Use Ecommerce To Be A Stay At Home Mom
by Jack Brooks
http://www.onlinecommercepro.com

Today’s parenting is a shoehorning process for mom; squeezing in the scheduling and logistical demands of managing a home and family along with meeting financial challenges that seem to increase almost daily! Yes, we have instantaneous communication and vast information available, thanks to the ‘Net, but what good is the technology if mom still has to go off to the workplace, away from her family? Today’s economic bottom line usually necessitates two working parents (or one very hardworking one!) but the very same Internet that brings MySpace and Google to us offers an opportunity to not only work from home, but also have more time with the children. Ecommerce, doing business on the World Wide Web, has exploded into a virtual electronic universe of possibility for today’s determined and computer-savvy mothers who value putting family first:

An Online Store – The wide availability of “plug and play” turnkey ecommerce storefronts and payment services from Internet Service Providers (ISP’s) and content portals such as AOL, Yahoo, MSN, eBay, PayPal, etc. means that expensive software packages or pricey consultants aren’t necessary to get started. These and many other Internet providers freely offer resources and education for ecommerce “newbies” to jump right in and sell products online.

Offer A Skill Or Service – One of the most effective uses of the ‘Net is, as the name implies, networking. If you have a marketable skill or specialized knowledge, the Internet can be highly effective for getting the word out in your local area. Perhaps you’re an accomplished pianist, offer lessons at home. You may have a Math degree, tutor students at home. One acquaintance of mine, skilled in writing and editing, proofreads depositions for Court Reporters. Look for a niche need that you can fill and market online; they’re out there.

Auction Sales – With the rise of eBay, and other auction sale websites, you can sell individual products that you’ve liberated from the attic, or treasures discovered from scouring garage sales and thrift shops. There’s women who do well working part-time at this very thing; many have turned their passion for (and knowledge of) antiques into a nice side-business. Also, women who excel at this have become Trading Assistants on eBay and other auction sites, helping others (hopefully, moms also) profitably sell their items online.

New Revenue Portals – The Internet marketing arena changes daily! There is a panoply of new mini-technologies that are emerging:

• Video-based websites – these offer exciting creative possibilities for media-savvy moms to create, or to assist others in creating, family-friendly content for uploading. Advertisers are beginning to turn a keen eye to this emerging Web phenomenon.

• Interactive Teaching or Counseling – You can make your work experience or life-skills available to help others who may be facing challenges you’ve overcome or are desiring to further a skill set in which you are proficient.

• Social Networking Sites – A newly emerging problem has arisen with justifiable parental concern over their children posting and receiving personal or inappropriate information on “Social Networking” websites. A valuable service you could offer to worried parents is as a “hired monitor,” carefully watching their children’s activities on these sites as well as assisting the parents with this vital task.

This is just a thumbnail overview of what’s possible using the powerful creativity and maternal insight that you bring to raising your family! As the Internet evolves and new challenges arise, applying these same attributes to meeting them offers you tremendous opportunity.