Team Talk
Sunday, March 2, 2008, by Leigh Anne
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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.”
Popularity: 31% [?]
Categories: Home Based Business, Team Talk
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Wednesday, December 12, 2007, by Leigh Anne
Have you ever felt like you just weren’t getting everything done? Do you have too many projects that won’t fit into your weekly/daily schedule? Too many loose ends - not enough time! I feel that way quite often - especially with a homebased business when there are so many other distractions during your day. Those “waiting to be done” piles/lists just keep getting higher and longer. Those piles/lists can include things like getting that customer newsletter out, making needed phone calls, bookkeeping, bill paying and even things like sewing on a button, a pile of ironing and this time of year things like getting those Christmas cards out and finishing up your gift shopping etc.
Whenever I get feeling this way - a bit panicked by all the things I haven’t finished, I declare a Catch Up Day! It is a great time management technique. The Catch Up Day is basically a whole day (or if you have to - half a day) of “white space” on your calendar. The need for a Catch Up Day happens to all of us - even the most disciplined and most organized. When you are feeling that “panicked feeling” select a day from your upcoming week/month that you leave totally white - I actually draw a big X through the day I select on my calendar - and then try your hardest to schedule NOTHING for that day(except things that you need to get done). I know, I know, this can be a challenge so that’s why if you have to - a half a day is better than nothing!
Well, I was having that “panicked” feeling last week so I decided it was time for a Catch Up Day -so I had one yesterday! To make the best use of your Catch Up Day spend some time the night before preparing. Make a list of all the things you want to accomplish - even sewing on that button or filing those papers. The next day you will be ready to go - now for those of you with small children at home this may require a babysitter but I promise you it will be worth it! Find a friend and trade babysitting for each other’s Catch Up Days!
Once you designate your Catch Up Day DO NOT be tempted to allow other people to fill up that white space for you, only you are allowed to choose what you will do that day.
I use my Catch Up Days for both personal and business things - doesn’t matter what it is - if it is something that has been bugging you, hanging around for ever, put it on the list! Even going out to lunch with a friend you haven’t seen in months qualifies! The important thing is you choose how to use that time - don’t allow others to fill in that white space for you.
I thought I’d share with you what I did on my Catch Up Day. My least favorite holiday activities are sending out Christmas cards and stocking stuffers. I always leave these two things to the last minute and it ends up causing me all kinds of stress! So this year I decided I wasn’t going to do that - so I included them in my Catch Up Day list.
1. Purchased holiday paper and labels for Christmas cards and wrote family letter(the cards had actually been ordered and printed before Thanksgiving). Began addressing envelopes (didn’t finish)
2. Went to Target for stocking stuffers and all the fast food restaurants for gift cards for the stockings. Made sure I had “equal” amounts for each child - very important!
3. Placed a product order and delivered product to two people.
4. Bought a black “Marks a Lot” marker so Tessa could color her point shoes black for the holiday ballet. I had to go to THREE stores to find a “Marks a Lot” - it couldn’t be a Sharpie, that would be too easy. Every store had Sharpies!
5. Returned overdue books to the library - oops! I love supporting our libraries with my overdue fines.
6. Called the oral surgeon to schedule a time for Tessa to have her wisdom teeth out -I have needed to do that for several months!
7. Posted the photos from the school play on the website so other parents could see them (the play was a month ago!)
8. Purchased my last two Christmas gifts. Yeah!
9. Stood in line at the post office to mail off the last of the “long distance” gifts!
10. Did some research for my trip to Alabama this weekend - what is there to do in Mobile, Alabama? I discovered - not much! Jim’s company Christmas party is this weekend and they are flying me back for it. At least I can now say I’ve been to Alabama. Anyone from Alabama have some ideas for us???
So if life/business is feeling a little out of control and you have too many things on your to do list that aren’t getting done - schedule a Catch Up Day. You will be amazed how great you feel the next day!
Popularity: 44% [?]
Categories: Direct Sales, Family, Home Based Business, Team Talk, Time Management
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Tuesday, December 4, 2007, by Leigh Anne
This post is a day late because yesterday, Monday, a typical “office day” for me was also a day off of school for the girls. So I decided to take the day off too and play with my girls. We enjoyed a day together and took a field trip to the IKEA store that opened this summer here in Portland - it is like a Disneyland for the house! We had fun and decided to re-decorate Cali’s room while we were there. I love being a homebased mom and having the flexibility to take a day off whenever I want and the opportunity to connect with my girls!
This last week was a busy one. Thursday and Friday were my annual holiday customer open house. Despite the work that it takes, I look forward to it because it is an opportunity for me to connectwith my customers. They come to my home, I serve them some of my famous hot apple cider (yes, I’ll share the recipe), they do some shopping and we have an opportunity to visit. It is a chance for me to ask about their family and what they have been up to lately. I love my homebased business and the opportunity it gives me to form relationships and connections with my customers, many of whom have become my friends.
Some of my wonderful First Line Team Members
On Saturday I hosted my annual “First Line Holiday Breakfast”, an event I have done for about 12 years! I love the opportunity to have my team members in my home, serve them a yummy breakfast (lots of good recipes to share) and have a chance to connect. We do talk a little business (of course) but it is an opportunity to just visit and get caught up on each other’s lives - we had a great conversation this year about cell phone etiquette and text messaging!
Following my team breakfast that afternoon, I hosted a holiday tea party for a group of my girlfriends - we call ourselves “The Beach Babes”. (I did ALOT of cooking on Saturday). The Beach Babes have known each other for 17 years and our first trip together was to the beach - thus the name. We enjoyed lots of yummy “tea food” (recipes to come) and lots of good conversation, connections and our annual book exchange.
THE BEACH BABES
As you can see I had fun connecting this past week! One of the biggest advantages of direct sales, our number one weapon against so called “retail competition”, is our ability to connect. Because of the nature of our business we have the opportunity to develop relationships with our customers - relationships that a retail store can never have. It is the connections and relationships we form with our customers that create loyalty. It (along with an awesome product) is what keeps them coming back to us.
The connections and relationships we form with our team members are what create loyalty to our company and our teams. It is what keeps team members going during rough times with their business, times when they may feel like quitting.
In this age of technology - emails, text messaging, message machines, fax machines etc. those personal connections can become fewer and fewer. One of my goals for the new year is to make more personal connections with my family, my customers, my team members and my friends! Instead of sending off that email to a team member or customer- pick up the phone and call. Even if you have to leave a message - the sound of your voice can make a difference. Invite a girlfriend out to lunch (I’m usually available!) or take the day off and play with your kids! Let’s connect!
Hot Apple Cider
This cider is so good that both of my college boys have called home asking for the recipe. When I went to visit them a month ago I took them each their own little “cider” kits - cinnamon sticks, allspice and cloves!
1 gallon apple cider
1 1/2 cups orange juice
1/2 cup brown sugar
6 cinnamon sicks
12 whole cloves
12 whole allspice
Mix together and bring to a boil. Simmer at least 30 minutes. The longer it simmers, the better it gets!
Popularity: 39% [?]
Categories: Direct Sales, Home Based Business, Recipes, Team Talk
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Monday, November 19, 2007, by Leigh Anne
This past week I have spent a fair amount of my time scanning pictures – 250 pictures to be exact! That’s a lot of pictures! I decided to put together a surprise for my husband for his Christmas gift – a digital storybook of all the “professional” portraits of our family that we have had taken over the last 25 years. (thanks to team member Karen Herrema for the idea!) I spent hours going through albums and boxes, trying to collect all the photos and then spent hours scanning them into the computer. Fortunately sweet husband was out of town most of the week on business.
I began with our engagement picture, a few of our wedding pictures, pictures of our first sweet baby boy clear through to our most recent family portrait taken this summer. It truly was a trip down memory lane. As I took this trip, a sense of gratitude came over me. Not only a gratitude for the wonderful, beautiful, brilliant family I have been blessed with (o.k. – so indulge me a bit here!) but also a sense of gratitude that as a homebased mom I have been able to be there for every twist and turn of their lives. I have been there to observe, guide, direct, nurture and clean up the messes!
Believe me there were days I wished I wasn’t there but I am grateful that I was, even for the chicken pox, the broken arms, the temper tantrums, the teenage tirades etc. I am grateful that I was available to be the room mom, plan the class parties, be the Brownie and Cub Scout leader, go on the field trips, run the lunch to school when it was forgotten and able to pick up the sick child from school when they called (although I have been known to ask the school nurse – “how sick are they really??)
I am nearing the tail end of having children at home (4 more years and trying not to count because every time I do I cry!). The greatest joy and blessing of my life has been being able to be a homebased mom. Because of my homebased business our life has been blessed, my children have had the blessing of having a mom at home when they needed her (and even when they didn’t need her) and our family has been financially blessed. My business has provided the extras and the necessities, especially during the past year when my husband found himself unexpectedly unemployed – twice within one year! There are so many other blessings that have come into my life as a result of my homebased business but those are for another day!
So during this week of Thanksgiving I hope you will take the opportunity to “Count Your Many Blessings”- especially those blessings that come into your life as a result of being a homebased mom.
So I couldn’t resist – I had to share with you two of the pictures I scanned in this week – they are two of my favorite. A photo of my two sweet college boys when they were 3 and 5 and then a picture we had taken two years ago when they were 19 and 21 – Logan had just returned from his church mission to Argentina and Clark was leaving for his mission to Chile – aren’t they handsome. I have these two pictures framed in my family room and they bring me such joy!! In less than 36 hours (and who is counting!) sweet college boys will be home for the Thanksgiving break - yeah!!!
Popularity: 23% [?]
Categories: Family, Home Based Business, Team Talk
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Monday, November 12, 2007, by Leigh Anne
The last two weeks we have been talking about Momentum - the importance of it and how to maintain it. This week let’s talk about how to regain momentum.
Several years ago I was attending a Regional Convention with some members of my team in Seattle (3 hours north of Portland) One of our Northwest “ice storms” was on its way - for those of you who have never had the pleasure of experiencing a Northwest “ice storm” - the entire surface of EVERYTHING becomes encased in a sheet of ice ! We knew the storm was coming so we decided it was time to head for home.
The storm hit as we drove south but we were doing o.k. - making slow but steady progress. My knuckles were turning white from gripping the seat so tightly but we were making progress! And then it happened - we were about an hour north of Portland slowly making our way up a hill when the truck in front of us came to a stop. As a result, we too came to a stop. We were at a complete stand still. There we were, a car with four women, one of them very pregnant, in the dark of the night, stranded a mile from the nearest town and a dead cell phone!
So what had happened? Why couldn’t we get going again? We had lost MOMENTUM - the force of movement. Stranded on that ice covered hill we were unable to get going again. Momentum was the only difference between our car and the ones passing us on the road.
So maybe some of you feel your business is at a complete standstill or going slower than you’d like - how can you create the momentum you need to get going again. You may feel, just like the four of us in the car, that you do not have the power within yourself to create the momentum you need.
You need an agent for change - for us, the agent for change came out of the middle of the dark night in the form of one of the girl’s husbands who felt inspired to leave Seattle early and return to Portland. He found us in the pitch dark, stranded along the side of the road!
Many times the momentum or agent for change that you need may come from someone else - an idea learned at a unit meeting, regional convention or upline. Sometimes solutions to our problems can be as little as one small degree of change.
Water boils at 212 degrees - at 211 degrees it is just hot water. One degree - an increase of less than one half of one percent can make the difference between a pot of hot water and a boiling cauldron of power! That one degree is momentum.
After 17 years in the business, I have learned that one of the “Critical Success Factors” of direct sales is scheduling. That is usually where the breakdown happens - we neglect scheduling new events - like I mentioned last week we wake up to find ourselves with a case of “snowblindness” - no events on the calendar. We have lost momentum and come to a complete standstill with our business.
Recently, I attended the NW Women’s show here in Portland. A leader in my team had a booth at the show. She had a great scheduling idea that I want to share with you today -using this idea she and her team member were able to schedule 44 home events!! This idea may be the agent for change that you need in your business - the one thing you need to create momentum in your business again!
Deal or No Deal - you may have heard of the TV game show or even watched it. It is the one with all the girls in matching dresses with briefcases. Well, in this version of Deal or No Deal you offer your customers/show attendees the opportunity to take home some fun prizes. The “deal” is they also have to be willing to schedule a home event with you if the “briefcase” or envelope they select says “schedule a home event”. Some of the envelopes just say “Pick a prize from the basket” but some say “Pick a prize from the basket and schedule a home event tonight.” Be sure and make the prizes appealing - discontinued product, limited edition product etc. I would be sure the cost to you as the consultant is no more than $5 -6.00 maximum. My team member used product that was worth less than a dollar and had great success! So give it a try - it may be just what you need to regain momentum in your business.
If you have a scheduling tip that has helped you regain momentum in your business or maintain momentum please share! Just click on comments. All those who leave comments will be entered into our monthly contest! (More info on the contest tomorrow!)
Popularity: 38% [?]
Categories: Direct Sales, Home Based Business, Motivation, Team Talk
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Monday, November 5, 2007, by Leigh Anne
Last week I shared with you the story of becoming “Stuck in the Mud”. I compared this to our direct sales business and how we can get “stuck in the mud” and lose momentum. Getting started again can take a lot of time, effort and energy. It is easier to keep the momentum going and not get stuck!
This week I want to talk about maintaining that momentum. For many of us the fall selling season is our best and busiest time of the year. It is important that we take advantage of this time and use the momentum we create during the fall to propel us into the next year.
Once something is in motion it is easier to keep it in motion. I have found that one of the biggest “momentum stoppers” for a direct sales business can be the upcoming holidays. The months prior to the holidays (Sept. Oct. and November) are great and we can find ourselves so busy that we are not being “forward thinking” we are only “present thinking.
We need to take advantage of the busyness of our fall to help us create momentum for our next year. I have seen it happen over and over- we wake up January 1st, look at our calendar and are hit with “snow blindness” – a white calendar – we have nothing scheduled! We find ourselves “stuck in the mud”. We have lost the momentum and forward motion we created the previous fall – we are starting over again!
So how can we prevent “snow blindness” in our business? You may have heard of the “snowball effect”. Just like with a snowball, your small, consistent efforts with your business build one on top of each other, creating a bigger and bigger snowball (business). The bigger that snowball gets the faster it moves and it takes on a life of it’s own as it speeds down the hill! We can create that same type of “snowball effect” in our business.
We need to learn to take advantage of the momentum created during the busy fall season. We need to use the fall to “Jumpstart January” so we wake up January 1st with a full calendar and not a glaring white calendar! So during this busy fall season be sure that you are being “forward thinking”.
- Set your goals for January now – how many home events do you want to teach in January, what are your sales and recruiting goals for January?
- Report into your upline your goals so she can hold you accountable.
- Set a goal to have those January events scheduled and on the calendar by a certain date this fall so you don’t wake up with “snowblindness” January 1st.
- Have your January/February calendar available at all your fall home events. Be sure and advertise your company’s January hostess incentives/promotions.
- Always work for the “sooner” date (before the holidays) but when a potential hostess just doesn’t feel she can do it before the end of the year ALWAYS offer and encourage a January date.
So don’t start off the New Year with “snowblindness”. Use the momentum of your fall business to create the “snowball effect” in your business for the entire upcoming year. You will continue to pick up speed as you move through the year, creating a bigger and bigger snowball (business!).
Popularity: 32% [?]
Categories: Direct Sales, Home Based Business, Motivation, Team Talk
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Wednesday, October 31, 2007, by Leigh Anne
Monday we had a fun “family night” activity. Jim, the girls and I went to the corn maze and Pumpkin Patch out on Sauvie Island. The corn maze covers acres and acres – that’s a lot of corn. As we got ready to go, I questioned whether we should take boots or not – it hasn’t rained here in Portland for a couple of weeks (surprise, surprise) so I didn’t really think we would need them but decided to take them anyway. Well – was I ever wrong and was I ever glad! The maze was muddy – in fact the mud was probably 4 inches deep! I learned some valuable lessons on our visit to the corn maze.
As we made our way through the corn maze we had an aerial photo of what the maze looked like but no specific directions or map. We were on our own. Let me tell you, a maze looks a lot different when you are in the middle of it than it does from up above. This is like starting a home based business. Sometimes things look great from the view above or as you watch others do it but once you get started and are in the middle of the maze (business) it can be a bit disorienting and different. Sometimes you just don’t know where you are, which way to go, or what to do! Have you ever felt that way?
Fortunately for us, while we were in the maze, we met a “Corn Cop”. “Corn Cops” are guys that walk around the maze to help people who just can’t figure out where they are or how to get out! We met a nice one who gave us some helpful hints on which way to go (and which paths to avoid), but first we had to ask – he didn’t just volunteer the information. He wanted us to try and figure it out on our own first. Do you have a “Corn Cop” in your business? – of course you do! You probably have an upline or sideline, networking buddies and a corporate office – all there willing to help – all you have to do is ask for help! When you are feeling lost, disoriented and not sure which way you need to go – JUST ASK!
Did I mention it was muddy!? We discovered as we walked along that we did okay in the mud as long as we kept moving. We had a problem when we stopped – our feet were stuck in the mud! The mud was so thick that it took a lot of tugging, pulling and energy to get our feet out of the mud once they were stuck. This can also happen in your business – and it’s called losing momentum. When you stop and start your business instead of keeping up a steady pace you lose momentum Momentum is driven by consistency. When you lose momentum, starting your business again can be a lot like being stuck in the mud – it takes a lot more tugging, pulling and energy to get going than it does to keep going.
So what can you do when you find yourself “stuck in the mud? As I mentioned before - ask for help. Help can come in the form of an idea from a team meeting, an upline, a pacing partner, a company publication, a conference call or fellow team member. That one idea can be all you need to get “unstuck” and get moving again. Momentum is the force that drives you forward and there is nothing more important to a successful business than a steady, consistent pace. Next week I’ll share some specific tips for creating momentum in your business.
Popularity: 32% [?]
Categories: Home Based Business, Motivation, Team Talk, Uncategorized
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Monday, October 22, 2007, by Leigh Anne
It’s that time of year - Trick or Treaters will be arriving next week. In preparation for that I thought I’d share some “Tricks or Tips” of direct sales that I have picked up recently.
One of the things I have learned since being in direct sales is that one of the best places to pick up new “Tricks or Tips” for my business is at other direct sales companies events or home parties. Sometimes as direct sellers we get so busy holding our own home events (this is a GOOD thing) that we don’t take advantage of going to the “parties” that we are invited to by our friends. Recently I realized that it had been a while since I had attended another company’s home event. It just so happened that that same week I received a couple of invites to various home parties (guess it was meant to be) and I received a call from one of my customers who is a consultant in another direct selling company asking me to host a party for her. This is not something I do very often as I am usually too busy holding my own home events but I love her particular company and their product and wanted some of their new fall pieces without having to pay full price (isn’t this what most hostesses want?!) so I said yes.It is amazing, even though I have been doing direct sales for 17 years, I learn some new tip or trick each time I attend a home party of another company. The consultants whose home events I attended have different “experience’ levels in direct sales but all had something to teach me.
The “newbie” – this young gal had only been with her company a few months. Her sister-in-law was the hostess and the consultant admitted to me that she really wasn’t sure she was going to continue with the company. She was mainly interested in getting the products she wanted for herself at cost. She did a great job though – she had been trained well by her upline and did the things she was trained to do. I loved that she got her audience involved – gave them each an opportunity to get their hands on the products and try them out. We each were able to make our own “Coldstone” ice cream – and guess what – I bought the ice cream scoop that evening. Tip: Getting your customers to touch the product is so important whether you are passing it around the room, having them use it or trying it on. Another “trick of the trade” she used was to do a drawing. To insure she got everyone’s contact information she had us each fill out a slip for a drawing for some “free product” – even if you aren’t interested in buying anything you aren’t going to pass up on the opportunity to win something free! Everyone filled out the form.
The second event I attended was for a jewelry company and this consultant was also fairly new – she has been doing it less than a year and has begun to build a team. She too did a good job of getting people to touch the product and try it on – (not really too hard when you are dealing with women and jewelry!) Tip: In the middle of the table was a card – on the card she had listed the first names of her last ten hostesses and the amount of free product they had earned at their party in one column and in the second column she listed what her profit had been from the party – it caught my attention! Several days after the event I received an email from her – thanking me for attending the party and letting me know approximately when my product should be arriving – good follow-up!
The third event was the one that I hosted at my home. This was a clothing company. As each of my friends came into the house I greeted them wearing one of this season’s outfits (I got to pick something out from the rack of clothes the hostess brought with her – fun!) As each friend arrived, they too got to pick out an outfit from the rack and put it on and we then each modeled for each other throughout the presentation. Now I can tell you I bought the outfit I had tried on and I know several others did too – Tip: I realize that letting your customers try on the clothes only works for clothing companies but – you can get your customers involved with YOUR particular product - touching and using the product as soon as possible! Get them involved from the minute they walk in the door, put your hostess to work helping you demonstrate too! – they are going to buy what they have used and touched!
So next time you are invited to a home party event – see if you can’t fit it into your schedule – think of it is as field research, part of the job. Take the opportunity to talk to the consultant and ask her questions – watch what she does, how she does it and learn from her. Think about how you can incorporate the tips and tricks you learn into your business.
Another thing I learned at a home event I attended several months ago wasn’t from the consultant but rather from my friend who hosted the event. It really has nothing to do with direct sales but is a fun decorating tip that I have been using so I thought I’d pass it on!
If you have an island in your kitchen, like I do, it becomes the center of your kitchen and when I entertain and have parties I use the island a lot to serve off of but part of the island isn’t useable as a serving space because of the stove top. Well, my friend had bought a simple black tray from Pottery Barn which she placed over the top of her burners (of course this only works if the burners are turned off!!) She then turned the tray into a “display” piece – using candles, flowers etc. to decorate it – it could also be used as a place for additional food serving pieces – I loved the idea and decided to recreate it. It is also fun to use during the holidays and create little holiday “vignettes” on the tray. The other great thing is – it covers over your dirty stove top! I am including a picture of the Halloween vignette I have been using this month at a dinner party I hosted as well as the high school cast party I had at my house Saturday night!
NEW!! Monthly Contest! If you have a favorite “Tip or Trick” that you use in your home event or one you have learned from a home event you attended please share it with us by clicking on comments below. Each person who shares a “Tip or Trick” of the trade with us will be entered into a drawing. The prize will be a copy of one of my favorite books that is FULL of “Tips and Tricks” of the trade - Build it Big - 101 Insider Secrets from Top Direct Selling Experts. To participate in the contest just click on comments below and share your top “Tip or Trick” with all of us. Your name will entered in a drawing on Trick or Treat Day - October 31st and the book will be mailed to the winner!! I look forward to reading your “Tips and Tricks”
Popularity: 29% [?]
Categories: Direct Sales, Home Based Business, Team Talk
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Monday, October 15, 2007, by Leigh Anne
I love being a homebased mom. I have been a homebased mom for 23 years since my first son Logan was born. I have had a direct sales business for 17 years but had several other types of homebased businesses before that
One of the biggest “issues” I see with women having a homebased business is the guilt that some women feel. They feel guilty because they are out doing a show or attending a meeting and not with their kids 24 – 7. They allow their children to become an excuse NOT to do their business instead of a reason to DO it. My children are the reason I have a homebased business – I do my business for my kids!
Being a homebased business mom has brought so many blessings and extras to our life – not all financial. I decided it would be fun to ask my boys what their thoughts were on having grown up with a mom who worked from home. I figured since they have been gone from home, (both have lived in foreign countries for two years) and been away at college that they might have a different perspective on what it was like to have a mom who worked from home.
When I asked my boys what they saw as some of the “perks” to having a homebased mom they had some fun responses -
One of Logan’s responses was the following:
“My mother has worked from home ever since I can remember. When I was a little kid my front room used to be full of young women, (this was during my Children’s Sewing School days) who my mother taught to sew. I loved it even though I was probably only six. I got to go bug all the teenage girls and flirt with them. I think that has helped me a lot with girls throughout my life (just kidding mom).Clark said “First off I think my siblings and I were better fed than any other family I know, my home was a great place to hang out with friends because there was always homemade cookies or something good to eat. (I was probably preparing food for a team meeting or customer event) Both boys mentioned the financial blessing my business is to our family but both also mentioned the benefits of having me at home. Clark said, “The extra income that was brought in was a great blessing for our family, while at the same time Mom was always free to help us out or be there for us when we needed her. She was always able to attend our activities, sporting events, and painfully suffer through several wrestling tournaments. (yes I did suffer!!)
One of the best benefits of being a homebased mom is the flexibility it gave me in regards to my children. Logan said, “Even though my mother has always worked I never remember her not being at any activity of mine. My mother’s kids were her first priority, I remember her many times leaving meetings early to come to my ball games or performances. Even though she worked from home she was still more involved in my life then my friends mothers who didn’t even work (I know there were a few games I missed but he doesn’t even remember that – the majority of time I was there and that is what he remembers!)
As I look at my “boys” – actually at the age of 21 and 23 they are really now “men” I can see the influences my homebased business has had on them. My children have developed an “entrepreneurial spirit”. When my boys were young they decided to earn some extra money one summer by building bird houses. They built them (with a little help from dad) and then painted them (with a little help from mom) and then rented a booth space at a local farmer’s market and each Saturday they would sell their bird houses. Instead of getting the “standard” high school job – working at McDonald’s etc. they have run their own business each summer – doing yard and landscaping work for others. They made much more money than they ever would have working for minimum wage and had a lot more flexibility with their time.
I believe my children have benefited and learned from the example of a mother who remained dedicated and committed to her business – even when times were hard, sales were down, classes weren’t there and recruits were few and far between. They saw me work through those times and learn from it and they have become dedicated and committed individuals also. They are resourceful, bright, successful and empowered to do what they want to do.
In honor of homebased moms and their kids, the DSWA (Direct Selling Women’s Alliance), of which I am a member, is sponsoring a “Party With Your Kids Week”.
This campaign honors the fact that owning a home-based business is one of the most powerful ways to teach our children important life skills while bringing the family together. It’s a celebration of the freedom, independence and opportunities for personal growth that a direct selling business offers
The DSWA has made a great Family Business Tool Kit available and it’s being offered f-r-e-e to anyone who wants it as a part of a campaign called Party With Your Kids Week happening October 20-27, 2007!The Direct Selling Women’s Alliance has put together an awesome collection of bonuses, some of which are listed below.
- Inspiring tele-classes on turning your home-based business into a “family business”
- Family-focused articles on balancing family and business with ease
- Seek & Find games and crosswords for kids as well as teens
- Family Goal Poster Night instructions for an evening of family fun and dreaming
- Articles from top leaders on how to engage your kids in your business
- A drawing contest for kids
- A photo gallery where you can share a photo of your child helping you in your business
- Helpful Tips for running a home-based office with kids and Much, Much More!
This is all free so click on http://www.partywithyourkids.com You don’t have to wait until the week of October 20th to start celebrating! Start partying with your kids today and celebrate being a homebased mom!
Popularity: 24% [?]
Categories: Family, Home Based Business, Team Talk
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Monday, October 1, 2007, by Leigh Anne
Well, here in the Northwest, fall has arrived. The trees are changing color, the furnace turns on in the morning, I can see my breath when I go out for my walk and the rains have arrived! I love fall and all that comes with it - even the rain. This past week I was having a conversation with a woman who had grown up back East and had just moved to Portland via a couple of years in California. We were discussing how much we loved seeing the change of seasons and how much she had missed it while she lived in California. She made the statement that it was “boring” when each season was the same.
That got to me to thinking about my homebased business and the different “seasons” I have been through the last 17 years. First of all I am thankful that I have a business that is flexible enough to allow for different “seasons” and that although some of the seasons may have been easier than others they definitely weren’t “boring”.
There was the first season of my business - I was the mother of 3 small children, ages 2, 5 and 7. I ran another homebased business (children’s sewing school) and I had a husband that worked 2-3 evenings a week.
Then there was the season of being pregnant, adding a fourth baby to our family.
Next was the season where we were building a new home, living in a small apartment where my husband and I slept on the hide-a-bed in the living room with the new baby in a portable crib by our side for six months. Holding customer events, open house etc. in this little apartment was an exciting “season”.
Then the season of moving into our new home, across town, which in Portland is like moving to a whole new city, meeting new people, making new customers etc. A challenge but not “boring”!
Next came the season of teenagers - need I say more! I always use to tell myself - when the kids get older, running a homebased business will be so much easier - guess what? I was wrong. It is not easier, only different. Although I may be home alone during the day - those after school hours, evenings and weekends are crazy! Trying to schedule in customer events, team meetings etc. can be a real challenge.
I know there are other seasons to come. I look at many of my team members with such admiration and respect as I see them going through various “seasons” in their lives. Several who are dealing with major health issues, multiple surgeries yet still work their business - in fact they have had record months while experiencing these seasons. There is also the team member whose husband has undergone cancer surgery - she didn’t allow this “season” to slow her down. She loaded him up in the motor home and took off driving to the next rally she had a booth at and had record sales!
What is it that has allowed me and these other women to weather the “seasons” and even excel during these times and what can help you to enjoy the “seasons” of your business?
1. A passion and love for what they do. A real belief in the mission of your company.
2. Consistent effort -treating your business as a business. Your business is not something you do “when you have time” or “if it is convenient” It is something you do on a regular, consistent basis. The amount of time may vary for individuals but the one thing that is the same is that they work it on a regular basis - whether it is 20 hours a week or 5 hours a week. They are consistent in their efforts.
3. Momentum- as a result of consistent effort they have created momentum in their business. This momentum keeps them going through the rougher “seasons”. The hard work and effort they put in during the easier “seasons” continues and pushes them through the hard times.
So whatever “season” it is you find yourself in with your business -love what you do, be consistent at whatever level you can and you will create momentum. Most importantly - enjoy it, make the most of it and remember - at least it’s not boring!
Popularity: 19% [?]
Categories: Home Based Business, Motivation, Team Talk
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