Why we love Scott Fox's "Internet Riches"

I always loved reading "Cliff Notes" as a young student. Not as a means of beating the system but as a way to quickly learn the pertinent information at hand. Come to think of it, moms deserve cliff notes because we need to absorb things fast and furiously as we go about our day multitasking carpools and kids, work, school, house, parents... need we say more? Today we thought we'd do you the honor of creating a short list, cliff notes if you will, from the book that got us started on the Butterfly journey, Internet Riches: The Simple Money-Making Secrets of Online Millionaires. And, while we are clearly not millionaires ourselves, it was fascinating to read the success stories of other entrepreneurs, while remaining quite optimistic about Butterfly's future. A few reasons why setting up an online business is alluring*:

1. The internet presents little to no investment (depending on how many bells and whistles you want or how adept you are with computers)
2. Think about the global network of people you are now able to access
3. If you are selling hard goods, your sales can take place even when you're in deep R.E.M. mode
4. You have the luxury of being able to work from home

Author Scott Fox succinctly points out ways to make money online:

1. Efficiency- how can you help people do things smarter and faster? Think weddingchannel.com, an online bridal registry service or sittercity.com, a service that matches parents with caregivers.
2. Product- ecommerce, simply the buying and selling of goods, often specialty. Think amazon.com. Consider being a product aggregator for a specified audience like expectant moms, for instance. Or, add affiliate brands to your site where you can earn a percentage off of someone else's product. Check out Commission Junction.
3. Niche- online community with shared interests. Understand your audience, or hobby, even if it's as random as, moms who love cliff notes. Then, market to this niche... not so niche when you have access to a global network.

MyWorkButterfly.com was modeled after Efficiency and Niche. Like weddingchannel.com and sittercity.com, we took a look at the challenges facing return-to-work and working moms and asked ourselves, how can we make life easier for these two target audiences and then culled the resources into one destination. We are a niche community of return-to-work and working moms and we understand our audience because we are our audience. Terry represents the mom who never left the workforce and I represent the mom who returned after 8 years.

Though written exercises, Scott Fox forces the reader to narrow in on the audience, the problem facing the audience, and the solution you are going to provide. It helps you to clearly flush out your concept and then gives you the resources and inspiration to implement and make it a reality. On, January 15, 2009, Terry and I did just that by launching MyWorkButterfly.com. Let us, and Scott Fox, inspire you to do the same. We have been told that Scott has published another brilliant resource called eRiches 2.0: Next Generation Online Marketing Strategies, but admit that we wish there were cliff notes, because we haven't had the time to scour it like we did with his first.

In other news, Jos. A. Bank has confirmed that you are a smart and savvy untapped talent pool. Many of you have taken advantage of the work at home opportunity presented by this leading national retailer. If you have not done so already, consider this opportunity as a way to make extra income as the season of gift giving is looming!

Enjoy the week as you begin to prepare for Turkey Day and please take a second to answer our newest poll.

Bradi and Terry
Co-Founders, MyWorkButterfly.com
Mother, Wives and Workers
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