The At Home Couple

Day One Of Officially Being “athome”

today

Today marks some firsts, my friends.

Today is the first day of my unemployment, and the first day that theathomecouple.com is official. I am now at home!

Truth be told, the reality probably won’t kick in until next week, because I kind of feel like I’m just on vacation. Eli has graciously given me this week to adjust, so I spent the day working through a list of things I want to accomplish around the apartment. Things that have been knawing at me and I just haven’t had the time to do. So I cleaned up the balcony,planted some flowers and worked on a project for my Uncle’s 50th birthday. All this between loads of laundry and dishes. I’m wiped . . .but I feel great.

We have a lot on the go right now, and a lot that we want to work on. We are in the process of launching a new content service called WordBoo.com. And I’m going to be putting together presentation material to market my design services. So hopefully soon I’ll be busy with work stuff, which makes getting all these little chores out of the way all the more important.

Throughout the day today I found myself thinking about what I would have been doing at work if I was there, and thinking a lot about my friends. I had a pretty rough day on Friday because I realized that I wouldn’t see these people anymore. They have helped me through a lot, whether they’re aware of it or not. In the past year and a half I have done so much growing, and each one of them is responsible for helping me through it. I almost started to second guess my decision because I realized that working from home with Eli doesn’t really allow for any other social interaction. But that is just one of the challenges we face. Finding that balance and recognizing when it’s time to be apart.

There will be many other challenges and that is what excites me and motivates me. I need the unknown to keep me moving forward, otherwise I become too comfortable and I get lazy.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, this is just day one. And on day one I feel great. I’ve accomplished a lot today and I am so proud of myself for making the commitment and taking that leap. Tomorrow is another day, and I’ll deal with it when it gets here.

Until then,

Veronica

22 Canadian Creations You Might Not Know About

For those of you out of the loop i.e. most Americans and everyone else around the world, today is Canada Day. Many people are asking how old Canada is in 2009? The answer is 142! 142 years of being a constitutional monarchy and even more importantly, 142 years of inventing and creating things that nobody in their right mind figured was Canadian.

So on that note, I thought it would be appropriate for me to educate you guys on a few things that are 100% Canadian. Here is my list of 22 Canadian Creations You Might Not Know About:

Superman – Conceptualized and created by Joe Shuster and Jerome Siegel (1938)
The Telephone – Invented by Alexander Graham Bell (1874)
Basketball – Created by James Naismith (1892)
Anti gravity suit – Wilbur R. Franks (1940)
Electric wheelchair – Invented by George J. Klein
Five pin bowling – Thomas E. Ryan (1909)
Frozen fish – Dr. Archibald G. Huntsman (1926)
Zipper – Conceptualized by Gideon Sundback (1913)
Pictionary – Created by Rob Angel (1986)
Insulin (as diabetes treatment) – Dr. Frederick Banting, Dr. Charles Best and Dr. Collip (1921)
Walkie-Talkie – Invented by Donald L. Hings (1942)
Electric cooking range – Invented by Thomas Ahearn (1882)
Trivial Pursuit – Created by Chris Haney, John Haney and Scott Abbott (1982)
Cobalt bomb – University of Saskatchewan and Eldorado Mining and Refining (1951)
Air-conditioned railway coach – Invented by Henry Ruttan (1858)
IMAX – Created by Grahame Ferguson, Roman Kroitor, Robert Kerr (1968)
Lightbulb (first patented) – Henry Woodward (1874)
Nursing Mother Breast Pads – Marsha Skrypuch (1986)
Retractable beer carton handle (Tuck-away-handle Beer Carton) – Steve Pasjac (1957)
Electron microscope – Prof. E. F. Burton and Cecil Hall, James Hillier and Albert Prebus (late 1930s)
Wonderbra – Invented by Louise Poirier (1964)
Heart Pacemaker – Invented by Dr. John Hopps (1949)

References: Canadian Inventions

***And to some of our less-informed cousins south of the border: no, it doesn’t snow all year round, and no, not all of our police men and women ride horses. Oh yeah – and we don’t live in igloos.

Happy Canada Day!

Cheers,

Elijah

Michael Jackson Is Dead: And We Killed Him

This is not going to be a rant about how awesome Michael Jackson and his music was. Nor is this going to be some superficial lecture on the human psyche. But today, one of the most influential people in my musical life has died and I can’t help but think that there are some people who should be feeling guilty right now.

We killed Michael Jackson. When I say “we” I am talking about the media members, paparazzi and journalists who have made a career out of destroying this man’s life over the last 25 years. We broke him down, piece by piece and bit by bit.

I’m many of you are thinking “he molested children” or “he destroyed himself” but the fact of the matter is that no single person, big or small, rich or poor, can or should have to absorb the onslaught of abuse this man was dealt. He wrote some of the most beautiful songs in musical history. He brought nations together through his words and melody. And this is how we thank him.

I would like to personally challenge any member of CNN, ABC, NBC or any other bullshit monopolistic, mind-twisting media machine to step forward and take responsibility for all the lies and exploitation they’ve fed to the public over the last 30 years. I personally challenge the paparazzi to step forward and make right of the wrongs they have caused.

And I personally challenge you, the readers, to comment below and share your opinion. Whether positive or negative. I don’t care if you loved Michael Jackson or hated him – it’s completely irrelevant.

How is this acceptable? How can we just stand here and believe we had no role in the slow and painful deterioration of a human being? Sure, Michael Jackson was weird. He was a creep. But he made beautiful music – and he was HUMAN.

The Freelance Switch

I’ve been noticing over the last few months that there seems to be a misconception amongst our virtual communities that the only way to work from home and make money “online” is by niche blogging, affiliate marketing and/or pay per click.

What really bothers me though is that I am seeing more and more people speak of their struggles rather than their successes – and why is this? Truthfully, I’m not going to point at one reason and say that this is why the success rate is so dismal, but I am going to dig a bit deeper into a word that many “work at home” gurus seem to leave out.

Freelancing.

In the most basic form, freelancing is simply the process of soliciting a specialized service to a market which has a need for it.

A freelancer is not usually on contract and can work openly with whom ever he/she pleases, and if there is a contract involved, it’s usually non-exclusive and for a temporary period of time – meaning while you are in contract with that particular individual/company you still have the ability to accept outside work, as long as it doesn’t effect your contractual obligations.

The Freelance Myth.

Veronica and I were in bed the other night watching Seinfeld and I brought up the misconception of freelancing and how a great majority of the public, on and off line, seem to view freelancing as some sort of cop-out to having a 9 to 5 job. In the 1970’s if you brought home a new boyfriend and told your parents that he was a rockstar freelance writer, they would have told you to get your head out of the clouds and find a real man with a real job.

Is the perception of freelancing really any different today? Not really. Putting the word “freelance” before your professional title still seems to take away from its legitimacy, for example, when people ask me what I do I simply tell them that I own a small web development company on the Internet. On the other hand, if I was to tell people that I am a freelance web developer, which technically I am, how many of those people do you think would downgrade me?

The Freelance Reality.

The reality is this: for the people who look at freelancing as a fancy way of saying you’re unemployed, it’s time to think again. With the advancement of technology and the Internet, now is the time to start thinking about what skills you have and identify the need for those skills within a specific marketplace. Ask yourself the following questions:

What skills do I have (technical or practical)?
What do I really love doing?
What did I go to college/university for?
What have you learned from past jobs?
What type of people live in my neighborhood?
What services could they use to make their life easier?

As you start asking yourself these questions, you’ll slowly begin to compile a list of potential idea generators. The magic really happens when you start to realize that you have a whole set of skills that fulfill a certain need – and that there are hundreds of thousands of people on and offline who are willing to pay you for those services… immediately!

What I Did Was No Different.

Once I sold my first website flip on Sitepoint, I sat back a took a look at the marketplace. I asked myself questions like who are these people and why do they need my websites? How could I leverage the fact that I love building niche WordPress blogs and turn it into a unique service?

I began to bounce ideas off everyone I know (online) and started to realize that there is a huge market of webmasters, old and new, who have the skills to market niche blogs but aren’t technically/physically able to throw them together in a fashion that is professional and functional. Maybe these marketers don’t have the design skills (I’m not even a designer) or maybe it’s as simple as they don’t have the time because their portfolio is so huge. Who cares.

I put together a website to display the details of my service (skill), incorporated an email list to capture prospective repeat buyers from my Sitepoint auctions and started to put NicheOnDemand.com url in my auction copy and forum signatures. That is all it really took. I know get 3 times more business through my website and spend less time putting up sites “hoping” that they sell on the marketplace.

That’s My Story – What’s Yours?

If you haven’t thought about freelancing and how you could begin soliciting your services online – now is the time to do so. Stop thinking about affiliate marketing and CPA networks as the be all and end all of working from home and making money online – because if it’s been more than a year and you haven’t found your groove yet.. you’re not going to.

Get back to the practical thinking of supply and demand. Become that Rockstar Freelancer you know you can be! Get back to what you’re good at and discover as many ways as possible to have people pay you money for it! It’s fucking genius and you need to get moving! Rockablepress.com is a great place to start.

Right Now.

Cheers,

Elijah

Update from Veronica

Hey guys! I know it’s been kind of a long hiatus, but here I am! I’m back and ready to roll full steam ahead. I’d like to thank everyone who commented on Eli”s last post. Seeing all that encouragement is so reassuring. It makes the actual “moment” feel a little less final.

The first little while is going to be a little shocking . . . I know that, but I know that Eli and I will find a groove. We always do. I’m excited for all the things I will be able to accomplish. I’m looking forward to working hard and enjoying life on my terms.

I can’t wait to be a bigger part of this great community!

Taking The Work At Home Plunge

I’m really feeling the writing bug biting me on the ass right now, so I decided to capitalize on this moment and stop being a stranger around my own blog. Here’s what’s on my mind and what’s happening right now in the world of Elijah and Veronica…

Over the last month or so it has been apparent that Veronica is getting antsy about joining me and taking the work at home plunge, as I like to call it. This is awesome – but it is also presenting some challenges.

When we originally started this blog back in July of 2008 (just got the GoDaddy renewal notice) our plan was that I would quit my job, put into action everything I had been teaching myself for the 7 months prior to that and set up a network and foundation so that hopefully, within a year or so, she would leave her job and we can begin living the coprenuer life we’ve dreamed of since we first met.

Well, reality (opportunity) is definitely starting to knock…

Not only have I surpassed anything that I could have imagined – but I’ve also managed to learn an insane amount of information and techniques in this short amount of time (with a little blood, sweat and insomnia of course). This means that we are now in a position to complete the last step of phase one and begin putting into place the milestones that will ultimately give us the freedom and space to live and build a family without corporate chains attached. The dream of every modern day, twenty-something hippie child…

More closer to thirty-something, but that’s besides the point!

It seems that now that things are pretty much where we planned for them to be, taking the initial plunge is not as easy as it once appeared to be – for Veronica that is. You see, by nature she has always been concerned with being “liked” or civil with her employer and fellow employees. This tends to involve treating people well and not stepping on any feet during her course of 9 to 5 existence.

Myself on the other hand have never been close with co-workers, or integrated too far into any company for that matter – because I always had the attitude that it was a job – and it was temporary. If me leaving screwed somebody over, that was the companies problem – not mine.

She is now faced with a challenge in the form of trying to identify the right “time” to break the news, and the right “way” to part – in the most humane fashion.

When taking the work at home plunge, here are some questions to ask yourself before hand:

Do I really care about the people I work with?
Am I financially ready to work from home?
How much money will I save from working at home?
If all hell breaks lose, do I have a backup plan?
Is my at home environment equipped to ensure maximum productivity?
What sort of day-to-day challenges will I face when working at home?
What benefits will I gain from working at home?
How can I leave my company while maintaining credible references?
If I hate my boss, how much will I get charged if I piss in his/her coffee?

All in all, I really believe that we are in a position to take plunges and make mistakes – after all, we don’t have any children (yet), mortgages, car payments or anything else restrictive. If our business fails (which it won’t) we can always get some bull shit jobs to pay the bills. If we go completely broke (which we won’t) we can always get celebrity makeovers and stage a sex tape which we’ll sell to TMZ.com for a quick 10 g’s…

The ultimate question is: Will you ever be 100% ready to do anything in your life?

The answer is no.

So I say do it. Don’t ask for permission, learn from your mistakes and pay the consequences when they arise. Of course if you have kids, a car, a house and a family then don’t be stupid. But if you don’t – be stupid, work hard and make it happen. There really is no reason why it shouldn’t work out in the end!

Cheers,

Elijah