Archive for the ‘Organization and Planning’ Category

Goal Getting – An alternate way to approach your direct sales business.

In my many years of Party Plan direct selling I have seen it time and time again… women come home from their annual convention fired up, determined that by next year they’ll be able to walk the stage in the top 10, earn the cruise and have enough income to purchase their dream home on the ocean. It is great to come home motivated and excited about your company. Having big dreams is a wonderful thing!

Sometimes, however, it’s just not realistic for the average WAHM who wants a life outside of her business. Because she has just heard some wonderful goal setting advice from the top leaders in our company she sets those wonderful goals, posts them on the fridge with a picture of the dream home circled in red pen and she looks at them every day.

But the reality of it is, many work at home moms have life boundaries that they are unwilling to cross. And those boundaries will make it very difficult to achieve even one of those goals. Because of this, unfortunately, many women who could have a wonderful and fulfilling career in direct sales quit because the goals they’ve set are just plain unrealistic for where they are in life. Instead of enjoying the benefits of a business with the freedom and flexibility to earn some money while still living the rest of life, they assume they’ve failed because the unrealistic goal was just that… unrealistic for now.

That said, if you’re a mom like me who has a full life with other involvements and time commitments that you are unwilling to shelve even temporarily for your direct sales business, you might enjoy an unorthodox approach to goal setting. I like to call it Goal Getting.

With Goal Getting you are looking at your life and determining exactly what you can expect from your Direct Sales business based on your priorities and life commitments. Basically, you’re working backward from the usual goal setting process.

First, let’s lay some groundwork. If you are married, talk with your husband about your schedule. If you were to say to him, “Honey, I’m planning on being out four nights a week for the next 6 months so I might earn a cruise,” what will he say? What about three nights? Two nights? Is one night a week or even one night a month the more realistic schedule for you? You can always come back to him after you’ve written down your schedule (see next step) to add in an extra day or two or more.

Now, here’s where the work comes in. If you don’t already have a master family calendar, it’s time to get one! Get a nice big calendar with room to write in each day of the month. Pull out all the schedules you have, school, church, mom’s groups, bunco nights, etc, and put them all on there for as many months out as you can. Do you have date nights with your hubby regularly (if not, you should… but we’ll save that for another day)? Is there a TV show that you absolutely will not miss for ANYTHING and are not willing to record? Be realistic here ladies…some moms come into a business and say, “Oh, I can sacrifice ‘Survivor’ to do a party” but then the first time a party comes along on that night, and they resent having to give it up. Do yourself a favor and admit it…and schedule around it!

Do not just look at evening activities, but write in the daytime stuff too. Think through a typical week for your family. You want a realistic picture of what is there. So few women do this but it’s a worthy exercise no matter what home business you are in but particularly with Direct Sales where being away from home for a party or workshop is a given.

Now, take that full calendar back to your husband and work together with him to determine how many and which nights would be best for you to be away. Meet with the rest of the family and talk over what this is going to look like so everyone is on the same page.

The groundwork is laid…now let’s GET the goals…

1. Find out from your company what their average party/workshop sales are. This will likely be your average too and even if your totals are higher, use this average for the goal getting process since it will allow for cancellations, reschedules and the like.

2. Based on your commission structure, and basic costs of doing business, determine how much you’ll take home from an average party.

3. Multiply that number by the amount of parties you’ve determined you can do in any given month.

Ok, now what do you think of that number? Not bad, huh? Do you want it to be higher? Talk with your family again and see if there are any changes that can be made, but remember that those changes will mean sacrifices in other areas of your life. That’s fine but just remember that you cannot have it all!

Although many hope for it, most in the home party plan business will not reach the $100,000 annual achievers club and the company incentive trip while still being the president of the PTA, singing in the church choir, being the Girl Scout Troop leader, having a date night with your husband and maintaining a spotless house where husband comes home to every night to a rested wife ready to meet his every need!

However, even with a full life, you CAN make a nice additional income, purchase your own products and gifts for others at a discount and maybe even earn an incentive or two. And who knows, when the kids are older and the scout troop no longer needs you as leader, you can add a party or two to your schedule and earn that cruise.

Want a simple goal getting worksheet? Enter your information here and we’ll pop the PDF in your inbox in a bit!

Home Businesses Tax Tips
By Aramis Gil

It’s tax time again, and if you are a home business owner that can mean it’s an especially busy time. Having a home business means you can take advantage of some nice tax benefits. However, if you take advantage of these tax breaks, you must have a designated office in your home that is not used for any other purpose other than your work. Here are some tips to get you through this tax season:

1. Get organized. Make certain you have everything you need before you take a trip to your accountant. You must have detailed information, receipts and documentation for everything you claim.

2. Be honest. Remember, the IRS is an expert at home business tax filing. You’re not going to be able to claim that trip to Disney World with your family as a business expense, even if you did hand out your business card to everyone you met. If you operate a home business you are more likely to be audited than someone who doesn’t. Don’t claim anything you can’t back up, because if red flags appear on your claim, you could be in for an expensive audit.

3. Make sure you get what’s coming to you. One of the many benefits of working online from a home business is the tax breaks you are eligible for. For example, if you make pottery at home, the cost of the materials, the cost of shipping, any storage costs, could be deductible. Any capital expenses that are specifically tied to your business, such as the purchase of a computer or laptop can be deducted.

You can also deduct the cost of starting up your business, including office furniture, any investment required to start up your business, computer and office equipment, etc. Because you work from home, certain expenses that pertain to the upkeep of your home can be deducted, including mortgage interest, insurance, utilities, repairs, and depreciation. The IRS dedicates an entire section to what it does and does not allow for deductions on its website. Even if you have an accountant, it’s probably a good idea to take a look to make certain you’re getting back everything you should from Uncle Sam.

4. Another benefit you might not have known about. If you borrow $50,000, use half for your business and half to put in a new pool, you can claim the 50 percent of that loan interest as a interest in a business expense.

5. If in doubt, leave it out (or ask you accountant). According to the IRS, if you can deduct a business expense, it must be ordinary and necessary. No, that 60-inch flat screen TV that you keep on CNN would likely not be considered ordinary or necessary. You need both to comply with the guidelines.

6. Hire a competent accountant. Do you really want to face the IRS alone if you do get audited? Didn’t think so.

So, this tax season, take a deep breath, get organized, and follow all the guidelines laid out by the IRS. You’ll be happier in the end, and hopefully get to keep a bit more of your hard-earned cash.

Aramis Gil is the owner of www.MoneyAG34.com and reviews popular home business ideas and opportunities. Aramis’s favorite home business is the moneyag34.com where you can get your own home business website setup to earn multiple streams of income within 24 hours.

It’s time for new beginnings. Even in the direct sales field this time of the year many stay at home moms are considering and signing up for direct sales businesses to help bring additional income and fun into their family life!

But Direct Sales is work for those who want it to be more than just a hobby and moms have a full and busy life already. So how does a new (or seasoned) direct seller work smarter and not harder to be successful? Let’s talk about some easy and inexpensive ways to work smart this season and beyond.

1. Use your company tools. I know… this sounds like a no brainer but I’ve heard countless stories of women who jump into a direct sales business and are convinced that they can do it better on their own and ignore the systems and tools that their company has put into place. All GOOD direct sales companies have fabulous training, promotional materials and a system for how to use them already in place. Follow their simple steps consistently and you will see results. Use your company-sponsored materials and save an incredible amount of time not having to create your own flyers, business cards, etc. They might be a tad more expensive, but well worth it in professional look and ease.

2. Use your upline. She WANTS to work with you and will probably have some great tried and true ideas to share. Most of the time her success is dependent on your success so let her know your goals and dreams for your business. Share your ideas with her and get her feedback. Ask lots of questions and most of all… do what she says. Much of direct sales and network marketing is duplication so if you have a successful upline, just do what she does… and you won’t know what she does unless you ask her! Even if your upline is only a few days newer to the business than you, contact her and 3way in with her sponsor or the company directly.

3. Use a schedule. Do something that’s income producing on your business every single day….even if it’s only 15 minutes a day. Set a schedule for your “office hours” so that hubby and the kids know that if it’s 7:00pm Mom’s going to be on the phone or at the computer. Use those 15 minutes to work on things that actually bring you money- not checking your email or im-ing your best friend. Call a potential hostess or customer, place a pay-per-click ad for your business, call and invite your friends to an open house, etc. Do those things that have the potential to put money in your pocket as a result of doing them.

4. Use learning. There are people in the world who have made millions in direct sales and now are sharing their knowledge and expertise with the masses. Even as a longtime direct seller myself, I am constantly learning and listening and growing by purchasing learning tools or getting business books at the library. Schedule a time each week for learning and then practice or try the things that you hear and read. Direct Sales is not rocket science but there is always something more to learn about yourself and your business. And you never know when one little nugget of wisdom from someone might mean the turning point in your business. Talk with your sponsor about what she’s read but start your own personal library as well. You’ve got a great resource right here – print out the articles on this website and use a highlighter to capture the “ah has” for your own business!

5. Use technology. I cannot stress enough the fabulous time savers I’ve found through technology. The use of an auto-responder alone has increased my capabilities ten fold. Not techno savvy? Invest in a good virtual assistant and have her use the technology for you. Can’t afford the tools or a VA? Search the Internet for the tremendous free tools that are available to start with – but just remember, you get what you pay for. Free tools are fine to help you see the benefits of using the systems but as soon as you can, upgrade to a system that will work the best rather than just the cheapest. You’ll be glad you did.

This is just the tip of the iceberg of working smarter in your business, but it’s a start. Use this season to get a fresh start with your direct sales business!

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