On November 9, 2005, Jennifer Laycock wrote the first post about a challenge she set for herself  to build  profitable online business that required no startup capital. She gave herself 30 days to turn a profit on the venture.

The typical approach to the problem would have been to sell things on eBay, become an affiliate and promote someone elses products, or create a niche content website and load it up with Adsense ads. But, Jennifer decided to go another route and started a CafePress store to sell t-shirts and other items with slogans she designed to promote breast feeding.

She blogged about the project every day for the duration of the experiment and left a 30 day trail of her entrepreneurial journey. The result is an insight filled roadmap for other online business people.

The net result of her experiment – she generated a total profit of $326.78 over the course of 30 days.

The entire series of articles, plus some additional follow-up writing, was later collected together in a free ebook which can be downloaded at the Search Engine Guide website.

The ebook, a must read for any aspiring online entrepreneur, features a bonus section at the end containing a complete glossary of search engine marketing terms. This is a great resource for people new to the world of online marketing.

Download the ebook: Zero Dollars, A Little Talent, And Thirty Days – PDF

I joined SL because I initially enjoyed building worlds in Sims and networking with people around the world. Being in SL fostered a vast social network like “Myspace” except here you get to unleash more of your creativity. I knew in the beginning that I had a goal but it was not apparent yet.

On my second day inworld, I knew that I was hooked. I figured out how to take snapshots (photos) inworld. My exploration of several environments I teleported (or traveled) to were so fascinating that I had to capture them. My snapshots turned out great and with a little graphic editing I made it into a work of art. Now I wondered, how can I share this to the online community in SL?

I had already met this friend of mine in SL who is a seasoned builder and architect who happened to be an artist as well. Upon reviewing my work he suggested that I should start an art gallery to showcase my pieces. A week later he was finished building my modern art gallery space in SL.

My first foray into DJ’ing started when the DJ I hired didn’t show up at my gallery’s opening. It was fortunate that I already had my existing audio stream set up for music inworld.

A woman at the event approached me and asked me if I could DJ at her club every Wednesday. Soon after that I started getting requests from photographers and artists to spin for their openings. I got “Lindens” as tips which is the monetary system in Second Life – 261 Lindens equals to one US dollar. I had a great run but stopped playing in clubs after six months because I had other SL projects in the works.

I still DJ for special events hosted by friends, club owners, and new business owners every now and then. It has been a wonderful ride in Second Life for almost a year. Not only did I have fun but I have gained friendships, skills and learned different languages. In addition, I get donations from my gallery’s special events and exhibitions, my photo studio, and my artworks. It’s rare to do what you love and earn some serious dollars as well.

Explore SL and see where your passion will take you and how it pays more besides the dollar amount.

Catherine’s Website: www.slinfiniteartgallery.com

This post was submitted by Catherine Principe.

My nickname is The Go-To Guy! and I’ve got a pretty wide ranging background. I got my first computer back in the mid-1980′s – a Commodore 64. In addition to playing video games, I taught myself a little programming. Later I went to college and studied filmmaking and animation. I mortgaged my soul to purchase an Amiga 2000 computer that I used to create 3D graphics and animation.

Between film school and my current career producing corporate videos, independent films, and websites, I spent 3 ½ years working on an automotive assembly line building cars (Mom was so proud of how I put my college degree to good use!)

I got a late start with the whole Internet business. I didn’t actually get online for the first time until mid-1996, but I started learning HTML right away and building web pages for practice. It was a few years before I built my first complete stand-alone website for a non-profit group in New York and another 2 years before I started building sites of my own. These were some pretty awful sites, too!

I’m completely self taught when it comes to web design and web programming. I’ve learned a lot and can handle many technical and design tasks on my own. But, I’m not an expert in any one thing. I rely heavily on websites like www.W3Schools.com for tutorials and quick reference when I’m working on a project.

One thing that should be glaringly obvious from this little biography is that I have absolutely no formal background or training in marketing – online or off. I’m a storyteller with a touch of geek mixed in.

Until a few years ago I expected that the Internet business I was dreaming about would involve hiring myself out to design and build websites or create online videos for clients. In short, trading hours for dollars. Not much different to what I was already doing. But, deep down I knew I didn’t want that and started searching for another way to make money online.

What I’m trying to say with all this is that I know a lot about the practical side of the Internet, but I’m still learning when it comes to marketing and promotion – I’m no marketing guru!

My Internet Marketing History

My personal Internet marketing story can be traced back to a blog entry I read back in December of 2005. Professional blogger Yaro Starak had written about how you could make money creating niche content websites with Adsense ads on them. Adsense sites were the hot idea being promoted back then.

I had been toying with the idea of creating some sort of Internet based business for several years, but hadn’t figured out how to get started. Yaro’s article laid out a logical approach that seemed attainable. So, with no market analysis or research I ran out and bought a couple domain names and started experimenting. This was not a wise approach to business.

At the same time I set up a blog and wrote about my Internet marketing experiments and anything else I felt like writing about. This turned out to be my first wise move.

My Unremarkable Early Results

After one year of researching and experimenting with my niche sites, I had earned less than $30 from all my efforts and spent at least $250 on hosting fees, domain registrations, and some lame (and expensive) attempts at Pay Per Click advertising (back then, Google Arbitrage was still a popular idea.) I was not a raging success in the world of marketing. I was all over the map trying every idea I found that seemed to make sense. I was never tempted to try Spamming or auto-generated websites, but I tried a lot of fad ideas.

As depressing as my initial results were, those experiments were not wasted. Every one of them was an investment in my education. I learned a huge number of valuable Internet skills which became foundational to my later success.

I learned about:

• Effective web design
• SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
• Ad optimization
• How to set up a WordPress site
• How to set up an automated system for selling and delivering digital products
• Keyword research
• Much, much more

I also discovered that the blog I created to document my experiments (and also to write about other projects I was doing) was far more popular than any of the niche sites I had created. Owning a well ranked website with good traffic is very useful for promoting new projects for yourself and others.

My Run-In With a Real Mentor

Along the way I had also found a number of excellent e-books on various aspects of Internet marketing. I had to wade through a lot of junk to find the gems, but I found them. The pivotal book for me was “5 Bucks a Day“, by Dennis Becker. I discovered it during a special offer sale he was running at the Warrior Forum (the 800 pound gorilla of Internet Marketing Forums.)

I had been learning dozens of business plans that all seemed like legitimate methods for earning money online, but I hadn’t focused on any one thing long enough to get real traction in my business. Dennis’ book is all about focus and breaking down your efforts into small manageable projects designed to earn a little profit consistently. Over time, you build a portfolio of profitable projects that adds up to significant income.

My newfound focus wasn’t the only benefit I got from Dennis’ e-book. He also started a membership forum for all of the people who bought “5 Bucks a Day.” And, it was there that I experienced the first of many $100 paychecks.

As a member of the forum I got very active helping other members and sharing my personal experiences in the world of marketing. All of the knowledge and skills I had acquired became the foundation for helping others.

On the forum I answered questions about adding video to websites and how to record better audio. I jumped in with tips for people building WordPress sites. And, I offered detailed reviews of new e-books and software I purchased.

The forum also gave me a chance to interact with Dennis on a regular basis. He provided a lot of encouragement and delivered a steady stream of valuable resources to members of his forums (that continues to this day.)

All the energy I put into giving valuable information to fellow forum members paid off in the excellent reputation I was earning. I became a respected member of the community and even struck up a few friendships.

Forum Marketing In Action

I continued seeking out new information about Internet marketing beyond the e-books, audios, videos, and software that Dennis provided in the forum. One e-book I came across was “Niche Marketing on Crack,” written by Andrew Hansen. The night I bought that book, I devoured it, and jumped on the forum to offer up my opinion of the content.

Dennis is very generous toward the members of his forums. If you provide valuable information in a review and include a non-affiliate link to the sales page, he doesn’t have any problems with members including an affiliate link as well. I included an affiliate link in my review of “Niche Marketing on Crack.”

Over the next several days I answered many questions about the e-book. Fellow members asked about the specific techniques covered in the book to determine if they already possessed the key skills discussed. They told me what they were trying to accomplish with their business and asked whether I though the book would help.

Some people I encouraged to buy the book and I recommended that others look elsewhere for the information they needed. As with any product, it was not right for everyone.

As a result of the helpful information I provided and the good reputation I had built up, the majority of the forum members who decided to buy the e-book used my affiliate link.

My First Real Internet Marketing Payday

In the month of February 2007, that one product review earned me $206.80 US in commissions in the first 48 hours after I wrote it. Over the next 4 months I earned an additional $129.25 US from that same review. That was my first real taste of marketing success.

For a guy who hadn’t earned a fraction of that amount for all of the work he had done over the previous year, the experience was an adrenaline rush – I was really hooked.

A short while later, Dennis opened another membership forum called “Earn 1K a Day.” I joined in a heartbeat and put the same kind of energy I had spent at the “5 Bucks a Day” forum into this new venture. It was the foundation for my biggest success to date, my “Rapid Website Development” video training series which has generated more than 10 times that first success before it has even had a public launch.

Where I Stand Today

Due to the increased focus on specific aspects of my business, even some of those initial bumbling efforts at marketing have begun to generate small but steady profits and have opened up new opportunities. My Internet Marketing Insights blog is an offshoot of the work I did on my first blog. It was started with a collection of my marketing and business articles from the old blog as the initial content.

Of course, I also continue to invest in my business education to help push me to the point where my publishing business generates enough revenue to support my family. In the past year I invested in a copy of John Reese’s “Traffic Secrets” course, Mike Filsaime’s “7 Figure Code“, and (most recently) Frank Kern’s “Mass Control” course.

The most satisfying aspect of all of this is the fact that I’m funding the growth of my business and my ongoing education with revenue from my business and not credit cards and income from my ‘day job!’ (Okay, technically I did charge Frank’s “Mass Control” course on a credit card before I had the money, but I’m hard at work finishing up 2 projects which should earn me all of the money I need to pay that one off – and what I’ve learned is definitely worth the effort.)

I became a stay at home Mom after the birth of my daughter. I was so enthusiastic when I took the decision to stay at home with her, not knowing how hard it will be. I was tired of the working outside the home routine, and was looking forward to this change of pace. I have been now staying at home for a little more than a year and a half. I have seen it all: from the overwhelming joy to the extreme exhaustion. Despite the hard work and dedication necessitated by the early parenting I am still enjoying being a full time stay at home Mom.

While each step of a child’s development has its own challenges, I personally think that the hardest to tackle are those during baby’s first year, thanks to their nature. Those challenges are physically demanding, not to mention financially. Now that my daughter has well past her first year, she is not even a baby any longer, I have more time to think about projects that I could do to contribute to my family’s earning.

A Mom starting a work at home during baby’s first year could find herself easily irritable. Babies are still very exigent and not quite independent from their principal care giver at such young age. I would suggest postponing working at home until your baby is at least fourteen month-old if the family can afford the wait.

Having a new baby increases expenses in many ways and it is understandable that Moms want to do all they can to contribute to their family’s finances. The arrival of a new baby causes changes in the family life, in all of its aspect. Financially, the difference is even more striking for families that go from two incomes to one.

My family was no exception to this hard fact and I started thinking about an additional source of income. I was highly motivated since we lived on such a tight budget. I did not want to further strain our finances by investing a large amount of money, which we did not have anyway, so I figured I had to work with the resources already available to us, to me.

I put my sewing skills to work and started making simple but useful baby bedding items. Then it occurred to me that I cannot go door to door and sell them so I went online and searched inexpensive ways to run an online store. I have never created a website in my life, but I was determined to help my family and ready to defy any obstacles. I learned a lot through my searches and readings. Among other things, I learned that you find what you are looking for. So I always incorporated the word free in my search query, and the more I searched, the more free resources I found. Then one day I found out that with some basic knowledge of HTML I could really use one of those website builders to create my very own website! I worked right at it. If I had not much money, I did have all the willingness, the time and the courage to do whatever it takes to own my website. Guess what? I do now. Hard work does pay off.

However, having an online store is not the end of my endeavor, there are still a lot to do to keep my boutique running, one of which is promoting it. Let us not forget that creating an additional income was the goal at the first place. Owning an online store is just one of the means to achieve it.

Now I am a very busy work at home Mom, taking care of my daughter, my family, my customers and promoting my website. I agree it requires strong willingness, patience and dedication, but believe me, it is rewarding. You will be proud of your achievement. Now imagine what stay at home Moms can do. You do not have to have a lot to start something you are passionate about. The possibilities are countless.

About the author:

Sara Mahen is a stay at home Mom who loves sewing and writing. She owns Oh Petit Bebe, an online boutique featuring her quality custom baby bedding and accessories. She also enjoys writing about beautiful things

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sara_Mahen
http://EzineArticles.com/?Work-at-Home-Mom—My-Success-Story&id=463556

ShareYourIMStory.com is a website devoted to bringing together the stories of regular folks who have discovered how to earn meaningful income through Internet marketing. Instead of the hype-filled tales of overnight millions that flood the Internet, we capture the story of that first baby step toward success — earning $100 — that inspires each entrepreneur to press on and set to work building the businesses which will one day be able to brag of bigger success.

If you want to share your story, simple visit the story submission page. Fill out the form and enter your story in the space provided. Once your story is received, it will be reviewed by an editor before being published to the site. If any revisions are required, you will be notified.

As exciting as it is to share your story and inspire others, there is more benefit to you as an author when your story is published. We allow story relevant links (no affiliate links please) within your articles to point readers to the websites and products you created or forum posts you wrote as part of the work that earned you that first $100. You will also be allowed one link to any website you wish to promote in the author listing at the end of your article.

These links will provide valuable links back to your websites that will improve your search engine rankings and direct visitors to you sites as well. As the reputation of this site grows, so with the value of these links.

So, don’t wait. Share your story today!

Andrew Seltz
Founder, ShareYourIMStory.com

ShareYourIMStory.com is a website devoted to bringing together the stories of regular folks who have discovered how to earn meaningful income through Internet marketing. Instead of the hype-filled tales of overnight millions that flood the Internet, we capture the story of that first baby step toward success — earning $100 — that inspires each entrepreneur to press on and set to work building the businesses which will one day be able to brag of bigger success.

If you want to share your story, simple visit the story submission page. Fill out the form and enter your story in the space provided. Once your story is received, it will be reviewed by an editor before being published to the site. If any revisions are required, you will be notified.

As exciting as it is to share your story and inspire others, there is more benefit to you as an author when your story is published. We allow story relevant links (no affiliate links please) within your articles to point readers to the websites and products you created or forum posts you wrote as part of the work that earned you that first $100. You will also be allowed one link to any website you wish to promote in the author listing at the end of your article.

These links will provide valuable links back to your websites that will improve your search engine rankings and direct visitors to you sites as well. As the reputation of this site grows, so with the value of these links.

So, don’t wait. Share your story today!

Andrew Seltz
Founder, ShareYourIMStory.com

ShareYourIMStory.com is a website devoted to bringing together the stories of regular folks who have discovered how to earn meaningful income through Internet marketing. Instead of the hype-filled tales of overnight millions that flood the Internet, we capture the story of that first baby step toward success — earning $100 — that inspires each entrepreneur to press on and set to work building the businesses which will one day be able to brag of bigger success.

If you want to share your story, simple visit the story submission page. Fill out the form and enter your story in the space provided. Once your story is received, it will be reviewed by an editor before being published to the site. If any revisions are required, you will be notified.

As exciting as it is to share your story and inspire others, there is more benefit to you as an author when your story is published. We allow story relevant links (no affiliate links please) within your articles to point readers to the websites and products you created or forum posts you wrote as part of the work that earned you that first $100. You will also be allowed one link to any website you wish to promote in the author listing at the end of your article.

These links will provide valuable links back to your websites that will improve your search engine rankings and direct visitors to you sites as well. As the reputation of this site grows, so with the value of these links.

So, don’t wait. Share your story today!

Andrew Seltz
Founder, ShareYourIMStory.com

ShareYourIMStory.com is a website devoted to bringing together the stories of regular folks who have discovered how to earn meaningful income through Internet marketing. Instead of the hype-filled tales of overnight millions that flood the Internet, we capture the story of that first baby step toward success — earning $100 — that inspires each entrepreneur to press on and set to work building the businesses which will one day be able to brag of bigger success.

If you want to share your story, simple visit the story submission page. Fill out the form and enter your story in the space provided. Once your story is received, it will be reviewed by an editor before being published to the site. If any revisions are required, you will be notified.

As exciting as it is to share your story and inspire others, there is more benefit to you as an author when your story is published. We allow story relevant links (no affiliate links please) within your articles to point readers to the websites and products you created or forum posts you wrote as part of the work that earned you that first $100. You will also be allowed one link to any website you wish to promote in the author listing at the end of your article.

These links will provide valuable links back to your websites that will improve your search engine rankings and direct visitors to you sites as well. As the reputation of this site grows, so with the value of these links.

So, don’t wait. Share your story today!

Andrew Seltz
Founder, ShareYourIMStory.com