When life struggles and business struggles collide

Life does not always go the way that we want them to.  Every time that we set goal and dreams we do so with great expectations of smooth sailing along the way.  Things happen in life that are unexpected just as things in business can happen unexpectedly.  Many of us try to compartmentalize our business and personal life and try not to bring the problems from one to another.  What do you do when you are having problems in both and they seem to be affecting each other?

Before you do anything rash like quit, take a step back.  Stop looking at your struggles as a whole.  If you look at all the things not working right it can overwhelm you to the point where you don't know where to start and instead do nothing.  Start looking at what is going right as well.  You may find that things are not as bad as it seems.

Look at each issue one at a time.  As you evaluate each issue determine if it can be addressed quickly or if it needs a lot of attention.  Address the little things 1st.  For the larger issues figure out what can be worked on by you and figure out what you need to ask for help on.  Help doesn't need to come from a person necessarily it may just be knowledge that you are lacking.

When you are dealing with struggles both in your personal life and in your business life its time to look at your priorities.  What struggles are a result of not having your priorities and goals in alignment?  Fix those by focusing once again on those priorities.

After you  have evaluated each struggle then you can form a plan to address it.

Sometimes the personal struggle you are facing such as health issues or family issues may require you to put your business aside for a time.  Examples of this are you are working so much on building your business that your personal relationships are neglected to the point of teetering on their demise.  Either you let go of the relationships which may not be in your best interests or you back off of the business to rebuild the relationships.  The other example is a serious health crisis where you only have so much energy and most of it needs to go to recovery.  In that case you may have to close your business interests and begin again after the health crisis is over.


Overall remember there is always a way through.  The way may not be easy or quick but the road is there.  Don't give up simply because you feel to overwhelmed.  Its usually the most difficult right before a major breakthrough.

Tread Carefully When Speaking of a Competitors Products

I am currently involved in a little experiment.  I am trying a competitors product and comparing it to the product that I sell.  Doing this I am taking careful steps to do it honestly and with integrity.

Each week as I am participating in this little experiment I am reporting on my progress using Facebook.  Now, I am using the product and company names while I do this.

Today I was reporting on the results of 5 days of using the competitors products.  The results were not even what I was expecting and I took great care to just record the result and observations.  The two people on my feed who are selling this product took notice and started trying to go down the road that I was making conclusions or using the product incorrectly or that I hadn't tried it for long enough.

Even with the care that I took to not make conclusions at this early point in my experiment it still wasn't perceived that way.  I still have 4 weeks left in the experiment.

As a marketer it is a good idea to recognize that putting down or using derogatory terms about your competition is not the best way to attract people to your product.  It doesn't matter what kind of product you are marketing be it a person in a political campaign, an idea or a physical product of some kind.  People do not like to hear you talk about why the other product is bad.  People do want to hear why your product is good and why it would  benefit them.

With both of the product lines that I sell I even go so far as to show how my products can enhance the use of the competitors products.

I firmly believe that there is enough success in direct sales for everyone who works at it to get it.  There is no need to step on other people's, companies, or product's toes in order to do it.

So remember when asked about your competitor, pay them a compliment and then show how your product will better benefit your prospective customer rather than insulting your competitor.  You will find your audience more receptive.

Where do you find opportunities to improve your skills?

Its Friday and most people are looking forward to the weekend.  I am too but for a very different reason.  Tomorrow is my 1st vendor event with my newest business venture.  This week I have run off raffle tickets and flyers, made sure I had order forms and gotten out my calendar to block out all of my unavailable dates.

Fundnoodle is so new that anytime that I speak the name I get a what is that?  I personally think that is great because I have an opportunity to introduce my business to a new person every time I say the name.  I don't exactly have inventory to sell at this time, but instead I can offer the lower shipping cost for a party by having sales ordered and having them sent to my house where I will deliver them to the person who ordered it.

Yes I would love to have some sales, but more importantly I am looking for at least a couple of bookings.  This is how a direct sales party company works.  We don't work traditional hours but we do work.  At least we work if we are serious about having a successful business.

I am always looking for new and innovative ways to introduce people to what I do.  The biggest challenge that I have is to give out small amounts of information and wait for the customer or prospect to ask for more.  I instinctively want to spout everything that I know as quickly as I can.

Tomorrow I hope to do things much differently.  I plan to listen more than I speak.  I plan to generate interest by giving a small amount of info unless they ask me for more.  I want to pay attention to those who come to my table and make them feel important.  I want to ask them about what they are looking for and try to meet that need.

I am hoping that by doing things differently I will have different results.  Ultimately yes my goal for tomorrow is sales and bookings, but if I can practice all the skills that I have been reading about and trying to incorporate into the way I conduct my business then that will be even better.

Each vendor event, Playdate, Product presentation and educational fair is another opportunity to practice and hone my skills in direct marketing.  Each time I help someone with their business it is an opportunity to practice and hone my leadership skills.

The only way to improve is to practice and the only times I get to practice is when I am actually performing the tasks I need to perform in the working of my business.  There are no short cuts.

Fitness, Parenting and Running a Business

Each day is a new day.  I wake up with a long list of things to get done each day.  Most of us do.  Between trying to take care of myself through exercise, getting enough sleep and eating right, Raising my 6 year old child, and working to build a profitable business, life can sometimes seem overwhelming.

I am also a Christian and there is one thing that I have learned and kind of dubbed the 11th commandment.  Thou Salt not walk faster than you are able.  If you are not a Christian that is okay because this applies to you as well.

We all have the same 24 hours in a day.  Yes we can optimize them through great time management, but we still have the same 24 hours.  Our time should be allocated according to our priorities, but that is not always the case.

I walk a fine line between taking care of my own needs, taking care of my families needs and taking care of my businesses needs.  Sometimes one of those needs must override the other two sets of needs.  This is not uncommon when you wear many hats. We can only do so much.

Finding that balance between all the needs that are calling to be addressed is not always easy.  Sometimes its not even possible.  

As much as I would like to run my business like a corporate engine, its not possible for me right now, at least not if I want to make my family a priority, and that means that I may not achieve my dreams as quickly as I would like.  

I still have a steep learning curve when it comes to parts of my business and that means that my business growth is dictated by my knowledge and skill.  Trying to do more than I am ready for can lead to frustration, disappointment and the desire to quit.  Slowly adjusting my business practices as I learn new things will bring growth at a rate that is handleable for me until I get to the point that my business is ready to explode.  When that happens I will be ready for it.

Until then, I focus on my priorities and do the activities required to meet the needs that I am able to right now.  

Does the average life have to be mundane?

Some days I find it difficult to come up with something to write.  I don't really want to write about the same things over and over again.  If I did I would never get any readers.  I am an ordinary housewife trying to live an extraordinary life.  Most of my days are routine and full of household chores, teaching my 6 year old and trying to come up with ways to expand my circle of influence so that I can build a successful direct sales marketing business.

As I go through life I try to find little things that I can do in order to get outside the mundane life that I lead.  I used to disappear inside a book and the fantasy world it created.  Now I look for ways to reach out to new people, find new experiences and pursue new avenues to learn new things.

Most of us don't get to live the kind of life where millions adore us and know who we are.  Most of us aren't pursuing major discoveries that can change the world and most of us don't have the kind of money it takes to create foundations that will help large amounts of people.  Most of us are living an average life.

So if you are living the average life, how can you make a difference?  There are so many ways and they are too numerous to count.

It can be the simplest of things that can do the most good.  A smile to the person passing you on the street.  A kind word to someone having a bad day.  Helping someone carry their groceries or other heavy objects.  These little things can have an amazing ripple effect where you never know where your one good deed will lead.

Some of you may say that's great, but it is not enough.  You may not think it matters much but to that one person you helped it matters a great deal.

So maybe you are looking for a greater impact upon the world.  That kind of impact doesn't usually fall into your lap.  To have great impact on the world around you it takes an intentional plan to do so.  You start by asking yourself what kind of impact on the world do you want to have.  Then you start asking questions such as what does that look like and how do I make it happen.  You start doing your research on what it is you need to do to make that impact and you begin to plan a process that will help you do so.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if the average life left more of a good impact on the world than it currently does today?  In order for that to happen it  is those who live the average life that have to step up to the plate and make that change possible.

If you live an average life like I do start asking yourself what can you do to increase your good impact on the world and watch what happens.

Growing as a leader

Last week I did something new for me.  I am with a fairly new Direct Sales company and they are still forming their training procedures.  As I saw posts in the group Facebook page I noticed a need from several People.  I decided to do something about it.

I am very new to Facebook Live and I am really new to the company.  I felt that I had something of value to offer the group so on my own without asking I decided to hold a Facebook live to address a need that I saw in the group.  I didn't ask anyone if I could do it and I didn't plan it out very well.  The quality of the recording was not necessarily the best and I did not get many comments on it.  I only had 2 people attend as well.  That was all part of the plan because I was nervous and didn't want a lot of live attendees.  Once I posted it though I couldn't take it back.

Last night in our weekly national sales call I was thanked for doing it.  I felt pretty good about the pat on the back but thought that maybe next time I should ask first and be better organized.

Right now I do not have a team of my own, but I hope to change that soon.  In the meantime I am trying to help the company out by offering tips and suggestions that I have seen be successful in other direct sales party based companies.  I emailed the corporate offices about some suggested additions to our hostess program and I have come up with a few proposals of classes to offer at our yearly conference taking place in February.

I am by no means an expert, but I want to develop the leadership skills that I know that I have not had a chance to develop and I am seeing my first opportunity to do so.  I have never been this bold before and I am really liking the results that I am seeing.

I have a lot planned in the coming months with this new company and hope to be able to accomplish more in the first year with them than I have with any other company.  I hope that with all the personal and business development that I am doing I will be able to start attracting people who want to do the same.

I am trying to travel a very thin line between being a leader and being pushy and intrusive.  I hope that I am accomplishing what I intended.

If you would like to grow yourself as a leader you need to start stepping out of your comfort zone and start taking the lead where you see a need.  Take courage and be bold.  It will get easier the more you do it.

Family, Business and what to avoid.

We all want to believe that our families will treat us fairly if we decide to go into business with them. Many times that is the case.  Often times that is not the case.  I have witnessed my husband go into business with family a few times.  None of the times have worked out in his favor.

The first time my husband had an idea for a business.  He told my brother-in-law about it and then moved on.  A few weeks later the brother- in-law comes back and says my step-father wants to invest $11,000.00 in the business because I told him we could double it.  I asked questions like what happens if the business goes under?  What will that investor expect?  We should get some things in writing and was told by the two of them they were not worried about it.  Guess what because my husband didn't stick to his original business plan the business went under.  You guessed it not having anything in writing came back to bite us.

The 2nd time my husband went into business with family was as an employee.  His Father approached him and asked him to come work for his new company.  My husband had a great job where the company was paying for him to go to college and without really considering the consequences left his good job to work for his Dad.  Here is where the problem began.  His Dad had a partner who was quite dishonest and did everything in his power to make the work environment hostile to my husband so he wouldn't stay on.  My husband discovered a 2nd set of books and told his Dad, but was of course was brushed off.  After being there for 4 years without a raise he was told by the partner that it would be another 8 before he saw a raise. My husband began looking for another job which did not work out and we spent years trying to recover.

The current situation began at a time when we were just beginning to recover from my husband's previous decisions.  His site was going to be shut down and he was going to try to find a lateral transfer within the company.  Enter his Father once again.  He had bought out the partner whom he had finally discovered was as corrupt as my husband had suggested.  He proceeded to ask my husband to come back at a lower salary than he was then making.  Here was the clincher he promised to give the business to my husband.  I will admit that the first year in business my husband got 2 raises to bring him to just under what he was making in his former company.  That was 2014.  We have not seen a raise since then or the promised shares.  We just received a copy of my Father-in-Law's will.  The company is to be divided between my husband and his 2 sisters instead of being given to him as promised.

This is a tale of caution.  Going into business with family can work out very well and has done so for many companies.  In order to protect your interests though make sure you get all agreements and promises in writing.  It may feel disloyal to cover the legal bases, but I assure you that those legal bases will make sure there is no miscommunication or misunderstandings, as well as make sure that you have some kind of legal assurances that what you are offered is what you will receive.  Even though you are going into business with family it is best that you treat all business agreements as if they were not family.  It is better for the business and it is better for the individual family members.