Even Technical Difficulties Can't Keep Me Down!

My last blog entry was on October 20. I had to leave for Mexico (for my other business) shortly after, and then we got hit with Hurricane Sandy on October 29, the day after I returned from Mexico. I lost my phone and internet from 10/29 - 11/11. (For those of you that don't know, I live on the south shore of Long Island, in a quaint community called Brookhaven.) Then Thanksgiving came and went. Then I went to Strasburg, PA with my family for our current tradition of riding the Santa Train. (I say "current" because I know it will change as my kids grow up.) Then I got sick. So, here I am now-- Still recovering from bronchitis and a sinus infection. Fun!

Even though I was knocked down for a bit, I still received this check for the work I did in November:

To be honest, I'm a little disappointed with it. I was anticipating MUCH more, but things that were completely out of my control happened, and I didn't finish as I hoped I would. HOWEVER, over $1000 really isn't bad for a stay-at-home-mom of pre-K twins--- Not to mention all of the stuff that was thrown at me at the end of October and all throughout November.

NOT ONLY THAT... My Google Voice Line was all messed up and had a busy signal after I posted it here. Please call me if you are interested! 631.954.1919 - Leave a message and I will certainly call you back. I've recorded a brief message about my business, what I do and what I don't do. If you read my blog, though, you have a pretty good idea about it.

I'm not the only one making money like this. Look at what Vicky made during the month of October, her first full month on my team:

Plenty of people on my team earn checks like this on my team. I can help you earn one (or more), too! Just message me for details, or leave a message on my line. Heck, you can even comment here and I'll get back to you.

Putting Things Into Perspective

I own a travel and event planning company, called Candy Cain Travel Co. I built this business from the ground up. I work very, very hard with it-- TOO hard, in my humble opinion. There is an enormous amount of work that goes into it. I travel quite a bit WITHOUT my family. Worst of all, I only get paid AFTER people travel. I can price quote for HOURS for people, and they end up booking their trip through Expedia or Travelocity or something to that effect-- Even though I tell them that I can easily beat the price of ANYTHING that they find online. If they don't book through me, I don't get paid. Period. In September, I made less than $300 with my travel business. In October, I'll make about $1000. In November, I will bring in upwards of $10,000. It is VERY frustrating because budgeting becomes difficult since the money just isn't consistent.

 

MANY friends of mine work for other people. Take my husband, for instance. My husband is a police sergeant. He has a set salary (not including overtime) for working 40 hours a week. He leaves an hour before work in the morning and it can take him up to an hour to get home in the afternoon, so that is actually 10 hours a day-- 50 hours per week. Let's say that we take 2 weeks of vacation throughout the year: That means that he works 50 hours a week for 50 weeks in the year. If you do the math, that means my husband works 2500 hours outside of the home each year. This does not include his second job nor any overtime.

 

I don't work outside of the house, except when I travel for my travel business. And trust me, dear reader, that travel is going to be coming to an end VERY soon.





My daughter at Disney - August 2012

Speaking of vacation, let's talk about my husband and anyone else that might work outside of the home. If my husband is sick, he has to call in to work to let them know that he isn't going to be there. If he wants to take vacation, he has a set amount of time that he is allowed to take AND that has to be approved by someone else. If he has a bad day and doesn't feel like going in to work, he doesn't have a choice-- He only gets a couple of personal days during the year that he can use. If one of our kids has a recital or graduation or something and he isn't approved the time off, he doesn't get to go.



NO ONE tells me how I can spend my time. (Sure, my mother will offer her advice, but whose mom doesn't??)

 

One more thing-- My husband fills up his gas tank twice a week. He spends approximately $80 per week to fill the tank of our 2007 Hyundai Tucson. As I said before, he works 50 hours a week. Therefore he is spending $4000 per year to go to work.

 

Know how much I pay to go to work? $0. I roll out of bed and walk downstairs. I'm at work!

 

Working from home as an independent marketing executive for an international wellness company, however, has proven to be a bit more consistent and lucrative. Plus, I don't have to spend $4000 per year to work. I set my own hours and work from home. I also work from the park, my backyard, and even when I travel. (I'm going to Mexico next week, and I can stay connected online.) I don't pay a dime for daycare. I create my own work schedule around my kids. My "co-workers" at home are my four year old twins, who cheer me (and my team) on in our success. I have a team of AMAZING people all over the world. My best friend is the one that got me started. I work with my mom and my neighbor. I've met extraordinary people that want to change their lives from all different places and a variety of walks of life. We all want the same thing: A change.

 

So many people ask me, "What's the catch?" Let me put this in perspective for you. What would you rather do:

 

A) Pay $4000 per year to drive to and from work, spend 5000 hours away from your home and family, have a set salary with no incentives except overtime, and have someone tell you when you can and can't take off work

 

OR

 

B) Work from home on your own schedule and earn an income equivalent to the work you put into your own business

 

It's a no-brainer for me, really. I can draw up a road map for every single person on my team each month that they can follow to earn the amount of money that they want to earn. I can do the same thing for myself. I know what people NEED to do to achieve their goals, and I help them get there. This is a business that absolutely ANYONE can do. No sales, no inventory, no quota. You just need to be at least 18 years old to do so. I make the business VERY simple for people-- All you have to do is set appointments. Two other team leaders and I do group presentations throughout the week-- Set appointments for people to call in and listen to the presentation. If they decide that they want to join our team, they are enrolled below you. Of course, you are more than welcome to do your own presentations once you feel comfortable enough to do so. We give you PLENTY of training, but on your own time.

 

If you are interested in working with me and making some money - even if it's just for the holidays - contact me. You can send me an email or call me at 631.954.1919. I made $10,075.86 in 12 months, working 5 hours a week. That is $193.77 per week, which means $38.75 per hour. Are YOU worth that? Are you worth MORE? Let me help you earn your worth.

 





Money For The Holidays

I remember this time of year before I started working with the company I work with now. I used to do direct sales with Aloette, Mary Kay, Avon, Pampered Chef and PartyLite. In October, I would do whatever I possibly could to get my friends and family to have parties just so that I could meet my quota. When it was all said and done, I ended up making less than $200 in profit. That really wasn't the kind of money that I was looking for when I signed up to do direct sales. Pairing that with the fact that my upline did NOTHING to help me, it was outrageously frustrating.

So, I tried to go the retail route. I worked at JC Penney, Macy*s, Bath & Body Works and Old Navy during various holiday seasons. I was on my feet for hours, working with rude people, trying to keep the inventory in the store neat, and making minimum wage. I would wear myself out and not get paid what I was worth. Talk about frustrating.

I know that there are a lot of people in this world that want (and need) to make extra money for the holidays. Fortunately, I am able to help a lot of these people. As a matter of fact, I can help you, dear reader, earn money from home. You can start earning cash for the holidays NOW, if you really wanted to. No begging your friends to have parties. No pressuring loved ones to "just buy something" from your catalog.

I have phone overviews every weeknight at 9pm EST that you can call in and listen to. I'm the one giving the overview, so you'll be speaking to me on the other end. I will answer any questions you might have-- No obligation. And I will help you earn some holiday cash. Heck, I can help you build a business to last a lonnnnng time, if you want. I will teach you everything.

If you are interested, either email me or fill out the form below.

Back to Business!

Okay, so I pretty much took the summer off from blogging... And a bit of building my business. I took my twins to Disney World (which was FABULOUS, by the way) and had a lot of other stuff going on with my life. But, fortunately, I don't have to start my business from scratch. That is the beauty of this business: There is a 95% re-order rate company-wide, and my business is still as strong as ever.

This month, I added FOUR big business builders to my team, so I am SO excited!! After doing direct sales with PartyLite, Pampered Chef, MonaVie, Avon and Mary Kay, I am thrilled to have a business where I don't have to leave my home to do parties. I'm so happy that I don't have to beg my friends and family to order from me or host parties. I am stoked that I don't have to do vendor shows and whatnot. I do my whole business from the comfort of my own home-- The way working from home really should be!

So, I need to talk about my latest enrollment, Vicky. Vicky is AMAZING. She has the same drive that I do and a ton of experience with direct sales. Like me, she was sick of the whole party thing. (Oh, and have I mentioned the dreaded inventory that we had to carry??) I presented the business to her, she and her husband talked it over, and she ended up joining my team within a week. She started her business immediately, and double advances in two days. There is no doubt in my mind that she will AT LEAST double advance again next month.

I have so many people that WANT this business to work for them on my team: Stephanie, Trully, Sarah, Lundyn and Matt, just to name a few-- And those are only the people that I have personally enrolled. I know that they ALL will succeed, no matter what. We've got such a strong team, and I am proud to be a part of it.

Last month also marked 1 year that I have worked from home. I got my twelfth paycheck in mid-September. For one full year, my earnings were $10,075.86. If you divide that by 52, that means I earned $193.77 per week. Not too shabby, eh? I know that I'm going to do WAY better than that this year. I wasn't even working full-time, either.

I am very excited about the prospect of making a six figure income from home, which is what I anticipate to report at this time next year.

So, how about you? Would you like to work from home? Let me know. I would love to have some more people on my team.

A No Brainer Business (Part II)

I own Candy Cain Travel. I built this company from the ground up. I worked extremely hard over the past several years to get it where it is today. I am known for my work in destination weddings. I even teach destination wedding seminars all over the world. I loved the idea of working for myself and having my own business.

That is, until the economy finally hit my business. Clients have become more demanding and just plain nasty. The resorts are less flexible-- Which honestly doesn't make sense to me. (I mean, you'd think that they would bend over backwards to accommodate clients, rather than not care about their guests' experiences.) So, I end up having demanding clients having a bad vacation experience, then blaming it on me. The stress is ridiculous. I feel terrible when guests have lousy experiences on their vacations.

This business is recession-proof. I work as a marketing executive for an international wellness company that specializes in consumable goods. The company did over $1BILLION in sales last year. They are in competition with Colgate-Palmolive, Johnson & Johnson, SC Johnson Wax, Kimberly Clark and the like. No matter what happens in this economy, people are still going to buy toothpaste and deodorant and laundry detergent...

The great thing? I don't sell anything. I don't have to do parties or sales or hit up my friends or anything like that. I market the company. People enroll as customers, and shop directly through the company. I get paid for telling people about the company and enrolling new customers. It's shopping; not rocket science. People shop on their own. It's so simple.

NO BRAINER REASON 4: YOU DON'T HAVE TO PESTER YOUR FRIENDS AND/OR FAMILY TO BUY STUFF FROM YOU.

Here's a simple reason why this business is a "no brainer" to get involved with: You can will it to your kids, spouse, significant other, etc. This business is focused on residual income. Since there is a 95% reorder rate company-wide every single month, that means that you set up your business once and get paid on it repeatedly. Customers I referred to the company back when I started in August are still shopping, and I get paid every single month. If something should happen to me (God forbid), my business goes to my kids. They don't have to grow it, if they don't want to. As long as my account is active - even if it was transferred into their names - they will receive a check every single month.

NO BRAINER REASON 5: MY BUSINESS I CAN PUT THIS BUSINESS IN MY WILL. (OR: MY WORK NOW WILL BENEFIT MY KIDS EVEN WHEN I'M GONE.)

I had a rough night in June. I had a phone overview with three potential new team members at 9:00pm. My twins were still awake, and were less than cooperative. Fortunately, one of my team members was on the phone and was able to jump in and take over during the times I had to mute out because of my kids.

The following evening, I received a call from my best friend, who also happens to be the person who introduced me to our company. Long story short, she had a family emergency - one that is going to tie her up for SIX WEEKS - and needed some help for an overview that she was going to do. Fortunately, I was able to handle her presentation. Furthermore, the entire team is pitching in to make sure that her business stays solid. The best part is, I know that my team would do it for me, too.

NO BRAINER REASON 6: I WORK WITH PEOPLE THAT HAVE MY BACK, NOT PEOPLE WHO WANT TO STAB ME IN THE BACK.

I have lots more to write, but I'll spare you an epic entry. Plus, I want to get this up ASAP. Incidentally, my company is offering a guaranteed $1000 incentive this month. What would $1000 do for you? Message me and let me help you earn it.

A No-Brainer Business (Part I)

When I tell people about this business, it doesn't surprise me that the first words out of their mouths are usually, "What's the catch?" There is no catch. You enroll. You share the business with others (usually by setting appointments in the very beginning). You shop. You earn money. Period. If you want to be a leader, that is GREAT and you will probably earn more money, based on your own efforts. If you don't want to be a leader, that is fine, too. You get to do this business at YOUR own pace. You don't have to dea with a boss; just business partners that YOU choose. My main business partners are my best friend of 20 years and my neighbor (and other BFF) across the street.

Dionne & Me - BFFs for 20+ years AND business partners

I love being able to work with friends. I love making new friends in this business. I know that sounds cheesy, but it is so true. Take me and Dionne, for instance. I met Dionne when I was 15 years old. I'm 35 now. We're working together, and our relationship is stronger than ever-- Even though Dionne lives in Prince Edward Island, Canada and I'm on Long Island, NY. Dionne has a degree in Sociology from St. John's University and I have a degree in Dramatic Literature from The George Washington University. We come from two very different backgrounds, but BOTH of us can excel with this business. We are both Director V with our company. We both get to stay home with our kids. We both make a nice paycheck because we work together.

Me and Sarah, my neighbor directly across the street

Even though I LOVE working with Dionne, nothing beats working with my neighbor, Sarah. You see, I have 4 year old twins. Sarah has three kids, ages 3, 5 and 8. It is SO convenient to have someone that understands working from home right across the street. If I need help, I know that Sarah will be there for me-- And vice versa. There have been many times where we have watched each other's kids during the times the other was working. It just makes it soooo convenient to have someone that is so close by in pretty much the same situation I am (husbands working all week long, kids at home). I love having someone to celebrate with and complain to about the business that is so close. To be perfectly honest with you, Sarah bought me a fabulous bottle of strawberry vodka for my birthday this past September. I said we would only drink it for special occasions. Now we call it our "Advancement Shot" whenever either one of us advances our business.

Our company also has something called Director Celebrations, where they take you to dinner whenever you advance your Director business. Sarah and I have gone together to several Director Celebrations, and will be going to one on July 7 with another team member, Melissa. It's so much fun and FREE) to celebrate with my team. I really don't go out very often with my friends, so I look forward to this celebration every single month.

NO-BRAINER REASON 1: THIS BUSINESS IS FUN.

There are so many people "out there" looking for a way to make some money from home, whether it be full-time or part-time. The leaders on my team (Dionne, Sarah, Samantha and I) have developed a way for ANYONE to succeed at a business that is already geared to the average person. I mean, I did my entire first month (August 2011) on FaceBook, and I earned $839.26. I can teach ANYONE how to do this business on FaceBook. Furthermore, we have set it up so that people just set appointments during their first month and listen to our presentations with the people that have appointments, so that they get on-the-job training. The people that join our team learn quickly, and have a strong understanding of what it takes to earn money with our business.

We've got an AWESOME FaceBook group for people on our team, and our team alone. Everyone that joins our team gets added to our FaceBook group so that they can be in touch with people that will help them with ANY questions that they might have about the business, or just for support. I love the FaceBook group. Heck, I'm the one that started it, to tell you the truth. I'm a FaceBook addict. I wanted to bring my business to my addiction-- And it worked. FaceBook is a phenomenal business tool, and I teach people how to use it as such.

ANYONE can do this business, as long as they are at least 18 years old-- And I mean ANYONE. It doesn't matter what gender, race, age or sexual orientation you are. It doesn't matter where you live. It doesn't matter if you don't want to or just can't leave your home. It doesn't matter if you don't want to talk on the phone. It doesn't matter if you are blind, deaf or mute. Anyone who takes a shower qualifies for this business. Period.

NO BRAINER REASON 2: ANYONE CAN DO THIS BUSINESS AND SUCCEED.

The twins on vacay in June

I built my business around my twins. I played with them during the day, and worked after they went to sleep at night. I still have it around them-- They mean the world to me, and I wouldn't change it for a thing. I just feel very blessed to have this business in my life. I am trying very hard to make it my primary source of income. Another reason that I love this business is that I can travel whenever I want, and not be strapped down to working set hours. If I want to work, I can do everything online or at whatever phone number I am using on vacation. This means that I can bring my family on fun trips, which is what I remember the most about my own childhood. My mom would bring my and my sister to different places around the northeast USA, and we would spend time together. I want to do that with my family as much as possible.

It doesn't matter where I am; I can share my business with absolutely anyone. I am able to enroll people from all over the USA, Canada, Puerto Rico, Guam, UK, Germany, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and any US Military base in the world onto my team. That is a LOT of people. If ever I move, my business will move with me. I can travel and not worry about being fired. How many people can say that? (All 190 people on my team can...)  I had to travel a lot with my "other business" last year, and just watcched this business grow and grow while I did. It was surprising-- And thrilling. I went to Vegas and the Dominican Republic in March. I got a check for $1811.45 with this company, which you can see from a previous blog entry. My travel had ZERO effect on my income.

NO BRAINER REASON 3: THIS BUSINESS TRAVELS WITH YOU.

Alright, three reasons is enough for now... I don't want this to be an epic entry. I'll add more reasons why this is a No Brainer Business in my next entry. Thanks for reading! And, if you're interested in joining my team or just getting more details, shoot me a message.

Why Working From Home is Worth it To ME.

It has been nearly a month since I've written a blog entry. I'm so sorry that I haven't been writing. With Memorial day, the twins, planning travel, traveling myself, cleaning out my house and working, I haven't had time to write a blog entry. I'll try to keep up a little more, considering that I have so many new followers. I'm sorry to have let you down!

A week after my last entry, I received the following check:

Not too shabby with everything else I do, eh? I love working from home. I love that I don't have to do sales. I love that I am not under pressure to meet a quota. I love that I don't have to spend my paycheck on carrying an inventory. This is the best work from home business I've ever experienced it. I've been working since August 2011, and I have earned $7875. (Remember that I started and it was VERY part-time. I started doing full-time in the middle of March.)

I want to share a quick story about the above check. For those of you that do not know, I have 4 year old twins. I really wanted to put them in a gymnastics camp twice a week (3 hours per day) during the summer at Gym-Nest, where they already attend once a week. However, it is $90 per child with NO twins' discount for the summer. A seven week program translates to $630 PER CHILD for the summer, or $1260 for both of them. A bit steep, but I REALLY wanted to send them. The night of May 15, my husband and I were in bed, talking about the camp and the cost. He said that he would work some doubles, and I would use my monthly check in June, since I anticipated having a really good May. (Which, by the way, I ended up NOT having, in my humble opinion.) We would do whatever we could so that the twins could go to camp.

I thought my check for the work I did in April (my May check, which you see above) was only going to be $600 or so. I called my husband at work shrieking my head off-- I earned more than DOUBLE what I anticipated!!!!! It was enough to send one of them for the FULL summer, or both of them for 4 weeks without any unexpected expenses. I can't even begin to tell you how happy we were - how happy I was - to be able to pay for gymnastics camp for my twins without haveing to sacrifice ANYTHING else.

What would an extra $100 per month do for you? An extra $500? An extra $1000? A friend of mine got a check for over $12,000 last month... What would that do for you? You'd be surprised that it only costs you $1 to enroll in my company's organization and to join my team (until June 20, 2012). There are no monthly fees. It's a fantastic company that ANYONE can earn money with. I am happy to share this with you. Just shoot me a message and let me know what day and time works for you.

ARMCHAIR MILLIONAIRE TALLY:

Total Earned: $7,875,89

Total until $1MILLION: $992,124.11

I Will NEVER Be Fired

A few months ago, a good friend of mine told me how 49 teaching positions were eliminated from her school district-- And tenure didn't matter. Last week, an entire department was eliminated at my husband's place of work and 135 people will lose their jobs. In this day and age, it seems that NO ONE has any job security. This economy has been morbidly depressing over the past three years (if not longer). The jobs report came out last week and it went from an unemployment rate of 8.2% to 8.1%. Not a big change.

Everytime I get a check working from home, I think of all of the people in the USA that could easily do what I do. No sales, no parties, no investment, no risk. It doesn't make sense to me why people wouldn't want to give this business a shot. Anyone can do it, regardless of education, experience, race, gender and sexual orientation. Everyone has a chance (provided they are at least 18 years old). I just don't get why people complain about not making money or how badly they need money, yet they don't do something so simple to change their circumstances. If you want your circumstances to change, YOU need to change.

On Thursday morning, my four year old son came into my bedroom, curled up next to me and asked, "Is today Charlie/Mommy Day?" I promised Charlie a day with me, but hadn't set up a day to do so. Knowing full well that I could work my business around my boy and my own life, I answered, "It sure is, Charlie. Where do you want to go first?" He was so excited. All he wanted to do was go to Toys R Us and Friendly's for lunch. I took two hours out of my day and spent it with my son. (Grandma watched his twin sister, Catherine.) The point of my story is that my business gives me the flexibility and freedom to do what I feel is important-- Such as spending quality time with my children. I can do Charlie/Mommy Day or Catherine/Mommy Day whenever I want to. I can go on vacation without having to give notice. I don't have to worry about missing work and losing my job. I know that my check will still come next month. No one is going to give me grief for spending time with my family, of fire me for taking a two hour lunch.

On Friday, I was finishing up a phone call with a new team member and I fell. I tripped on the kids' toys and fell right on my side. I knew that I was hurt, but I didn't know how badly. I got off the phone and got some help... And ended up in the hospital shortly thereafter. Sarah - one of the directors on my team - took over the presentation call that I was supposed to do at 4:00 for someone else on our team. I was there for about three hours. (Incidentally, I fractured my ankle, sprained my wrist and strained my ribs.) I came home and did a group presentation (with the support of Sarah) as I was lying on the couch and welcomed four more people to my team. Today, I was literally in bed all day long while my husband took our children to the Children's Museum of the East End. I did a few more presentations for other people and welcomed four more business builders onto my team. From bed. While in my pajamas. No, I am not kidding. In March, a Director III on my team literally did not work one day-- And she still got a check for over $400. What would you get if you didn't work for an entre month? Would you still receive a check? Heck, would you still have a job to return to?

Tomorrow, I will hobble to the Bellport Country Club for lunch with my family. I take Sundays off because I can. Sunday is my day to spend time with my family. I get to choose when I work and when I don't. I know that I'm going to make money this month that is going to pay off a big chunk of my student loans that I still have from George Washington University. It will also pay for a Disney vacation for my family.

And on Monday, I will start helping people changing their lives all over again... Will your life be one of them?

Raising Money for Non-Profits

I love my work at home business. I love that the company I work for encourages those that are in the business to HELP others. I have helped change the lives of many people that have been looking for a way to earn money from home. I have helped people that want to shop for all-natural products and not spend a ton of money on them.

But, this blog post isn't about my business and the people that I have helped. This post is about the non-profit organizations I have been able to help raise money for. There are a bunch of them, too: churches, boy scout packs, animal rescues, shelters, small non-profits that thrive solely on donations from people and so on.

The way it works is VERY simple... the non-profit fills out three forms (which I send to them) and they are enrolled into my organization. They earn a percentage of EVERY SINGLE PERSON that I place below them that shops online. On the fifteenth of every month, a check is sent to the non-profit. That's it. It is a passive fundraiser, as the non-profit doesn't have to sell anything, ask for money, or even do anything. If they want to get involved, they are more than welcome to and will certainly earn more money.

"So, how can I help?" you might ask. It's simple. You join my team, enrolling under the non-profit you want to help. You change some of your monthly grocery shopping to the company I work for. The non-profit that you signed up under receives a percentage of what you shop for. That's it. Really. If you refer people, they will also be enrolled under the non-profit you enrolled under and the non-profit will receive a percentage or their shopping, too. PLUS, you will earn some money back, if you want it. (And, hey, who doesn't want extra money??)

Furthermore, when you sign up to help out a non-profit by switching some of your shopping, you will receive $100 in FREE shopping as a "thank you" from the company I work for, not to mention a bunch of other benefits.

If you are interested in registering a non-profit organization for a passive fundraiser OR if you want to get more details on how to help a non-profit  that is already enrolled within my company, please fill out the form below and I will contact you myself.

BOOYAH. Money.

I wanted to start this blog entry off with an attention-grabber. That's my check for the work I did in March. And, as I posted in my last entry, last month was a rough month working from home for me because I had a lot of other commitments. Still, I was able to earn the largest check that I have earned (so far) with this company. I am SO excited about it, too. My twins' birthday party at the Children's Museum of the East End this Saturday. Guess what is going to pay for it??? STOKED.

Anyone can do this business. ANYONE. As long as you are 18+ and live in the USA, Canada, Puerto Rico, Guam, UK, Ireland, Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand or any US Military Base in the world, I can help you earn money from home. Just let me know that you are interested, and we can open a conversation about you starting on the path to financial freedom. I am really excited to share this business, and I can help anyone earn $1000 this month.

What would $1000 do for YOU this month? Seriously, write down what you would use $1000 for if you got it on May 15. Would it make a difference for you? I know it is going to make a difference for me. That $1000 is going to pay for me to take my twins to Strasburg, PA for "Day Out With Thomas" in June. Sure, it may sound frivolous to you, but it is something that my son REALLY wants to do. I promised him that when I was promoted to Director VI, I would take the family there. I'm currently Director V. I will end the month at VI and follow through with my promise. What promises would $1000 help you keep?

ARMCHAIR MILLIONAIRE TALLY:

Total Earned: $6,486.31

Total until $1MILLION: $993,513.69

Whoops... I've Neglected You!

I was so outrageously busy in March, I neglected to post here. Oops. So sorry. It won't happen again. I was SLAMMED last month: two destination weddings, my twins' 4th birthday, my mom's 60th birthday and surprise party, my sister coming into town, yada yada yada. Oh, and I built my business as much as I could. Of course, I received a check for the work I did in February:

I must say, I was actually a bit disappointed with this check. I mean, $472 is a good check for working from home for anyone. I also received a rebate check at the end of February:

And I received another rebate check for $10.71, but I didn't scan it. I've earned $4,648.67 since joining in August. I can't wait to get my check next week for the work that I did in March-- Even though it was a very busy month for me.

OH! A lot of people have listened to my presentation and said that they are "too old" to start a business. I disagree. My mom, who turned 60 on 3/31, started her business in January. She became a Director last night. Last month, she earned a check:

No, it is not a large check, but the check she earned for last month (and will get next week) is double that. The one she will get next month will be 5x the above check. This business is all about helping people build their own organizations and earn money for their own wants and needs. I'm thrilled to help people achieve their financial goals and fulfill their dreams.

I've been on vacation with my family for a week. During that week, I helped my mom become a director (and get a $200 bonus) and have watched my team grow by five people. I am looking forward to going home tomorrow and starting my presentations again on Monday. Most of all, I cannot wait to get my check next week, which I know is going to be at least $1800.

Oh, by the way, if you are looking to earn money from home, let me know... There is a $1,000 guarantee this month and I would love to help you achieve it.

The Armchair Millionaire tally:

Amount earned: $4,648.67

Needed to earn: $995,351.33

Helping Shorty Through the Roof

I went to Church on Sunday. I love my pastor, Father Jerry DiSpigno, at Mary Immaculate Church in Bellport, NY. He isn't "preachy" when he does his Homily. He doesn't lecture, the way a lot of priests do. He speaks to people on their level. He relates to his congregation. He is very motivating, which is one of the reasons I love him so much. (And I don't mean I love him the way I love chocolate. I truly love him as a human being, and a part of me would be missing if I wasn't able to speak with him or at least see him in church.) I truly admire him.

Anyway, this Sunday's Gospel was about Jesus and the paralytic. Now, those of you that know me know that I'm not a "Bible Thumper" or anything to that effect. I don't read the Bible on a daily basis, but I can certainly quote it. I'm an Italian Catholic. I pray before bed and say grace before dinner. God has a place in my life. I'm not one of those people that pushes religion on anyone, but you better believe my kids are going to Catholic school. (FYI - 99% of students that graduate Catholic school go on to graduate college.) I don't usually talk about my religion or my spirituality because, frankly, I feel that it is private.

But, I really related to the Gospel over the weekend.  I will copy and paste the Gospel (Mark 2:1-12) after this blog entry so that you can see what I'm talking about.

Basically, in this Gospel four friends take their fifth friend - a paralyzed dude - to see Jesus in Capernaum. They had faith that Jesus could help their friend walk again. Well, when they got there, people mobbed where Jesus was and the five friends couldn't get in. So, they climbed the building (remember, one of them was paralyzed, so this was a feat), broke a hole in the roof right over Jesus and lowered their paralyzed friend down in front of Jesus on his mat.

Jesus forgave the paralyzed man of his sins. The scribes around him thought Jesus was blasphemous, saying that only God could forgive sins. Jesus told them that man can forgive, too. With that, he told Shorty the paralytic to get his mat and leave. Shorty stood up, took his mat and left with his friends.

Now, this blog is all about me working from home and building a business. "What," you may ask, "does this have to do with working from home?"

My dear reader, it has everything to do with working from home.

I was talking with Dionne tonight, and I told her about the Gospel I heard in Church. Dionne has been feeling down lately (as have I). and I thought that this would cheer her up some. I'm not trying to be funny or blasphemous in what I am about to write, but here goes...

The four friends that believed so much in Jesus believed that they could make their friend walk again. Even if Shorty didn't believe that he could be healed, his friends believed Him. They believe in Him so much that they carried Shorty to Capernaum, scaled a building with him, busted through a roof, and lowered their friend down to that Jesus could heal him. They believed. It didn't matter if anyone else believed. They believed.

With my business, a lot of people have said some nasty things to me and behind my back. Even my own husband thought it was a scam in the very beginning. He had some negative things to say, but he believes now. I believe in this business. I see how it works, albeit on a very small scale (so far). I have seen what it does for other people that work the business. So does Dionne. So does Sam. So do a lot of other people on my team. The point is, however, it doesn't matter to me if they believe in it or not; I believe in it.

The four friends wanted to help their paralytic friend walk again. They wanted him to have a better quality of life. So, they brought Shorty to the man that could help him get that quality of life. They carried their friends a far distance, up a building and down a roof.  With my business, people cannot do it on their own. I guess they could, but it would be outrageously hard to succeed. Could you imagine how hard it would be for one man to carry another man several towns away, scale a building with him on his back, break a hole into a roof, and then lower said friend and his mat through a roof? It would have been impossible. But it wasn't just one man doing it-- It was four friends working as a team to help their friend get a better quality of life. That's a metaphor for what we do on my team... We help people achieve a better quality of life. We do it because it affects us on a personal and spiritual level. Do you know what it is like to be thanked by someone because they are able to pay for their son's new bed because you showed them how to work from home? It's an amazing feeling. Truly, truly amazing. And then they, of course, want to help others. That's what my business is about. That's what my team is about. 

Finally, the story is about forgiveness. I've helped a lot of people through the roof, and they've spat on my, ridiculed me, taken me for granted, whatever. My feelings have been hurt so many times in this business (and outside of it, when I think about things). I have a bad habit of harboring resentment. I don't necessarily hold a grudge, but I don't forget things. I have a hard time forgiving the people that hurt me, too... I want to prove them wrong. Honestly, I should just forgive these people and let go. Let them take their mat and leave. Jesus says that man can forgive, and I think that sometimes we all forget that. I'm going to focus on remembering that a little bit more, and I think I'll be able to get centered better on the things that really matter to me.

Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man

¹ A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. ² They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. ³ Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. ⁴ Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. ⁵ When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
⁶ Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, ⁷ “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
⁸ Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? ⁹ Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? ¹⁰ But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, ¹¹ “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” ¹² He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

The Proof Is In The Pudding

To all of the people that have said nasty things to me and people on my team, calling this business a scam or a hoax, saying that we would never make any money, I have a few things to show you:

Barbie's Check for January

My Check for January

Sam's Checks for January

Between the three of us, we earned $1947.65. That's just three of us on a team of 158 people.

Take that, nay-sayers.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to buy myself a new pair of shoes.

ARMCHAIR MILLIONAIRE TALLY

Total Earned: $4,161.53

Remaining to $1Million: $995,838.47

What Would $1000 Do for YOU This Month?

Me "walking on water" for the budget "miracles" I pull off.

I learned something important yesterday: People really do read this blog. Many of the people that read it are folks that I went to school with in the South Country School District (I graduated BHS in 1994). They read for a while, then they send me a message. Even if they don't want to join my work from home team, they send me a message. My friend, Rebecca, reads my blog and sent me such an encouraging and uplifting message a few months ago, it really kept me going and got me through a very rough time. (So, thanks for that Becky! I won't forget it-- You don't know what your words meant to me.) Two friends from school messaged me yesterday because of my blog entry, and it was really encouraging to me. Not because it means that I'll probably have another two team members by the end of the day, but because it means that I'm not talking to the wall. I put a LOT of writing out there - whether my blog or on Yahoo! Voices -- and I never really know if it means anything to anyone. The fact that people have reached out to me makes me realize that my words are not going unread. It's an awesome feeling.

I can't tell you what a great feeling it is to be able to help my old friends - even if I haven't spoken with them in years - change their financial lives just by working from home. They can work part-time or full-time, and make a real dent in their debt. Knowing that I had a hand in helping them do so is so gratifying, I can't even put it into words. Making a difference in the lives of strangers is awesome, too. Knowing that I can help people has given me a sense of purpose that I never knew that I could have.

That being said, how would $1000 change things for you this month? I've gotta tell you, this is the first month that I haven't stressed about money. Would an extra $1000 change anything in your life right now? If it would, please send me an email. I would love to help you. The $1000 is guaranteed-- You just have to follow instructions. If you're coachable and can follow directions, I can help you get that grand.

My "Why"

People get involved in work from home businesses for different reasons. I figured I would take this space to write about my reasons for choosing a work from home business, and my reasons for still going with it.

Let's start at the very beginning... It's a very good place to start. (Please tell me that there are some musical theatre buffs out there that get the reference...) Back in 2001, I moved out to Los Angeles to follow my dreams of becoming a professional actress. I wasn't up for being famous or anything like that, but I certainly wanted to act and that's it. Well, my dreams came true and I was a working actress. I did a lot of television shows and movies. I was able to survive on acting alone. I loved acting, because it was a new project every week. I didn't have the same boss, didn't work with the same people, and remained interested because things kept changing. If I didn't like working with someone, I wouldn't worry about it because I'd end on a new show a few weeks later. Believe it or not, I enjoyed the instability. I enjoyed the change. I enjoyed being a paramedic one week and a crazy neighbor the next.

When I moved from LA back to New York, I was still acting. I did theatre and a few movies. I married my husband in 2005, and had my first miscarriage in 2006. Between January 2006 and April 2007, I had five miscarriages. My husband asked me to stop acting, so I focused on a travel company that I started before we got married so that I was able to get discounts on travel. I also tried a throng of at-home businesses that i did not succeed with: Mary Kay, MonaVie, PartyLite, Pampered Chef, Aloette, Avon... The list goes on and on. Long story short, my twins were born on March 14, 2008 and I did not have a full-time job. I worked freelance writing and planning travel every now and again.

In 2009, I started focusing my travel business on destination weddings. It was so successful, that my company and I became the subject of a reality show (which is still in development), Wedding Lane with Candy Cain. At that same time, Dionne - my best friend of 20 years - started with this work from home company and tried to get me involved. Since I signed a contract with the production company that I would not endorse any companies or products, I used that for my excuse to not join Dionne. I've written about this several times throughout this blog, so I'll spare you the details.

In August 2011, I decided to get involved with the company to help Dionne with her business. She didn't have anyone on her team that was doing much of anything, so I decided to help her. That was my "why" back in August: To help my friend. When I got that first check of $839, my "why" changed.

In September, I had some things going on in my personal life. I had just finished my last wedding of the year-- 24 weddings in 2011-- and I needed a break. I started traveling back and forth to Mexico and once to Los Angeles to teach a destination wedding course that I designed for the Association of Wedding Professionals International. It was lucrative, but I was traveling a lot. I kept up the at-home business and made another check just under $800. I decided that I would focus more on doing my seminars around the world, and summplement it with the at-home business. I kept it that way for a few months.

Right around Christmas, I had a very bad experience with one of my destination wedding clients. I'm not going to give any details, except to say that it was unbelievably stressful and I was on the phone with my good friend, Christine, crying about how much I can't stand doing these weddings anymore. Something that I loved and built my business around was making me miserable. I decided that I would focus my efforts on my at-home business and do destination weddings less. Oh, I'll still do the destination weddings, but take a less directorieal role. I have a few people that work for my travel company that would love the extra income. I just need a break.

Plus, I really like this at-home business. I get to work with people that I like, and help them change their lives financially. It's a lot of fun helping people succeed and seeing the absolute joy in their eyes and hearing it in their voices when they get a nice check. The company isn't a scam, and my husband has even volunteered to talk with the people that do think it's a scam. He's a police sergeant, and he thought is was a scam in the beginning. Now, he's completely into it.

So, my "why" has changed again. I am now doing this for my children. When I reach Director VI with the company, I promised my son that I will take them to Strasburg to see the steam trains. When I reach Director VII, I promised my daughter that I would take them to Disney World. They hold me accountable and ask me about my business every single day.

I love this company and the life-changing opportunities that come with it. I'm in this one for the long haul. If you want to join my team and change your life, too, send me an email. You can earn $1000 this month - guaranteed. Let me help you change your life the way that I've changed mine.

Just to Clarify

For some reason, people have been messaging me to join my team, thinking that it is for Candy Cain Travel. This is NOT the case. I started a side business as a favor to a friend. Now I want that side business to become my primary source of income. The travel industry is SO sporadic. The income comes in waves. It's completely unstable. you don't get paid until 4 - 6 weeks AFTER people travel. Plus, why in the world would I hire people to work from home that have never been involved in the travel industry before??? It just doesn't make sense.

People have this romanticized view of the travel industry... They get to travel around the world for free, they get to plan trips for amaaaazing clients, there is no stress.... None of which is true! Yes, I travel around the world, but I WORK extremely hard. I teach people how to do destination weddings. I teach hotels how to make a profit working with American clients. I bust my butt, and I have been doing it for a long time. Ask anyone that has seen me work the travel business, and they will tell you how hard I work. So, no, I'm not hiring for Candy Cain Travel.

The side business I have is something that ANYONE can do. If you are over the age of 18 and live in the USA, Canada, UK, Ireland, Netherlands, Australia or New Zealand, you can join my team. I'm looking for people full-time or part-time to start immediately. I will HELP you achieve your goals. I've earned a little over $3400 in four months, very part time... I am now focusing on this full-time, and I expect a check for at least $1500 next month.

I hope to hear from you. Thanks for reading my blog!

My Story.

You may have read my story in bits and pieces throughout this blog before, but bear with my. I'm going to take this entry to write a bit about myself and my journey with working from home. I want you to understand who I am, where I come from, what I do and why I do the things I do. I'm not a complex person, really. I'm pretty much right in your face, letting you know exactly what I think. Yes, I can be loud and - dare I say it? - obnoxious at times, but only when I get annoyed. Aside from what I am when I get upset, I really am a very generous person that wants to help others. A lot of times people think that there is some sort of "catch" with me helping them, but there's not. I'm the person that will help an old lady load groceries into her car or fly across country to help a friend in distress... I bend over backwards to help people, and I often find myself getting burned. Such is the case for the successful travel and event planning business that I built from the ground up, Candy Cain Travel. I don't charge service fees, and I do whatever I can to get my cleints the best deals. Even then, they think that I am scamming them somehow, and sometimes end up booking their own trips online or something. It is outrageously frustrating. To quote Popeye, "I am whats I am and that's all that I am." (Or something like that.)

For two years, my best friend Dionne tried to get me to enroll in the work-from-home company that she was working for. In 2009, I had a reality show in development (Wedding Lane with Candy Cain) and was contractually bound not to endorse any companies or products, so I used that as my excuse. Frankly, I had enough of these work-from-home companies. I had done a throng of them and never made significant money: Aloette, Pampered Chef, MonaVie, PartyLite, Avon, Mary Kay... I tried it all and never really succeeded with them. I still have inventory and kits left over from ALL of them in my basement, which will one day find itself on eBay.  But, I digress. I didn't want to do it. 2009 wasn't the right time for me. 2010 wasn't the right for me. In July of 2011, Dionne called me and asked me if I could go to Convention with her because her mom had to cancel at the last minute for work. Since I'm a travel agent, I was able to get a ridiculously cheap ticket to Minneapolis and went. I hadn't seen my best friend in about three years, and it was our 20th anniversary. How could I have not gone?

Photo by Cassandra Mooney

So, I went. I met Dionne in Minneapolis, and I was a stick in the mud. I had a destination wedding in Mexico the week before and was still exhausted from all of the running around that I did. Plus, I just wasn't interested in the business. I was there with Dionne, who was totally gung-ho about her business, and I didn't support her the way that I should have. (Again, I'm sorry, Dionne!) I skipped out on the workshops and tooled around on my computer in the hallways, chatted with a few of the presenters, even headed back to the hotel every now and again. I did go to a few workshops, though, including one with this Corporate Director II with the company, and I liked what he had to say. Going in, I thought that this was just another Mary Kay or, even worse, Amway... Coming out, I realized that building a business didn't have to do with sales, but had everything to do with marketing. Hell, I wrote a book on marketing! I could do this business. An hour before the banquet, I enrolled.

I remember sitting around the banquet table with a bunch of strangers. They were all talking about how they had been with the company for YEARS and how the products were do fabulous... And I realized that was why they were all the way in the back of the banquet hall, not all the way up in the front. As I watched two new Corporate Directors open checks on-stage for over $160,000 each, I decided tight then that I was going to take this business to heart and FINALLY - after two stinkin' years - team up with my best friend. I advanced to Director after nine days. After eight more days (17 days total), I advanced to Director II, which catapulted Dionne to Director III. This was a major achievement, as Dionne has been sitting at Director II for over a year. My first check was $839.26, and I had spent $68.13. That was a profit of $771.13. My husband, a police sergeant, took one look at my check and said, "You'll never do that again." I was determined to prove him wrong.

The next month, my check was a little over $781, and I had spent $238 on the Value Pack plut tax and shipping. My profit was about $543. My husband saw my check and said, "You're going to jail. I don't know what you're doing, but you're going to jail.

My third month's check was $712 and change. My husband saw the check, shrugged and gave it back to me.

My fourth month's check was over $750 again. My husband looked at the check and asked, "Is there a meeting or something that I can go to with you?" He went to the Director Celebration Dinner with me as well as the January Launch. Now, he understands the business, and is helping me achieve my goals. He gets it. Some of my friends are starting to get it, too, and have begun enrolling on my team. I currently have 116 people below me, 38 of whom I have personally enrolled. Almost everyone is getting a check - more than 70% - and that really makes me feel good. People understand it. They see the business. They grow. I grow. We all win.

To come full-circle, that is what attracted me to the business: I get rewarded for helping people, which is something that I go out of my way to do, anyway. My business grows when I help others build their businesses. A perfect fit, don't you think?

I have had my fill of demanding clients that want something for nothing and just don't appreciate the hard work and effort I put into every single trip, group and wedding that I do. Not all of my clients are like that, mind you. I have a FABULOUS wedding coming up in March that I am really looking forward to. But, I have had it with being treated like some second class citizen - or worse, a thief - when I try to deal with unreasonable people that want a week-long luxury vacation for less than a weekend at a moderate hotel, then blame me for price gouging. I love, love, love the travel business, but I need a break. So, for the next three months, I am going to put everything I can into my work-from-home business and bring it to a point where I can pass on the reservation requests I receive to the travel agents that work for me, and be a bit more selective on the people that I choose to personally work with. I need the break from travel and events for a month or two, or I am going to completely self-destruct. I know myself well enough to know that I need to take a break. I can't NOT do anything for work, so I'm going to focus on working from home, and helping others to build their own businesses.

My Amazing Team

I love working from home. I do. The thought of having to go into an office and report to a boss and earn money for someone else's company without being rewarded my true worth makes me cringe.  I have a problem with authority, which I fully admit. I'm coachable, but I do not like being told what to do. I prefer suggestions and constructive criticism. That's why I never had a "real" job for longer than 6 months. I hated corporate America (and I still do), so I would leave.

When my best friend Dionne started working from home, she asked me to join her team. Not only did I want no part of it, I couldn't endorse any companies or products because I was under contract with a production company that was creating a reality show on my destination wedding business. (The show is still in development.) It took me two years to join Dionne and start building our work from home team.

Candice & Dionne at Convention

Dionne asked me to go with her to Convention-- This is a story that I've told so many times. Long story short, I liked what I saw, so I enrolled right before the awards gala. We were sitting at a table with a bunch of Canadians who pretty much didn't believe us when we told them that I literally enrolled an hour before the banquet. That was in August. Dionne was a Director II at Banquet, and I was just labeled "customer." In a month, Dionne jumped to Director III and I was Director II. Three months later, Dionne became a Director IV and I had already achieved Director III.

We would not have been able to build our business without our amazing team. There are 95 active people on my team. The majority of them are moms that want to stay at home with their kids, and this company offers a way to do so without investing any "new" money, except for a one-time enrollment fee-- Which, by the way, is usually just $29, but now it is $1 until 1/18. Our team is spread all over the USA and Canada, and I have the ability to enroll people in Austraila, New Zealand, The Netherlands, The United Kingdom and Ireland.

Thanks to the internet, we are all able to keep in touch and keep each other motivated. It is so, so easy to fall into the trap of saying you're going to do something and not doing it because no one holds you accountable. Dionne and I have established a FaceBook group where everyone can post and chat, not to mention a Chatzy chatroom where we hold each other accountable. We want to build our business and help the people on our team build THEIR businesses, too. When people on our team succeed, WE succeed.

Sam & Candice, the night Sam decided to join.

What is cool about my team (if I do say so myself) is that EVERYONE helps everyone else. For example, Barbie is enrolled under Samantha. Barbie couldn't get in touch with Sam to enroll Christen. I saw her post in the FaceBook group, so I called her and conferenced in Christen. I explained everything to Christen and she ended up enrolling under Barbie. (By the way, I didn't enroll Sam... Dionne did and placed her on my team because I did the presentation for her.) People are scattered absolutely everywhere, and we wouldn't have it any other way. Team members can meet each other at the different Melaleuca-sponsored events, which is awesome. I just recently started adding people to my team that live locally. It doesn't matter if they are next door or in Austraila, everyone is connected and willing to offer help to others on the team.

I am very proud to be a part of this team, which we have dubbed "Armchair Millionaires." I am very excited to work with others that, like me, want to establish a lucrative business working from home. Finally, I am more than happy to welcome anyone else on our team that wants to join. If you would like to join our team, just shoot me an email to CandyCain(at)wedeliverwellness.com.

Anyone can do it. Everyone can succeed. It is your choice or not whether you want to open the door to the opportunity that is knocking.