My "Why"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Just to Clarify

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

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

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

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

My Story.

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

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

Photo by Cassandra Mooney

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My Amazing Team

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

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

Candice & Dionne at Convention

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

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

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

Sam & Candice, the night Sam decided to join.

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

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

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

My Epiphany

I figured out what my problem is with this business. I see that it is a simple business. I see how it works. I see the income potential. I have deposited nice checks into my bank account. I enjoy what I do. I know how to network. I know how to approach people. It is a simple, simple busines, and I am really excited about it.
So, what is my problem? My problem is that I see everything. I automatically assume that others can see the same things that I do and share in my excitement. Then I get frustrated when they don't get it or aren't excited. My problem is that I am so over-excited about this business that I scare people away. I just want everyone to see what this business is, get excited about it, and succeed.

I hate getting the objections, but that is a part of the business. And the cancellations from the people that I have enrolled on my team are part of the business, too. I have enrolled 51 people since I joined on August 7. FIFTY-ONE!!! Of those 51, 17 have cancelled so far and I believe at least three more will be cancelling next month. Still, I have 34 people that I personally enrolled onto my team, and a total of 89 people on my team. There are going to be cancellations. One of the training CDs that I listened to compares the business to driving. If you park your car, you aren't going to get any exhaust. If you drive slowly, you're going to get a little exhaust. If you put it into high gear, you are going to have a lot of exhaust. You can't worry about the exhaust, but just focus on the road in front of you. That's some advice that I really, really need.

The business is a simple one: You enroll people, you shop for your own products, you earn money.  Is it easy to get people to enroll? Not necessarily. A lot of people think that it is a scam, and it's not. A lot of people overthink the business, which is silly because it is such a simple concept. Many people approach the business as a sales job, which is TOTALLY wrong. A lot of people get frustrated when they get objections. Objections are a part of this business, as are cancellations. You just can't get discouraged.

My epiphany? I need to take my own advice.

ARMCHAIR MILLIONAIRE TALLY:

GOAL: $1,000,000.00

TOTAL EARNED: $3,095.58

REMAINDER UNTIL GOAL: $996,904.42

MY Business, MY Terms!

I hate when people try to shove things down my throat about things I "have to" and "don't have to" do. When I started this business, it cost me $1 to enroll, plus 9 cents for tax. I went shopping for $67.04. My total money spent my first month came to $68.13 and my check was $839.26. With the $67.04, I bought some hand soap, dog shampoo (which reminds me, my stinky chihuahua totally needs a bath), crackers, toothpaste, foot spray and a couple of other grocery items. The second month, I spent $238.06 and earned $754 and change. The third month, I spent $71 and change, and made $712. The fourth month, I spent $62 and earned $862. I have earned $3,095.56 and have spent under $450. My profit so far with this company is over $2645, if you include what I spent on shopping for my own items.

I like this business because it is so simple: Refer friends and earn money. Enroll them as either customers or as business builders, and you earn money. Of course, enrolling business builders is more desireable simply because business builders that you enroll help your business grow. Customers are great, too, because that is residual income ALL of the time.

The ladder of success with this company is a simple concept. "All you have to do" is achieve the following rungs to achieve success:

1) Enroll 8 people. You will earn a minimum bonus of $100. You have achieved the rank of Director.
2) Enroll a minimum of 10 people, and have 10 others below you that either you or someone else enrolled. You will earn a minimum bonus of $200. You have achieved the rank of Director II.
3) Help someone you enrolled become a Director. You will earn a minimum bonus of $300. You have achieved the rank of Director III.
4) Help four others you enrolled become a Director. You will have earned a minimum of $6,600 in bonuses while developing these directors. You have achieved the rank of Senior Director. Congratulations! You have qualified for a $400/month car bonus!

That is the first ladder that I am climbing. Right now, I am in-between rungs three and four. It gets SO frustrating that people don't understand this business. The first rung of the ladder is to become a director and enroll eight people. That's it. I enrolled eight people in nine days. (I actually enrolled 23 people in 17 days, and double advanced to Director II in my first month.) One of the people that I developed to director stopped working her business because she decided to open her own baking business. Three people cancelled, dropping her to Marketing Executive IV. She cancelled. I get it.

Someone else that I enrolled and helped get to Director last month had two people cancel, dropping her back down to Marketing Executive IV. It seems to me that she has given up trying this month, which is SO frustrating to me. I know that she'll make Director again, but I really need to get someone to Director by the end of this month. (How about YOU? Would YOU like to work from home?)

I can't MAKE people want to build their business. I can't MAKE them want to earn money. It is unbelievably frustrating, since there is such a simple formula to make money from home: Enroll friends; shop for your own products; earn money, repeat. It isn't rocket science. It's a simple formula to make money from home.

Yet, people do not seem to grasp the idea. They overthink it. They over-analyze it. They think it's too good to be true. They won't try. Why not?? Can someone PLEASE tell me why it is so difficult to grasp and follow this concept? YARGH.

The items that the company sells are products that people would buy in the store ANYWAY... Shampoo, deodorant, conditioner, soap, laundry detergent... It's not like having to lay out extra money for an inventory or for products you wouldn't normally use. You are just switching stores. The products are better quality, all-natural and less expensive. I don't get it.

When I did Mary Kay, I was told that I HAD to purchase a minimum of $200 every two months as an inventory. I HAD to do skin care classes and parties and whatever. My Unit Director was ordering inventory for everyone and sending it to herself so that she could keep her title. It was awful. I haven't sold Mary Kay in two years, and I still have products that I'm listing on eBay.

When I did PartyLite, I HAD to buy a $199 kit with all sorts of products in it. I HAD to have parties. I HAD to meet a quota. I hate selling, so what was the point of me even trying this business? And I still have PartyLite products that I'm listing on eBay.

The same story went for Avon, Aloette, Pampered Chef and MonaVie. I was DONE with these businesses, so I started my own travel & event planning business, Candy Cain Travel. I didn't want to go work for someone else, so I started my own business. When I started with this work from home company in August (2011), I was skeptical. But I've made just under $3100 in four months. It is residual income that I can count on. I get it. Why doesn't anyone else???

Change Your Life For $1

I haven't written in a while, and I'm sorry. I have been outrageously busy this month with traveling, getting ready for the holidays, working with new people, trying to help others with their business, growing my own, etc. You get the idea. UNBELIEVABLE busy, and my blog is what has suffered. Sorry about that. I'll try to be better.

First and foremost, I made Director III this month. I'm so excited! With that came a $600 bonus, which is being paid out in three monthly installments. My check was over $700. Take a look:

So, that brings my total to $2,271.87 since August 7 of this year. That averages to over $750 per month. Not too shabby, if you're asking me-- Especially since this is something that I am still doing on a part-time basis. I don't have the ability to do it full-time at the moment, but I hope to in 2013. (2012 is riddled with seminars, destination weddings and conferences all over the world.)

It is usually $29 to join my team. Until November 30, it is a mere $1. You enroll, confirm, and go shopping for products you would buy at the grocery store anyway. Oh, did I mention that you are guaranteed $500 if you enroll eight (8) people by the end of the month? Yeah, you heard me. $500 guaranteed for enrolling eight people that confirm and shop, too.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I am thankful that I joined my best friend, Dionne, and started this side business. This is a major roller coaster ride with all of the ups and downs, but it is also a lot of fun. Email me if you'd like to get on the ride, too. And, hey, it's a buck until the 30th.

ARMCHAIR MILLIONAIRE TALLY:

GOAL: $1,000,000

EARNED: $2,271.87

TOTAL NEEDED UNTIL GOAL: $997,728.13