Utilizing Your Blog

Blogging is quickly becoming a great way to grow your business and also to start making money.  There are many different sites that allow you to create a FREE blog - Blogger, WordPress or LiveJournal.  These free blogging sites have templates that you can customize to fit your business or topic.   

Step 1: Choose a Topic

The first choice you need to make when starting a blog is a topic.  You can blog about anything - from nutrition to running a Fortune 500 business.  When you are considering your topic it may help you to create a numerical list of subjects that you could write about.  If you don't have at least 20-30 subjects as a jumping off point, you may need to consider another topic.  Blogging should be FUN!  You don't want to look at you to-do list everyday, see "Write a Blog Post", and have a feeling of complete despair. 

Step 2:  Design Your Blog
The next step is to start designing your blog.  There are many choices to make your blog the "perfect" blog.  You need to choose the layout, color scheme, and template for your blog.  You also have the opportunity to include stand-alone pages on your blog.  These are some important choices - what do you want your page to always say about you based on the tabs that always appear?  Also when designing your blog, you want to prepare your first blog post so that it is ready when you launch your blog.

Step 3:  Marketing Plan
Before you launch your blog, you need to have a plan for marketing your blog.  How are you going to drive readers to your blog and develop a following?  Just a couple of my favorite strategies: creating a Fan Page on Facebook, using Twitter, and/or becoming a member of blog networks. 

Step 4:  Launch

This step includes publishing your blog.  At this point you need to be implementing your marketing plan to get your blog in the public eye.

Now that you have launched your blog, you must start blogging on a regular basis.  You want your blog to contain valuable information for your audience.  If your blog reads as a daily advertisement for a product or service, you are not going to establish a regular following.  Think about your blog like a T.V. show - do you watch an hour long T.V. show to see the commercials?  So, to get people to come to your blog, you have to provide information that they are looking for.  It is perfectly okay to ask for people to look at your business, product or service once in awhile.

I hope that this helps you get out there and start blogging to build a brand for yourself and/or your business.  Remember the most important thing about blogging is to have fun and provide information for your followers. 

A Great Video About Blogging

Keep An Eye Out For Dream Stealers

We all have hopes, dreams, and goals in our life and we each have our own dream stealers.  Dream stealers are those that you have in your life that make you believe that you will never be able to achieve your dreams. 

In my experience there are two categories of dream stealers.  The first is those who want to steal your dream because they are jealous of your achievements.  They often times have failed to achieve their dreams in their own life and they cannot stand for you to become successful in achieving yours.  The second category of dream stealers are often the most difficult to brush off.  They are the dream stealers who are "concerned" for your best interest.  These dream stealers are trying to help you live a conservative, fail-proof life.  There is one thing that these people fail to understand - by not striving for achievement of your dreams, you are living your life unhappy. 

Dream stealers employ several different methods of sabotage, all the way from subtle to blunt and outright.  Those who are more subtle might say things like, "Are you sure this is what you really want to do?" or "That sounds like it is going to take awhile to build."  The subtle comments make you second guess the things that you are doing or feel guilty for the time you are spending working towards making those dreams a reality.  Then there are those who are not subtle, they are blunt.  Saying things like, "That will never work." or "You are doing one of 'THOSE' things?"  No matter which approach is taken, these people are out to do one thing, steal your dreams. 

I believe that there are only a couple successful methods for combatting a dream stealer. 

#1 - Talk only about your successes.  Never tell a dream stealer about your struggles or failures.  I know from personal experience that this is incredibly difficult, especially when your dream stealer is someone that you are very close to.  A struggle or failure only validates their reasons for being a dream stealer in the first place. 

#2  - Don't talk about your dreams.  I know, another difficult feat because you want people to be as excited about your dreams as you are, but it is VERY deflating to our ego when they are not as excited as we are.  When others do not know what your dreams are, those dreams cannot be taken away from you. 

#3 - Network with like-minded people.  These are the people who are also dreamers.  They are going to lift you up, coach and mentor you, and celebrate your successes. 

My Final Thoughts
Why should you let someone who is making less than $100,000 per year tell you why you can't make $100,000+ per year?  If your dream stealer is a family member, love them, but do not allow them to take your dreams away from you!

Recruiter or Sponsor

I was talking to a good friend and fellow network marketer on the phone last night.  I was telling her about my "recruiting" troubles.  She posed a question that is the basis for today's blog.  She said, "Carrie, are you recruiting or sponsoring?" 

The Recruiter
As a recruiter, you are talking to people and bringing them onto your team for the sole purpose of making money off of them.  A recruiter does not establish any personal relationship with their team and their teammates have to seek them out for any guidance. 

Recruiters only do ONE job - bring people aboard.  They do not worry about training people because if that person cannot be successful on their own, the recruiter will bring on someone else to fill their spot. 

The Sponsor
As a sponsor, you take the time to establish a relationship with people before bringing them into your business.  You have a true desire to help people and ensure that your business is going to be the "right" business for the individual.  After the relationship has been established and fit has been determined, you sponsor that person into your team.  As a sponsor you feel that it is your duty to spend time with your new team member - talking, training, and helping that person become successful. 

A sponsor's duty does not end after the new team member starts sponsoring others and sharing product.  As a sponsor, you are also trying to help your team member educate and train their new team members.  A sponsor truly cares about those on his or her TEAM.

Whose Business Do You Want to Join
Now that you know the difference between a recruiter and a sponsor, which business would you be more likely to join? I don't know about you, but I would much rather have a sponsor as my upline. I like to be able to talk with my sponsor, ask questions, and receive comfort and encouragement when I am in a rut.

I enjoy being an individual and doing my own thing, but also being part of something larger, a TEAM. Take your family for example. I am sure that there are activities or hobbies that you enjoy. For me, I absolutely love to read a book or do a quick Sodoku game. I also love being a part of something bigger, a part of my family. I enjoy being a wife, mother, sister, daughter, etc and participating in family activities.

What Kind of Leader Do You Want to Be
If you answered above that you would want to join a sponsor's business over the business of a recruiter, I would also guess that you would like to think of yourself as a sponsor instead of a recruiter.  I go back to my friend's original question, "Carrie, are you recruiting or sponsoring?"  I am a sponsor.  I spend time talking with people to really get to know who they are and what they are looking for.  I only want to sponsor like-minded people into my business.  I have also realized in my short network marketing career that by building relationships and helping my TEAM build a team that the money will follow.  For me, however, it is not about the money, it is about the satisfaction of helping people. 

I have been told hundreds of times that network marketing is a numbers game.  I feel a bit sorry for the people who think this way.  People are not a number.  Network marketing is a "RELATIONSHIP GAME".  As a sponsor, you are establishing relationships with many people and making the decision about who is going to be a good fit for your TEAM. 


I hope that if you are searching for a home-business, that this will help you distinguish the kind of person you are speaking with on the phone or in person or if you are in a home-business already, I hope that this helps you determine the kind of leader that you are striving to become. 

The First Step

Your Why

Why: For what purpose, reason, or cause;

with what intention, justification, or motive.

For everything that we do in our lives, we have a justification or a reason WHY.  There are many different reasons why mom's choose to work from home or start a home-based business.  Some moms work full-time and need extra income, others work full-time, but really want to be home with their kids, and then yet another group of stay-at-home moms who are looking to make money from home or interaction with other adults during the day. 

I started looking for work from home/home-based business because as a stay-at-home mom I was craving adult interaction during the day.  I also knew that I did not want to send the kids to daycare to be raised by someone else.  I never wanted to miss a single moment of their lives.  The income was definitely going to be nice, but it was almost secondary to having adult conversation. 

When the days get tough in your home business, you need a motivator other than money to keep you going.  On a day when I have been hung up on or been told NO by everyone that I have spoken to, money is not going to be the driving force that keeps me going.  On those days, I look at my kids and all of the first moments that I have been here for - their first smile, word, step, day of school, and I could continue on.  Those are the things that get me out of bed the next day excited for another days work. 

Your Goals

You now know the secret that keeps you going in your business, but the question becomes, "Where am I going?"  It is essential that you not only establish WHY you are starting a home-based business, but what GOALS you are striving to achieve.  When I started my business, I wanted to talk 3-5 people a day about our opportunity, reach Regional Sales Director in 90-days (before my 3rd child was born), and start making an additional $200-$300 per month.  I knew that these were within the reasonable range for my goals. 

It is important that when you are setting GOALS, you set daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc goals.  Daily goals can involve how you will market your business each day or how many conversations you are going to have.  Weekly goals stem from your daily efforts - how many of those conversations will you convert to sign-ups? 

Another important factor in your GOAL setting is to set reasonable, realistic goals.  Like I always tell my 10-year-old, a GOAL should be something that you are in control of.  For example, a goal to be the top sponsor on your team is a goal that not only hinges on your performance, but on the performance of others (do not get me wrong, healthy competition is okay, but this should not be the sole factor used to define your progress and success).  A better goal might be to sponsor two new people into your organization each week because this is based on only your efforts and not on the efforts of others as well. 

Your Dreams

Looking past even your yearly GOALS to your DREAMS is very important.  DREAMS are things that you are planning to accomplish after many years.  I encourage my team members to create a dream board with a few things that they would like in the future.  My personal dream board includes small dreams and big dreams.  I will post a few of my dream board pictures below with an explanation.  If you can imagine yourself already having these successes, you are going to work to achieve those dreams and find other like-minded people who are looking for success. 

Purchasing My Husband's Family Farm



 

Dream Reaching National Vice President

A Big Vacation to Hawaii With My Husband

Getting Started

With these steps completed, there is only a couple important tasks remaining.  Number ONE is to find a great company that you believe in.  Number TWO is to sign-up, complete your training and get to working!  I hope that this helps you become more aware of the reasons that you would like to start a home-business and the things that you hope to achieve short and long term with your business.   

What Can My Kids Do While I am Working?!?

TOP 5 Activities to Keep Your Kids Busy & Productive While You Are Working


As a work-at-home mom there is a great balancing act that we have to perform.  Working your home-business and keeping your kids busy and productive is a full-time job.  My kids are 10 years, 2 years, and 7 1/2 months old.  Keeping them busy while working has been the biggest obstacle that I have encountered in my at home career. 

I have tried to involve my 10-year-old in my business as much as possible and as my other two kids get older, I will be involving them as well.  My 10-year-old has helped me staple cards and flyers, put out flyers, and throw candy in local parades.  She absolutely knows that mommy is working for the benefit of our whole family.  While the kids are not helping me with my business, I have found a few activities that keep them occupied.

Number ONE:  Playing Outside
During every season except winter I send my 2-year-old and 10-year-old outside to play in our fenced in backyard while I set up my workstation at the kitchen table so that I can see them.  They have a bin of toys for outdoors, things like balls, jump ropes, etc.  They love to get outside and run off some of their excess energy.  While they are outside I often have peace and quiet to get some good work done.

Number TWO:  Toys
This seems like the most obvious of all things to have your kids do, but let me give you my little secret to toy play.  I have separate bins of toys and I bring out one bin at a time.  The other bins get put into a closet for a couple weeks and then I rotate the bins.  This keeps the toys always feeling like something new to them.  It's like at holiday time, the kids get new toys and they play with them constantly for a couple weeks and then they sit at the bottom of the toy box for months at a time.  Keeping them busy with their "NEW" toys is very helpful for mommy's work time.

Number THREE:  Naptime
I utilize 100% of my kids naptime in the afternoon.  I have the two little ones schedules coordinated so that they nap at the same time in the afternoon.  I then have at least an 1.5-2 hours of complete quiet time.  I have my whole to-do list organized before I put them down for naps and that way the moment that I put them down, I hit the ground running, wasting no time in getting the things on my to-do list done. 

Number FOUR:  Quiet Activites
Your child, regardless of age, will LOVE a good book.  My two-year-old enjoys a bright, colorful book with lots of pictures.  He makes up his own story about the picture, which is an excellent activity for his age.  My 10-year-old can lose herself in a story that she is reading.  Most kids enjoy art activities also.  At two, they are happy with a crayon and piece of paper or coloring book.  At ten, they might be more interested in drawing, tracing, or crafts like friendship bracelets or bead animals.  Puzzles are also a great quiet-time activity and they are made for any age and ability level.  Any of these activities will keep your child occupied for an age appropriate amount of time and give you the chance to sneak away to complete a few more tasks on your to-do list.   

Number FIVE:  T.V./Movie Time
I am not a big advocate of putting your child in front of the T.V. and using it as a babysitter, but once in awhile if you have a quickly approaching deadline or a very important phone call to make, it is okay to use a favorite show or movie.  T.V. is very comparable to sweets, it is ok if used in moderation. 

I encourage you to give a few of these things a try to balance working your business and keeping your kids happy and productive.   I have really found some of these things to be useful tools.

How To Avoid Work At Home Scams

We have all heard a story (or two or ten) about someone who has been scammed by a "home-based business".  They joined a company that you only had to invest this much money and you were going to create a VERY LARGE return on your investment.  You give them your credit card number only to find out that they have stolen your identity, there will be no starter kit, or the company's system is not easily duplicated therefore, you will not be making any money.  Based on these stories, I decided to investigate how to avoid work-at-home scams. 


According to the National Consumers League's Internet Fraud Watch, these are some tips to follow to avoid being scammed.


#1 Know who you are dealing with.  
#2 Don't believe that you can make BIG profit EASILY. 
#3 Be cautious of emails offering work-at-home opportunities.  
#4 Get ALL of the details before you pay. 
#5 Find out if there is really a market for your work.
#6 Get references for other people who are doing the work.
#7 Be aware of legal requirements (ex. do you need a license?).
#8 Know the refund policy.
#9 Beware of the old "envelope stuffing" scheme
#10 Be wary of offers that send you and "advance" on your "pay".
#11 Do your own research about work-at-home opportunities. 


Top 10 Work at Home Scams According to Scambusters.com


1. Envelope Stuffing
2. Chain Letters/Emails - Make money fast.
3. MLMs that focus on recruiting ONLY rather than on the product or service being sold.
4. "Turn Your Computer into a Money Making Machine"
5. Typing at Home 
6. "Just Call this 1-900 Number for More Information"
7. "A List of Companies Looking for Homeworkers"
8. Email Processing
9. Medical Billing
10. Craft Assembly


There are legitimate companies out there that provide a real opportunity to make an income.  Not every home-based company or MLM is a scam.  Just be sure to do your research on the company to ensure that they are focused on selling their product/service, and be inspired by the product or service that they are offering.  I wish you happiness and success in finding a home-based-business and/or work from home!

How To Begin Achieving Your Dreams

"To Achieve Your Dreams, Remember Your ABCs"

Author ~ Wanda Carter

A -void negative sources, people, things and habits.

B -elieve in yourself.

C -onsider things from every angle.

D -on't give up and don't give in.

E -njoy life today: yesterday is gone and tomorrow may never come.

F -amily and Friends are hidden treasures. Seek them and enjoy their riches.

G -ive more than you planned to give.

H -ang on to your dreams.

I -gnore those who try to discourage you.

J -ust do it!

K -eep on trying, no matter how hard it seems. It will get better.

L -ove yourself first and foremost.

M -ake it happen.

N -ever lie, cheat, or steal. Always strike a fair deal.

O -pen your eyes and see things as they really are.

P -ractice makes perfect.

Q -uitters never win and winners never quit.

R -ead, study and learn about everything important in your life.

S -top procrastinating.

T -ake control of your own destiny.

U -nderstand yourself in order to better understand others.

V -isualize it.

W -ant it more than anything.

X -ccelerate your efforts.

Y -ou are unique of all of Nature's creations. Nothing can replace you.

Z -ero in on your target, and go for it!!