Home Based Business
Tuesday, May 27, 2008, by Leigh Anne
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Fourteen years ago we built the house that we currently live in. We moved from our small, one bathroom bungalow in the city to our 5 bedroom home in the suburbs. With the birth of our fourth child - we had definitely outgrown that house!
Not only did we buy a lot more house - we bought a lot more yard. We went from a small city lot to a 17,000 square foot yard - or rather 17,000 square feet of clay dirt. That’s all there was - dirt - there was not one tree, flower, bush or stick!
As I mentioned yesterday, the extent of my gardening experience was 3 pots of geraniums on my front porch. So what were we going to do with 17,000 square feet of dirt?? I decided that I wanted a garden, I wanted a garden like the ones you see in magazines. The only problem was I knew nothing about gardening or where to even start.
I was in the same situation 17 years ago when I started my homebased business - I knew nothing about running a business or sales. I had never sold anything before. Let’s face it I had a degree in Clothing and Textiles - I had spent four years in college learning how to construct a blazer - not selling anything!
But I had a desire - I had a desire to have a beautiful garden and I also had a desire to have a successful, income producing business. That is the first step in achieving anything - desire.
Step One: Start with a Desire
Step Two: Develop a Plan! Start small and start now. Don’t allow your fears, lack of knowledge or information keep you from moving forward. My first step in creating the beautiful garden I wanted was to take a class on landscape design from the local community education program. There I learned that I needed a plan. I knew I couldn’t tackle all 17,000 square feet at once. I learned that the first thing I needed to do was amend my soil - we brought in truck loads of good dirt. I then decided to focus on one area of the yard a time.
Have a plan for your goal or desire. Start small and start now! Don’t allow fear to hold you back, be willing to take the first steps.
The beginning of our plan - good dirt and an irrigation system.
Step Three: Get resources, books, tapes, advice from the experts - I consider these things to be “Shortcuts to Success”. Get on the Internet and ‘google’ your area of focus. Go to Amazon.com or the public library and check out books. I spent a lot of time reading gardening magazines and books I had checked out from the library in addition to the information I learned at the class I was taking. I would also go for walks and look at yards, look for plants/flowers I liked. I would even go up to people’s doors to ask them names of ones I didn’t know. I spent a lot of time wandering around nurseries, asking questions and making lists of flowers and plants I liked and taking pictures of plants.
Step Four: Find a Mentor. One day when I was at a nursery purchasing some plants, the cashier mentioned that I was buying plants similar to ones a garden designer, who had just been in, was also purchasing. I asked what their name was and the cashier gave me the garden designer’s card. I went home and immediately called her. She invited me to come visit her garden - and could I come right now? I was expecting dinner guests within an hour but didn’t want to miss out on this opportunity so I quickly explained to my husband what he needed to do to finish up dinner and I headed out to tour her garden. I was in love! Her garden was amazing (it’s been featured in many national gardening magazines, Fred Meyer commercials etc.) and I wanted a garden just like hers!! I took Jim back a few days later and he was in love too.
We hired Margaret to help us with our plan. She helped us define our space and pick plants that were appropriate to the areas. She taught us as we went along and we learned so much from her.
Jim and Margaret looking over the plan
Find a mentor, an expert in the field, someone who has done what you want to do and is willing to teach you. I have used this step many times. When I’ve wanted to get more organized I’ve asked a friend who is incredibly organized to come over and help me. Find someone who models the trait you want to possess.
Step Five: Set aside time for growth daily. Gardens take time. We couldn’t turn our large piece of dirt into a beautiful garden over night. It is an ongoing process and still is today. Building a successful business takes time. It takes consistent effort and focus. Using time techniques such as Fifteen Minute Focus and Power Hour have helped me in my garden and in my business. I use the Fifteen Minute Focus to keep the garden weeded!
So here are some pictures of what my garden looks like today - the next picture was taken from the same window that the first picture above was …quite a change!
Our woodland path.
Next week I’ll share with you a few more gardening lessons I learned along the way that also apply to achieving our goals and dreams.
Happy Gardening!
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Categories: Goals, Home Based Business, Inspire
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Sunday, March 16, 2008, by Leigh Anne
“The things that make you feel, think, laugh”
Today is Part Three of our Finding Focus series.
The last few weeks I have shared ideas on how to find focus in your life and homebased business when you only have a few minutes with the Fifteen Minute Focus or how to get focused when you have a whole day with the concept of the Catch Up Day.
But what about the in between? You have more than a few minutes but not quite a whole day. Try the Power Hour!
The Power Hour is a technique I learned years ago from Sue Rusch, a former top leader with Pampered Chef.
The Power Hour is a catch up technique you can use, like the Fifteen Minute Focus when you are feeling overwhelmed and constantly behind. This technique has helped me to gather that splattered energy and refocus my attention - to focus on what really matters.
Here is how it works - you beg, borrow or steal one hour during the day to devote entirely and totally to your business or some other project you are trying to accomplish.
If you have young children at home, hire a sitter, trade with a neighbor, negotiate with your husband or stay up an hour later or get up an hour earlier than everyone else (this is what I find works best for me).
During this Power Hour you work as hard as you can on that one thing that has been eating at you - those customer care calls you can’t seem to get done (don’t do this one late at night or early in the morning :), the closet that needs organizing, or that exercise routine that keeps getting neglected - whatever it is that has been nagging at you.
A Power Hour is dedicated to one task or a couple of smaller ones. If you are using this concept to help you get more focused with your business be sure to stay focused on business building activities!
We need to realize we can not do everything - at least not all at the same time. You need a clear sense of the activities that are worthy of your time and those that will contribute little to your goals and mission.
Confucius said, “The man who chases 2 rabbits catches neither.”
Having the self-discipline to focus on our best activities - ones that create results that are desired can be challenging.
Focusing on the worthy is the golden key to time management, finding focus, balance and life fulfillment.
Here are tips that helped me during my Power Hour:
- Just like with the Fifteen Minute Focus - use a timer.
- Decide on what your reward will be at the end of your Power Hour - maybe a cup of tea, a movie with your husband or a hot bath before bed or maybe even some chocolate!
- Do not answer the phone during your Power Hour.
- Shut the door to the room where you are working if possible and remember what I tell my children - don’t bother me unless there is blood or you’re not breathing!
In the book “Don’t Worry, Make Money“ Richard Carlson recommends “experimenting with the one-hour solution.” Spending one hour each and every day, doing what is the critical inch of your business. The critical inch being the key parts of our business (not simply busy work), income producing activities.
Just this week, I used the technique to help me get caught up on an Internet course I had enrolled in. I had gotten very behind (15 weeks behind to tell the truth!). I set aside a Power Hour each day and set a goal to accomplish two lessons a day and now I am almost caught up!
So what is the one thing that has been nagging at you, causing you to feel splattered and unfocused? Find time for one Power Hour this week and work on that project. Give it a try and let me know by leaving a comment below how it works for you!
Happy Power Hour!
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Categories: Home Based Business, Inspire, Motivation, Time Management
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Sunday, March 9, 2008, by Leigh Anne
“The things that make you feel, think, laugh”
Last week I introduced you to my new blog post category - “Nest” with a fun idea of planting your own Easter grass.
Today I introduce my second new category - “Inspire”. On Monday’s I will be sharing ideas and tips that have inspired me and that hopefully will inspire you. The majority of them will have something to do with balancing a job/business or just life with a family but you never know what may inspire me during the week!
Before I share this week’s idea I want to explain why I chose the above picture to represent my “Inspire” posts.
One of my favorite things to do is to sit in my kitchen or my office and watch the hummingbirds out in my garden. They are amazing little birds.
Did you know that not only can they fly vertical and horizontal but they are also the only bird who can fly backwards. They are able to hover midair as their wings flap 15-80 times a second! They amaze me.
So I chose a picture of a hummingbird in the garden - it inspires me and I hope that my “Inspire” posts will inspire you!
You may remember that last week I shared with you a disorder I suffer from - A.A.A.A.D.D. -
Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder.
Today I will share a strategy I use when I am really having a hard time focusing.
A Catch Up Day is a great idea when you are really feeling overwhelmed with all those unfinished projects and having a hard time staying focused long enough to complete any of them. But sometimes a Catch Up Day is just not in the picture, so here is another strategy you can use to help you focus on a project that needs to get done!
The 15 Minute Focus
When you don’t have a whole day to devote to those unfinished projects use the 15 Minute Focus. I found that I can accomplish just about anything in 15 minute increments.
I have cleaned and organized my garage, weeded the garden, gotten caught up on my scrapbooks, sewn a quilt and organized every room in my house by using this technique!
I have learned that you can suffer through anything for 15 minutes (and longer if a new baby is the result of your efforts!)
So what job have you been putting off and dreading? Is it cleaning the garage, getting those photos into an album or something else?
The trick that really makes this technique work though is that you only do it for 15 minutes. I use a kitchen timer to make sure I don’t work for more than 15 minutes. It is important that you don’t think “Hey I’m on a roll, I’ll just keep going.”
The problem with that is that next time you need a 15 minute focus you will say to yourself, “I can’t do this because I don’t have 30 -45 minutes.” Only work for 15 minutes at a time - NO MORE!
You’ll be amazed at how much you can accomplish in 15 minutes of FOCUSED time. Allow no distractions, no phone calls, etc. Set a timer!
Tell your family that they are not allowed to talk to you - lock yourself in the room if you have too. I tell my kids “Unless there is blood or you are not breathing - LEAVE ME ALONE!
(Those of you with younger children will want to make sure another responsible adult is supervising the children!)
So give it a try and let me know how it goes. Let me know what you are able to accomplish during your 15 Minute Focus.
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Categories: Goals, Home Based Business, Inspire, Motivation, Organizational Tips, Time Management
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Sunday, March 2, 2008, by Leigh Anne
Recently, I was diagnosed with A.A.A.D.D. -Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder.
This is how it manifests:
I decide to water my garden. As I turn on the hose in the driveway,
I look over at my car and decide it needs washing.
As I start toward the garage, I notice mail on the porch table that
I brought up from the mail box earlier. I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car. I lay my car keys on the table, put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table, and notice that the can is full.
So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the garbage first.
But then I think, since I’m going to be near the mailbox when I take out the garbage anyway, I may as well pay the bills first. I take my check book off the table, and see that there is only one check left.
My extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I go inside the house to my desk where I find the can of Coke I’d been drinking. I’m going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the Coke aside so that I don’t accidentally knock it over.
The Coke is getting warm, and I decide to put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.
As I head toward the kitchen with the Coke,a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye–they need water. I put the Coke on the counter and discover my reading glasses that I’ve been searching for all morning.
I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I’m going to water the flowers. I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water and suddenly spot the TV remote. Someone left it on the kitchen table.
I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, I’ll be looking for the remote,
but I won’t remember that it’s on the kitchen table,so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs, but first I’ll water the flowers.
I pour some water in the flowers, but quite a bit of it spills on the floor.
So, I set the remote back on the table, get some towels and wipe up the spill.
Then, I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.
At the end of the day:
the car isn’t washed
the bills aren’t paid
there is a warm can of Coke sitting on the counter
the flowers don’t have enough water,
there is still only 1 check in my check book,
I can’t find the remote,
I can’t find my glasses,
and I don’t remember what I did with the car keys.
Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I’m really baffled because I know I was busy all stinking day, and I’m really tired.
I realize this is a serious problem,
and I’ll try to get some help for it,
but first I’ll check my e-mail….
And I thought I was just having a hard time focusing - now I can blame it on A.A.A.D.D.! This fun little description was sent to me by my sister in law last week and I thought it so perfectly described how some of my days go.
Is it just me or do the rest of you have a hard time focusing sometimes?
I guess this also explains why more times than I’d like to admit I find myself out in public with only half my makeup on.
I have this morning routine. I put on half my makeup and then blow dry my hair. I wait to put on my eye makeup until after my hair is dry because sometimes my eyes water while blow drying my hair and my eyeliner and mascara run.
More times than I’d like to admit though I get distracted after blow drying my hair. This week I was distracted by deciding I needed to clean out the makeup drawer.
My makeup drawer is now amazingly clean, and you can once again tell the inside of the drawer is white and not every shade of makeup I’ve every worn. But I ended up out in public again with only half my makeup on.
I didn’t even realize it until I was over at the high school, working in the costume shop, and my sweet high school freshman daughter (aka Makeup Maven) walked in and announced to the entire room - “Mom, you only have half your makeup on!”
One of the moms commented,”Oh, I thought you just had a cold.”
My goal for this week is to stay focused while applying my makeup and not go out in public with only half of it on!
One of the challenges of trying to balance being a mom with a homebased business is dealing with the many distractions we encounter on a daily basis - everything from phone calls, emails, doorbells, laundry, dirty dishes etc. There are a lot of distractions that come with just being a mom let alone adding a business or job on top of it!
Over the next few weeks I will share with you some tips and ideas for finding focus in your daily life/business so that hopefully I’ll be showing up in public with ALL my makeup on and both of us will be saying the following a little less..
“I start, but I get distracted and never finish.”
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Categories: Home Based Business, Team Talk
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Monday, February 18, 2008, by Leigh Anne
This past week I was doing a little “cleaning out” of my files and came across a handout dated 1998. It was from a presentation done by a fellow “side line” in my direct sales company, Linda Hill. The presentation was entitled “Help! I’m in a Rut? How do I Get Out?”
Usually about this time of year, the newness and enthusiasm for the “fresh start” of a new year has worn off. We may even find ourself “Stuck in a Rut”. Using Linda’s “ruts” I want to share some of my ideas and tips with you for getting out of those “ruts”.
First - what is a rut? The dictionary defines it as a 1) worn track or 2) a fixed routine. On the “road of life” there are ruts everywhere. It is easy, especially if we’re not paying attention, to find ourselves in a DEEP rut. Sometimes it is easier just staying there, following it where it may lead us but we may find that it leads us somewhere we don’t want to go! So we need to learn to recognize those ruts, how to avoid them and most importantly, how to GET OUT of them!
Some Types of Ruts….
Style Rut
Do you find yourself wearing the same clothes day after day (jeans and a t-shirt), holding onto clothes you haven’t worn in years and will probably never wear again or is everything in your closet black?
Last year I decided to hire a stylist to come in and help me “update” my look. As we went through my closet (yes, a scary thing!) she pointed out that I had FORTY black tops hanging in my closet. I was in a “black rut.” We managed to remove 10 garbage bags of clothes from my closet - leaving me those things that I really like, look good in, that fit me and that I wear! It was a very “freeing” experience.
If hiring a stylist isn’t in your budget, ask a friend whose style you admire to come in and help you. Take them shopping with you - break out of your style rut whether it is a “jeans and t-shirt” rut or like me, a “black rut”.
Personal/Spiritual Rut
As women, our natural tendency is to always put others first. If you we don’t take time to “fill our own cup” we can find that cup dry, You need to decide how you can keep your cup “full”. It may mean 30 minutes of “alone time” or meditation each day. Working out at the gym on a regular basis, taking time to read a good book, or enjoying a cup of tea with a friend.
The first of this year I joined a women’s scripture study group at my church which meets every Wednesday morning. I marked off every Wednesday morning for the rest of the year on my calendar. Wednesday mornings have become “sacred” time for me.
Family Rut
When your children are small it may seem that they are always underfoot and family time is “all the time”. But as your children get older and involved in the millions of different activities, finding quality time together can be harder and harder. When my children were smaller we always had “family night” each week. One night dedicated to being together, learning together, playing together and enjoying a special treat together. Now that the boys are gone and the two girls are involved in so many activities and an unending supply of homework it has become harder and more irregular. We need to get back into the “rut” of regular family time.
In fact last night we had a family “meeting” and recommitted to having more regular family time. It may only be 30 minutes one night a week but it gives us an opportunity to connect and be together.
Clutter Rut
Clutter is a procrastinated decision. I have already shared with you that my “revised” clutter goal for this year is to declutter one area of my house a month. Take it in bite size pieces - don’t try to tackle all your clutter at one time. As I am going through the different areas of my house I do it with the mindset of “If I were moving tomorrow, what would I want to take with me?”. That has really helped me as I make decisions on what to keep and what to toss.
Perfectionism Rut
On my office wall I have a saying that reads “Remember you don’t have to be perfect, just get it going!” Getting stuck in a perfectionism rut, thinking we can’t do something unless we can do it perfectly, will bring you to a complete standstill. One thing I have learned is there is never the “perfect” time. You just have to jump in and do it! Take risks and realize you aren’t perfect and no one expects you to be perfect! Perfectionism is an excuse to stop before you start whether you are waiting for the perfect time to have a baby or work your business. Done is better than perfect!
Attitude Rut
My children have learned that if they have time to complain they have too much time on their hands. They learned at an early age that if they told me “I’m bored” there was a job to do. I have even been known to assign chores to neighbor children who dared to say “I’m bored” in my presence!
My youngest daughter has the habit of always telling me what she doesn’t want. I have to constantly remind her - “Don’t tell me what you don’t want - tell me what you do want.” It’s a matter of changing your way of thinking - don’t focus on the negative, focus on the positive.
My friend and former upline always says “Make it a Great Day” - not “Have a Great Day” because it really is up to us. We can choose to make each day a great day - it is not by chance or happenstance. We make our days great!
Business Rut
No matter how long we have been in business we all find ourselves in a rut. It may be in part due to that “Perfectionism Rut” - we’re waiting for the perfect time to work our business - when the children are older, when you’re more familiar with the companies products, when the grass turns purple (just kidding). Believe me I have heard all kinds of excuses over the last 17 years for not working the business - and some of them have even come from my own mouth!
If you find yourself with no events on the books, stuck in a rut -”get a life“. Join an exercise class (wear a t-shirt with your companies logo on it to class), a mom’s club, or volunteer somewhere. Put yourself in places where you will meet new people on a regular basis. Use the marketing tools your company has provided. Make a goal to handout at least one business card a day (don’t forget to “exchange” information) Intentionally LOOK for opportunities and ASK for classes!
Get on the phone and call your existing customer base - when is the last time you did that? If they are not interested in hosting an event, ask them for a referral - just keep ASKING!
Common Underlying Theme….
Maybe you have noticed that the common theme to each “rut” solution is ACTION on your part. There are people and resources to help but you have to decide you want to change and ASK for solutions and then put them into ACTION. An ancient Chinese proverb says..
“When you hear something, you will forget it.
When you see something, you will remember it.
But not until you DO something, will you understand it.”
A quick review
1. Identify what “ruts” you may be experiencing
2. Resolve to do something about it
3. Record where you are and where you want to be (set a goal)
4. Find a “mentor” (like my stylist or a friend) that has strengths you want to emulate and ask for help.
5. Once you get the information and advice you need, USE it and take an active part of making the necessary changes.
Have you found yourself in a rut? I’d love for you to share it with us by leaving a comment below - maybe I or one of your fellow blog readers will have a suggestion for you!
Let the changes begin!
Popularity: 59% [?]
Categories: Goals, Home Based Business, Motivation, Personal Growth
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Monday, February 4, 2008, by Leigh Anne
As my children like to affectionately tell me “Mom, you have issues.” I do admit to one “issue” - email management. A few weeks ago I shared with you my quest to get control of my office desk in “Declutter Your Desk”. Well, with a homebased business we actually have two desks - our actual, physical desk and then the desk that exists on our computer, more specifically our email inbox. Because of the electronic world we live in my physical, paper inbox has become much smaller but my virtual, electronic inbox has gotten out of control!
On average I receive about 75-100 emails a day. Left unattended this can very quickly get out of control. This morning I had over 250 emails in my inbox - some of which have been there a long time - that is just too many! Your inbox should not be a storage system or a “to do” list. We would never consider leaving our actual physical mail in the mailbox until we had time to deal with it
My goal for the week - “Declutter My Inbox!” I use the same process to declutter my inbox as I do for my physical, paper inbox - File it, Refer it, Take action or Delete it.
File it
I have set up folders in my email program just like I have in my filing cabinet. These folders are for information that I want to be able to reference in the future. I have 19 main folders which represent all the different roles, jobs, organizations, projects etc. that I am involved including one for my homebased business (which has 23 subfolders in it.) I have a folder for the various organizations I am involved in (American Mothers, DSWA, various other online courses I am taking, family, church responsibilities, travel info, beach house business, blog ideas, and a reference file for misc. info I may need to access later)
The sub folders for my business include: Challenges (team and customer challenges/contests), Contact and Referrals, Creative Ideas, Home Events, Leadership Development, Motivational, New Consultant Training, Organizational Tips, Product Ideas, Profitability, Recruiting, Sales Tips, Scheduling, Team Meeting Ideas, Webinars. These are all topics that I work with on a daily basis in my business.
I also have individual folders for pending/upcoming events, such as conventions, large customer events etc. If you find you have a piece of email that you don’t know what to do with - you probably need to create a folder. But don’t get in the habit of keeping things just to keep them!
A regular clean up of these folders is necessary too -if you haven’t needed or accessed the information in the last 6-12 months - do you really need it???
Refer It
As soon as I receive an email that I need to forward to someone else I do it -immediately! Then delete your copy unless it needs further action on your part later. (see next step)
Take Action
I have two categories for Action items - anything that takes 2 minutes or less to deal with I do immediately. If it will take longer than 2 minutes I put it into my Action Folder. The important thing here is to be sure and schedule time daily to deal with these action items - don’t just stick them in a folder and forget them - it’s like forgetting to look at your To Do list each day!
Delete It
I love the feeling of power and completion that comes with hitting that delete button! Be sure and have your email program settings such that it automatically empties your deleted mail. My deleted mail had thousands of emails in it before I figured out how to do this!!
So this morning I had over 250 emails in my inbox and right now, after about 30 minutes of work I am down to 46 - my goal by the end of the day is ZERO! Think I can do it?
So how many emails do you have in your inbox? Leave a comment below and let me know!
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Categories: Direct Sales, Home Based Business, Organizational Tips
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Thursday, January 31, 2008, by Leigh Anne
You have heard me say it before -one of the best things about my direct sales homebased business is the friends I have made.
Today I want to share one of those friends with you - Sherra (yes, it is pronounced Share - a). We have been friends and business associates for over a decade. We have shared a lot over the years. We’ve shared business ideas, favorite books, recipes, incentive trips, visits in each other’s homes and a friendship that transcends the 2500+ miles that is the distance between our homes and lots of laughs.
I can honestly say Sherra is the funniest friend I have (and I have some pretty funny friends), she makes me laugh - a lot! Sherra is an amazing lady - she has had a lot of different experiences in her life - some good, some bad but all have made her stronger, wiser and funnier! (Even the severe head injury!)
As a result of the “magic of the internet” you can meet her too! She’s recently started her own website (she’ll tell you she did this at my urging - and I’ll take the credit!) where she shares many of her life experiences and how they have helped to shape the person she is today.
I know she’ll make you laugh - she is the funniest person I know. Seriously, I mean that. So I hope you will visit Sherra at www.Sharealifelesson.com to get to know her better, learn from her life lessons and to have a good laugh now and then!
So in the interest of sharing Sherra, here are three things she’s recently shared with me.
The $2.00 product that changed Oprah’s life!
- Is this cool or what!! The new Scotch/3M highlighter with built-in post-it flags is exactly the kind of thing that Sherra knew I would love. We are both voracious readers and she was surprised when I hadn’t heard about it yet. Of course, I went out the very next day and bought one. I would have gone that night but Office Depot was already closed!
- Sherra is a techno wizard” - well, at least compared to me! She shared with me a great way to change my comment section on this blog so you all can comment more and talk to each other. So be sure and leave a comment - let me know if she made you laugh!
- I love chocolate chip cookies - they are my absolute favorite, especially when they are warm! Sherra shared with me this yummy recipe that gives a new twist to chocolate chip cookies. There is a secret ingredient - malt - and if you love malt, you’ll love these. Even if you don’t love malt I think you’ll still like the cookies - YUM!
LA Note- if you have not ever bought Malt before you will find it in the section of the store with the chocolate milk powder and hot chocolate. The malt flavor is very subtle in these cookies so don’t be afraid! Watch the timing of your oven - I found my time varied a little from Sherra’s - they cooked faster so just check them.
Chocolate Malted Cookies
- 1 cup butter flavored shortening (Crisco)
- 1 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup malted milk powder (Original)
- 2 Tbsp. chocolate syrup
- 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup milk chocolate chips
In a mixing bowl, combine the first five ingredients; beat for 2 minutes. Add egg. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture, mixing well after each addition. Stir in chocolate chunks and chips. Shape into 2 inch balls; place 3 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375 for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 2 minutes before removing to a wire rack. - Yield: about 1 1/2 dozen.
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Categories: Cookie Jar, Direct Sales, Friends, Home Based Business, Recipes
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Monday, January 21, 2008, by Leigh Anne
It is freezing cold here in Portland, Oregon. O.k., it’s only in the low 30’s but the wind is blowing and for us that is cold (I did grow up in Wisconsin so I really do know what cold is but I have lived in Oregon long enough to have readjusted).
So any way - I was getting ready to go for a walk this morning and since it is so cold I decided I needed my ear muffs, gloves and a scarf and as I was reaching into the closet to get them - OUCH! I pulled a muscle in my shoulder/back. All I did was reach - I must be getting old!
I am now sitting at the computer with my “Original Bed Buddy“, something that looks like a long sock full of some kind of grain that you heat up in the microwave and it really does make my muscle feel better - so at least I can type this post. The only problem is my children think it stinks so they won’t come near me when I am using it (or maybe that isn’t a problem:).
Back to the post - last week I shared with you my Desk Declutter and that one of the things on my desk was my Smart Book. I promised more details on the Smart Book so here they are.
My Smart Book is called “my Smart Book” because it is my brain. It contains all the important papers, lists, directories, information that I refer to on a regular/daily basis for my business. As I mentioned in last weeks post - people spend 150 hours a year looking for things. My Smart Bookhas helped me cut that number down quite a bit. (If you read my Desk Declutter post - I did find the rebate check I was looking for!!)
To make your own Smart Book you will need:
- A two inch - 3 ring binder
- A set of numbered tabs (1-15)
- All the papers, lists, publications etc. for your business that you refer to on a daily/weekly basis.
My Smart Book contains the following tabs:
Business Calendar (team meetings, webinars, conferences, customer events etc.)
Monthly Company Consultant Newsletter
Team Roster (my first line team members) -includes name, address, phone and email
Leader Roster (all team leaders)
Customer Newsletter
Customer Product Price List
Incentive Brochures -Qualifications for Company Sales and Recruiting Incentives
Incentive Trip Brochure/Qualifications
Convention Brochures (Regional, National and Leadership)
Upcoming Customer Event Registrations/Info
Company “Help” Numbers
Policy and Procedure Manual
Monthly Management Reports
Conference Call Info
Your Smart Book categories may vary. During the next couple of weeks keep a list of those items you use and refer to on a regular basis - what are you spending time searching for on your desk? These are the things that should be put into your Smart Book.
I just 3 hole punch the list, brochure etc. and put it right into the binder or for somethings I put a top loading page protector in the binder and slip in the item (fold out incentive trip brochure)- whichever works best for you.
The trick is to keep it updated - each month remove the outdated info and replace it with the current month’s publication. You will find yourself referring to your Smart Book many times a day - when a downline calls with a question about the current sales incentive, how many points they need to earn an incentive trip or a customer calls to find out about a monthly special.
Be Smart - get a Smart Book!
Popularity: 62% [?]
Categories: Direct Sales, Home Based Business, Organizational Tips
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Wednesday, January 16, 2008, by Leigh Anne
O.K. so I know - I usually share a recipe on Wednesdays but today, instead, I’m going to share some tax advice! Like many of you, bookkeeping and taxes are two of my LEAST favorite things in the world but a necessity with a homebased business.
Recipes are much more fun I know, but yesterday I participated in a conference call sponsored by the Barefoot Executive featuring Deduction Diva, Vicki Collins. Vicki is a CPA that specializes in working with homebased business, especially direct sales. Be sure and check out her website.
On the call Vicki shared her Tax To Do List for 2008. She had a lot of good ideas and tips. Here’s her list -
1. If you have inventory and didn’t do a count on December 31st - do it now!
2. Get an official odometer reading. If you are ever audited, IRS may ask to see proof of your odometer reading at the beginning and end of the year. If you haven’t had any repair work or oil changes in the past month, you will need to find a way to get a reading. If you don’t need any work done, you can always go to an oil change/repair workshop and request an estimate. They should put the odometer reading on the estimate.
3. Finish up 2007 filing and bookkeeping.
4. Review and complete your 2007 mileage log. It will never be easier to finish than right now. If you haven’t started your 2007 log, it’s o.k. - you can still do it now. Just look at your planner and receipts and use those to calculate your miles. 2007’s mileage rate is 48.5 cents per mile.
5. Set up your 2008 files. Think about your categories of expenses. By getting your files together now, it will be much easier to file your receipts throughout the year.
6. If you don’t have a separate checking account and credit card for your business, go ahead and establish them now. It’s always easier to do your record-keeping when you don’t have to go through and separate out personal and business expenses.
7. Make or review your business plan. This is great documentation of your intent to make a profit. It also helps you stay on track during the year.
8. Make appointments with yourself either weekly or monthly to do your bookkeeping. It is so much easier to do your paperwork and bookkeeping regularly. You’ll also be less likely to forget to include income and expenses.
9. If you pay estimated tax, your final estimate for 2007 is due January 15th (yesterday!)
10. Vow to learn as much as you can to help yourself keep more money in your pocket through legal tax deductions and strategies.
Note from Leigh Anne: I learned the hard way the importance of keeping on top of your bookkeeping. After a couple of years of neglecting it and having to spend hours and hours going through receipts, paperwork, tearing my hair out, etc. to get it ready for taxes I now schedule 30 minutes the first of each month to take care of things - it is so much easier!!
Popularity: 58% [?]
Categories: Home Based Business, Organizational Tips, Time Management
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Monday, January 14, 2008, by Leigh Anne
Quick -What color is your desktop? If you are like me you may have forgotten because you haven’t seen it for a while! Part of it may be that during the holidays I tend to let things “pile up”, especially in my office. In fact you can see from the picture what it usually looks like - not an inviting work environment!
One of my goals for 2008 is to live a more “clutter free” life - and the first place I am starting is my desk! In an article I recently read (I’d give you the source - if i could find it!) it said that “a desk is not a storage area, it is a work space.” So this week I worked on “uncluttering” my desk to make it a better work space. My tips and ideas for getting control of your work space are:
1. Remove everything from the desk! (pile it all on the floor). Guess what - the top of my desk is brown! Sort all papers into 3 piles - To File, (file all those away - do not put them back on top of your desk), To Act/Do (these go into a file and can be put back on the desk), recycle/shred (do this NOW!). I also have a pile for To Blog (this is also put back on the desk).
2. Get rid of any horizontal filing/inbox you may have. Things just seem to get buried and lost when they are filed or stored horizontally. Did you know that the average person spends 150 hours a year looking for things they can’t find! (I am currently looking for a $50 rebate check I can’t find!) For my birthday a friend gave me a darling leopard print, vertical file box so that is what I am using on my desk.
3. Keep only what you need on your desk - file everything else away. The only 3 files in my new vertical leopard file box are-
To file -there should be nothing in here when you put it back on your desk. This is the easiest file to let get out of control -spend a few minutes at the end of each week filing away what has accumulated in here during the week.
To do/pending -active projects
To blog - ideas I want to share with you
All other paper that was on my desk is now filed away in my file drawer (I’ll share what files are in there later) or in my Smart Binder (more on that next week).
The only other things on my desk are:
-Smart Binder -coming soon!
-Inspiration Journal - where I write down ideas, thoughts etc.
-Message Pad - I use a spiral notebook for my phone messages, do not use slips of paper or sticky notes! This message notebook seems to have a habit of disappearing from my desk anytime my family seems to need a piece of paper so, I have written on the front of mine “DO NOT REMOVE FROM DESK” and have tied it to my desk with a ribbon. It seems to help!
- Something Pretty - I have a piece of artwork I was given when I promoted to Executive Director, a picture of my children and a yummy smelling candle.
- Business tools -fax machine, computer, speakers, rolodex, phone and a container of pens. I also have an inbox for mail (mainly bank statements) that need to be dealt with. You can see by the picture below that it is a little bit more inviting work space.
4. Lastly, each day, before you “leave the office”, take a few minutes to be sure it is picked up and clutter-free. Coming to work each day will be much more fun when you can actually see the top of your desk!
So schedule some “decluttering” time this week and enjoy your work space!
Popularity: 82% [?]
Categories: Direct Sales, Home Based Business, Organizational Tips
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