My Heart Is Smiling...

When I started this journey with my amazing friend Renee, neither one of us knew what to expect.  Regardless, we were committed to doing it together for a year.  

We are two months in and are shocked at how much fun and profitable this business is.  Why in the world have I stayed in corporate America so long?  Seriously?!?  Why hasn't this industry been introduced to me before?  At least it has now!  I am hooked, loving every minute of it, and I still can't believe I'm getting paid for this!

On that note, two more team members joined the team and I couldn't be happier!    

Vanessa joined our team last week and is yet another high school friend that has come on board.  We didn't really get a chance to know each very well back then because she only went to our school for a short time, but we've become closer in the last year thanks to Facebook.  I simply love how Facebook brings people together and how easy it is to stay connected regardless of geographic locations.

To be honest, Vanessa's interest in becoming a business partner came out of nowhere.  I sent her a note about Rodan and Fields amazing skin care line, and a few conversations later she agreed to try some product.  Our conversations continued, but mainly about the product and our personal lives.  A couple more passing weeks, a few more conversations, and now we're working together!  

It's safe to say I liked her before but have quickly come to simply adore her!  She is smart, aggressive, a loving mother, fun and driven.  She is going to do wonderful in this industry and I am honored to be in business with her.  I guess you could say that Rodan and Fields is bringing people closer also regardless of geographic locations also! 

Shannon also joined the team last week, and she's one of the first people I shared this business with.  I know I sound like a broken record, but she also has been a good friend since high school.  She is the type of friend that brings a smile to my face when I hear her name or when I think about all the goofy things we used to do.  

Shannon committed to joining the team but had to wait until she could make it "official".  We were both giddy about going into business together and sent regular notes to each other counting down the days!  It felt like her signing day would never get here, but it's now official and we are business partners!!! Shannon is off and running and based on what I've seen, it's going to be hard work trying to keep up with her!  She jumped in to the deep end and is making things happen.

This is a business so at the heart of what I'm doing is profits, BUT the best part (for me) is the relationships.  How many people can say they get to work with their friends?

I've learned so much more about them since this journey began, and it makes us all that much closer.  To say they're smart, dynamic, amazing, and fun women would be an understatement.  I have so much respect for my friends/partners, and I am honored to be in business with each of them.  We are a powerful team and with each passing day are getting smarter and stronger.  The future is so bright!!!  Again, I still can't believe I'm getting paid for this!

Most of us have to work.  I am thrilled that this company allows me to work in my pjs and with people I care so deeply for.  Our products make people happy and this is only the beginning.  I can't wait to see who else joins the team.  They say to look for driven, friendly, positive people because they are friends with driven, friendly, positive people.  I can't wait for the network to broaden with each of the team's connections because if they are half as great as my friends are I am going to be blessed beyond words.  I can't wait to experience what the future has in store for each of us.  Regardless, I know we are going to have tons of fun doing it!!!

March is going to be a great month.  I get to see two of my partners and help grow their business.  Look out California, here we come!  

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It's A Marathon, Not A Sprint...

We keep hearing, "This business is NOT for everyone", which in the beginning this is difficult to wrap our heads around because to earn maximum profits we have to build a team and master recruiting.  This means it's a numbers game. 

So what does that look like?  Most cast a really wide net to try to maximize results.  This makes sense because it allows you to reach the masses, become more familiar with the business, better understand your reactions and those of others, deal with rejection, and actually better understand yourself.    

However, an interesting thing is happening as our confidence builds.  We find that we are thinking bigger and going after our "dream team" or the "big fish" rather than strictly quantity.  This thinking is great from a strategic standpoint, but it also has its downside.  We're now having scarier conversations and experiencing bigger rejection.  This is where, "this business is not for everyone" comes in.  

Let's face it, nobody likes rejection.  It sucks.  Rejection plays with your mind regardless how confident you are.  In this business we've learned quickly that there are peaks and valleys.  Now if we could only learn how to master the valleys and accept that the rejection isn't personal.  In fact, when we take a step back and get passed the emotions, we usually see that the rejection is actually better for us long-term.  

We are building a business so we are looking for customers that are genuinely interested in better skin.  It has been odd to realize that not everybody cares about their skin.  We are still baffled by this one, but are getting better at accepting it.  

We are also looking for team members that are hungry, driven, fun, and are looking to build their own business as well as secure financial freedom for themselves and their families.  It's also important that our team members believe in the product and the company.  That passion makes it easier to sell and build a lucrative business.  

We learned this lesson the hard way.  We experienced the peak of a new team member in our first month only to experience the valley of losing her in less than twenty-four hours.  This was a HUGE blow.  It really took the wind out of our sails because it happened so early in our journey.  We learned that most people in this business lose team members BUT most don't lose them in their first month.  

It also made us question if we were crazy or if we were doing the right thing.  We had to fight through the negative voices in our heads.  The voices that ask:

• What in the world are you doing?
• Who in the world do you think you are?
• Do you really think you are going to succeed?
• Could you have done anything differently?  

In fact, we didn't share about this team loss immediately because it took a few weeks to process and really accept.

This is where the buddy-system is beautiful.  There is power in numbers and their is power in friendship.   The buddy-system helps build confidence.  It includes an automatic "pick me up" when one of us is stuck in a valley. 

Side by side we are building this.  We are having fun and experiencing a lot of peaks --- we just signed two more business partners, which we'll be featuring soon so stay tuned, and we continue to sell product.  There is nothing like a new team member to give us an amazing adrenalin rush.  But, it's when you hit the valley that you are glad you are in this with your friends.

This business is not for the weak, and it definitely tries your patience.  We need to remember to see the big picture.  We've learned that we'll take a step back on occasion, but we need to trudge on by taking two steps forward.  When we want immediate results, we need to remind ourselves this is a marathon, not a sprint.

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Here We Grow Again ...

We are super excited to welcome our newest team member, Heather!!!  She is the mother of two beautiful daughters and currently a Director of Sales in the high tech industry in the Northern California area.  Her reason for starting her own business is all too familiar.

At this stage in her life, while her career is important, she finds herself less tolerant of all the sacrifices corporate requires.  She loves her boss who is extremely flexible BUT it isn't enough.  She wants more time with her family.  This opportunity came to her at the perfect time.

Do you have people in your life that have made an impact regardless of how much time you spent with them?  That is Heather.  We went to high school together and weren't necessarily close girl friends, but we were certainly friends.  We had chemistry together and interacted from time to time in class or around campus.

Fast forward twenty plus years and, thanks to Facebook, we reunite and find ourselves chatting periodically about life, family, where we have been, etc.  A few chats later and we find that we have more in common than we would have ever imagined.

We share many things: successful corporate careers, motherhood, family, drive, competitive spirits, compassion, we are believers, and a desire to spend more time with our girls.  It isn't just more time with our girls that is important, but having enough positive energy for our girls.  We both talked about how corporate can literally suck the life out of you and leave very little left for the ones you care about.

We've said it before and we will say it again, the best thing about this business is the relationships.  Who knew twenty some odd years ago, two high school chemistry students would lock arms and become business partners!  The relationships make it fun going to work everyday!    

Now, her husband gave us a HUGE challenge but we are both up for it.  He is giving us three months to "show him the money" and show him the potential this business has.  The funny thing about this challenge is how we both reacted!  Neither of us batted an eye, took the challenge, and got to work!  I am confident Heather's husband will love this business in three months!  We haven't negotiated with him yet BUT since we are already well into February and it is a short month, we think it is only fair that the clock "officially" start ticking for our first month on March 1!!!

We are smiling from the inside out knowing Heather is going to "own" Northern California, and that she just made a decision that is going to change her life.  I am confident she will be spending more time with her girls among other things.  This is just the beginning...

Welcome Heather, my friend and newest business partner!!!

    

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Pay Day; Sweet, Glorious Pay Day...

We love pay day!  Let's face it, who doesn't?  I've heard many people say it's not about the money.  Seriously, who are they kidding?  We work to get paid!  Sure we get other things out of work but at the end of the day, as Puff Daddy stated, "It's all about the Benjamins".

Will I make enough money this month to:

• Support My Family
• Put Food on the Table
• Pay My Bills
• Pay the Insurance
• Pay the Taxes
• Get my hair done
• Put money into savings
• What about my retirement
• Buy that (insert whatever you like) I've been looking at for months
• And,  after all the obligations are paid, is there any "funny" money left to play with?

We received our first pay checks this week and a two things happened:

1)  It made this business real.  We knew it was real but now it really is real!
2)  We both gained an amazing sense of accomplishment.  Who knew two girls from Anaheim could open their own businesses and actually make money in the first month?  Talk about putting a smile on our faces --- this is really cool.

We jumped into this business together but for very different reasons.  While we have been friends for twenty plus years and have pretty much been through everything together (marriages, divorces, births of children, heartache, happiness, success, etc.), our careers couldn't be more opposite.  One went the "college", then "corporate" route and slaved hours upon hours to build a career.  While the other went the "I have to find a job to support my kids" route and slaved hours upon hours to put food on the table.  Now one of us is looking to stay home with her new baby and the other is looking for financial freedom.

Regardless of our paths, we both have put up with "playing the game", which entails:

• Crazy bosses
• Crazy hours
• Crazy co-workers
• Missing important obligations and/or events due to work
• Corporate silliness
• Corporate politics
• Kissing up
• Biting our tongues
• Crappy jobs
• Our "HR" files
• Being passed up for a promotion 
• Getting the promotion, then realizing it really isn't what you wanted
• Sacrificing, Sacrificing, Sacrificing 

And we both desire the same things:

• Financial Freedom
• Flexibility to spend time with the people we care about
• Fun
• To look forward to "going to work" everyday, especially when it's from home in our pj's!!!

It's probably too early in this year-long journey to say we found what we are looking for but, so far, all things would suggest that we have.

In all seriousness, we are both motivated by a number of things and money is certainly one of them.  We all know you need money to survive, but it is not the only thing that motivates us.  We are both "pleasers" and like to help others.  We didn't appreciate how satisfying that piece of this business would be.

There is nothing like getting a message from one of our customers raving about their skin due to the products we sold them.  The company says that if you change a person's skin, you can actually change their life.  When we first heard this, we both thought it sounded a little dramatic, BUT now we get it.  We all want to put our best foot forward and when your skin is not as nice as you'd like it to be it has an impact.  These products work and have a positive impact on the people that use them and it feels good to be part of that and to share it with our friends and family!

As women we tend to share things in life, the new lipstick we found, the hairdresser that does wonders, the latest Taylor Swift CD (yes we bought it and it is actually good), the pair of shoes that is to die for, the limited edition Oreo cookies (yummy) --- so why not share amazing skin care products?  Well, we are and the bonus is we get paid to do it!

Eleven and half more months to go --- which means eleven more pay checks until we do our evaluation!  Show us the money R + F!      

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I Must Be Crazy...But On Second Thought The Business Model Is Working...

In this business, the company recommends holding a business launch which is basically a gathering of friends and family to discuss the business opportunity, your personal reason for starting your business, and then a few product demonstrations.  Unlike other Direct Marketing companies this is not a "product" party. It is truly a business launch.  In fact, it is so different it actually surprises your guests.

So, me and my business partner scheduled mine for this past weekend and she flew into town for the big event.  Talk about stressing me out...

For those of you that know me well, you know I'm a bit of a "stresser".  I have been since I was a kid.  Everything from daily stomach aches before school to cold sores the morning of test days.  While I am better than when I was a kid, it is still something I struggle with.  So during the days leading up to the business launch I was full of doubt.

• What if nobody shows?  
• What if my business partner feels like her trip was a waste?
• What if I let my business partner down?
• What if I get asked something about the company or the product that I don't know?

Well, the big day arrives and it is nothing like I had planned.  You see, I am still adjusting to motherhood and the differences that it includes.  In my life prior to motherhood, I would wake up early the day of a big business meeting or event and take my time getting ready, enjoy my coffee, take a long shower, go over my presentation, check my list a few times to ensure I had everything I needed, arrive early to the location to go over all the last minute details, etc.  

My day went a little like this.  Woke up and have a nice, big, ugly cold sore right on the middle of my upper lip.  This is typical --- it's from stressing.  No time to worry about it because my little girl needs her Mommy.  This past week all she wants to do is nurse which means zero "me" time.  I think she must be going thru a growth spurt or possibly starting to cut a tooth, or both -- regardless taking a shower has been a challenge let alone getting dressed and ready for an event!.  Before I know it, I have one hour before I'm supposed to leave and I'm not dressed nor do I have any idea what I am going to wear.  Another challenge of being a new Mommy is my new body!  It is a body I don't recognize.  It is not a pregnant body, but it definitely isn't my pre-pregnancy body either which makes getting dressed in anything other than yoga pants very interesting!

I find a somewhat decent outfit, not really something I would've previously worn to a business meeting but time is ticking so it will do.  Meantime, Charlotte is having meltdown number three but it feels like number twenty and my wonderful husband, Mike is packing the car.  It was at this moment that I asked myself, "am I crazy to think I can make this work?"  Mike sees that my wheels are spinning and that I am full of doubt and he reassures me that this is going to work.  So I pull up my big girl panties and we are on our way.  

First stop is to pick up the balloons.  I ordered the balloons a day before so that they would be waiting for me.  Guess what, my order is nowhere to be found.  Okay, deep breath, send Mike to stop number two, Kinkos, while I wait for the balloons.  Next, stop number three, General Rental for the linens.  Of course, they need a drivers license and I didn't bring mine.  Thankfully, Mike has his and we are off.  

Normally, my sweet baby girl gets in the car and sleeps but that is NOT the case today.  Another meltdown and then sleep.  About an hour into our drive, Charlee is freaking out so we decide to pull off and nurse.  It was then that we realize that I forgot the diaper bag.  Mama Mia, are you kidding me?  Okay, stop number four, the grocery store which we needed to do anyways to get snacks so we killed two birds with one stone.  One shopping trip, one feeding and one diaper change later and we are on the road again.  I realized my hope of homemade snacks wasn't realistic the day before.  Not an easy thing for a "stresser" and "perfectionist" to accept but this is my new life as a Mom of a three-month old. This was the second time I wondered if I was crazy.

Believe it or not we made it in time to set up before guests arrive and while the event turn out wasn't as BIG as I'd hoped, it was a success.  And prior to the event I sold product to two more customers.  The event also produced more product sales and a couple prospects.  Wow, I am starting to see how this business works and actually think it is a real possibility for me!!!

The best part of the night happened after the event back at our house.  After Charlee's bath time and our daily bedtime routine, my business partner and I enjoyed some wine and got to know each other better.  I had my 1/4 of a glass since I'm nursing but the wine was delicious.  An organic cab from Ceago winery in Northern California.  Yummy!  We stayed up until 2:00 am talking, giggling and even shedding a few tears.  Neither of us had any idea that so much time had passed because we were having so much fun.  

The relationships that form in this company are by far the best part of this journey!  I feel blessed beyond words to have this new friendship in my life!

Next, is Renee's business launch in March.  We are actually doing a few.  One in Palm Springs, thanks to our good friend Dena that is hosting for her network, one at Mexi Casa for all of our Anaheim gals, and another one in the Fountain Valley area to reach Renee's immediate network. 

What a weekend.  A new friend that I believe will be a friend for life.  New customers, new business prospects, and the Packers won the Super Bowl!  And this is only week five in our one year journey.

  

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The First Month

So, we are one month in and we have experienced every emotion under the sun.  We jumped into this with the mindset that we would give it one year.  At the end of the year, we would evaluate our situation and go from there.

This month has included a range of thoughts and emotions including:

• Why in the world are we doing this?
• Self-doubt 
• Who do we think we are?
• Patience
• This sounds too good to be true!
• Excitement --- actually almost giddy 
• If others can do it, why not us?
• Frustration
• I'm not a salesperson so how am I going to make this work?
• I never thought I would be doing this!
• Faith
• Do I really have time for this?
• Can you really build a successful business working out of your home and via social networks?
• Self-confidence
• Etc, etc, etc...

And, in a short amount of time we have learned a few things:

• 82.4% of women in the US who make $100,000 or more do it in direct sales.
• Building a successful business is a marathon, not a sprint.
• More millionaires are made in this industry than any other business.
• Healthy skin makes us feel better.
• In this industry, most millionaires are made on the ground floor of new companies.
• Our individual networks are larger than we thought.
• The anti-aging skin care market is a $2.5 BILLION industry (WOW) and growing.
• More people do Direct Marketing than we thought.
• The buddy system, not only makes this easier, but also makes it fun.
• This industry isn't for everyone and that's a good thing, because if it was, the opportunity would be limited. 
• Social media networks are more powerful communication tools than we thought.

The most surprising thing about this adventure so far is the amazing relationships that are starting to develop.  The people in this organization are wonderful, and we have developed some awesome friendships in a short amount of time.  There are stay at home moms, executives, lawyers, teachers, scientists, college educated, high school educated, etc.  Many have replaced their salary and their spouses salary, but it isn't just about the money.  The people I've spoken with are truly happy, nice, ethical and inspirational.  

We still struggle with wrapping our head around the idea that you can be successful outside of Corporate America.  It really is a paradigm shift.  Can you really succeed without putting in 40-80 hours a week?   Can I really be myself and not worry about my HR file, the corporate culture, kissing up to my boss, etc.?  So far, the answer is yes.  But we have eleven more months to go...

Many of my colleagues are making six figures and some are making multiple six figures and they've done it in 6 months to 2 years.  This is mind boggling!!!  It took me seven years in Corporate America to break the six-figure mark, and it took more than time.  It took long hours, compromising time with my family, sleepless nights, a lot of ridiculous conversations, biting my tongue, fitting into a corporate culture, slow decision making, red tape, etc.  Again, we will see where we are in eleven more months but if others have done it, why can't we?

Also, we sold some product, our skin looks and feels amazing, built our team and made some money --- not a ton... but some is better than none.  We have to remember that we are building a business here.  Most businesses take awhile to get established, and our journey has just begun.  Again, it's a marathon, not a sprint. 

 

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