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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Be Careful of "Ground Floor", "Get in Early"

Have you ever heard a home business company promote themselves as "Ground Floor Opportunity" or "Get in Early"? I've seen so many and in my opinion it's a slick way to lure people to make quick decisions.

Just think about it for a second.

If you're going to start a home business, you will be sharing your business and product/service with others right? And you will find others that may want to build a business with you right? Well, what if you "got in early" and had a large organization and it's now 1 year, 2 years or 5 years later later. Does that mean the people who join later, will not have as good of an opportunity as those who joined at the beginning?

Really think about this.

If the company is promoting the "Ground Floor", "Get in Early" concept, I believe what they are really saying is "Anyone who joins later, will not be successful".

Now with that being said, if the only ones who are successful are the ones who "Got in First", so many people will be negatively affected. That is a sure sign of the "Guy at the top" wins and eventually people will get hurt financially and perhaps emotionally.

My advice: if you're considering a company that pitches "Get in Early", make sure you ask a lot of questions, before joining.

When did the company start? What is the product/service? How do you earn an income? Is any of the income being earned on the joining fee? (By the way, that is not a good way to earn an income). What are the average incomes of it's members? What are the companies sales each year since in business? How many members cancel each month? If you have a difficult time getting the answers to any of these questions, don't join.

It's a business. With any business you should know the numbers of that business before making any decisions.

Donna

Job or Business?

So many people are searching online for a way to generate an extra or replacement income from home, however most really don't know what they are looking for.

Are they looking for a Job or a Business?

Is someone is in need of job, my advice is to be careful when searching online. "Get Paid to read Emails, take surveys etc..." are in almost all cases scams at best. Other types types online jobs that are promoted are "Data Entry". Again, in almost all cases scams at best. If someone needs a job, I believe they need to pound the pavement in their local area and get one. Finding an online job is virtually impossible. What's great is that someone can have a job and work their home business along side their job to add to their income or even replace their income so they can work completely from home.

Now if someone is searching for a home business, you do need to be careful with these as well. There are so many of these "home businesses" to sift through and it can be a daunting process to find one that is honest, legitimate and profitable. 

I wrote an article on the 12 Success Factors to look for when choosing a Home Business. I hope you find it helpful.

12 Success Factors to look for when choosing a Home Business

High Five!

Donna

HomeBusinessRealityNews

If you would like to receive the latest news about different Home Businesses as well as tips and advice about having a Home Business, simply click on the link below fill out the form. The newsletter will also include training on developing yourself as a leader and developing leaders within your team. Your information is confidential and will not be sold.

Upon subscribing, you will receive an email advising if your subscription was successful.

http://www.homebusinessrealitynews.com

It's a Pyramid!

When it comes to home businesses, sometimes you'll have people tell you that it's a pyramid. Typically those who say or think that, really don't understand what business is all about.

With any business, there has to be a product or service and of course there has to be customers or there is no legitimate business. The other thing to understand is that every business operates in some sort of "pyramid" concept. Think of it this way, who's at the top of the "Microsoft" pyramid. Well Bill Gates of course. Does anyone in Microsoft make more than Bill? No.

How about a business like a restaurant. Who's at the top of that pyramid? Well, the owner right. Under him/her are the managers. Under them are the employees. Under them the customers. Every one of them earns a little each time the customer spends money at that restaurant.

Some home businesses do operate in a way where the guy or gal at the "top" or "gets in first' will make the most. Steer clear of those. However, some home businesses have a compensation plan (pay plan) that rewards business builders based on their efforts. In other words, if the business rewards based on effort and business growth, rather than when you joined or who you're under, that would be the most viable business to be a part of.


Donna

From Dream to Action!

Love this PodCast! 
From Dream to Action
by Robin Sharma
http://www.robinsharma.com/podcasts/Podcast_FromDreamToAction.mp3
Make it a great day! High Five!
Donna

Affiliate and Training Programs?? Here's my thoughts....

Have you ever come across programs that tout things like:

*Our training program will make you a Pro in your home business

*Our system is easy, anyone can do it

*Get 1000 of leads for your home business with our program

*Have dozens joining your home business by following our proven system

*Promote our program and earn extra income to pay for expenses in your home business

*Use our system and you'll get other networkers to join your home business

*Enjoy Multiple streams of Income with Affiliate Programs

Although you may learn a few things or earn a little with some of these affiliate and training programs,  why pay someone for something you can get for free? And if you were to buy it, why wouldn't you just train your business partners on the things that you have learned instead of luring them in to spending money on something that you could simply teach them and in many cases get for free?

Here's an example to think about. If you're promoting another program to leaders in different businesses, (and the program is to get these leaders to eventually join your business), if they bought in to that program, they would be doing exactly what you're doing and will never join your business. Actually, they would eventually be trying to get you to join theirs. It's a dog chasing the tail kind of thing. It just doesn't make sense.

The internet is a huge maze to try to go through. I'm all about keeping it simple. Trying to do multiple programs, affiliates, businesses in my opinion, and from experience, will ultimately create frustration and failure. Remember the partners in your home business will duplicate what you do. Sure you may earn a little from this and that, but ultimately my advice is to have laser focus.

Focus on your home business. Chase multiple rabbits and you're sure to catch none.

Donna

P.S. I'll be writing an article shortly on developing leaders in your home business and leveraging your time..:) Team Work really does make the Dream Work.

Basics of Compensation Plans

Basics of Compensation Plans

When evaluating a Home Business, be sure to research the Compensation Plan. In other words, you need to question how you get paid, what activities are required by you to earn your income and is this a business plan where can you build a real, long term residual income where everyone can win.

First, a good company will be debt free and financially transparent. It should be able to provide you with a breakdown of the compensation plan, their annual sales each year since opening, and the average incomes of it's business builders. Be cautious of any company that is not willing to provide this information.

Another important consideration is future research and development. Why is this important? Well you want to be partnered with a company that is cutting edge and continually evolving with the marketplace. You don’t want to be left promoting a product that is no longer in demand or a product that was some sort of "one product wonder".

When reviewing any home business company the most important thing is the product/service line. It doesn’t matter how good the compensation plan is, if you’re not passionate about the products or services they have to offer. You must find value in the product/service yourself or there is no business.

There are 4 Basic Compensation Plans. Stair-Step Breakaway, Unilevel, Binary and Matrix.

Stair-Step Breakaway - In a stairstep breakaway pay plan, a business builder moves up the volume rebate scale (bonus scale) in steps, or “stairsteps”. The stairstep breakaway plan has the tendency for inventory loading and the potential to lose members in your business if they achieve a higher rank or status than you as they would then "breakaway" from you.

Unilevel - The only way to increase your income is to sponsor more people. There's really no incentive to develop leaders in your organization. It causes sponsors to be thin in support, which is not conducive to retention. Retention is so critical to long term success. The other disadvantage of the unilevel compensation plan is every new person you sponsor goes on your 1st generation in your business, which means every member you sponsor is in competition with each other. It discourages people to work together as a team. And teamwork is where all the leverage is.

Binary - A binary plan allows business builders to have only two front-line business building partners. If a builder sponsors more than two other builders, the excess are placed at levels below the sponsoring builders 1st generation. This "spillover" is one of the most attractive features since they need only sponsor two members to participate in the compensation plan. The primary limitation is that business builders must "balance" their two legs to receive all of their commissions from both legs. If they do not, they will not receive all commissions from their business. 

Matrix - It is a limited width plan. The width generally ranges from 2 to 5 people on the business builder’s first generation. As more people are enrolled, they go under those first level people. This allows for “spillover.” Spillover occurs when someone places a new member in another member's matrix. The biggest drawback to a matrix is that it can attract the lazy type of person who doesn’t want to work and expects others to place members in their matrix. However, for those who are willing to work, it has lucrative pay, promotes team work and is very attractive to people who can just work their business on a part-time basis as well as the full timer.

Despite the fact that every Home Business company’s compensation plan is different, most plans are based around one of those 4 basic structures. All vary in commissions paid, requirements and in additional bonuses.


Although some claim to have a better compensation plan, I strongly encourage you not to join any one purely based on what their compensation plan has to offer. Instead, focus on the complete package which includes the products, service, the practicality of the business opportunity and the fairness of the compensation plan to all of its members.


Hope this was helpful!


Donna