Moms Making Money

episode 9: Real Moms Making Real Money–Amy Lynn Andrews

August 25, 2011 by Stephanie O'Dea 15 Comments

Real Moms Making Real Money (at home, in their pajamas) And How You Can, Too!

Amy Lynn Andrews: blogger, author, speaker

this is not a webTV episode, but an audio file. I’m sorry.

Sometimes things just don’t go according to plan. Amy and I had a lovely video call, but the video part just didn’t take. We played around with different settings, and started and stopped a few times but in the end, the video ended up being a completely blank and black screen.

so, you’re getting an audio file!

Amy is a stay-at-home mom to four children, and runs BloggingWithAmy.com and AmyLynnAndrews.com where she shares step-by-step tutorials on how to make money blogging. From home. In your pajamas.

Amy has also written an EBook, Tell Your Time, which shares her time management tips and tricks. I’ve read an awful lot of books

time management (one of my favorite things is to go to a new-to-me library and scour the shelves for business/self-help/time management books I haven’t read. dorky, I know..) but still got an AWFUL lot out of Amy’s book. It’s only $3.99 (a steal!), and she has packed a ton of information within her 30-page text.

One of Amy’s posts, “How Much Money do Real Bloggers Make?” went viral on twitter and helped publicize her ebook and free tutorials.

In our conversation, Amy and I talk about time management and how it relates to money management, and we learn that we shower the same way (efficiently!) and I relate blogging to extreme couponing (unsuccessfully!)

Without further ado— here’s Amy!

If you have any questions for Amy (or for me) please leave a comment below and we will try our hardest to answer the best we can.

have a fantastic day!

P.S. when I started this series, I had every intention of updating it weekly. This just isn’t practical. It’s now 5:04 pm and I began fooling around with the video/audio files at noon. and I’m STILL not done! As Amy says, my life needs to be well-balanced— while I know I could do “this or that” to better business, my family and well-being need to come first.

AND! it’s now 7:50pm and I can NOT figure out the only-audio thing, so you’ve got a teensy tiny talking head. of me.

LOL! 🙂

episode 8: Real Moms Making Real Money– Tricia Callahan

August 10, 2011 by Stephanie O'Dea 2 Comments

Real Moms Making Real Money (at home, in their pajamas) And How You Can, Too!

Tricia Callahan, The Once a Month Mom

I met Tricia online in 2008, and knew right away that her site would be a fantastic resource for busy families. Tricia’s website is all about Once a Month cooking, or Freezer Meals. If you aren’t familiar with that term, it means shopping for all of your family dinners (usually dinner, although Tricia has LOTS of info/menus for lunch and breakfast) on one day and then cooking it.

All In One Day.

so then you have the rest of the month to chill!

I love it.

In this video, Tricia shares how she began her website, and how she decided to write about Once a Month Cooking. Tricia is one of the most down-to-earth people I’ve met in this crazy online world, and I appreciate that she still refers to herself as a stay-at-home mom, even though she works pretty much full-time, and now has contract workers that help her on the site.

Tricia and I talk monetization through ads, ebooks, and affiliate accounts.

I learned a lot, and know you will too.

Please visit Tricia at Once A Month Mom, and follow her on twitter @onceamonthmom

Tricia has very well done ebooks that you should buy— they are well done, informative, and reasonably priced.

Survive Before 5 (Toddler Meals for Your Busy Days)

Holiday Planning

episode 7: Amy Turn Sharp– professional writer and entrepreneur

July 13, 2011 by Stephanie O'Dea 3 Comments

Real Moms Making Real Money (at home, in their pajamas) And How You Can, too!

I had the wonderful experience of meeting Amy last month during the Coca Cola Live Positively blogging event.

Amy is joyful and fun-loving. I was drawn to her humor and open heart right away, and was thrilled to learn that she was the co-owner of Little Alouette, the natural baby toy company that I have seen advertised pretty much all over the internet for years.

In this new episode, Amy shares how she quit her full-time job to become a professional freelance writer and novelist. She helps her
husband with the toy business by managing the company’s social media and fulfills orders as they come in. They are a cottage

industry, and I’d highly recommend their toys the next time you are searching for the perfect baby gift.

Amy discusses how she juggles her writing, the family business, and baby-wrangling— all with humor and grace.

enjoy the interview!

You can find Amy online:

doobleh-vay

Amy Turn Sharp blog

Little Alouette blog

episode 6: Laura Wittman, I’m an Organizing Junkie

June 10, 2011 by Stephanie O'Dea 9 Comments

Real Moms Making Real Money (at home, in their pajamas) And How You Can, too!

Good morning! I’m thrilled to share with you today an interview with Laura, from I’m an Organizing Junkie. Laura has been blogging for over 5 years (a blogging dinosaur!) and shares how she manages her time, the art of saying no, how she handles guilt, and how her new book: Clutter Rehab came alive. Laura makes income through her site, through her relationship with Open Sky, through her booksales, and with her home organization skills.

Laura is an absolute joy, and I just loved doing this interview. I’ve followed Laura’s site for years, and her Menu Planning Monday roundups are an Internet sensation.

Like all of my interviews, this one has a few quirks. :-0 There’s some weed-whacking happening in the background, a few giggly kids, and Laura and I go off topic here and there…

which means? it’s perfect.

Thank you, Laura, for being you— in your writing, in your real life, and with us.

enjoy!

episode 5: Michelle Stern, What’s Cooking with Kids

April 12, 2011 by Stephanie O'Dea

Real Moms Making Real Money (at home, in their pajamas) And How You Can, Too!

Hello, and welcome back! While on a brief (a bit longer than expected…) hiatus, I was thrilled to spend some time with my friend Michelle Stern, the new cookbook author of The Whole Family Cookbook and blogger extraordinaire behind the What’s Cooking with Kids website. Michelle is ALSO the owner of a certified green business that teaches cooking classes to kids (and parents!).

and she does it all from home! in her pajamas!

🙂

In this interview, Michelle shared how she went from selling Pampered Chef products as a new mom to becoming an entrepreneur. She is a fantastic person, mother, and friend.

Not only that, she’s generous! I’ve got a brand-spanking new copy of her cookbook that I will send your way. This cookbook is in full color, has over 75 recipes and is beautifully laid-out. Michelle has color-coded all the recipes and provides instructions on how to help your children cook alongside with you. This is most definitely a hands-on teaching cookbook, and my three girls couldn’t be happier.

To enter the contest, please leave a comment below and I’ll pick a winner randomly on Tuesday, April 19th.

Grab yourself a cup of coffee, and enjoy the interview! If you have questions for Michelle, please leave them below and I’ll make sure she gets them.

Enjoy! oxxo steph

Update: this contest has now ended. Congratulations to Lynn: This sounds like a wonderful cookbook. I’d love to have this for when my two granddaughters come to visit.
Thanks for holding a drawing!
Lynn

I’ll get your cookbook in the mail tomorrow morning. –steph

episode 4: an Interview with Leah Ingram of Toss, Keep, Sell & Suddenly Frugal

March 7, 2011 by Stephanie O'Dea 49 Comments

Real Moms Making Real Money (at home, in their pajamas) And How You Can, Too!

Leah Ingram is one of my role models. Leah has an impressive THIRTEEN books under her belt, and is a lifestyle, etiquette, frugal-living, and publishing expert.

In this interview, Leah shares how she went from planning her own wedding to writing books about wedding-planning, gift-giving, proper etiquette, and her new(ish) endeavor: frugal living.

Leah’s newest book: Toss, Keep, Sell is a must for anyone looking to make a little extra money (at home, in your pajamas!) by selling the needless clutter lurking in your closet, garage, or attic. Do you have china you don’t ever use? Sell it! Leah did, and brought in an extra $240 to her family’s budget.

Leah is chock-full of fantastic advice, and my brain is still buzzing from all the great ideas she shared. Thank you so much for joining us, Leah!

as an added bonus, Leah graciously agreed to give away her newest book: Toss, Keep, Sell to one of our viewers. Please leave your comment below to be entered into the contest. A winner will be selected March 17 (St. Patrick’s Day! at 5pm, pacific). Good luck!!

this contest is now closed. Thank you to all who entered!

Episode 3: Mir Kamin of WouldaShoulda.com & WantNot.net

February 3, 2011 by Stephanie O'Dea 9 Comments

Real Moms Making Real Money (at home, in their pajamas) And How You Can, Too!

I am ecstatic to be able to share this video with you. Thank you so much to Mir Kamin, of WouldaShoulda and WantNot for sharing her morning coffee with me. I got up at 4am to skype with Mir—and even though I’m dead tired (it’s 10:34 am) it was so well worth it.

Mir is a role model for all bloggers. She works full-time as a freelance writer and is one of the most professional people I’ve ever met. She’s got a great head for business, and a nose that will sniff out a scam or sensational storyline a mile away. She knows what works for her, and isn’t going to jeapordize her name, integrity, or her family for an easy buck.

In this video, Mir shares how she began her full-time freelance blogging career, what to look for when choosing/accepting clients, and advice on picking a blogging conference.

oh! and we made up a new word: weblebrity

We also go a bit off-course (it was my fault) and discuss poop. I’m sorry.

Grab yourself a cup of coffee, put on your fuzzy slippers, and welcome Mir! We’re so happy to have you.

[ps: if you initially get an error, try again. the video is definitely there and has not been deleted.]

sites referred to in this video:

Cornered Office: Picking a Blog Conference

BlogHer.com: Mir’s a contributing editor

the poop site (be aware, it’s graphic!)

Episode 2: Erin Chase, the $5 Dinner Mom

January 19, 2011 by Stephanie O'Dea 3 Comments

Real Moms Making Real Money (at home, in their pajamas) And How You Can, Too!

I am so happy that I snagged Erin Chase yesterday for this interview. It was spur-of-the-moment, completely unplanned, and because of that I was unprepared.

but Erin is gracious, and since I already had her on the phone and she happened to have full-on TV makeup (she was on the morning news promoting her new book! GO ERIN GO!) she agreed.

oh and guess what? she had a sleeping baby on her lap through the whole interview.

Erin is a mom first, and (a wildly successful) business woman second. I think that’s one of the reasons I love her so much!

In this episode, Erin and I chat about how she started blogging, and how her love of helping others launched her cookbooks and the SavvyBlogging summit, website, and twitter stream.

Erin is a busy lady!

We also dish a bit about the Kardashians, blogging etiquette, and Erin provides pointers for brand-new bloggers.

After I “hung up” with Erin, UPS knocked on the door with her new cookbook, fresh off the press. It’s fabulous, and SO PACKED with fantastic money-saving information. The introduction is terribly helpful to anyone looking to downsize their grocery bills. She’s even got a bunch of recipes for making homemade “instant” oatmeal packets, which I’m totally going to do with certified gluten free oats.

Score!

We only tipped the iceberg of all that Erin has to offer, and I look forward to having her back on a day when I’m

1) wearing makeup

2) a bit more prepared!

Thank you so much Erin, for spending a bit of time with us. Congratulations on all of your success!

[ps: if you initially get an error, try again. the video is definitely there and has not been deleted.]

Episode 1: Kim Demmon, Today’s Creative Blog

January 14, 2011 by Stephanie O'Dea 10 Comments

Real Moms Making Real Money (at home, in their pajamas) And How You Can, Too!

I am so happy to have:

1) finally figured out this video software and uploading stuff

2) be able to finally give back (just a bit) to one of my blogging idols of all time, Kim Demmon of Today’s Creative Blog.

Thank you Kim, from the bottom of my heart for being so wonderful to me in the very early days of my crockpot challenge in 2008. I really don’t know if I would have stuck with it if I didn’t get the gift of readers from you and your site.

In this video, Kim and I chat about how she got started blogging, how she and her friends began their own media/ad company, what she thinks about conferences, and how she uses blogging to get out of mopping the kitchen floor.

All valuable info!

Since this is a first attempt, there are some things I’m not uber-happy with, but I figure we’ll just learn what works as we go along.

sites mentioned in the video:

No Appropriate Behavior

Skip to my Lou

The Secret is in The Sauce

Tip Junkie

(edited to add: if you initially get an error, try again. The video hasn’t been deleted, and I’m not sure why that message pops up once in a while. weird snafu.)

Coming up next: Gluten Free TV, Episode 1: Shirley Braden of Gluten Free Easily (it may be a few weeks. This is harder than it looks!)

Moms Making Money

Real Moms Making Real Money (at home, in their pajamas) And How You Can, Too!

Real Moms Making Real Money (at home, in their pajamas) And How You Can, Too!

Real Moms Making Real Money (at home, in their pajamas) And How You Can, too!

Real Moms Making Real Money (at home, in their pajamas) And How You Can, too!

Real Moms Making Real Money (at home, in their pajamas) And How You Can, Too!

Real Moms Making Real Money (at home, in their pajamas) And How You Can, Too!

this contest is now closed. Thank you to all who entered!

Real Moms Making Real Money (at home, in their pajamas) And How You Can, Too!

Real Moms Making Real Money (at home, in their pajamas) And How You Can, Too!

Real Moms Making Real Money (at home, in their pajamas) And How You Can, Too!

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