Own Your Future

Go Green with a Great Organization

2007-09-06T12:26:00.000-06:00

Go Green!

You don't have to start with thousands of dollars worth of solar panels. You don't have to reconstruct your home. You don't have to live uncomfortably.

There are simple, easy ways to start. This one simply means you will have to clean out what's under your sink and in your laundry room. Replace the toxic crap with non toxic cleaners. And you get to save money while you're doing it.

Go green and healthy call to action

Are you in a Pyramid?

2007-09-06T09:02:00.000-06:00

According to the Census Bureau, you are being paid less but you are also working more.

Would these CEO's who make 364 times more than the average worker allow you to put in more effort and surpass them? Do you, as an employee, have any opportunity to make more than the CEO's are making? Let's be a bit fair here, do you have any opportunity to make more than your manager is making?

Don't worry! You're just in a pyramid. The Census Bureau has just described the pyramid that all employees are being stuck in. You're getting paid less and less, while working more and more. The head of your company shovels all the profits into his personal bank account, while you've missed watching your children grow up.

There is a way out. There is an opportunity to surpass those who came first. There is an opportunity to make more than the leader in your organization. There is an opportunity to get out of the pyramid and watch your children grow up.

Consider getting out of the pyramid

Census Bureau Report

2007-09-06T08:56:00.000-06:00

"Census Bureau releases labor report
9/3/2007 9:34 AM
By: Web Staff

U.S. -- Hopefully you have today off, but whether or not you're working, chances are several people in your household are laboring for some extra income.

According to the Census Bureau, the median household income rose last year, but that's only because more people had to work to bring in that extra cash.

On the flip slide, a majority of both men and women took home less pay for the third year in a row.

The Census Bureau also found the average CEO makes about 364 times that of an average worker."

Get out of the rat race

Nashville

2007-08-14T14:17:00.000-06:00

The national convention in Nashville was fantastic. There are some new incentives for the year. Get 300 points by next July and go to Hawaii for a week. There's a smaller incentive called Team Up 2007. You can win hats, t-shirts, cameras and money. The point of Team Up is to practice skills that will be necessary to become Master Coodinator.

Other fun stuff. The Opryland hotel is spectacular. It is a city unto itself. Several of the attendees had a hard time finding their rooms! Part of our celebration was in the famous Wild Horse Saloon. We took up 2 of the 3 floors... and I'm pretty sure we stole the entire dance floor.

Next years convention will be in New Orleans. We hope to see you there!

Brick and Mortar Blues

2007-06-15T15:13:00.000-06:00

I met a gentleman the other day who used to own an industrial equipment and supply company. About a year ago he decided to sell the place and took a $20K loss in the process. That $20K had to come out of his personal funds. He is now back to work as an employee of someone else and is beginning to get that old feeling of restlessness back. He works for someone he would never hire. I've worked for a few supervisors and managers that fit in that same category. I have a feeling we all have.

Since, it seems, I only know people who want to start a business, be free from the shackles of a "job", do their own thing, set their own hours... I was very curious as to why he would get out of owning his business.

No matter how sick he was, he had to come into work. He could never take a true vacation. He worked 60 to 80 hour weeks. He had to deal with payroll, payroll taxes, business taxes of every color and type, customers who would pay 60-90-120 days late, vendors who demanded cash up front, employees who didn't want to work....

The list went on.

I told him that I have no employees. All purchases are paid for before they ship so there's no possibility of a late payment. I handle no sales tax, no use tax, no business license renewals, no employee tax, no inventory tax. I only have one vendor. And once in awhile I don't feel like working, so I don't. I'm taking a week off for the 4th of July. I'm taking a week off in August to go to Nashville. I'm taking a week off in November for family Thanksgiving. Lucky thing I haven't been sick lately, so I don't care about sick days right now. If I get sick, I'll stay in bed.

It sounds to me like this guy owned a job instead of business. It also sounds like I'd be doing even better if I put a little more effort into my business. It sounds like I need to teach this guy how to relax. It also sounds like he could teach me a thing or two... what do you think?

Maybe we can help each other out and meet in the middle.

Are you thinking of a brick and mortar business? I wish you all the luck in the world!

Paper Company via Temp Agency

2007-06-14T16:50:00.000-06:00

I heard a conversation today that was all about jobs. What was your favorite job? What was your worst job? Who was your best boss and why? So I started thinking back. This might be a great way for me to get back to this blog!

Once upon a time.... or maybe this one should begin with - One stormy night....

I worked for a pulp and paper manufacturer back in the very early 90's through a temp agency. This job was fun. It wasn't high stress, but it wasn't boring either. My boss was a toupee-wearing middle-life-crises-after-anything-in-a-skirt sort of guy, I actually thought he was good at his job. The girl I was replacing was on 6 month maternity leave. She had the option to extend to 8 months but no longer.

She decided to extend to the full 8 months (who can blame her?) and I was happy with it. It was a fun job after all! Once the 8 months was over she decided to quit and stay home with her new baby (it was a girl! And it was her first baby!). The HR dept of the paper mill decided to let me know that I would be getting the job permanently once they got the paperwork in order. This was very nice to hear since I was getting paid $12/hr for a $16/hr starting pay job. Another very nice thing to hear was that I would be getting a little more than $16/hr because they would backdate my start date.

How nice is that!!!!

So, three months later, I go into HR to see how they're doing on paperwork. I couldn't understand why it would take that long, but I gave them an opportunity to ask me anything I may have left off the paperwork. It will take a little longer.

Six months later, I approach my boss and ask what I can do to speed up the process. Oh, just be patient.

Another three months (a year after being told such nice news, and after many people telling me "you'll get the job, just wait till the paperwork is finished") I ask again. No one is willing to let me know what's going on.

I call the temp agency to see if they're holding it up. Maybe I need to buy out of a contract? Maybe I'm not allowed to take this job? Oh no, after working for this particular temp agency for a continuous 2 year period there is nothing holding me back from taking any job, there is no payoff, there are no valid non-compete clauses. Well that was nice to know!!!! I had worked for them continuously for 3 years and a couple months! I could even go back to a former assignment and take a job!

On a hunch, I decided to try to apply for open jobs with the same rank in other departments within the paper company. I knew other department heads and knew which ones liked me, so I targeted the ones I thought would hire me in a second flat.

After another 6 months.... I've applied for a couple jobs and got turned down while people outside the company got hired. I've gone back to HR and heard the same old promises but the paperwork isn't done yet.

What's wrong with me????

My boss pulled me aside a couple months later (we're now 1 year and 8 months into this carrot being dangled in front of my face) and he tells me, "do you really think HR will hire you at approximately $19/hr at this point, when you're doing so well at $12/hr?" He advised me to quit and then apply for the job when it comes up. (I'm assuming the temp agency didn't have a markup on my $12/hr all the way to $19/hr)

I struggled for another couple months with this and decided he was right. I quit. Then I waited to hear about this job coming available. I had several co-workers who were going to tell me as soon as it was posted, and my boss said he would as well.

A month later, someone else got the job. My boss had found a better job with another company and wasn't in a position to let me know (this is completely understandable). My co-workers were all shocked when the new department manager was hired and decided not to post my old job, but instead hired his wife.

I guess HR didn't have a problem with her paperwork.

Fact of Life Becomes a Fact of Life

2007-06-04T09:26:00.000-06:00

Disparity pay? So now our court system will enforce a fact of life. I can't remember having a job where I got paid equal to my male counterparts. A fact of life! Or at least, my life. It's nice to know our court system has no problem with the obvious.

How many single parent homes are headed by a woman? Just pondering here...

So how will women make up for the disparity in pay and still get the lifestyle we want? That's the $1,000,000 question. Here's one idea

Promotion!

2007-06-03T09:13:00.000-06:00

I've been away for awhile. But the good news is the time spent away was well worth it. Curt and I got promoted!

We will be in Nashville for the convention this August. Hope to see some of you there as well.

While I was away, I kept a list of different ideas for this blog... so not all was lost! I'll get busy in here again and have some fun.

Network Marketing Products

2006-03-14T07:42:00.000-07:00

Consumable Vs. Non-Consumable

Do you enjoy sales, or does that word make your skin crawl?

If you enjoy sales, then non-consumable products are a consideration for you. Some network marketing companies offer products that are only purchased once by a customer. These are called non-consumable products. A refrigerator is considered non-consumable. You may end up buying a few in your life-time, however it isn't an item you buy with regularity. If you decide to become affiliated with a network marketing company who offers non-consumable products, then you need to realize that you will have to be good at sales, or at least be willing to develop good sales skills. Your customer list will have to be constantly changing and growing.

If the word "sales" makes you cringe, you better consider a consumable product to offer. A consumable product is something that is purchased repeatedly on a semi-predictable basis. Food is a consumable product. You can predict with some accuracy how often a customer will go to the grocery store. Many network marketing companies offer products that are consumable. You do not necessarily need to be good at sales with these sorts of products. Once you have a customer list, who buy your products regularly, you can sit back and relax if you want to.

Sales Vs. Sharing

So you've chosen a consumable product to "Sell". How on earth do you get it "Sold" without selling? Maybe I'm just off my rocker.

Bob: I need to get off the phone and do some yard work with my new widget, the wife is getting antsy. We'll see you this weekend at the barbecue?

You: Hey, Bob, I have this great widget-helping-device that's really incredible! We offer a free trial, a 100% money back guarantee and I'm available to show you how it works! Don't move a muscle I'll drive right over with it! (You need to be wearing some plaid golf pants and a really tacky polyester jacket when you say this! It gives it the full effect I'm trying to achieve here.)

That's my best try at outright selling. Did I do well? Selling really doesn't have to be like this, but humor me.

Let's try some sharing and hopefully you'll see the difference. (take off your plaid pants please.)

Bob: I need to get off the phone and do some yard work with my new widget, the wife is getting antsy. We'll see you this weekend at the barbecue?

You: We'll be at the barbecue, ready to let our hair down for the weekend. And oh, by the way, remind me to tell you about this widget-helping-device my wife and I found. It may help you do your yard in half the time.

Bob: Half the time? What is it?

You: It's something I found a few days/weeks/months ago. It's helped me out with that widget. My hands don't get as sore, maybe that's why it takes half the time.

Bob: Oh boy, do I know what you mean. I get cramps in my hands after just 10 minutes.

You: Let me know when you have time and I'll show you how it works.

Bob: Do you have time now? The wife would be thrilled if I did it in half the time, she'd be able to crack that whip and get me on another honey-do for the day.

Okay, do you see the difference? If you don't see a difference, then. . . well. . . I am crazy.

The second one allows Bob to decide the when and where. It also allows him to decide if he even wants more information. It has informed him of a personal experience that he may end up experiencing. It is simply sharing your experiences, sharing your excitement, sharing your knowledge with people. But it allows them to decide whether they will accept your information.

This is a form of selling. But maybe this type of selling won't make your skin crawl. You can save the money for plaid pants and use it for a bottle of champagne to celebrate your first successful sale!

Cherlyn Garrett
http://www.shaklee.net/cgx2/distSuccess
Helping you to own your future

Guilt By Association

2006-03-09T15:16:00.000-07:00

What a terrible world we live in when we can be sentenced to jail time just for knowing the criminal.

He Even Looks Guilty!

2006-03-09T15:14:00.000-07:00

Found guilty on numerous charges of procrastination and a charge of making his crazy wife even crazier.

He makes quite a suitable jailbird.

International Support

2006-03-09T07:25:00.000-07:00

Friends of ours emailed from Spain to lock him up tight. That's true international support!

He'll be in lock up at 11am. Countdown begins....

Muahahahahahaha (the evil wife and sister)

My Wonderful Sister

2006-03-08T17:37:00.000-07:00

My sister is the sweetest person in my family. She is genuinely concerned about others, has a heart of gold, would help anyone in distress. Sometimes I think that if a person could choose his/her family she never would have chosen me! I'm not that sweet.

She has chosen to keep my husband IN jail.

My family is so supportive of my plight.

What is MD?

2006-03-08T14:59:00.000-07:00

My husband is disabled, but not with MD. He knew two people with this disease when he was a child and unfortunately had to go to both funerals. The disease is not a laughing matter. My husband was volunteered to do this fundraiser by an anonymous friend, but he is not a person who would ever say no to something like this. MD is one of our normal charities that we support on an ongoing basis. He will not only be willing to do this again next year, but if I forget to volunteer him, he may do it himself.

Not all forms of MD are quite as serious as the one his friends had. I personally believe this particular form is the most known form, and the most tragic. In any case, it’s the form of MD I hear about most often. It’s a terminal form. People with this form of MD always, without exception, die at a very young age. Anyone with this terrible form of MD who lives to the age of 21 is considered “lucky”.

While my husband and I are having a little fun with this charity right now, please don't think the disease itself is any fun. Jerry's kids deserve the attention they get and much more. Any disease that kills, or even has a remote possibility of killing, is a disease that needs to be put at the very top of any scientific or medical priority list.

My husband's disease is not a killer. He suffers from Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (aka JRA) and will not die from it. He was diagnosed before he was 2 years old. It is painful, disfiguring, caused him to become a quadriplegic... but he will not die from it.

If you're looking for a great charity, consider MDA (the Muscular Dystrophy Association). This way you can have fun with people like my husband and me, and keep that procrastinating man in MDA jail! And you will also be helping to find a way to take MD out of our vocabulary and put strictly into history books.

What a wonderful world it would be if a mother couldn't answer her child's question, "Mom? What is muscular dystrophy?". There are too many many diseases on the list that fit this category right now, but we have utterly brilliant people on this planet to help us get to that wonderful world. Kudos to those people who devote their talent, brains and lives to things like this. We really do live in a wonderful world =)

P.S. American statistics for MD: There are 250,000 people affected with one of the nine forms of muscular dystrophy and 1 million people affected by 1 of the 43 diseases covered under MDA's program.

The Tally So Far...

2006-03-08T14:26:00.000-07:00

1 person - Bail
14 people - Jail

$100 - Bail
$425 - Jail

Woohoooo, I'm on a roll! I think I'm going to volunteer him next year! That way I give myself more time to keep him IN jail!

Gotta get back on that phone... This is what I call "motivation"

Compassion...

2006-03-08T12:08:00.000-07:00

His sweet, wonderful, kind-hearted mother is donating toward his bail.

She's the only one so far! Muahahahahahaha

Life is fun...

2006-03-08T11:51:00.000-07:00

My husband is one of the biggest procrastinators I know. We are involved in Quad Rugby and each year before a tournament he lets me know what He has volunteered to do, which in turn only gives Me 24 hours or less to accomplish His tasks. He is also a founder of an integrated softball team and again each year he gives me less than 24 hours to accomplish 48 hours of initial work to get the season under way. Does this sound familiar to you as well?

I finally have a way to get him back...

He's known for a month that he needed to raise money for Muscular Dystrophy. He's been signed up as a part of a Lock-up fundraiser. It's all in fun, but he procrastinated yet again. He's supposed to have all the money he promised to raise by TOMORROW. He neglected to tell anyone he was fundraising until last night. (It's what I call a fundraiser secret agent).

Being the good wife (or evil wife, whichever way you choose to perceive it) I looked through the materials last night and discovered that donations can EITHER go towards his bail, or it can go towards keeping him in jail! I love you MDA. What a wonderful program to allow me to finally get my husband back for torturing me.

Which way do you think I'm spending my time fundraising on his behalf today? So far all our friends and family are sympathetic to MY plight and we are getting tremendous amounts of donations to keep him IN jail.

See there's always a payback. For you procrastinators out there who consistently torture your spouses, keep in mind that sooner or later there's a payback!

I love being the "good" wife. *snicker*

Retirement?

2006-03-06T17:31:00.000-07:00

Will You Be Able To Retire?

The US Social Security Board reports that 85 out of 100 Americans reaching age 65 don't even have $250. And only 2 percent are self-sustaining. The rest are dependent upon their family, church, or the government!

Statistics show that, at age 65, after working 40 years - Only 1 percent are considered wealthy while 80 percent have incomes of less than $15,000 per year including Social Security.

Are you looking for something better?

Network Marketing - Start-up Vs. Long-term

2006-03-03T12:44:00.000-07:00

Are you a risk taker, or do you play things conservatively? Nine out of ten new network marketing companies go out of business within the first 9 months. Yep, I just said 9 months. If you come across a “ground floor opportunity” it may end up being a good thing, but then again you could lose 9 months worth of your time and effort.

Start-up

A start-up company will usually offer you the chance to help them develop. Now that can be very intriguing. You will often find yourself cutting the edge… all alone. The success or failure of a company like this is squarely on the shoulders of the first distributors. Does this appeal to you?

Some of the benefits of a start-up:

Success for the company, if/when it comes is absolutely huge for the first distributors.

Your input, ideas, skills are critical to a new company’s growth.

You have quite a lot of influence over the direction your company takes.

If you’re an aggressive go-getter, or possibly enjoy an element of control, this may be very appealing.

They usually have cutting-edge products.

They haven’t given the public any reason to think negatively about them.

A start-up may have a unique product or service, which could in turn have a huge market potential.

Some of the drawbacks of a start-up:

Failure for the company, if/when it comes can cause extreme emotional stress on its distributors.

Most network marketing failures mean that your last check or two will never come. Are you prepared for possible severe financial strain?

They are too new to truly help their distributors. It’s all up to you baby.

If you are an aggressive go-getter, or like the element of control, are you prepared to possibly lose control?

Their products are usually not fully developed.

They haven’t been around long enough to give the public any reason to trust them.

A lack of cash flow may prevent quality standards and continued research and development of their products.

Long-term
A long-term company, one who has been in business at least 3 years will usually offer more opportunities to become trained. They have acquired the experience in their top distributors to hold quality meetings, and offer an atmosphere of “team”. The success or failure of an independent distributor is shared by their own personal commitment and the input of their group. Does this appeal to you?

Some of the benefits of a long-term company:

Success for the distributor, if/when it comes is a group effort. The majority of the success comes from the level of commitment made by you, however some credit can be attributed to your team.

Your input, ideas and skills will be utilized by your team to build each other up in a supportive atmosphere.

It is your choice to treat as a business or hobby. The company’s success does not depend on your personal success.

If you are an aggressive go-getter, the huge amounts of money and success can be found here as well.

Long-term companies usually offer some element of awareness to the public. This can make your products sell a little easier.

A long-term company with a good name can help you reach whatever goals you have.

There is usually a good cash flow, which enables the company to continue its product research and development plus maintain higher level of quality control standards.

Some drawbacks of a long-term company:

Failure for the distributor, if/when it comes is a group effort. If you sponsor someone who is not committed, don’t beat yourself up. If you sponsor someone who is committed, but can’t make headway, consider some other options to help them. This is a team effort (or it should be).

Your input may not be unique. I am affiliated with a very old network marketing company, and I have yet to think of something they haven’t heard before.

If you treat your opportunity as a business, it will not be free. All businesses take money to run effectively, so don’t cheat yourself, and don’t kid yourself. If you treat your business like a hobby your chances of huge success diminish.

If you are not aggressive, if you doubt yourself too much, you may end up becoming obscure. Feelings from obscurity can cause you to give up too quickly.

Long-term companies can have negative connotations associated with their products, which can hinder your sales efforts.

Some long-term companies have developed negative reputations in some form or another. If you are or choose to become associated with one of these, this will cause you to have to work much harder to achieve your goals.

Some long-term companies have not kept up with the times, and may not offer products or services that have the potential for market growth.

Choices

Take stock of yourself and consider where you’re at, where you want to go and what risks you’re willing to take to get there. If you’ve never been associated with a network marketing company before, maybe you should think about going with a more long-term company who’s been in business long enough to train you. If you’re already associated with a network marketing company, then try to prepare yourself as much as possible for the pros and cons that you can see with your company. Accentuate the positives and try to improve the negatives. Success, even huge amounts of success, can be found in both types of MLM’s. The only questions you need to ask yourself is what type of company would you feel most comfortable with, what products/services are you passionate about, and what skills do you currently have that will help you get through the most frustrating point of your MLM career… The beginning.

Cherlyn Garrett
http://www.shaklee.net/cgx2/distSuccess
Helping you to own your future

I just found this...

2006-03-03T12:15:00.000-07:00

It doesn't give an author or any source. My thanks to the unknown author of this...

Is Developing A Profitable Home Business Really that Difficult when you consider the alternatives?

Is it difficult when you must produce a report on a Sunday afternoon, and consequently, you cannot attend your son’s football game?

Is it difficult hearing the work phone ring on Christmas morning, and tragically, you cannot see the excitement on your daughter’s face as she feverishly tears into another present?

Is it difficult to know the rust bucket you call a car is eating you alive in maintenance, but you cannot afford a new one?

Is it difficult to go to your annual job performance review, and even though you have worked hard for yet another year, you come away empty handed, or with very little financial reward to show for your efforts?

Is it difficult to know that you shop by "price sticker" rather than whether the garment looks good on you?

Is it difficult to know that you are in an unsuitable house simply because your budget won’t allow a more suitable one?

Is it difficult to know that you married to a wonderful person, promised them the world, and for the next 30 years you look at balancing the budget, and figuring out what sacrifices must be made?

Is it difficult reciting, "If we get this, we cannot have that?"

Is it difficult always lowering your dreams to meet your means?

Is it difficult knowing that you have spent or will spend 40 years of your life working for someone else, only to realize that you will be retiring on 1/3 the income of what you already cannot live on today?

Is it difficult when your children move out, and you cannot visit them because traveling costs too much?

Is it difficult to know that the fish are biting this week, and you cannot drop what you are doing and take your Dad fishing?

Is it difficult watching the spark in your partner’s eyes fade because both of you realize the dream house you have been wanting is just a dream because someone else is controlling your finances?

Is it difficult waking up one morning and realizing that your children, the most precious thing imaginable, no longer need bottles, diapers, have tea parties, eat things found under the sofa, are shorter than the baseball bat they are trying to swing, but are grown and starting their own families, and you missed all of that because you agreed to be locked in an office for twenty years by a boss who watched his children grow up?

Is it difficult dropping your one year old at the nursery because you have to be at work by 9am to stand by the Xerox machine, or handle irate phone calls, and realize someone else is going to watch your daughter take her first step or have your son say "dada" to the playground teacher?

Is it difficult to know that you have diligently worked only to be given an early retirement that you can’t afford to take?

I will tell you what is difficult...

It is very difficult realizing it is too late, and that time frittered away on someone else’s dreams can never be retrieved. It slips through our fingers one second at a time.

What are you doing with YOUR TIME?

We have nasty habits about rationalizing, procrastinating, 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 future.

I believe the majority of people want to sing, but die with the music still inside.

Is it time to face the music and shoulder some responsibility?

You cannot have that time back. You have chosen your direction, and if you have not spent your time wisely, too bad. Other people have benefited greatly from your efforts. Were you given the opportunity to change your situation only to elevate the trivial to a higher priority than yourself.

Is starting a profitable business 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 a couple of years, you might not have to endure so many nasty options?

Would you be willing to work really hard for a year or two so you could put your family in the home of their dreams?

Would you work really hard for a year or two so you could send your children to college chosen by excellence rather than one chosen by price? The same criteria you used for clothes shopping.

Would you turn off the idiot box, the soaps, the talk shows, sporting events or CSI Crime Scene for a year so you could take dream vacations several times a year?

Would you apply yourself for a year or two so you would have the freedom of being able to roll over, yank the covers over your head and wake at the crack of noon because you wanted to?

Would you work really hard for a couple of years to mould a lifestyle of your choosing so your family could live a lifestyle of their dreams, rather than trying to live how someone else forces you to live?

We really think we are important in our jobs. The company we work for cannot survive without us. We are the cog that keeps things moving.

Everything would grind to a halt without our presence. Think again. Corporations are not structured like that.

A corporation does not rely on people to remain viable. A corporation needs many properly arranged little robotic squares, functioning in a preset order to survive.

After many years as a manager in the corporate environment, here is an excellent visualization of your importance:

Find a bucket and fill it about 3/4 full of warm water. Make a fist and push your left arm in the bucket up to your elbow. Now, quickly remove your arm. The resulting hole is your impact on that corporation.

Sobering, isn’t it?

Can you identify the words "next time"?

How many "next times" will you have?

What will it take to get you off dead center?

Will it be the knowledge that people are physically deteriorating when you have a product that will help them but are afraid of someone thinking you are taking advantage of that person and are just out for the money?

Gosh, I hope not.

Will it be the knowledge that people are agonizing through bankruptcy, realizing they only needed a couple more hundred dollars per month, not $50,000 per month, but you procrastinated once again?

I hope not.

Realize the awesome power you have in your hands with a home business. The business you have chosen has the ability to change lives.

IT cannot do anything. But YOU can change lives with IT.

YOU are the one with the life changing ability. What are you waiting for?

What will it take?

You will pay consequences for your actions. What will your actions be? Which consequences do you choose to pay?

My input: You can choose to have very positive, beneficial consequenses for yourself and others.

A Little About Me Part 3

2006-03-03T09:10:00.000-07:00

Being totally defeated, I surrendered. I went to one of those meetings. You know what those meetings are like. Those meetings are where you get brainwashed, manipulated out of your hard earned money, pushed into doing things you wouldn’t normally do to save your life, suffer terrible self-esteem issues feeling like a failure because you can’t sign up 20 people a day like that guy on stage.

You know that guy on stage! He’s the one in the Italian suit no one knows. He’s never a part of anyone’s upline. He has fantastic stories about how he built his business in 3 seconds flat. He’s the one who tells you that if you can’t do this business then you’re just a big fat loser. He’s extremely wealthy because he’s a paid actor (or at least that’s how it seemed to me).

I went to one of those meetings, with all my defenses in place. I built my mental brick wall that nothing could penetrate. My BS detector was set to go off at the slightest sound. I was READY.

Funny thing is, the speaker at this meeting was my boyfriend’s sponsor. Funny thing is, there were several other people there that I had met at other functions who seemed very normal (some played softball with us, others had been involved in our rugby team). Funny thing is, my boyfriend’s sponsor and upline are actually successful. Funny thing is, I met people there who are independently wealthy and they aren’t paid actors! Funny thing is, they are actually a part of the MLM genealogy that my boyfriend was and still is associated with.

They weren’t paid actors. They didn’t build their business in 3 seconds flat. They never once even implied that I’m a big fat lazy good-for-nothing if I can’t achieve my wildest dreams in record time.

After attending a few meetings, meeting more successful people, walking away not feeling brainwashed at all… I decided to berate my boyfriend!

My boyfriend had been a customer for several years. Even though he attended meetings he never tried to sell this stuff. He never took the opportunity. He was very knowledgeable in the company and the products. He has a fantastic upline who are always eager to help him. But he chose, instead, to work paycheck to paycheck in a dead-end job and just buy the products. What an IDIOT.

I never saw my uncle make any money in all the MLM’s he tried. I never knew anyone who actually succeeded in an MLM. That is one of the biggest complaints within the anti-MLM community. A very common attitude in the anti-MLM community is, “you can’t really succeed unless you’re sleazy”.

We had proof that it does and can work for people who are very nice, pleasant, not a sleazy or pushy bone in their bodies. I suddenly knew people who succeeded!

And my boyfriend decided to ignore all the success surrounding him and continue working a paycheck to paycheck dead-end job.

I didn’t ignore it. I married this man. We are now a team trying to give our downlines as much support as we got from our uplines.

It’s an awesome business! And because of it, I now get to torture my husband in a way I never considered before. I’ll never let him live down the fact that if he had taken this opportunity many years ago, I could have married a rich man!

A Little About Me Part 2

2006-03-02T14:50:00.000-07:00

I had my plan in place. I was either going to convince my boyfriend how insane he was, or I was going to torture him.

I proceeded to do a little investigative work. What better way to tear down an MLM than to look for law suits? I spent many hours over several months scouring for dirt. There are literally thousands of law suits against MLM's and their distributors, but not one against this particular MLM. This one seemed to be clean.

I then tried a different focus. I searched for BBB complaints, FDA complaints, FTC complaints. I found something!!!!! I found awards and recognition.

Feeling frustrated, I decided to go to the people. We often have complaints that we don't make public. We often have situations where we could bring a law suit against someone, but we either don't have the money to do it or we simply chalk up the negative experience to a "learning experience". I jumped on anti-MLM message boards, anti-MLM chat groups, anti-MLM forums and asked what they thought of this company.

The replies can be categorized in three headings:
1 - the products are great, I buy them
2 - the company is solid and honest
3 - All MLM's are Baaaaaaad, I can't tell you any specific negative experience because I don't have any, but all MLM's are Baaaaaad.

Just a note here - I expect specifics not generalities. Visiting one state in the U.S. doesn't let you know what to expect from other states. One bad MLM doesn't make the entire industry bad. So I reject, out of hand, what my attitude was displaying. (That's a woman, and I'm darned proud of it)

My boyfriend decided to get me a gift set of facial products for a Christmas present, with an ulterior motive of trying to convince me, I'm sure. I couldn't admit it immediately, but I loved it all. It far surpassed the effects I was getting with my store-bought facial care items. After using these products for a few months, I notice a very strange thing...

I had three scars on my face from chickenpox when I was a child. One of those scars had a little bit of nerve damage, it tingled when I touched it. After a few months the tingles went away and the two smallest scars had disappeared!

A few months later, I told my mother about it. She took a look at my face and laughed. She said, "NO! You haven't healed two scars! You healed all three!"

I figured that I'd better go to one of those meetings and find out more about this company.

Frustrated and defeated, I joined my boyfriend at one of those meetings...

A Little About Me Part 1

2006-03-01T23:26:00.000-07:00

It has to be part 1 because it's almost 11:30pm my time, and I'm tired. But I've been thinking about this ever since I was asked to talk about it at my last business meeting. I thought you all would enjoy it.

I used to be anti-MLM. I was anti-MLM enough to be hostile about it. In fact, I think I was even very rude to some people in my current MLM when I first met them (I'm sorry everybody). One of my uncles was an MLM freak. He joined every MLM on the planet (if he missed one, I'll cut off my arm). He was the stereotypical salesman, the man even wore polyester pants!! He sold everything from weight gain products to weight loss products, trampolines for exercise to pillows for a restful sleep, memory optimizers to meditation techniques to help you forget. The man was insane.

My parents decided to try their hand at one of the MLM's my uncle was involved with. I was only about 9 or 10 years old, but even at that age I remember thinking that the people they dealt with were terribly pushy. They were pushy to the point of being irritating to a 10 year old!

Later in life I found out my brother and sister (much older than me) had tried their hand at it as well. I'm not sure what the details are, but neither of them are very enthusiastic about trying it again.

I met a man, he's now my husband... but let's go back to before he was my husband. I met a man, fell in love at first sight, cared for him deeply enough that it was an immediate "exclusive" relationship. I wanted to know more about this man.

I found out more about him alright! He was involved in an MLM! (You may laugh now) I considered ending the relationship! But, I thought that if I could prove his particular MLM was a horrible nightmare and that all his sponsors and uplines were nothing but conniving liars, maybe... just maybe I could persuade him to be sane. If that didn't work, then he would have to put up with at least 10 of my most major personality faults if I was to put up with his MLM psychosis. That's the gold card baby! It's worth at least 10 normal psychosis, and that's being gracious! (at least in the world I came from). The man was going to pay.

I had plan A in place! I had plan B in place! I was going to carry through with it. It was a plan.....

Job Security and Benefits?

2006-03-01T13:07:00.000-07:00

Is Job Security an Obsolete Idea?

Add to that the changing economy and the greatly shortened lifespan of many companies, we begin to see that depending on a job for security is an obsolete idea. The days of working for the same company for 20 years are over.

During the recession of the early '80s, Alan Greenspan stated that 19 percent of the population was afraid of losing their jobs. In today's economy, 37 percent of the population is fearful of losing their jobs.

Will You be Able to Insure Your Family?

Employer-sponsored benefits are being cut at an alarming rate. Our employee portion has become exorbitant. Those of us fortunate enough to have health insurance find it difficult to make the co-pay or deductible amounts.

Are you trying to do better than this? Consider this as one of your options.

Obscure?

2006-02-28T16:02:00.000-07:00

Own your future with a company who is doing something positive.

Winter,
Summer,
All year 'round.

We are a company who cares and lives as we believe.

Consider us as one of your options to a better life.

Renting a Future #2

2006-02-28T14:25:00.000-07:00

"In January 2006, employers took 1,113 mass layoff actions... Each action involved at least 50 persons from a single establishment, and the number of workers involved totaled 108,378..." From United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics

layoff 50 http://www.kcci.com/money/7393965/detail.html?rss=des&psp=money

layoff 1,000 http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1908862,00.asp?kc=EWNKT0209KTX1K0100440

layoff 1,400 http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2005-09-21-northwest-flight-attendants_x.htm

layoff 1,500 http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/business/13930184.htm?source=rss&channel=charlotte_business

layoff 2,000 http://blogs.ittoolbox.com/oracle/guide/archives/007681.asp?rss=1

Is there a better way? View what these people have found and see if we can offer a choice for you to consider as well.

What Does Your Future Look Like?

2006-02-27T10:49:00.000-07:00

Many of us were taught that going to school, getting a steady job with a good pension plan, and working hard, will guarantee our success in life. We consider ourselves comfortable if we buy a home, a couple of cars and take vacations once in awhile. In reality, our homes come with thirty-year mortgages, our cars come with monthly payments and our vacations accrue interest on our credit cards.

We are forced to take second jobs just to make ends meet or to put the kids through college.

We aren't able to participate in our children's lives as we had hoped to.

We find ourselves buried in debt, living paycheck to paycheck and spending much of our time worrying about how we are going to pay the bills.

We retire and find ourselves struggling to get by on our pensions and Social Security?

Was this what we thought life would be like? What happened?

Only one in six mothers stays at home to take care of the children.

One out of every five parents works two jobs.

The average college graduate will work eleven different jobs in five different careers in their lifetime.

Almost half of the households in America report having difficulty paying their minimum monthly payments.

Last year over 1.3 million Americans filed for bankruptcy.

Consider this option as a way out.

Renting a Future #1

2006-02-25T09:21:00.000-07:00

My brother was the Vice President of Operations for a pharmaceutical company for 19 years. Four months before he would have been vested in his pension his company decided to lay him off.

Nineteen years of service deserves more than a cheap shot, however this story isn't uncommon anymore is it?

He does not Own his future, he needs to find other work, he will need to work more years than he had originally planned and his retirement is no longer secure (not that it ever was). He rented his future away to a company and a group of people who did not intend to rent him as long as he wanted them to.

Are you renting your future away to people or a company who shouldn't be trusted with it?

Consider this option as a way to take ownership of your future.

Network Marketing and Helping Others

2006-02-24T21:23:00.000-07:00

Can network marketing truly help you to help others? Absolutely! I will share some ways in which your involvement in an MLM/network marketing company can allow you to truly make a positive difference in the lives of others.

One concept that has been and is continually being developed in some network marketing companies is fundraising for nonprofits. Some network marketing companies or their affiliates have developed plans to allow all or most of the profits from sales to be given to specific charitable organizations. The nonprofit organization can become affiliated for a short fundraising program, or long-term. Any sales made on their behalf will help them in their budgeting, and in turn help their programs to grow. Some network marketing professionals have chosen to participate exclusively in the fundraising portion of their MLM’s program.

Network marketing professionals use the term “Coaching” quite often. This should be taken seriously. When you coach a sports team, you help them to develop more athletic skills and improve their game. When you coach someone in network marketing, you are helping them to develop more people or business skills to improve their lives. The goal, of course, is to help them supplement or replace their current paycheck. You may help someone simply pay for their monthly electric bill, or you may end up helping someone acquire the home of their dreams. A little help is sometimes much more necessary than a lot of help, so start with the electric bill. They may be able to take the ball and run with it themselves at this point.

Your products or services can help others. Many network marketing companies offer products that are superior to off-the-shelf products. Many network marketing companies offer customer service that is far superior to current traditional business customer service. Many network marketing professionals offer customer service, knowledge and experience far superior to traditional retail stores. The combination of these aspects can create a very nice loyal customer base, which have actually seen or felt benefits from your products or services.

Network Marketing and Harming Others

Be honest with yourself and others! Beware of false claims, things that are too good to be true and companies that ask you to claim things they can’t or don’t claim themselves. Network marketing companies have lawyers on staff, you probably never will. Be careful what your company or upline asks you to claim. Since you are in business for yourself as an independent distributor, you are legally responsible for any false or misleading claim that you choose to make.

An example: An independent distributor who claims his product will cure AIDS is solely responsible for that claim. Any customer that does not achieve that result has the legal right to sue the independent distributor, not the company, not his upline. Neither the company, nor the upline made the claim to this individual.

BEWARE of false claims, things that are too good to be true and anything that the FDA would not allow any company to claim.

Honesty is your best policy. If you have found great benefits from your product or service, there is no law against letting others know what YOU’VE experienced. If you believe in your products, let others know why. Any product that needs hype or outright lies to get a sale isn’t a good product to sell. In this case, maybe you should think about searching out a better product line to represent.

Quote for the Week

EVERY GREAT INSTITUTION IS THE LENGTHENED SHADOW OF A SINGLE MAN. HIS CHARACTER DETERMINES THE CHARACTER OF HIS ORGANIZATION. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Cherlyn Garrett
http://www.shaklee.net/cgx2/distSuccess
Helping you to own your future

What Is Network Marketing?

2006-02-17T15:33:00.000-07:00

What Is Network Marketing?

Network marketing is a form of business that most people have the ability, skills and resources to participate in. Many network marketing companies provide skill building workshops or meetings to help you grow. Many network marketing companies provide even more resources for you to utilize.

Network marketing is a business where you and I are the advertisers of their products or services. Network marketing companies do not spend billions of dollars in advertising. You will not see an advertisement on television for MLM products. You will not hear an advertisement on the radio for MLM products. These companies chose to have their products advertised by you and me, and in turn give the money they would have spent in advertising to you and me.

Network marketing is a people business, which utilizes networking concepts. When you look for a traditional job, you usually network with other people to see what is out there. If you don’t network with your employed friends and family you may not hear of your best opportunity. Traditional business owners network with vendors and customers to build their businesses. If they don’t, they could get stuck in a contract with a vendor that is much more costly, or they may not have considered a certain segment of the population as a good marketing avenue. Whether you realize it or not, networking is a part of your daily life, or should be. Network marketing companies simply try to allow you to benefit from your daily networking activities in yet another way.

What Network Marketing Should NOT be

Network marketing should not be a way to “bug” your friends and family. It should not be a way to take up all of your free time and work you into burnout. It should not be a cult-like experience. It should not be a method to sort out your friends or a measurement for making new ones.

What Network Marketing Should BE

Network marketing should be fun. It should provide a clear way of helping yourself and others. It should be a way for you to grow in professional and/or personal areas where you’d like to see growth. It should be a positive experience for you and anyone you approach.

Just a Thought

This is your business! You must work your business the way you feel it needs to be worked. If your company, sponsor or upline asks you to do something you don’t feel comfortable with, ask yourself why. If you don’t have the money, maybe it’s something you can work towards and possibly do later. If it’s something that doesn’t fit your personality, then consider what they’ve said as a topic for brainstorming. Find out if there’s an area within that idea, or closely related to that idea that is more comfortable for you to do. Please do not get into a “comfort zone”, however. Comfort zones do not provide growth. Allow yourself to grow and you will be able to help others grow as well. Allow yourself to get into a comfort zone and you’ll be living paycheck to paycheck again (that’s no fun).

Quote for the Week

Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant. --Robert Louis Stevenson

Cherlyn Garrett
http://www.shaklee.net/cgx2/distOpportunity
Helping you to own your future