms are doing great - making more money than me by far.

You know ‘they’ say that it takes two years to get established in business - but I would again say that with the internet, time is wonky.   It’s less about length of time and more about one’s ability to leverage the internet and all of it’s possibilities.

What does it take to be successful?

It takes focus.  Choosing a great business, the right market and developing the savviest approach to it.   I’m as successful as I am because I focused in on my market and worked to provide them what they want and need.  And - I’ll grow into my new definition of success by continuing the same.

Reba, my next questions for you is: Do you ever look at someone who calls themselves successful and think ‘eh… they don’t seem all that successful to me’? What creates that disconnect between what someone thinks about themselves and what others see?  Let me rephrase that… what do you see that seems to make their self statements unbelievable?