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Financing Your Home School

I built a work-at-home business

for three incredibly important reasons

My Children

A mother’s (or father’s) choice to stay-at-home, whether to raise the children or to home school, is unfortunately often balanced by how much green is in the old pocketbook. I often hear comments from my fellow SAHM’s (stay-at-home-moms) and HSTM’s (ummmm, that’s home-school-teacher-moms) decrying the plight of the single-income family. Do these remarks sound familiar?

“I hate having to choose between a terrific educational opportunity and gas money.”

“I’d like my son to take an AP (Advanced Placement) class through Pennsylvania Homeschoolers, but I just can’t afford the tuition.”

“I want to contribute to the family income.”

“I would love to home school my children. Unfortunately, there is no way we can live without my second income.”

I made the choice to be a SAHM in 1994 when my youngest of three was born. There was just no way I could look into my little girl’s eyes and return to my 9-to-5er as a public school teacher. In 1999, I made the leap to HSTM. It’s been a wonderful experience and I’ve never regretted the decision.

The sacrifice in time spent at a full-time job that doesn’t pay has its drawbacks. Yet the oh-so-many little rewards each and every day more than make up for the monetary deficit.

Take, for example, the time my daughter (at age ten) spontaneously made me lunch and brought it to me with a note that read “Mom is Cool.” Those are irreplaceable memories!

As the children grew older and became more involved in sports, clubs, mission trips, and the like, our budget continually got squeezed. In 2004, I realized some changes were needed if college was going to be in any of their futures. Or movies. Or a microscope. Or dance costumes. Or dinners out, etc. etc. I decided to investigate whether there was a way to make money while at home.

Not long after that, I was intrigued by a post I encountered in one of my online forums. The writer couldn’t contain his excitement about Site Build It! which he claimed was a fantastic all-inclusive website building, hosting, and marketing program. I pledged to investigate further.

The Site Build It! surprise excited me as much as opening a birthday package. Here was the answer I’d been longing for – a way to add family income with a WAHM (work-at-home-mom) business.

Throwing my husband a curve ball (with the help of our adorable children), I explained the need to start a work-from-home web business.

Okay, that raised a few questions. I’m certainly no techie. My children usually have to help me program the VCR. My dear hubbie knows this. “The great part is SBI!’s all-in-one set of software tools removes the need for me to have any technical knowledge,” I informed him. Being the supportive guy he is, Dh gave the green light to launch the business. I promised to knock it out of the ball park!

I was a free-lance writer having published over 200 articles on parenting and home school topics. Therefore, using these as themes for my site was a natural fit. That’s what was so appealing about Site Build It! I could use what I know and love to build a site that visitors would find informative.

Would I have visitors?

The proof is in the pudding as they say. No other company that I have seen (and I’ve looked) has been able to produce such dramatic results. I was truly inspired by the real case-studies of every-day-people, just like me, who had used Site Build It! to create very successful businesses.

Have I become an overnight millionaire (or even sensation)?

No. . . But, I am receiving hundreds of visitors a day. And, I have made enough money from my google adsense program to pay my Site Build It! fee each year and still have income left over to reinvest or to use for extras like that microscope, those dance costumes. . .or college tuition.

In 2006, I started a second Site Build It! site. Check it out at www.inside-guide-to-cincinnati.com. I’m also developing books, pamphlets, calendars, and other products as I see the need for them or as customers ask for them. The income potential is only limited by one's imagination (and the need for sleep).

Has building my WAHM business been easy?

No. . .But, I have adopted the SBI! mascot's (the turtle) philosophy: Slow and steady, slow and steady. Ken Evoy, creator of SiteSell and SBI! explains it this way, “The way of the tortoise leads to a "tortoise success factor"... persistence. The process can be summarized...

Try. Make mistake. Fail. Learn.

Try better. Make mistake. Fail. Learn.

Try better still. Make mistake. Fail. Learn.

Repeat until...

Try. Succeed.

THAT is persistence, in a tortoise shell.”

Debbie Fields (founder of Mrs. Field's Cookies) once stated, “The important thing is not being afraid to take a chance. Remember, the greatest failure is to not try. Once you find something you love to do, be the best at doing it.” That’s what Site Build It! has done for me. It has allowed me to turn my passion into a successful business without having to give up my family in the process. Here’s a shout out from the Kelley clan, “Now, that’s a winner!”

SBI!