Let me know about your great product!

I plan to create a listing of “hot products” for Valentine’s Day within the week.  If you make or sell a product that you think would be great, please let me know about it.  This listing will be posted on the site and will go out to my mailing list.  The only thing that I ask is that you provide a link back (and that link can be to the post that has the product listing).

Hurry!  There is not much time to get included in this list of hot products!

Back to work!

I unfortunately had to take an unexpected hiatus from the site.  I didn’t even realize that it had been so long since I had posted anything!  I apologize to everyone who may have contacted me if I did not respond.  If you were expecting to see your feature, it should be posted soon.  I am still taking information for future features and also looking for guest bloggers.

Check back soon to see updates and changes.

Get Paid to Search with Scour

So how many times do you search the internet every day?  For many of us who work at home, that number may be pretty high.  Did you know that you can get paid for those searches?  With Scour you can earn up to 3 points per search for up to 100 searches per day.  You get 1 point for the search.  Then you can get 1 point to vote on the sites that come up, and 1 point if you make a comment.  However, you can’t just run down the list voting on all of them to grab up those points.  That’s why it is a maximum of 3 points per search.  It is also set up so that you don’t get additional points for a search that was already performed that day.  On top of your own searches, you can also get 25% of the points made by any friends you refer!

So, you are probably wondering how many of these points you have to get before you actually get any money.  You are not going to get rich using Scour.  If you have 6,500 points, you can cash out for a Visa gift card for $25.  12,500 points will get a Visa gift card in the amount of $50, and 25,000 points equal $100.

I actually signed up for Scour last month, but then didn’t really do a lot with it.  I was always forgetting to use it to do my searches.  However, they have a toolbar that you can easily add to Firefox or Internet Explorer so that you can perform your searches right at the top of the page.  I went back to it the other day and made it a point to do my searches using Scour so that I could see how many points I would get.  With just doing the regular searches that I would have been doing anyway, I received almost 200 points just in the past 2 1/2 days just from my searches.  (And that is only with searches and voting because I don’t make comments.)

Why use Scour other than for the points?  Scour combines search results from the top three search engines: Yahoo, Google and MSN.  Have you ever noticed how you can search for the same phrase in all three of those, and you don’t always come up with the same results?

So my initial review is that Scour is definitely a tool I will continue using.  It never hurts to have a little bit of extra money coming in.  I’ll try to remember to come back and update when I have reached enough points to cash out.

Try it out and see what you think.  Please leave me a comment and let me know.  No, it won’t make you rich, but when was the last time you received a gift card from Yahoo?

Mechelle Designs

The person in the Ms. Biz spotlight this week is Mechelle.  Please stop by and visit her at Mechelle Designs.

Q: Tell me a little about your business(es) - what you sell, service provided, etc.

Mechelle: I create original pieces of artwork in my online shop.  I am currently creating  a series of whimsical birds. Their cute, quirky, mischievous little birds.

Q: How did you decide on the business name?

Mechelle: I simply used my name in my website shop.  I included the word designs because I have prints, pillows, pendants, note cards and magnets.

Q: When and why did you start your business?

Mechelle: I have been an professional artist for a little over 20 years. I generally exhibited my work in outdoor art festivals, but since having three children I wanted to see if I could sell in an online shop.

Q: What was the hardest part for you?

Mechelle: Marketing my work myself.

Q: What motivates you to keep going?

Mechelle: I have had a passion for creating art since I was a child. I keep trying new avenues, or different techniques to make my work better and better.

Q: Do you have any advice for other women wanting to start their own business?

Mechelle: Network with others starting their own business, pass out business cards where ever you go. Get your name or product out to the public.

Q: Anything else that you would like for us to know about you - “the woman behind the business” - hobbies, interests, etc

Mechelle: I enjoy traveling, going to museums and other quaint little shops with unique handmade goods.

Q: Would you like to offer a discount for the readers?

Mechelle: If you buy one print you get the second print half off.

Thank you, Mechelle, for being this week’s Ms. Biz!

Please stop by and check out Mechelle’s cute art at Mechelle Designs.

Everyday Occasions

I would like to introduce you to our next Ms. Biz!  Kimberly Vetrano is the owner of Everyday Occasions and several other sites.

Q: Tell me a little about your business (or businesses).  For example, what you sell, services offered, etc)

Kimberly: I am the owner of Everyday Occasions (http://www.Everyday-Occasions.com). I offer personalized gifts and favors for all occasions including personalized rotating message pens, personalized candy and non-candy wrappers, personalized drink favors (coffee, tea, cocoa, cappuccino and cocktails), personalized buttons, magnets and more!

I am also the owner of She Scribes (http://www.SheScribes.com) where I do product and site reviews as well as contests. I also own Kimberly Vetrano (http://www.KimberlyVetrano.com) and my digital scrapbook site City Scribe Scraps (http://www.CityScribeScraps.com) where I offer free digital scrapbook elements and kits.

Q:  What is your best selling product?

Kimberly:  My personalized rotating message pens are my number one best seller.

Q: How did you come up with the name?

Kimberly:  I wanted to come up with a name that would cover all the special occasions in people’s lives, from baby showers to weddings and from retirement parties to business promotions. The name Everyday Occasions pretty much sums that all up.

Q: When and why did you start the business?

Kimberly:  I started my business in May of 2003. My initial reason for starting my business was to raise a little extra pocket money to afford those “little luxuries” in life you can’t normally afford on one salary such as ordering pizza or taking the kids to the movies. I also wanted a creative outlet for when my children were in school. There is only so much cooking and cleaning you can do.

Q: What was the hardest part for you?

Kimberly:  Initially it was getting customers. These days the hardest part is keeping up with the SEO on my site and coming up with new and exciting products and ideas to keep my customers coming back for more.

Q: What motivates you to keep going?

Kimberly:  My family and the feeling of accomplishment and a “job well done” I get when I complete and order and when the customer takes the time to compliment me on my work. I also love being a part of people’s happy occasions, even in a small way. It thrills me when people send me pictures of the products I created for them at their event (like favors on the table at a wedding) or e-mail me their special stories about the favors I created. My customers make me a part of their special day and that really makes my heart smile.

Q:  Do you have any advice for other women wanting to start their own business or ones who have just begun?

Kimberly:  Be true to yourself and follow your passion. Just because a business promises you the world doesn’t mean it can deliver. You need to find a home business you are passionate about, one that will make you get out of bed in the morning and have you smiling when you go to bed at night. It’s not always about the money. Some businesses lead you to believe you’ll get rich quick but the truth of the matter is NO ONE gets rich quickly. You need to put a lot of time, sweat and energy into making your business a success. Success takes time and it doesn’t happen over night. You truly have to love what you do. Don’t just take on a business because of the money you think you can make. Money does not mean success. Loving what you do AND making money. That is success!

Q: Tell me about you - hobbies, favorite things, etc.

Kimberly:  I am a freelance writer and photographer. I enjoy reading, traveling, learning and meeting new and interesting people.

Q:  Do you have a discount you would like to offer the readers?

Kimberly: Free shipping (except international and rush orders) on personalized rotating message pens.

Thank you, Kimberly, for taking the time to answer our questions!  Please stop by and visit Kimberly at Everyday Occasions, or one of her other sites, today.

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