Annnnnnnnnnd I'm BACK!

I'm ba-ack!

It has been a LONG time since I've updated this blog. Over a year, actually. For those people that follow my blog, I am truly sorry for being so lax and leaving you in the dark. Things have been pretty crazy for me. You see, I made a movie, went to Cannes, got it distributed, yada yada yada. Well, actually, I'm stuck in the "yada yada yada" right now.

Since my film is getting distributed throughout the USA and Canada in August, I'm at a bit of an impasse until then. I can't exactly work on my next film, because I haven't turned a profit for my first one. That means that I have nothing to show my worth to potential investors and whatnot. Trust me, though-- There WILL be another film this year; maybe two. It's just a matter of time.

That being said, it leaves me with a lot of time on my hands. If you know me, you know that I can't just sit here and do nothing... I need to work somehow. So, I decided to get back into the work from home business that I blogged about. I've been cashing checks from this company for over $100 each month even when I wasn't even working. That's the beauty of residual income: I am earning money on a business I set up years ago.

My film's poster, made by Robert Peterpaul

So, I went into my account and checked on things. I still maintain the status of Director, which is fantastic. That means that I get a check every month. I'm very close to going back to Director II-- I just need to enroll one more person into the company as either a customer or to work from home. Looking back on the business that I used to have, I enrolled 23 people in my very first month. I thought back to how I did it, and my answer is simple: Social Media. I posted simple things on FaceBook, such as "Would anyone like to work from home?" and the like. I'm not in a position right now where I can actually do that because people wouldn't understand that I'm doing this to keep my mind occupied rather than working for an income. I really don't want to explain myself. (Can you blame me?)

I need to keep my mind busy. I need something to focus on. Yes, extra money is always fabulous, but this business will let me work when I want to and keep my mind off of other things-- such as my film and distribution for it. I did post a little something on my FaceBook page, saying that I was going to get back into it, and SEVEN people sent me messages about how they can get involved. I spoke with one of them, and she decided to give it a shot. I forgot how simple the business is!

There you have it. This company and work-from-home opportunity allowed me to stay home, build my casting business and eventually produce my own movie. It's a great company to work with. If you're interested, send me a message. Oh, and if you're interested in checking out my film, you can CLICK HERE to watch the trailer.

Who Wants to Go to Atlantis With Me?

I'm sure a lot of people think that I don't work from home with the wellness company I partnered with anymore, or I just failed. The fact of the matter is that my marketing business is my "Plan B." My talent management and consultation company, Cain Talent, is where I focus the majority of my attention. It's very successful (knock on wood) and I am really, really busy with it. So, the marketing business has taken a bit of a back seat to Cain Talent. However, even though I don't focus on marketing right now, I still get a check from the company ranging between $400 - $700 every month since I've stopped focusing on it. (Yes, really.) I don't invest anything-- I never have invested anything with them. Since August 2011, I have earned over $33,000 with this company. (Yes, really.) These checks afford me the opportunity to send my kids to Catholic school, pay for vacations, even splurge on a massage for myself every now and again. It's secure income, and it's freaking fantastic.

I still don't push the company. A friend of mine, Michelle (who happens to have all six of her kids on my talent roster), decided to partner with me regarding this wellness company. She is hosting an event at her home on January 17, where I will present this opportunity to others. (If you're a friend of mine or Michelle's and would like to attend, please let one of us know!) But there is something that I don't think that Michelle fully understands yet...

Atlantis on Paradise Island in the Bahamas

She can go to Atlantis in the Bahamas for FREE. Or she can go and pay for her airfare. It all depends on what she does with this marketing company by April.

And, guess what? YOU have the opportunity to earn the same trip. It's pretty amazing, and honestly the best incentive I've ever seen from this company.

Basically, people that work for the company have the chance to earn points by April 30. If you earn 5 points, you get a water bottle. If you earn 10 points, you get a travel bag. If you earn 20 points, you get 4 nights at Atlantis and up to a $600 room credit. If you earn 30 points, you get 4 nights at Atlantis, up to a $600 room credit and a $500 voucher for airfare. The trip takes place from September 9 - 13, 2015.

Dolphins at Atlantis

What is amusing is that I don't exactly want this trip. If you follow my other blogs and even this one, you might be aware that my husband was very sick over the summer. I'm a little hesitant to take him out of the country, just in case there are some sort of complications. I'd like to wait a year or two until we go outside of the US borders. (And for those of you that followed my Destination Wedding blog, you know how much I've traveled internationally.) But, hey, I can always take my kids and my mom, right? After all, up to four people can be in a room.

Earning this trip is not difficult. I was in so many direct sales companies (Pampered Chef, Avon, Aloette, PartyLite, among others) and I never even came close to attaining any sort of trip with any of them. Ever. Like, I wasn't even considered in the running. 

This incentive, however, is so stinkin' simple that I know that I can do it just by partnering with Michelle. If there is anyone else that would like to go to Atlantis, I would be more than happy to partner with them, too.

Soooo..... Who wants to go to Atlantis with me?

Hey, Moms!

I own a talent management and consultation company, called Cain Talent. I have a lot of kids on my talent roster with moms that want to work from home. Basically, these moms want the ability to create their own schedules so that they can TRULY put their kids first.

 

I've been working with this wellness company since before I started Cain Talent. That's since August of 2011, folks... TWO YEARS since before I started Cain Talent. I've been working EXTREMELY part time, and I've earned $33,000. Some months, I don't work at all, and I still get a check for like $600. I set my business up ONCE and get paid on it in perpetuity.

 

It's a simple concept. It's a lot of fun. And, yes, you can make a really nice amount of money. No investment, no quotas, no sales, no pestering friends for parties... Just setting up accounts for people to do some of their monthly grocery shopping. It's freaking fantastic.

 

People in the USA, Canada, Mexico, Ireland, England and Scotland can join my team and get started working immediately. It's MARKETING, not sales. And, frankly, it's a ton of fun. If you're interested in joining my team, send me a friend request on FaceBook or shoot me an email. Let's chat!

Why I do What I do

A lot of people look at me and either exclaim, "Wow, you do everything!" or ask, "Is there anything that you don't do?" I used to just chuckle at that, but now it has gotten to a point where it gets under my skin. I feel as though people are mocking me, teasing me, thinking things about me that just aren't true. Yes, there are things that I don't do: I don't deal blackjack professionally. I don't deal with spiders. I don't excel at science, and am dreading it when my kids start getting into the touch stuff. I don't camp. I don't do balloons. So, yeah, there are a lot of things that I don't do.

Just because I do more to earn money than the average person doesn't mean anything except that I don't want a J-O-B. I will do anything to avoid working for anyone else. I don't like authority. I don't like people telling me what to do. I don't want to make money for anyone else. I know this about myself. I'm a better person because I know this about 

So, why judge me?

I own travel agency, Candy Cain Travel. I started my travel agency back in 2006, when I was going throughWedding Lane With Candy Cain. It just so happened that my destination wedding business became a subject of a reality show, which was never picked up. I became known for destination weddings. Right now, I only have one destination wedding on the books for next year and NONE for this year. I keep the travel agency because I like the perks I get, and I also have a lot of repeat and referred clients. I'm not going to turn business away.

fertility treatments so that I could stay home. I specialized in destination weddings, which is why I created

I own Cain Casting & Talent Management, a talent management company based on Long Island. I love the entertainment industry-- I've been involved in it my entire life. I rarely get in front of the camera any more-- Although I do have an audition tomorrow to play in a Tina Fey and Amy Poehler film. I'm able to get other people involved in the entertainment industry and help kids save for college. It's so much fun for me. Yes, working in the entertainment industry is what I do for fun. 

More importantly, my son is who asked me to get involved in the entertainment industry again. He asked me if I could get him on TV after seeing me on an episode of Malcolm in the Middle. That's how it all started. My kids love it. They were just on the TV show The Blacklist, and were terrific. They got a kick out of seeing themselves on television. If I'm able to give them the experience and help them save money for college, why shouldn't I do it? Think about what you would do if you were in my position-- If you had the connections and the knowledge that I have. Wouldn't you do exactly what I'm doing?

And, yes, I work from home for another company, which is what this entire blog is about. I help people do the same, and earn what they want to earn. If I put in more hours, I make more money. If I work less or no hours, I still get paid, thanks to residual income. I didn't work AT ALL last month, and I still received a check for $465 with them. And, no, I don't sell anything. There's actually a policy stating that we're not allowed to sell.

I'm happy. I love what I do-- EVERYTHING that I do. I experience success every day. I also experience failure, but I pick myself up and keep on going. Perhaps that is the difference between me and other people-- I don't quit. And, quite frankly, I'm not going to let people steal my joy. Maybe you can't relate to me because you're the type of person that chooses to live in a 9 to 5 job, and that's totally fine. I don't judge you. 

So, why judge me?

Click the picture above if you want to learn more about what I do from home.

Candy's Weightloss Challenge

Isn't it ironic to see "Candy" and "Weightloss" in the same sentence? HAH! Well, this Candy is going to inspire you to lose weight and get in shape... And you get to do it with me.

Now, I've been working with this company for nearly three years. I've earned over $30,000 working very part time. I'm currently at the yearly convention, and I've had some marvelous training. I just learned all sorts of things about three of the products-- All guaranteed to help you lose weight, maintain a healthy blood glucose level and get into better shape overall.

Right now, my shape is a bit round. I'd much prefer to go for hourglass.

What's your shape?

Learning about these products got me to thinking... There are so many of my friends that I know want to lose weight and get in shape. I see FaceBook posts and Tweets all the time about people complaining about the shape they're in and how they need to lose weight. Hell, I'm one of these people. I need to lose weight. I'm not at a healthy weight.

But I absolutely HATE exercise. I hate the gym. I tried Zumba, but I skipped out after the first class and went for ice cream with my friend. Exercise and I don't mesh. At least, right now we don't. Maybe that will change in the future.

I don't have a support team for weightloss, either. I get snarky comments from family members (who shall remain nameless-- but NOT my husband), which aren't very productive. I hate shopping for myself because I don't like looking at myself in a mirror. I used to be 5'9" tall and a size 6 in high school. Now I'm nearly 5'10" tall and a size 16/18.

I want to change. And I know that there are a lot of people that want to change, too.

I've tried NutriSystem ($500 blown), Jenny Craig ($440 blown), and countless others. With those two, I did them for a little over a month each. That's nearly $1000 that I spent, and I'm no better than I was before. Plus, those products have all sorts of chemicals in them.

The company I work for has a natural solution for weightloss, and I'm diving into it head first on June 1. I know that I need a support team, so I've created Candy's Weightloss Challenge. It isa 90 day weightloss challenge and the person that has dropped the highest percentage of body fat wins $150.

Now, that's $150 out of my own pocket. You can take it cash, gift card, check, PayPal, whatever. But, September 1, all of the photos and measurements are due.

This is how it's going to work:

1. You enroll in the shopping club I'm a part of for $1. It's a one time fee.

2. You purchase a 30 day supply of the weightloss shake and exercise bars ($83.86 before tax and shipping).

3. You take a before photo of yourself facing forward, sideways and back to the camera in tight-fitting clothes and email them to Candy.

4. You weigh yourself and take the measurements of your bust, waist and hips, and send your weight and measurements to Candy. (Don't worry- your secret is safe.)

5. You eat an exercise bar 15 minutes before you work out once per day. Going to a walk for 30 minutes ABSOLUTELY counts as exercise!!! (That's what I'm going to do, fyi.) If you can't exercise, there is another effective way to use these bars-- Which I will write out in the instuctions when you join the challenge!

6. You drink a shake as a replacement for breakfast.

7. On day 21, you weigh yourself, take measurements, take pictures and send them to Candy. If you are happy with the results, place your order for the next 30 days through your account. If you're not, cancel and send your used items back. You will get a refund.

8. Repeat for days 31 - 60 and 61 - 90.

9. The winner receives $150.

This is the very basic weightloss regimen. There are other regimens that you can do, but they are a lot more costly and I know that people would be hesitant to try it. But know that this is a 100% money back guarantee through the company. You are enrolled with the company and you shop directly through them. I don't sell anything. I'm a customer with this company. I placed my order. I'm ready to rock 'n roll.

I saw the story of a woman today who weighed 550lbs two years ago, when this shake came out. She lost 280 lbs. If she can do it, I can do it. Of that, I'm sure.

I will create a FaceBook group for everyone that wants to do this challenge. You can refer your friends to the challenge. As a matter of fact, for every friend that you refer to this challenge, the company will pay you $25. Get a bunch of friends and do it together.

Who knows? Maybe this challenge will be so successful that  I will run it again in 3 months with an even bigger prize.

If you want in, shoot me a message. I'll set you up with your account so you can choose the flavors of the shakes and bars, and have everything sent to you. Then I'll add you into the FaceBook group and we'll start on June 1.

Let's do it!

NOW is the Time

As you all know, I work from home. Yes, I own a successful talent management company and a travel agency, but that's not what I am talking about. After I started Candy Cain Travel and before I started Cain Casting & Talent Management, my best friend approached me about working with her on a marketing team. I resisted because I thought it was sales-- You've read my blog. You know the history. (And if you haven't, perhaps you should read some older entries.) I've been working this business since August 9, 2011. Some months I work a lot. Some months I don't work at all. Every single month, I get a check. It never fails-- No matter how much or little I work, I get a check. And none of my checks have ever been under $370.

Not too shabby for a company where you don't invest anything and don't have to sell anything.

I'm at Convention now.  They revealed a new compensation plan that knocked my socks off. There is such an incredible opportunity to earn money from home with this company, it's absolutely astonishing. Mind-boggling. AMAZING.

I am so unbelievably excited. We don't sell anything. They even revealed a new policy stating that we are not allowed to sell the products that the company makes!!! So, no, it isn't an MLM.

No investment. No sales. No inventory. No risk. Work on your own time. Free up your time so you can be with your family. Pay off your debt. Change your life.

NOW is the time to change. If you don't change things for yourself, who is going to change the outcome of your life?

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

I can't believe it's 2014. I feel like there should be flying cars and homes that looked like they are straight out of The Jetsons. I, like many others, have made some New Years Resolutions. The one I will mention in this blog is that I am determined to be COMPLETELY debt-free by the end of the year: All credit cards, student loans, etc... They will be gone by December 31, 2014. I'm determined to do it. I know I can-- Especially working from home with a company that encourages its people to become debt-free. Heck, they even partnered with the financial guru Dave Ramsey to give the people that work with them tips about saving money and becoming debt-free. How could you NOT want to work with a company like this?

I'm all about sharing this year. I don't pressure-- I share. And I would love to share what I do from home with you. I want other people to be able to experience the flexibility that I experience working from home. It is so liberating to know that I'm going to receive a check for no less than $600 every single month regardless of whether I work or not. I know that it is going to be there, no matter what. Maybe $600 doesn't sound like a lot of money to you, but it means that I don't have to worry about the tuition payment for my kids to go to Catholic School. It's there. It's awesome.

A few entries ago, I wrote about the Blessing Gold Club.  You know... Where I had to send in $109 and get $37,500 in return? Well, it has been six months, and I haven't received one dime. Not even a penny. Can you imagine my shock and dismay? Oh, wait... I signed something giving them my money and saying that I didn't expect anything in return. How is that fair? I didn't have to do any work at all! I sent in $100 and waited. Why didn't I get any money back?

Folks, do you see how utterly ridiculous that is?

I am looking for people that truly want to WORK from home. I want people that are motivated, self-starters, responsible, reliable and focused. No, this isn't an MLM-- I've tried many MLMs in the past, and always got burned. I've never gotten burned in the two and a half years that I've worked with this company. Never. You won't either.

If you want to work with me, send me a friend request on FaceBook or shoot me an email. Let's set up a time to chat. 

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?