Work at Home Facts

Phone Diversions & Children

2008-12-11T11:06:00.001-06:00

It never fails. You're on the phone, and that's when your kids come running, demanding your attention. It's an all too common issue faced by many parents who are trying their best to make a living from home. Here are a few telephone tactics to help you get through at least one call (Two, if we're lucky, and can talk fast):

Keep a box of toys hidden somewhere near the telephone, or your "work" zone. When the little one's tries getting your attention as you talk, pull out the phone-only toys. Change the toys often to keep them new & interesting for your little ones.
A small table or desk near yours is also a great tool. Fill it with colors & coloring books, or writing paper and let them work right along side with you. Kids love to do things they feel are important and what could be better than working just like Mommy or Daddy?
Set a kitchen timer for the amount of time you need to be on the phone, and then hand the timer to your youngster. Tell them to come and get you when the timer goes off.
Let your little one clip coupons for you while you make phone calls. Keep the store circulars & advertisements from the Sunday paper in a box, along with a pair of safety scissors, and if you have one, a coupon holder. If you have older children, they can file coupons by product & weed out any expired coupons.
Another, similar option, which my kids love doing, is to have them create their own "dream boards." A dream board is simply a collage of things that they would like to have. This is a great tool for you as well, to create your own dream board, and place pictures or even just words of things you are shooting for. Maybe it's a new home, or dream vacation, new car...etc. Having a little reminder of why you need to make those calls & what they will do for you & your family. My kids understand that their part of helping out & being able to get the many things we dream of is as simple as respecting my phone time.

And one last thing regarding phone time... If you have little one's, it's best not to try and schedule huge chunks of time all at once to do your calls. Rather than scheduling 2-3 hours all at once to do calls, break it up into 30-45 minute increments. And be sure to also schedule time just to spend with the kiddos. When you "pencil" them into the daily schedule, your kids will know that they too will have their own special time to have you all to themselves. But don't cancel those scheduled times to do work or household chores, even if you have laundry piling up & a sink full of dishes. It's one appointment that needs to be kept always. I mean, most of us are working from our homes so that we can be here for our kids & raise them ourselves & not the daycare lady.

Is there anything that seems to work well for you in regards to being able to make phone calls with your little ones at home?

Sponsors....

2008-08-26T21:53:00.000-05:00

My worthless sponsor always gives 100%.

Unfortunately; its:

12% on Monday

23% on Tuesday

37% on Wednesday

22% on Thursday

6% on Friday

How many of you can relate to this, if not right now, at least at some point during your network marketing career I'm sure?

I can't take credit for this one though. It was actually in my newsletter today from Big Al. If you don't know who he is, you may want to take a look. Here is a link to his Blog.

Am I an Average Person?

2008-08-26T13:07:00.002-05:00

As I was browsing around a message board this morning, I ran across a question from someone in regards to Ameriplan. They wanted to hear what others had to say & any personal experiences from those who have done it.

One of the responses to that questions has been bugging me ever since. He stated, "I tried it about 4 months ago, and it appeared to be a great company that offers something that most of us need in regards to health care. I actually continued to stay a member in the plan with the dental because my family does need it. But I found that it just wasn't something that any average person could do and earn much money at, if any at all." He continues on for quite a while but essentially he ends up saying that it took work, you had to be someone willing to talk to people, and learn ways of marketing, and attend training calls that were every night almost, and unless you possessed any special skills it just wasn't possible for the average, everyday person, like himself, to be able to earn any money.

Okay, so I suppose it's a great thing that he still in many ways supports Ameriplan and what is offered, I mean he did continue on with the benefits plan. But really what is it that determines who is or isn't average?

I don't consider myself super extraordinary in any way. (Okay, maybe there's a couple things about me that make me special...lol) But really, I feel as though I am no different than anyone else. Yes, we all have our own separate issues that we have had to deal with and we were all raised with different beliefs, in different households, and we do have our own unique beings. But how would you determine who is average?

And just because a person is born into poverty & one into a life of privilege & wealth, that has no bearings on whether or not that person will ever be magnificent in life.

I believe that we all possess the tools needed to become successful in life no matter what that may be. It's just whether or not a person is willing to open up & learn the skills needed to do so.

I'm just like the next single mother of 3 who has had moments in life that she still can't believe she lived through, someone who has had her fair share of ups and downs. I'm the typical boy scout mom/soccer mom/child servant-maid and all the above. I am no different than so many others who are just trying to enjoy what life has to offer, raise her kids and do all that she can so that they can have every opportunity available in life. I put my pants on one leg at a time. (okay, maybe there are some of you who attempt to do it both at the same time, especially now since it's always fun to go against the norm...)

What I'm saying is don't assume that just because someone is successful at something, or is where you wish you were right now, don't think that it's because they have some special powers. It's not magic. And I'm sure if you were able to rewind the years and look back at their lives, you just might realize that they aren't much different than you are.

How do I know what is real & what isn't?

2008-08-24T20:00:00.000-05:00

This is a common concern that nearly each & every person who is scouring the internet in search of a legitimate way to make money from home has running through their minds. So how do we know what is real & what is not?

Now the only answer I really have is that you must do your research! As you will see, if you haven't already, that no matter what the opportunity is whether it be data entry, wah jobs, or even any number of the home based business opportunities that are advertised online, they all have people who praise them and others who run them into the ground.

Your best bet is to simply do the research of the company yourself, and do so from many different resources. Talk to people who are doing it, or have done it. Visit message boards & forums and read what others may have had to say about that particular company.

A couple good places I frequently visit online are www.wahm.com/forum and answers.yahoo.com

Before you make a decision make sure you get all the facts and see it from every angle. I'm not one to put a whole lot of trust into whether or not a company is a member of the BBB. Yes, I often check to see if they are or not, but all in all, since the BBB is an organization that is a for profit based company that requires each company to pay a fee to them in order to participate, it just doesn't hold a great deal of weight in my decision.

Another site www.ripoffreport.org is a good place to get some opinions and idea of what you'd like to know. But again, don't base your decision solely on it since it is a site where consumers share their opinions & personal experiences with any given company. It doesn't mean that any of it is indeed fact, but more so personal feelings. It still is another way to get an idea of what you are wanting to know. If a company has constant complaints, and few or no positive things being said about them, then it's a bit obvious thus far what people think of them.

So to sum things up here... Don't take just one person's word or experience and use it to make a decision as to whether or not something is legit. Search multiple resources. And last but not least, follow your own instincts. If you get a gut feeling about something, and you've done your research, I'd follow your gut.

How Not to Go About Choosing a WAH Opportunity

2008-07-15T22:32:00.001-05:00

There are things that people say, and whether or not they realize it or not, you can already begin to see how it all will end. Something like this for example...

"Well gosh, it looks like a wonderful product. It's not really something I would be interested in personally, it's just not me, but I'm sure there are tons of people who would love this sort of stuff??"

Someone who could say this and not end up quitting sometime in the near future and moving on to the next new and interesting venture that is suppose to be a sure fire money maker, well if they actually found a way to make it work and become successful, then well I suppose you know where just might freeze over.

The Law of Averages

2008-07-15T21:58:00.001-05:00

I'm sure you have heard it many times over... you just have to talk to more people. Keep prospecting more, calling more, putting your ads out more, doing more, just more people...more people...more.

And it is very true. I didn't always believe it myself I suppose. I remember thinking, "how in the heck are you going to tell me that I should continue calling more people, who are obviously just going to say no or hang up on me or simply end in nothingness like all the ones I already have called??"

My views on the subject have changed greatly since those days and I do understand it all too well now. And I suppose that comes both from experience, as well as hearing the same thing so many times over and in so many different ways that it just really began to make so much sense.

You see it's not that anyone is telling you to keep getting rejected just for the fun of it. Nor are they telling you to continue calling people just as you have been, without changing a single thing. It's actually the exact opposite, you continue speaking with people, and changing it up until you perfect (well for the most part? I'm not sure if there is ever true perfection, but we can get close.) But the more calls you make, the better you will get, and ultimately achieve better results.

Another way to look at it is that if people don't know that you have anything to offer, or even that you exist, then obviously they won't be able to find you or even know to begin looking for you in the first place.

It is all about finding ways to get your info, product, service, whatever it is that you do, get it in front of as many people as you can and this is when you will start to see a consistent stream of people buying your products, joining your team or seeking your services when they are in need.

Think about Super Bowl ads- Now why would any company spend so much money on an advertisement, like they do with the half-time ads during the Super Bowl? That is, unless it really does lead to a dramatic result in increase of sales, much more than what was spent in the first place for that ad. You see, when someone chooses a tv commercial as a form of advertising their product, they can't determine an exact number of people who will propped in front of their television at any given time on any given day. But when it's the Super Bowl, and you can guarantee that a whole lot of people are definitely going to be watching, and without a doubt it never fails. You can be sure that your message is getting placed right smack dab in front of a great deal of faces, which of course is bound to lead to an increase in sales as more people are aware of who you are and what you have to offer.

No matter how someone says it, it all really, truly, does lead to the same message. It's all in the Law of Averages. The more people you talk to, the more people you place your information in front of, the more you will see in terms of results, and essentially success. And that is a given!

WAH Being a Court Researcher

2008-07-15T02:48:00.000-05:00

I ran across a site that offers a work from home position doing courthouse research, which I found interesting enough and figured others might as well.

A Court Researcher would actually go into their local courthouses and find or research for specific information that they are directed to do. No experience is required, and there are very few other rules, such as children are not allowed to "tag along" with you to the court house and they do not reimburse for child care expenses. (But that should really be a given. lol)

There are many states that are currently available and need researchers now. You can find the listing of all available states on their site, or by clicking here.

You are also required to have a laptop. You can be paid through Pay Pal or check, and they also offer bonuses based on performance, and paid sick days & vacation after 1 year. You can find all the details, as well as apply online if you are interested in becoming a Court Researcher.

JB Services actually has a number of different employment opportunities available, such as a Mock Juror, Mortgage Loan Officer, Telemarketer, etc. You can find all openings on their site under the careers tab.

Along with their employment opportunities, JB Services also offers many different marketing and business building tools. They generate leads (hence the court researcher that verifies and provides the info...) Direct mailings, and I would like to note they hand-write the individual addresses on each envelope rather than typing it since it's more likely for people to open it this way, along with Web Design, Telemarketing Services & Recruiting.

From what I can tell thus far, this seems to be an honest, legit, family run company who is truly out there to help other small businesses find the tools they need to be successful. They work one-on-one with their clients to find the best possible service, all at an affordable price that many small business owners could not afford otherwise. And best of all, no business is too small for their services.

Find all the info on their site, www.jellybeanservices.com

I am beginning to think that I too need to contact them to find out what services they provide might be of assistance to my business as well?? I will follow up with any details as to how that goes and what sort of results come from it as well. But in the meantime I have already filled out the application for court researcher and will keep you updated on that as well.

Scams? Is It? Or, Is It Not?

2008-07-06T06:56:00.000-05:00

As I was browsing around on the message boards over at wahm.com, I happened to run across a posting of yet another frustrated woman who is at the point of trying to decide if finding something to do and earn money from home is even worth it. Here is what she said,

"I am so tired of all these work at home scams. Why are there so many awful people????

And then there are those who come in forums and insist that a particular "company" or "program" is just absolutely wonderful when the truth is that it's not all that great and they are only making money by the referrals they get....and probably just trying to make enough money to cover what they've already lost so they can quit.

It gets so frustrating it's almost not even worth trying anymore."

This is an issue that is somewhat near and dear to my heart considering the fact that I too spent many years lost in the wah world, having no idea what I was doing, or what I needed to be doing. I was young and I suppose a bit naive, okay a whole lot as I believed every word that someone said to me as to how much money I could make, etc..etc... As the woman states above and wonders why there are so many awful people? I assure you, most if not 98% of those that you may consider as awful people really are no different than you and I, and most likely either haven't truly realized what they themselves may be doing. Or it could be because that's how they have been trained to do things?

One company I was with for over 2 years (of which I always, every single month, spent way more money out of pocket just for the basic fees & products we were required to purchase in order to actually be an active rep with the company, then I ever made) Anyhow, we had plenty of training available to us, which is something that is great to have in place in whatever it is that you do, but an actual key part of our training, of which I even took part in leading the call for quite some time considering I was good at it, was to take that 1 script that we had given to us. Yes, everyone was given this script and we were trained on how to make our prospecting calls using the script, verbatim and how & where to fluctuate your voice, etc. so as to make the script work for you. And that was how we enrolled people and even used another to market the products side of things.

It's not that I am a dishonest, awful person. It's just that I didn't see it for what I do now. I was told that that was how it was to be done and that was how the people who were making them big bucks at the top did it, and if I was planning on getting there I would need to do what they told me worked. And yes, I am a little bit embarrassed to admit that I continued with this constant shelling out of money, rather than earning, and leading calls on how to effectively use the script to close out calls, all for over 2 years, but I did eventually open my eyes to the big picture. I realized that it was never anything that I could ever wake up and be excited to do. I hated even the thought of having to set up parties to sell the products that we offered. I just figured I could build up a team of people who liked selling things and I would be okay. Again, no one told me any different so why would I think anything else?

It's not that everything online is a huge set of scams. Most of the offers and things that you may find or frequently see, they do have the potential for someone to make a great living all from the comfort of their home. It just takes a bit more involved decision making and searching to find something that will fit you, as an individual. Just because one person does great with something doesn't mean that the next person will even do anything at all. Even if they are given the exact same training, tools and help as the other. One will run with it and one will fail miserably. Why is this??

Because.... Mr.Successful decided to take the tools and training given to him and put them to use. He put in a constant and consistent effort into doing the things that needed to be done in order to start earning money. While Mr.DoNothing did very little with anything. He put in a full 6 hours his very first day of training, got it completely done, he was just so excited about it all. And day 2 he contemplated what he might like to do, and what he felt comfortable in doing, but never really did anything just yet. Day 3 went about the same as day 2. And Day 4 instead of posting some of the flyers he had made around town, he decided that a nice cool dip in the pool would be much more enjoyable just them. This began his slow but eventually fatal down slide of which is an all too common occurrence amongst new & emerging entrepreneurs. The idea of making a living on your own terms, from your own home, when & how you choose, it's all very enticing. However, if you're trying to decide if a wah opportunity could be in the books for you, just dig a bit deeper before you actually jump in with both feet running.

Some questions to ask yourself are:

Would you like to sell products?
Do you like to set up home parties and do demos for friends, etc?
What interests you personally?
How much time do you have available to put into it?
Are you able to work independently with no boss telling you when to work?

If you look for something that fits you, something that you can honestly enjoy doing and be proud to share it with others, then you will find success. It's not about all the people who live online just searching for their next body of prey to take in and rip off. It's more like a bunch of new recruits who haven't yet learned the lessons of the road and quite honestly may be driving without headlights just yet. This is why it's important for you to ask plenty of questions when speaking with someone about what is all involved with that particular opportunity. I make it a point now to make sure the people who do end up joining my team really have a bit of understanding as to what it takes to be successful not only with what we offer, but any company period. I don't try to scare them off or make them think that it's difficult in any way. It's not that it's hard, all they need to understand is that it takes a consistent effort & work on their part as well. You see, they don't know it at first but they soon realize that I will work just as hard if not harder for them as they are doing, and I'm here every step of the way. Because of this and the great deal of one on one support that we offer our team, I believe it helps me to be a bit more thorough when speaking with someone about my opportunity and whether or not they feel as though it may be for them. I'm not nearly as eager to just instantly sign someone up like we were taught in previous ventures. Man if someone said yes we were stunned and there was nothing we were going to do to allow them to change their mind before we got that enrollment. Obviously we had a very, very low retention rate as new recruits were always dropping like flies.
After 9 years of being involved with the wah industry I can see the many ways my entire thought process has changed since when I first began. Back then everything seemed like that's how it was suppose to be. Now looking back I'm like what in the heck was I thinking? What were they thinking? It is so much better to take the time to make sure people know what you do exactly, no surprises just waiting to rear their ugly heads as soon as that payment cleared, but by doing so it actually saves time, as well as work load in terms of constantly scouting for new recruits because now the one's that you do have tend to stay along for the ride thus increasing your income in the process most definitely.

So rather than say "Run, SCAM!!" for each and every single thing that you venture in and it doesn't work out as planned. Take a minute to really look at the big picture and ask yourself whether or not you truly did much of anything in order to make it work? (I know I didn't... I'm not ashamed to admit that. I really hated selling any products, in fact I still had a great deal of them in the closet until our move in February when they found their way to the dumpster. $100 for a months supply of daily vitamins?? I didn't see how anyone I knew would be benefit from that when Wal-Mart sells a daily vitamin for $5-10 tops.)

As for what a true actual Scam would be considered, you can look for things that are obviously illegal. They may contain fake documents, addresses, etc. And overall it just takes a little bit of common sense to realize when you may be faced with someone really trying to Scam you. Things like.....

The everyday 'Pyramid Scheme' in which the entire basis surrounding how any money is made revolves around you signing up X amount of people, then those people getting X amount, and so on and so forth, and everyone is simply paying money to sign others up to do just that. There is no actual product or service that is in play, hence the reason they decided to deem it illegal.
Envelope Stuffing... I speak from personal experience here. There are a few different things that could be considered here. One of which you are required to purchase all the supplies, paper, envelopes, etc. Make the copies from what the company supposedly sends you. Do your thing and put them all nicely in their envelopes and put them in the mail and the company will pay you X amount for every 100 ones you send out. ~ Now how do they know what you sent and what you didn't??? Point blank, no proof of mailings, no pay.
Chain Letters. When you get a letter that tells you to do exactly as follows...blah....blah....blah... and mail out this letter to ?X? people asking each of them to do the same, as well as send a $1 back to you, as you sent to me (the initial sender) follow my drift here.
And last but not least... If someone is telling you they can guarantee that you make any amount of money, within the next oh...30 days, even 6 months, run away. No one can guarantee something like that. Especially if it's one of those can't refuse offers where they do all the work and you just start collecting all the earnings.

Like I said, common sense can go a long way with this one. I mean how many people do you know personally that will do all the work for someone that they don't know, who may live half way across the country, and yet do it all just so that that particular stranger can start to make some money?? (If you already fell into this one I am truly sorry, but gosh darn it, What were you thinking? )

On a final note I just want to say that I encourage anyone who is interested in working from home but feels like it's too much hassle to search through all the junk to find their diamond, I assure you it will be well worth it. And most likely you will eventually end up right back here, searching yet again for something because you can't get the idea of what a person can do with the freedom, and security that comes along with being your own boss. And by all means do the things that need to be done to make it work. You won't be able to share what you have to offer with others if they don't know that you exist. And by far one of the worst things to find out is that your best friend just joined the same thing that you started over 3 months ago, only you were too afraid to share it with your family & friends just yet, and darn it, you know your friend is going to go places with this and they could have been a part of your team had you just asked.

Like I said... It's sooo worth it once you find your way. If you're frustrated and feel like you have searched and tried everything or you just want to get some ideas of where to begin, by all means either leave a comment here. Or you can send me an email at consumerdriven@gmail.com

Affordable Marketing Supplies

2008-05-13T20:17:00.000-05:00

If you have not yet heard of Vista Print, you definitely need to take a look. They offer many different printing services, such as business cards, sticky notes, flyers, brochures, etc. Anything and everything you could use to market your business and make yourself known.

The key to really making any business grow and flourish is to put your info in front of as many people as possible. With Vista Print they always have free offers and special savings available, all you pay is for shipping and handling.

Check them out at http://www.VistaPrint.com

Good Luck and Happy Marketing!

You Must Never Stop Learning & Growing

2008-04-07T10:34:00.000-05:00

It doesn't matter how long you have been doing what you do. Or how old, or young, you may be. It doesn't even matter whether or not you finished high school or if you have a masters degree from Yale. The great thing about network marketing, mlm, and any of these wah opportunities is they allow anyone, of any race, and background, regardless of what they have been through in life, it allows everyone the chance to own their own business, create their own destiny and achieve greatness in life.

Even though I have personally been involved with the industry for well over 8 years now, I am still learning new things each and every day. We must try new things, some work, some do not, but we simply learn from them and move on. For instance with this blog... I am still trying to find my way in regards to keeping the information here new & exciting, something of value that all of you would like to know. Also, finding ways to fit everything that needs to be done, or that I would like to get done, all within each days time.

There are times when all of us wish we had done something a little bit differently. The key is in whether or not you let those thoughts, and somewhat regrets, hold you back and keep you from achieving your full potential.

I would like to hear your thoughts as to what issues you face being involved in the wah industry and what sort of things have held you back. What is it that you feel is important for any new, or even seasoned, network marketer or self-employed business owner, whomever... what should they understand in order to stay in the game and see why so many of us do what we do everyday?

Thanks in advance! And just remember... "If it's meant to be, it's up to me!"

"Life Is Like A Box of Chocolates..."

2008-03-10T01:05:00.000-05:00

...You never know what you're gonna get."

I think it would be safe to assume that everyone has either seen the movie Forest Gump, or at the very least they have heard this all too common quote. So why would I post it here??

No matter how corny, or simple that quote is, it always tends to bring me back into the real world and back on track. I mean, think about it, when you get those big boxes of chocolates, with all the many different kinds all mixed together. No outside wrapper to tell you what's inside, or warn you before you just dig in & give it a taste. (Sounds a bit like life doesn't it...)

Then, just when you taste that first hint of caramel, or in my case peanut butter filling, whatever it is that you really don't like, and realize that you picked the wrong chocolate, what do you do? Do you throw in the towel and vow to never do that again? Or do you simply move on to the next one in hopes that this time you have found a little something that you like? We move on!

So why is it that we tend to get ourselves so worked up over every little detail in our day to day lives? I see people everyday rushing around trying to do everything just right. And have people say, "oh I don't know if I should do that? What if it doesn't work?" ~ So what if it doesn't work, so what if you have to test out a few duds before you find the tool that works just right, so what if you don't get it right the first time? What is the worst that could happen?

You see it's these simple everyday choices that we make that eventually determine what our life is like over the next 5, 10, 15 years. No one should be afraid of trying something simply because they might not pick the right piece of chocolate, or they might just mess up first time around. Everything that we do in life is going to take some working out. So who cares if it takes you 2 times or if it takes 50, the only thing that will be certain is whether or not you did what you set out to do.

Try something new. Do just a little bit more than usual. Step out of that box that you're in and take a chance. Who knows? That chance could be just what you've been waiting for all along?

Not Quite Sure...

2008-01-19T21:32:00.000-06:00

I'm still trying to get everything situated over at wordpress.com on the new blog. However, I am wondering whether or not I should have moved the blog in the first place? What do you think? I would love to hear from you the readers, do you like the blog here? Or what about the layout and design on wordpress at http://wahfacts.wordpress.com?

You see I am strongly considering just going for my own hosting and domain to service my blogging. I am still relatively new to blogging and thought that wordpress was going to offer much more in terms of customizing and what not, but now I am finding that that in fact is true, but mostly if you use the wordpress.org services and have your own domain host. With the free site you aren't able to add any extra plug-ins and most of the tools I would like to have cannot be used with the free service.

So what do you think? Here or there? Should I go with my own hosting? Any advice or suggestions on who to go with? Or what key things to have?

Feel free to leave a comment here. Or if you prefer sending me an email, do so at cberney25 at msn dot com

I've Moved...

2008-01-12T16:06:00.000-06:00

I have decided to finally test the waters and move my blog over to Wordpress. I just feel like I will have more flexibility and hope to improve upon my site and make things more easily accessible and easy to find. But don't worry, I have moved everything that is here, on to the new site so you don't have to worry about going back and forth between the 2. Simply bookmark the new site or subscribe to the feed and as always share any ideas or thoughts that you have and you feel would be helpful to others here in the work at home world.

http://wahfacts.wordpress.com

See you there!

Oh and let me know what you think about the new site.

Crystal

Some things to consider when looking into the work at home industry...

2008-01-11T08:47:00.000-06:00

If you are looking into a home based business or any sort of direct sales, mlm, network marketing, there are a couple things that should be of concern.

For example, if you are speaking with a representative of the company and they are telling you that it is easy and anyone can do it...really? Than why are so many not doing it? Now I'm not saying that it is hard, I'm just saying that there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all when it comes to this. It's overall a simple process if done correctly and with the support needed. But it also takes effort and time to truly be successful.

Also, if they tell you that you don't have to sell or use the products yourself in order to be successful...seriously? What do you think will happen if someone asks you whether or not you use it, and you say, "well no...but" do you really think that they are going to purchase anything from you? And any business that is built around recruiting and team building only just isn't going to last long before it crumbles. You can't expect to just build, build, build something without a quality product or service in place to offer.

Now I don't usually focus too much on the compensation plan or pay structure, at least not right away. It's best to find a quality product or service that is affordable and is somewhat unique. However you do want to look out for a company or opportunity that offers a large upfront recruiting bonus. What I mean is, if you get paid $200 for each new person you sign on to the team, just for finding them and taking that application, you might want to dip deeper for more answers. Such as how future promotions work and what it takes to move up within the company and pin levels? Is it simply by the amount of business or sales you have personally added each month? Or do you have to help people on your team in order to reach the next level within the company?

You see this is one of the biggest issues that I see within the industry. When the comp. plan is set up so that the more sales you have the higher you go up and the more money you make, then it leaves the 'little' people to fend for themselves quite often. If someone is new to the industry and doesn't know what is required of them, or they don't know how to prospect and talk to people just yet, they will struggle and the person who signed them up most often is continuing to bring on new people because that is what determines his own success.

However if you find a company and pay structure that offers a smaller initial payout for each new enrollment, and is set up so that future promotions and increased earnings are based upon helping others on your team move up as well, then you should have a solid, more secure base to follow.

Monthly quotas are another reason why so many people don't make it in this industry. On one side, a person will sign up anyone with a pulse to be sure they reach the required quota for the month or else they won't be paid. And on the other side, when it is difficult for someone to reach that quota they often times get discouraged to the point of giving up.

These are just a few things to look at when researching a work at home opportunity. The long term benefits of building your own home based business far outweigh the risk involved. All it takes is some determination, a strong enough reason why you need to work from home, support and training to plug into, and realizing that you must consistently work on improving yourself and your knowledge of the industry and what tools are available. You must become a leader yourself and to do so, it sort of helps if you know what your doing.

Is there anything else you can think of that would set off the red flags in regards to whether or not an opportunity is the right choice?

The 5 Lessons We Learn from How We Treat People

2008-01-10T12:57:00.000-06:00

~I'm not sure where this came from exactly. I received it in an email recently and feel that is something that everyone could use a little reminding of every once in a while. Make it a great day!~

1. First Important Lesson~The Cleaning Lady

During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one:
"What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"
Surely this was some sort of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50's, but how would I know her name?

I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade?
"Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say hello."

I never forgot that lesson. I also learned that her name was Dorothy.

2. Second Important Lesson~Pickup in the Rain

One night, at 11:30pm an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rain storm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960's. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab.

She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console tv was delivered to his home. A special note was attached:

It read:
"Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away. God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others."
Sincerely,
Mrs. Nat King Cole

3. Third Important Lesson~Always remember those who serve.

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.

"How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked. "Fifty cents," replied the waitress.
The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.
"Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired.
By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient.
"Thirty five cents," she brusquely replied.
The little boy again counted his coins.
"I'll have the plain ice cream," he said.

The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies.

You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.

4. Fourth Important Lesson~The Obstacle In Our Path

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the King's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.

Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the rodeway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand...

Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.

5. Fifth Important Lesson~Giving when it counts.

Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year-old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister.

I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes I'll do it if it will save her."
As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded.
He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away?"

Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor. He thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.

2008-01-09T09:35:00.000-06:00

"Behold the turtle.
He only makes progress when
he sticks his neck out."

Quote of the Day

2008-01-07T20:41:00.000-06:00

"The trouble with being in the rat race is that,
even if you win,
you're still a rat."

Quote of the Day

2008-01-06T11:22:00.000-06:00

“Most barriers to your success are man-made.

And most often, you’re the man who made them.”

Quote of the Day

2008-01-04T12:25:00.000-06:00

"Always give without remembering,
and always receive without forgetting."
~Brian Tracy

If this work at home "stuff" really worked, wouldn't everybody be doing it?

2008-01-03T23:07:00.000-06:00

I recently had a woman bring up this very issue. She wasn't the first, and I'm sure she won't be the last either, so I thought it would be best to share my thoughts on it here, and therefore save myself some time later on.

So if the idea of working from home, owning your own business, working around your schedule when and how you want, making as little or as much money as you want or are able to create, retiring at an early age, living the dream life, being able to stay home with your kids, living on your terms rather than someone else's...if this was true, would everyone be doing it?

Nope. If everyone was created equal, they would. I mean who wouldn't like to do what they want when they want, right? But the fact of the matter is, not everyone is the same. Some of us are self-motivated and driven to succeed, willing to do whatever it takes to do so. Yet, some of us need to have someone there to push us along, show us what to do and how to do it.

So many people have tried and failed at any number of work at home opportunities. The flashy cars, the lifestyles portrayed, the fast money, it all is appealing and who wouldn't want that. But behind each success is a trail of hard work, time and effort. Why don't they mention this in the ads, or when you are looking to work from home? Because hard work doesn't sell. Most people tend to shy away from making anything harder, or adding extra work into their schedules. So if you were to say,

"give it all you've got, you must work consistently for at least a year, maybe two, but by then you should be making some decent money. Oh and by the way, you probably won't be getting paid much in terms of the work you are putting out, at least in the beginning, but after a while, you will be able to reap the benefits of all that hard work."

You try and post an ad like that, and it will most likely stop people before they even tried to get started, or more so, before they even thought about taking the time to request some information from you. Most people are looking for an easy, fast way to make money from home, regardless of whether or not we know that there is no such thing as "easy" money. When it doesn't happen fast enough, or when it gets to be more work than what they had bargained for, they quit. Thus leaving yet another victim to claim that working from home does not work.

Working from home is not for everyone, it takes a special kind of person to make it work. Therefore, just because everyone might or might not know about it, not everyone would be doing it. The idea behind the industry is wonderful, but it takes more than wishful thinking, and that is why it isn't for everyone.

Quote of the Day

2008-01-03T21:21:00.000-06:00

" Even if you are on the right track,
you'll get run over if you just sit there."

Quote of the Day

2007-12-30T13:04:00.000-06:00

"You will never find time for anything,
You must make it."

Taking Action

2007-12-29T14:11:00.000-06:00

Somebody once told me, "you don't have to get it right, you just have to get it going." It was then that I had one of many ah-ha moments.

When you think about it, nothing ever goes perfectly the first time around. We do things, then we make them better, and continue changing things up as we go. Even with parenting, with your first born your new to the whole idea and lifestyle of having a child. Then with the next child you have an idea of what works and what does not, so we tend to do things a little bit better. Then with each subsequent children, everything seems to progress a little bit. So even though we have no idea what to do at first, we learn as we go because that is the only choice we have. Having a child is a now or never sort of approach that we have to take. It's not something that we can continue to put off to the side, or continue to research and perfect. When we first find out that we will be having a child, we have only 9 months to prepare, then it's a go whether we feel as though we are ready or not. All we can do is try our best and pray that we don't mess up too badly.

With that example we really don't have a choice on whether or not we follow through with action. But when we have plans or ideas for things we want to accomplish in our lifetimes, most people will put them off and delay ever getting started simply because of the unknown. We tend to have a fear of failure or the ever pressing need to want to get it just right & make sure all is perfect before we take that first step.

I just want to say, no one ever gets it right the first time. Everything that has ever been created or done has gone through it's own system of trial & error. When we consider how much things have changed over the last 50 years, many have become more economical, simpler and easier to use.

If you have been researching and planning and going over every minute detail to make sure everything will be just right before you actually do something, whether it be a business you'd like to have, or a way of making money through the internet, or maybe even a blog. You have to just do it. Honestly, when I started this blog, I had no idea how or what I was suppose to do. In fact, it took me almost 2 days to figure out how to set it up and how the layout stuff worked. (No joke!) All I knew was that I had information that I wanted to share with people. It started with so many people asking "Why would I pay to work from home?" Or "it's all a scam, if they ask for money, it's a scam." Granted I have lost plenty of money on different endeavors, but either way, not everything is a scam and that is the message I wanted to share with everyone. It then progressed into much more & looking back I am proud of what I have done over the last 9 months. This could not have been if I would have been too afraid to actually get started. If I had tried to figure out every blogging tool, and how to use keywords to your advantage (which, by the way, I still don't know much about...) But I could have continued to put it off and wait until all was perfect, but I didn't. I am learning as I go, but I am also building a wonderful base in the meantime.

Take some time getting to know the basics of whatever it is you plan to do. Then just put it out there. You will be able to tweak it and improve things as you go. In time, it will become as it is meant to be. If you spend too much time trying to get it right, somebody else is going to do it, and then it won't seem so great anymore. Like they say...

"You don't have to get it right. You just have to get it going."

The Tax Benefits of Owning Your Own Home-Based Business...

2007-12-23T11:23:00.000-06:00

If you have been considering starting your own home-based business or any network marketing/mlm type endeavor, don't wait until after the first of the year. With the holidays in full swing, and the overwhelming busy schedules that most of us keep at this time of year, we tend to not want to add anything into the mix until after it is all over. However, getting started in a home-based business before the end of 2007 has it's own many benefits.

I'm not a CPA or even a tax advisor, so we won't get too detailed here. But essentially the tax benefits that a self-empoyed business owner receives over that of an employee, is huge. As a home business owner you can write off a portion of your mortgage/rent, your lights, gas, phone, internet, computer and more. Not only that, but any out of pocket expense to "do" your business is also tax deductible, including the start up costs or fees involved.

If you were to start your business in 2007, sometime between now and December 31st, you could then get your start-up fee returned to you when filing taxes here within the next few months. If you wait until after the first of the year, then you have to wait until you file next years taxes for 2008, before you can recoup those costs.

So don't wait to get started. Even if you don't actually get started working on your business until after the first of the year. You'll just be one step ahead of the program, and you will essentially be able to start for free.

Here is an article that explains what I'm talking about here...The Tax Reduction Institute.

Is It All Just a Scam?

2007-12-10T11:28:00.000-06:00

I have seen many, many postings throughout the Internet, on message boards and what not, where someone is looking for advice on what options are available in terms of work at home or through Internet type opportunities. And as I scroll down through the responses given it amazes me as to how many people will claim that everything and anything on the Internet & related to the work at home industry is a scam. I wonder what exactly their experience has been in regards to this issue?

Regardless of whether or not anyone was to take my word for it, I understand that I am just another person of whom you may not know personally, and how are you suppose to believe anything I say, right? But seriously, if everything is a scam, then how is it so many people are able to work from home.

This is what I mean, even if someone has tried to find something and they were unsuccessful in doing so, does that mean that it's not possible? Or is it just that with the vast array of "stuff" available they simply didn't look hard enough or long enough to find what worked?

I know what it's like to lose money, and a lot of it, due to untruthful & somewhat evil beings who are only out to make a dime. I don't understand how their mental processes work exactly because I would think that it's harder and more work to have to constantly find new people to swindle just to make a few bucks. If they were to spend that time & effort on something legit and something that made it possible for others to succeed in, then they wouldn't have to work nearly as hard to make a living. It just doesn't make sense??

That being said, I know that not everything is a scam. Even some of the things I tried, and paid money to do, and never made a dime doing so, that doesn't mean it was a scam exactly. It did work for some people, just wasn't something that I could do. (It was products that I could care less about and didn't want to sell, which made it dreadful to get up and do anything at all, which leads to no money.) It wasn't the fault of the company, they had actually been in business for 20 years, so there had to be something that was working right. But I was the one who had no idea what I was suppose to look for, what was out there, I was young and when I saw the flashy cars and the income potential I was like sign me up. We are all allowed to make mistakes like this, just accept the fact that the blame relies on yourself, not the industry or the individual company or rep.

So, how do you know if something is a scam or not? There is no one simple answer to this. Use common sense, do your research and find out all that you can from many different resources. Don't take any one persons opinion as the simple truth, it is just that, their opinion or experience.

Here is a link as to the Definition of Scam: http://www.consumerfraudreporting.org/definitions.php

You can also find other great information and tips as to common scams and what to look for and questions to ask.

Hopefully you will find this helpful. This is one thing that I have a great deal of passion for because of the many people who do benefit from working at home, many of which may not have had any other options available, myself included. So I can't stand when someone makes false assumptions without knowing actual facts, or without having been there personally.

I would love for others to share their thoughts & opinions on this issue. However, I would like it if you plan to be exceptionally rude and distasteful that you restrain from commenting, but feel free to send me an email if it would make you feel better.

A Meme & 7 Things About Me

2007-12-08T00:44:00.000-06:00

I was meme'd by Liz Fuller over at More Than We Know, a wonderful site she has created for Women Entrepreneurs. I had no idea what this meant exactly, but after a little bit of research, I found that it is simply being tagged by another. I have to admit it feels great knowing that I must be doing a little something right for others to notice me.

Now there are a few rules in regards to this meme...

Link to the person who tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
Share 7 facts about yourself.
Tag 7 random people and include links to their blogs.
Let each person know they have been tagged and comment on their blog.

Doesn't sound too difficult, or does it? Seven things about myself...that's a hard one. It did take me a few days to ponder my thoughts and try and come up with things that others may want to know about me. And well I have no idea what may interest all of you about me, but I will give it a go...

1.) I was a terrible teenager. I ran away from home, skipped school, did everything and anything possible as long as it was the exact opposite of what my mother allowed or wanted me to do. I knew exactly what I was doing and I knew it wasn't good for me, yet I continued to do it until I was finally forced to live with my father. That was in my junior year of high school, and even though I had skipped a good 16 months of school since 8th grade, I was still able to graduate as normal at the age of 17.

2.) I can't remember the last time I paid full price, or retail, for anything. I am a huge clearance rack shopper. I purchase all of the kids' clothes, shoes, toys, pretty much everything when it's on sale.

3.) My dream job when I grew up was to be a Bounty Hunter, or even just a Private Investigator. And even though I am a little embarrassed to admit it, I spent around $700 & roughly 15 months of my time, with a home-study type course in order to follow my dream.

4.) Organization is not a natural strength of mine. In fact, I grew up surrounded by people who never threw anything away. At my dad's house, we rarely saw the kitchen table as it was constantly covered with "stuff." I am consistently working towards making my life and my home more organized. In fact, last weekend we went through the kids' room and got rid of about 4 large trash bags of toys that they don't use & don't need, and we took them to a local shelter for homeless & abused women and children. It's amazing the difference it makes now that the kids' actually have a place to put the things they do use and are able to find them.

5.) I am terrible when it comes to exercise. I have had a membership at the local women's fitness place since March of 2006 and only used it for approximately 5 months combined. I signed a contract for 24 months, so I am paying my fees every single month, yet I still don't make myself get up and just go.

6.) I love learning new things. In fact, almost to a fault sometimes. I have a horrible habit of putting things off until the very last minute. This is also partly due to the fact that I constantly doubt myself a little bit and want to make sure I do the best that I can.

7.) Overall I am a very laid-back, easy going person. I don't usually yell & get upset. In fact, I do all I can to avoid confrontation & arguments. Most often people are going to believe what they choose to, regardless of what anyone else says, so why bother trying to change their minds. As long as I know that what I am doing is right, then that's all that matters.

So there you have it, 7 things about me. Now the next part of the meme is to choose 7 other people randomly and link to their blogs. I will simply choose some of my favorites, in no specific order.

I suggest you take a look at each of these blogs. Each one of them has their own special qualities and wisdom included. I have gained a ton of knowledge through each of them.

So there you have it. Now all I have left to do is let my poor victims know that they have been meme'd and hope for the best.

Dealing with the Holidays and your Business

2007-12-01T17:55:00.000-06:00

The Holiday season is usually pretty crazy for most people. We go straight from Thanksgiving into Christmas and then New Years. We have family gatherings to attend, finals in school, end of the year catch up, and don't forget about the shopping. (That in itself gets me.) It's like we are running a marathon for 2 months straight. With so much to do, it's important to stay consistent with your business as well.

Being consistent means just that, you must be consistent at all times. Any time you take a step back, or take a "break" from building your business and marketing, it's going to take you that much more time later to get your pipeline filled back up again. And I know personally that no matter how much you feel like you need that break right between Thanksgiving & Christmas, it is best to keep pushing forward just a while longer. Why is that? You don't want to reach the holidays, knowing that there is no way you are expected to or should even be working because that is the time you are meant to be enjoying your families...only to have the guilt lingering in the back of your mind that you really haven't done much with your business and you can see it starting to dwindle. How can you enjoy your time then?

And it's not only your own fatigue that can get you down or discouraged during the holidays. Depending on what you do from home, what sort of product or service you have to offer, there are probably quite a few people that have told you that they will have to wait until after the holidays to do anything. This could be due to the fact that cash tends to be tight for most families after the gift giving and traveling that comes at this time of year. Or if you are speaking to people who are considering your business, they may think that it be best to get started after the busy schedules sort of subside in mid January or so, when they will be able to focus on learning something new.

When I start to feel the need for that little break right before the Holidays I simply tell myself that by sticking with it just a while longer, I won't feel guilty when I do take the time off to be with my family. And by continuing to build that pipeline, you will find that many of those that you have spoke with will in fact be calling you back shortly after the new year begins and the traditional new year's resolutions are in peak force.

Requesting your help...

2007-11-30T10:17:00.000-06:00

I have a question that I would like to ask of all of you and if you could be kind enough, share your thoughts by leaving a comment.

Are you living to work or working to live?

I have my own thoughts on the subject, but I am interested to hear what others think first. Also, if you could, let us know if you currently work from home, in an office, or what your situation work wise is.

I thank you in advance for taking the time to do this.

Check Out My Interview...

2007-11-14T10:57:00.000-06:00

Liz over at the More Than We Know blog recently interviewed me and you can now find it by going here.

What an honor to be noticed and recognized by others. We sometimes wonder if what we do is actually making a difference, and then things like this happen and we realize that we are doing just that.

The Expo Is On Now!

2007-11-14T10:49:00.000-06:00

If you have not already stopped by...don't miss it. The Business and Learning Online Expo is currently in full effect, tomorrow is the last day. Join us. Click Here!

Work At Home is Not For Everyone...

2007-11-09T17:41:00.000-06:00

There was a time when I used to ask myself, "who wouldn't want to work from home?" I mean, isn't it the most ideal thing to do? Right? (That is if you are able to find something that is legitimate, and actually works the way it is meant to.) I soon came to realize that working from home is NOT for everyone. We are not all built the same, we all have different strengths and weaknesses, and that is what makes us who we are.

One of the most important questions to consider before actually making the decision to work from home is this...Are you capable, and self-motivated enough, to work independently? When you are under your own roof, no one there to watch over you, no boss breathing down the back of your neck, it is easy to let yourself get side-tracked from whatever work it is you are trying to accomplish. The problem with this is that by being your own boss, if you don't work, you don't get paid.

The ability to work from home is available to all, but it is only successful for the few that treat it as it is meant to be. As I have stated many times over, "if it's meant to be, it's up to me!"

Robert Kiyosaki and His Thoughts On Network Marketing

2007-10-30T08:34:00.000-05:00

I am a huge fan of Robert Kiyosaki. Many of you may heard of him in regards to his bestselling series, "Rich Dad Poor Dad." He has shared his story and knowledge with all of us in hopes that others could experience life as he has, thanks to the lessons he learned from his "rich dad."

I love his entire series, however there is one book that I think anyone and everyone should read. It is Rich Dad's The Business School For People Who Like Helping People It doesn't matter if you already involved in a Network Marketing company, or if you may be considering whether or not you want to venture into one. In this book Robert explains that building a network marketing business is 1. a revolutionary way to achieve wealth 2. makes it possible for anyone to acquire great wealth and 3. is open to anyone who has drive, determination and perseverance.

What makes his opinion on the industry so strong? Here's why, in his own words...

"Because I did not gain my fortune from building a network marketing business, I can be a bit more objective about the industry. This book describes what I see are the real values of a network marketing business--values that go beyond just the potential of making a lot of money. I finally found a business with a heart."

Robert T. Kiyosaki

After reading this book, you will have a stronger understanding of the entire industry and just how rewarding it truly can be. Not only financially but emotionally as well.

Some of my favorite quotes from The Business School...

"Simply put, a network marketing business, with it's low cost of entry and great training programs, is an idea whose time has come."

"A network marketing business is based upon the leaders pulling people up, while a traditional corporate or government business is based upon only promoting a few and keeping the masses of employees content with a steady paycheck."

"In the world of network marketing, you are encouraged to learn by making mistakes, correcting, and getting smarter mentally as well as emotionally."

"A network marketing business is the perfect business for people who like helping other people."

Why Do You Work From Home?

2007-10-16T08:56:00.000-05:00

This is a little something that I have not yet done here on this blog yet. Another blogger, SuperWahm, is running a contest. But it's not necessarily the contest that interests me the most, it's what the contest is about. She is asking people to share why they work at home, or why they would want to work from home. As I have stated before, knowing your "why" makes all the difference. When you have a strong reason why you are doing something, anything, you work harder and stronger so that you can get it done.

It's also fun to see what, or more so, why others work from home also. Check it out at http://superwahm.net/2007/10/14/ready-for-a-contest.aspx

Business & Learning's Work At Home Expo is right around the corner...

2007-10-14T21:42:00.000-05:00

I attended my very first Work At Home Expo in May of this year, 2007. I was literally stuck to my computer day and night the entire time the expo was running. There was so much wonderful and useful information, all provided for free of course. And not only that, but I also was able to share and interact with others and promote myself as well.

I strongly suggest that everyone attend the next Expo which is set for November 13, 14, & 15th. You can register as an attendee for free. Or as an Exhibitor and promote your business, products or service.

This Expo is expected to be better then ever! Take a look for yourself. Click Here!

Learn How To Build Your Business Online...

2007-10-09T01:30:00.000-05:00

If you not yet heard of Pat Berry and/or Joe Syverson, you will. In fact, you are now. Both of these men have personally created successful sales organizations in their respective companies, and now share exactly how they did it with all of you. I personally subscribe to their podcast through iTunes so that I am constantly updated with all their new podcasts.

I cannot say enough about all the great information and advice they share here. And it's not one of those boring, barely making it through the entire podcast, sort of show. Pat Berry and Joe Syverson are entertaining and fun, and they keep the energy going through each and every episode.

You'll definitely want to take a listen. You can go to www.mlmradioshow.com and sign up for free yourself. Or you can go to podcast.mlmradioshow.com and view a listing of each show they have in their archives.

I would love to hear what you think after listening. Do share!

10 Steps To Follow...

2007-10-09T01:24:00.000-05:00

I could not have said this any better myself. Get an awesome view of the 10 Commandments All Entrepreneurs Must Follow.

After the Launch: Everything You Need To Skyrocket Your Business

Be Prepared At All Times

2007-10-05T22:39:00.000-05:00

I am going to assume that everyone uses some sort of marketing supplies for their business. If not...well, this may be why you are struggling. Now what I mean by marketing supplies is business cards, brochures, dvd's, flyers, things of this nature.

When you are out and about, handling your day to day business, paying bills, picking the kids up from school, going to the post office, that sort of thing, you never know when or where you might run into someone who needs what you have to offer. If you don't have anything to show or give to that person, you may have just lost out on a sale or even a future team member.

I suggest keeping some extra supplies in the trunk of your car. If you are a woman and carry a purse, keep some in there as well. A man can keep business cards in his wallet, or if he wears a jacket, he can keep a few things in there as well.

Overall, the idea is to always be prepared, that way you'll be ready when opportunity comes a knockin'.

Using the Media to Your Advantage

2007-09-30T09:25:00.000-05:00

Another really great way of promoting yourself and what you offer, is through media resources. I have met a wonderful woman through a online wah expo that I attended, her name is Shannon Cherry. She shares everything that she knows on this subject. This could be just what you need to get your business moving? Check out the link below and let me know what you think.

Are you:

* puzzled because you can't seem to attract publicity?
* clueless on how to approach reporters, let alone give them a story that they want?
* frustrated seeing competitors getting free publicity in newspapers and magazines, and on radio and TV -- without having to pay a dime for it?
* not getting any success, even when you send out a press release?

If you’re not making the most of PR, you’re losing sales. Penny Pinching Publicity puts all the resources of a PR agency at your fingertips, and gives you all the tools you need to get free and credible exposure for your products, services, or company... fast!

Getting free publicity isn't rocket science... it just takes some hard work, persistence, and finding the right contacts for your story to make it work. And that's really what you're paying for when you hire a PR firm and fork out upwards of $10,000 a month. You can easily do it BETTER for yourself - for PENNIES, nickels and dimes!

Get Penny Pinching Publicity today. Click here!

Generating Your Own Leads for Free...Using Classified Ads

2007-09-30T02:13:00.000-05:00

There are many ways to generate your own leads by using free resources online, as well as offline. It's simple enough to do, all it takes is time. When using free resources, it may take a little bit more effort on your part, but it will be well worth it in the end. When you generate your own leads, the prospect or person requesting information from you, has already been to your website or at the very least, has some sort of idea as to what you have to offer, and you can be sure that they are actively searching because they have contacted you.

I am going to cover different ways of generating your own leads. Each will have their own post. There is so much information and so many ways that I feel this would be the easiest to grasp.

The first way I am going to go over is...

Classified Ads online--There are many sites that allow you to post your ad for free. Do a simple search on google, and you will get thousands of listings. A few that I have used are...www.craigslist.org, www.inetgiant.com, www.usfreeads.com, www.AmericanClassifieds.com, www.Ablewise.com, and like I said, there are many, many others.

To get a decent response, you need to post to many different sites, and do so frequently. You can't just post 1 ad and wait for the calls to start rolling in, it won't work that way.

Post a simple ad that is relevant to what you offer. Think about what caught your attention, and what made you want to know more when you first learned of the company you are now a part of. I always put myself in the prospects shoes when I am writing an ad.
Include a link to your website. Hopefully you have a contact form for people to fill out when they want to know more about your opportunity or service, if not you will want to leave another way for people to contact you. If you do have the form on your site, be sure to tell them to fill out the request form if it is something of interest to them.

By using this method, you will also weed out those who are simply not interested in what you have to offer. The requests that you do receive, will be highly qualified & interested prospects beings that they already know what you do and just want to know more, or may have some questions.

Website Promotion

2007-09-24T00:41:00.000-05:00

There are lots of ways to promote your website. You can submit your site to all the major search engines. You can add a link to your site in your Signature Line with all of your outgoing emails, as well as on any forum posts you make. One thing you need to understand if you are going to do this yourself is that it will take some time for it to really gain momentum and a constant flow of visitors.

However, there is something that I absolutely love, it gets you immediate visitors, as well as allowing others to review your site and let you know just what they thought of it, and whether or not any improvements could be made to make it better. It's free, all it takes is about 30min to an hour each day for you to review other people's sites in return. If you do this daily, you should average about 20-60 hits everyday. And we all know what that means...the more people that see your site, will lead to more people contacting you who are truly interested in what you have to offer.

You can check it out at LinkReferral.com Let me know if you join in, I would love to drop by and review your site.

Online Groups and Forums

2007-09-23T13:57:00.000-05:00

Online forums and discussion groups are a really great way to market yourself and your business, or product & service. It's simply you putting yourself out there in every way possible. You might be talking about your family and kids, or helping answer someones question that they have posted. It shouldn't be about just "advertising" your business, there are classifieds for that. Add a link to your website in your signature line, that way those who are interested in what you have to offer will be able to request information from you instead.

You can do a google search to find different groups that are focused towards your personal interests. I will share some of the one's that I use...

www.wahm.com/forum Here you will find a little bit of everything.

www.mywomanownedbusiness.com This is a rather new online social networking site for women business owners. (If you decide to join in, let me know and we can share together.)

www.cafemom.com Another mom site with lots of different groups to join in with.

www.mayasmom.com I really love this site. Not because it's a great place to advertise, it's more of a place to meet other moms, and a few dads, in fact there are only certain places that you can actually advertise your business and such. This is nice because you are not constantly hit up by people trying to sell you something. So if you are looking for a place to meet others online, and make some friends along the way, this one is great. (You can find me here by searching for my3lives)

So there you have it, just a few of my favorite places to network online. If anyone has others that they just absolutely love, please share.

Any Time You Need a Little Boost...

2007-09-19T21:43:00.000-05:00

It is important to keep a positive attitude and stay motivated at all times, well as much as possible anyhow. A great place to find anything and everything you could ever need to keep your mindset right where it should be, is over at the Best Motivating Quotes blog. There are so many great articles here. Shane quotes from many popular books as well as from big name successes that we all know for what they have achieved in life, such as Jim Rohn, Brian Tracy, Zig Ziglar...and Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain, and many, many others.

Free Leads

2007-09-16T11:44:00.000-05:00

Getting your business off the ground with little to no money to use for advertising and marketing purposes can be a bit difficult. There are many free resources and things that you can do online. It takes time and effort, but we do what we have to do, and hey it's free.

Here are some of the lead resources that I have personally used. There are others, however these are the one's that I have found I get better response from.

www.freeliveleads.com (10 free) These are actually really great leads from Cutting Edge Media

www.leadpower.com (10 free)

www.AdSponsors.com (20 free)

http://mhtleads.com (10 free)

www.freshinterviews.com (10 free)

www.empowerleads.com (10 free)

www.hbbleads.com (20 free) Or you can take $20 off on your first order. They also offer a Super Value Starter Pack. You get 660 leads for $34.20 (600 7-30 day surveyed leads with 60 0-24 hr. Short Form leads.

www.cemprospector.com (50 or 100 free) This one works a bit different. It's $1 for a 30 day trial. You can get either 50 or 100 leads, depending on the system you decide to use for the trial period. (I suggest the larger one with 100 leads, you get more leads and it's still only $1) This is a complete prospecting system, with lead capture pages, auto-responders, pretty much anything and everything all in one package. You can choose to continue after the 30 day trial, or simply cancel before then. I love this system because they import the leads for you, and whenever anyone opens an email you sent or clicks on any of the links, it tracks it, that way you know who is actually actively researching a home business opportunity.

I would love to hear your thoughts after trying any of the above resources. Also if you have any others that you have personally used and would like to share, leave a comment.

You should have plenty of people to talk to now, so "Happy Prospecting!" Make it a great week.

Phone Fear

2007-09-08T00:04:00.000-05:00

A common issue faced by many network marketers is fear of the phone. We know that we have to call people, we have the list, but when we go to make the calls it seems as if the receiver weighs 100 pounds.

There are many different reasons people may be nervous about prospecting. Most often it is either the fear of rejection or they think they may not know enough and what if someone asks them a question that they can't answer.

Here is my perspective on this situation, and some ways to overcome the fear.

First and foremost, a rejection when prospecting is not personal. The person on the other line has no idea who you are, so it is in no way a personal attack.
Every successful marketer I have ever met has faced this same problem, and yet they worked it out.
You don't have to know everything about what your company offers and how your pay scale works. If someone asks you a question that you don't know the answer to, be honest and let them know that you don't want to give them the wrong information, but that you will definitely find out and get back to them.
If you are scared that you may not know what to say, get a script and practice it over and over. You can also do this with family members, or your enroller.
Keep a visual reminder as to "why" you decided to start in the first place. Maybe it was because of your kids, or the future, or maybe it's to buy that new car or a new home. Whatever it is...keep it in front of you at all times.
The only way to get over the fear is to face it. What's the worst that could happen? It doesn't matter. You will get better with time, that's a given. I have a saying that I would use to keep myself going at times like this..."You have to be willing to be bad enough, for long enough, in order to get good enough!"
Just know that it gets easier with each call you make and there will be a time when you can't wait to pick up the phone and talk to as many people as you can fit into your day.

Prospecting is something that has to be done in order to be successful in any business. You can either start now or later, but you will have to start sometime. The sooner you do, the sooner you will see results.

Are Network Marketing and Direct Sales Hard?

2007-09-01T22:58:00.000-05:00

I found the following article in some files on my hard drive. I'm not sure how I came to get it, but felt as though it makes for a great testimonial as to why so many of us do what we do, whether it be direct sales, network marketing or mlm.

The following article is an excerpt from a speech given by a direct seller at a local meeting. We are told she was asked to speak on how direct sales compares to working a "regular" job. It was submitted to us, and although the original author is unknown, we wish to thank her for her thoughts and insights.

Lately, I have heard so many people say how difficult direct sales is. "Its hard." "I can't get bookings." "This just isn't for me." "I didn't know how difficult it would be."

Well, I am a single mom of three who, before joining the direct sales family, held
down two jobs. I would get up at 4:00 in the morning and not get to bed until midnight most nights, after returning from my part-time retail job, packing lunches, checking homework and relieving my mother, who helped out with the kids.

That, my friends, is difficult. It is difficult always having to lower your dreams to meet your means. It is difficult to miss your son's football game because you have to work. It is difficult knowing the rust bucket you call a car is eating you alive in maintenance, but you can't afford a new one. It is difficult to realize that someone else is going to watch your daughter take her first step or have your son say mama to the preschool teacher. It is difficult knowing that you have spent 40 years of your life working for someone else, only to realize that you will be retiring on one-third of what you can live on today. Or, worse yet, it is difficult knowing that you have diligently worked all your life, only to be given an early retirement and replaced by someone younger, more capable.

I will tell you what is difficult. It is difficult waking up one morning and realizing that your children, the most precious things imaginable, no longer need bottles, diapers, have tea parties, or are shorter than the baseball bat they are trying to swing. It is difficult realizing it is too late and that the time frittered away can never be retrieved. It slips through our fingers one second at a time. It is also difficult watching the spark in your partner's eyes fade because both of you realize the house you have been wanting is just a dream because someone else is controlling your finances.

We have nasty habits about rationalizing, procrastination and skirting important things, rather than facing the issues. Too often we allow others who do not pay our bills, who do not share our dreams, to direct our futures. As children we have absolutely no freedom; we rebel in our teens and scream for freedom. We reach adulthood and are finally free, only to relinquish that freedom because we think it is too difficult. We do not want to take responsibility. We do not want to make a wrong decision, so we obligingly give that awesome power to someone else. We wake up too late. We hear ourselves uttering phrases like: "I wish I had only . ." and "If I could do it over again." You have no one but yourself to blame. You had the chance. Perhaps the opportunity was presented many times and each time you elevated the trivial to a higher priority than yourself. Let me ask you: Is direct sales really difficult?

Is it so traumatic to show someone an exciting product or idea? Is it so difficult to understand that if you work this marketing idea for three to five years, you just might finally be able to send your children to a college chosen by excellence, rather than one chosen by price? That you could finally put your family in the home of their dreams?

Would you work really hard for eight to ten years, so you could mold a lifestyle of your choosing, so your family could live a lifestyle of their dreams, rather than trying to live how someone else thinks you should live? How difficult is it to pick up the phone and call your hostess? How difficult is it to pack up your kit and meet some new friends?

How difficult is it, really, to share what you love with others? Think about it. Realize the awesome power you have in your hands with direct sales. There are people out there working three jobs. There are people drowning in debt; or agonizing through bankruptcy, realizing they only needed a couple hundred more dollars per month. That is difficult!

This business you have chosen has the ability to change lives. Direct sales cannot do anything. But YOU can change lives with it. You are the one with the life-changing ability. What are you waiting for?

There is difficulty and pain in success, and there is difficulty and pain in failure. Difficulty and pain in success will last a short period of time; but pain in failure lasts a lifetime. Which one is really more difficult? You will pay a price for your actions, and your choices. Which choice will you make?

Referral Marketing

2007-08-28T11:59:00.000-05:00

I was just reading a really great article over at the More Than We Know blog about ways to increase in customer referrals, which is key to any entrepreneurs business.

Having been involved in the work at home/Network Marketing industry for over 7 years now, I have had the chance to meet many different women (and men) entrepreneurs, all whom have different talents or services & products to be offered, that I personally do not. This is great because when I speak with someone who is seriously looking for something to do from home, or they might be looking for a particular item, or maybe even need some website design services done, whatever it may be. I know that I can help point them in the direction of someone who I know will be able to help them, even if I can't personally.

This also pertains to family and friends. I know personally that I feel safer and more confident about "things" when someone else has referred me to them. Rather than going on a whim, with no idea of who or what I may be dealing with, having someone share their experience with something that they were pleased with makes it a whole lot easier to do business.

I think we all tend to be skeptical of people and situations that we have no prior contact or knowledge of. But when someone else has ate at the new restaurant in town and raves as to how good the food & service was, I am more likely to go eat there as well. Or it could be a new movie that was just released and you're trying to decide if spending $20 at the theatre to go see it is even worth it or not? Then you start over hearing other people talk about how it is the best thing since "Dirty Dancing"(not sure if that's the best choice of movie or not...) Either way, you decide to go see it because if all those people thought it was good it must be.

Now, those people were not compensated in any way for sharing their opinions, which in turn led you to the theatre. We as entrepreneurs have the ability to do this however. You may want to run a promotion of sorts, or set up a system that compensates those who refer others to you. For example, when I have a member that I have enrolled into one of our benefits plans, and they tell their family and friends about it, and they in return call me and enroll into a plan as well, I give the initial member who referred them to me $5 or $10 for doing so. I do this for each and every person that they personally refer that enrolls. So if they refer 10 people to me, they now have $50-100 bucks in their pocket. All for just doing something that we all do everyday, telling others about our experiences with certain products or services.

The Network Marketing Struggle

2007-08-27T11:20:00.000-05:00

Network marketing has been around longer than I have, so we can safely acknowledge that it is nothing new. It's simply just telling people you know and the people you meet, or prospects, about a product or service that you use and like. We do it everyday in our normal life. The only difference is that the Network Marketing industry has tweaked the referral system in that it compensates you for those referrals.

So why is it that so many people struggle to build their marketing business?

Most people are trying to market a product or service that they don't honestly believe in. The don't believe that the people they are talking to will actually benefit from what they are offering. Therefore, it seems to them as if it's a scam. And every person that they speak to about their product or service is hearing it in their voice and through their overall body language.

The solution however is simple...don't promote a product or service that you can't believe in or that doesn't positively impact everyone involved. There are a lot of great products and services out there that do just that. Take the time to find yours.

You just can't pretend to like something and hope that no one sees right through you. We can all sense when something is not right, as well as when someone tells about something and you can feel the joy and belief in what they do. There's no getting around it.

Network Marketing is a wonderful industry. It allows many moms (and dads) the ability to stay at home with their children. Average people are able to create financial freedom. Possibilities are endless. The key is simply to love what you do, and tell everyone you come into contact with.

If it's Meant to be, It's up to Me...Take 2

2007-08-27T08:23:00.000-05:00

I mentioned the statement above a while back, but feel as though it is one of the most important things we all need to remember, so I am stating it again.

We can go through life wishing that we could catch the next free break, and that maybe just maybe someone would drop a fortune right in front of us, free for the taking. Or we can choose to do more today than we did yesterday and stop waiting for someone else to take control of our lives.

It's your life to live, no one else's. We must sow the seeds in order to reap the harvest. If we sit around just waiting for things to happen many great opportunities just simply pass us by. Be willing to do more, try more and live more.
Someone once said, "It's not how you start the race, It's how you finish it."

Building a Pipeline

2007-08-26T03:14:00.000-05:00

All experienced network marketer's understand the concept of "building your pipeline." When a new person decides to join our team, they may not understand what in the heck we are talking about, but they will soon come to find out.

You see, when you first start "prospecting" or calling prospects, it may seem as though everyone is telling you "no." Why am I not getting anyone calling me back? But I have been calling for like 2 days already, and no one has joined my team yet...Sound familiar??

It's happened to the best of us. We start to get discouraged, we make fewer and fewer calls over the next few days and then we quit calling all together. Because what's the point, right?

Wrong! By quitting and giving up, all you have done is guaranteed that no one will ever call you back. If you continue to make those calls, soon enough you will start getting calls from people you may have spoke with 2 weeks, a month ago or longer. You have to build that Pipeline and by doing so you will be creating a constant flow of traffic to your website and your team. All it really takes is time, patience, and a continuous effort on your part in order to set your business to a smooth sail.

I've been slacking a bit...

2007-08-26T03:06:00.000-05:00

It has been quite some time since I last added anything to my blog, and that is just simply unacceptable. I could come up with a hundred different reasons to try to explain myself, but I am not going to do that. I just simply let "life" get in the way, as we all have done at one point or another.
Anyhow, I am back to posting again. And I don't plan to stop anytime in the near future. There's too much that we have not yet covered here, so back to work...not so much work as responsibilities.

You don't have to get it right...You just have to get it going.

2007-06-25T23:27:00.000-05:00

I have seen it happen too many times. Someone starts a new home business opportunity of sorts, everything is new and it seems as there is so much they need to know. They go through the trainings, the research every aspect of the company itself, they are going to be ready to answer any question that is thrown their direction. Right?

Wrong...They will spend their time getting ready to get ready until they finally get discouraged enough that they quit. They have no idea why they haven't had 1 single person join their team, or why no one wants to buy their products. When in all reality they haven't even started to spread the word yet.

If you want to find success in any home business, you've got to be the one to promote yourself and your opportunity. You can't expect it to just fall in your lap for you. The phone won't just start ringing with people wanting to join your team. You have got to get out there and get your hands dirty, so to speak, and actually put forth the effort in order to get the results.

The most important thing to understand is that, you only get better at what you do by doing it. So what if it starts off a bit rocky when you're talking to a prospect for the very first time, they have no idea who you are or what type of person you are, or that you are just getting started, all they know is that they requested information about working from home and you are answering that request.

There are lots of ways to promote your site online. You don't have to learn about every single one of them before you can start using any of them. Just start where you're at and go from there. In time, you will find what works and doesn't work for you. That's a given.

Consistency is Key...

2007-06-21T14:19:00.000-05:00

When you are building your business, there is one thing that you must do, and that is...be consistent. You can put in 2 hours a day or you can put in 8 hours a day. It doesn't really matter how much time you put into it, if you don't do it consistently, on a daily basis, it just simply will not work.

Often times people will start a new home business, they are so excited about all the money they will be making and they just can't wait to get started. They put in 40 hours that first week in the business. Then week number 2 rolls along, and they are a bit bummed out because they didn't get the results they were expecting last week. They think that with all the time they put into it, that they should have done a little better, right? So they decide they will take a much needed break this week and just wait for people to call them back. Then another week goes by, they put in a few hours here and there, and yet they aren't seeing much in terms of results.

However, someone else has also just started their home business. They don't have a whole lot of time to devote to the business at first, so they decide that every night after they get home from working their 9 to 5, they are going to make prospecting calls for 2 hours. They do this day in and day out. Results aren't nearly as important to this person. They know that by consistently presenting their opportunity or their product to people, sooner or later everything will begin to happen. And it most definitely does.

We don't who will be interested in what we have to offer. When you consistently do what needs to be done, you are building your pipeline. It may not be good timing for some, but because you continued making those calls, even when people may have said "no" or you spent an entire 2 hours leaving voice mail messages, people will start to call you back.

If this is something that you struggle with, here's my suggestion. For the next 30 days, consistently make 50 dials each and every day, 5 days a week. It doesn't matter if they say "yes" or "no." It doesn't even matter if all you do is leave messages or if you talk to 5 or 10 people. All that is important with this exercise is that you do it Consistently. If in fact you decide to take me up on this offer, I would love to hear how it goes.

Working vs. Playing

2007-06-07T23:23:00.000-05:00

Summer-time is one of those times when it seems as though you can find anything and everything to be doing besides the one thing you must do, which is continue to build your at-home business. I know because like so many of you, I am a mom of 3 little fish who would much rather be at the pool then stuck at home trying to find something exciting to do.

I have to admit, with the nice warm days of summer sitting there, begging to be taken advantage of, it's hard not to find every excuse available to just go running outside, putting my work on hold for the time being. But just as I do so, in comes the guilt and the day doesn't appear to be so much fun anymore. Not only that, but with each hour I push aside until "later," all I seem to do is continue to build the pile of things that still need to be done until they are a huge, overwhelming mound, of which I must spend the next 3 days catching up on.

That's why it is key to schedule "work hours" and stick to them, especially in the summer months. By simply setting aside 2-3 hours each day, strictly for the purpose of "working," you will find that there is plenty of time left to do all the fun stuff, and your business won't go downhill in the meantime.

To have a successful business from home, you must first and foremost be Consistent and you, and only you, are responsible for your success. It takes effort, but it is definitely worth it, and you will be so glad that you put in that 3 hours each day.

Save Money--Make Money

2007-05-27T00:30:00.000-05:00

Previously I posted my answer as to how much money can be made with a work-at-home opportunity. I'd like to go a bit further and ask this...How much can you save by working from home?

Instead of looking at the amount of money each enrollment will get you. Or what percentage you are paid on each product you sell. Ask yourself these questions...

How much do you spend commuting to work each week?
How about paying for daycare?
What about lunch?
And appearance? You have to look nice, get your hair done & nails, and don't forget about clothes and shoes.
If you are sick and can't work, will you still get paid?
And wait, you're doing all the hard work, but will you continue getting paid for the work you've done? Even 5,10, 15 years after you did it?
How often do you get a pay raise? Who determines that?

When you look at the big picture, it's easy to see which is the better choice. We often settle, simply because it's what we think is the best choice for today. However, which is the better choice when you're thinking of the future?

Stop making someone else rich while you miss out on priceless moments in life just so you can barely get by. Start getting paid for what your worth and secure your future, you will be so happy that you did.

To your Prosperity!

Work At Home? Do or Don't??

2007-05-26T23:40:00.000-05:00

More and more people are finding their way into the work-at-home world everyday. With the rise in gas prices, it easy to see why.

One question or concern that often comes into play is how much money can be made with a work-at-home business? My answer is this...There is no cap to how much money can be made, it's really just up to you and how badly you want it and what you're willing to do to get it. (Sounds a bit cliche', I know.)

Here's what I mean...If you find the right opportunity, it may take some searching, but they are out there. If you find something that you can see yourself getting passionate about, something that you believe in, then there will be no problem making it happen. You will be eager to share your product or service with everyone you come into contact with. The confidence in what you offer will come through in your voice and people can sense that. If you believe in your product, then they will too, and they will tell their friends who will tell theirs and so on. You will have created a stream of income that continues to grow with very little effort on your part.

A home business opportunity is not a get-rich-quick scheme, it won't happen overnight, and there is no completely automated system that will do it for you. It will take effort on your part, as well as some time to create a steady stream of income flowing in. But that income can and will continue to pay you for the rest of your life. That is if you let it.

"If it's meant to be, it's up to me."

2007-05-25T01:39:00.000-05:00

This quote could not be any truer concerning success in any work at home opportunity. When we take the leap, and decide to work for ourselves, from the comfort of our own homes, it's not always easy to make the decision to actually work. Especially on a nice, hot summer day.

However, I will tell you this...you will get absolutely nowhere by simply going to the beach day in and day out. Or by keeping your house spot-less clean. Not even by spending the day chit-chatting with friends and family. (Even though we would like to tell ourselves, or more so make ourselves believe, that this is Networking...face it, it really just boils down to daily gossip.)

The only way to actually achieve results is by doing! There may not be a boss hanging over head telling you when and how you must do something, but that same boss is also not there to issue you a weekly paycheck. We are our own bosses, and we determine how much our paychecks will be. The only thing left to do is treat your home business with the same respect you would if you were in a traditional office.

Schedule time out of each day to do your prospecting. (And ONLY do prospecting...) Make sure your family and friends know when your "business hours" are, and that you will not be taking any personal calls or visits during that time.

Just because you work from home, doesn't mean that your work is any less important than your neighbor who works a 9 to 5. Give it the time and credit it deserves and you will soon begin to reap the results.

Using your time efficiently

2007-05-09T08:31:00.000-05:00

As you may have noticed? It has been a little longer than I would have liked since I last posted here. I apologize. That is why I have decided that there is no better time than now to stress how important scheduling your time is.

Personally, I have many different projects that I am currently working on. That is actually nothing to relatively new. However, I failed to sit down and set up a plan as to how I would start to accomplish each task. In doing so, I spent more time than I should have on certain projects and not nearly enough on others.

I honestly believe that if you plan to be successful in any work at home opportunity, you must create a schedule and follow through with it! A few of the areas that are extremely important, especially for me personally, are...

Set a specific time to handle emails. Let's say for 30 minutes at 8am, noon & 4pm, then maybe once before you shut down for the evening. That may seem like a lot to some, but if you would see the amount of emails that I get on a daily basis...if I do not stay on top of things, it can definitely get a bit overwhelming at times trying to catch back up.
Start your day with a good, solid 2-3 hour period to get all of your prospecting done. It is inevitable that you are going to have to call people. Who you call, that's up to you. I don't do cold calls, you may. All I'm saying is to be successful you need to talk to people. So, if you are like most people, this is the one area that is most difficult to stick with in the beginning. The phone may feel as though it weighs a ton, at least for the first few calls. But I assure you it will get lighter. Setting your hours so that you do nothing except make calls from 9am-noon will bring your business to new levels. Just think of it like this...by noon, you will actually be done working, if you would like to that is. You will have the entire rest of the day to do whatever you would like.
Schedule cleaning time and household chores. (This is huge) Often times, we as work at home business owners, will find all sorts of things that could be done around the house. I was so guilty of this at one point. I would find anything & everything I could think of that needed to be cleaned, just so that I did not have to make calls or do "work." There is no boss standing over your shoulder making sure you are getting things done. We are the only ones who know if and when we are working. The problem here is that when we do not work, we do not get paid. We are paid on results, not the time we put into it. So, schedule blocks of time throughout the day as to when you will wash dishes, or do the laundry, etc.

These are just a few areas that I feel are extremely important in terms of scheduling your time. In doing so, you will also free your mind to be able to concentrate on the task at hand. When your making calls to prospects, you won't be thinking of how badly the bathroom needs cleaned, or how much laundry you have to do, etc. You will get so much more done in a shorter amount of time, and trust me, it will definitely pay off.

One resource that I have found that is awesome for setting up daily chores for everyone in your household is Chore Buster. It is free to use and you can add every single chore you would do & have it schedule what needs to be done, and what day to do it on.

So, to sum it all up...even if you are the type of person who is not really into doing the whole schedule thing. (I was that person.) Take the time right now to sit down and just do it. You will save yourself so much time, as well as stress, among many other things as well. But the time you will save by doing so will be huge.

So Your Lacking the Support of Your Family & Friends...

2007-04-24T22:46:00.000-05:00

When you are starting out on a brand-new adventure, going into the unknown. It helps to have the support of the people around you. Yet this isn't always the case.

I have always had mixed opinions from my family & friends. Some completely believed in me & gave their support. Yet they didn't trust that enough to ever join me. Then there were those that constantly reminded me that I was not a millionaire yet. They picked & they prodded to try to break me down. I was determined to prove them wrong!

I guess that after as many new ventures I took a stab at & missed, there was a bit of validation to their disapproval. I just wished they could have kept it amongst themselves.

It is enough work to trust & believe in yourself, it doesn't help having someone telling you that it's not possible. The key is finding as many ways as you possibly can to tune them out.

Most likely it has nothing to do with you or who you are and what you are capable of in the first place. There are some that are just simply set in their ways. No matter what you say or do, they will never the opportunity as you do. If they did, they would be here right along side of you.

That's the difference. They have been programmed to believe that we are suppose to work 40 hours a week, for 40 years, and that's it. Period.

My advice is this...As long as you know that you are doing what you believe in, then do everything you can to ignore the rest. It's not always easy. But soon enough, you will have your day of shining glory. And even if you think of how wonderful it would be to rub a big fat "told ya so," right in their face, don't do it. It will make absolutely no impact on what their opinion is anyhow.

Find your support elsewhere if you have to. There should be people for you to connect with on your team. If not, there are plenty of wonderful online forums where you can meet other people that share your interests & your beliefs & who just may be going through the same thing you are. Go connect there.

Some people are just simply not open to change. They are willing to continue doing what they have always done, regardless if they like it or not. And you know what? They will continue to get what they have always got!

Everyone has greatness in them. It's just that most are too afraid to let it come out.

Taking the First Step

2007-04-06T02:04:00.000-05:00

There are many benefits to owning your own business:

You are your own boss.
You set your own hours.
You determine when and how you will work.
You can make as little or as much money as you would like.

There is also a down-side to owning your own business:

Since you are your own boss...there is no one else to lay the burden on.
Depending on what you do, you may have to have employees to deal with.
Also, Inventory.
And Taxes, Laws & Regulations (as well as any licensing you may need.)
Money...you make some, you lose some. There are no guarantees!

So why would you want to be your own boss, set your own hours, and start building a business right now?

Security! You can either build a future for yourself or you can be building it for someone else? If you are working for someone else, what happens if you don't work? You don't get paid, right. What about if you get hurt? Still no pay. After 15 years, how much of a raise have you earned? Not much.

So why do it? Because it is easier to continue to do what you've always done & you know that as long as you work x amount of hours, you will make X amount of money, right? Where as the guy who ventures out on his own, is solely reliant on himself. That is scary for most people. But no matter what you do in life, there are no guarantees!

Do your research, check out what is available to you. When you find something that peaks your interest just go for it. It may just be exactly what you have been meant to do for your entire life? You won't know until you try.

Stress Management

2007-04-04T20:19:00.000-05:00

A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, "how heavy is this glass of water? "

Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.

The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it."

If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem.
If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm.
If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance.

In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.

He continued, "And that's the way it is with stress management.
If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on. "

As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again.
When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden.

So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down.
Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can.

Relax; pick them up later after you've rested. Life is short. Enjoy it!

Some ways of dealing with the burdens of life:

* Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.

* Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.

* Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.

* Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their maker.

* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

* If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

* It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.

* Never buy a car you can't push.

* Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.

* Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.

* Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.

* The second mouse gets the cheese.

* When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

* Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.

* You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.

* Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once

* We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.

* A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

Just a little something to think about...

Can I do this?

2007-03-29T22:50:00.000-05:00

Everyone questions whether or not they will be able to make money from home, and I mean everyone. And my answer is yes! I honestly believe that anyone can do anything they want to do, that is... if they want it bad enough. However, if you don't like what your doing, it can still be done, it will just be much...much more draining and difficult to do so. When you absolutely love what you do, no matter what that is or what area of life it is pertaining too, you do it because that is what you want to do and not what you think you have to do.

For example, when I first started my journey in the work at home world, I had no idea what I was doing or even what I wanted to do for sure. I was intrigued by the idea of being able to do the work once and be paid on it forever. I just didn't know how hard it was going to be. Everyone that I talked to made it sound so simple. I had absolutely no idea.

I failed miserably for many years. I put my all into something that I didn't like doing. I couldn't sell products that to me were extremely over priced. I couldn't bring other people into this business knowing what I knew, and how difficult it was. I wasn't going to be that person that tells you what you want to hear just to get you to join. It is not worth it! When you have to "trick" someone into joining your team, or buying your products, you will never make it.

It was not only physically draining, but financially as well. Instead of making money, I was spending it. After a little over 2 years I finally decided that there was no way I was ever going to be able to make myself believe that this was the right thing to do. So I quit.

Now, I love what I do! I can tell everyone I know, or don't know. And even if I didn't make it the first few times around, I did now, and that is all that matters. I also learned many valuable lessons along the way. I was able to see both sides of the field and compare the two to see what made one so different from the other.

It doesn't matter what you do...if you are exercising because it is what you WANT to do & not what you think you HAVE to do, it will work. If you go to college because it's what you WANT to do & not what your parents say you HAVE to do, you will learn more. If you read a book because you WANT to read it & not because you HAVE to do it in order to pass a class or because someone is making you do it, you will buzz right on through it.

It's just that simple, when you love what you do, you wake up everyday ready to dig right in. It will come through in your voice and your attitude and everything about you. That is when you know, for a fact, that you can do anything!

My....WHY!

2007-03-28T00:43:00.000-05:00

I thought it would be nice to add some color to my blog, and what better way to do that then to share my inspiration with you. This is my youngest daughter, Alyssa, she is almost 17mo old. It's hard to believe that she is growing so fast. They sure don't stay little for long.

The whole reason I ever got into Network Marketing in the first place was for this very reason, my kids. I wanted to be able to be here for them whenever I am called upon, and to give them all the things I never had. There is no way a single mom could ever do that working for someone else. It was just something I was not willing to do.

We are suppose to be the one's teaching our children about life. But if you look real closely, we could learn so much from them. When they come into this world they have no idea what or where they are, let alone what to watch out for. Kids are sponges that take in ever little thing that passes in front of them. They don't know what they should or should not hear, or what to watch out for. We are the ones that show them right from wrong, and good from bad. Having kids has been the hardest, yet at the same time...greatest, task I have ever had to face. I think we should all take a lesson from our kids.

Failures is of no concern to them. They will do and try anything!

They wake up not knowing how many hours they have slept, and are eager to start their day, ready to explore and see all that the world has to offer.

When they fall down, they stand back up and try again!

As adults, we tend to forget what it is all about. It shouldn't matter how many times we fail. All that matters is that we don't quit. Why do we live through our days watching a clock? People tend to stress over the fact that there is never enough time to do this or that, when in all honesty, they wasted the entire day doing nothing but thinking of why they always have so much to do. Relate?

We are suppose to fall and pick ourselves back up, and then start all over again. They key is in learning from what we have done in the process. The only way that we could expect not to fail is if we knew everything we were suppose to right from the get go. If that was even possible, we would all be like robots, going through life on auto-pilot. There would be no fun in that.

So my advice for today is this...Live life to it's fullest. Be thankful for every blessing in your life and even the struggles. It is those struggles that have made us the person we are today. There is no room for greed or jealousy, hate or ridicule. Take today to become the best you that you can be!

MySpace & Building your business

2007-03-25T12:03:00.000-05:00

It is important to find ways to get your website out in front of people. Not everyone will be interested in whatever it is that you have to offer, but the more people that go to your site, the better response rate you will have. Not rocket science now is it?

MySpace is definitely one way of getting lots of people to know about you and what you are doing. You can find long lost friends and family, make new friends, find people in your area, or with interests similar to yours. There are endless possibilities. My suggestion to you is this...people are more likely to be interested in you as a person, not the business you are in. That being said...

Build your MySpace page around who you are..what are you interested in? (Besides building your business...)
If you try using the same story on your page as everyone else in your business is using, I will tell you right now, you are not fooling anyone. It most likely has been seen a million times over and personally, when I see the first line, I just move on.
Essentially the best prospect anyone could ever have is someone that they already know. We trust people we know to give us the honest truth, right? Same thing applies here. Even if I have never actually met the person, I can tell who is being honestly sincere and who is just trying to get me to buy their products or join their team.
Don't accept friend requests from every person that sends them to you. There could be benefits to having a large list of friends, but I don't want to be constantly bombarded with advertisements and such from people trying to get me to join them, etc. If someone sends me a request, and tells me why, then I am more likely to accept, if their page is about them more so than their biz opp.
Put a link to your website on your page or a banner, whatever method you use, just don't overdo it with too many advertisements.

Overall, think of how you would feel, put your shoes in that of your prospects. What would interest you or catch your attention? Do you like to constantly have ads thrown in your face?

And last but not least...instead of trying to do things fast and easy, take your time and do it right. If you put the effort into it people will notice and you will get a much better response as a result.

You can visit my myspace page at www.myspace.com/cberney80 (And for anyone who thinks that they can't do it because they don't know how and it will take to long or it is too hard to learn...I had no idea what I was doing when I first started. I don't think it turned out so bad either.)

If you continue to do what you've always done, you will continue to get what you've always got.

2007-03-23T10:48:00.000-05:00

I talk to people everyday who are unhappy with their current situation, whether that be working too many hours, or not having a job, living paycheck to paycheck. Whatever the reason may be, they are still not willing to take the step needed to change anything.

We are raised believing that we are suppose to grow up, get a good job, work 40 hours a week for 40 years, and that's just what were suppose to do. The problem is this...our times have changed dramatically. The cost of living is going up, technology is advancing, everything is costing more period. Yet we are still doing the same things as we did 10, 20 years ago.

The only way you can be sure that you secure your future financially is to own your own business. Granted, there is some risk involved when venturing out on your own, and quite honestly, it is the very reason most people continue to do what they do, regardless if they like it or not. Change isn't always easy, but it is necessary.

I understand the reluctancy of jumping into any new venture, how can you be sure that your making the right decision? To tell you the truth, you don't know for sure. If we always did things right the first time...well there wouldn't be much fun in that now would there? The wonderful thing about that is, we can always pick ourselves back up and try something else until we get it right.

Here are some things to think about...

You don't have to quit doing what you're already doing in order to make a change. Start a home-based business part-time, a couple hours a day after work, whatever it takes. Even if it takes you a little longer than someone who has the benefit of working the business solely, you will at least be moving forward.
What is truly important? If you are missing out on your children growing up just so that you can afford the "greater" things in life, when it comes down to it, which one will you miss most if it is gone? Our children grow up so fast, we can't turn back time and do it all over again, there is no rewind. But, the fancy cars and the nice clothes, whatever it may be, that all goes away. No one remembers you for the material items you have possessed. They remember the person you were and how you lived life in general.
When you work for someone else you are building a future for them, not you. If you don't work, you don't get paid. They tell you when & how to work and how much you will be paid. You are stuck living on someone else's terms.
When you decide to work for you, you are in control. You determine when & how you will work. And more importantly, there is no ceiling as to how much money you make. You want more, you put forth more effort. Simple as that.

I could go on and on about why people should see the benefits of working at home, but I'm not going to. I'm sure that you get the picture. We can't make people see what we see. If we could then well, that would be to easy. It wouldn't have as much value as it does when someone reaches a goal that they never thought possible before. That is where the true value in believing in yourself is found.

Off to a Fast-Start...

2007-03-22T23:22:00.000-05:00

Working from home has it's fair share of pros & cons. One of them being, you can get so easily distracted, especially with no one watching over you to make sure you are actually working, that more often then not, you reach the end of the day and have accomplished very little.

I believe it was Tom 'Big Al' Schreiter, who mentioned this tip:

How to get your new distributors off to a fast start?
To motivate your new distributors/brokers...Take their television home with you. Let them know they can get it back after they have sponsored their first 4 distributors &/or after they have acquired their first 4 members/customers. Every time your new distributor looks at that empty space where their tv used to be, they with think about promoting their business.

As outrageous as it sounds, I can definitely see how it would work. In the same way a vision board, or dream board, with pictures of all the things you dream of having in the future. The lack of your tv in the living room shows what you do not have, that you want back.

Network Marketing? Fact or Fiction?

2007-03-19T15:18:00.000-05:00

I have found that people have mixed feelings concerning Network Marketing. Some will say it doesn't work. Yet, there are many that are living proof that it does. So, who should we believe? You must first understand what Network Marketing is.

The idea behind Network Marketing is this...everyday we make referrals to people we know about a restaurant we like, or a product we use that we absolutely love, movies, music, the list goes on and on. That's easy, right? Yet, do we get a percentage off the profit from each person we referred? Nope. Network Marketing is just that. It's the idea that with "word of mouth" referrals, we receive a percentage of every sale and every person we refer to the company. When done correctly, it is fun and easy and it will pay you for the rest of your life.

So, instead of joining a company because of their compensation plan or because of the flashy cars people drive, find a product or service that you absolutely love and can see other people using every single day. That is how network marketing was meant to work. Yes, there are people that make money in the wellness industry, I personally was not one of those people. Why? Because I didn't like what I was doing. I didn't love our products. In my opinion they were too expensive for the typical, average income family and if I had to choose I would not have used them myself, so I couldn't sell them either.

It took me a long time to realize that this was what it was all about. After that, I changed everything from the company I was in, to a completely different arena all together. My results then changed dramatically. When you are not constantly "afraid" to ask others to join your company or buy your products, and instead you share it with everyone you run into because you don't want to leave anyone out, that is when you start your path towards financial success and freedom in Network Marketing.

FREE Real-Time Leads

2007-03-15T10:42:00.000-05:00

If you are building a business, then you know that having responsive leads is key. Essentially, generating your own is of course the best way to go. In the beginning while you are learning what's needed to do so, you will have to rely on other sources for leads.

There are millions of places to get leads, I'm not going to go over all of them now. I just want to share a site that I have found where you can get FREE leads to try and later purchase if you like. They are good leads and actually really affordable.

www.freeliveleads.com

You can get 10 free to sample, or 20 extra with your first order. Follow the instructions on the page, put in your code, and process your order. It won't charge your card until the end of the trial, all you have to do is cancel before that date and no charges.

P.S. I am in no way affiliated with them. I only wanted to share. I am interested to hear from those who try them.

Advertising Tips...

2007-03-11T16:34:00.000-05:00

Methods of advertising are pretty much limitless. Finding new creative ideas is great. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Free Classifieds- (www.inetGiant.com or simply do a search and you will find plenty of places to start)
Online Forums & Chats- some of my favorites are, www.wahm.com , www.cafemom.com , www.mayasmom.com . Don't join them just to advertise your business, the internet is already full of that. Find groups that you have something in common with and do what we are suppose to do, Network. You may even find something for yourself as well.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) - I'm not "pro" in this area yet, but it is something you definately want to look into. www.engineseeker.com is a great place to start.
Submit your website to all the major search engines. Google, Yahoo, MSN...again, just do a search for places to submit your website
Ezine advertising- solo ads are the best in my opinion, top ads work well too. Again, just do your research. This does cost, so it's best to "test" your ads before investing in a costly ad.
My personal favorite, as it is easy, free and gets great results. Link Referral- http://www.linkreferral.com/adwel.pl?oldrefid=90198
Add a Signature Line with all your outgoing emails and online posts.

That should be enough to get you started. Just keep looking and trying new things.

March Madness!

2007-03-11T01:05:00.000-06:00

WORK AT HOME
Hurry!

This is incredible news! For a very short time, the Member Application fee to start your AmeriPlan business is ONLY $25.00!

Do you realize what a rare chance this is for you?
Just Think...
*You Are Paid Daily with AmeriPlan
*Get HUGE Cash Advances On New Business!
*NO Products To Store - NO Deliveries!
*NO Employees To Pay!
*Work When And Where You Want!
*No License Required!
*Benefits for You and Your Family
*401K Plan
*Full Training
*All you need is your phone --- and Internet access --- and you can build your business nationwide using our turnkey system for success!

But Hurry! This special window of opportunity is from March 5 until March 30th, 2007......regular $50.00... to sign up as an official AmeriPlan Independent Business Owner.
To Start working at home today, sign up online at: http://www.iboplus.com/cberney
Take a look at our team and what we offer: http://www.freedomathometeam.com/cberney/team

Secret Shoppers

2007-03-06T21:33:00.000-06:00

This is what I learned with Secret Shoppers...

Most are scams, but a few are real.
You do not have to pay to be a Secret Shopper.
Anyone who wants you to buy in it's a SCAM. Don't do it.
If you want to be a secret shopper, do your own research.
Call a place like Target & ask who they use. To do this, call your local store & ask for the number to Headquarters. They will tell you who they use then you can contact them yourself. No need to buy a list.
The pay is not very good. You get paid a certain amount depending on the task at hand. Sometimes it is $1-$10/per visit.

If you love to shop and have the extra time, this may be great for a way to earn a little extra cash. I wouldn't count on it to pay your bills however.

What to look for

2007-03-05T20:09:00.000-06:00

Let's see if you can relate...

You start looking for something to do from home. Every ad that seems to catch your attention, makes you want to read more, and more, and more... Now it's not so fun anymore, and after scrolling through 10 pages of the same information, just repeated in somewhat different terms, you don't have any clue as to what it even is?

Sound familiar? I know, maybe a little too much. Right?

Well here is what I don't understand. Why wouldn't you want to share exactly what it is you do? What are you trying to hide? Is there something that you are ashamed of?

Now, let's just say we decide to fill in the form with ALL and I mean ALL of our contact information so that someone can call us just so that we can finally see what this is all about.

Now, Mr. Bob calls to tell you about how great his company is and how much money your going to make, and best of all, the system will do all of the work for you! Right? But what is it exactly? Well after a 20 minute speech from Mr. Bob we still have no idea what he's talking about.

I'm sure you get the picture. So here is what I don't like about this scenario, of which happens all too often. Regardless of if you get me to sign up or not, what are you looking to achieve by doing so?

My point is this...if you hide what it is that you do because you know how difficult it is to actually become successful, then what will you get out of signing me up? You will get your commissions for a month or two or more until I finally decide to quit of which all that is accomplished is wasted time, for both of us.

I have learned many lessons through my journey in the WAH world and this is one of the most common faults. I was initially drawn to this industry in search of a way to be able to make money even when my kids are sick. I'm not lazy by any means, but I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that I would prefer to do the work once and continue to be paid on it forever. That is exactly what this industry provides if it's not misused.

The key is to understand exactly what it is that you would do, how you make money, if there is training available...whatever you can think of. Ask questions and make sure you get an answer. If you can't see yourself loving what you do or loving the products that you are expected to market, if you don't believe in what you do, then it will never work.

The 2 Year Story

2007-03-04T22:06:00.000-06:00

Imagine you're at work one day... and your boss comes to you and says, "Bad news, we're going to have to fire you. Business is bad. And the economy stinks." You feel depressed. No more career. No more regular paychecks. And then the boss says, "You know what? If you were to work just one extra hour overtime every day for free, from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, we'll let you keep your job and you can continue collecting your same paycheck."

Now, what would you do? Well, most people would say, "Well, I will work the extra hour of overtime just to keep my job. I know I will be working the extra hour for free, but it is important to keep my present job."

And then the boss says, "Well, I know it's kind of bad news for you but there is some good news. If you work an hour of overtime, Monday through Friday for no pay, just one extra hour a day and 4 extra hours on Saturday with no pay also . . . at the end of two years, we'll let you retire at full pay."

All of a sudden, how do you feel? You feel like saying, "Wow! Excellent! What an opportunity! Just work one hour overtime for free, Monday through Friday, and 4 hours on Saturday and two years from now . . . I retire at full pay!"

So what would happen? You're working overtime and six months later one of your friends says, "Hey, why don't you quit doing that? You're working nearly 10 hours per week overtime and not getting paid for it." You say to your friend, "No way! I only have 18 more months to go and then I'm going to retire!"

A year from now, maybe your spouse says, "You know what, dear? You've been working that overtime nearly 10 hours per week for the past 12 months. Why don't you spend more time here at home instead of working that hour overtime?" You say, "No, no, no! Just one more year and I can retire at full pay."

And you would be at work faithfully, Monday through Friday AND on Saturday, working that overtime so you could retire. And you would be excited about the opportunity.

Well, we have the same opportunity to retire with our network marketing business. We ask people to spend one hour a day, Monday through Friday building a network marketing business, and a few hours on the weekend. And all you have to do is . . . talk to some people. And you don't have to worry too much about what you say or how good you are, because you know what? You'll get better. The longer you do network marketing, the more you'll learn.

So maybe after the first month you say, "Gee, I really don't know what to say."

The second month you get a little better and say, "Well, I know the name of the company is the Wonderful Company."

The third month you get better at this and say, "I think this is a neat business. You might want to look at it."

And the fourth month you get better and better.

Just invest 1-2 hours per day. And at the end of two years you might be pleasantly surprised and say, "You know what, I can replace my full-time income and retire for the rest of my life."

So . . . would you take advantage of that opportunity?

If you are like most people, you will want to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity . . . but, you won't do it.

Here is why you won't do it. A little voice inside of your head is saying, "But what if it doesn't work? What if I waste an hour a day over those two years? What if I'm not good at this? I don't know anyone who has retired in network marketing. I only know people who retired with a pension from a job. This might not be a sure thing."

Yes, you're going to have some doubt. You will have a belief problem. And that's pretty natural.

So here is what we are going to do to help you with your belief. To encourage you along the way, every so often we're going to send you a check in the mail -- just to keep your spirits up as you build your two-year business. When you get these occasional checks, you will say, "I know it works! I've got these checks to prove it."

And that is why you want to truly start your business today.

Why would I pay to work at home? Scam?

2007-03-03T23:26:00.000-06:00

This is generally a common concern for someone looking to work from home, so here it is.

When you say, work at home, it could translate to a number of different things. For the sake of this example, I will use the most common. There are wah JOBS & wah BUSINESS OPPS.

WAH Jobs...this would consist of you being hired as an employee to do your work from home. With this, you are paid either an hourly wage, or salary. You get paid for the work you do and the hours you put into it. You should NEVER have to PAY someone to work for them, or in other words to get the "job."

WAH Business...this is exactly what it says, a business you own that is done from home. There are a number of different businesses that you can do, typically it's any company whether it be mlm or network marketing, that offers a product or service that you in turn market. This is how they differ, with a business, you are not paid for the time you put into it, you are paid for results. It doesn't matter if you put in 100 hours or more, if you do not get anything in regards to "sales" you are not paid. On the flip side of that, all of the work that you do put in, is yours and you continue to get paid without ever having to do the work again. This IS something that you would PAY to do, because you are getting things in return.

What about Pyramid schemes? First of all they are illegal and are based on taking advantage of people. For a person to make money in a pyramid scheme, someone else has to lose money. Typically with a pyramid scheme, there is no product involved at all.

There are many different types of wah jobs and businesses to choose from. My suggestion would be to do your research, find a company that you can actually see yourself getting excited about what they offer, ask questions, and in the end it will most likely take a bit of trust in yourself and faith that you can be successful. With the right tools and training, anything is possible.