Hi there!

Yesterday was my birthday- yes, 39 again, can you believe it? Funny, but since I turned 39 I have seemed to stop getting older- strange, isn’t it?

Anyway, my point in bringing it up here on the blog is I spent a good part of my day with my family. My sister came over, my bestest girlfriends got in touch, my kids and grandkids came over and in the evening, my two daughters and I spent a couple hours together watching a movie and having some laughs. To top it all off, I found a dear old friend via Facebook that I haven’t been in touch with for 15 years!!

When my head hit the pillow last night, I felt so filled with gratitude and love, realizing yet again, I had had the perfect birthday! Why was it perfect? Because it was filled with love and support from every direction. Even though I really didn’t discuss my business or any future plans, didn’t bring up any problems or frustrations and didn’t share any new ideas with anyone, I knew I had all the personal, real life support I needed.

I have a lot of online mentors, partners and friends – and without them, I wouldn’t even have had the courage to start my business. But I know how important it is to spend time with real physical people who come into the living room, sit down and share themselves with me as well. Most of our conversations are about personal things – family, kids, husbands and exes, bills and groceries and farmer’s markets and Bible studies, sickness and wellness, food, fun and all the other things under the sun that make life full and fulfilling. Sometimes we talk about business, but usually not in a lot of detail. (I save that for the online peeps who mentor and befriend me!!)

The personal kind of support and networking is just as important as the business kind though. It’s so easy to get caught up in social media networking, JV ventures, clients, lists and all of those goodies that we can begin to think that is the only kind of support we need. It isn’t though. Not by a long shot.

Being able to shut off the business mind and move into the family and friends and personal mind is a critical part of making it all work. We need to take time – every day – to spend with our loved ones and our Creator to refresh, revive and rejuvenate.

It really is the only way we stand a chance of succeeding!

So, THANK YOU, to my family and my friends in the real world. THANK YOU to my God who gives me the strength and the courage to do what I do. I would never EVER make it from one birthday to the next without all of you!

Teresa

P.S. Thanks to you my readers too! Business or not, I get so much personal energy, joy and strength from all of you as well!!

I have no doubt that there are hundreds, maybe thousands, of excellent books and other resources that can help teach someone how to begin earning a living as a freelance writer. Some of them are free, some are inexpensive and some will cost you thousands. There is one, though, that I will always cherish and recommend to anyone who is wondering if they can earn a decent living as a freelance writer.

The ebook is called “Working Writer Happy Writer: How to Build a Thriving Writing Business from NOTHING” by Sue LaPointe.

I was given the opportunity to review this book last year with the challenge to put it into practice. I had no experience as a paid freelance writer and no particular education in the field either. So, I took the book and I did one simple thing: I followed it step by step and did what it said.  Seven months later, I quit my fulltime job and opened my own freelance writing business, which supports me and my family today.

“Working Writer Happy Writer: How to Build a Thriving Writing Business from Nothing” is a guide that is filled with real, easy to implement strategies that show you exactly what you need to do to start earning real money as a freelance writer. It is written by the number one writer on Guru.com, Sue LaPointe, who went from never having earned a dime writing to $5000/month is six months flat. Sue’s business has continued to catapult her to the top of the list when it comes to in-demand freelance writers. Her income has allowed her and her family to experience some amazing new experiences and break free from the worry of paying the bills.

Don’t get me wrong- you still have to do the work. But, if you’ve ever wondered how to get started as a freelance writer, you won’t find a better “how-to” guide than this one.

Do yourself a favor and go now and
Learn how to build a thriving writing business from NOTHING!

It will be the best Christmas present you’ve ever given yourself. It makes a darn fine Christmas gift too! Go now:
Learn how to build a thriving writing business from NOTHING!

It should come as no big surprise that e-books are a hot commodity on the Internet. E-books are everywhere and for good reason. They are inexpensive to produce and cost virtually nothing to distribute. You can ue them as give-aways to build your list or you can sell them for a tidy profit. In fact, you can make a whole lot more than a tidy profit-you can make some serious money with e-books.

But what do you do if you’d love to publish an e-book but you just don’t have the time or the writing ability to do it yourself? Here’s an easy answer: Meet Tina McAllister!

Tina is a WAHM, blogger and freelance writer who has begun specializing in e-books. I have had the great privlege of geting to know TIna over the last few months and I’m here to tell you- the woman is a dynamo!

Tina has written a series of three ebooks that share her expertise as a former WAHM real estate agent. I can hear you wondering why on earth I would be talking to you about real estate with the state of the industry right now, but hang with me a minute, would ya? In fact, I’ll let her tell you herself why you should take a look at this book series now:

Q: We’ve all heard that right now the real estate market is a nightmare? Why would anyone want to consider being a real estate agent?

You know…it really isn’t that bad! Sure, sellers aren’t able to sell for oodles of dollars without hardly lifting a finger anymore. And homes ARE taking longer to sell. But real estate is cyclical. This happens every few years. And there are agents who have been in the real estate business for years and years. This so-called down market doesn’t scare them off. They know it reduces the competition of other agents who don’t know how to work through it.

This is actually a terrific time for buyers. There are wonderful deals out there. And agents can also work in conjunction with lenders marketing and selling foreclosures and providing broker price opinions. There really is money to be made right now.

And honestly, a market like this is where a person who truly wants to make a career out of real estate can learn from the ground up. So many people jumped in when the market was hot and had deals basically fall in their lap. But they knew little to nothing about marketing, customer service and about a dozen  other attributes a top-notch real estate agent needs.

Q: Isn’t it true that the only way to make any real money in real estate is by working with the big name agencies like Century 21 or REMAX?

Not at all. While the big names in the business certainly have some perks and people recognize the name…it may not be the right fit for all agents. Truly, an agent should brand HERSELF, and the company she hangs her license with should be certainly complementary, but secondary. Obviously, a person should look for a company with a good reputation in the area. But she should interview at several places before she makes the ultimate decision. You know, the downsides to a place like Century 21 might be required floor time, or weekly sales meetings. And a RE/MAX has huge monthly office fees. So there are a lot of factors involved when deciding to hang your license with a company.

Tina’s ebook series is titled The WAHM Agent and you can puchase them individually or as a set of three. The first book, ” Becoming a Work-At-Home Real Estate Agent” covers the basics of what is involved in actually becoming a real-estate agent when you’re a work-at-home mother. Tina shares her own experiences of how she made it work with a small child in tow. She gives you the lowdown on education, licensing and some of the daily tasks involved in the business. She is straight up about the money- the pitfalls and the possibilities! She also talks about setting goals for you WAHM real estate business and provides you with a template to make your goal setting easy.

In the second book, “ Working Your Real Estate Business” Tina moves into the details of the job. Page after page is filled with straight up advice about working with buyers and sellers and making your appointments productive. Tina provides great examples of the materials you need to create an effective appointment folder for your clients. You’ll be amazed at how easy it can be to prepare for your new career simply by following Tina’s step-by-step plan laid out in Book Two.

In her third book in the series, “Marketing Strategy for the Work-At-Home Mom Real Estate Agent,” Tina gives you a rundown on some great ideas for marketing yourself as an agent, whether you work for an agency or on your own. You’ll learn how to build your client base, how to create eye-catching promo materials and how you can market your business without breaking the bank.

The thing that I love about Tina’s book series is she tells things straight up with no fluff and filler. You will learn usuable, money making information on each and every page of the book. That’s not to say they’re a tough read- not at all! Tina’s writing style flows effortlessly from one page to the next and she is generous with examples of her own personal experience while selling real estate as a mom.

The other great thing about these books? The price! You can download any or all of them for only $17.99 apiece or the set of three for $39.99.  Here’s the link: http://www.thewahmagent.com/

Right now is the perfect time for people to buy homes. The market is low- so the values are huge. Why not profit yourself by getting into the real estate game? Tina McCallister’s ebook series “Thw WAHM Agent” is an easy, affordable way to find out what you need to know to begin a brand new career. You owe it to yourself to check it out!

Here’s that link again: http://www.thewahmagent.com/

What are you waiting for? Go get the books!

See ya’ soon,

Teresa