My husband has been in Salt Lake City, Utah since Tuesday. I’ve been trying to maintain some semblance of order in the house (and failing pretty badly), keep the boys on track with homework, keep up with laundry and dishes and shopping, keep Kaitlyn from driving me insane with her Terrible Twos Tidal Wave of Whining and Crying…
It’s been tough.
Chris will be home tomorrow, and meanwhile, I feel the urge to completely clean the whole house so I can say “see? I had no problem keeping up with everything while you were gone!” Which would be a total lie. He’s the picker-upper, I’m the piler. It doesn’t change.
I do have good news though, I’ve started my own online store! I was contacted by an ecommerce site called Zlio about starting a cooking-related store to go along with MomCooks. The very nice people at Zlio are still working with me on the fine details, but I can show you this widget:
(yes, I know the bottom link is in French, it’s a French company, and I’m waiting to hear from the Tech team)
Cool, huh? What’s great about Zlio is that one, anyone can open a shop in a very short time. You choose a URL, a name for your shop, and a template, and then you populate your store with products from merchants like Bed, Bath and Beyond, Barnes and Noble, even eBay. The actual purchasing and shipping is handled by the merchant, and then you make a commission. Whatever it is you are interested in-anime, skateboards, toys-you can create a shop.
Best part? Well, I’m going to be honest. This is commission sales. So if you use my referral code to open your own Zlio shop, I earn a commission on your sales, AND on the sales of people you refer who open a shop, and so on and so on. Yes, it’s a little multi-level markety, BUT, there’s no pressure to meet a certain quota. If you open a shop using my referral code, I’ll be happy to write up a post about your shop and help send you some traffic. Then you can do the same for anyone who uses your referral code, and so forth. We can all help each other become eCommerce store owners! SWEET!
So that’s what’s going on with me. Oh, and there’s a Blog Blast going on over at The Parent Bloggers Network, too. Here’s how to participate:
Tell us how you’re saving, sharing, and simplifying.
Just write a post on your blog anytime on Friday, March 14 (by Midnight PST) and include links to: http://www.zwaggle.com/request-invitation.php?code=ZPBN and http://blog.parentbloggers.com.
Everyone (including you!) who signs up for Zwaggle with this invitation link (http://www.zwaggle.com/request-invitation.php?code=ZPBN) will get extra Zwaggle points – or zoints – to use toward their first Zwaggle transaction.
Make sure to send your blog post link to parentbloggers@gmail.com and we’ll round them up on our blog.
What can you win?
We’ve got two $50 gift cards to giggle and two $50 gift cards to Patagonia, so we’ll choose four winners at random.
All right! Me and my fried brain are going to go see what’s in the fridge for lunch, so everyone have a great day!
Very innovative, having your own shop online!
Jean-Luc Picard’s last blog post..Ensign Britney Undercover (Part Six)
I hope this really takes off for you!
wordgirl’s last blog post..It had to happen sooner or later…
I mean…ignore the link above. Find me here.
a. beaverhausen’s last blog post..Despite its politics…Boy Scouts has been “berry, berry good to us”
Congrats on your ecommerce store. We have one too – I’ve linked above (although not a Zlio). I was laughing at your description of your home when your hubby is away. When mine went away my daughter and I were like – where is all this dirty laundry coming from? You mean the laundry doesn’t do itself?
Twitter: Table4Five
says:
Graham-You could start one and sell Star Trek stuff! Think of how many of your readers must be Trekkies, right?
Twitter: Table4Five
says:
A.-Thank you! And sorry that you had to comment twice, it’s that automatic comment field
Twitter: Table4Five
says:
Bahama Mama-Wow, your store looks so professional! My 2 year old daughter pointed to the 18 inch Kingstate Friendship Doll and said “I like DAT one”!
And I always get a rude awakening when my husband goes out of town, because I realize just how much housework he does!
I know all about those grandiose house-cleaning plans. I always intend to impress someone with my cleanliness, only to laze out and give up. Sometimes I wish I were one of those people who’s incredibly driven to be clean and organized.
Liz’s last blog post..Look Behind You! It’s the PS3!
Congrats on your new business venture. Best of Luck.
blog hop hop hoppin…
CableGirl’s last blog post..FlashBack Friday – a girl’s best friend
Oh that sounds like so much fun! Would you mind doing me a favor? Can you email me the link with your code so that I can sign up this weekend? It’s about 4:30 am and I’m too exhausted to do it now and I know I’ll forget. Thanks!
BlondeBlogger’s last blog post..“The Spitzer Girl”
Twitter: Charla healthyhomeblog
says:
That’s so neat about the online store!
Charla’s last blog post..Butter Flavoring in Microwave Popcorn Tied to Lung Disease
Twitter: valmg
says:
Yep, they emailed me about Fun, Crafts and Recipes too.
Where did your categories go?
valmg’s last blog post..The winner of my Ultimate Blog Party door prize is
Twitter: Table4Five
says:
Val-Thanks so much for noticing that I forgot the categories widget when I re-did my sidebars, since I apparently didn’t notice
I think you have discovered the key to a successful shop in Zlio, having a strong niche. Having a very narrow range of products that a discrete group of people will be interested in will get you more success than just being a johnny everything. I’ve also had some success promoting my store in the ‘real’ world. That only works if your products have local appeal (like my Philadelphia Eagles merchandise) but its another avenue to consider.