Networking For Your Online Business

Networking is a must for living out here!

Networking will help you grow your business. Even if the people you network with aren't the ones buying your products or hiring you for whatever it is you do. So how do they help grow your business? Well, one way is that you are talking to others in the online business world. You are discussing strategies and ideas they, and you, may have tried or want to try. Then you get their opinions of your business, or website, or what you have written. It may be exactly what you need to get your business on the right track.

There are so many networking sites that I can't name them all. I only use a few myself. If you belong to all of them, you will never be able to be a quality networker on that many sites. I have joined some that I never go to any  longer. I concentrate on some that I really like, and that seems to help me the most.

If you go to a site that consists of others listing their websites or businesses, and never make quality comments to each other.......then what's the sense? That is how I feel about LinkedIn. It is not worth the time. I have  joined the group for Amazon Associates and posted in their forum. Unless you comment on someone else's post, nobody ever makes a decent comment to you about what you wrote. So I don't go there anymore.

If you write a blog, I'd say the absolutely BEST networking site is The Blogfrog. Being a member there has improved my blog 100% since the beginning of last year. My blog, Homesteading On The Internet has evolved to a quality blog and I am very proud of it. I have learned so much from hanging out in the The Redhead Riter's Community there!

So how do you network? What do you like about it or not like about it? Do you feel it has helped you in any way? Joining forums is a great networking tool. I have belonged to some good ones over the years. Some that are homesteading ones which is my niche. I belong to others too. But it helps if you have some kind of problem and can ask someone else what they think or what they would do.

Selling on Bonanza has been another one of my streams of income. They have a forum and the people on there are really nice and helpful. I have found that by being on there and making posts more people know who you are and will seek out your booth. I mean we are all chasing the almighty dollar and the only way to do that is by socializing with others online. I would rather buy from someone I know than a complete stranger if I can. I will always check on Bonanza for something before I buy it somewhere else.

Copyright © 2011  Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2011  Kathleen G. Lupole

Identifying My Many Streams Of Income

Photo Source: Jon Sullivan

In trying to keep with my goal of adding many streams of income, I have been working on updating my first eBook, My Homesteading Journey. It needs to be updated every now and then. So in a short time I should have that done and for sale again.

Another stream of income, is my Bonanza booth. So I am working on adding more items for sale there. The more you have the more you sell. If you don't have sales, you just keep adding items. I did that when I had my eBay store. The difference here is that it does not cost anything to list the items on Bonanza so you can just keep listing. I am.

I consider another stream of income is the savings I can achieve through saving money on bills and things we buy. It is a savings of money not spent. So it is another stream of income.

I have been putting ads on some of my blogs and you will see that people have been doing this with me. I like those kind of ads better than affiliate links. They are more personal. I know the person in a way. At least I have emailed back and forth and hopefully, they are who they say they are. That is another stream of income.

Of course, I sell guitar strings on my two websites and that is another stream also. The sales did good for the holidays and now hoping they will pick up more. Working on the marketing part of that.

How many streams of income have you identified in your life? Remember it comes from other sources than just someone paying you for something. Could be a garden which makes it so you don't have to pay so much at the store? Or using coupons to buy groceries and other things? Or bartering? What about swapping babysitting with another mother who works a different shift than you do? What a big savings that would be! Think about it. Sometimes it is right under your nose and you just have to identify it and work on it a little bit.

Copyright © 2010  Kathleen G. Lupole

Christmas On A Budget

Photo Credit: Sam Mugraby

Christmas time is the hardest time to lose weight or save money. Life can get in the way when you are working on the goal of not adding more debt or trying to pay off old bills. But look at that Christmas shopping list a second time. Do you really need to buy all those gifts? Do you really need to buy the most expensive mobile phone for your preteen child? Do you and your husband have to take a vacation at the most exclusive resort when there are others that are more within your price range?

My husband and I do not exchange Christmas presents. Nor do we buy anyone else any presents. Does it cause anyone not to like us? Not that I know of. We just told everyone a few years back, "No presents." And that is the way it has been ever since. Do I miss presents? No, because if I want something I buy it for myself  anytime of the year.

If you still want to make Christmas special with no presents, you can still do that. I know this is not for people with children. I could not have done it when my son was a child. I spoiled him at Christmas time, but I liked that part of it. It was when I had to buy for so many other people too that it stopped being fun.

Many ways to still enjoy your holiday is to decorate your house. After all you probably still have all your decorations so you may as well use them. I don't do this though. My reason is that I have 3 rambunctious cats. They are older cats who should know better, but I would not trust them with a tree full of decorations. We have a great big dog and she is not one of those ladylike, graceful dogs. No, she'd plow right through a tree I am afraid. We have absolutely no space to put one in and we have a huge woodstove in our living room that would dry it out immediately. So no tree.

You can decorate other ways though. Hang some tinsel or other decorations. Put a wreath up. Get out a Christmas table cloth. You can do what you want there. Load up your CD player with Christmas music. Get out all your Christmas movie DVDs and watch one every night. Bake a lot of Christmas goodies and your spouse won't even be worried about decorations or Christmas gifts. I know my husband would love for me to spend a day baking goodies that we are not giving away! No need to get depressed over your holiday, it is up to you what you make it................

Copyright © 2010  Kathleen G. Lupole

Wordless Wednesday In katlupe's Bonanza Booth

katlupe's booth

katlupe's booth

katlupe's booth

katlupe's booth

Copyright © 2010  Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2010  Kathleen G. Lupole

Self-Care On Wordless Wednesday!

Copyright © 2010  Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2010  Kathleen G. Lupole

Work On Your Goals One By One

Photo Credit: Jon Sullivan

Have you been working on your goals list? I have. Sometimes, I think I have too many goals. Then I read the motivational books and they say, "list a lot of goals." So I do. I have so many things I am working on that at times it can be overwhelming. But then again, it is better than sitting on a couch watching television! Do you ever put goals down and never look at them again? Maybe come across them months or years later, then think to yourself, "now if I had done that look where I'd be today."? Many times! More times than I like to remember!

One of my goals lately has been to reorganize my upstairs area. It is a place where I store my books on bookshelves, my good clothing, photo albums and our inventory of guitar strings that I sell online. I also had boxes of paper......yes, boxes! Some of that paper is needed and has to be filed. Other, or rather, most of it is junk mail and stuff saved for no real purpose. So in the wood stove that will go! You can not hold onto stuff because you think you one day might need or use it. Out it goes.

I have held onto many books. Books I have read. Books I might one day read. If I haven't read it by now, out it goes. I am reading some books and when I finish them will list them in my Bonanza booth and hope they sell. If they don't sell after a certain period of time, I will take them to my thrift store. My goal is to empty this area out by spring.

So working on this one goal isn't really that hard. I am committing myself to spending at least 30 minutes to one hour upstairs every morning working on emptying out something. Maybe one box of paper. Maybe arranging my photos in an album. Maybe going through my clothing. Maybe finding more books to list in Bonanza. But something. At least do something toward that goal every single day till it is finished. I will always be further along since the day before.

What about you? What goals have you been working on? Have you been doing something daily toward achieving your goal?

Copyright © 2010  Kathleen G. Lupole

Helping Each Other

Photo Credit: Jon Sullivan

Right now things look bad in our country due to our economic situation. One thing I have noticed is that this seems to make people pull together more. When they are giving each other advice and trying to figure out ways to cut costs and share their knowledge, that means that they are not hard hearted. They are helping each other. As we all know that if we stand together we can overcome.

In a way, this is what social networking is all about. Sharing. Helping each other. Offering assistance and your knowledge to others, often to people you have never met in person. Offering to help someone with no expectation of receiving money or anything from it, is the best thing you can do in this life. Just because you do not expect to receive anything back does not mean you won't. Many times, it could be years and years later that it will come back to you. And if you have done this many times through out your life, then you could have numerous things coming back to you at various times through out your life. That is what it means. To receive you must give. If not money, time, if not time, then knowledge or something else. Sharing. That is the ultimate  To share with others with no thought of receiving a thing.

It is funny, but there are many wealthy people who offer all kinds of programs and help to people.........but always for a price. They say they can't help everyone. Or they don't know if you are serious if you don't pay them some money. I say rubbish to that! You can help whoever you want. But many of those wealthy people (not saying all, just many) have gotten wealthy off those people who can't afford it. If you want to help people that is fine. Write a book. They can always get the book through their local library. But getting them to believe that if they pay a huge amount of money for your help will make them rich.............well, I just have to say again, rubbish! I see it over and over again. People who can't afford it will use their credit card to pay for someone's information. And the sad thing is, they really believe it will make them lots of money. But does it? Never. Or hardly ever.

So I believe you should help each other. That way we can build up everyone around us. Now I don't necessarily mean I can give money to you or buy your products. But when my situation improves I will buy from you first, before I choose a store or another website. I am trying to do this now on Bonanza where I sell books, guitar strings and some other things. If I need something I will look there first to see if another seller has it.

Copyright © 2010  Kathleen G. Lupole