Becoming a writer: it's a dream held by many. Writing the great American novel and being published is something many individuals, of all walks of life-from President of the United States to bus driver-aspire to in their lifetime. Writing also connotes the carefree image of working at home, while having fame and recognition for said work.

Of course, it's not uncommon to be laughed at, told the writing industry is impossible to break into, and face difficultly getting published, let alone making a living. Such is the life for fiction writers.

But what about non-fiction? Many people are actually able to have success as non-fiction writers! Simply put, there is always a need for non-fiction. Biographies, news articles, copy writing, press releases, how-to manuals, and the majority of magazine articles (both digital and print) as well as a wide variety of book genres, are non-fiction.

As a non-fiction writer, you have the opportunity to write about what you know. If you show German Shepherds, you are well-equipped to write about dogs, showing dogs, dog health and so on. If you are a healthy living fanatic, there is no reason why you can't writer about yoga, eating a raw diet, and why a holistic doctor is the best choice. Everyone is talented and knowledgeable about something-and you can take that information and turn it into a career, profit, and fulfill a life goal.

Of course, it always helps to learn about how to write good non-fiction, and for that, I recommend the free non fiction writing course offered by Fiona Veitch Smith at The Crafty Writer. Some of the topics that are discussed include writing styles, how to write for the internet, freelance travel writing, and developing proposals.  Of course there are other resources out there if you have money to spare. One such helpful book is Successful Non-Fiction Writing by author Nicholas Corder is considered to be an industry standard that has helped many writers with their careers. Fab Job also publishes several guides for writers, including How to Become a Published Writer, How to Become a Technical Writer, and How to Become a Travel Writer. If you want to be a freelance writer, then Writing.Org is a helpful forum to reference.

Please join us the rest of this week as we continue to look at other ways of writing. Since many writers actually do work freelance AND at home, this is a career path that works for individuals of all walks of life!

To Your Success!

-Rebecca

Scentsy is a wickless oil candle company that specializes in promoting and selling their delightfully scented creations (and super cute warmers, below). They are popular not only for the catchy name and yummy smells, but also because their candles don't have harmful ingredients that can cause cancer, infertility and so on, unlike many products on the market with hidden carcinogens. Because the candles are wickless, they are safer than burning candles that have wicks in them. In addition, they were named one of Forbes magazine's top 100 promising companies in America-no small feat for a direct selling company!



Because Scentsy operates through a party plan, it is important to ask yourself if you can, or want to sell this way. If not, however, all Scentsy consultants get their own website, so it is possible to market through the website (both online and off, using a mix of traditional methods as well as social media marketing and networking). With party plans, hosts can earn credits and be able to choose products for free, depending on how much is sold at their party. Of course, people can order directly from the consultant too, if that is easier for them. There is also Scentsy wear for consultants (such as tee shirts) so you can advertise your brand while you are out and about!

Scentsy also offers personal care products, such as shower gel, body lotion, items for the washer and dryer, and much more! I have to say this is a great development that the company has taken, and has even made me think about selling for them (imagine getting scents for your home AND your personal care products all in one place-what a bargain!)

Of course the selling requirements are a big factor too-here are the latest details from the company regarding how much a consultant has to sell to remain active:

"Consultants who do not achieve the requirement of 150 points in PRV during at least one month in a consecutive three-month period will lose their downlines but not their accounts. Their downlines will roll up to their Sponsor in this case.

No accounts will be cancelled until after December 31. Scentsy will process account cancellations only once each year, on January 1, for accounts with zero PRV points during the six-month period from July 1 through December 31. So all you need to have in sales from this time frame is only $1.

This change in policy means those Consultants who love Scentsy but who are not able to achieve 150 points in PRV during at least one month in a consecutive three-month period can continue to sell Scentsy. We believe this change will allow more Consultants to stay with Scentsy and make the most of our flexible, rewarding business ."


It is possible to do Scentsy as much or as little as you want. Some people turn it into a full-on business and others make it a (very) part-time affair, selling only to themselves!

Whatever your choice may be, I wish you much luck!

To your success,

-Rebecca

Let's be honest here...if the market is good and you know you can make a good deal off of a product because there is a demand for it, you'd go after it, right? In direct selling, any product under the sun is up for grabs, but with the release of books like Fifty Shades of Grey and movies like Magic Mike (as well as Channing Tatum) setting women off, the romance market is actually an ideal place to sell in!

Of course, there are several different romance companies, but as a buyer, I can personally attest to Surprise Parties . As a Surprise Lady, you sell your romance products (yes, toys are involved, but also lotions, bubble bath, lingerie, gag items and so forth) either online through your own Surprise Parties website, at parties that either you host or a hostess holds (she will get money/prizes depending on how much you sell at the party), or you do both. No men or children are allowed at the parties and there is no pressure to buy, no intimidation, but rather fun and female company in a safe, friendly atmosphere.

Surprise Parties boasts that their part-time Surprise Ladies make an excess of $20,000 a year and their full-time consultants make an excess of $50,000. Surprise Parties also requires you to have an interview before simply signing on to join the company-which seems like a nice way of giving potential consultants an opportunity to have their questions answered as well as giving guidance and help before you commit to signing on. I know my own Surprise Lady (who is on a break right now) had a Facebook page and would run deals such as BOGO or 15% off your order. Everything was prompt and in good condition, and I always enjoyed getting product from her.

Possible ideas for future Surprise Ladies could include having a Magic Mike viewing (when it comes out on DVD) prior to displaying the goods, and serving appetizers and drinks to create a fun, light mood.



Either way, there's no better time to jump in and join!

To your Success,

-Rebecca

You may have heard of Clicksense and you are most likely wondering what it involves, it is a scam, and can you really make any money off of it?

 Clicksense is indeed legitimate, it is NOT a scam, as evidenced by many individuals who work at home with affiliate marketing, and you can make money off it. But what's even better is, if you have a website you want to promote (this can be whatever-your ZNZ link, a link to your Avon store, or whatever you would like to get more traffic to), you can easily do that with Clicksense!

Here is what you need to do:  

1)Join Clicksense 
Be sure to read the rules, because it is one account per household. Give them a way to pay you, such as through PayPal. After you have joined, you may start by clicking on ads. You will notice that by clicking on each ad, you will earn a certain amount of money. This amount may not seem like a lot, but clicking every day will add up, and as I said earlier, for those in affiliate marketing, you can use that money to buy time for YOUR ads and feature your own site in hopes of getting more traffic/referrals. 


2) Once you have enough money you can do whatever you choose with it. Spend the money on yourself via PayPal, or buy ads to feature your site on (again, ZNZ or something like that).


3) Keep repeating this process to earn more in affiliate marketing.


I suggest you watch this video by Work-at-Home guru, Eddy Salomon. Eddy is an awesome resource and gives a lot of good information on how to do affiliate marketing, or at least step into it and get your feet wet.


To Your Success! -Rebecca

• Working with ZNZ is only available to those in the USA, Canada and the UK.
• Offers with ZNZ change frequently, so check back often. They are offers you can do for free, others you may pay a slight fee for, and others that cost more.
• You may cancel trial offers before your credit card is billed for a future shipment, but check to see the requirements (ie sometimes you will see a requirement that says you must at least try if for four weeks or you get no credit etc). While you can cancel with no issues as I have done in the past, I suggest you keep a record of your purchases and print out your receipts. mark on your calendar when an item has to go back. This is only if you are going the route of a trial purchase that will auto-ship. There are many offers that are not like that, so you can easily avoid this if you choose.

• Guides can earn a set amount per task completed. Expeditors earn $0.02 cents per completed task and Transcribers $0.03 per completed task. Generalists & Specialists earn between $0.10 and $0.20 per completed task, based on the Category of the question.
• Guides can also earn points for each search or task they complete. Expeditors and Transcribers earn 2 Points per completed task, and Generalists & Specialists earn 8 Points. Points are given a MINIMUM cash value at the beginning of each month. That value increases as the total number of sessions of all GuideShare guides increases. So, the more sessions you and the rest of the Guide population complete under Points mode, the more everyone’s Points are worth!
• ChaCha Guides must be 18+ years old, fluent in English, and have a U.S. mailing address. Guides must be authorized to work in the U.S. and must have a high-speed Internet connection in order to connect to ChaCha systems. Successful Guides love researching online and have excellent writing skills.

-Rebecca

• Appointment setting
• Creative work (newsletters, Powerpoint presentations etc)
• Customer Service
• Desktop Publishing
• Executive assistant 
• Graphic Design
• Real Estate Listings
• Website Design
• Work one-on-one with a freelance artist/author  

And these are only some of the many choices and opportunities available to those looking into this profession! 

-Rebecca