Viva Mexico!

So, it has been a while since I've written... Like 5 months. I'm so sorry about that, my dear reader. I've just been outrageously busy with things other than this business. That is the wonderful thing about working with this company, though-- I can put it on the shelf for as long as I need to take a break, and the checks still keep coming. And they're not tiny checks-- I earn enough per month to pay for the monthly tuition for my twins to go to Catholic school. It's fantastic, really. I keep thinking about if I started back in 2009, when my best friend Dionne introduced me to the company. I've been working with this company for a little over two years, and I have earned just under $28,000. From home. In my pajamas. Without any investment. Without any sales. I set my business up once and have been paid on it ever since. That never happened with the other at-home businesses I tried before this one: Mary Kay, PartyLite, Pampered Chef, Aloette, Monavie, Avon and Mary Kay. If I didn't leave my house and do sales, I didn't earn any money. Period. Last month, I worked 7 hours and made just under $600. Not too shabby.

As you may already know, I own Candy Cain Travel. I go to Mexico a lot. I have a lot of friends in Mexico. Well, guess what? My company just opened for business IN MEXICO!!!! I cannot even begin to express to you how excited I am!! I am able to share this amazing company with people in my favorite country (besides the USA, of course). I'm really thrilled. If you live in Mexico and are interested in working from home, email me for information and I am happy to tell you all about it.

Even if you don't live in Mexico, I can share what I do from home with you. You just have to be 18 years or older and be able to work in the country in which you live. 

I love this business, and I would love to share it with you.

Call me crazy...

Sally, Antonio and Me - Goofing off at Convention!

I am a fun-loving individual. I am boisterous. I am out-going. I don't sugarcoat anything. I used to be a professional actress and even had my own television show in development. I have never done well with the 9 - 5 job, so I've always thought outside of the box. I owned a theatre company. I own a travel and event planning company, Candy Cain Travel.  I've done PartyLite, Pampered Chef, Aloette, Monavie, Avon and Mary Kay, and I learned that I stink at sales. I've looked into Amway and Shaklee-- Not interested in sales. I tried Instant Rewards-- too much effort for too little return, plus it's a scam that won't let you opt out if you want to. I signed up for Rippln, thinking that it was going to be free, and it turns out that there is a financial risk that I'm just not willing to take.

I'm your average, ordinary, American mom that wants a better life for her kids, but also gets to spend as much time as possible with them while working. Is that too much to ask?

My son, Charlie. I don't miss ANYTHING now!

Fortunately, I was introduced to a company in 2009 that I partnered with in 2011 that allows me to do just that: Spend time with my kids and make money from home. 

I paid $29 to enroll and do some of my monthly grocery shopping through the company. In return, I get to make as much money from home as I want-- Unlimited. It depends on me and what I want to put into it. I'm shopping somewhere else anyway, so why not?

I first started my business on August 6, 2011 and I worked for 5 hours per week. In my first year (working about 260 hours total), I earned $10,075.86-- That's $38.75 per hour! I decided to put more time into it. In 22 months, I have earned a hair over $23,000. I don't pay for gas, which is a big deal because I currently drive a gas-guzzling 2006 Jeep. I get a ton of tax deductions. I make what I want to earn, and I get to help people do the same. I love my job. I love this company. It has changed my life, and I really consider it a blessing.

I am a big believer in blessings. I donate to charity. I help as many people as I possibly can change their lives for the better. I believe that I am an inherently good person, and I really go out of my way to help people.

My daughter, Catie, who is my mini-me!

So, when someone named Amy added me to a FaceBook group called the Blessing Gold Club, I didn't remove myself the way I usually remove myself from groups that people add me to without my permission. (Considering I have over 3600 FaceBook "friends," I get added to a lot.) I let it sit and watched it grow...

And grow...

And GROW!!

I was one of the first people in this group. There are now over 20,000 people in it. Why? Because of word of mouth. People refer others who refer others who refer others... And so the beat goes on. 

So, what do you do with the Blessing Gold Club, exactly? You "Bless" someone by sending in $109 to a PO Box in PA. You must send it in cash and fill out a statement saying that you do not expect any money in return. Then, you wait. Eventually, you will receive "blessings"-- Money sent to you in cash. There are eight rounds. In the seventh round, you receive $24,600.  The total "blessings" you receive for sending in that $100 is $38,100. But you also get blessed with a couple of other positions, and it turns into more. But, let's just use the $38,100 total. that is 381 people PER PERSON that has to send in $109 in order for someone to make the entire promised amount.

The math doesn't work for me, but whatever. I think the hope is that this NEVER ends, and people just keep recycling money over and over again. Like I said, there are 20,000 people in the group. Let's say that 10,000 of them send in $109. That's $1,009,000! 

Can you imagine what would happen if all of those people decided to save money on their groceries, spend $29 to enroll and start earning money from home? It would just be extraordinary-- So many people to help.

A fool and her money?

So, guess what I did? I filled out the "here's your $109, and I don't want anything back" form and will be sending it in tomorrow. Do I expect anything back? Absolutely not. I'm a member of a club that blesses other people. 

Now let me clarify something: I am not a financially rich woman. (Yet.) I am rich in other parts of my life, and my finances are finally catching up. If someone needs to keep the $109 because they have something bad going on in their life that they need to get out of, so be it. I don't have money to just throw away. SOMETHING is telling me to do this, and I always listen to that little voice, so I'm doing it. If I get my $109 back, fantastic. If I get more than that back, I am going to "bless" someone new each time.

I don't have a lot of friends, especially in my area. Blessing Gold Club has put me in touch with a lot of like-minded people, and many of them have asked me about working from home. A lot of them have actually been really encouraging to me. A few of them have hit me up to recruit me for their home business. And two have flat out asked me for money.

I am not expecting any "blessings" back, to be completely honest with you. I really wanted to connect with people that are looking to earn money from home-- And these people clearly want to bring in money. I'm not going to harass anyone, but if they ask me about what I do, I'm happy to let them know. Who knows? Maybe the Blessing Gold Club is going to be a bigger blessing for me because it put me in touch with the people I want to connect with.

People that I can bless with a real way to work from home-- And you don't have to sign anything that says you don't expect to receive any money. In actuality, you have to sign a form with my company and give a social security number (or social insurance number if you're in Canada) because you are EXPECTED to make money. (CLICK HERE for more info on my company.)

With that, I leave you with a video that my friend and business partner Carole sent me about what we do. It's a good laugh for those of you that already work in my field:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZiw15VgWoI

My Check for May!

In May, I went to Utah from the 1st until the 5th. I was in Mexico from May 15th - 17th. I had my wisdom teeth removed in a surgical procedure with complications on May 24th and was out of commission until May 28th. I didn't work ANY weekends, except for one hour on a Saturday. I took my kids to a variety of birthday parties, started "Red Mango Tuesday" when I would take them to Red Mango after school on Tuesdays, spent time with my husband, and actually enjoyed life. In the meantime, I earned this in the 42 hours I did work:

 

 

$61.79 per hour? Working from home ROCKS.

If you want information about working from home, CLICK THIS LINK and fill out the form. I'll be in touch with you myself.

More Checks to Show You!

I hit over 100,000 pageviews yesterday! Thank you, loyal readers! I'm really excited. It just goes to show how many people are interested in working from home.

Things got so crazy with Dionne's family last month, I never got to show you my check. Well, better late than never:

Now, I know that's not so impressive. I worked 50 hours, which means that I earned $22.47 per hour-- Completely from home, remember. My check for May, which I will receive next week, is going to blow this one out of the water, and I can't wait to show you. Heck, I can't wait unil it hits my bank account!

But, let me show you a check that my friend Sally earned for the work she did in March:

Sally asked me if I wanted to share it on my blog this morning. She has only been working with me since October, is a mom, wife and nursing student. Think you're busy? You've got nothing on Sally. And look at what she earned!

If you want to earn money from home, click here and fill out the form. Either Sally or I will give you a call or email you back.

A Request for Help

The Myers Family: (l-r) Lorraine, Donald Jr, Dionne & Donald Sr.

As I wrote in my last entry, my best friend lost her dad on Thursday. It was unexpected and tragic, and we are all grieving. Dionne and I have been best friends since 1991, and I know her family very well. Dionne is the one that got me started working from home, which is why I am posting this here.

I would usually send a private message to a few close friends, asking of they would want to contribute to purchase flowers for Dionne. Well, this is different... Dionne is in Canada with her husband and her three sons, while her mother and brother are in New York, along with her father. The flight is absolutely outrageous, costing just under $600. Rather than sending a private message around for flowers, I am putting a request out for donations so that we can get at least one ticket for Dionne. It would be wonderful to get tickets for her boys, too, but one ticket would be wonderful.

If you would like to donate, please click the button below. Thank you, and God bless.

Hitting Home

The morning after I posted my last blog entry, I found out that my best friend's father died. Dionne and I have been best friends since 1991, and I've known her family for the same time. i'm not going to go into what happened with Dee's dad, but it was unexpected and pretty devastating to Dionne, her brother Donald and their mom Lorraine. My heart just breaks for their family. Like many other people, I am praying for them. (And if you are reading this blog, please leave a word of comfort and/or condolences to Dionne and her family. They all read it.)

Isn't it ironic that the last entry I wrote was about not wanting to travel so much, so that I could be in home if (God forbid) something happened? And then Donald Myers, Sr. dies the following morning. It was so painful for me that I wasn't able to be there for Dionne and her family. I called her from Mexico, but couldn't talk long. I don't even know when the wake or funeral is. I haven't talked to Donald (Dionne's brother) or Mama Lorraine yet, except on Facebook. I had to put on a happy face and work with my bride and groom. I felt so helpless.

And I understand if you think that I'm selfish in thinking this, but what if it was my own family? It just hits home a little more as to why I need to make it so that I completely work from home. Yes, the money is fantastic… But I want the time freedom even more. That's what important to me.

So, what is important to you?

Rambling from 36,000 Feet

I have a lot on my mind right now, so this is going to be a big blog entry. You deserve a big blog entry from me, my dear reader, as it is practically a month since I've written anything. For that, I apologize. Life has been a little hectic for me, both in good and bad ways. I've really been building my business strong, so that it can be my sole source of income-- In addition to my husband's, of course. (Believe me, even if I were making $10 Million per year, my husband wouldn't quit his job. He loves being a cop and he was just promoted to lieutenant last month-- one of the good busy things in my life.) 

As you may or may not know, I own a travel and event planning company called Candy Cain Travel. I had a fantastic website, and GoDaddy screwed the whole thing up last month. (One of the bad busy things.) After fighting with them for two days, they wanted $800 to restore my website and all of the emails. I told them to go scratch, thus taking the first step in reducing my travel company's internet visibility. Mind you, I am still booking travel and creating destination weddings, but I'm actually filtering a lot of the work that comes in to my franchise, Candy Cain Travel - Great Lakes Region. In 2012, I had 26 destination weddings on the books, not including what Jason and Anita planned over at Candy Cain Travel - GLR. I've gotten so fed up and stressed out with destination weddings, I have greatly reduced my calendar. As a matter of fact, that's why I'm on the plane right now-- Heading to Mexico for my only destination wedding this season.

Slipping out of the house with my husband to get to the airport early while my five year old twins slept in the house with my mother got me to thinking… Do I really enjoy this lifestyle? Last year, I went to Mexico alone fourteen times. I go without my husband or children, usually accompanied by an assistant. (Kira, one of my best friends, is accompanying me on this trip.) As soon as I get to the resort, I make sure everything is in place for the rehearsal dinner and that it goes off without a hitch. I eat my own dinner, take a shower, and go to sleep. The next morning, I have breakfast, check in with the bride at the salon/spa, check in at the wedding office to make sure that everything is in place, have lunch, get changed, supervise the ceremony, supervise the reception, have dinner, go to sleep. On my final morning (the day after the wedding), I wake up, have breakfast, check out and head to the airport to get home. It's non-stop, starting with the drive to the airport from my home. My day started at 5:00am EST. It won't be done until 10pm CST. This is just day one. If you do the math of how much work I do on a destination wedding from the time that the clients book the wedding until the time I get home from where ever the destination is, I make maybe $15/hr. 

With the work from home business, I haven't made less than $25/hr, regardless of how many hours I work per month.

Me & My Kids on Mother's Day 2013

The thing that really gets me is that I leave my kids for days at a time. I don't know how parents can leave their kids in daycare from morning until night and only spend a couple of hours with them per day. I can't do that. I understand that it is a choice and not everyone feels that they can work from home. I get it-- It just isn't for me. I actually really like my kids, above and beyond loving them as my children. They're fun. They've got good hearts. They're smart. They're entertaining. They're sensitive and compassionate and loving. I want to spend time with them. More over, I want to make sure they have everything they need in life. I want them to have the best educational experience possible. I want to be at their concerts and field days and stuff.

I guess what sucks is that their very first Spring Concert with Our Lady Queen of Apostles Catholic School is on May 16, and I'm going to miss it. This wedding was planned waaaaaay before any news about the Spring Concert came out. They're singing a bunch of songs from The Wizard of Oz, which is going to be so stinking cute.

And I just realized that i took the camera with me. Dammit.

I should be in the audience with the other Pre-K parents, waving at my children on stage, comforting my son when he gets nervous and walks off-stage in the middle of a song, laughing as my daughter fights for prime position in front of the microphone. I should be there, but I'm going to be on a beach in Mexico instead, supervising a wedding for someone that I won't meet in person until this afternoon when I get to Playa del Carmen.

Travel just isn't for me anymore-- Even if I do own the company. My priorities have been readjusted.

Fortunately, working from home gives me the time freedom to do what I want, when I want, and work around my family's schedule. If I had started with this company when my best friend Dionne first asked me back in 2009, maybe I wouldn't be on a plane right now.

Coulda, woulda, shoulda…

When my husband and I went to Pre-Cana Class, we talked a lot about having kids. (For those non-Catholics that don't know what Pre-Cana Class is, it is basically a class given through the Church that prepares you for marriage.) My husband said he wanted three children; I said I wanted four. We had a lot of problems conceiving, as I may have mentioned before in this blog. Five miscarriages, six failed inseminations and one successful IVF, we ended up with our twins Catherine and Charles. We don't have any eggs on ice, and I nearly died three times while giving birth seven weeks early. (I had pre-eclampsya.) We're done. We're not going through IVF ever again. And, truth be told, I'm going to be 37 in September. I'd much prefer to focus on the two I have than go through the grief and stress of IVF again.

Anyway, I went off on a tangent as I sometimes do. During the Pre-Cana Class and thereafter, my husband and I decided that I would stay home with the kids while he would bring home the bacon. I was okay with that idea. I never liked working for someone else anyway, and I owned Teen Trend Magazine that was doing pretty well. Plus, I had just started my travel company. (We got married in 2005, folks… Eight years ago!) I wanted to bring in a little extra money, and had dabbled with a company called Aloette before I met my husband, so I tried to do that again. I spent more than I earned. So, I tried Mary Kay. The woman that recruited me ended up spending her money on my orders to keep me active, and I had so much MK crap in my house that I sold it on eBay and got in trouble for it. (Incidentally, I still have MK products in my basement!) I moved on to PartyLite-- I quit after driving out to Brooklyn from Middle Island and earning a whopping $27. I joined Monavie and spent way more than I earned-- And never made one sale. Pampered Chef sounded like a great idea, until I found out that I would actually have to cook to have a party! I spent the $600 on the kit and never booked a party.  I still use half of the stuff from the kit, while the other half is under my basement stairs.  I even tried Avon, and an old lady yelled at me for "moving in on her territory" when I left a catalog in a Physical Therapy office.

The conclusion that I drew from these different experiences was that I absolutely HATED sales. I needed to do something that didn't involve sales. That being said, I sold Teen Trend and Multiples Magazine, another magazine I had started, right after the twins were born. I had nothing but my travel business, and I worked as hard as I could on it. I was pretty successful, too. I started traveling for my company in June of 2009, when Charlie and Catie were 15 months old. I would go away for a night or two, and come home. I didn't have to leave the house to make money, until I ended up starring in a developmental television show, Wedding Lane with Candy Cain. (Click here to view the trailer!) I appeared on countless radio shows internet interviews, magazines and so forth. 

Then I started traveling a lot. I got really successful.  The more successful I was, the more I needed to travel. Last year, well, I told you how much I traveled just last year. I added all of the time that I was away from home in 2012, and it added up to just under three months. That's three months of me being away from my family. I mean, how much would I miss?

When my husband was hit by a drunk driver in January, I couldn't help but think, "Thank God I wasn't away." What would I have done if I was in Mexico when he was hit? What would he have done? 

Yes, staying home and being successful is a priority to me. I have seen how much people earn monthly with this company. As you saw by my last entry, I'm at a point where I earn about $2000 per month. My friend Jason got a check last month for over $17,000. My friend Gene is expecting a check for around $25,000 next month. Do you have any idea what a check like that would do for my family? Hell, think about what it would do for you and your family. It would change the game a little, wouldn't?

It boggles my mind how people say, "I'm not going to pay to work for someone" when they hear that there is a $29 purchase required to earn money with this company and a $12 per year renewal fee. Really? You're not going to pay to work? Then how do you plan to GET to work? My husband is a cop and he pays $5600 per year in gasoline alone to drive to and from work. I pay $12 per year and I work from home in my jammies. Not kidding. That $29 one time and $12 per year is completely worth it to me to be able to be home with my kids. Do you think I pay for daycare? No, I actually pay to have my kids in private Catholic school-- courtesy of the company I work from home for. I also use that money to pay for gymnastics and baton twirling… And will use it to send them to the day camp they want to go to without blinking an eye.

I also don't understand how those same people have no problem dropping upwards of $200 on a "kit" to do direct sales, then have to be under the pressure of meeting sales quotas. And if you are leaving your home to do parties, how in the world is that working from home?? Take a look at my experiences:

ALOETTE

I enjoyed Aloette because I was using it to supplement my income when I was a professional actress. I tried it while I was on hiatus between shows, then came back to it when I got married. It cost me $199 to get started, and I earned a small percentage of everything that I sold. I honestly can't remember what the quota was, but I had to meet a monthly minimum. The original owner, Christy Cohen, actually sold Aloette a few years back. I never made more than $3000 in the time I did Aloette, and I even spent a bunch of money to go to their Convention back in 2002.

MARY KAY

I have a bad taste in my mouth from Mary Kay, simply because it could be such a shady business. In order for someone to keep their car payment, they have to keep a certain status… If they don't keep that status, they lose the car altogether. The woman that enrolled me was shelling out $3000 PER MONTH in products in order to get a $600 car payment. I quit, and suddenly my sister got a 1099 from Mary Kay at the end of the year. Turns out that this woman got my sister's social security number and was placing orders under her, too. I can't believe that Mary Kay allows shady business practices like that. Plus, you MUST order at least $400 wholesale every other month in order to remain active. I was a "red jacket" with MK, people-- And I never made more than $500. I started selling stuff on eBay, and got a letter to cease and desist. I still have that crap in my basement.

MONAVIE

MonaVie makes that "magic juice" that cures all ailments and is sold in wine bottles for a ridiculously high price. I don't even remember how I got sucked into MonaVie, but I did. I made ZERO with them, and my husband drank a lot of juice. He liked the energy one, but the others were overpriced and just "preventative." If I wanted to sell juice, I'd work at Orange Julius.

PAMPERED CHEF

When I went to a Pampered Chef party, I loved the idea of being like Martha Stewart and selling stoneware and fun kitchen stuff. My grandma used to do demos for Farberware, and I thought it would be fun. I bought the kit and invested like $600, and was told to set up six parties. Well, I'm not a good cook-- And that is known by my friends and family. No one would have a party for me. Not. One. Person. I tried to return the kit, but wasn't allowed. The person that recruited me dropped me faster than a hot potato, and I've still got part of the kit in my basement. I do, however, still use my pizza stone.

PARTYLITE

I went to a party and I loved the candles. I though, well everyone likes candles, so I signed up and bought a kit for like $250. Again, I was told to set up six parties, which I did in my area. I made maybe $40 off of each party, but I was almost in the black! I got a call to do a party in Brooklyn (NO training, by the way-- I figured it all out myself), so I decided to do it… And I earned a whopping $27. That's what I paid in gas- At least. Right then, I quit and sold some stuff on eBay. I still have stuff in my basement.

AVON

Avon was so short lived, because I left a catalog in a Physical Therapy office where I was being treated, and received a nasty call from an old lady telling me that I was in her territory.  I quit and that was that.

I can truly say that I only remember that enrolled me were for Mary Kay and Monavie-- And that's because those ladies were friends of mine before I started. The worst thing is people who promise all sorts of support and then disappear. That NEVER helps with anyone on my team. Ever. If you want to work, we will work with you. I will work with you. There is a $1000 guarantee this month. I want 50 people on my team to earn it so that I can say that the company paid my team $50,000. It would be stupid to enroll someone and leave them at the curb. That isn't what I do. It isn't what my team does. We work together-- And we love it.

We'd love to have you join us, too. We're a fun group of people, and darned successful. Check out my brand new website at www.greenerhorizonsgroup.com/candy -- You can even fill out a contact form there, if you are interested in learning more. I'd love to help you earn $1000 this month.

I'm coming in for a landing, so I'm going to wrap it up here. I still have lots that I want to write about, but I will save that for the flight home. I also have a new trade to post!!

My Check for March!

I work 87 hours in March, from home. COMPLETELY from home. I didn't hold any parties. I didn't buy any inventory. I didn't meet any quotas. I worked for MYSELF, around the schedule of my twin 5 year olds.... And this is the check I earned:

Yep: $2,123.19.

I didn't even have to leave my home. :)  Interested in learning more? Let me know.

Contact me

For some reason, people are commenting that the link to my email doesn't work, and they have been trying to contact me about working with me. So, I created a simple form for people interested in working from home to fill out. Just fill out your info, and I'll contact you. Don't worry, you won't be on any list.

Amy's WAH Reasons (By Guest Blogger Amy)

(Amy is someone on my team that I really admire. She has been working with me for a couple of months, and wrote a guest blog entry. I haven't met Amy in person, but I consider her my friend. This is her guest blog entry about working from home with my team. Read all the way to the end... I've got another trade to offer)

Amy & her kids

I have been working outside of the home since I graduated high school.   I always wanted to be able to work my hours on my time,  but I never knew how I could pull it off.   After having my first child,  I started my quest to find a company that would allow me to be there for my family instead of in an office for eight hours a day.  After six years of searching,  I have finally found that business!   What makes this one different from other businesses I came across? First I had to I learn several things about what I was looking for in a business.  Once I knew those I knew this was the perfect opportunity for me.

1.  You have to LOVE the products or services  offered - wow, what an understatement.   You can't promote a company if there are only one or two things you truly like about their products and/or services.   This is the first business I have come across where I have fallen in love with ALL the products I've used.   My wish list of products to try is a mile long and it's hard to decide what to get next.  Not to mention my husband has fallen in love with the products too.

2.  I hate doing parties! - I personally hate being the center of attention in a crowd, why would I willingly put myself in that sort of situation?  I prefer to talk to people one-on-one.   This business allows me to do my job the way I feel comfortable without having to hold parties.

3.  I don't have room to stock inventory - I live in a small three bedroom house full of toys,  clothes,  and other everyday items.   I don't think I could hold an inventory if I wanted to.  Everything I have from the company is being used and not sitting on a shelf collecting dust.

4.  I despise sales quotas - I've seen companies that require you to meet monthly or quarterly sales quotas.  If you don't make them you're suspended.   Really?   I thought working from home meant you reach for your goals,  not someone else's. 

5.  Your success is directly tied to the amount of training and support you receive from your team - This is big one for me.  It doesn't matter if you work from home or outside the home.  If you've had poor training, it shows in your performance.  I've never seen a better support group than this team I joined.   Everyone is ready and willing to help at any given moment.   It's unbelievable!

I have never felt more connected to a company or a team than I do to this one.   If you're looking to work from home with a company that allows you to be yourself,  offers support day and night,  and has great products you don't need to look any further.  You've found it.   

***

Plain and simple, Amy rocks. She almost won the blog entry challenge with what she wrote. I'm thrilled that she is a part of my team.

As promised, I have a new trade for my Green Paperclip Project!  So far, we have traded:

A green paperclip

to

A black Bic pen

to

A Scentsy Wax Bar

to......

A LaLaLoopsy hairbow and necklace, made by my friend Molly. Molly has Molly2Mollie Creations, which is fantastic. This woman is so crafty, it's RIDICULOUS. She makes amazing hair bows and other crafts. She saw my Scentsy bar, and right away offered me the following as a trade:

4" Pillow Featherbed LaLaLoopsy bow clip & Jewel Sparkles necklace

Mollie values this at a mere $10. I disagree, but since she's the creator, I have to go with her MSRP.(I think it's worth a LOT more!!!)  If you want to check out other fabulous items she has, you can check out her Etsy Store and become her fan on FaceBook. Incidentally, Molly just joined my work from home team last month, but is more of a customer right now-- She's really moving & grooving with her bow business (as you can see).

Molly has a very big heart. On Mach 24, she is going to host her very first benefit auction to help a wonderful family achieve their dream of adoption. Even if you aren't interested in trading with me, please check out Molly's different pages and purchase something from the auction. Help a family become whole, and make some dreams come true.

So, the item up for trade is a LaLaLoopsy set: A 4" Pillow Featherbed hair bow on a clip and a Jewel Sparkles necklace, worth (according to Molly) $10. If you want to trade up, I ask that your trade be at least $15. If your trade is worth $20, I will promote your business or cause in my next blog entry! If you would like to trade up, either post in the comments or shoot me a message.

Changing People's Lives

My son, Charlie, enjoying life the way we all should.

I love my life. It might sound cheesy, but I really do. I love working from home. I have over 250 people on my team worldwide, and that grows every single day. Today is only March 10, and I have already helped 53 people start working from home. FIFTY-THREE!! I can't even begin to tell you how humbling that is. I have been fortunate enough to work from home for the past 16 months. I was only doing it for 5 hours a week for my first year, and I still earned $10,075.86. That's an average of $38.75 per hour completely from home! this year, I decided to take the big leap and put as much work as I possibly could into it and see if I can make over $250,000 this year. 

I posted the pic of my son, Charlie, on the left because he just has such joy on his face. That look on his face is how everyone should feel about their own life. It's how I feel about mine right now.

This weekend, I called every business builder on my team that has helped someone this month. I either spoke with them personally or left a message. I can't begin to tell you how proud I am of my team. TWENTY-NINE people grew their businesses this week and earned a minimum bonus of $25. One woman, Alicia, earned $250 in bonuses alone this week-- And that's a minimum! To know that makes me feel so, so, so proud. I helped Alicia make a difference in her life, and I'm thrilled that she is one of the leaders on my team.

There are so many people out there that genuinely want to work from home - are DESPERATE to make money from home - but they just don't know how to get started. Because of this, they end up getting scammed. It saddens me so much when I hear of people getting scammed, because there really are legitimate ways to earn money from home. I am very fortunate to be able to work with the BEST work from home company out there: debt-free, privately held, A+ rated by the BBB, no sales, no parties, no inventory, no investment... A company that really wants the little guy to get ahead. Well, I am  a "little guy" in the grand scheme of society. Therefore, I should ROCK this business. And, quite frankly, I am. If you want to rock the business with me, shoot me an email or friend me on FaceBook, and I will help you the way that I have helped so many other people.

Bonny, my friend & business partner

One of the women on my team is named Bonny, and she lives in Canada. I love Bonny. She works with my with my travel agency, Candy Cain Travel. She's got a wicked sense of humor and is a great friend. She has been working with me for a little over a year and has gone up and down with her business. Fortunately for me, Bonny is back and building her business with a passion. Just check out the website that she created! Not only that, we work as marketing executives for an international wellness company. Bonny even created a video that shows exactly how important it is to have all-natural products in your home, instead of the crap that you are using already. Bonny is amazing, and I'm so thrilled to be working with her.

If you recall, I've been doing my Green Paperclip Project to show how well marketing can work without having to invest any money. In my last blog entry about trades, Bonny messaged me right away and told me that she would love to trade me a Caramel Pear Crisp Scentsy Bar ($5) for my Bic ballpoint pen. Bonny's trade came all the way from Alberta, Canada and I'm ready to trade it up. Check it out:

Caramel Pear Crisp Scentsy Bar - Worth $5

If you want to trade up, I ask that your item be worth at least $8.50. If it's worth at least $10, I will promote the heck out of your business in my next blog entry after I receive your trade. And, if you don't want to trade but are interested in purchasing something from Scentsy, please be sure to check out Bonny's online Scentsy store. If you're interested in working from home and don't want to contact me to join my team, contact Bonny instead-- Especially if you live in Canada.

I love my life. I can help you love yours again, and feel the way my son looks in the picture at the top of this entry. Who wouldn't want that kind of joy?

Thinking Outside the Box: Getting Leads

Every now and again, I will write a blog entry specifically for people that want to build a business, that are on my team, that are in the same company on other people's teams, or even just people that are considering working with me that are in another business-- Or even to just see how I operate my business and help people.  This is one of those blog entries.

If you aren't interested in learning how to get leads for your business, or if you aren't interested in out-of-the-box ideas I get for my team, then skip this entry. Don't worry-- There will be another one that will interest you soon.

My check will be MUCH bigger for the work I do in March.

Here is the story:

I am a part of another networking group, and this woman was saying how she makes thousands of dollars every month, just by posting links. I, of course, thought It was a scam. She posted a pic of PayPal deposits that she received, totaling over $6000. Out of curiosity, I clicked her link and was brought to a page where I just had to enter my name and email. I figured that I would receive some sort of generic email or something. So, I clicked through and was brought to an affiliate network, instructing me to complete an offer so that I could “get started today.”

Of course, I was like “SCREW THIS!” I didn’t want to complete any offers-- I didn’t want to give my social security number, credit card, personal info, etc. So, I closed out the webpage and went on my merry way, not even giving it a second though.

That is, until I got an email from the woman whose link I clicked in the first place. And it wasn’t a generic email-- It was a personal, private email from this woman’s personal private email address.

Then it dawned on me: This woman got my contact information. I am a lead for her.

OH. MY. GOD.

　

Since I started working from home, I’ve been looking for a way to get “real” leads. I’m not talking about leads that you can buy where people might be interested in working from home. I wanted something where I could connect with people that actually wanted to work from home and let them listen to the opportunity that I have to offer, and potentially find people that really want to work from home.

By just filling out my information, this woman got my email address. If I was able to get people to fill out the page that I filled out, it would indicate to me that they wanted to earn money from home. AND I WOULD HAVE THEIR CONTACT INFORMATION!!!!!!!!!

I finally had a way to generate leads. If I could get my own link, people would be able to fill out their information and have it delivered to me directly. Then I would know that they were interested in working from home, and I could set an appointment with them.

I wanted to do it. Nay, I needed to do it. So, I completed what I was told was the “first part” of getting set up. It cost me $1, and I was ready to go. Then, I was told by the scam artist (and BELIEVE ME, she was certainly a scam artist) that I had to do the second part before I was able to get my personal link, but it should only cost me another $4.

Four hours, $80 and a massive headache later, I learned that I was, indeed, scammed. I filled out all of these stupid offers and whatnot, and ended up getting charged all sorts of money. Fortunately, I was able to get it ALL back within 48 hours. Honestly, I didn’t care about the $80, because this is something that I was experimenting with for my team of 200+ people. If it worked, all of the people on my team that wanted to try to get their own leads would be able to. They would be able to sign up for this offer, and I would give them the email that they could copy and paste to set appointments with the leads that they got.

Know what? It’s freaking working!!!!!!

In the past 48 hours of setting up my page, I got 17 leads. I have set two appointments so far. Those are 17 people that I KNOW want to work from home! It’s fantastic.

Now, you need to keep in mind that we ARE NOT using this website to make money directly from the website. If you do, great-- Congratulations. What you WANT is the ability to contact people that genuinely want to work from home. You want to get their emails, and send them an introduction letter. Folks, I have already written the letter that you can copy and paste to them, and just tailor it to yourself with your own link and name, It’s just CTRL-C, CTRL-V into an email. Then it is up to you to cultivate those leads.

So, how do you do it? Simple:

1. Click here:
 http://www.starter.instantrewards.net/index.php?ref=143256

2. Fill out your contact information.

3. Wait for an email from me.

　

You will get an ACTUAL email from me. NO ONE else gets your email address-- Just me. That email explains your next step.

Just be aware that you WILL have to complete one offer and you WILL have to pay $1. If you don’t want to do it, no problem. It’s just a way that you get a link (like the one I posted above) that you can post EVERYWHERE. You can create pics, ads, banners, etc. and place them around the internet-- It doesn’t matter!!! People will see it. People will click it. You will get their email addresses. You start communicating with them. It’s fantastic.

I like to think outside the box. This is really thinking outside the box, and it is going to help me earn a LOT of money. I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am… Especially since it is going to help a lot of people on my team, too.

Getting Your Point Across (by GUEST BLOGGER Dionne Tuplin)

Me and Dionne, May 2012

Dionne and I have been friends since September 1991. That's a lonnnnng time. She's actually the person that got me started working from home, even though I turned her down for two and a half years.  We've been through an awful lot together, including the ups and downs of working from home. Dionne lives in Canada with her husband and three sons. She wrote this guest entry as a part of a Survivor game that I'm hosting for my team... her blog entry won her immunity.  And, no, it was not because of favoritism. Read for yourself...

Dionne Tuplin, Director V

The Ugly Side of Business from My Perspective

For many, people like to see and hear all the great things about working from home; how much money you can earn, the trips, cars, compensation plan, financial freedom, etc.  Those are all great things, they DO happen, and when it does, the world is your oyster.  However, many who decide to get into this business are not prepared for all the WORK involved.  In fact, I like to say, some are downright LAZY.  That’s right, I said it…LAZY!!!  Lazy to the fact that this doesn’t happen overnight, and the success stories of others also include plenty of struggles and hardships, sacrifices, late nights, early mornings, missed events, arguments, tears, struggles, hair pulling and many reasons to quit.  Many aren’t really prepared for what’s involved when you start your own business, and in reality, they just want the glory without all the hard work.  It’s not easy, but it’s worth it.

My Life as a Work from Home Mom

Working from home has its good and bad points, and I have seen and experienced quite a few.  When I say that some are downright lazy, I mean all they see are the dollar signs; the big bucks and THAT’S all they want.  What some don’t seem to realize is that it takes TIME.  I am in a relationship business, and what that means is you have to be willing to develop relationships with others before you even approach them about what you do.  People have to feel (and know) that you care about them and are looking out for their best interests.  I remember listening to a training call from one of our top leaders.  She talked about when she connects with someone, especially if it’s someone she hasn’t spoken to for years, she will wait a whole YEAR before she even speaks to that person about the business.  I almost fell out of my chair.  I thought, “A YEAR?!?!?!  What is she crazy or something?  I don’t have a year.  It has to happen NOW!!!”  But that has stuck with me and I realize that she’s right.  I have to be willing to invest my TIME in someone; find out all that I can about that person; show a genuine interest and let them understand that I care about THEM.  It’s hard, even tempting to jump all over them with what I have to offer, but more often than not, that tends to scare people off.  This business isn’t going anywhere; in fact, it keeps getting better and better every day.  I like to think of the story of the Tortoise and the Hare, because sometimes, slow and steady wins the race.

Dionne's boys, Isaac, Elijah and Justus

Working from home has been a blessing and a curse.  A blessing in that I can roll out of bed and not have to worry about gas, tolls, day care, a boss, etc.   The downside is, because you’re home, you also have your other responsibilities.  The kids need you, the house needs to be cleaned, everyone needs to be fed, the bills have to be paid, time with your spouse, time, time, time, time.  Oh, and you are running a business from home.  As I am writing this, I’ve had to stop to tend to my oldest who’s been throwing up all weekend; help my youngest who almost had an accident; feed the boys (again) and break up a few fights.  This is LIFE, people.  You can’t turn it off!!!  What I have come to understand is there really is no such thing as TIME MANAGEMENT.  We all have the same 24 hours in a day; no more, no less.  It’s how we utilize our time that makes all the difference.  I make To-Do Lists, and do my best to follow that list as much as possible.  I’d say that I am 80-85% successful with maintaining my lists, and when I do, the results are mind-blowing.

Choices, Decisions, Action

Dionne & the VP of Leadership Development

Life and business are about choices, decisions, and action.  We can choose to be happy, sad, indifferent, etc.  We can decide which mood to be in and how to act on them.  You’re going to be dealing with many different personalities that will more often than not, clash with yours.  Others will look to you for guidance, support, encouragement, and to let them know that you will be there and lift them up.  However, when things aren’t going so great, some of those same people will look to you as the blame.  I’ve come to realize that regardless of what’s going on around me, my successes and failures are a direct result of MY actions…no one else’s.  Some will choose to go with you, some will start and leave, and some will take their own path.  But as long as you stay on YOUR course, you will get to your destination.

Overall, the Benefits Outweigh the Struggles

My experience working from home has had its ups and downs.  Lately, there have been more downs, but what I have come to realize is that just like life, my business hits some bumps in the road.  I’ve experienced success, failure, I’ve helped others succeed, watched others move forward, while others have turned the other way.  I’ve met some amazing individuals who have been such an influence on me personally, professionally and spiritually.  The friendships I have made, I will cherish forever, and my mentors have been my biggest support throughout this whole experience. 

 

Dionne and Bruce Newby, the first and only
black Corporate Directors with our company

The biggest and best reward of all is that I am doing it.  When I started my journey almost 5 years ago, I was scared out of my mind.  I had no clue what I was doing or what I got myself into.  But, I believed in what I saw, my values and beliefs were in harmony with the company’s mission statement, and I wanted a piece of the action.  It’s taken some time, but every day, I wake up and I set out to make a difference in someone’s life.  There are days when I don’t want to do it.  I don’t want to deal with the craziness.  I’ve dealt with lots of no’s – I think the no’s outweigh the yes’s most of the time.  I’ve had people tell me I’m wasting my time;  I should get a “real job;” I’m taking advantage of people and I will not succeed in this business.  It’s hurtful and I have to force myself to NOT take it personally.  At the end of the day, are those people who said no going to pay my bills?  Are they going to give me the life I want?  No!!!  That is up to ME and no one else.  On those days when it seems like the odds are stacked against me, I look at why I do what I do – my boys and my husband.  They trump everything else.  

I AM a success story.  I am very critical of myself and I need to look at all I have accomplished.  I have to learn to not compare myself with anyone except me.  Today, I have to be just a little better than I was yesterday.  I am making a difference in my life and the lives of others, and I celebrate all the victories I’ve accomplished.  I am thankful I was introduced to this company, and given the chance to create my dream life.  I truly love what I do, and I love when others are on board to change their lives as well.  It’s so much fun taking the journey with others and being part of a team.  I love seeing and hearing the success stories of others because they are doing what is necessary to succeed.   My journey is ongoing, and each day is a new chapter in my book.  I can’t wait to see where this journey takes me next.

Dionne & Jory Russell, the Regional Director of Sales for Canada

Another Check, Another Trade

I got paid today! Woot! Take a look:

I also withdrew about another $200 via Direct Deposit. My total earnings for January were $1933.84. That breaks down to $24.79 per hour, considering I logged 78 total hours last month. Not too shabby... And the checks are just going to get bigger from here. I'm more than happy to help anyone earn a check like this, too. Just let me know if you're interested. You can leave me a message at 631.954.1919 and I'll get back to you ASAP.

So... Remember that green paperclip I started out with? I traded up to a Bic pen with a medium tip from my friend, Sarah, in Ohio. Sarah is really involved with Virtual Ability,  and traded with me so that I would bring attention to their organization. Make sure you check them out!

Take a look at my happy new pen:

It is brand new, black ink, and worth about $0.20. So, who has something that they would like to trade with me? I'll trade anything for it, as long as it is worth more than 20 cents. And if you trade something worth $5 or over, I'll even link to your website, fan page, or blog in my next trade entry. Remember, unless you live near me, we will trade through post. Make sure you read my Green Paperclip Blog Entry so you understand my conditions.

If you want to trade, either leave a comment or send me an email.