See that countdown clock over there in the sidebar? Have you wondered what it's all about? Well, I get to spill the beans now, and I"m truly excited to be able to share. I have signed up to work with The OpenSky Project to begin selling items here at Everyday Baby Steps. Wait, no, don't go away - I'm not going to try to sell you anything or use any smarmy, pushy sales techniques. This partnership isn't anything like that. The OpenSky Project is a new, revolutionary way of shopping that's good for small business, good for people who love to share new products with their friends and good for the consumer.

True Business Professionals Behind the Concept

Think this sounds too good to be true? It's not. Many of you who may be bloggers or who spend a lot of time online may already be familiar with OpenSky. Before deciding to partner with them, I had seen my bloggy friends opening their own OpenSky shops and was very curious. So I started to follow them a bit on Twitter. When I did, I realized that Ted Rubin, formerly or e.l.f., was involved with the project as their social media specialist. Well, I happen to have tweeted with Ted quite a bit and worked with him on my e.l.f. Makeup At Home party. He's a businessman who's earned my respect, so I knew I wanted to learn more.

Retail That's Relationship Driven

What I learned is that The OpenSky Project is an online shopping platform that is relationship driven. What that means is that OpenSky partners with people, mostly bloggers, to sell products that these people hand choose and that they stand behind. It's a free service for sellers, who receive a 50% share of the sales. We've all seen affiliate marketing, and many people have become successful with it. I'm no sales person though, and my ADD doesn't allow me to track down all the products, sign up for each affiliate network and attempt to track sales, all while still blogging and maintaining my freelance business. This is where I think OpenSky is different.

A Boutique One-Stop Shop

OpenSky allows sellers to hand-pick the items they sell. Sellers are able to form relationships with the suppliers, who are mostly small business owners themselves, and to share them with their readers and followers. It's like owning your own little boutique, without the costs of retail space or overhead. Genius! While I've joined kind of late in the game and am just now beginning to choose my shop's products, I envision being able to offer the best in affordable, high-quality beauty supplies, health accessories, fashion apparel and innovative items to make a mom's life easier. My shop will be run on the same philosophy as my blog - I will share what I feel is meaningful and helpful for moms.

My Motivation and More About OpenSky

This is not a get-rich-quick endeavor. Like anything else, you get out of it what you put in. My motivation for joining OpenSky was to become part of something I could get behind, to continue branching out as a business woman. It's taken me about two years of working online to finally begin to see myself as a true business woman. Working with OpenSky will allow me to pursue another avenue for learning and for helping to provide for my family. I encourage you to take a look at this segment on Good Morning America, featuring OpenSky, to get an idea of what individuals are getting out of their experience with OpenSky. (The seller on this segment is Sarah Mae. Take a look at her shop - she's so wonderful!) Visit the OpenSky website to learn more.

Something Exciting Is Coming

This really is very exciting. I can't wait to share more with you. Look for my shop to open August 10th! Visit this page to sign up for updates on The OpenSky Project and for your chance to win a secret prize!