By Keith James Lock
I have been working online for quite some time. Then at one point I had children. Being a big believer in "raising your own kids" I decided I would work around their mom's schedule in order to make that happen. It changed the way that I work and I want to share some of the strategies with you here.
Involve the kids in your money making adventure
OK, I'll be the first to admit it. When trying to keep up with the kids all day with food, entertainment, education, and so on, when they do settle down for a nap or go to bed for the night, it's not easy to be motivated to work. So one of two (or three) things has to happen.
You either have to work at something that you are passionate about so that it doesn't feel like work (this is probably an obvious one), or you have to involve the children in the process (or both).
I'm not suggesting that you make your kids work. Not at all. I'll give you an example of something that I came up with and I challenge you to come up with something similar.
Create sponsored parties
One of the strategies I came up with is to create sponsored parties and events. Don't worry, there is an "online" aspect to all of this as well. Now, setting up a party might seem like a lot of work but it depends how you do it. The first one can be a bit tricky and it's hard to know if you are you putting the cart in front the horse or doing things proper. So you might "lose" on the first one. I did.
My first party cost me $10.00. I profited on the subsequent parties. Here's the strategy.
Think of something to do that the kids would enjoy. Consider who you can invite to make it more enjoyable. Find out how to get most of the work done for you. Tally up the expenses.
Here's what I did for the first party...
I rented a picnic/bbq spot at a local park that had swings, slides, a splash pad and a pool.
I hired party planners to take care of the music, pictures (this is important), food, setup, clean up, etc. I wanted this to be an event that my kids and I could be a guest at. The only work I wanted to do was load up the kids in the car and take them there and enjoy the day with them.
The expenses were:
- party planner (food, etc.)
- picnic spot
- I also paid for everyone to use the pool and let them buy drinks and snacks while in there
Preparing ahead of time
Here's the online aspect of it all. I setup a Facebook Page specific for these events. I discussed the party and who I hired to help out. I also discussed other businesses that I considered hiring for future parties and elicited feedback from the followers. The businesses were clowns, party planners, DJ's, magicians, rental places, etc. Basically anything related to kid's parties discussed.
I mostly just mentioned the business or entertainment provider in general or provided basic information. I gave them all a good write ups and linked to their sites and Facebook pages, etc. if they chose to sponsor the event.
Sponsors were allowed to come to the event as long as they offered all or most of their service for no charge. I paid to have flyers made up (the party planners took care of it) that showed all the sponsor's messages. The flyer also provided a link to the Facebook page (with a QR code for smart phones to scan) and I offered a random monthly prize for those who 'liked' the page.
The prize consisted of cash and coupons or discounts from the sponsors.
It was easy to get people to like the page because all the photos from the event were to be put up there. I was careful to tag everyone appropriately for the most exposure.
I even had a blog where I would go in more detail about each sponsor. Plus I would write reviews about the vendors at each party. In addition, I had more control with the advertising spots on my own blog.
It all started with the Facebook page though, the blog came later.
Skills to add to the resume to fill the 'stay at home father' gap
Following this you could be chalking up some skills and experience that can be used on the resume if you plan to get back into the work force and 9 to 5 grind.
You have a little party planning experience, some entrepreneurial experience, and not to mention the online skills acquired. Perhaps you are now a blogger and a writer and a bit of a marketer. I'm sure that you could think of more. This is just scratching the surface.
I have more tips on my site for stay at home fathers. I am one myself after all.
Find out more about how to list 'stay at home dad' on your resume.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Keith_James_Lock
I have been working online for quite some time. Then at one point I had children. Being a big believer in "raising your own kids" I decided I would work around their mom's schedule in order to make that happen. It changed the way that I work and I want to share some of the strategies with you here.
Involve the kids in your money making adventure
OK, I'll be the first to admit it. When trying to keep up with the kids all day with food, entertainment, education, and so on, when they do settle down for a nap or go to bed for the night, it's not easy to be motivated to work. So one of two (or three) things has to happen.
You either have to work at something that you are passionate about so that it doesn't feel like work (this is probably an obvious one), or you have to involve the children in the process (or both).
I'm not suggesting that you make your kids work. Not at all. I'll give you an example of something that I came up with and I challenge you to come up with something similar.
Create sponsored parties
One of the strategies I came up with is to create sponsored parties and events. Don't worry, there is an "online" aspect to all of this as well. Now, setting up a party might seem like a lot of work but it depends how you do it. The first one can be a bit tricky and it's hard to know if you are you putting the cart in front the horse or doing things proper. So you might "lose" on the first one. I did.
My first party cost me $10.00. I profited on the subsequent parties. Here's the strategy.
Think of something to do that the kids would enjoy. Consider who you can invite to make it more enjoyable. Find out how to get most of the work done for you. Tally up the expenses.
Here's what I did for the first party...
I rented a picnic/bbq spot at a local park that had swings, slides, a splash pad and a pool.
I hired party planners to take care of the music, pictures (this is important), food, setup, clean up, etc. I wanted this to be an event that my kids and I could be a guest at. The only work I wanted to do was load up the kids in the car and take them there and enjoy the day with them.
The expenses were:
- party planner (food, etc.)
- picnic spot
- I also paid for everyone to use the pool and let them buy drinks and snacks while in there
Preparing ahead of time
Here's the online aspect of it all. I setup a Facebook Page specific for these events. I discussed the party and who I hired to help out. I also discussed other businesses that I considered hiring for future parties and elicited feedback from the followers. The businesses were clowns, party planners, DJ's, magicians, rental places, etc. Basically anything related to kid's parties discussed.
I mostly just mentioned the business or entertainment provider in general or provided basic information. I gave them all a good write ups and linked to their sites and Facebook pages, etc. if they chose to sponsor the event.
Sponsors were allowed to come to the event as long as they offered all or most of their service for no charge. I paid to have flyers made up (the party planners took care of it) that showed all the sponsor's messages. The flyer also provided a link to the Facebook page (with a QR code for smart phones to scan) and I offered a random monthly prize for those who 'liked' the page.
The prize consisted of cash and coupons or discounts from the sponsors.
It was easy to get people to like the page because all the photos from the event were to be put up there. I was careful to tag everyone appropriately for the most exposure.
I even had a blog where I would go in more detail about each sponsor. Plus I would write reviews about the vendors at each party. In addition, I had more control with the advertising spots on my own blog.
It all started with the Facebook page though, the blog came later.
Skills to add to the resume to fill the 'stay at home father' gap
Following this you could be chalking up some skills and experience that can be used on the resume if you plan to get back into the work force and 9 to 5 grind.
You have a little party planning experience, some entrepreneurial experience, and not to mention the online skills acquired. Perhaps you are now a blogger and a writer and a bit of a marketer. I'm sure that you could think of more. This is just scratching the surface.
I have more tips on my site for stay at home fathers. I am one myself after all.
Find out more about how to list 'stay at home dad' on your resume.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Keith_James_Lock
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