A Journey into Direct Selling

Exfoliate!

2009-11-12T22:14:00.008-06:00

We all know that exfoliation is key to keeping your skin looking great. Since I started with BeautiControl I have greatly increased the frequency of exfoliation and my skin has improved at an almost unbelievable rate. We have several different products that aide in exfoliation.

There are two major methods of exfoliation our products employ, chemical and physical. Think of it like the process of removing wallpaper. If you just use a scraper or sander you'll get it off but it's going to take more time and effort. If you add a chemical stripper however, you loosen the "glue" and then you're able to scrape away much more with less effort.

Our chemical solutions work in the same way, be it BC Spa Multi-Acid Resurfacing Peel, Organic Enzyme Masque or your Regeneration Day or Night formulas. All of these work by loosening up the bonds that hold your skin cells together so that they can be scrubbed away. The masque and peel are an immediate surface exfoliation while Regeneration penetrates deep for long term repair of deeper layers.

Our major physical exfoliator is the BC Spa Microdermabrasion creme and buffer. These diamond cut crystals effectively remove the top layer of your skin to reveal the younger skin below. Other physical exfoliators are our daily scrub and the Luxuries of the Sea Fango Seaweed Masque.

My personal favorite treatment is a combination exfoliation that I like to do at least once a month that our product guru calls the Enzyme Peel. I use our Multi-Acid Peel first, leaving it on for about 10 minutes. Next I apply the Organic Enzyme Masque and allow that to work for 10 minutes. Finally I follow with Microdermabrasion. This leaves my skin super soft and ready to face the world, and I can do it in my bathroom at 10:45pm on a Thursday! That's the beauty of BC Spa.

When was the last time you treated yourself?

Shop Local this Holiday Season

2009-11-06T16:49:00.004-06:00

That's right, the holidays are right around the corner and it's time to start making your lists and checking them twice.

Being in Austin we already have a great tradition of trying to shop local when possible. I wanted to encourage you to continue that tradition and also keep in mind that shopping local is not only relegated to brick and mortar traditional stores. When you shop with local direct sales consultants the majority of the profit goes directly to that consultant. These days almost anything that can be bought in a traditional store can be sourced through a direct sales company or some other local venue. Sure, prices may be higher than the big box discounters but usually the quality is much higher and ALWAYS the customer service is excellent! These ladies appreciate your business, I know as I am one! So to make it even easier here are a few of my favorite locals that deserve your business.

BeautiControl- Skincare, Advanced anti-aging and only the highest quality at home spa treatments.
www.beautipage.com/TexasSpaWithJen 512-658-6595 jenmcptx@gmail.com

Bright Beginnings Childrens Clothing - unique high quality baby and kid gear for all the young ones on your list. In westlake next to HEB or online.
www.bestdressedkids.com 512-454-5437

Sew Adorable by Angie Paiz - some of the cutest handmade designs I've ever seen
www.sewadorabletx.com 512-299-7541

Vintner's Cellar- The very best fruit wines I've ever tasted and a ton more- Get all your holiday wines with custom labels. At the Y in Oak Hill
512-394-0600 www.vintnerscellarofaustin.com

Tastefully Simple- Easy and Tasty goods for all your holiday parties. The wheat beer bread mix is divine!
Jennifer Mazzarella 512-944-4026 www.tastefullysimple.com\web\jmazzarella

Passion Parties- For adults only, best for all your romantic gift giving needs.
Laura Wells 877-JOY-4Her www.joyfulpassion.com
Enter code "GLITTER" for 10% off your purchases through the end of the year.

Scentsy- The best wickless candles around. Makes excellent gifts for those hard to buy for people in your life.
Renee Martin 512-699-4865 www.scentsy.com/GroovyScents

MaryKay- Need a new color look? What BC does for your skin, MK does for your makeup needs
Dana Lynch www.marykay.com/danalynch danalynch@marykay.com

Hoopnotica Hoop Dance/Personal Training- a gift for you!
Kim Patty, CPT www.hoopdance.vpweb.com 512-923-5247

2 Hands with Heart Massage Therapy- After all that web surfing and shopping you're going to need a massage!
Kris Berthelsen 512-663-8306 www.2handswithheart.com

Gina Armer- Independent Fashion Consultant- Get your closet in order with a closet audit and add to your holiday wardrobe
512-923-9294 garmer@austin.rr.com www.GinaArmer.CAbiOnline.com

Happy Shopping! Tell em I sent you....

American Soldiers

2009-11-05T22:17:00.003-06:00

Take the time today to thank all the current and former members of the military in your life. Be they Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors or Marines. Please remember all they fight for and pray for their safety and continued courage . Love them regardless of how you feel about the politics of war.

Product Highlight: Corticure

2009-11-05T06:38:00.004-06:00

Today I want to quickly tell you about one of my must have BeautiControl products. It's called Corticure and it is fantastically soothing for all things itchy that plague our skin. It's great for bug bites, sunburn and razor burn and the over-dryness that comes from winter weather. It contains healing hydrocortisone and soothing chamomile and allantoin in a lightweight formula that is silky smooth going on, never sticky like some hydrocortisone creams can be. It comes in a large 3oz tube for 19.50 and will be a favorite of your whole family.

Networking

2009-11-03T23:00:00.003-06:00

Networking works.

My local favorite- the HeartLink Network. There are a ton of branches, check one out in your neck of the woods. If there isn't one, consider starting one. You'll meet fantastic people, I promise.

The Solution

2009-11-02T20:36:00.003-06:00

Problem: Dark under eye circles and/or puffy eyes

Most everyone has experienced this at least once. It can be caused by allergies, lack of sleep, dehydration or just genetics. We have a new product that is going to help you solve this problem once and for all. Your first plan if dark circles are an everyday occurrence is to check with your doc and make sure there's not an allergy issue or vitamin deficiency that might be to blame and can be corrected. In the meantime or if it's just the "I was out too late partying or up too late with the baby variety" we have got some incredible clinical strength products designed to penetrate deep and provide not only instant (well, 15-20 minutes or so) results but also over time repair the area to provide lasting results.

Solution: BC Spa Solutions- Under Eye Dark Circle & Puffiness Solution.

An excerpt from our product guru's blog- he says it better than I ever can!

Key Features & Benefits:

Unique rollerball applicator allows for quick, easy use.
Stimulates the epidermis to help strengthen capillary walls and to produce collagen and elastin to effectively reduce the appearance of dark circles.
Provides the optimal environment for the skin to flush out fluid that has built up under the eyes, reducing the appearance of puffiness and “bags.”
Super-concentrated formula contains a 20% blend of key ingredients to help reduce the appearance of dark circles and puffiness.

Use in conjunction with your favorite BeautiControl eye cream for best results as this formula does not contain a moisturizer.

Get yours now by hosting a BC Spa! Until the end of the year it is available only to hostesses. Starting in January will be available for all to order. As always, BC money back guarantee applies.

November adventures

2009-11-01T10:17:00.002-06:00

Wow I have been neglecting this blog. I apologize to any of you who might have enjoyed it. Maybe it's because while I haven't totally given up the BC life I've slowed way way down. Economics forced a return to full time work and with it came a general disdain for trying to schedule new spas and meet new potential clients. Luckily I've got a small group of re-ordering clients to help keep the dream alive- THANK YOU!! You know who you are if you're reading this:)

I've embarked on a new side project for the month of November, It's National Novel Writing Month and so I'm going to attempt to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. Check it out and consider taking the challenge here. If you do; look for me and I'll be your buddy!! I am SpaGirlJen on their site.

So along with the spirit of NaNoWriMo I'm going to also challenge myself to update this blog at least once each day in November. I've got a lot of cool new products to talk about and will be kicking off my annual Christmas sale very soon. Who doesn't love the gift of Spa Pampering?

So on that note- great news from BC- they've come out with incredible new gift sets that include FREE Tupperware bowls and all the wrapping accessories you'd need to make a really cute gift for yourself or someone on your list. Check them out at at my BC Site. Order early as they are while supplies last and when they're gone, they're gone. If you're in the Austin Metro area select have my consultant deliver and you'll get FREE Delivery. If you're a NaNoWriMo participant get a 15% discount on any order in the month of November.

That's it for now. Check back tomorrow!

You mean I have to call people?

2009-07-21T14:19:00.004-05:00

It's been awhile since I've posted, summer has me busy and lazy at the same time. Enjoying having much more time with the kids as this is my first summer ever without a full time job that requires me to commute into an office. I'm rather enjoying it I do have to say.

I've been working on getting my back office cleaned up and systems in place and it's helping my spas go more smoothly. The summer is a bit slow as people are on vacation, etc. Business is picking up however and I'm looking forward to August being really busy.

Now my biggest obstacle is getting on the phone. I know I have to do it. I've been reading a ton of inspiring blogs and listening to training calls and making my lists of who I need to call to get the momentum back into this business. Yet here I sit finding something else to do instead of just doing it. I'm sure I'm not the only one, seems it's a major factor in who is successful in this and who is not- it all comes down to whoever is willing and able to pick up the phone and call leads, customers, hostesses, upline, downline.

It's very perplexing to me as in all my past corporate positions I would rather pick up the phone and call the appropriate people to solve problems quickly. I understand relationship building. I loathed people who "hid" behind email. So what is the difference here?

Time for me to shut up and just do it. Wish me luck. If you have strategies that worked for you please comment and let me know.

Busy Busy Busy

2009-06-03T00:46:00.003-05:00

It's been many days since my last post so I should catch you all up. Business is finally picking up- I've been doing a lot of networking, mostly via The Heartlink Network. There is a meeting up here in Leander and one in Rollingwood that I try to attend monthly. It's connected me to so many awesome women I can't believe I didn't do it sooner.

All this networking lead me to partner with a good friend to organize Austin's 1st annual networking camp-out. It's going to be a fantastic weekend.

I've also been doing a good deal of job hunting as I've determined that I am more a Part-time patty type of SpaGirl than a Mustang Molly at this point. Got a few good leads in the last week so hoping to be offered a position soon.

So with all this going on- I am so happy to announce the new addition to our BeautiControl daily facial- Skinlogics Thermal Facial Scrub! It combines the awesome warming of our legendary Warming Trend Green Tea Masque with fabulous micro beads and Vitamin E, Squalane and Ubiquinone (Coenzyme Q10). A fantastic warming facial every day! I know it's going to soon be a best seller.

My June Special: Purchase a full maintenance set and upgrade to the new Thermal Scrub FREE! Contact me for details/questions.

Happy Earth Day

2009-04-22T09:29:00.002-05:00

Here are a few of the things BeautiControl is doing in an effort to be more eco-friendly; an excerpt from Gary's blog

You may have recently noticed that we have replaced the plastic bags on the Skinlogics Starter Sets with environmentally friendly cartons. While this is one of the first things that you may have noticed us doing, we have had a team of engineers hard at work for a number of years to incorporate more earth friendly alternatives into our product line. Over the next 18 months more and more green initiatives will be phasing into the line, most of which will remain transparent to you, the consumer. Our goal is to make the transition as seamless as possible for your business, but allow us to ensure that we are doing our part to save the planet.

Some of these would include:

The use of recycled plastics, paper and carton materials
The use of all recyclable materials
New designs that would allow for less plastic materials in our product packaging
The use of plastic materials, bags, inks, and shrink wrap that are derived of renewable resources such as corn or bamboo
The use of new, innovative plastic resins that become biodegradable immediately upon entering a land-fill

Some of the things that we are doing at our corporate offices that you won’t see include:

The use of recycled paper for printing
“paperless” meeting policies
The use of recycled paper for toilet tissue and paper towels
Organic and environmentally safe cleaning supplies
A zero land-fill policy that ensures that all wastes from manufacturing will be processed/treated and emptied into sanitary water supplies
All light switches are on timers and all light bulbs have been replaced with energy saving bulbs.

We are not all the way there, but going green is a journey that we are proud to be on as we do our small part to make the planet better for future generations. As you see these small changes, such as the removal of plastic bags, or reduced plastics, it is important to realize that together, we are saving the planet.

Check out our new mineral color line BC Color- it is beautiful! Spring is a great time to update your color palette, Here is a note about it's packaging: Not only are these smart packages consumer friendly, they are also environmentally friendly as well. Not only did we use 40% less plastic in each of our components…we used a type of plastic that is recycled from manufacturing scrap, rather than being wasted and destroyed.

Earth day special: Buy any BC Color set today and get a foundation of your choice for 1/2 price!! (select have my consultant deliver at checkout to receive discount)

Customer Service at its BEST

2009-04-02T14:11:00.003-05:00

I just experienced one of the best examples of FABULOUS customer service. I have been working on trying to find a way to allow people a quick simple way to get added to my e-newsletter. HINT HINT: Use the form at right!!

So via searching I found a company called perfectforms. I signed up for their free version to see if I could figure out how to create a simple form to add to this blog. I got it almost complete and then got a bit confused and ran out of time. I had all intention of trying it out again, eventually.

A few days later I got an email from Jeff Bowden at Perfect Forms that they had noticed I had signed up for a free account and asking if I needed any help. Wow- that was cool, it didn't seem like a form letter so I was already impressed. But of course as things happen, I hadn't yet had a chance to contact him back.

Today he called me. And asked me questions about what I was trying to accomplish, and then he made it happen and then showed me how!! He even waited on the phone with me to make sure it was working!!

Their product is WAY more robust than my little need but yet he took the time to make sure it worked. He made my day. If anyone out there needs workflow management forms built please, please give them a try.

Customer service is not dead- it's out there!! Kudos Jeff. Thanks again.

Cool things I learn from my customers

2009-03-31T23:58:00.003-05:00

Today I learned from one of my customers that the peel off portion of our recently reformulated (I have a few left for anyone who craves one!) Chemical Peel will get Fiberglass shards out of your skin!! Who knew??

She had a friend who was carrying something and ended up with those pesky shards all in her forearms, applied the peel off masque, let it dry and peeled it off along with the fiberglass. Good thinking Bobi!! Thanks for sharing.

Here are a few other "alternative uses" for some of my favorite BeautiControl products that I've learned from other consultants and from customers.

1. Lip Apeel- the masque part is great for a fresh minor burn (like those from grabbing hot handles in the kitchen) lessens the sting and aids quick healing

2. Herbal Hydrating Mist- great to help keep you awake on late night drives or to freshen up your sweaty kids when they come running in from playing outside

3. Save your Sole Foot Spray- I'm told it works as a bug repellant and helps get rid of that peely, scaly stuff that people get on their hands and don't know why

I'd love to hear from anyone who has others to add

Get your copy of our E-Newsletter

2009-03-27T17:32:00.003-05:00

Anyone who would like to receive my monthly e-newsletter with skin care tips, new product info and special offers please send your request to BCSpaInfo@gmail.com. Each month all new subscribers will be entered into a drawing for a free gift pack. I won't be selling your info and I promise not to send SPAM...just one simple newsletter each month.

Reality Check

2009-03-25T06:13:00.002-05:00

Just looked at my bank account. I have $53. And maybe 5 hours of work this week so far at the part time job with the US Census. Guess my husband is right- I need a real job.

Not giving up the dream, I'll still work on building this BC Business but while we're in this slowdown the bills still need to get paid. Might as well use my corporate skills to make some money, I was a dang fine employee after all. Surely there is SOMETHING out there I can do to be productive.

What to do when insomnia hits again? Update the blog of course!

2009-03-25T03:39:00.002-05:00

It's 3:40 in the morning and I'm wide awake for no apparent reason. Thought I'd update since I haven't posted in awhile.

PMBA update- joined a local PMBA group on Meetup.com and am working on The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker for our next discussion. Still trying to get around to that GTD implementation, which is the other topic of our discussion on April 1st so I'm going to try to do it next week. Picking up a free file cabinet I found using our local Freecycle tomorrow so I'll have someplace to stash my reference material. By this time next week I will have the home office under control.

BC update- been busy this week and have several appointments between now and the end of the month but attendance has been lower than usual. Trying to add more value with the added time a smaller crowd allows and it seems to be working. The ladies are leaving smiling and relaxed and I hope with a great taste of BeautiControl and of me and the type of service they can expect. This way when they are ready to spend I will have gained some loyalty. That is the goal anyway, customers for life.

Everyone is LOVING the new BC Spa Resurface products and our companion treatment the Instant Face Lift. It has a huge WOW factor to it. Working on a way to get some pictures to post. Volunteers?

It's the little victories that make me happy

2009-03-12T18:33:00.004-05:00

Got home yesterday to discover that our dog had decided she would like a taste of Warming Trend Green Tea Masque. She had picked the tube out of a bag containing several items and chewed a bit. Guess she didn't like is as she left it on the floor, mangled too much to be useable but mostly intact.

BAD DOG. And she knows it too.

My existing tube was almost gone. I couldn't bear to waste it by throwing it away, being that it's liquid sunshine and all. So I kicked into gear to figure out how to get it into my existing empty tube so it'll stay fresh and I can dispense as normal. What to do?

Cajun Injector!

But alas, after a 20 minute search of the kitchen the needle was found but not the syringe. Hmm what else could work. I remembered my old Girl Scout days motto- when you don't have the right tool- make one out of what you do have! So I looked around and thought about it for a minute and then spied the plastic pastry bags on a shelf. It is the consistency of melty chocolate so I thought I'd give it a try.

It worked!! Took awhile to get it all transferred through that very small hole but I got it done.

Victory! The puppy did not win this one. I am so proud. And my face will thank me too.

New Blockbuster products from BeautiControl

2009-03-03T16:17:00.004-06:00

WOW. I'm just back from Leadership conference 2009 and am revved up for a great year of sharing the BC Spa with everyone I know and meet. We have some fabulous new products that everyone is going to want.

First installment: Our new Spectaculash Thickening Primer and Maximum Volume Mascara Duo

Did you know mascara should be replaced every 3 months?

Here is what our beloved Gary Jones (product guru) has to say about what this can do for you:

1. The Lash Thickening primer contains a unique brush that applies silk fibers to the lashes to add volume without clumping. Aplly a coat and allow it to dry for a few seconds and trepeat until desired length/volume is achieved. It's like your own lashes on steroids!

2. The Maximum Length Mascara contains a special molded brush that lays down just the right amount of color without clumping. It is enriched with vitamins and proteins to help strengthen lashes. It locks onto the primer and actually bonds the lashes to creat trnsfer resistant strenght and durability.

3. The best part of this product is the addition of lash stimulating ingredients in the primer that actually help to create healthier, stronger and more resiliant lashes with continued use. Healthy lashes are longer lashes.

Get yours today here!

Personal MBA update

2009-01-16T06:59:00.004-06:00

So far I've gotten through Getting Things Done by David Allen and an audio of Lead the Field by Earl Nightingale. So far so good. Working next week on implementing the GTD method as much as possible as I am in dire need of an organization system.

It amazes me how much common sense it all is, but yet we need someone to write a book to get it into our brains! At least I did. Highly recommended to anyone who is up all night with random reminders in their brains and anyone with a high rate of procrastination tendencies like myself. Now if I can just get it going.

Key points I took away from it:

1. Get everything out of your head and into the system to keep your brain available for higher thinking.

2. Organize your action lists based on context (where you are, tools you have, etc) so that when you have some extra time you can go immediately to the appropriate list and get some things checked off

3. Set aside some time once a week to do a review so that you keep everything updated in the process and can see what you have accomplished.

4. If it takes less than 2 minutes, DO IT NOW!

Next selection is going to be Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath. Also working my way through YOU:Being Beautiful by Dr. Oz as a way to increase my skin care knowledge so I can help educate my customers during the spa.

I'm considering trying to get a group together locally in Austin of people working through this PMBA program so we can have regular discussions and keep each other motivated. So far only a few bites of interest, once I get settled into the GTD implementation and the new day job will have more time to get it going. If anyone reading this in Austin is interested please contact me at jenmcptx@gmail.com.

Wrapping up 2008

2008-12-26T23:32:00.003-06:00

Wow! It's been awhile since I have posted. Christmas has been busy for us this year, sales were good and we had a great trip up to see our family in Ohio. It's been nice and warm here in Texas the last couple of days so we've been enjoying it as much as possible. Got a new videocamera from Santa so be on the lookout for some videos in a future post.

It's hard to believe it's almost the end of the year. In looking back I'd say I had a good year with BeautiControl. I've met some wonderful people and developed some great new relationships already. While I'm still optimistic that this will eventually be my full time occupation, I am going back to a full time job starting in January to help with the bills until I can make that happen. Resetting the goal to EOY 2010 to be able to use BC alone as my primary income source.

I'm also starting a new self education project in 2009 -- the personal MBA. I first read about this on one of the many blogs that I read and was intrigued. Going for 24 of the 77 books read by end of 2009. More about that in another post down the line.

As a thank you to all my current customers and to prepare for tax season I'm offering 35% off my remaining inventory until Dec 31st. View the list of what's available by clicking HERE

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year!! Here's to 2009!!

Last day to save!!

2008-12-09T07:08:00.002-06:00

Today is last day for my 1st annual dialing for discounts sale!! Get your orders in today in time for holiday shipping.

First day of sale results are in!

2008-12-04T23:04:00.001-06:00

Successful first day! Originally had planned to take orders on two specific days, today and Tuesday 12-09 decided today to make that through 12-9. So while the next day that I am mostly around to answer the phone will be next Tuesday any orders placed between now and then will also be treated to the same discounts. How cool is that??

So after one day I am at 43% of my goal! Not too shabby. And most of what was ordered I have in stock!!

A great big thank you to all my customers who placed orders today. I truly appreciate all of you.

And the winner of the mystery gift: Jan K. Congrats! She'll be getting this fabulous spa travel bag absolutely free to take all her goodies with her on her next vacation.

So for the next drawing...anyone who places an order online between now and Tuesday 12-9 will be registered to win the fabulous makeup brush set! Remember to choose "have your consultant deliver" so that I can apply your sale prices.

Happy Shopping! See the whole product line at www.beautipage.com/TexasSpaWithJen

My first big organized sale event starts today!

2008-12-04T06:08:00.003-06:00

Today I am having an incredible sale. Taking a cue from another leader in our business it's called Dialing for Dollars! I have invited all my past hostesses, customers and their guests to call me today from 10am to 10pm ( can't call today? That's ok- doing it again next Tuesday 12/9/08) Now anyone who reads this is also invited!!

Callers can choose whatever they'd like from our extensive line of skincare, spa and beauty products and will receive a discount on their order based on the amount spent. Here are the details:

Order up to $65 and get 15% off

Order $66 to $124 and get 20% off

Order $125 or more and get 25% off your order plus an extra bonus!

Bonus: order $100 or more and get $25 free product grab bag (my choice) order $150 or more and get $50 free product grab bag (my choice)

Past Hostesses get 30% off regardless of order size!! It pays to be a BC Hostess.

Also anyone who refers their friends will get a referral bonus- so spread the word and tell me who sent you when you call!

Call today 512-260-2055 or 512-658-6595 or via email jenmcptx@gmail.com

You can even place your order via the web at www.beautipage.com/texasspawithjen with only one caveat-- you have to select "have your consultant deliver" in order for me to apply your discounts.

Ok Ok so you want to get something but are fresh out of ideas! Here are just a few to get you thinking:

*For your brother who is always at the gym- Luxuries of the Sea Instant Comfort Gel to soothe sore muscles

*For your child's favorite teacher- Margarita Foot Cream!

*For your Mom who needs extra pampering- MicrodermAbrasion and Cell block C for that youthful glow or Luxuries of the Sea Ocean Bath and Moisture Wrap

*For your uncle who fixes your car- Instant Hand Manicure to scrub away grease and grime

*For your best friend- the Spa Diva Set- Eye Pads, Warming Green Tea Masque and Lip Apeel because you know she needs to take time for herself

*For your Aunt who longs to look younger- Tight Firm and Fill- just what it says! Wrinkles, Wrinkes go away

*For your teen/tween daughter (and her best friend)- Aromatherapy Awaken body wash or Snowflake Lip Conditioner (my girls favorites!!)

*For your Husband- Platinum Regeneration- A man's favorite lip balm or Warming Massage Oil for a special treat

*Your ladies at work or the bunco club- Purse sized Extreme Repair Hand Creme- three wash memory!! Put them in a cello treat bag with some mints and shred and you've got an awesome gift for $5 (tell me they are gifts and I'll do the wrapping for you!)

All major credit cards and paypal accepted and preferred but if you're local or I know you cash/check/money order are great as well.

Happy Shopping!!

Oh Oh there's more!! Everyone who calls and orders today will be put into a drawing to win a fabulous gift!

wavering but not giving in yet

2008-11-20T00:06:00.002-06:00

Been a slow start to the holiday selling season. Sold one 12 days of christmas set so far. Working on at least 2 more. Few vendor fairs with not so good results. Trying to stay positive. Spas keep canceling, trying not to take it personal. Falling back into job search- come January will need to find something at least part time unless I can kick it up a notch or two. Sign o the times I guess.

Need to go jam that on my ipod just for fun. Followed by something uplifting...hmmm what will it be?

12 Days of Christmas

2008-11-01T05:57:00.004-05:00

Here is a pic of all the goodies in the 12 days gift set..... Please tell all your guy friends....oh wait we also have one for the ladies to give the guys!! I'll post that one in a few days when I get it put together.

This gift will for sure MAKE HER DAY for 12 days in a row......you will get major bonus points!! It will make up for the lame gifts you've given in the past!!

Holiday Selling

2008-11-01T05:52:00.002-05:00

Well now that it's officially November I'm going to actually write down my goals and action plans for this holiday season. I have November booked up pretty good so I'm hoping it will go well. Also we have a really cool 12 days of Christmas gift set that we are marketing to guys for them to get their wives/girlfriends. It's a great deal - I do all the wrapping and tagging and they get 12 great gifts so they can set one out each day starting the 14th. My goal is to sell 10 of them between now and Dec 5th. So far I've sold 1 but I've got the word out there. Making some cute baskets up as well to sell at the end of spas and at vendor fairs. Need to move this inventory!! Business is still a little slow but getting there. I have my desk set up finally so I am getting into the grove.

Office furniture

2008-10-14T19:48:00.002-05:00

Finally went and purchased some real office furniture so I can set up a little corner office in my home instead of having everything strewn about haphazardly. I will even have a window!! Going to be lots of work to get it all together but I think it'll help me get a bit more focused. I'll post some before and after pics when I'm done.

Catching Up

2008-10-10T07:35:00.004-05:00

Wow it's been awhile since I've caught this up. Since that last post I have done four work spas at different businesses. Most have been successful- while not always sales successful I have either sold or booked or both at each one. The goal is accomplished- October is booked almost full on Saturdays for regular full spas. Will continue to prospect and cold call to try to get Nov/Dec full as well. Also trying to get into some vendor fairs/bazaars for holiday selling but seems most are booked already- now I know to start earlier in the year. Working on planning an open house- might be hard to do with my location but will try it out. Also taking some time off at Christmas since this is the first time in 15 years I'll actually not have to work Christmas week.

I've added two new ladies to my team- hi Julie and Lisa if you are reading this! We are in a big promotion so I am hoping to add several more by the end of the month.

'til next time!

Very Cool Tools

2008-09-16T13:32:00.004-05:00

Getting ready for my first spa at a workplace tomorrow and so was looking for some audio I had found and since lost of a beach visualization technique that I can play while doing arm/hand massages so that I'm not trying to talk and walk and work the lotion bottle all at the same time and stumbling over myself. Couldn't find what I wanted but found the script for it. Then I remembered the coolest web tool I've ever heard of....cinch.blogtalkradio.com. You can call into their system and speak into the phone and it creates a recording which you can then subscribe to via itunes or whatever your favorite RSS reader is. So I decided what the heck and recorded myself reading the script. The first time it was a bit too fast. Second time better, added background music for the pauses. I of course think it sounds a bit cheesy because I don't like the sound of my own voice. But I think it'll do. Click on the Title of this post and you can hear it. Also going to do a blogtalkradio show with my family as part of a genealogy project being done for a family christmas party later this year. I might start one for my team as business picks up as well. If you've never checked it out before you should! Have fun.

Is there such a thing as sellers high?

2008-09-10T22:51:00.002-05:00

Did my first ever true cold calling today. Walked into businesses and talked to them about holding what we call Spa at Work or Spa Stress Breaks. The first place I went was a local bank.

I DIDN'T PUKE!!

The woman I spoke with was very nice and seemed a bit interested but said she didn't think they'd allow them to do it there. So also gave invitations to a regular Thursday night Spa held at a local meeting room. We went on to the next group of buildings...Key for me was - buddy system! My good friend and recruiter Cory went with and we just took every other building but were there to make sure we actually DID it.

After about an hour had talked to people at only 3-4 places- gotten just one card. Then it happened.....

Cell phone rings and it's the bank contact- she wants to book! Doing their Spa next Wed. after work. I was on complete sellers high (if there is such a thing- I'm equating it to the mystical "runners high" I hear about but have never actually run far enough to experience).

Our director is right- when your mouth is open your business is open. People want what we have to offer, we just have to TELL them about it! Imagine that.

Megan and Me at Starbucks

2008-08-30T00:37:00.005-05:00

Turqoise eyeshadow...who woulda thought?

The latest update

2008-08-30T00:15:00.003-05:00

Well had cancellation for this weekend but we didn't pay attention to the calendar and see that it's a holiday weekend...duh! This was my first full week at home after layoff so I needed a break anyway to get my house in order and just chill out. Did add one new member to my team and working on finalizing at least one more- welcome Deb and Gina if you're reading this.

Also have been reading a great book by Jeffrey Gitomer (thanks to my sister Lisa for the recommendation) called customer satisfaction is worthless, customer loyalty is priceless. Great ideas. Everyone in upper management at my previous job needs to read this book. Talks a lot about word of mouth and breeding loyalty and how not to treat customers like crap. Imagine that, seems to be a dying art.

Started a referral program which I'm sending out to all my existing clients. Hoping a bit of incentive will help them help me by sharing their experience and love of our products. Who doesn't love getting FREE stuff? Anyone interested in learning more let me know. Set up a spreadsheet to track it so I can see if it's making a positive impact vs the cost of implementation. Seeing a little slowdown this month but booking looks good for Sept. Next week goal is to hit the pavement and do some actual true cold calling. Scary as hell but also exciting and necessary at the same time. I'll probably puke before going into the first building.

Anyway, more next week. Have a great Labor Day Weekend everyone. Wear your sunscreen.

The Time Has Come

2008-08-22T13:07:00.002-05:00

Last day at the office was yesterday. Today when someone asks "what do you do?" Instead of trying to explain provisioning (always causes that glazed look in their eyes) I can say -- I own a mobile spa business! I work out of my home!

Booked my first WorkSpa for the ladies at my dentist office -- if anyone needs a great dentist in south austin check out Dr Brunson. This will hopefully start to be the bulk of my lead generation. Costs the business owner nothing, we come in and treat their employees and then they book on their own time. Hoping to do at least 1 a week going forward.

Heading out now to play at the pool. In the middle of the day. Great day.

Success!!

2008-08-10T15:44:00.003-05:00

Last night had my first $500+ spa sales. There were only 5 guests there but they had a great time and bought a lot. Two of them starting on Skincare so that will be nice reorder business. Great ladies. We had a blast playing with the new makeup shades..I should have taken pictures. Might have some very good leads out of it as well. I love this job. Two more weeks of corporate life and I am shutting that door. I guess maybe I don't suck at this! (see first post) I am doing two more spa's this week and then am taking off for a quick vacation with the family before school starts.

On the Radio

2008-07-28T23:46:00.004-05:00

Here is a follow up to my previous post about donating a prize to radio show contest at KLBJ-FM. This morning I had a really great opportunity to go on the air with Dudley and Bob and talk about my beauticontrol business. I was a little bit nervous just because I listen to these guys every day, so there was a bit of mild starstruck like feeling when I got there. I probably should have spoken up a bit more and talked up the business but overall it went ok. Within 3 hours I had a message from someone who heard it that is interested in the products and the business. If that one person the only benefit I get it's well worth it. Great practice plus I got to help out my favorite show with their contest. Plus it's a really cool feeling when people say "I heard you on the radio". Check out Dudley and Bob on www.klbjfm.com if you're not familiar with them....a great listen for Austin traffic!

Good Housekeeping Rates our Microderm Best at home treatment

2008-07-28T23:42:00.002-05:00

Nice to know our products are getting national recognition. I know they work and my customers who use them know they work, now a ton of others will know too. Check out the above link to read about it.

Celebration Bound

2008-07-27T23:08:00.002-05:00

I'm gearing up for my first Celebration. This is our annual conference where there will be annual awards being given out and we participate in workshops, etc. I am very excited to go, hoping to get some great motivation and ideas from the seasoned pros of this business. My next two months I hope will be big ones. August I have 4 Spa's booked so far and will be looking to book a few more. September I'll be able to go full time so hopefully I can add some daytime work as well. I am determined to make this work because I am very much over the corporate world. Don't ever want to go back to that if I can help it.

Will try to update while I'm there. I've joined a few networking groups and am getting great ideas from them as well.

Keri's Fairy Godmother Share Your Wares Event

2008-07-11T20:25:00.002-05:00

Come check out my booth at the Fairy Godmother Share Your Wares event on July 26th from 10am -2pm at 14611 Wells Port Dr, Austin TX 78728 (the former LaPetite building). There will be 20-25 vendors there and lots of fun and food. Portion of all sales will be donated to the Fairy Godmother Foundation which provides dresses, shoes, jewelry etc to girls who cannot afford them so they can attend school dances, proms etc. They also provide low cost formalwear rentals for women of all ages. What a great way to stock your gift closets and at the same time provide much needed funds for a great charity.

Back on track

2008-07-10T00:39:00.002-05:00

Got a few spa's scheduled this Month and more on the books for August. Picking up the paces. 32 days and counting until the layoff when I can give this a go full time. I've been doing alot of networking and reading and researching so I can implement a plan to start strong when I go full time. I'll keep updating with results as I go. Got a few good clients doing some product sampling, stay tuned for their reviews. Also working on some before/after pics so be on the lookout for those. We have a product for stretch marks/scarring that looks amazing.

I'm gearing up for Celebration as well. It starts July 31 in Dallas. I'll try to get on and update while I'm there, from what I hear it should be life changing! Can't wait to tell you all about it.

Insomnia

2008-07-06T03:32:00.004-05:00

I've been having some insomnia lately. Not sure what the cause is, just can't shut my brain down. So I get up and surf and try to write down ideas that come up thinking if I can get them out of my brain and onto paper or email then maybe I can sleep. Then I found Photo Booth on my Macbook. What a fun way to waste away the wee hours of the night- or morning I guess. Here are some pics I created using it.

Creativity or distraction??

2008-07-02T23:46:00.005-05:00

Got to work and packaged up my prizes for the KLBJ contest. Will be dropping them off tomorrow. Got some cute reusable bags to put everything in so it would be easy for the winners to transport. Spent a bunch of time creating a document to include with explanations of the contents since I won't be there to present. I hope all this effort pays off. Cory says I get a bit too carried away with creating new documents and trying to make everything personalized. I do tend to get over excited and then all these ideas come flowing out and I end up staying up all night playing with the computer trying to get it to do what my brain is imagining. Someday I need to take a graphic design course or invest in some more robust software, something that makes cooler docs then what can be done with word/excel. I do have to say the new word for mac is pretty cool and fun to play with.

Got to thinking maybe all this "creativity" is really self induced distraction. Instead of picking up the phone and making calls to get bookings I spent two hours making a cute little letter to include with the prizes...who knows if they will even read them. I have been putting off for days getting my back office updadated- entering all my contacts into Oprius and setting up the proper groups etc. I tell myself every night I will have time tomorrow. Maybe it's really just that once I do that it'll be giving me tasks to do and phone calls to make. Gotta get it done. Hopefully all the "creative" stuff will payoff someday somehow.

I'll work on calls and all the other stuff tomorrow. Maybe. Cross your fingers for me that I'll get some return for this first semi-backdoor marketing attempt.

Slow but not stopped

2008-06-27T01:26:00.002-05:00

Was a slow month with the business this month. Had a cancellation and a spa that yielded no bookings. Still was able to make a bit and do have some on the schedule for August. Working on filling up July in preparation for Celebration, our big annual conference. Getting busy at current job as they slowly lay people off so it's hindered my focus on this a bit. Will spend this weekend calling and trying to get July booked up.

Working on getting my debts paid so that the amount I need to earn will go down drastically once I get laid off and start this full time. At this point it looks like I need to keep volume at 8-10 spas a month to reach goals. And gotta figure out this recruiting thing. Seems to be my weakest skill set. I think I end up giving too much info because I'm a details person... I'd never want someone to think they're being tricked into it. I want them to join me because it's an awesome opportunity, not because I talked them into it.

Guess I need to leave it in God's hands. He will provide me the tools to succeed if this is to be my new path.

Till next time.

Saving Dinner- check it out

2008-06-21T10:18:00.002-05:00

There is something for everyone on this site, weather you are cooking for yourself, just two of you or a large family. Check it out if you've ever thought planning meals was stressing you out or you are getting bored with the same old thing every day. Also great for anyone ready to start eating well as diet is a huge factor in general health and wellness. I love it, hope you will too.

cure for the cancellation blues

2008-06-19T00:36:00.002-05:00

Tequila.

And then sale email to all existing clients.

Yep. That'll do it.

The worse reaction is no action. Be a verb.

marketing? Kinda sorta.

2008-06-18T00:54:00.003-05:00

I am a long time listener of the Austin radio show Dudley & Bob on KLBJ FM 93.7 and so when they started asking for prizes for their latest contest I thought I'd take a chance and offer a skincare & spa product package for the winners of their hot cougar, sexy kitten contest. I figure at the very least I'll get the winners to at least try our products and maybe get a mention or two which leads someday to a spa or four.

Today a friend told me- hey I heard your name on the radio. It made my day. Wish I would have heard it, I usually listen every morning but occasionally miss parts of it. And of course it put my brain on overdrive with marketing ideas. I need to reign in and focus but it's really fun to ponder. After a few minutes of daydreaming this little prize offer turned into a work spa at the studio offices and my calendar filled for the next year. gotta dream big, right?

Anyway, we'll see what it eventually leads too. For now I'll be content with supporting my favorite show.

Catching Up

2008-06-14T00:25:00.000-05:00

It's been awhile since my last post. My parents were in town the first weekend of the month so I didn't have any spa activity. We took the girls to Schlitterbahn and spent the rest of the time just hanging out. I think that is going to be the best part of this business. I'll be able to work around my own schedule. When I need to have a day off I won't have to give a weeks notice or get approval or worry about if I have accrued enough hours. I'll just take it! Wow that will be nice. I'm working on some back office stuff this month getting my contact system set up and my office set up so I can be ready to go full time as soon as I am released from my current job. It's looking like November at this point but there is a possibility for adjustment in or out, I'm not going to believe it until I turn in the badge and the secureID.

Had a Spa last night with a good friend. Less turnout than we expected but still went really good. Everyone seemed to enjoy the products. Booked two future spa's both for August which will help because I'll be coming off the high of Celebration, our big national conference which I'll be attending in Dallas July 31st through Aug 3rd.

Also trying to work these next few months on getting my house back into order and my Flybaby routines going again. Started back on my favorite dinner time stress reducer, menus from SavingDinner.com. Talk about a stress reducer! What a great service that is, each week a full week of meals pre planned with a grocery list to go along. And done by a nutritionist so you know it's balanced without you having to try to figure that out. With the kids out of school seems like they want to know what to eat for every meal since they are used to the ritual of lunch at school, etc. This way I can post the menu on the fridge along with the breakfast and lunch options I've chosen and they will always know what's available to them. Seems to make them happy and I don't get bombarded with the "whats for dinner" question everyday at 3pm. Bought a subscription for my Mom this year for Mothers Day as well as she was doing the same work and it was taking her 3-4 hours for all the planning and she was running out of ideas. She is excited to get started as well.

Next spa Friday june 20th. Should be a good one. Going to do some hostess coaching this weekend. Still working toward the $500 Spa goal. Have gotten close but no cigar yet!

End of the Month Rush and Victory

2008-05-31T15:45:00.000-05:00

What a great feeling when you have a number to meet and you meet it. I reached my sales goal this month of 2000$ with a last minute blitz sale and helped my good friend Cory meet her 1st month of Director qualification as well. We had two days to accomplish it and we did it by simply contacting all our clients and offering them a great deal. Working the phones and email really does work. So I've now earned my first incentive and am more than half way to earning a nice reward at the end of June. Just gotta stay focused now and reach the next goal. We're in a sales promotion this month..goal for June is 1500.00. Next goal is I have to get some recruiting done. I have several prospects I'm working with but have yet to close the deal. Trying to be patient. So far I have 3 Spas booked for June and am working on firming up a few more. Going to try to move some of my on hand inventory as well to make room for new stuff.

Traveling Spa

2008-05-21T04:19:00.001-05:00

Went home to Ohio this past weekend. Was a great trip, always nice to see family but leaves me a little homesick. Got to do two Spa's while I was there, everyone seemed to enjoy it. Sold some product and have some potential recruits for the future. Was interesting trying to get everything onto the plane that I wanted to bring. Will have to work on a condensed packing method.

Got some great feedback and suggestions from my sister and my friend Holly while I was there that I will be incorporating into the business. I have one more Spa this month on Friday so going to try to add in what I've learned so far.

The hubby got me a new macbook to use for the business so am working on getting that setup. Also trying some contact management software called Oprius. Seems to be a pretty robust product yet simple enough to set up. Anyone reading this please add yourself to my contact list with the tool on the left so I can verify it works! Thanks....more to come later.

branching out

2008-05-12T21:58:00.001-05:00

I finally joined the rest of you on myspace. Check it out at
www.myspace.com/texasspagirl. Hoping to use it as a networking tool
locally and to increase web sales. Going to work on getting pics of
the spa experience to post and getting testimonials from clients. I
need some friends please add me!

An odd experience

2008-05-11T23:03:00.000-05:00

So I had another spa and there was a great turnout 10 or 11 guests total I'm not even sure of the count it was such a whirlwind. The way I've been doing them there are several stations set up and its full on participation with the guests getting to try/sample a ton of different products. Along with that I normally do facials on each guest to showcase our skincare products. Most guests eagerly do this portion as they get a nice pampering facial for FREE. At this spa out of 10 guests only 2 did the facial. They didn't want to remove their makeup. I have to admit I was a bit confounded. I didn't know how to respond so I just said OK and we went forward. It ended up still being a really good Spa..not quite to 500 but close. Everyone seemed to have fun but I got no additional bookings. Not sure if it was just an off day or if I had too much out and so it was overwhelming? I've reached out to my team and some other reps on a yahoo group for consultants that I belong too to see if they have any advice. Maybe that's just how it is when it's done in the middle of the day and not at night when people are only going home to bed. Each Spa I guess turns out its own way. I'm doing one this week that we're not even doing skincare at all because the hostess sells a competing product...that's fine I understand and we're going to stick to our spa type hand/foot treatments and relaxation as that's what she wants.

I'm heading back home to Ohio next weekend and plan on doing some Spas while I'm there...still working out what to take with me and what to leave behind. Still have another Spa when I get back and a few leads to follow up on to try to get June booked up.

Gave out some samples of our Fango Seaweed Masque/Scrub at work. Hoping to get back to the office on Monday and have people wanting to order as I sold 4 of them this weekend just having people smell it.

Trying to keep my spirits up. Considering going to massage therapy school once I get laid off so that I'll have something more to add in case this doesn't take off. Maybe that's part of my problem is that I'm trying way too many things and making back up plans almost expecting to need them rather than focus on working it and allowing it to work. I am going to our annual celebration conference in August so hopefully can stay on track til then. Working with Cory to set some goals and be held accountable for them.

Enough for now. I'll try to update after Wed night but might not make it back here til after my trip.

Spas number 2 and 3

2008-05-10T01:14:00.001-05:00

Ok it's been awhile since I have posted so I'll catch you up to where I am.

Held my second real Spa on Friday the 25th of April. She had invited all the women at work, approx 16 and two turned up. It was a Friday and it was raining but seemed a small turnout. One guest brought her daughter so that was good we had 4 total participants including the hostess. It went well, everyone seemed to have fun. Made a little over 100$, not bad for a couple hours work. Booked two new Spas so overall I'd call this one a sucess!

The following weekend Cory and I had a booth at the Leander Business Fair. Being the rookies that we both are we didn't ask the right questions of the coordinator. It's a week before Mother's Day so we both spent two days packaging up really cute gifts. ALOT of them. We went a tad overboard. Got there and from 10am to 2pm we sold exactly one hand cream, and that was to a guy. But it wasn't that kind of show, no one was buying as us and the pecan guy and maybe one or two more vendors were the only ones actually selling. Most people were just handing out marketing materials...ugh instead of gifts we should have been making samples to attach to our cards and flyers etc. But we still had fun and gave out alot of flyers, got some leads and I even booked a Spa with someone who sells a semi-competative product set. Cory booked a few Spas as well. Lesson learned:know your audience, ask questions of the coordinator of shows!

So I took the remaining packaged gifts up to work and sold 3 of them to co-workers so it wasn't completly for naught. Taking them to my Spas this weekend as well as Mothers Day is still looming and graduation is around the corner and people usually have other gift giving events around this time.

Held the third Spa tonight...one that was booked from the last one on the 25th. We had four participants and one extra buyer and did pretty good. Made a bit over 150$ and met some really nice people. One is going to book a Spa when she gets a chance to look at her calander. Everyone seemed to have fun and I got some good feedback and ideas for extra marketing etc. Lesson- the fun station is good! Let them play!

Well thats all for now. Gaining some momentum. Have another Spa tomorrow (ugh I guess really today now that I see the time) at 4PM. Last check she was expecting 6-7 so setting my goal at 500$ in sales, trying to get one of those under my belt.

That First Spa

2008-04-22T05:50:00.000-05:00

OK, so here goes the story of the first official Spa. It had been on the calender about two weeks. Two of my four that I had lined up had rescheduled or cancelled. It was scheduled for Friday evening after work.

I spent most of the day and almost all night Thursday getting ready(the procrastinator that I am I was printing documents and packing up at 2:45am). So Friday morning I make a call to the hostess to get a tentative feel for how many guests she expects. She hits me with the "I have no responses, its been a bad week, not sure if we should proceed." Determined to get one under the belt I basically told her she was not allowed to cancel. I needed to practice and having a bad week meant she REALLY needed some pampering. Lucky for me she's a friend from Church and so when I asked her to please not cancel and allow me to come and practice if nothing else she agreed. I thought it was set for 6:30.

I had after all spent all night getting ready and even went to the trouble to buy a nice new colorful spring-y dress to wear.

Well come 2pm the zipper on that dress decided to fail. At work. Luckily they keep it meat locker cold in there so I had a sweater to cover up the wardrobe malfunction. So I make a mad dash into the Target on the way to her home and buy the first thing I find and change in the bathroom..whew properly clothed at least.

I arrived around 6pm so I could set up as this was my first time setting up. We get to talking and she says, I thought we said 7:30. UGH. So now I am there an hour early. No one had responded so we decided to try to call and see if anyone was coming. Everyone has the same story- I didn't get the invite. Hmm..I got confirmation that our system sent the e-vites out. No idea why anyone didn't get them. Our best guess is the Spam Filters got them. Oh well lets do a Fango-Seaweed masque to kill some time!

Lesson-- Send mail invites and/or have the hostess send e-vites from her personal email. And coach her to CALL the people at least 2 days prior if she hasn't gotten RSVP. Don't just presume people are being rude and not responding.

Luckily I had sweet talked Cory into coming and acting the part of guest so that there would be more than one. We got through the Spa and still had fun. I let them linger a bit too long playing at the FUN station.

Lesson- Keep the guests on track, move things along Oh- and put out less time consuming stuff.

We got to the end and the hostess had to leave to go pick up her husband. Stayed there and cleaned up while she was gone (weird, again good she's a friend- not sure could do that in a strangers house). She got back and we went through the wrap up.

Total sales= $0
But she did join the business and we are in a recruiting promotion and I need to build a team so at least it wasn't a total bust. Plus I got to practice and see what needed to change.

Got the hubby to give me a bit o cash so ordered some more inventory (impulse buys anyone??) and am revamping some of the signage. This next one this Friday should be more successful as there will be more guests (i hope) and the added benefit of alcohol (i know).

Progress so far

2008-04-19T16:19:00.000-05:00

So now that the intro is written thought I'd catch up on where I am to date. Have sold some products to friends, co-workers and family. It's been a bit slow going but not too bad. Have done a lot of reading and getting ready for my first few SpaEscapes. That is our version of the home party....but it's not like any other out there. I had four on the books for this month but two have been rescheduled, such is the life, things happen and people's schedules change. Had my first one last night that was on the books and didn't include family. More about that in another post, I'm hoping it'll be the crazy story I tell in the future when it's me as a senior director giving talks to new consultants- needless to say it wasn't without a hitch. At this point I have yet to turn a profit as all the money I've made I've been investing back in to build inventory and get supplies/office setup etc. Not going into debt over it-just paying as I go. Every time I think about maybe trying to get a start up loan I hear Dave Ramsey in my brain telling me to pay cash. So it'll be slow but hopefully can do it this way. Have to spend money to make money but it needs to be my money that's spent. Tried to get the hubby to finance a bit but he's not yet convinced it's viable. Will revisit that after the next few months. Anyway.. off to an ok start- gaining confidence as I go.

First words

2008-04-19T15:32:00.000-05:00

I was inspired to start this by my sister Lisa, check out her blog at www.lisabythelake.blogspot.com. I've just recently started a direct selling business as a consultant for BeautiControl. For those of you who know me know that it was a bit against personality to leap into this. I've always been a steady job kind of person- working in the telecom industry for the past 13 years, thinking any kind of direct selling was what stay at home mom's did once their kids went off to school so they wouldn't be bored.

So what made me decide to make the leap and give this a try? The past few years I've been doing a lot of working on self growth. About two years ago I read an outstanding book, The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren. That book lead me to accept Christ and begin my walk with Him. I learned that I am here for a reason and spending my life doing telecom provisioning is probably not the major thing I was destined for. I also learned that in whatever we pursue in our lives- be it work or play we should try to always be on the lookout for who needs to be served and fill that role. And that relationships with other people is a major major part of our role here. We are to be Heaven on Earth to each other.

So I am now facing a probable layoff that is looming in the near future...no exact dates but it is inevitable as my current function is being off shored and there just isn't much other telecom work around here. So what's a girl to do. The other major thing I found in the past couple of years was www.flylady.com. What a great site! (now I don't exactly follow all the advise that I read there...but I'm getting there 15 minutes at a time!) And Flylady led me to discover BlogTalkRadio and she has a show on there with the founder of www.BlogTalkRadio.com, Alan Levy. It's called appropriately "Now is the time". If you're as addicted to Podcasting as I am and are wanting to listen to something very interesting and inspiring give it a listen. Their major message was whatever you're wanting to pursue...don't wait...do it now. Gets a person thinking.

Enter my best friend here, Cory Spencer. She gets me to host a SpaEscape party for her...reluctantly I agree because Hey...she's my friend. NO ONE CAME. Sure- I invited people last minute on a work night, and sure I live WAY WAY out of town. But still. We still had fun and it was cheaper to join than to purchase all the stuff I wanted. So I did it, of course telling myself that it was just to get the discount. Well at this company they have you attend a day of training. That day was really good. I took a day off of work and went. The trainers were great and completely inspiring. There are a ton of people who do this and make a living at it. If they could, why not me? I had just gotten a decent bonus so I decided to invest in me and give it a try.

This blog will be where I document my progress. I'll continue to work my existing job until the inevitable layoff. When it happens I hope to maybe be at a point where I can work this full time or at least only have to go find another part time gig. It will be nice to be the boss. Not have some analyst somewhere deciding my fate all the time. Who knows...maybe I'll suck at it, but maybe I won't. Maybe I'll be able to serve people with some pampering and make new relationships and make a little cash at the same time. Hmmm. We'll see.