Are you fed up with finding that the large web companies have “great” prices IF you have a large turnover and consider a few thousand bucks “a steal”?

Are you frustrated that even with the increasing availability of low prices from individual developers, a “few hundred or so” dollars is STILL out of your financial reach?

If you answer “no” to all of those then that’s great, and I am genuinely pleased that business is booming for you. If, on the other hand, you are one of the majority of home-based (often craft-based “hobby”) business owners then you probably ticked the “Yes” column on all of those points. It is for YOU that this page, and indeed this business, exists.

As the “brains” (and currently brawn, cleaning staff, coffee maker etc…) behind Avallach Technology I grew increasingly angered by the way that smaller, home-based businesses are left in a technology vacuum when it comes to use of the Internet.

The Home Business “Kick Start” plan is the solution to this growing problem; no compromise on service provided, yet a startlingly low cost.

For just $77 AUD up front and less than 50 cents per day ongoing costs, the “Kick Starter” will provide that web site that you currently only dream of.

Ummm, Did I Read That Correctly?

Yes, yes you did. For just $77 AUD you will get the following:

• Your own web site, hosted on the WAHMBoozle! platform
• Creation of your web site content, based on information you provide
• Set up and configuration of your own online store, using details and pictures you provide
• Your own web site domain name (e.g. www.yourhomebusinessname.com.au)
• Web design that matches your business branding
• Ongoing support and maintenance, including assistance with content/product changes and additions
• Great, personal service from an experienced web developer PLUS access to a growing community of home-business owners
• NO hidden “per hour” or “per page” costs
• NO hidden agenda of trying to sell you expensive search engine services or other marketing tools

WOW! How? WHY?

If you’re accustomed to the usual round of “we craft every web site individually by hand” or “every web site is unique and labour-intensive” then right now you’ll be thinking “is this too good to be true?”

To be honest I expect this sort of reaction, the web/computer industry has done a great job of selling everyone on just how expensive it all is. Well, I’m here to tell you it isn’t, and here’s why:

• Business web sites are structurally similar and accepted “best practice” even describes common elements that “every web site should have”
• You don’t need a Hollywood-esque production team to create something visually appealing; effective business sites are simple to use, and deliver the key information quickly
• WAHMBoozle! is a shared web service, running in a high-quality virtualised server environment, operated by one of the world’s leading hosting providers. As the raw cost of hosting decreases there are economies of scale achievable through such services
• I decided it didn’t need to be expensive, and home-based businesses SHOULD have access to this stuff!

Culture Shock?

In addition to these compelling reasons, there are my personal beliefs and values – the very things that led to the creation of Avallach, ExpressWAHPz and WAHMBoozle! As a home-based business owner I have taken the decision to not charge for my time, preferring instead to allow the business to grow on the strength of the service delivered.

By relying on the ongoing loyalty of a larger number of clients, instead of cherry-picking (and milking) a handful for every cent they can spare, Avallach Technology will stand or fall on quality of service alone.

This “quality of service” ethos may come as a bit of a culture shock in the 21st century; my view is that it shouldn’t.

Start The Ball Rolling

So what should you expect from this service? Once you’ve got in touch, the process will run a little like this:

1. You pay just $77 via PayPal or bank deposit – this is subject to a 30 day money-back guarantee
2. Site Survey questionnaire is sent to you, capturing the key details of your business, products and services
3. Your WAHMBoozle! account is created along with a “skeleton” web site with required page structure
4. Each key section of the site is worked on with you providing your own words, pictures and pricing – these are converted into professional web pages, re-written where necessary to deliver your message (so no need to worry of you’re one of the majority who feel “I just don’t know how to write about myself”)
5. Site is configured with your choice of domain, Payment gateway details and linkages to social networks such as Facebook.
6. Your feedback is sought at every stage – if there’s something you wish to change then just ask
7. Site deployment, ongoing support and maintenance – although you will have access to online “content management” tools, you may not feel confident in your ability to make those changes. That’s not a problem, simply fire off a request (or post one in the WAHMBoozle! support forum) and it’ll be implemented for you
8. Your ongoing “commitment” is just $17 per month or $170 per year if you pay annually. This covers all aspects of support, maintenance, domain registration fees and hosting. It equates to less than 50 cents per day!

If this sounds like the answer to your prayers (and after all, why wouldn’t it?) simply get in touch by filling in the Contact Form and we’ll get the ball rolling!

Don’t worry, this sounds much scarier than it really is…

Generating API Credentials

To generate your PayPal API credentials, follow the instructions on this page

Configuring Your eCommerce System

Once the API credentials have been generated, simply log into your web site admin area, locate the “Products” section in the left-hand menu, and click “Store Settings” within this section.

You then need to click the “Payments” tab on this screen – check te box against PayPal Express Checkout (if not checked already) and set the PayPal Express Checkout Settings as follows:

1. PayPal Site: usually the country you are in
2. PayPal Currency: the currency you wish to use in your online store
3. PayPal Mode: Live
4. PayPal API Credentials: API username, API password and Signature as generated above

The remaining items are optional and allow you a small degree of control over the branding on the checkout page.

Click “Save Changes” once the details have been entered.

If that sounds like you then don’t be surprised – you’re not alone in this experience!

The Real Problem

Rest assured, you are still an intelligent person and that dastardly web things didn’t suck your IQ out while you were Googling. The real problem is that the web hosting, web design and web development industry grew up around traditional small, medium and enterprise-sized business. So it is not at all surprising that it makes little sense to WAHMs; it quite simply didn’t develop around the needs of what is a relatively new business genre.

Things ARE changing (particularly as existing players spot the potential of the Work-at-Home sector). Others will continue to ignore hard-working Mums (and Dads) like you, simply because you don’t have a budget large enough to warrant their attention. That’s cool – they will continue to service their existing, more traditional, customer base, while innovation and momentum will ensure that new providers will step up to the plate.

“Right Now” Solutions

While we wait for the rest of the world to catch up with the WAHM revolution (and it really is nothing short of a lifestyle revolution that is happening) what options are available?

Well, getting a web site consists of 3 basic ingredients – the first two are dead simple and “cheap as chips”, the 3rd one is going to require a bit of work…

1. Somewhere for your web site to live (aka web hosting)
2. An address so that people can find you (aka a domain name)
3. Your website contents

Typically you will be able to take care of steps 1 and 2 in one go by signing up for a regular web hosting account – often you will even get the domain name thrown in with the hosting package for free (well, that’s what happens at http://www.avallach.net/ anyway!)

The next bit is a bit trickier, and I will cover that in a separate article.

Alternatives to Traditional Web Hosting

In recent times there has been an explosion in the availability of web-based services, offering website building options for a low monthly fee. Examples include weebly, wix and webs.com. These services set out to package everything up so you simply sign into your account and start building your site by adding pages, writing content and so on.

From what I have heard (from people who have tried this route), many WAHMs still hit obstacles once they start exploring their site building account. At the same time, it has to be said that many home-based business operators build very successful, attractive sites this way. In my opinion this is probably an example of “horses for courses”; what confuses the heck out of some people undoubtedly makes complete sense to others. That’s the beauty of living in a world populated by a diverse range of people!

For those who struggle to make sense of these site builders, I believe the main issue is that these services still follow the traditional model where you start with a blank piece of paper, and add content one page at a time. Even the addition of setup wizards can only get people so far down the track; they are still left to figure out things like:

• How they want the pages to be structured
• What names and captions to use for the pages
• How to add products and services to their virtual shop

This is where they hit a real conundrum; they start thinking about paying for an expert to do these things for them, and then realise that they may just about be able to afford a couple of hours of a web pro’s time!

It’s Why Etsy Actually Works, But….

The main strength of a system like Etsy is that it specialises; you have a narrower focus, less things to think about, and you can be selling products from your store very quickly.

Hang on though – didn’t we start with the idea that Etsy isn’t cutting it for you anymore???

Well….. that’s really why WAHMBoozle! came to be. Through the power of WAHMs coming together, sharing information, helping and supporting one another, individual business owners will be able to work through all the tricky stuff to get their content and products in place. Not only that – the web site service component of the system was put together based on over a decade’s experience of developing web solutions. So now, by hanging out at WAHMBoozle!, you get access to expert assistance without having to hand over huge wedges of cash.

The web really isn’t as scary as it might look, and creating an online presence is easily within the grasp of anyone with the ability to make clever stuff and start a business around that!

All it takes is a bit of time, and the support of some new friends.

It’s a Social Network

To define WAHMBoozle! in simple terms is hard, if pressed to do so I would generally describe it as a social network (why not, after all they are all the rage nowadays!)

Specifically, WAHMBoozle! is a specialist social network, focusing on the needs of Work-at-Home Mums, providing distraction-free online networking opportunities, and a genuine community of helpful, supportive, like-minded people.

It’s a Web Site Service

One thing that I did not want to lose in the new era, is the ability to help Work-at-Home Mums create an online business presence, quickly, easily and without breaking their (typically small) budgets. ExpressWAHPz achieved that, and WAHMBoozle! builds on that with a feature-rich WordPress-powered system, offering many new and exciting options for site owners.

It’s a Mall/Directory (Of Sorts)

While not wanting to get into the territory of running yet another WAHM Directory site, a directory of sorts does exist. This is a side effect of combining the functionality of social networking and that of a web site creation service. Within the main WAHMBoozle! site any member of the public can visit the Sites area, where they will be able to discover and search for sites belonging to WAHMBoozle! members. This mini-directory will also give a boost to site owners interested in improving their search engine page rankings!

It’s Unique!

While other web service options are available, WAHMBoozle! has one of the lowest pricing structures around. This is deliberate because WAHMs starting out don’t have a lot of cash to throw around! I’m not just talking about slightly undercutting other services either (a cynical practice employed by many over time) – no, the pricing of other comparable services only STARTS where the WAHMBoozle! pricing ends!

It’s What You’re Looking For!

If you’re a work-at-home Mum, starting out with your own business (possibly even part-time and/or based around a hobby of yours) then WAHMBoozle! really is for you. Register today and be part of this vibrant WAHM community.

To help you get the most out of your WAHMBoozle! account, we’ve added a set of video tutorials to this site and your site dashboard area. The videos cover the key areas of managing and editing your web site contents, using the reknowned WordPress platform tools.

The video tutorials are easily accessed from the main WAHMBoozle! site, and just one click away while working in your site dashboard (look for the Video Tutorials link towards the top of your left-hand menu).

Currently the eCommerce engine used by WAHMBoozle! (MarketPress) supports flat rate shipping, with the ability to set fees at the level of a whole order, and per product.

The fantastic team who actively develop, support, maintain and extend MarketPress are very close to releasing a shipping model that supports "shipping tables". Currently it is not clear if these tables will support bandings based on quantities, by price, or maybe both.

Regardless of which option gets released, the overall mechanism is the same for price and quantity bandings. This means that the new plug-in module code can be used as the basis for an additional module, implementing whichever option is NOT provided by the new release.

Furthermore, with a little additional tweaking to provide a weight option for each product, a third shipping module with weight-based bandings should also be achievable with relatively little effort.

This is why I am waiting with bated breath for the new module to appear; with a little bit of effort on my part (or no effort if the developers manage to cover all the bases) WAHMBoozle! will be able to provide shipping fee options to suit the vast majority of work-at-home Mums.

Loving it…

The core of the system itself now works well, and the functionality and features of the system are being refined all the time. While a lot has been achieved in a short space of time, I think it’s safe to say that the 80/20 rule will now kick in, with the remaining 20% requiring a lot of effort to get across the finishing line.

Next Stage

The next step in the overall process is to start bringing existing ExpressWAHPz sites across to the new platform. This involves considerable effort in terms of recreating site templates, then the work of bringing across page content and product information.

For each site, the intention is to replicate the existing one as closely as possible, then provide the site owner with access so they can familiarise themselves with the new system, and check that things work as expected.

Then and only then, the domain name will be switched across, effectively putting the new version of the site “live”.

Community Content

Another major challenge in the coming days and weeks is to create some good quality community content (support, tutorials etc.) While the community aspect will grow, naturally, as people make use of it, there will need to be ample “getting started” material in place.

It is my hope that all product support can be provided through the WAHMBoozle! community – that way we will automatically build a public source of useful information and tips, that everyone can access and apply to their own situations.

Obviously if a specific issue involves information, products or ideas that are “commercially sensitive” then I’m happy to discuss and assist with those offline!

Bring It On!

The finish line is definitely in sight now, and while much effort will be needed, I look forward to the next phase in ExpressWAHPz/WAHMBoozle history with a lot of excitement.

Several Eggs, One Basket

Traditionally we are advised to not put all our eggs in one basket; this started to be taken to the extreme with ExpressWAHPz, WAHM Web Club, ExpressWebz and WAHMBoozle! Development efforts started to become fragmented, information was duplicated across sites, and from a customer/user/member perspective, there was no cohesive whole, and certainly no obvious upgrade path for ExpressWAHPz users.

It is perhaps ironic that the increasing focus on providing services to Work-at-Home Mums actually led to fragmentation in the component parts.

The revised WAHMBoozle! strategy addresses this and then some!

ExpressWAHPz "Version 2.0"

WAHMBoozle! is intended to be the successor to ExpressWAHPz, building on the strong foundations of the WordPress content management system and using the experience gained with ExpressWAHPz to identify the key functionality required in the system.

Using carefully selected components, WAHMBoozle! will bring significantly enhanced eCommerce functionality to better meet the needs of Work-at-Home Mums. This functionality includes:

• Discount Coupons
• Shipping Calculations
• Product Variants
• Stock Levels
• Sale Prices
• Support for additional payment methods (e.g. offline manual invoicing)
• Order tracking / management

WAHM Web Club

By building WAHMBoozle! as a WordPress-powered community site, the original goals of WAHM Web Club can be achieved and surpassed. Members will be able to communicate with others in the community, browse other members' web stores and receive official support all in one place. Social/communication tools available to members include:

• Private messaging
• Be-Friending Other Members
• Group Forums
• Site-wide activity stream

"ExpressWebz"

The term ExpressWebz has been used in a fairly inconsistent manner over time; initially intended to describe a package of individual hosting, plus WordPress-powered site creation, it started to be used as the name of a possible WordPress-powered version of ExpressWAHPz.

In that regard, WAHMBoozle! is, in effect, the actual implementation of "ExpressWebz". However, rather than having 2 similar web services, we now have just one that can serve a members' needs for longer. In many cases, WAHMBoozle! will be all you ever need!

If and when your business grows to the point where a separate hosting arrangement is necessary, the use of standardised components makes it easy to move a web site over to a standalone hosting package. This provides a very simple and obvious upgrade path for any WAHM business, as it grows from part-time hobby business to an all-conquering multinational

I Am Very Excited

This new direction we are taking has injected an even greater sense of purpose into things, and the simultaneous  realisation (finally) of a number of different goals (web community, web site service etc.) is very exciting to me personally. To those who have supported and encouraged on the journey so far, I hope this is exciting for you also, and I thank you for everything.