Balancing Corporate & Homesteading Lifestyles
Be Your Own Boss: Building Your Business
Network marketing is a very affordable and simple means to achieve your dream of starting and running your own (successful) business if you are willing to put in the work. There are so many opportunities out there and this post is not about any one opportunity, but applicable across the board on any and all network marketing businesses. Below you will find, in a nutshell, some basic points that I have found to be very important and worth consideration.
1.) Stating the obvious, choose your business carefully. The quality of the product you choose may sell itself, but in the real world, only those who truly "work" their business will achieve the highest success. Sell something that you love and believe in - in other words sell it because you love it, don't love it because you sell it! You are not going to get the results you hope for unless you are willing to put the time in.
2.) Your sponsor and 'upline' (your sponsor's sponsor and so on) are critical to your success! In the beginning, as you learn the ropes, your upline will mentor and guide you through the process. They will provide the tools you need to successfully run your business. Your success is the team's success. So it is very important that you choose a sponsor who you feel a connection with (communication is key) and who is passionate about the products and business and actively acting as a team leader for their down line.
3.) Once you have chosen your direction, it is VERY important to create a road map (business plan). If you don't have a plan, it is very easy to lose direction and focus. A business cannot succeed without these. Set realistic goals for yourself, both short term (daily, weekly, and monthly) and long-term (yearly) goals. Are you looking for a discount for products you regularly purchase (hobbyist) or are you looking to work part-time to supplement your income or is this your dream job and you intend to work it full time to generate an income to support your family. Whether you are creating your business as a hobby or to work full time, it is YOUR business to run as you see fit to meet your needs. No business is better than another if you are meeting your goals!
What do what to include in your road map:
- Goals & how you will achieve them:
- Daily (ie. reach out to 5 people on Facebook or generate a specific amount in sales)
- Weekly
- Monthly
- Yearly
- 5 Years (if applicable) (recruit and have an active team of 30 people)
- Create a work schedule: Designate a certain time or amount of hours daily & weekly to your business and stick to it. Don't tell yourself that you can put it off until tomorrow. Set a realistic schedule you can live with and achieve!!
- Determine your market: Who are you recruiting or selling to? Make a list of potential customers and reach out to them. Ask for referrals.
- How are you going to sell and/or recruit? Facebook, craft fairs, home parties, web site, etc.
The best thing about your road map is that it is NOT written in stone, it's a working path to your dream and it will have its twists and turns. You will learn, develop and grow. Your goals, market or interests may change. Some ideas you try will turn into giant successful leaps forward, others may not work so well.
Your road map will constantly be changing. Remember this is the path that is going to take you from where you are to where you want to be. Creating a simplified version with words and pictures to hang on your wall or keep on your desk may be beneficial as a reminder to stay on track.
On a personal note, my primary immediate goals are to build my web site/blog with information that I find useful and applicable to my long term interests and passions with the intent to draw an audience who has similar interests. Selling and recruiting are only a small part of my goal, learning and educating are the other major parts. Empowering others to find and live their dreams is very important to me.
4.) For anyone who has an income driven goal, this will only be achieved through growing your team. Although you can easily achieve success through your sales, it's the team building that is going to ultimately generate an income that will allow you to quit your day job. To build a team, you MUST be a team leader. This is much easier said than done!
Being a leader is not an easy job. If you want people to follow you then you MUST show that you are worthy of following. If this is your goal, then start your leadership "training" now. Start reading and learning to be the leader you want to be BEFORE your team arrives. There is a lot of info out there to help you develop these skills (and maybe a good post to create in the future) but don't wait to develop these skills. A poor leader will quickly lose team confidence so prepare yourself for the leader that you intend to be. As. your team grows you will be dealing with many different personalities and some may not align perfectly with you. How will you handle those conflicts? How will you lead? In the simplest terms, be the best person and leader that you can be, every day. Be a leader that inspires and empowers, the leader that your team aspires to emulate.
There is so much more to starting and working your business than what I have included above but these will get you off to a good start. Whether you are planning to start a business, or started one yesterday, or 5 years ago, it's not too early or late to get yourself on the right path and achieve YOUR goals.
A few final thoughts:
- Taxes: keep track of your expenses. Your business may affect your taxes depending on the amount of income generated.
- Designate a comfortable working area that you call your "office."
- Others may not see or feel your dream; don't let this discourage you. YOU can do it!
- A business is NOT built over night. You must put the time and work into your business if you expect it to grow.
- You ARE going to make mistakes and sometimes take a step or two backwards but LEARN from these mistakes and NEVER stop pushing forward. If you are moving forward you will not fall! It's like riding a bike, you fall when you get overly cautious and lose your momentum (unless you are doing something completely wrong).
NEVER stop learning. Know your product inside and out. Become an expert. And don't pretend to know something you don't know. If you don't know it, then it's always safe and best to say, "Good question! Let me look into it and I'll get right back to you!"
Be real. You may have the world but if you don't have integrity then the world means nothing. This means several things. Always be yourself but temper and control your judgments and opinions when they are NOT asked.
Just a few things to think about as you prepare for the journey to achieve your dreams. It's all in the intention. Focus on what you intend to achieve. If you believe in yourself, others will learn to believe in YOU!
