2) What is the best thing about working from home?
Being there for my daughters every need, every want.

3) What is the worst thing about working from home?
Not seeing the dishes and laundry piles everywhere!

4) How do you organize your day so you have time to be a Mom and work too?
I use my daughters nap time to work my business, and get any household chores complete, so that when she is awake, I can focus my energy on her, and not have to think about everything else that needs to be done.

5 ) What has been your biggest challenge and how have you been able to overcome it?
Fear of the telephone,  I have always been afraid of rejection, but I have learned that for every “No” I hear, there is a “Yes” waiting just behind them.

6) How do you keep yourself motivated?
Reading Eye on Arbonne stories, which are the real stories of men and women that have built successful businesses with Arbonne, and are living the dream of staying at home with thier children, going on wonderful vacations, and building dream homes.

7) How long after you started your business did you start to see any measurable amount of success?
I am still a work in progress.  I do see myself driving a White Mercedes by Christmas

1) What kind of advice would you give to a mom who is new to Network Marketing?
Don’t pay for things you can learn to do yourself.  i.e.: Graphics for websites, submission to search engines, keyword searches, your location in search engines and actually much more.  These are things you learn by being online and putting in a little extra effort.  If you cannot build your own web site, take the time to learn how.  It is much easier than you think.

2) What is the best thing about working from home?
You can work as few hours as you want…

3) What is the worst thing about working from home?
You wind up working more hours than you want.

4) How do you organize your day so you have time to be a Mom and work too?
I am a grandmother now but take care of my fiance who had a brain aneurysm in 1997.  He is severely handicapped, so I guess you could say I take care of a Big Kid.  I work my day around a schedule I have for him.

5 ) What has been your biggest challenge and how have you been able to overcome it?
Learning to design and build web sites.

6) How do you keep yourself motivated?
I love what I do so the motivation is there.

7) How long after you started your business did you start to see any measurable amount of success?
Oh Boy – this is tough to answer.  Probably about 2 years.

1) What kind of advice would you give to a mom who is new to Network Marketing?
Take is slow, one step at a time.  There is so much information to take in, my best advice, find yourself a good mentor who is successful and willing to help you learn.   Start slow, learning one thing at a time until you understand that process.

2) What is the best thing about working from home?
The best thing about working from home is the ability to set my own hours and not be running around first thing in the morning to head into crazy traffic.  I prefer the freedom to choose my own hours and work around daily events that I am now available to partake in.

3) What is the worst thing about working from home?
I can’t think of any ‘worse things’, however, I caution anyone wanting to work at home to set a schedule as in any work.  Do not become a victim of your business.   Focus on all things that are important.

4) How do you organize your day so you have time to be a Mom and work too?
As a Mom, you know the schedule of your children, within reason.  Set your work schedule to fit around your kids’ schedule.  This may not always work, but it’s a good starting point.  Working at home allows flexibility, however, if you are planning to work at home, be certain to set and work with your goals.

5 ) What has been your biggest challenge and how have you been able to overcome it?
My biggest challenge is always getting everything done.  To overcome this, I am consistently making my lists and focusing on what’s important.  Focus is the key to making all this work.

6) How do you keep yourself motivated?
I have no challenges here because I love what I do.  Focusing on my goals and working to achieve them is motivation enough for me.  Positive mental attitude makes all the difference in the world.  I caution anyone wanting to work online to take the time to find what it is they WANT to do, what they LOVE to do … and don’t settle for just ANY business just because the “ad” was compelling.  People will say anything to get YOU into their business … be discriminating – it will be worth it.

7) How long after you started your business did you start to see any measurable amount of success?
Ah … a trick question!  I’ve been online and involved in marketing since 1999.  When I started online, there was NO help, NO training … just a few individuals with clever ads that did what they could to make you believe anyone could do this just by signing on.

Through trial and error and a few good mentors, I began to focus on building my contact list and less on “building my downline”.  I found that as soon as I changed my focus to people, my business began to increase.   I would say that the average person can be in profit in 3 to 6 months (if they follow their focus and don’t try to do it all at once!).

I look forward to helping everyone I can to better understand this world called the Internet.

1) What kind of advice would you give to a mom who is new to Network Marketing?
It is a great way to earn a generous amount of money from your computer!

2) What is the best thing about working from home?
Being able to homeschool my children.  School isnt eating up so much of our time and working from home means I can be with my family more.  Allows for more flexibilty because I can schedule my home business’ around  what is going on at home.

3) What is the worst thing about working from home?  Sometimes the housework is staring back at me, but its never more than the previous nights mess.  Otherwise absolutely nothing!

4) How do you organize your day so you have time to be a Mom and work too?
I have to make exercise a priority, me time, getting out the days stress!   A hike in the woods with my 2 black labs for about 45-60 minutes.Sit-ups and about 10 push ups.   Nothing gets to me if I get this one thing in!  Life is but a breeze!  This keeps me healthy on the inside.

Once a month is a pedicure or a facials or a trip to the hair salon for cut and color.

This keeps me looking presentable on the outside!

Otherwise I get up before everyone else about 7-8 am get online check emails and the days business.  Hubby get up and showered for work, leaves. Get kids up to eat and start school.   They are on computers at this time so I use this time to walk, shower and do house work until lunch. The kids take a break for lunch and chores. I get back on for an hour or two. The kids get back on and finish if they need the extra time.  I run and do errands if I need to post office, groceries during this time. Husband will come home and make dinner, I married an Italian!  I will be online working and chit chatting with him too while he makes dinner, catch up on the day or whats coming up.

This allows for kitchen clean up, maybe some time for gardening, maybe a little tv.   Then before I retire  for the night I check  e-mails once more for new recruits wanting info or any immediate business that will need my attention first thing the next day.

5) What has been your biggest challenge and how have you been able to overcome it?
Being afraid to network!!  I am a shy girl at heart.  But the word network or networking groups sent shivers down my spine.  Talk in front to people about me. Right away I go back to the dreaded highschool speech class.  But not so I soon found out. I love meeting new people and soon I found out, that is what netwrking really is!   Meeting new people and talking about your interests and family and Business!  I can do that!  And I did that indeed.   I have only been with Lavender-Love for 6 months and have been the Top Sales Consultant since December 2005

6) How do you keep yourself motivated?
I love my products and Im proud of my company!!    And my team leader Judy Velasco for her never ending supply of enthusiastic letters in purple!!!

7) How long after you started your business did you start to see any measurable amount of success?
At about 3 months, then things just took off like a bottle rocket!

1) What kind of advice would you give to a mom who is new to Network Marketing?
I am still new so I don’t really know what advice I could give.

2) What is the best thing about working from home?
I have four children so I can be here for them when I need to be.

3) What is the worst thing about working from home?
The house and the kids come first so work has to be second, and you don’t get the respect of people who work outside the home.

4) How do you organize your day so you have time to be a Mom and work too?
I try to get the kids off to school and then tend to my four year old first. Then I clean and do work between cleaning and when ever I get a free moment.

5) What has been your biggest challenge and how have you been able to overcome it?
The biggest challenge is trying to put myself and my needs before the kids. They have always been first. It is a hard balance!

6) How do you keep yourself motivated?
I try to think of the money I can make so I can get more things for my family and myself.

7) How long after you started your business did you start to see any measurable amount of success?
I have moved up to a senior consultant for MaryKay in three months by adding a team member of my own.

1) What kind of advice would you give to a mom who is new to Network Marketing?
Not all companies are created equal and no one company is for everyone. Just because one network company didn’t work for you it doesn’t mean there isn’t another one out there that is perfect for you. Also you get back what you put into it. The harder you work it the better your results will be. With The Pampered Chef the initial investment is minimal,  you really have nothing to lose. You can get your starter kit for as little as $50 and get $350 worth of products and supplies. You are only committed to doing 4 shows!! So all I have to say is what are you waiting for??

2) What is the best thing about working from home?
I love working from home for many reasons. I can be there for my kids when they need me and work when it is convenient for me. Five minutes here ten minutes there, whenever I want to fit it in. My husband works nights so we get to spend time together during the day. Working a regular day job I wouldn’t see him very often.

3) What is the worst thing about working from home?
The interruptions.

4) How do you organize your day so you have time to be a Mom and work too?
There are certain times of the day when you know you will have time to work, like naps or during other down times. Other days when things don’t go as planned you just do what you can. In case of days like that I try to have a list of things that absolutely need to be done so I know what to concentrate on.

5) What has been your biggest challenge and how have you been able to overcome it?
Talking to people. One of the reasons I started Pampered Chef was because I was so shy and I didn’t like that about myself. I thought selling PC would get me out of my shell. It has done that and much more for me

6) How do you keep yourself motivated?
Talking to other consultants, going to monthly meetings and all the incentives PC continues to offer. Wouldn’t you be motivated if you could earn over $850 in products for FREE or a trip to the Bahamas paid for by The Pampered Chef??

7) How long after you started your business did you start to see any measurable amount of success?
I have been with Pampered Chef for 2 yrs now and success has come in so many different forms. It has enriched my life with the people I have met and the accomplishments I have made. I believe I had success the day I signed to become a consultant because I saw all the success around me and knew that I was now a part of it. Pampered Chef is such a successful company, if you want success all you have to do is go for it!

A pyramid scheme is based on taking advantage of someone. For members of the company to actually make money in a pyramid scheme someone else has to lose money and usually the product or service is offered at retail, therefore requiring members to sell above retail.

I am a firm believer in an MLM opportunity that gives you the option to choose how to earn an income. When you combine that with network marketing online you can reach more people than you ever imagined. Just think about all of those people “surfing the net” 24/7. How many do you think are looking for an opportunity to work from home, add a second income or retire comfortably? A LOT!!!

The best MLM opportunity offers a low cost product that people already want. That is exactly what the a real direct selling business offers, a premium, consumable product at competitive prices and a serious way to make money from home!

Who doesn’t love choices?Although MLM is traditionally a person-to-person business you can significantly expand your circle of friends by tapping into the internet. If you spend some of your time working the MLM online the possibilities are truly endless.

The art of coaching team members into having success by the methods you teach is the basis of MLM network marketing. Once your team is making money from home and they have learned the successful way to earn an income it is easy for them to pass this information along to the next interested person. And let me just say that the soy candle business is incredibly easy to find your niche!

MLM is a $37 Billion Industry!

This very basic concept is the cornerstone of network marketing. A low-overhead, home based business that can actually offer many of the tax advantages associated with owning your own business is a great MLM opportunity!

Plus there are no big capital requirements, no geographical limitations, no minimum quotas required and no special education or skills needed. That’s a pretty smart MLM opportunity and business for YOU.  We’ve attracted dissatisfied network marketers who are interested in staying with the industry but looking for a better product, compensation plan or commission structure. You don’t have to have previous experience to succeed but rather work ethic, motivation and a willingness to learn.

MLM online is one of the smartest ways to grow your business quickly in this day and age because you can reach more people around the clock. You’re not forced to take advantage of your friends and relatives anymore.

Well, you do have to work at any MLM opportunity – nothing in life is FREE or EASY – but how often do you get to start up a business for a little hard work? You will not make money overnight but if you stick with it your future can be very bright!

Are you serious about being a business owner? OR are you just looking for a hobby? The real key with MLM is all about leverage. Every MLM network marketers has the potential to be rewarded for their initial effort as well as the continual effort of others.

The best part is that you will earn a residual or passive income which will continue to reward you long after months, years or after you choose to stop working. Network Marketing whether internet based or not is one of the world most powerful money making businesses one can own.

J. Paul Getty, who created one of the world’s greatest fortunes, said “I would rather make 1 percent on the efforts of 100 people than 100 percent on my own efforts.” This very basic concept is the cornerstone of network marketing.

My goal is to help you achieve success in any of the niches that you choose. It is up to you to decide the best fit and when you are ready to grow your business I will teach you how.

Before you know it you will be able to duplicate this process and help others too. It’s a truly rewarding business and industry. My only regret is that I wish I would have discovered this soy candle business earlier!

It’s a business that enables you to travel and have fun as well as enjoy the lifestyle that extra income can provide. Just follow the simple, proven and duplicable system that is provided.

1) Start up cost should be minimal. Start up cost in direct selling and network marketing companies are usually modest and mainly to cover the cost of the sales kit.

Q. What is the company’s start up cost?
Q. What comes with a new Distributor/Consultant kit?

2) Some companies require a monthly purchase.

Q. Is there a monthly minimum purchase requirement and if so, how much is the monthly investment?

3) Most companies submit the local state sales tax, however, there are a few that do not.

Q. Will I be required to submit my own state sales tax?

4) Check with each company regarding their return policy. This will be vital to your business.

Q. Can I return unwanted or damaged products and if so, what is the company’s return policy?

5) Do you have a “buy-back” policy? Some companies offer to “buy-back” unsold marketable products purchased within the 12 months prior, should you decide to quit the business for 90% of the price you originally paid.

Q. Does the company offer a “buy-back” policy?

6) Some companies require Independent Representatives to pay for portions of the Hostess gifts, etc. You should know up front whether part of your commission earned will go to cover these cost. This will reduce the actual amount of commissions earned.

Q. Will I be required to cover part of the Hostess Gifts or pay admin fees, etc.?

7) It is always smart to compare catalog and supplies cost as they vary by company.

Q. What do company catalogs and paperwork cost?

Customer shipping charges are important to your business and can vary greatly from company
to company.

Q. What are the customer shipping charges?

9) It is customary for companies to have a monthly or quarterly sales requirement to stay active and/or receive overrides.

Q. What, if any, are the monthly/quarterly requirements?

10) If you plan to participate in local fairs, festivals or events, you will want to know whether the company allows you to sell “cash & carry.” Many will not as they prefer Representatives to provide one on one customer support and book to increase sales.

Q. Does your company allow Representatives to sell products “cash & carry” at local fairs and events?
11) Many companies provide Representatives with a company approved website. If you plan to market your business online, this will be vital to your success.

Q. Does your company provide a website and if so, what is the cost?

Q. If they do not, can I design my own?

Q. Are Consultants/Representatives allowed to market online and what are the company guidelines?

12) Some companies authorize Representatives to deduct their commissions prior to sending in their Show Order, while others require all monies collected forwarded to home office and then commission checks are issued monthly or twice per month.

Q. How are you required to submit payment for a show?

13) How often are commission checks issued..monthly, bi-weekly or weekly? My experience has been that most issue monthly. Be sure to ask as there are a few that offer twice monthly and weekly.

Q. How often are commission checks issued…monthly, bi-weekly, weekly?

Q. At what time of each month will I receive my commission check?

14) Many companies now ship their products directly to the consumer or Hostess, however, there are few that require Representatives to deliver a Show or products.

Q. Will I be required to deliver products?

15) With some opportunities, Representatives are encouraged to stock products to have on hand for eager customers.

Q. Will I be required to stock or carry inventory?
Q. If no, will my business be more successful if I elect to have on hand “hot sellers?”

16) Most companies allow their Representatives to purchase products or display items at a special
discount.

Q. Are Representatives allowed to purchase products at a discount and if so, what is the discount?

17) Have them explain the commission structure and levels of achievement as it varies greatly by company.

Q. What is your commission structure?

18) Do they offer additional incentives, such as trips, a cash bonus and etc.?

Q. What additional incentives does the company offer?

19) What type of support is available?

Q. What type of support can I expect?

As with any business, finding what works for you and your lifestyle will be the key. Take time to research opportunities and consider whether the business and support team are a good match for you. Another wise decision is to consult with a home business tax professional before launching your home business. Learn what can and cannot be deducted, as well as, good record keeping.

- Blog Consistently. Many business owners get excited about blogging, post 3-6 times, and then promptly forget about the blog. I have seen many blogs that were started a year or two ago, have a grand total of five posts, and haven’t been updated since sometime last year.

To get the desired effect (search engine and human traffic), you need to update your blog on a regular basis. Search engines love new content and keep coming back to index it. Potential customers also like new content; it’s what keeps them coming back to read your blog.

- Use Your Blog For Branding. Your blog is an extension of your business, so make your blog have a look and feel that mirrors that of your business web site.

If your blog is hosted on the same domain as your web site, you should match the look and feel of your web site exactly. This will be more difficult to achieve if a third party provider hosts your blog. However, you should still aim to present the same brand image.

- Use Search Engine Optimization To Optimize Each Blog Post. The purpose of your blog is to get people who are in your target market to read your posts and enter your sphere of influence. Traffic from search engines does not cost any money, and it is a great way to get potential customers to your blog.

Treat each one of your blog posts as a separate file to be optimized for search engines. Use a keyword research tool to find phrases that are related to the main subject of the post, and weave them into the content of the post.

- Have A Special Offer On Your Blog. Do you offer a free special report? Do you offer a mini course as a bonus for new newsletter subscribers? Add the offer to your blog. This will transform people from casual surfers who just happened to find your blog to newsletter subscribers.

- Share Information About Your Events, Products and Seminars. You might think that everyone has already heard about your upcoming teleclass on life and work balance or your e-book about achieving financial success. Not so! The person reading your blog might be hearing about you for the very first time, so they have no idea about your teleseminars or products unless you specifically tell them.

Avoid overselling, as it will dramatically reduce the number of your blog readers. Do, however, let your blog readers know about your seminars and products. If you don’t tell them, nobody will.

A blog is an excellent tool to generate additional web site traffic, get new newsletter subscribers and sell more products. Use your blog to introduce potential customers to your business.

Knowledge is the foundation for a successful business.  Without it,  you will fail.

You would not buy a McDonald’s franchise without extensive training, and becoming knowledgeable about how to manage that franchise.  Neither should you start a home based business without proper training.

Do not purchase a business opportunity until…

Because we are eager, often desperate, to be free from our current situation, we become prey for every smooth talking sales pitch, and make poor decisions to purchase a business opportunity or join a network marketing company.

A business is something which has value within itself.  A business is an entity which another person would be willing to purchase from you.  A business is something you can sale, because it has real value.  This is what you want to build.

Do not purchase a business opportunity (join a network marketing company) until you have learned how to market.

First – Learn how to market.

Every home based business is built around marketing.  Learn marketing and you will be able to identify the scams and the con men.  Learn marketing and you will be able to build a business with real value.  The essence of a home based internet business is to market and sale product for the manufacturer.  Learn marketing and you will sale lots of product for the company you join.  The company will likewise pay you handsomely.

Marketing Know How

Do you know how to attract business prospects and customers?  Do you know how to set up a blog?  What marketing methods will you use to communicate with your target audience? Where will you find enough prospects and customers to build a full time income?  Will you spend big bucks to advertise or will you use low cost marketing strategies?   These are essential questions to answer BEFORE you buy a business opportunity.

Invest In Yourself
You are your business, so invest in your own training.  For as little as $40 a month you can be taught how to structure a home based business, how to implement low cost and free marketing strategies, how to attract prospects and customers, and learn how to make a profit from your marketing BEFORE you buy a business opportunity.  Invest $40 a month for six months and you have spent $240.  If you find out internet network marketing is not for you, then you have learned a valuable lesson for a few hundred bucks or you may go on to build a six figure income, either way this investment is a Win Win situation.

1st – Stop spending your hard earned money – filling your garage with products from your MLM; this benefits no one, but your upline.  One of the main reasons for the high failure rate of new businesses is lack of money.  You must budget your resources for the most critical aspects of your new business.

After reading the rest of this article, you may even decide to walk away from your MLM for a while.

2nd – Stop trying to sell your MLM opportunity to friends and family – All this does is bring discouragement and disappointment.  A rule of good marketing is, if they don’t ask – don’t tell.

3rd – Start educating yourself – Marketing is not guess work.  It is a science that can be measured and results can be verified.  This means, we can build a business by design and not by chance.  Yes, you must put yourself back in school, but the skills you learn can be leveraged over and over again.  Once you learn how to market (and you can learn how to do it) no one can take these money making skills away from you.  Good books like The Renegade Network Marketer and online instruction videos such as Mike Klingler’s Renegade University are excellent places to start.

4th – Generate Your Own Targeted Leads – I do not recommend buying cold leads.  You can learn to generate your own leads that will be of the highest quality possible.

5th – Put a Marketing System to Work for You – A marketing system will generate leads 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  You can speak to thousands of people each and every day with a good marketing system. Once the system is in place, it runs on auto-pilot or with little maintenance.

6th – Make Your Marketing System Pay – Monetize your marketing and your advertising will be free.  This is critical for success.

Don’t believe me? Just check the spam box of your email client.

If you click on a few of these messages, you’ll see pitches for products and opportunities galore.

I think it’s pretty safe to say that most consumers online are a little more savvier these days and don’t really regard these messages highly.

Sure, there is an occasional advertisement that catches my eye when I clear out my spam from time to time, but honestly, I don’t buy from the link in the email simply because the marketer did not earn my trust. I’ll usually end up Googling the product or service and check out the legitimacy of the offer.

And email is not the only area where you’ll see a ton of marketers providing low-value information.

It’s practically everywhere in the social networking arena. You may think you’re adding a friend on your MySpace page, when it fact it’s a slick marketer trying to get an “in.” Before long, you’re bombarded with messages of buy this, buy that.

Yes, it gets annoying. So, what can be done to market effectively and not brand yourself as a “snake oil peddler?”

It’s simple – be a valuable information provider. Share information that will help others achieve something or avoid “pain.” Try to over-deliver on high quality content.

You know the saying – “Give unto others and you shall receive.” Actually, your mindset should be “give unto others without the expectation of getting anything back.”

If you do this, some wonderful things will happen for you. You’ll:

Gain trust with people
Appear as an expert in your field
Effectively differentiate your business
Have people continually approaching you, and wanting to be a part of your world

It’s all about creating a positive feeling in others. Concentrate on providing valuable solutions for others, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the results.