Getting to Know
Alison J. Prince
Let’s start off with the facts: I am a regular, everyday mom, enjoying life in Puerto Rico, and I love to GEEK OUT about pretty much everything to do with online selling.
From Feeling Stuck to
Online Success
Hey friend! I bet our stories aren't all that different.
Before I was the founder of 4 multimillion-dollar businesses, I was a public-school teacher with a baby on one hip, a husband finishing school, and a salary that qualified us for government assistance.
Founding these businesses wasn’t just about more money in the bank—though, ahem, it definitely was in part about that—it was about providing the future for our family we’ve always dreamed about.
That’s the thing: my story isn’t just about what I did … it’s about why I did it.
It’s about my FAMILY.
The paycheck-to-paycheck life had my husband Jared and I obsessively budgeting to afford everything we needed, let alone anything extra we wanted. We lived pretty tight with our money: no food without coupons, no furniture without garage sale shopping … and definitely no purchases we didn’t plan for.
I’d joyfully chosen to be home with our kids—leaving behind my career in the classroom teaching math and science—but it wasn’t lost on me that if I hadn’t stayed home, the cost of childcare would’ve been MORE than I was bringing home in my paycheck.
We were stuck—even though I felt like we were doing everything right! Until one day…
I glanced at the corner of my makeshift-office to see a pile of crafting scraps, and the rest is history.
My Online Selling Timeline
In the Beginning
My husband was in school studying physical therapy, and we’d just had our first baby. I got darn good at budgeting, saving, and finding all the good deals. After all, we were living on my public-school-teacher salary—which imagine my surprise when I discovered that $28k/yr income qualified our little family of three for government assistance!
The Side-Hustle Life
Once my hubs was out of school and working full time, I got the privilege of staying home with our kids!
It was my dream come true to be a stay-at-home mom, BUT I also wanted an outlet for myself, and I wanted to help contribute financially to our family’s bottom line—whhiiiiich sounds a lot easier than it actually was.
I started a blog with friends, but it wasn’t bringing in much money yet**,
I started to feel like the only way to make money was to get a part-time job outside my home that kept me away from my kiddos—exactly NOT what I wanted.
** That blog project my friends and I started took nearly 3 years to make any kind of substantial money. But it’s now grown to a multimillion-dollar business, and it gives me a playground to test and study business and sales from the “influencer” side.
Turning trash into cash
That pile of crafting scraps I mentioned above? This is where they come in. Nestled in the corner of my office sat a pile of craft supplies left over from a few projects I’d done.
It was a bunch of leftover vinyl, and I had zero use for it—but even though I was willing to toss it, it wasn’t exactly trash.
And so, one-handed while breastfeeding my youngest baby, I listed that “trash” online to see if I could turn it into cash.
If you could’ve only HEARD the thoughts running through my mind! I clicked my index finger to release them into the world, and then I practically RAN away from my computer to begin our family’s morning routine.
*ding* … *ding* … *DING DING DING DING*
Whatever toy was malfunctioning somewhere in our home was getting annoying—but I didn’t have time to find it. “What’s that dinging?!” I asked my innocent husband.
He took off to investigate. But it wasn’t a toy—it was sales.
“That ding is people buying your stuff!”
I burst into tears. It had worked. I had made money from home, while caring for my kiddos. But…now what?
Sooo THAT happened…
Over the next few years, I taught myself how to build and run 4 multimillion- dollar businesses.
I was helping provide for my family—and I was having FUN! By the time I was on my 3rd business, I realized there was a way to work where I didn’t have to give up my whole day, or even work when I didn’t want to (except I usually wanted to!) Instead, I could balance my work between nap times, school and our other family commitments.
That 3rd business is how I decided to test my one(ish)-hit-wonder fears.
I started selling pillows without telling anyone but my husband—when it hit a million in sales, I knew I’d found a system that worked and could be replicated…
My kids just made $100K
Because it’s the kind of *cool* parents we are, Jared and I entered into negotiations with our 10- and 13-year-old daughters, Bridges and Makayla.
It was time they started getting their tushes out of bed before noon on the weekends and doing something productive—so we offered them an excellent deal: they could do more chores, start their own business or they could move out. 😉
They’d helped me pack and ship orders, celebrate sales and big goals, and they’d even seen a few of my biggest mistakes—but when it came to doing it themselves, they had their doubts.
But faced with the alternative of more chores or moving out of Mom and Dad’s house, they decided to take the deal. (Pssst. Thank goodness they didn’t call our bluff on the moving out!!!)
We believed they could do it, so we loaned them a cool $200 to buy their starting inventory and coached them through the whole thing. Nine months later—they’d made $100K!
Our KIDS had done it, too! And they did it virtually all by themselves; after all, I was busy running a few online shops of my own. They had to figure out a lot of it together.
Sure, I’d taught them the methods, but they’d put in the work. This was their money, and short of paying back our investment—with interest!—they got to put it in their pockets (and bank accounts) where it belonged.
Because I Can
I realized that everything I’d built—what I’d accomplished—was something I could TEACH! Except instead of science and math, this time I could teach people just like me to change their LIVES.
My sister asked me to teach her the process and made $120k in 9 months—enough for her to adopt a beautiful baby girl.
Friends I saw at a craft show where they made only $80 used my system to earn $35.5k in the first 3 weeks—and have since gone on to hit the multimillion-dollar level in sales.
Andddd then God told me it was time to take it online.
Since that time, the business I started to help my family have the financial freedom to do a bit more has equipped more than 100,000 people to do the same. Things like taking dream vacations, avoiding going into debt, building homes, retiring early and SO MUCH MORE.
If I could go back and hug 2011 Alison and tell her all about it—she’d never believe me.
But really, if I could tell her just one thing, it would be to believe that she could do it.
Because SHE CAN.
She can do hard things. She can make mistakes and figure out how to fix them.
She can build four multimillion-dollar businesses—all starting from an idea she wasn’t sure would make a dime!
And, most importantly, she can teach thousands of people how to change their lives just like she did.
That, my friends, is the Because I Can Life.
And now it’s your turn. Because you are next.
Find Answers to
Frequently Asked Questions
Well, I originally didn’t want to teach people how to do this because the whole idea was REALLY SCARY. I’m a big—WAY BIG—introvert, so the very thought of being online teaching how to do this had me absolutely quaking.
But I’d decided early on to make God my business partner, and He let me know that what I’d learned all those years of selling online wasn’t about me. It was about other people—and other families. I needed to teach them how to start their own online stores. It took Him 3 years of prompting to get me moving out of my comfort zone. And I’m so grateful He did.
My students’ successes have become my obsession. When they hit new milestones or have wins, I celebrate right along with them. They are why I continue to sell online to test new products and methods. It allows me to stay current about what’s happening out there so I can bring it back and give it to students so they can put it to work in their own shops.
Ohmygoodness! I’m super glad you asked that question! I’m probably best known for the 0-$100K System. It’s the one I created as I started and expanded my own online businesses—and it gives an incredible basis for anyone wanting to sell products online. That’s why over 11,000 people have joined! And every day we get to learn about someone in the group who has taken workshop information and absolutely CRUSHED it! The additional workshops, sprints, and challenges I’ve introduced are designed to meet the needs of people wherever they are along the online sales path. Some have never even considered owning an online store; others already have one and want more intensive experience that allow them to aggressively scale their businesses. Click here to find the right workshop for you.
Nope. To be honest, I was running 4 multimillion-dollar businesses of my own at that time, so I didn’t have time for tons of handholding. So I taught them my process (which was later called the 0-$100K System) and then they went to work. They learned how to start their own online store, pack and ship their items, and even handle customer service issues. The one thing I did do was cheer them on—because we all need that, right?
For the most part, nothing. Ecommerce is the name for selling products online—and that’s exactly what I teach. You’ll hear me say “online business”, “online store”, “online shop” or similar terms. Some people new to this idea can be unfamiliar with the word “ecommerce” so I use phrases that they do understand.
You might have heard that getting into online selling requires you to invest a bunch of inventory, use drop shopping, and spend a hours a day on your business. You might also have heard that there’s a ginormous learning curve.
No wonder so many people don’t go into the world of online selling!
Those beliefs are just not true. You don’t need to spend tons of money on inventory, use drop shipping, or devote all your time to build a successful online store. My students are proof that you can start with almost nothing and build a great business. (Listen to Trish’s story or Shannon’s story.)
What is required is for you to take the first step and get started. Then I walk you through the process so you can start making money quickly.
The 0-$100K System came from the process I developed as a busy wife and mom with limited hours. From the very beginning, selling online had to fit into my life, which is why I designed it to fit into yours. You don’t have to have a social media following, and it NEVER depends on you having to sell to your friends and family. The 0-100 System gives you the information and tools you need to generate extra income—maybe even full-time income—while living a full and rich life.
Nope. And anyone who says selling online is saturated…is telling a big fib. More and more customers are buying products online, from clothing to cooking essentials—and they’re buying them from people just like you. Listen to a few of my students’ stories from the How to Sell Online podcast to find out how they’ve done it:
- Maria has sold six figures in t-shirts
- Wendy has hit the six-figure mark selling glitter
- Mandy built a million-dollar family business sending letters
- Kelly created a six-figure business in just 2 years selling pajamas
When you join the 0-$100K System, you’ll learn how to find out what’s trending and the best way to get buyers to choose to purchase from you again and again. Most importantly, you’ll find out how serving others is the most important component of any business.
Do you know how much freedom you feel when someone asks you WHY you’re doing something and you simply reply, “Because I Can”? Well, THAT’S what the Because I Can family is all about.
This family is a diverse group of women (and men and kids!) who have decided that enough is enough. They’re tired of the rat race, the struggle, and living with daily worries. We believe in taking the first step towards freedom and believe that it’s possible to generate extra income by selling online. And whether you’re a stay-at-home mom, a busy professional, or a stressed-out student, we want you to join us. Because this is more than just you receiving online business coaching or earning extra money. It’s about helping you build a life you love.
I am a regular, everyday mom.
The kind who loves kid hugs and cries whenever I have to wave goodbye to my kids when they’re head out on a trip. I love, love, LOVE being a parent—especially getting to co-parent with my husband Jared.
I’ll take a number one with lemonade, please.
Here’s what else I love: Chick-fil-A. My dream retirement job is to volunteer to hand out mints to customers. It is my happy place.
An introverted adventurer.
I’m an introvert who loves staying home…but…I pried myself out of my comfort zone to visit China 7 times to vet the product manufacturers I . Hey—how else would I make sure the companies I’m recommending to my students are awesome?
Online selling geek.
I love to GEEK OUT about pretty much everything to do with online selling. Wanna talk sales strategy? Discuss fulfillment? Identify trends and create cool stuff that customers will love? Oh my goodness—you are speaking my language!
I am a regular, everyday mom.
The kind who loves kid hugs and cries whenever I have to wave goodbye to my kids when they’re head out on a trip. I love, love, LOVE being a parent—especially getting to co-parent with my husband Jared.
I’ll take a number one with lemonade, please.
Here’s what else I love: Chick-fil-A. My dream retirement job is to volunteer to hand out mints to customers. It is my happy place.
An introverted adventurer.
I’m an introvert who loves staying home…but…I pried myself out of my comfort zone to visit China 7 times to vet the product manufacturers I . Hey—how else would I make sure the companies I’m recommending to my students are awesome?
Online selling geek.
I love to GEEK OUT about pretty much everything to do with online selling. Wanna talk sales strategy? Discuss fulfillment? Identify trends and create cool stuff that customers will love? Oh my goodness—you are speaking my language!