My Boys, My Reason...:)

My reason for wanting to work from home..:)

When I started my home business, my oldest son was 5 and my younger son was a new born. How wonderful that my husband and I have had the time freedom to enjoy their every moment and the income to provide them with great opportunities. I also love that we have lead by a great example of work ethic and a genuine care to help others. They are great boys and are going to be great men!

Left to Right: Art (my hubby), 


Walker (age 15), Me and Keanan (age 10)

Welcome to my Home Office

12 Success Factors to look for when choosing a Home Business

12 Success Factors to look for when choosing a Home Business

Just a few of my Home Business partners!

My husband and I have built a real residual monthly income that has allowed us to be completely debt free with savings and security for our family, children and our future. We have replaced both our incomes from our previous jobs and have been working from home for years now and have helped countless others to do the same.

With my experience and with researching dozens of different types of home businesses, I would like to share that when choosing a home business, there are some key success factors that I believe are critical for long term success. Every one is just as important as the next.

If the company you are currently representing or the company you're considering meets all of these Success Factors, I'd love to know what company it is. The only one I've found so far is the one I represent..:)

1. Company track record - How long has the company you're considering representing been in business? What are the company's annual sales each year since in business? Does the company print average income statistics for business builders? It should and you should ask for them. Proof of long term sales, success and growth is critical with choosing any business.

2. Financially sound - Does the company have outstanding debt? Joining a company that is debt free is something I highly recommend to lessen any risk to you.

3. Strong management team - What are the backgrounds and credentials of the management team? You want to join a company that is run with integrity and strong leadership.

4. Unique consumable products - Are the products of the company, products that people actually need, use, run out of and repurchase month after month. Are they needed and used by 100% of homes? Do the products have any trademarks or patents allowing for exclusive rights meaning no other company can copy them. If the products are not consumable, meaning something that a person would only buy once, then that is a business that will not be viable long term. If the products are consumable, however not necessarily a need, that will lesson your chance for long term success. Products needed, and consumed monthly makes for a solid business model.

5. Wide market appeal - Are the products something everyone needs and uses? If the products are specific for a certain gender, age group or body size for example, you lessen your market as it is not something for everyone.

6. Competitive prices - Are the products comparable in price or less expensive than the competition? If they are too expensive this is not a business that will produce great results.

7. High customer reorder rate - Does the company share it's reorder rate? Meaning how many customers that purchased from the company last month, reorder again the following month? If the re-order rate is low, the business will not be viable as new customers simply replace your old customers producing no real growth or a secure, residual income. **If you have to carry an inventory, and then retail sell, there is no way the company can keep track of it's "real" reorder rate. I also advise against having to do retail selling or carrying an inventory.

8. Low initial investment - If the cost to join or start is too high it makes for more risk and difficulty in attracting customers and business partners.

9. Low monthly requirement - If there is a high monthly requirement, customers/business builders may end up with an inventory or products they do not need. If there is a low monthly product requirement, then customers are getting what they need for personal use each month, and from a business standpoint you know customers are purchasing each month which creates the security and true residual income.

10. Rewards for leadership development - Does the company reward you for helping others in your business succeed? If there is any way the company could remove business builders from your business because of their success, be very careful about joining. There should never be potential for you to lose great partners.

11. Risk-free - Is everything 100% guaranteed? If not, I would advise against joining.

12. Anyone can be successful - Is the business plan set up for anyone to be successful at any time? If it's a company that says "Ground floor" opportunity, or "Get in Now", be very wary. If only the people who join at the beginning can be successful, then eventually people will get hurt.

Well, how does the company you are with or considering measure up?

Hope this was helpful..:)

Donna

Juice Companies....Be careful out there....

Having my own home business for over 10 years now, I have seen so many of these "juice" companies come and go. I believe they end up in failure because they are based on hype and not real science.  The cost of these bottles of juice are also extremely high compared to value. Many  claim to have "antioxidant super power". 
Brunswich Labs, a well know independent laboratory conducted many tests with these "magic" juices with regards to ORAC values. Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) is a method of measuring antioxidant capacities in food.
The results? 
Here they are: Welches 100% Grape Juice had a higher ORAC value than companies like MonaVie, Xango Juice, GoChi Juice, Juice Plus....and the list goes on. Considering you can get Welches Grape Juice for a few dollars, it's unfortunate that so many of these companies are charging 30, 40 even 50 dollars for a bottle of juice that isn't even close to the nutritional value of something you can get for far less.
To your success, Donna

MLM Graveyard...and an Interesting Question..

See below for pics of an MLM Graveyard.

Question: Can anyone give me the name of an MLM company that started in the USA in past 30 years, that grew to 300 million in annual sales and then continued to grow for each of the following 3 years?

Visit me on FaceBook and let me know.

Interesting isn't it??? Seriously. I have yet to find just one MLM that meets that criteria? Why is that? My theory: MLM's have a poor business model. 

Now I'm not saying some people won't be successful. On the contrary. Some will. However, the company will eventually stop growing or collapse all together. What happens then? 

Do you jump to another MLM and start the process over and over again? How many people get hurt in this process? 

Wouldn't it make more sense to build a home business to last a lifetime where no one gets hurt and everyone can win?

Again: Can anyone give me the name of an MLM company that started in the USA in past 30 years, that grew to 300 million in annual sales and then continued to grow for each of the following 3 years?

Visit me on FaceBook and let me know.

High Five!

Donna

Direct Selling Association

With reviewing a home business, I would recommend visiting the Direct Selling Association website to ensure that the company is a member.

http://www.dsa.org/

Direct Selling Association

The Direct Selling Association (DSA) is the national trade association of the leading firms that manufacture and distribute goods and services sold directly to consumers. Approximately 200 companies are members of the association, including many well-known brand names.

The Association's mission is "To protect, serve and promote the effectiveness of member companies and the independent business people they represent. To ensure that the marketing by member companies of products and/or the direct sales opportunity is conducted with the highest level of business ethics and service to consumers."

The cornerstone of the Association's commitment to ethical business practices and consumer service is its Code of Ethics. Every member company pledges to abide by the Code's standards and procedures as a condition of admission and continuing membership in the Association.

Interesting Article about Gold & Silver Network Marketing - Be Careful out there!

I was surfing the net and came across an article regarding Gold and Silver Network Marketing Companies and thought I would share it...Be Careful out there!!


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Gold and Silver Programs~
This has to be the most doomed to fail type of MLM program that has ever existed. Since I've been involved with MLM I've seen dozens and dozens of gold and silver (G&S) programs start up-and go away. Over and over and over. And usually for the exact same reasons.

Over and over and over...

There are three primary reasons why these programs fail, and why they will always fail:

1. - Gold is a commodity. It is an investment that increases in value. To sell it based on that premise requires a securities license. Without one you are in violation of laws set forth by the SEC. G&S programs simply have no way of preventing their distributors from "speculating." Even if the company itself makes no promise of a future gain in value of the gold or silver, their 10,000 unlicensed, independent agents out there inevitably will.

As it is, I've rarely seen this angle avoided by even the companies. Yes, they themselves usually hype the investment value of their "product." They may not come right out and say it will be worth more in the future, but many of them do say it was worth less in the past. The SEC doesn't play semantic games like that.

The investment angle also places the entire MLM industry in jeopardy as well. There is already a fear that the SEC would like to regulate all MLM opportunities as investments. There is an ongoing push throughout the industry to separate the terms investment and Network Marketingas far apart as possible. G&S programs slam them both together.

2. - Most G&S programs have a system that involves the exchange of cash and commissions being paid before a tangible product is actually received. Whether it be a voucher system, a layaway system, a down payment, or whatever, many of them allow you to submit funds and in some manner build towards the actual pruchase of gold or silver coins, In the meantime though, commissions are being paid out of those funds received and a product isn't being delivered.

3. - The price of gold is the price of gold. The most anyone can get for it is whatever the going rate is. This doesn't leave much room for markup. So how do you suppose G&S programs payout 50% or more in commissions? Evidently, many federal and state regulators assume it's coming out of the next participants initial down payment.

So, number one involves securities violations, number two violates pyramid statutes, and number three would likely be classified as a Ponzi scheme!

Is it any wonder G&S programs rarely last more than 2 years?

Gold and silver programs? Practically every one that starts up is shut down for the exact same reasons as those in the past. These operators must know going in that they'll likely be history in a year or two. But then it doesn't take much longer than that for a million bucks to stack up in the bank. And, of course when the axe falls they can always blame the federal or state agency that dealt the fatal blow. "Hey it wasn't our fault!," they can exclaim. "We wanted to keep paying you your commissions, but those dirty government regulators made us stop." These shysters actually end up as martyrs. And, as they feign resistance to the regulatory attacks. their victims consider them heroes!
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