Entertaining your Kids AND Working your Business on Christmas Break

Woohooo Christmas Break is here!!!  No alarm clocks, no homework, pjs all day, Christmas activities and preparations for the big day and much more!  This is my favorite time of year!  That's the exciting stuff about having the kids home for two and a half weeks.  But with the good, comes the challenges as well.  The "Mommy I'm bored, there's nothing to do's" and the "Mommy, she hit me" and us moms wanting to pull our hair out...all that drama.  My kids are seven and almost ten and that is full force in my house at times.  It can be incredibly stressful especially when I'm trying to work my business at home.  Sometimes I have to remind myself that I'm the boss and I'm in control of how this day will go.  The truth is all you have to do is have a plan and keep the kids busy.  It won't completely solve every single issue for the day.  However, it will make things a lot easier and everyone will be happy and enjoy their day.  After all, that is why we're working at home in the first place...to create a better and happier life for our families!!  Here are a couple things that will help your day working at home with the kids home run a little smoother:

• Schedule what time(s) you will work - When you're working on building a successful home business, you must touch your business every single day, no matter what time of year it is.  Consistency is GOLD and will make or break you.  It creates momentum and will prevent you from getting rusty also.  Schedule a few blocks of time throughout the day that you will give the kids an activity to keep them occupied and you can focus on your business.  For example, right now I am cuddled up on the sofa with my kids and they are watching A Christmas Carol while I work on this post.  Everyone is happy and mommy is being productive. 

• Schedule what time(s) you will play - Yes, you must touch your business every single day to become a successful work at home mom.  But you also have to remember what you are working for.  Set aside time throughout the day that is just to play with the kids.  After this block of time working this morning, we are going to go Christmas shopping for a few last minute gifts.  Then we will come home, I will work a little while they are having lunch then we will go outside and play. This keeps everyone happy. 

For ideas on activities to help keep your kids busy and having fun, check out my previous post 10 Things for Kids to Do While Mom is Working.

Scheduling your time will help out tremendously.  Don’t just give up on your business during the Christmas weeks.  Even if it is a little slow, you are still building a foundation for the months to come.  In the home based business industry, one of our busiest times of year is the first couple months of the year.  People are looking to make a positive change in their lives, they want to get out of debt, start a new career, etc.  Working in December is THE perfect time to get ready for that by talking with people and building your pipeline.  That way when January comes, you will have people coming back to you ready to rock and roll. You want to take advantage of that!!

My best piece of advice for managing it all is to always be where you are.  If it's time to play with the kids, focus on them 100%.  Don't be thinking about what you should be doing in your business and vice versa.  That will help you to do your very best at whatever it is you are working on at that very moment!  You can build your business AND create beautiful memories with your children this holiday season!

Wishing you a VERY happy and blessed Christmas week!!

A Little Inspiration for You Today - Well Worth the Read!!

The Wishing Well
by Anthony Fernando

On top of a hill overlooking a babbling brook stood a dilapidated stone well. The wooden frame which had once been used to raise water was broken and a discarded bucket sat on the ground nearby. The only thing that made this old well special was a small tarnished plaque that carried a three word inscription which read 'The Wishing Well'.

One morning a young man named Richard came upon the well and read the small plaque. Richard was a cynical young man and he scoffed at the idea of a wishing well. However, he was also very greedy so he closed his eyes and wished for a large pot of gold just in case. He opened his eyes and looked around but nothing had changed.

As he prepared to leave, Richard happened to glance down into the well and to his amazement he saw a huge pot of gold floating at the bottom of the well. He immediately tried to reach down into the well but he could not reach the gold.

Next he tried to use a piece of wood to retrieve the gold but again he had no luck. After many frustrating attempts, Richard finally gave up. He cursed the wishing well and walked away. Instantly the pot of gold disappeared.

The following day a young man named William came across the well and he too read the small plaque that identified it as 'The Wishing Well'. What William wanted more than anything else that morning was an engagement ring so that he could propose to his sweetheart Rebecca. He closed his eyes and made his wish. At first he saw nothing, but then as he glanced down into the well he saw the most beautiful diamond ring floating in an ebony box at the bottom of the well.  Like Richard, William first tried to reach down into the well and then tried to use a nearby piece of wood - all to no avail.

After a great deal of frustration, he sat back and reviewed his situation. Then suddenly, in a flash of inspiration he knew what he had to do. He picked up the old bucket and walked down to the babbling brook at the base of the hill. After filling the bucket with water, he walked back up the hill and poured the water into the well. To his delight, he noticed that the level of the water in the well rose ever so slightly.

With a hint of success to spur him on, William began transferring bucket loads of water from the brook to the well. He worked steadily all day carrying buckets of water up to the wishing well. With each bucket of water he poured into the well, the ring floated closer to the surface. Finally as the sun was beginning to set, William poured in another bucket of water and the ring came within his reach. He grasped the stunning diamond ring and with a spring in his step he set off to propose to his Rebecca.

The best part about this story is that the Wishing Well really does exist and is available to each and every one of us. Whenever you set a goal, your objective instantly becomes a 'possibility'. It is as though it appears in the bottom of the wishing well. You can see it, but it is beyond your reach. Many people like Richard look for a quick and easy way to reach their goal but they inevitably get frustrated and walk away.

Those who achieve true success understand how life's Wishing Well works. Like William, they recognize that they must put in the time and effort to fill their well before they can collect their prize.

Today I'd like to encourage you to decide what you really want from life's wishing well and commit yourself to the process of filling your well in order to transform your dreams into reality.

Dare to Dream!

Quick Tip: The Best Times of Day to Communicate with your Facebook Network

I have been thoroughly researching Facebook and it's statistics for quite some time now and I continue to be incredibly impressed by this Social Media Machine.  500 Million users and more traffic than internet giants like Google...that is amazing!!  More than half of those active users log in everyday to stay connected with their friends, customers and business partners.  With that many users jumping on Facebook daily, as home business owners and bloggers trying to connect with your social network, it's crucial to know when the best times are to get your messages out there for people to see.  We live in a very fast paced, busy world.  Some people only jump on Facebook for minutes a day to check their messages and their news feed.  Knowing what times of the day have the most traffic is essential to make sure your status updates and blog posts don't go unnoticed.  So here you go:

Studies have shown that the top three times of the day with the most users logged in tend to be on weekdays at 11:00 a.m., 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. EST.  Apparently, the biggest spike occurs at 3:00 p.m. EST on weekdays.  Also, the first fifteen minutes of each hour see the highest numbers which is likely due to people taking their breaks at work at the beginning of an hour versus the latter part of the hour.  And one last fun fact - fans are less active on Sunday versus any other day of the week.  I tested this out with my friend list and sure enough, I had the most friends online during those periods. Interesting stuff, huh?

Posting at other times of the day is fine too.  If you've built up your fan base/friends list big enough, you will always have people online to view your messages.  However, wouldn't you rather post during a time where double or triple the amount of people will be more likely to see it??  Timing is everything!  Some food for thought:)

Hope you're all having a productive and beautiful day!!!

Is the Economy Affecting your Home Business?

Since 2008, I have witnessed so many of my friends and family struggle financially during these hard economic times.  It has become a very familiar thing to hear the news that one of them lost their job, their hours were cut back, their house is in foreclosure, etc. You know the deal, everyone is talking about it.  Turn on CNN, look at the front page of the newspaper, scroll through the news feed on Facebook and you'll see people talking about it daily.  It is the main subject on all of our minds these days.  Each time I hear or see news like this, it just breaks my heart.  I never like to see anyone struggle.   And it's not only affecting people financially, but emotionally as well.  Money is not everything, just like they say, but it sure does make things easier. 

Over the past couple years, each time I would hear this news I would feel so incredibly grateful that I was able to maintain my financial responsibilities with ease, especially as a single mom.  I would be thankful everyday that I started my home business in 2006 and built it up to a very nice, more than full time income before this recession hit.  And as 2008 and 2009 passed, I was blessed to have continued growing within my business.  Then 2010 came along and for the first time, I personally felt the brunt of this recession.  For the first time in four years, I had to put forth the effort of a newbie to reach my goals.  For the first time, I plateaued.  I have to admit, it was very humbling and borderline discouraging at first.  But I truly believe that I got too comfortable and this was the push that I needed to continue growing and to make myself a better leader and home business owner.  So instead of running for the hills and jumping into another home based business or running out and getting a job, I embraced the obstacle.  I decided that I was more than capable of overcoming this challenge and it was time to go back to basics. If I did it once, I could do it again, right?  What was it in 2006 that made me reach my first and second management levels in five months?  What was it in 2007 that made me help many of my team members do the same?  What was it in 2008, that helped me fire my boss, come home full time to my kids and reach over 50k in lifetime residual income?  What was it all those years that helped me earn five Top Producers trips?  What was "it"?  "It" was that burning desire to do whatever it took to GET IT DONE!  "It" was getting up early and staying up late! "It" was always having faith and believing in the system that my amazing company and leaders had in place. "It" was believing that my kids deserved to have mommy home.  "It" was believing that I deserved success.  "It" was believing in myself! 

Your success will be determined by your attitude and what you choose to focus on.  If you focus on the negative, that's exactly what you will get.  If you focus on the positive, you will get the positive. Shift your focus from being down on your business and counting the negative to the reasons to be grateful for having your home business.  Shift your focus from what is not working to what WILL work.  It's all about mindset and what you believe.  Here are just a few things that come to mind that you have to be grateful for in having a home based business:

• You already know it.  Even if you haven't reached your full goals yet, you have already built a foundation and you don't want to throw that away.  If you think it's challenging growing your current business this year, imagine starting a brand new one and starting from scratch knowing nothing.  THAT would be a challenge!
• YOU have control of your income!  If you want bigger checks, make it happen!  Get to work!
• You CANNOT be fired, laid off or dismissed.  YOU are your boss!
• You are building something for YOU!  You deserve not to struggle. You deserve to have something of worth.  You deserve greatness!
• You are home with your family!  There is no greater gift than to be able to spend time with your family.  Nothing of monetary value can compare....nothing!

I could go on and on.  Once you're focused on what to be grateful for, get into action!  Here are some things to do to start growing again:

• Focus on what you know - Instead of going into complete panic that your business has slowed down and going on a manhunt for the greener grass, go back to basics and find that "It" that you had in the beginning.  You know what you need to do to be successful, go do it!
• Double your efforts - If you're getting half the results today than you were getting before, double your efforts and even it out!  Work harder, work longer, don't be afraid of hard work!  It builds character and will make you appreciate what you have accomplished even more.
• If what you're doing for lead generation right now isn't working, do something else!  If you keep doing what you're doing, you'll keep getting the same results...period!
• Choose not to let anything or anyone on the outside influence you in a negative way or pull you from your business.
• Keep perspective - It could ALWAYS be worse.  The oldest saying in the book, right?  Well it's true.  I lost my 28 year old sister to cancer in 2009.  That tragic loss has changed my perspective on everything in life.  What she would give to be here today struggling in this economy....  Be grateful you're here to have problems.

The new year is quickly approaching!  Prepare yourself now to shake off any negative from 2010 and make 2011 your BEST year yet!!!!  You cannot do anything about yesterday but you can certainly do something about tomorrow.  This country needs a shift, be a part of the shift in the right direction!  Focus on the famous quote "If it is to be, it is up to me" and get your GAME ON!!!!

What it Takes to Become a Successful Work at Home Mom

Where My Work at Home Dream Began
Since you're reading this, we most likely have the same ambitions...to be a successful work at home mom!  My dream to become a successful work at home mom began in 2004.  At the time, I was a stay at home mom of two beautiful angels. Brittani was three and Landon was one. From the outside, it looked like I had it all, a beautiful house, nice cars, I was home full time with my kids, my husband made really good money with his business, it appeared that my life was on easy street.  But that was the complete opposite of what was actually happening on the inside.  I was in a very unacceptable and unsafe marriage and I was pretty broken down. I was trapped financially but most of all emotionally. I needed to find financial independence and make a positive change for my kids and I.  It was so very important to me that my kids grow up in a positive and safe environment. So I started looking for a "Plan B". I needed to make money but I also wanted to continue being home with my kids.  The only option....become a successful work at home mom!  And I'd love to say bringing this successful work at home mom dream to fruition was easy, but it wasn't.  I searched long and hard through ALL the junk on the internet and almost gave up.

The Fork in the Road

I finally found my answer about two years later in January of 2006. I came across an ad for a home business but I was extremely skeptical. For the next four months, that ad kept slapping me right in the face.  I stopped and stared at the ad that spoke of "Financial Freedom from Home."  The word that stuck out to me the most was "Freedom."  I felt in my heart at that moment that I hit a fork in the road and that my decision here would either make or break me.  That's when I decided to request some information.  My mentor called me and I got started on the spot.  I stayed up ALL night long doing the training and started working the next day. I had found my PLAN B!  Working at home has changed my life!  I look at myself now and I'm not even the same person I was five years ago. I have grown so much personally. I have conquered so many fears from from being a wife in fear, having a huge phone fear, having a leading a conference call fear, having a talk on stage fear, etc. All that is GONE!  Focusing on WHY I needed to work from home kept a FIRE lit inside of me to keep pressing forward and facing every fear.  And here are my beautiful WHYs:

        

My Journey to a Positive Change

My work at home journey has been amazing but it has not always been easy. My first year working at home was the worst AND best year of my life. I faced a very hard time in my life but made a decision to STAND UP AND FIGHT rather than falling down!  I went through a very nasty divorce, was literally scared into moving out of my house, my daughter had to switch schools and I had to get a full time JOB and put my little boy in daycare for the first time in his life. Up until I was able to replace that income and come home full time, my days went a little something like this. I would wake up at 5:00am, get everyone up and out to school. I had to peel a screaming three year old off of me every morning at daycare. His arms would be reaching out to me and he would scream over and over again "mommy no go."  Then I would sit in traffic for an hour and a half just to get to work by 8:00. I would work my business on my fifteen minute breaks, my 30 minute lunch breaks and my hour and a half drive home in traffic. I would get home by 6:30, see my kids for an hour and a half, put them to bed and start working my business again until about midnight, sometimes later. Then I would wake up and start all over again. Was it hard work? Absolutely! Did I fall asleep on my computer some nights? Absolutely! Did my house get messy? Absolutely!  Did I feel guilty about not spending a lot of time with my kids? Absolutely!  Did I ever wonder if I was doing the right thing? Absolutely NOT!  

I KNEW that finding success at home was going to make a HUGE difference in my family's life and that it was going to bring me home again! I knew my situation was only temporary!! Making sacrifices for a year to come home versus working at a JOB for 40 more years was the best decision I have ever made in my entire life!!! My kids have a full time "happy" mommy again! A full time mommy with a full time work from home income! And that is an incredible blessing!  If someone would have told me five years ago that I would be a Top Producer in the work at home industry earning not only a full time income from home but earning MANY Top Producers trips, I wouldn't have believed it.  It's amazing what you can accomplish when you take the leap of faith and just go for it!

My Vision...and What's in it for YOU!

I now have the best of both worlds, a career and the ability to be the mom I've always wanted to be. I have built a very successful business from home and am SO grateful for that. However, I continue to see many moms out there struggling to find work at home success! My passion is to help ALL moms, that want to, become successful WAHMs! That is my purpose and mission of this blog!  I have a lot of work at home knowledge and have helped MANY reach success as well.  I feel a huge calling to share what I know with all aspiring and existing work at home moms.  I will be sharing work at home ideas, tools to help you succeed and inspiration to keep you on track on your journey! And if you've ever worked at home, you know that there is SO much more to it than that. We have to balance everything!!! We have to take care of the family, cook, budget, the whole nine yards. We have to be Savvy Moms!  With that being said, you will also find coupons/freebies, recipes, work/life balance tips on top of all the work at home goodies you will receive.

My Challenge and Hope for YOU!

You CAN become a successful work at home mom! Believe in yourself and work your butt off!  Fight to get your life back!  Fight for the life that you and your family deserve!  The end result is soooo worth it!  I am living proof. How many single moms do you know that can be home full time with their kids AND make a full time income? Go out there and MAKE your dream come true!  GAME ON!

Truly Custom Crunch, you will LOVE this!!!

A dear friend of mine, Stacey Hill, had a dream of being a full time work at home mom a few years ago. I remember when she told me she was going to take a cake decorating class and I thought "How cool and fun is that?!?" That's when she found her passion in cake decorating and started her own home business called Truly Custom Cakery.  I believe this is Stacey's gift, she is TRULY talented with her creations.  I have watched her grow with it over the past couple years and am SO very proud of her and happy for her success!  It is much deserved!  Truly Custom Cakery not only creates the most beautiful and creative cakes I've ever seen, but also gorgeous cupcakes, cookies and Stacey's FAMOUS Truly Custom Crunch! 

Stacey has been telling me about her Crunch since I've known her for the past five years.  I always wanted to try it but she lives in Pennsylvania and I live in Florida...little bit of a mileage gap:)  BUT, now she has incorporated her Crunch in with her Truly Custom Cakery business and provides shipping to all over the United States, wooohooo!!!  I was so excited when I opened my mailbox last week and found a package from Truly Custom Cakery.  Finally, I was going to get to experience The Crunch!

My kids were with me when I brought the package inside and of course they were jumping all around me and asking me over and over "What is it mommy, who's it from, who's it for??"  I was as excited as them but had to act a little more adult like about it:)  I pulled out the Crunch gift box and it looked like something straight out of a fancy little bakery shop.  It was in a high quality box with a gorgeous aqua and brown polka dotted bow (which my daughter now wears in her hair) and inside were two beautifully wrapped packages of Truly Custom Crunch.  I immediately opened one and gave a piece to my kids and then took one for myself and the kitchen just got quiet for a minute until the "mmmm's" started.  The Crunch is popcorn, almonds and walnuts covered in delicious chocolate and other sweet secret ingredients. I've tasted other products with this concept over the years but NOTHING compared to this!  It was so yummy that we sat there and ate the whole first bag within five minutes.  And while everyone was sleeping a few nights later, I sat in my living room watching a movie and finished the entire second bag by myself.  It was fabulous "mommy time" for sure!

I would highly recommend Stacey's Truly Custom Crunch for all your holiday needs.  Whether you choose to gift it or keep it for yourself, it is well worth it!!!  Your friends and family will feel as special as I did when I received my package:) 

To place your order, you can visit http://www.trulycustomcakery.com/holiday-crunch/shop.html.  Enjoy!

Thank you Stacey for the special gift!  You are the best and I wish you continued success!

5 Secrets of Success from Michael Phelps

As I'm sure you already know, on Sunday August 17th 2008, Michael Phelps achieved one of the greatest sporting records of all time by winning an incredible 8 gold medals in a single Olympic games.

Michael's performance was seen by millions of people around the world and we can all learn a great deal about achieving our own goals by analyzing his accomplishment. Here then, are five secrets of success that helped Michael Phelps to transform his dreams into reality.

Secret #1: Think BIG
The first step in Michael Phelps journey was to make the decision to pursue a dream that many people considered impossible. Instead of thinking negative thoughts and limiting his potential, Michael allowed himself to think big.

"If you dream as big as you can dream,
anything is possible."
- Michael Phelps

Your Turn:
In order to discover your real goals, let your imagination run free to dream as big as you can dream. Resist the temptation to limit yourself with negative thoughts. It is only by freeing your imagination that you can discover what it is that you really want from life.

Secret #2: Break it Down
Having identified his ultimate goal, Michael and his coach created a series of short term goals that would eventually lead him to his ultimate objective. In between the Olympics came the National championships, the Pan Pacific championships and the World championships. Each race of each event was a carefully planned stepping stone that would eventually lead Michael to achieve his ultimate goal of becoming the most successful Olympian of all time.

Your Turn:
After identifying your long term goal, take some time to break it down into a series of achievable short term goals. As you move forward, focus on achieving your short term goals one step at a time.

Secret #3: Use the Power of Visualization
One of the most powerful techniques used by elite athletes to achieve their goals is to visualize themselves succeeding each and every day. In his book 'Beneath the Surface', Michael Phelps writes, "When I'm about to fall asleep, I visualize to the point that I know exactly what I want to do: dive, glide, stroke, flip, reach the wall, hit the split time to the hundredth, then swim back again for as many times as I need to finish the race".

Your Turn:
Visualizing your goals before you sleep is a great way to program your subconscious mind. The more you visualize your dreams as a reality, the more motivated and determined you will become.

Secret #4: Put in the Hard Work

No matter how naturally talented Michael Phelps may be, the main reason he achieved his goals was because he was prepared to put in the thousands of hours of grueling hard work necessary to compete at the highest level. According to Michael, "In the four years between the Athens and Sydney Olympics I probably took four or five days off and none of those were holidays"
 

Your Turn:

Be prepared to put in the hard work required to transform your dreams into reality. There really is no such thing as getting something for nothing. In order to make your dreams a reality you will have to work hard.

Secret #5: Monitor Your Performance Metrics

Every elite athlete understands the importance of using metrics to monitor their performance and progress. Michael's coach Bob Bowman constantly monitors and reviews Michael's split times down to the hundredth of a second. This provides them both with tangible evidence of how Michael is progressing towards achieving his goals.

Your Turn:
As you work towards your goals, figure out your own key metrics. For example, if you are studying, record how many hours of productive work you do each day. Or if you are building a business, record how many potential customers you contact each week. Whatever your goal may be, you will get there faster by recording and constantly improving your performance metrics.

While you may not be pursuing an Olympic gold medal, always remember that your life goals are just as important. I’d like to encourage you today to use some of the same techniques Michael Phelps used to achieve his goals. If you can

(1) Think BIG
(2) Break it down
(3) Utilize the power of visualization
(4) Work hard and
(5) Monitor your performance metrics

You too can conquer the challenges that stand in your way and make your dreams a reality!!

I've always loved this article, hope you enjoyed it too!!

Dare To Dream!

What is Your Favorite Holiday Recipe??

Happy Thanksgiving Eve ladies!

I am putting together a list of holiday recipes from all my Savvy friends and would love to share your recipe and website or blog here on TheSavvyWAHMom.com!!  What is your favorite holiday recipe?  Post it here in the comments.  I can't wait to see all of the yumminess!  I'm getting hungry already:)

I'll start....One of my new favorites that I made last year for Christmas and Thanksgiving is Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Cinnamon Pecan Crunch. It is SO super yummy, even the kids liked it! Here's the recipe:

Makes 8 servings.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar, divided
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 teaspoons McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 teaspoons McCormick® Cinnamon, Ground, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons McCormick® Ginger, Ground, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 cup dried cranberries
6 tablespoons butter, cut up, divided
1/2 cup flour
1 cup chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix 1/4 cup of the brown sugar, orange juice, vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon each of the cinnamon and ginger, and salt in large bowl. Add sweet potatoes; toss to coat well. Spoon into 13x9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with cranberries. Dot with 2 tablespoons of the butter. Cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, mix flour, remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar and remaining 1 teaspoon each cinnamon and ginger in medium bowl. Cut in remaining 4 tablespoons butter with a fork until coarse crumbs form. Stir in pecans. Remove sweet potatoes from oven and stir gently. Sprinkle evenly with pecan topping.

3. Bake, uncovered, 25 to 30 minutes longer or until sweet potatoes are tender and topping is lightly browned.

And that's it. Hope you guys enjoy!

Don't forget to post your favorite recipe and website/blog link in the comments so I can share it here on TheSavvyWAHMom.com. 

Hope you all have a VERY blessed and beautiful Thanksgiving!

Making Opportunities

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." ~Thomas Edison

Other people get all the breaks, don't they?  Or so we tell ourselves.  While it's true that sometimes others really do get a break, we could do a lot more to create our own breaks if we really wanted to.

Did we skip an opportunity to get some training because it was scheduled after work hours?  Did we pass up a chance to try something new because we were nervous about whether we could do it?  Maybe it's time to roll up our sleeves and work a little harder or longer.

How can you create your own opportunity--at work or in your personal life?  What steps do you need to take?

Have a beautiful and productive week!!!!!

10 Steps to Becoming a Master Recruiter without the Hype

I have been with my home based business for almost five years now.  I came into it with nothing but a good attitude.  To say I had zero experience and skills would be an understatement.  I was as green as it gets.  I had never worked from home before because I was THE biggest skeptic out there and wouldn't give anything a try.  I eventually found a company that had elite credentials and a service that people needed and that intrigued me to jump right in.  I didn't care about the rest of the details.  I just knew that if someone else was out there making money with it that I could too!

I remember the day I realized that recruiting team members was a part of the package.  I was so very nervous and thought "I don't want to be one of THOSE people."  It took me a day or so to digest it and then I came to the conclusion that I don't have to be full of hype, I don't have to be pushy, I can just focus on helping people and recruit from the heart.  I could be me.  That's when I opened a door to what was about to be an incredible, life changing journey.  Within two months of going through the process of getting good, I became a Top Recruiter with my company and have been ever since.  And I'm going to share with you exactly how I did just that!

Why I love Recruiting....

Recruiting is a HUGE passion of mine because it's fun and I feel like I am truly helping people improve the quality of their lives. That is powerful to me!  I think about how my mentor's one phone call to me changed my life and now I love to do the same for MANY others!  I think about all the positive changes in my life since I started my home based business and it just amazes me.  THAT is what this business is all about, helping people improve the quality of their lives!  We are making a difference in so many lives and in return we are rewarded with priceless friendships, financial freedom and an amazing life for our family!  That is exciting stuff!  If you truly believe in that, you will be a great recruiter too.  If you're not yet, your skills might just need to be refined and that's okay.  Like I mentioned earlier, when I first started my home based business, I was horrible.  I had a really bad fear of the phone.  I had never done anything like this before.  But, I got trained and kept making calls over and over again until I got good.  My reason WHY I was doing this was a whole lot bigger than my fear and I focused on that with all my heart.  A lot of us struggle with closing in the beginning of our business.  So, that's normal.  Just remember most will have to be bad before they can get good.  Just make it your goal to GET GOOD! 

What it takes to become a master recruiter....

The secret ingredient to becoming a master recruiter is to develop your confidence which is also referred to as posture.  What I've learned is that closing is an attitude mixed with a little bit of skill.  It's not necessarily WHAT you say but HOW you say it.  Have you ever wondered what makes someone add 20-30 new team members per month? That is posture.  Posture all starts with mastering your presentation.  Once you've mastered your presentation, you will develop an awesome level of confidence and your posture will shine through.  That's when you will start closing with a lot more ease.  When you sound confident and excited, you will become magnetic, people will be drawn to you and your business. 

The Steps to GET IT DONE....

1.  Believe in what you are doing.  Develop a passion for helping people make money and helping them with your products and/or services.   When I did this, my business took off!  Once I realized how many people I was helping daily, I never looked back.  We have such an amazing opportunity in our hands in this industry.  When you hit the part of your presentation that goes over start up costs, be PROUD that for a small fee you can help someone change their lives.  Like myself for example, I am a single mom that is able to work from home full time.  I was able to completely fire my boss and come home full time to my kids.  That's a BIG deal. Develop a passion for the products and services you are offering.  Use them, get familiar with them, fall in love with them. Create your own testimonial.  When your products or services have personally touched your life, your passion will be ignited in your presentation and passion sells!

2.  Get out of your comfort zone and do that presentation over and over and over again.  You cannot reach greatness in life hanging out in a comfort zone.  You have to get up and get out of that comfort zone!!  Push yourself if you have to!  Each time you will get more and more comfortable with your presentation and the posture will begin to shine through.  Keep making a minimum 3-5 FULL presentations a day, five days a week.  If you do that consistently, you WILL get good at it!  It's a fact and it's really that simple.
 

3.  Listening to Prospecting Calls.  If your team leaders host live prospecting calls where you can call in and listen to them in action, take advantage of that!  Listening to my team leaders while they were making live presentations is how I learned to recruit.  What I learned from these calls was that I was doing it all wrong.  I was reading a script and trying to "sell" someone.  I didn't put a lot of emotion into it nor did I really care about my prospect.  I noticed that on their prospecting calls that they were very conversational and genuinely interested in the best interest of the prospect.  They were building relationships with these people.  The focus was on the prospect and their needs, not to only get a paycheck.  Learning that was a huge wake up for me in my business.  From that moment forward, I shifted my focus on to the prospect.  Why were THEY looking to work from home, what was THEIR why, how long have THEY been looking, how can I help THEM.  This was huge!  Not only did I start getting more enrollments but I started having fun!  This is when recruiting became a huge passion of mine.  If your team leaders don't offer this type of training call, ask them to start one.

4.  Don't take no's personally.  Recruiting is a numbers game.  No matter how good you are, you will get no's.  What I've always done is focus on how many people I can talk to versus how many people I can enroll.  Focusing on results can stress you out especially if it takes you 200 conversations to get your first yes like it did for me.  Instead, focus on practicing and talking to as many people as possible.  I personally keep a notebook of all my presentations.  My goal is to fill that notebook and only full presentations go in it.  Focusing on filling the notebook versus focusing on yes's or no's helped me tremendously.

5.  Don't act like a used car salesman during your presentation.  You don't ever want to sound desperate or full of hype. That will run people off.  Never beg people to join or keep calling them back over and over again with follow up calls.  Two calls is plenty then just bless and release and stick them in your email system for future email follow up.  Sometimes the timing is just not right and they will come back to you when it is.

6. Never spend too much time on a prospecting call.  You need them to know that your time is valuable. If you're spending 45 minutes on one call, that's too long.  Now there will be exceptions to this is you have someone asking tons of questions but you want to make sure you have control of the call and you're not just letting them talk about random stuff not related to working at home for 45 minutes.  People want to be associated with busy and successful people.  Your time is valuable, respect it.

7. Not what you say but how you say it.  When you get to the end of the presentation, assume that they are going to join your team.  Don't question it.  What you're offering with your home business is awesome, of course they want to do it! That's the attitude I have. Use minimizing words like "just" or "only" when explaining your start up fee.  Tell them you would love to have them on your team and just start taking their application.  I always say "It just takes a few minutes to get your information and we can have you up and running in about five minutes, I just need to verify the address that you'd like to have your checks mailed to."  Do they all enroll? No. But a lot of them do.  Go into with an attitude of they're going to join our team.  It will make a big difference.

8.  Treat your business as what it is.....a multi million dollar, life changing opportunity.  In this home based business industry, we have something amazing in our hands!  Realize that, be proud of it and it will show in the music of your voice during your presentation.  Whenever I call someone, I visualize myself being my mentor on the very first day day she called me.  I waited by the phone for days for that call.  I could not wait to talk with her and enroll.  She changed my life with that one phone call and I think of that before I make each call.

9.  NEVER GIVE UP -  Don't even have it in the back of your head as an option.  If you do, your prospects will also hear that in your voice.  Your prospect wants to enroll with someone who is going to the top not someone who is unsure.   Proudly tell them at the end that you are going straight to the top and you'll take them with you!  Don't let the No's discourage you.  Every "no" you get, you are one step closer to a yes.  If I would have given up during all those no's I received in the beginning, I would still be sitting in a cubicle at a job I despised and my kids would still be in daycare.  NEVER give up!

10.  Personal Development - The more develop your self esteem, the more you will develop self confidence.  The more good stuff you put in, the more good stuff you can give out in your presentation.  I listened to my presentation go from "Blah not getting any enrollments" to "Wow, getting lots of enrollments" just by working on my personal development.  Like I said earlier, posture is a sort of attitude or confidence. If you don't have that yet, it's okay, just work on yourself daily until you get it.  You will see your life transforming on many levels.  The investment of time required for this is so well worth it! One common denominator that all the leaders in this industry share is that they are always actively seeking to improve themselves.  Listen to audios, read articles, read books, whatever it takes to build a better you! Working on me has been a huge part of my success from home.  CLICK HERE to see some of my favorites that have helped me to become a master recruiter.

Those 10 steps will help you develop "The Stuff" needed to become a master recruiter.  Remember, you have everything in you that you need to become a great recruiter.  You might just need to refine your skills and do some tweaking to your presentation.  If you care about people and you want to help them, that is more than half the battle.  Be a giver and watch your business grow!  ALWAYS remember to GO FOR THE CLOSE!!!  If you don't ask them to join your team at the end, you just wasted your time!  The most important thing I want to leave you guys with is to believe in yourself!  YOU CAN DO THIS!  If you want it, go get it!  Make it a goal to GET GOOD!!

Believing in you,

Online Promotional Codes - My Latest Craze!!

I want to share this with you guys today as it can certainly help you out with the upcoming holiday season!  MANY people are on budgets these days with the current state of the economy and every little bit helps:)

Back in August, I was preparing for the exciting and costly "Back to School" shopping frenzy.  My daughter is now in the fourth grade and ALL into fashion.  Which is incredibly cute as I SO remember clothes and accessories being a HUGE part of my life all the way through my school years.  Whether we like to admit it or not, appearance is important.  It's not everything, but it certainly can help a kid out with the peer issues.  My little boy is a little easier, he's is the first grade and doesn't really care what he wears as long as it doesn't have buttons anywhere on the shirt and it has some sort of sports reference on it.  He's already a T-shirt and sports kinda guy. 

I absolutely love to shop online as it not only saves time (which in my home based business, time equals money) but it also saves gas and the headache of shopping with kids.  I love my kids dearly but let's be real, it's not easy shopping with children.  Online shopping saves me the stress of my daughter saying over and over in a voice of desperation "Mommy, I NEED these, I'm going to be the ONLY one without sparkly $40 leggings with a peace sign on the butt out of all my friends" all while searching for my little boy who thinks it's absolutely hilarious to hide under the racks!  So decision made....online back to school shopping it was this year!!!

My mother has got to be one of the most frugal women I've ever known.  She is a retired accountant and even though she has had success in her life, she remains frugal.  She reads finance and investment books 5-8 hours per day and she will be the first one to preach that "All self made millionaires do not spend carelessly, they are frugal and live below their means."  Up until about 25 years old, I never listened to a word she said, I already knew everything.  You know how that goes.  Then I woke up to the ways of the world and grew up.  Not sure what triggered it, but I started realizing that my mom knew her stuff and I should open my ears and listen!!  And from that moment forward, she has been my financial inspiration and unofficial financial advisor.  If I want to invest $1000+, I ask my mom what I should do with it.  So of course, during this back to school shopping frenzy, I called her and asked her if she had any recent coupon mailings to Justice (THE absolute coolest girl's clothing retailer out there right now and OMG, all my daughter's BFFs are like totally going to have clothes from there) and also The Children's Place, which is mommy's favorite store to shop as the prices are affordable, the clothes are great quality and the little girls clothes, look like little girls clothes.  I won't risk the chance of having the same outfit as my daughter or her looking like a 20 year old.  I was disappointed to hear that my mom didn't have any of those awesome 20-40% off coupon mailings from either store.  And that's when I heard the most beautiful words from her, "Kristie, just go online and Google Promotional Codes and you'll find some for those two stores and a TON of others."  I immediately jumped on my laptop and did just that.  It was SO exciting to find online coupon codes for nearly every store that I use.  I found a 40% off coupon code for Justice and a 20% off coupon code for the Children's Place.  I was one happy back to school shopping mommy!!

The first site I ran across was http://www.promotionalcodes.com/.  AWESOME site!!!  I highly recommend it as I've used it many times since I found out this little secret.  I also love http://www.retailmenot.com/. There are also others if you don't find what you want there.  Just hop on Google and enter promotional codes, you'll have tons of pages to choose from.  Get even more specific and type in "Promotional Codes for ______" Just fill in that blank with whatever store you'd like.

Another quick tip about shopping online, shop the sales!!!!!  The beautiful thing about online shopping is the virtual sales racks are huge!!  You will find stuff there that you would never find at the store.  I know you've all found every single size of that beautiful shirt on sale EXCEPT the size you need!  We've all been there, isn't it ironic?  Don't you think?  Well online, you have a much better chance at getting that $25 shirt in size 12 for just $3.99 than you do at the store. And don't forget having that frustrating feeling all while one kid is hiding under a rack of clothes and the other is having a pre-teenage drama queen reaction to her size not being available.  Nah, I'm going to pass on that and shop online!!  With the online coupon codes and shopping the sales, I ended up with 10 outfits for JUST $98.  That's right, $98!  And that was from those two, high quality, trendy children's stores. 

And one last tip!  During the holidays, all the big online retailers compete for business and a big way they do that is by offering free shipping.  Wait for the free shipping deals, that will save you a bunch!

Definitely share this SUPER saving information with all your mom friends, they will be so grateful to save some money.  In this crazy economy, us savvy moms have to look out for each other;)

Happy online shopping!

Successful People are Dreamers

Happy Friday everyone!!!!

My mentor shared this with me this morning and I want to pass it along to you guys!  I absolutely love it!


SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE ARE DREAMERS 

Your dreams are your visions of where you'll be after the battle, your prize at the end of your journey to success. Your goals are the steps you take to finally attain your prize.

Unless you're willing to work hard and establish some discipline in your life, all of your dreams will be pipe dreams, little mental fantasy trips that will never materialize.

Make concrete steps toward fulfilling your ultimate dream, and start with solid objectives called goals.  Your dreams are where you want to go, your goals are how you get there.

The first indispensable step to getting the things you want out of life is this.  Decide what you want.

Don't be afraid to think big and dare to be great. Dreamers are not content with mediocrity. They never dream of going half way.

People with goals succeed because they know where they're going.

Have an AMAZING weekend and never stop dreaming and going for your dreams! 

How to Start Branding Yourself on Facebook

I hope you all enjoyed my first Facebook 101 Topic, "Profile Page, Fan Page or Both?"  I received some really great feedback from you guys and I'm just SO happy that I could help. I remember how overwhelmed I felt with marketing on Facebook at first and if I can ease some of that for you guys, then it's a complete success for me:)

Now that you have your page(s) setup, you may be wondering "What now?"  Well, now you are ready to start branding yourself!  Branding yourself is getting your name recognized as the "go to" person on your chosen subject.  Personal branding catches the attention of people in our industry and showcases you as an instant expert.  This is a process that requires consistent effort and a long term time commitment. But it is so worth it in the long run.  Here are some quick tips to get you in action mode TODAY:

The most important way to start branding yourself is to put yourself out there and focus on daily action on your page(s).  You want your friends and fans to see you out there everyday.  You may be thinking "Okay, that sounds great but what do I put on my page?"  Great question!!  The most important thing when working on personal branding is to think about what type of presence you would like to create.  You want to become someone that people want to follow, someone that provides value, inspiration and a positive, uplifting energy. And don't feel like you are not someone knowledgeable or interesting enough for people to follow.  YOU are fabulous and YOU have information and greatness inside of you that you can share and that will help people!!!  Believe that and it will all start to flow beautifully!!

What to do on your page(s):

• Update your status - This can be very basic "What are you doing?" stuff.  Since my mission is providing content for working successfully at home so I can be home with my kids, I like to paint a picture of what my day looks like, how much freedom my home business gives me in my status.  For example, a recent status update that I posted was "Kristie is ready for this BUSY day! Just got Brit to Chorus club, now headed to Landon's field trip, then the book fair after school, Brit's Chorus Concert tonight and finally co-hosting a team call before bed! Bring on the 15 hour energy!!!"
• Personal pictures or videos - People love to know about your personal lives, that's why Facebook is so popular.  Share pictures and videos from your life on your pages.  It will make you more real, warm and welcoming.  They will be able to connect with you on a deeper level, in turn, making you more memorable.
• Other videos - These can be videos that you take of yourself providing instruction or sharing a message or could be an inspirational video that you run across on You Tube, for example.  Any video pertaining to your niche will work nicely.
• Articles - Find articles or write your own about a topic that fits your niche that your readers will enjoy and can learn from.
• Quotes - People LOVE to feel inspired!  There are SO many great quotes out there that will help people reflect and get them motivated.  Make it a goal to inspire people, they will love you for it!!  And it will inspire YOU along the way!
• Blog posts - Link your blog and Facebook account to the Networked Blogs application on Facebook.  That way, when you publish a new post on your blog, it will automatically post to your page.
• Sharing other's posts - When someone in your network posts something of great value, pay it forward and share it for them.  Give them credit where credit is deserved:)  And when you tag their name in your post, it posts on their wall to for their friends to see also, giving you extra views.
• Be social - There is a reason that Social Networking has the word social it in.  It’s about sharing, networking, building relationships, appreciating others and giving back.  So, you want to join in the social circle.  Reply to your friend's statuses, "like" their statuses, just have fun chatting with some great people.  Don't be nervous about fitting in or not knowing what to say.  Once you reach out and show someone you care by "liking" their status or commenting, you've got yourself a lifelong Facebook friend!

What NOT to do on your page(s):

• Don't post anything negative anywhere on Facebook...EVER!  You need to be positive but not cheesy and over the top.  You don't want to be annoying then people will just hide your feed.  When you're on a social networking platform like Facebook, everything you write is for the public to see.  You really need to ask yourself what kind of presence you want to create for the world to see, for your friend's to see, for your potential business partners and customers to see.  The biggest mistake I see people make on Facebook is being gung-ho positive and excited about their business one day and the next day they full blown negative about their life and sometimes even using bad language.  Then the next day, back to positive.  That's a big no no!  Not many people will want to join that or follow that.  In branding yourself, you are in a leadership role and you have to behave like a leader and create and treasure your reputation and be someone people will respect.  My rule of thumb goes back to the elementary days, if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.  Sure, we all have our moments where we're having a bad day but keep that at home and not for all of Facebook to see.
• Don't blast ads in your status everyday!  Your goal is to build relationships (get to know people) and provide value.  Make 90% of your content information that will help your friends and fans.  The other 10% can be promoting what you are offering.
• Don't post your sales pitch on people's walls or in response to their statuses.  You don't want to become that person that is just on Facebook to take, you want to be a giver!  Givers ALWAYS receive in the long run!

Give back and Pay it Forward

Speaking of being a giver, personal branding doesn't have to be all about YOU!  You can also make it about others.  You will meet and may already know some amazing people on Facebook with the same goal as you, to brand themselves.  So help them out!  Team up with a couple of them and share their content when they post something interesting and helpful.  Click on the "share" option right under their status and help get their info out there also.  They will appreciate it so much that they will return the favor with one of your future posts.  Doing that also counts toward your daily action of what you can share that day.  So it also saves you time which we all need more of these days!  Working it smart and being a giver....that's a recipe for success!!

Okay, you are ready to rock and roll and get yourself out there!!!  Go have fun on your mission!!!  That's the most important part.  Love what you do and how you do it and you will build BIG!!!  If you feel this post will help someone you know, please feel free to share it with them!  Also, I would LOVE to keep hearing all your feedback and comments, they are MUCH appreciated:)

Have a SUPER productive and happy day!!!

Facebook 101 - Profile Page, Fan Page or Both???

Why do you need to get on Facebook today?

There are 550,000,000 people on Facebook today!!  That is a HUGE audience!!  If you aren't one of those, it's time to get in on the action!!  If you haven't created an account or used your current account to market your business, you may feel a little overwhelmed with the idea of getting started.  I know I did!  So I am going to lay it out in very basic way so that anyone can start taking advantage of this incredible social networking platform.  I am going to start super basic today with what type of Facebook page to create.  Together we will take baby steps toward making Facebook a huge asset to your life and your business!!!

1.  Should you create a Profile page or a Fan page or both??? 

I personally have both.  I love Facebook for personal AND for business but I don't want to shove my business information in my friend's and family's faces all the time. So I created a fan page as well.  The difference and some fun facts about each:

Profile Page

·      Will only allow up to 5,000 friends on a profile page - Seems like a ton, right? Well, once you start building your network, over time this will add up fast!  Fill up your network with valuable friends, ones that you can learn from and network with. 

·      You can still brand yourself with just a profile page - Personal Branding is a term that we have all been hearing and seeing a lot of these days.  It's the latest trend and the wave of the future.  Basically, you are branding yourself as a leader versus just promoting your business name.  You can still reach this personal branding goal with a personal profile page.  But some choose to go the fan page route to put a little line in between personal and professional.  This is a total personal preference.

Below you will find the homepage of Facebook when you visit http://www.facebook.com/.  This is where you will setup your account.  Fill out the “Sign Up” portion to create a personal profile page OR click on the “Create a Page” link to setup a Fan Page (see below circled in red).

Fan Page

·      You cannot add friends on a fan page - People can only “Like” your page and follow it.  So this is a one way street as far as following is concerned.

·      You can have unlimited fans - Unlike the profile page, there is no limit as to how many people who can have following you.

·      You can promote a fan page with advertising such as Pay-Per-Click (PPC) - This is an advanced option that you can opt to use once you get familiar with Facebook.

If you already have a personal profile page setup, which I’m sure most of you do, you can click on the “Ads and Pages” link in the sidebar of your homepage once you are logged into Facebook.  There you will find the “Create a Page” option.  Once you click on that, you will reach the screen below.  Choose which type of page you wish to create.  If you wish to brand your name, choose “Public Figure.”  If you wish to brand your blog, like I have for example, you can choose “Brand, Product or Organization.”  If you wish to just list your business name, choose “Local Business.”

2.  How to set up your pages to make them attractive and functional?

This is important!  You want your friends and fans to be able to easy navigate through your pages to find the important information that you are delivering.

Tabs

• Info – Here you will list your Interests, Contact Information, Websites, etc.  Be as detailed as you'd like.
• Pictures – Adding pictures to your page will help your friends/fans get to know you better.  It will make you more real and personable and your page more warm and inviting.  I love to add family pictures to my pages of my kids and I and our life.
• Blog - If you have a blog, you can make a tab for it for easy access.
• Discussions (for fan pages only) – Here you can start discussion topics and interact with your fans in a private forum type setting.
• Additional Tabs – There are also additional tabs that you can create by clicking on the “+” tab.

"Write something about yourself" box

In this box, you will just place a quick, little blurb about yourself, what you are representing or trying to deliver.  For example, mine says “Thoughts, experiences, inspiration and more from a Work at Home Mom! http://www.TheSavvyWAHMom.com/.

See below for screenshot of the above steps:

3.  Adding Friends/Promoting Fan Page

Now that you have your page(s) setup, it’s time to share them!! 

Adding Friends for your Profile page

• Search for your friends, family, business partners, team members, etc.
• In the sidebar of your homepage, you will see the “People you may know” feature (see below in   screenshot).  This is a feature that Facebook has in place to connect you with new friends.  It will pull friends of your friends on there, otherwise known as Mutual Friends. 
• Look up your Networks.  For example, go up to the search box and type in your company name.  Anyone who has listed themselves as a part of that company will appear.

Getting Likes/Fans on your Fan Page

• Place link on Blog – If you already have a blog setup, definitely include a Facebook Plugin on there so people can easily reach your fan page and “like” it.  (See sidebar to the right of this post to see mine) 
• Suggest to Friends – Once you have your fan page setup, you can invite all of your friends from your personal profile to “like” your fan page.  It’s a very simple step.  From your fan page’s homepage, click on the “Suggest to Friends” link and choose which friends you wish to invite.  I highly recommend including a personal note from you on there, something short and sweet like: “Hey there!! I am so happy to invite you to be a part of my fan page.  I’m truly looking forward to sharing some valuable content with everyone and I would feel honored to have you be a part of it!  I hope you are having a beautiful day! ~KristieJ 

                 
Adding People for both Personal Profiles and Fan Pages

I absolutely love this method as I LOVE to help my friends and business partners out!  If you have a friend or business partner who is also getting started on Facebook and promoting a personal profile or fan page, suggest to your friends to add and/or like them.  Same steps as above, super simple!  Have your friend(s) return the favor by promoting you!!  I’ve personally done this and it works wonders!  I would also be happy to do it again for any of my readers.  So just let me knowJ  My goal is to help us all reach success and together, we TRULY can achieve more!!

I hope this information was helpful for you!!  Feel free to pass it on to anyone you feel could benefit from it, your friends, new team members, anyone you’d likeJ  I’m looking forward to sharing more Facebook tips over the next few weeks!  Stay tuned for “How to Brand Yourself by using your Profile and Fan Page”.

GAME ON!!!