feeding the hungry

A Report On How Aquaponics System Helped Feeding The Hungry Program?  

 "The day that hunger is eradicated from the earth there will be the greatest spiritual explosion the world has ever known. Humanity cannot imagine the joy that will burst into the world." - Federico Garcia Lorca, Spanish poet

How An Aquaponics System Fixed the Food Scarcity Problem of an Indian Village?

The panic and suffering of human hunger is the driving force behind my joining an NGO who was

working on "feeding the hungry & the homeless" in Maharastra, a western state of India. We created an ecosystem approach to grow food, called aquaponics using the same blueprint as taught by Texas aquaponics group at Austin.

This system helps us not only solve the food shortage crisis in that area, due to economic & climate change, but also helped to improve the economic conditions of those farmers. This survival is essential during any emergency.

Aquaponics really involves two very sustainable technologies in their own right: aquaculture, or the ability to grow fish and aquatic organisms in water, as well as hydroponics, the growing of plants without soil.

Are you interested to know how you can start aquaponics in your backyard?

Click here to get backyard aquaponics gardening tips using step by step DIY aquaponics guide. You can have your own vegetables like lettuce, herbs, spinach, watercress, tomatoes, cucumbers.

The idea is to take the waste from the fishes and mix it with the water. The water becomes a nutrient-rich feed for the plants.  The plants will take up those nutrients, filtering the water for the fish before it returns clean and sustaining a closed loop system.   Ultimately, it is about recycling wastes into resources.  It is about creating ecosystems in areas where they otherwise would not exist. It is about combining complimentary technologies together to try to close the loop on food production while promoting biodiversity. Ultimately, it is about producing food.

We try to use use rain water to avoid dangerous bacteria  such as E. coli and salmonella. 

Within an aquaponic system, it is possible to grow 30-50 kilos of vegetables for 1 kilo of fish waste produced. 

Next, we integrated vermiculture (or wormeries).  We take the waste from fish and grow plants with them, but once we have grown those plants, we take the waste of those plants and put them into wormeries. Whether it is the root system or outer leaves. From that, we can produce vermicomposte to provide soil enrichment for soil grown crops and worm tea, which provides a biopesticide to spray onto the plants. This also includes a foliar fertilizer as well.

Next, we started using black soldier flies.  These incredible little creatures outcompete the disease carrying blue and green bottle maggots. We then take cooked and uncooked fish waste, the guts, the head, and all the processing wastes, and we put them in enclosures where the soldier flies eat. Here they turn that waste product into a usable form of protein. 

De-composing with black soldier larvae is a fascinating & rewarding method as a part of green technology.

Next, we take the soldier flies that have fed from those fish, and use them to produce food to feed to chickens, and then we use the chicken waste to produce more soldier flies to feed back to the fish.  The result is more output and further lowering of our input.  Along with the chickens, we get eggs.  We have also integrated giant freshwater prawns, which clean algae from the water.

Are you interested to know how to create a chicken coop at your back yard?

Click here to download the guide which we followed to build attractive & affordable  chicken coop by Bill

We have integrated this closed loop system with photovoltaic systems & biomass heating to reduce energy costs. We followed the solar stirling plant guide to create electricity from sun.This is very critical for the success of the program because cost of electricity is high and there is an issue of electricity in remote villages of India. We have reduced our cost by 40%.

A video by one of our colleague on Solar Powered Aquaponic System Grows Fish and Vegetables in his earlier assignment

We prefer to grow tilapia as aquaponics fish because they are omnivorous, meaning we can feed them a wide variety of different foods. Tilpapia has high  tolerance for a wide range of pH, temperature, and oxygen levels Here is a grate information on  how to raise tilapia to maintain continuous fish supplies.

Here is  a video on growing tilapia at home .

It also helps us move away from many of the problems with aquaculture that rely on capture fisheries, to produce fish meal into pellets which actually produce less fish than the fish they are taking to produce the food.

We are growing a wide variety of herbs and salad crops under energy efficient lighting. We are yielding around 40 plants in a square foot. Our experiment shows that this breakthrough technology has the potential to solve the world’s food shortage crisis.

So just to summarize, in terms of closing the loop and meeting our global challenges, what do we really need to do? It is estimated that we will need to produce 50% more food by 2030.

What do you think is the best way to do this?

The simple answer is that we will need to produce more with less.  We know our resources are finite and we know our population is growing, so we need to produce more with less. In order to feed our growing population, I think we need to start producing food everywhere. We need to excite, inspire, and to engage the next generation to give them the skills possible to meet our global challenges.

Five Ph.D. students joined our group and they are helping us to examine the use of these blue prints in Georgia (US), Uganda & the Phillipines. In my next post, we will show you photos and videos of our aquaponics system in Uganda which is our prototype solution to provide food for starving african children.

We believe this is a life changing experiment becaue you will discover a way to grow food up to ten times faster, use 70% less energy, and absolutely revolutionize urban life.

We have calculated with 10% cost of the food bill cost, we can have a proven system to get rid of food crisis in rural area and can control prices of vegetables.

Click here to download our report on how to use Aquaponics PROFITABL to solve FOOD CRISIS problems in rural areas.

Here are some informative articles on various aspects of aquaponics system

• Break-Through Organic Gardening Secret : Aquaponics System

Get your hands over an amazing Aquaponic System that covers each and everything about starting and maintaining an easy aquaponics system, from what aquaponics is all about, to setting up the fish tanks and grow beds, to selecting the proper organic fruit and vegetables, to breeding your fish, and much more.

• 7 Steps To Building An Aquaponic Gardening At Home

In this article, we will talk about the actual steps to building aquaponic gardening and some sources to find the parts you need.

• Aquaponics kit

Aquaponics can be used under porches, greenhouses or anywhere to a person's liking. There are also support kits and chemicals to help clean fish tanks and garden beds. For those that are not familiar with this process, there is a step by step instruction in explaining how this process works and the benefits it can add to any household.

• Home Aquaponics made easy 

A home aquaponics system is great if you're interested in growing more plants in less space. It is becoming more and more popular with organic gardeners. It's gradually becoming a popular hobby. All aquaponics systems and aquaponics farming actually makes use of growing fish alongside a crop of plants (fruit and vegetables mainly) this is done in a totally natural way.

• Indoor Aquaponics

You can use aquaponics to create your own indoor garden.in your basement or spare bedroom.  You will get  flowers, fresh vegetables round the year without using  chemical fertilizers.

• Tips on aquaponics designs and landscaping

Here we have discussed three kinds of aquaponics design for gardening & landscaping.

• What is Aquaponics?

Aquaponics is a combination of aquaculture, and hydroponics…in other words, growing plants in a container that runs off into a fish tank (where there are fish). The water that is used to hydrate the plants comes from the fish tank, and it is purified before being used for the plants. The fish byproducts work as a form of fertilization and help to nourish the plants.

• A great resource on ‘Plant Nutrient Functions and Deficiency and Toxicity Symptoms’ by MaCauley. Jones and Jacobsen

Leave your comments on use of aquaponics, in our feeding the hungry program in developing sustainable organic farming techniques in urban & rural areas.
 

happy-retirement

"You're used to multitasking. Whatever you did, you were making money at the same time. Now you will be able to focus on one important thing, keeping your money."

Retirement Planning for happy retirement

No one wants to depend on a social security check when they retire - and yet so many are left with that income as the only option. No matter how old you are or how much you've saved, you need to start retirement planning now to ensure comfortable retirement years.

source:buzzle

To get your retirement dreams on track, think about what you want retirement to look like. 

Do you picture yourself on a beach in the Bahamas - on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean - or traveling around the USA in an RV? You may have ten years until retirement - or five years - whatever the scenario, you can make your money work for you to reach the desired goals.

Suze Orman shares how to plan for retirement today

6 must consider tips for planning retiring early

1. Calculate how much money you'll need when you retire. This part of retirement planning depends solely on how you want to live during the golden years.

2. If you have a 401K plan with your employer, figure that in to your retirement planning portfolio. Contributions made to 401K plans are pre-tax and that's the big advantage. Invest the maximum dollar amount you can to get the best "match" from your employer. There are some drawbacks though, so be sure you know the terms of your plan.

3. Some people plan their retirement by investing in a traditional IRA. With this method, you have complete control over retirement planning - but there may be limits on the contributions you can make.

4. In this economy, many people use their retirement plans as a bank account to draw money whenever they need it - or cash it out when they lose a job or need money for something.  If at all possible, leave your retirement account alone to let it grow.

5. Diversify, diversify, diversify. Every retirement plan should be spread out so that all your investments aren't in one basket. If we learned anything from the recent setbacks in the economy, it's to never put all your money in one place.

6. If you worked for a business that closed its doors (or went bankrupt), your pension may still be secure. Do your research to find out if you have a pension you can rely on during retirement.

The recent downturn in the economy made many people afraid to invest - leaving their current monies nearly dormant in CDs or savings accounts and making very little interest.

 If you're not sure where to put your money so that it can grow for you, consult a retirement planning expert and then make decisions on what you learn - and what's best for you.

Here is a study on happy retirement : Early retirees may live longer

Retirement Wishes & Quotes: Is a close friend or co-worker retiring from the office? Whatever role you play in this person's life, these retirement wishes will be befitting to include in a greeting card.
Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/retirement-wishes.html

5k Running for a cause

We decided to take on the challenge of training for and running the Sheffield half marathon to raise money for Breast Cancer Care!  Our friend’s mother has recently been diagnosed with breast cancer, so we couldn't think of a more fitting charity to get me motivated to run 13 miles.

We were hooked into the idea of sports for fundraising purposes and was happy to take a decision "running for a cause"

But the problem was that none of us was sure if we could complete a half marathon. But Wendy and I were determined to make a head start. And so we set about training to run a half marathon successfully.

We went to a local trainer and told him our plans to learn how to run the half marathon successfully in a decent time. He suggested we train for 5K and 10K respectively. We had never heard of these terms.

Wendy had always taunted me as a couch potato, as I was fond of watching the NFL games supporting my favorite team, always sitting with my large dose of chips and popcorns. But our coach said that he had worked with many couch potatoes earlier.

This boosted my confidence and Wendy and I set out, as per our coach’s recommendations to train for our first 5K.

It was of course a big challenge for both Wendy and me to take our first step. As they say, it is the first step that is the hardest while the rest is easy and takes care of itself. It terrified me to know that 5K is about 3.1 miles, as I had never run such a long distance before in my life.

We consulted  a local nutritionist for our diet. He gave a chart which is called  carb-backloading diet. This diet helped us to lose extra fat quickly.

Video on Efficient and Injury Free Natural Running Technique

But our coach, Mr. Gary told me that the schedule to train for 5K would be a mix of running, resting and walking. This way, the body is able to recoup after running and regain the strength quickly. There are also reduced chances of stress and injury. He told us to take it lightly to allow our bodies to adjust to the demands of 5K running.

The biggest challenge we faced was to fix the way in which we ran.

3 steps we took to improve your running pose

(1)  We started standing with one leg everyday for 5 minutes to remove any muscular imbalance. because running after all is just a series of one-legged posture stances

(2) We followed Christopher Drozd's book to have correct running form.

(3) We purchased special zero drop shoes for this purpose.

To increase the endurance capacity of our muscles, we trained twice a day on alternate days. We also followed a proper nutritious diet during our marathon training and during the marathon.

The podcast of Mat on "fueling your body beyond the wall"  helped us to learn more on how to select nutrition, mastering eating and drinking while running, how to decide which one is the best for us amongst energy bars, sports drinks, gels etc.

I followed   4 Steps to Perfect Marathon Fueling where Kim Mueller explained how to determine the total calories required during running like determining running calorie expenditure per mile, calculate hourly expenditure based on goal race pace etc.

The schedule Gary gave us contained time periods, where we were supposed to walk rather than run. For example, Wendy and I ran for 15 seconds in the first week and then walked for 45 seconds.

We had to repeat this cycle for 30 minutes.  We got Friday as a rest day and neither did we run nor did we walk on this day. Surprisingly, he gave us a choice of either full rest again Sunday or walk a particular distance.

I remember my runs at the beginning.

“I feel like I’ve been going for a while, then I look at my watch and it’s been a minute and 20 seconds only … I was really out of shape.”

We persevered, we urged each other on, and we also got smartphones with a motivational zombie running app (“Your helicopter crashed. The zombies are coming for you — you have to run!”).

Finally we have completed 5K running within 40 minutes and that took us 3 months.

We successfully ran 10 K after another 4 months. We both completed below 83 minutes 

 Once we successfully completed 10K, we followed a schedule called "100 day Marathon plan"  by Dr. Marius Bakken 2 Time Olympic Runner and M.D.

Finally, we participated & completed Sheffield half marathon & collected around 300 USD against target of 500 USD. Thanks for our supporters for online fund collection, where we got donations from across the globe.

We were delighted as we were successful in our fund raising effort, completed 1st  half marathon and moreover regained our health.

My special thanks goes to Lemmy whose regular deep tissue massage was very helpful for us to keep fit. And another great article is “The 26.2 Step Guide to Your First Marathon” without reading this article; I wouldn’t have considered the importance of a toilet break during marathon running.

Those who are interested to be a long distance runner, read my articles on "10 Tips on How to Run A 5K"  and important running attire & gears.

We continued our newly formed habit of running, swimming & aerobic training. Next, I'll share you our trip to mount Kilimanjaro.

Related latest articles on various tips on long distance running 

• What I learned from my first marathon
• Running Earbuds and Headphones
• Common running injuries
• Why Camelbak Magic Hydration Pack?
• 10 Tips on How to Run A 5K
• Barefoot Running
• Running Attire and the Gear
• 5k Running for a cause
• Vibram Five Finger Vibram Review
  Ask a question 

online business ideas

I always want to work from home. I like getting up in the morning, walking my dog, having a hearty breakfast and then commuting 10 feet to my office to turn on my computer and start my work day. Now that’s my idea of an ideal job!

Over the years I got chance to watch closely famous women bloggers like Jenny Lawson, Gina Trapani,Ariel Meadow Stallings from offbeat bride,Danielle Laporte.If you are interested in starting a creative, internet based business that gets you excited to get out of bed in the morning, read on.

Author Amy does full time online business business from her south Carolina home.

Are Consumers Searching for Experts or Leaders?

“Who would listen to me?”

That’s one of the most common questions I hear from people who contact me for help. They desperately

want to be involved in a niche, but they can’t confidently claim to be an expert.

They might like cooking, for example – but they’re not on Iron Chef, they don’t have their own magazine, and Rachel Ray hasn’t invited them to be on her daytime talk show – so obviously that means they have nothing of value to offer, right?

You can see how ridiculous it sounds when we’re talking about someone else, can’t you? I’m sure you’ve gotten a few great recipes from random blogs or friends online.

But for some reason, we’ve created these minimum requirements for ourselves when it comes to niche involvement.

Don’t settle for being one of many.

The last thing I want you to do is tell yourself that you’ll create a blog and share some insight and whoever happens to stumble on it, you’ll be happy with that.

No. I want you striving to achieve dominance in whatever niche you go into – even if that means you have to brand yourself as someone to rival Martha Stewart herself!

I was watching an old episode of Mad Men the other day and Don Draper, the advertising exec everyone knows and envies, is asked about a competitor who has started telling everyone he’s Don’s top rival.

It really irks Don and he says, “He hasn’t done half of what I have, but the minute he declared himself the competition, suddenly we were equal.”
This should be your goal.

Don’t fool yourself into thinking experience counts less than a degree.

Let’s see – who else never got that coveted degree from college? 

Rockefeller didn’t.

Neither did Abe Lincoln.

Wolfgang Puck dropped out of school at age 14.

Walt Disney? No degree, thank you very much. In fact he was driving ambulances when he began making art.

These are just a few experts in their niche who just did what they did and people loved it. I want that to be you.

Consumers want to be led, not taught.

However, when I’m looking for a solution to a problem I have, the last thing I’m looking for is some stuffy professor to babble on and on about facts.

I want someone who’s been there, done that – or someone who looks at my problem, sympathizes with me, and reaches out to help me.

A degree can’t do that for you. Only a good heart can. Only someone who puts themselves out there as a beacon of hope for people.

Gauge How Much You Know

Okay, so if you want to have confidence leading a niche, you first need to see if you know anything more than someone else.  You don’t want to be running on empty!

That’s the minimum requirement. There has to be someone out there who might be interested in what topic you’re teaching who doesn’t know something about it.

Sometimes it’s the very basic skills your audience won’t know yet – stuff you’ve known forever.

So take stock of what you know. If you’re going into a specific niche, make a quick brainstormed list of what things you could share.

I would then look at that list and ask myself if there might be an audience out there who needs to know any of that stuff. Sure there is!

Uh oh. But what about those people who want to know about Mobile Marketing? I know nothing about that! Does that mean I shouldn’t teach online marketing at all?

No. It just means they can go elsewhere for those instructions. When you get involved in a niche, you don’t have to teach every single thing about it. You can focus on what you like and what you’re good at and what you believe in.

Ah, but what if you want to go into a niche that’s brand spanking new to you? Guess what?

That’s okay, too! In fact, you might develop an amazing audience of followers who LOVE the fact that you’re sharing your ups and downs as you learn the niche and show them what works and what doesn’t.

This element makes it feel like you’re all in this together. It keeps your readers from feeling stupid because you’re all in the same boat – learning right alongside each other, only you’re doing the legwork for them – researching, gathering information, testing it and sharing it with them.

Continual Learning

It’s one thing to be a novice and a leader at the same time and another thing to be satisfied with staying stagnant in your ignorance.

Nobody wants to follow someone who isn’t moving forward, so you have to be enthusiastic about continuing to grow your knowledge in your niche.

Impress your audience with your thirst for knowledge. This is key for success in online home based business.

How to continue learning in any niche?

I think it’s fantastic when you finally find confidence in your basic experiences to lead a niche. But in my opinion, you’re not a good leader if you don’t continue seeking new information to better yourself and the lives of your readers.

You should read trade magazines, books, watch videos, and join local college classes. - If you’re in the gardening niche you can take a class on horticulture and learn how to properly operate a greenhouse or landscape. If you’re in the health and diet niche, you can take classes to teach you about nutrition and wellness.

Is your niche beer? Subscribe to DRAFT magazine. Dog niche? Dog Fancy Magazine is one option. Aromatherapy? Aromatherapy Thymes Magazine will do.

You want to subscribe to a publication that stays current on the latest happenings in your niche so that you, in turn, can be up to date as well!

You want to go out and find all of your competitors, big and small. Some of them will be making major mistakes with their online efforts – and some will teach you a thing or two about how to do business the right way.

Learn from both aspects to find cool business ideas

I want you comparing three things:

1.    Expertise

When you go to a competitor’s site, I want you to take notes about what they’re teaching and sharing. Do they have knowledge that you don’t have but need in order to fully satisfy your target audience?

2.    Sites

How does your site stack up against your competitors? Look at elements that make you like the site (as well as those that make you dislike it) and design your site to be the best of all worlds.

You always want to be striving to design the site you want. For example, I like how Tony Robbins has his site laid out. I don’t like every piece, but certain elements.

3.    Relationships

While you’re in spy mode, I want you to see what kind of connection your competition has with his or her audience. Do they even have blog comments? Get on their list!

Read the comments (if they have them) on their blog. Join in on their forum under a pen name if you want to. Go to Twitter and do an @ search of their username to see how people respond to them there.

Circle them on G+ and connect on Facebook. Don’t worry that you’ll look like a spy. You’re just there to connect to like-minded people. And one of those connections could one day transform itself into a joint venture for you.

Just make sure your audience knows what your slant is – this will help them know whether or not they should tune into your lessons.

Do something better – or different - than the others do it.

Have an edge over your competition. As you hear “Thank you” time and time again, it will give you the confidence you need to know you’re doing everything right.

Your edge could be thoroughness. It could be that you’re uplifting and motivating. You could be the man or woman who answers questions that your readers have and makes a tutorial out of each one.

Confidence Is Born of Experiences

Niche leadership isn’t about who is more qualified in a technical sense. If you lack confidence and keep asking yourself, “Who would be interested in what I have to say?” then you have to work on bettering yourself to get past your fears.

Think like an entrepreneur.


Most business people will tell you there’s nothing more challenging than starting your own business. Share your favorite online business ideas for women.

Reference:10 Totally Stupid Online Business Ideas That Made Someone Rich

Starting an online business

Eight Tips on how to start an online business By Tiffany

Tiffany is work at home mom. She is  working at home for a decade. This is a series of eight articles on online business. In this article she explains about challenges of work from home. You will learn various passive income ideas from her on how to earn extra cash from internet based business.

I was tired being a cube-dweller & lifetime commuter.

I wanted to be an entrepreneur.

I waited a long time to make my choice.

I knew I wanted to work from home

I did a few odd jobs during the years that my husband was completing his MBA from an Ivy League college. My work also helped my sister while she completed her medical studies too.

I always thought that being able to work from home would make my life easier. It also appealed to my latent entrepreneurial talents. Somehow the comfort of having a fat paycheck month after month was not allowing me to build enough confidence to start working at home. Soon, I did not have a choice. My daughter was born prematurely and with medical complexities. It became necessary for me to work from home, so I was really sort of, pushed into it.

I started with some online marketing and learned the tricks of the business the hard way back in 2001. Later, I received a request from Arindam, asking me to share my personal experiences with online marketing. I thought it would be a great idea, so I agreed to write down a few critical points on how to become successful at internet marketing.

Follow these 8 tips to fulfill your dream of working from home.

(1) Having "The Talk" With Loved Ones

You may have to muster up the courage to convince your spouse or parents that there is something you want to pursue.

In most cases, there will be a few raised eyebrows and pursed lips along with some heavy sighs. That is normal, so please do not take offense.  These people simply care about you and want to protect you from getting hurt.

You must remain confident if you want them to be confident in you. If you go into the conversation with doubt, then your loved ones will take it upon themselves to talk you out of any plans that you were trying to make.

It is also important to use the right language. Tossing words out that they will not recognize is just going to make them panic because it is something new and unknown. Do not jump right in and say you are going to be an "affiliate marketer" or "SEO expert."

(2) If you are hurting for money, do not start this now

Having bill collectors at your door is the wrong time to launch an online marketing career. Contrary to what some marketers claim, this is not a “make money fast” business. Keep your regular job and pursue an online career in your spare time. If you are too tired after work or never feel like it, then you do not want it bad enough. However, do not come home, quit your job one day, and expect your family to feel good about it when there are bills to be paid.

A better way to start is to work on it little by little. Then when your online income equals or nears your offline job, you can present it to them as a swap, not a loss.

(3) Have a plan and be prepared to share it

You don’t need to hand over an entire professional business plan, but having your basic steps mapped out on what you need to do is essential to making others (and yourself) feel confident about the journey you’re embarking on.

Whatever you do, do not start with a laundry list of things you have to buy. If you say, “First I have to buy and get a website set up,” they might think that means $10,000 when you really know its $9.99 for a domain and $10/month for hosting.

Don't subscribe to the idea of "start your online business free " because there is no free lunch in the world. You need to have minimum start up capital say $200 to $250.

(4) Be prepared for timeline demands

Inevitably, someone in your circle is going to want to know how long this “money making thing” will take. Well you cannot reasonably know that. However, it could help you and your loved ones if you set a deadline for seeing any type of return.
You do not want to be sitting around two years from now having spent a fortune, with not a single penny earned.

Do not get defensive when someone asks this question. It is scary to see someone set off into the unknown. Reassure them that you are not going to get involved in a sinkhole.

You should have a moderate budget and timeline to start with, so that you can reassess your actions if things are not going as planned. That is smart thinking no matter what industry you work in!

(5) Have a good example to show them

Depending on what you want to do, find a good role model, someone you might compete with in the near future. If your friends and family need more reassurance, you can walk them through what you will be doing.

Try not to overwhelm them, because they will not be familiar with your plans like you are. Sometimes, working from home is a viable solution, which is all it may take to secure the support of our loved ones.

The worst-case scenario can also happen whoever you are. Sharing your dreams with someone who tries crushing them can be frustrating. Try to accept the opinion gracefully and end the meeting. You are going into a solo career, and it is time you get used to being in control of your destiny.

(6) Saying “No” to Errands Just Because You’re Home

(6) Saying “No” to Errands

As a work at home entrepreneur, you are suddenly going to appear as a doormat to all of your friends and family. It is imperative that you learn the art of saying, “No.”

You are going to find this happens a lot if you have a large group of friends and family who know about your work at home career. It might not be babysitting, but they’ll ask you to run them to the airport, pick up their dry cleaning and take their dog for a walk…all because your career allows you the leisurely lifestyle of not having to commute.

Some people do not have the confidence to say, “No.” It is like pulling teeth. Subsequently, friends and family end up walking all over them – even if they are not knowingly abusing the situation.

 (7) You are Still a Good Parent If You Work in Front of the Kids

You have to ensure that you are not neglecting your work duties too much out of guilt. It is hard when you are sitting there and you are doing well with your product development and your little girl walks up with big blue eyes asking you to play Barbie with her.

Saying no, means a wave of guilt washes over you.

You have to get real about the situation. Your kids are lucky to be in your care, in the comfort and safety of their own home. You simply need to be confident in the way that you address their needs.

Part of where I see people lacking confidence in balancing parenting with work productivity, is that they are stringent with their time management. You simply cannot be rigid when it comes to running a house with kids and a brand new business – both require constant love and attention.

My kids know that if they need me to hold them, they walk right up and I put my keyboard down and they hop up on my lap. They also know that if I had big plans to spend time with them but a project comes up that I have to finish, then our play date might be a little bit later.

Patience is key to your success.

It’s better if you set the hours that work for your family, and for some, that could mean working from 6 AM until 9 PM, with a back and forth method of working and parenting intertwined.

(8) Setting Sail on a Solo Career

If you have ever been in a job outside the home, then you can probably relate when I tell you how much I could not stand many of my coworkers (and bosses for that matter).

I always felt like the bosses took credit for all of my hard work and my disrespectful coworkers drove me insane with their quirky habits and demands. Once you become a solo entrepreneur, rather, you lose the confidence that you once had in yourself as an employee.

Suddenly there is no boss to take the fall if the company fails to meet its profit goals – no boss to dole out tasks and responsibilities and handle budgeting. There is just you.

Coworkers, as annoying as they can be, do take up some of the slack for you when you need them. They each shoulder a burden and you work as a team, which can be comforting when you need to stay on track to meet a deadline.

All of that will be yours now, as you take the reins of your own business. How can you feel confident that you will succeed? It feels like your entire staff just got layoff notices and that you are on your own.
  
First, you have to believe in your abilities to either do all of those jobs yourself or outsource them to people who can help. Just because you cannot hire employees yet does not mean you cannot hire a freelancer to pitch in and take some of the stress off you.

Second, give yourself a break. I do not mean take time off. What I mean is celebrate every success you have, from the day you say “Goodbye” to your job to the day you register your first domain, up to the first paycheck you get in the mail as a self-made entrepreneur.
  
While you may feel shaky, scared and nervous about the whole “solo entrepreneur” mission you are on – that is okay, too.

I am going to tell you about one more secret.

The top successful entrepreneurs also stressed out about making it and maintaining their momentum. Do not be too hard on yourself if you have moments of weakness. Just make sure you do not sit in a state of worry for too long. 

If you are stuck, email me. I will give you a swift kick to snap you out of it.

Be sure to bookmark this page! In next post, I will discuss online business ideas for WAHM’s. In subsequent article we'll discuss in more detail on how to start an online business.

Comment from Arindam: This article is part of series how to start a business. Please share your opinion on starting an online business below.