Goodness me ~ what IS this world coming to? I was listening to the news recently and heard facts and figures that just boggled my mind. Lehman Brothers was (is?) $600 billion in debt! Monday was considered by many stock analysts to be the worst day since 9/11 (7 years ago). The Dow plunged 4.4%. AIG took a 61% hit in the price of their stock ~ their losses seem to be connected to the mortgage debacle also. Overseas stock markets have been affected as well: the Japanese exchange was closed Monday as they were trying to come to terms with what all this would mean to the US economy! (For more "good news", see related news stories below...)

I have to ask ~ how does this affect me, the "little guy"? Is it ok to say "This too shall pass" and just bury my head in the sand? It's all so complicated and unless you have a degree in economics, I doubt that the majority of regular folk even begin to understand all the ramifications of the frenzy of failures we're hearing about.

I started out in the business-world working for IBM, way back in the days when you stayed with a company for life. "Big Blue" took care of its people, as did any other major company, and in turn retained faithful employees ‘till death or retirement. It definitely appears that those days are gone forever. I heard recently that the average length of time a person spends working at a particular company is 5 years. After that it's time to move on and build that resume. And why not? The word "pension" doesn't have any relevance to anyone but old-timers, and "job security" is an oxy-moron.

Tell you what, this is just showing me that for once I'm in the right place at the right time! Awhile back, as I watched the construction and real estate markets begin their slow painful descent, I realized that the industry in which my husband had worked in for so long ~ and kept our family fed, clothed and housed by ~ was dangerously unstable. I began looking into ways to supplement our family's income. I made some startling (to me, at least!) revelations. Namely,

Our family has been homeschooling for 14 years, and with 3 little ones, we've still got a long road ahead. One thing I was adamant about was that whatever I was able to do for income could be done at home...around my schedule...around my family. I want my work to revolve around my life, not vice versa! Sounds like asking too much? Maybe...we'll see...

Get-rich-quick, autopilot methods, make-money-in-your-sleep, "guaranteed blah-blah-blah" Some of these just have to be against the law, but who can keep up with the myriad of sites that pop up daily? The worst thing about them is that they over-promise but under-deliver. What a way to further erode any trustworthiness left in this industry.

I'm making money on the internet!! I'm not talking scam here (see 2 and 3 above); it is still work, ya' know! "Internet marketing" is just a fancy phrase for selling on the internet. A related term, "network marketing" involves building a network (i.e. customers) to whom you sell (sounds like business to me!) And to think I was afraid of those terms at one point ;-) If I wanted to work at home, I realized that this would have to be "it". Of course, if you knew anything about me, you too would have been ROFL ~ rolling on the floor laughing ~ as my teens were when I decided to jump in and start swimming!

Guess what? There are people out there whose mission is to help others "learn the ropes" of internet marketing. No, really! And boy was I glad to find them! Folks like Ann Seig, Mike Klingler and Renegade University. I've learned that I'm not too old to learn this stuff; I don't have to be certifiably geeky; I do have gifts and talents and passions that I can share with others and in so doing contribute to my family's income.

Please don't just stick your head in the sand, like some are tempted to do! Sure "this too shall pass", but it will affect you (and your pocket book) in ways you might not even be able to imagine right now. However, you don't need to be stressed out about it, and you can take steps now to build and develop a home business that will keep you and your family going while business giants fall down around us all. If you're interested in getting started on the road to home-based success, feel free to contact me.

Pat Fenner is a veteran homeschooler of 14 years. Her passion is to help people tap into their unique interests and abilities to develop a viable home business. Using Web 2.0 and the principles of attraction marketing, she coaches small business owners on free and low-cost ways to get their message out without breaking their budget! Contact her for a free consultation today!