photo credit: Travis Isaacs

Listen to interviews...

with experienced homeschoolers and home business owners that will encourage you toward your entrepreneurial efforts and help you  know how to avoid pitfalls.

Susan Whitehead of Homeschool Biz Expo offers daily interviews with a Panel of Home Education Experts, Family Focused Entrepreneurs, and Internationally Known Public Speakers which include:

Andrea Cockrum

"Mrs. Entrepreneur: Behind the Scenes Glimpse of Living with an Internet Success Story"

Andrea is not your average homeschool mom of 5. She’s lived in Central America for months, showcased her art at local art shows, and is married to one of the most popular and well respected internet marketers on the planet. Andrea isn’t afraid of challenges and handles them with amazing grace! You will love hearing from this REAL mom!

March 1, 2010 - Best Homeschool Buys Summary

Day Eight Notes

Susan Whitehead

"Stepping in Faith: Going From J-O-B to FREE!"

Susan is the proud momma of 5 and life-long serial entrepreneur. In 1998, she made her first dollar online and hasn’t looked back since! In 2005, she and her husband began to feel a call to walk away from a VERY secure (and high paying) military career to pursue a more entrepreneurial lifestyle. In faith, they set out on an adventure of a lifetime…relying on their own God given skills and gifts to create incomes for their growing family.

March 2, 2010

Kerry Beck

Kerry enjoys meeting with young moms to encourage them in raising, educating and encouraging their own kids. She also has a strong desire to show families ways to give children a love of learning.

March 3, 2010

Jim Cochrum

"Multiple Income Streams for a Raging River of Profits"

Ranked as the #1 most trusted Internet Marketer on IMreportCard.com, Jim Cockrum, homeschool dad of five, has a long history of making money online. He’s sold multiple millions of dollars of products and services and has been helping others start successful eBay and online businesses since 2000. He earns his living from the Internet and he works full-time educating others on how to run successful Internet and eBay businesses. The Cockrum family has committed their lives to helping others find their true calling and passion that they believe is placed in each person by God.

March 4, 2010

See Last Week's Homeschool Entrepreneurs

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andrea cockrum are some of the homeschool curriculum and other resources that homeschool families need. What homeschool books are you looking for? Go to our MASTER MENU or use the SEARCH box in the sidebar.

"Mrs. Entrepreneur: Behind the Scenes Glimpse of Living with an Internet Success Story"

I really enjoyed listening to the Susan's Whitehead's interview with Andrea Cochrum, wife of internet entrepreneur, Jim Cochrum and homeschooling mom of five (3 internationally adopted).

Susan (of Homeschool Biz Expo) and Andrea have much in common. Both have 5 children are homeschooling, and have husbands that work at home.

Andrea is married to one of the most popular and well respected internet marketers around. The Cochrum family business is an example of a home business that is run by the husband while the wife handles the majority of the homeschooling and home making work. Andrea talks about her supportive role to her entrepreneur husband.

Andrea first revealed her initial uneasiness with Jim's desire to leave the corporate world and rely on his fledgling new internet business as a means of supporting the growing Cochrum family. It was a process for Andrea to trust this to her husband, to pray and rely on God to provide for their family even though at the time she felt very unsure about their likelihood of success with a home business.

She discusses the adjustments that were required as they learned how to manage family life, homeschooling, and running a business from home.  I laughed as she revealed her secret...her husband Jim often does his work in pajama pants and  has to hunker down in a closet somewhere to take a business call  to get away from the noise of five children at home.

People don't understand their family since they, including Jim, are home all the time. The easiest answer for "What do you do?" is that Jim is an author, because it is so difficult to explain what he does as an eBay expert and helping people find tools to build a business online.

Andrea believe that the home business has been a uniquely positive experience for their five children. The older children express an interest in following in their Dad's footsteps.

I listened to Andrea's amazing story about their adoption of baby Aven in Guatemala  in September 2008. The Cochrum family, because of Jim's internet business, was able to relocate temporarily in Guatemala for an indefinite period while the adoption was finalized.  She shared some of the opportunites that they took advantage of  while living in South America  including hiking to a volcano. It was a great experience for the family to live in a different country for a while.

Andrea talks about homeschool stereotypes and how through her blog, she hopes she is debunking those myths and showing how homeschoolers are real families and not weird, socially disfunctional nerds.

She explains her opinion that some people are "entrepreneurially wired"  and entrepreneur success comes more easily to them. Her husband is one of those, but she isn't. Yet you can see that her supportive role has been an essential element of Jim's success. Additionally, Andrea offers advice to wives that have husbands that want to pursue their own businesses.

So besides homeschooling, managing her home, keeping up with five kiddos, and supporting her husband in his entrepreneurial  endeavors, she spends a lot of time writing her blog which you can visit at: True Moments with Family.  Andrea considers the blog her family scrapbook. Another Cochrum family website that is about Adoption, Adoption Questions We Get is a very helpful site with delightful pictures and true personal  Cochrum family stories. She answers adoption questions that are typically asked.  She also has a low key art business on the side that she hopes to develop further when these days of mothering and homeschooling are over.

You can still get in on the second half of the Homeschool Biz Expo interviews that are offered free this week, one interview each day. The ones that I have listened to offer some really good ideas and will help get you thinking about all kinds of possibilities for your family to develop additional income. A home business can be a great addition to homeschooling and offers some great opportunities to your children in addition to providing income for the family.

For more information see original article, Homeschooler Entrepreneurs,  announcing this free home business resource  or blog post  Homeschool Family Business.

Sign up to listen to Free Home Business Interviews at Homeschool Biz Expo:

-First Day interview:  Debbye Cannon of Business Mom Mentor

For more information see original article, Homeschooler Entrepreneurs,  announcing this free home business resource.

Debbie Cannon speaking to moms and all nurturing women who are in a sense, Moms, even when not raising children of their own. Homeschooling and/or looking out for the well being of others is a business unto itself.  If you homeschool, you know that in many ways homeschooling is like running a business in your home. You must prioritize, systemize, organize, plan and set goals.

Debbye has developed a strategy known as Smart Cuts: (shortest,smartest,fastest ways of doing things). Women have so much to do. We are struggling with the juggling. We are not lazy, but we don't want to spend more time on our work and required tasks than we have to. We all desire to have more value in life.

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From Julie Simmons of Best Homeschool Buys

My notes from today's home business interview of Debbye Cannon with Susan Whitehead:

"Taking the Struggling Out of Juggling to Increase Productivity"

Debbye created a system to accomplish more. Friends started recognizing that she was having success in accomplishing more in her home and with her family. She had learned prioritizing without agonizing. Her methods included steps that go beyond organizing through cleaning out clutter. She shows other women how to find good ways to do tasks, but to be realistic about methods and goals.

I took notes on the interview. You can read my notes on Debbye Cannon's Solutions HERE:  Home Management Interview

- photo credit: abardwell

If you are interested in learning more about the possibilities for home business, you've got to see this new resource for homeschool entrepreneurs!

If you are like me, you have at least considered ways you could contribute to the family's income while staying at home to teach your children. I had so many questions when I first started my online business three years ago:  Where do I start? What should I do? What can I do? How do I do it?

My mentor and friend, Susan Whitehead (homeschool mother of 5) is launching a great resource for homeschooling families this week. Whether you are hoping to add income to your family or already have a home business that you want to improve, Susan 's Homeschool Biz Expo is lined up to give advice and tips from experts (real homeschoolers who also have successful businesses) that will help you avoid making mistakes.

Experienced homeschoolers and home business owners will encourage you toward your entrepreneurial efforts and will show you how to avoid the mistakes. Susan's Panel of Home Education Experts, Family Focuse Entrepreneurs, and Internationally Known Public Speakers include:

Debbye Cannon- Business Mom Mentor

"Taking the Struggling Out of Juggling to Increase Productivity"

Julie Schultz

"Selling Old Books Online to Make a Great Living"

Steve & Kerry Beck

“Can’t Miss Formula For Creating Your Very Own Online Business"

Sarah Cook- Raising CEO Kids

"The Keys to Inspiring the Inner CEO in Your Kids"

Bob and Tina Farewell -an entrepreneurial homeschool family in 30 years of marriage

"Keeping Your Marriage Strong While Birthing a Successful Business and Raising Entrepreneurs"

Terri Johnson of Knowledge Quest

"Confidently Homeschooling Your Kids While Operating a Thriving Business"

Cindy Rushton-homeschool convention speaker & author

"From Ideas to Products: Creating a Business with Your Brilliance"

The list above is only the first week's schedule of interviews. There is a whole more week of interviews just as helpful as these.

These interviews are totally free for you to listen to. You only need to register with your email and Susan will send you each day's  link to her interview with the leading homeschool entrepreneurs. If you sign up late, I believe that the links to the interviews will still be sent to you, one per day, until you have had a chance to listen to all 12 of them.

Susan's interviews are no longer free but are still offered at a value for all the information that is provided.

Find out more about Susan's interviews at her site, Homeschool Ebiz Expo

- photo credit: The Consumerist

I hope to listen to each interview and write a summary review each day from my notes. I hope this will be as great an inspiration to you readers as it is to me.

"Taking the Struggling Out of Juggling to Increase Productivity"

"Mrs. Entrepreneur: Behind the Scenes Glimpse of Living with an Internet Success Story"

Thank you, Susan,  for all of your hard work in offering these resources to us!!!

This is how I know Susan Whitehead of Homeschool Biz Expo. As I sought to learn how to start a family business, Susan  stood out to me as a person that was willing to answer my questions. She responded to my email questions, and even was available by phone if I should need help. Since then Susan has given birth to her first son after four daughters. She and her husband are homeschooling their 5 children. Recently, her husband Michael retired from the military to pursue fulltime work at home.

Julie Simmons of Best Homeschool Buys

- photo credit: di_the_huntress