Project: Staking Your Domain

We all desire a sense of acceptance: A sense of home, a sense of inclusion and connection. And so we seek for places of like-mindedness, never realizing that we can be the ones who model these places of welcome.

We have the power to create a niche, to decide what it is that people need and how we can serve them, then offer it to them.

We have the power to facilitate them and lead them from one ladder ring to the next. We can give them the sense of acceptance and encourages them to build a stronger sense of home within themselves and create a stronger outreach.

We have the power to stake our own domain and invite others to be a part of it. And we don’t even have to take issue with zoning regulations.

Creating a safe online presence where people can land 24/7 is vital in a generation where the Internet is over saturated with misleading information.

The best and most important way to do this is staking your domain. Your domain name, that is. It’s your online address, so make it easy to memorize and worth memorizing.

You are competing with innumerable domain names and websites so it’s rare you have opportunity to imagine, pick and purchase the web address you desire, but that shouldn’t deter you from fulfilling your purpose:

• Don’t Be Too Clever

Now is not the time to be creative. Now is the time to be competitive and succinct. Try to stay as close to your company name as possible and keep it short. Make it memorable, remember!

• Consider Your Brand

As The Green Couch Project we were fortunate enough to secure the domain name thegreencouchproject.com. However, in the event it wasn’t, it would be a great disservice and disconnect for us to have used purplecouchpotatoes.com

• Consider SEO

The only way this is effective is if there is a direct association between the SEO keyword in your domain name and the chosen SEO keyword in your website text (which should be used repeatedly). 

• Avoid The Shift Key

If those searching for you are required to use the shift key, you can count on them forgetting it. In other words, if possible try not to use symbols; e.g., dashes, etc.

• Save Room For Misspellings

If your business name is something that is often is interpreted differently in spelling, considering purchasing all common misspelling for your domain. That way, no matter how people search your company, you will not lose traffic.

•  Build Upon It

Now that you have it [your domain], don’t let it lie dormant. Hire someone to build a website around your domain so that you can attract the right community. 

•  Flaunt It

Share the domain name. Invite people to interact. Upload pictures. Stay connected. You have online presence; you have power. What will you do with it? Let us know! We’re always eager to hear from our readers and fellow risk-takers. You’ve spilled your gutsy online and built a domain. It’s time to spill your gutsy with us!

-The Green Couch

Project: The Saturday Startup

The countdown to Christmas has started. That is what is trending on social media and soon that will dictate the cyclical sales. The season of merriness has hit us before the school season has; how has this happened already?

20 Saturdays someone mentioned. Why are we counting? Because it’s at this time people start procuring and securing second jobs, or maybe even third part-time jobs.

But something significant happened in 2014. Either people realized they wanted more, more than just 20 Saturdays of work to pay off the extra wishes. Or maybe realization that retail positions for them was not as fulfilling as they expected.

Either way 2014 brought more prospects.

While we may be nearing the fourth quarter, it is not too late to partake of what may be a trend –and one we hope takes hold and continues.

It is called small startups. Weekend jobs. The Saturday Startup. Moreover, if you start now you can still be in business not just 20 Saturdays from now, but 52 Saturdays from now.

You do not have to be a contestant on America’s Got Talent (are they still accepting auditions for this year?). If you have a niche or have an education in a specific field, then take some time to sit down and plan your short and long term goals of how you can exact those skills. Imagine; you get to pre-qualify your proficiency.

Let’s get started with some creative options that are in high demand and are trending online as well:

• Exterior Decorator

It seems like everyone is doing it; yes. But how often have you seen outdoor “interior” designers. I believe the term I am looking for is an exterior designer, correct? Not quite a landscaper, and while this may seem seasonal if you like Christmas and all that twinkles, staging outdoor Christmas sceneries and hanging Christmas lights could be your passionate part-time entrepreneurial pursuit. (Say that five times fast when you position yourself to potential clients!)

• Professional Organizer:

Pinterest gives us a false sense of self-help and achievement. No matter how many Ikea bins and iron rods some may invest in, there is a lot to intake and still the overload of belongings requires focus, dedicated timing and planning; something the household owner does not necessarily have and you might. You put the passion into your problem-solving and the passion will lead you to the next problem - thus an enterprise that could earn you a reputable living.

Perhaps you never even thought this could turn into a job opportunity, as this has always been a therapeutic, hobby of yours; looks like therapy pays off after all.

• Personal Shopper:

Groceries, shoes, clothes, school supplies or pet food. If you like to shop, and it is cathartic and it’s not your cash and now you get paid to do it…I rest my case.

• Handy Man for the Elderly:

It takes a patient, understanding and sometimes even physically fit person to be able to make someone’s day by taking care and protecting their home: Making sure everything is safe; lighting, water fixtures, locks, etc. It’s a community service to ensure the lesser able are safe and secure. Enabling senior citizens to live comfortably by establishing yourself as a business savvy person in the home repair industry is a needed skill. If you enjoy the challenge of fixing things to their former glory and find it relaxing to work with your hands, how relaxing will Saturday be for you?

These are just a few ways you can make 52 Saturdays a super success in your life. And who knows? Maybe they’ll work Monday-Friday as well.

-The Green Couch