Kari Anderson hails from Iowa, USA. As a mother to seven (yes, seven!) children, she understands the importance of finding that balance between being “Mom” and being a “business owner”, www.karipearls.com.
Kari, tell us about your website.What kind of education and work experience did you have before building your website?
I’ve done tons of volunteering (I’m a pastor’s wife…it comes with the territory.) I also attempted some substitute teaching. I’ve traveled to several different countries for missions work. For over 20 years I’ve home schooled our children up until college. I’m home schooling our last two children right now.
I have a BS degree in child development from the U(niversity) of Arkansas, an elementary teaching degree from U(niversity) of Iowa.What was your motivation for starting an online business?
I sort of stumbled onto it. I’d started a pearl business (I also stumbled on that) and was advised by the businessmen from SCORE to make a Website.
How did you come up with your idea for a website?
I had already started a small pearl jewelry business from my home, so that actually came first. It was a toss up about domain name, but just decided to choose a brand (my own name) instead of a generic domain name. I haven’t regretted that decision.
How many hours per week do you work on your site?I’d say 20 hours minimum to 40 hours maximum.
How do you make money from your site?
My two main methods are Google AdSense and selling my own pearls.
What is your average monthly income?
I’ve chosen a broad topic: pearls, and I’m slow, so, my average income is about $500US per month...a good start.
How long was it before you found success? And please define what “success” means to you.
I’m very, very slow (tortoise, you know), and I really had no idea what I was doing. The whole “content concept” took me a while to grasp and I got really hung up on keywords… so, it was about 10 months before I saw any real traffic or income.
Success can mean different things for various situations, but my goal for this site was to make an income. Once the checks from Google started coming, they continued and are gradually increasing in amount.
What convinced you to purchase SBI!?The comparison with other programs.
Also lots of WAHMs I talk to have this concept that they need to be selling something. They totally miss the beauty of the possibility of making an income at home simply by supplying information about their favorite topic. It just seems so foreign and maybe too simple. They look at me and say, “But you’re selling something.” Yes, I am selling something, but most of my income up until now comes from the information I provide, not by selling.
Being a “business-person” is scary for some WAHMs, but sharing their hearts, researching, and becoming an expert on a topic, etc., comes naturally. Because my children can all “tie their own shoes”, I’m ready to become a “businessperson.”
Raising children and running a home is the best training for success anyone can have. People just don’t realize how complex and all-encompassing this time in life is. Nurturing children and managing a home makes one develop in incredible ways as a person and makes us mothers totally capable for just about anything.
That may seem like an exaggeration, but, as you know, it takes tremendous stamina, wisdom, and self-denial to raise children. Those character traits can see anyone onto success.
We mothers not only raise our children, but they “raise” us… to new levels of refinement and strength.WAHMs need to see their value and that’s what most women struggle with… having value. We love our families and home, but feel sort of “stuck there”, and need outlets. Expressing ourselves and our knowledge via the Internet is a great outlet, although it will never take the place of human relationships and contact. In all reality, women who are smart enough to want to stay home are pretty smart.
How did you convince your significant other that an online business was a smart move?After being married for 33 years, a couple knows one another pretty well, and I’d already tripled my initial investment in pearls more than once, so my husband knew, for a fact, that there was potential in my business. When I found SBI!, I was looking for a website program for my business. SBI!, of course, has opened up a whole unknown world for me on the Internet and I’m very grateful to them for that. My husband was totally behind me in this venture. I also paid for SBI! from my own pearl business earnings… that was very important for me. I wanted it to be a real long-term commitment on my part, not just a fling.
Also, when my husband saw my first Google AdSense check which was for over $400, guess what? He started his own SBI! website: www.grassfedrecipes.com which is a winter project for him. He’s also a busy pastor and sheep farmer.
How does he support you in your ventures?For one thing, my husband makes breakfast every morning. That gives me more “quality morning time” to work on my site. I’m fortunate to have a supportive husband. I think he’s seen that God has used my efforts in the past and will continue to do so.
The best way to get your husband’s support is to get your priorities in order, simplify life, and give him enough of your time to make him feel special. After all, if he feels he’s going to be squeezed even more out of his wife’s life, he won’t be interested in her starting a website.
My second son is starting his own SBI! site soon. I’m sure those Google AdSense checks are mostly what inspired him.
We are also getting ready to start another site that will involve all nine of us. We thought an SBI! site would be a great way to share about our family’s global ministry. The kids are now writing pages about their travels and experiences which we’ll put on the site. It’s been a great motivator for them, knowing their writing will be “published”.
If you could go back, what would you do differently with your website(s)?I won’t get so hung up on keywords and would rely more on my common sense and an outline. Also, I wouldn’t be so afraid. The whole thing was very scary to me. I’d discipline myself to writing at least a page everyday first thing and not spend so much time checking things like stats and email. I’d NEVER offer a free item without charging at least a minimal shipping and handling fee…. big lesson learned.
I have two words printed out and taped to the top of my computer: “Consistent” and “Persistent”. I would have been more of both of those from the beginning. Most of all, I’d work harder at keeping my priorities right.
Kari, how do you “do it all”?I have lots of tips. Here are a few that have especially helped me.
1. De-clutter.
2. Simplify clothing.
3. Simplify meals.
4. Simplify lifestyle.
5. Stay out or get out of debt.
6. Tithe.
7. Establish priorities.
8. Wash something, clean something, and bake something every day.
9. Delegate.
10. Encourage yourself.
Even though my kids are older I still try and work when they’re not around or sleeping. It was a big point of frustration for them when I started my website and I was “always” (it seemed to them) on the computer. I think they were right about that. I learn a lot from my children’s insights. My 15-year-old summed it up one day this way. “Mom, don’t get sucked in. Remember, we need a mother!”
What was happening was exactly what I didn’t want. Yes, I was home with my kids, but at the same time often ignoring them. That’s something to keep a handle on. The computer can do that…. “suck you in.”
That’s when I started getting up early and I’m not a morning person. But it’s restored peace to my home and my relationship with my family. Some afternoons I also squeeze some more time in, but only if there is time.
If you found these three case studies interesting and encouraging, don’t miss reading about other WAHMs in the separate Case Studies book. Now it’s time for the “story behind the stories”…