Back to School Blues

This has been a tiring week. I forget every year how tiring the first week of school can be. My kids are in high school and college now, so you'd think it would be a bit easier. But it's not. There's still the overwhelming barrage of school supplies to be bought and forms to be signed. But most of all, there's the return of the dreaded homework.

My kids are pretty independent when it comes to their homework. But there's always something they need that they don't have, which can only be purchased at this particular store for this particular price. And it must be in this particular color or they'll get an "F." And do I want them to get a bad grade?

Of course not. So off we trot to get the item, whatever it is. And it's at this point that I'm thinking, "Why was I looking forward to school starting back?" And the picture above? Just the way I'm feeling about now.

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Show Me the Money: Financing for Your Startup

I have great ideas for new businesses all the time. So what's stopping me from actually doing something about them? Often, it's simply money. Finding the cash to get a business started is frequently the biggest challenge for women entrepreneurs.

And traditional sources - banks, credit unions - are often unwilling to take a chance on an untried idea. This despite the fact that women-owned businesses employ approximately 27 million people and comprise 48% of all businesses in the United States, according to The National Foundation for Women Business Owners.

The NFWBO also states that 55% of women provide half or more of their household's income. And yet 80% of all women in the workforce earn less than $25,000 a year. It's no wonder, then, that so many women dream of starting their own business and determining their own wages.

But it's more difficult for women to obtain seed money for a new business, partly due to the scoring system currently used by credit bureaus. One site that offers such help is Count Me In for Women's Economic Independence. Count Me In provides loans of $500 to $10,000 to women starting or growing a business.

Your first loan must be $5,000 or less. But each time you repay a loan, you are eligible to borrow again. You can find more information on applying for a Count Me In loan at their website. No more excuses. If you have a great idea for a business, get over there and apply!

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Stay at Home Mom Runs Successful Online Book Business

When I first started this blog, I wrote a series of articles on starting and running an online used book business. I supported myself and my three children with my own online used book business for five years. And so I found the following article on Steve-Olson.com to be interesting, and thought I'd share. Enjoy.

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Cool, Clean, and Hip Silver

My daughters will wear nothing but silver jewelry. Gold, they inform me, is out. Who knew? I'll have to admit that I've grown to love the smooth, clean look of silver jewelry myself. And when I saw Shop4Silver.com's hip, upbeat website, I knew my teens would absolutely go ballistic.

With origins in Encino, California, Shop4Silver.com has one mission: "to bring style to silver and silver to style." And they succeed on both counts by specializing in the latest and most fashionable silver jewelry at affordable prices. Gorgeous chains, lockets, charms, earrings, bracelets, necklaces, pendants, rings, and sets - Shop4Silver.com has it all.

My personal favorites are the Designo Silver Pendants. But my daughters loved the New Age Silver Rings and the Millefiori Murano Glass Earrings. And since Shop4Silver.com's buyers are constantly tracking the latest trends, searching boutiques for the most unique, high-quality jewelry available, then buying it at wholesale prices, they can pass that savings on to their customers.

Featuring jewelry from such brands as Stingray, Millefiori, Millacreli, Ferroni, and Designo, and with a vast variety of styles to choose from, there's something here for everyone. I loved perusing the colorful site and admiring the colorful millefiori and murano art glass. With a great user-friendly interface, it's a great place to window shop on the Web. With free shipping and a generous 30-day return policy, Shop4Silver.com is a four-star favorite.

This is a sponsored post.

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Hot Off the Presses: VIPDesk Undergoing Major Hiring Push

I just received word from a reader that VIPDesk is going through a major recruiting push right now. They offer two different work at home positions, one in virtual contact center solutions and the other in virtual concierge services. You can read the press release about this major recruitment here.

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