September Already!!!

Can you believe it's September?  Where oh where has this year gone???  I knew it had been a while since I posted on the blog, but I had no idea it had been as long as it has.  WOW!!! 

Ok... so let's get caught up shall we?  Open House... went well... gained a few new customers... saw some people that I hadn't seen in a while, and was a great experience over all... here is a  picture of my display...

As you can see, I didn't have a lot of inventory... I made sure everyone left with a sample, and a soap sample.  I cut soap up and put them in the little plastic baggies I use for samples!  It worked out great.  I am highly addicted to the Soy Soap, so now I can share it with everyone! 

After the open house, I tell you, life caught up with me.  So much to do and no little time.  I wanted to take a little and write about this because we all go through this at one time or another.  When we are juggling our day time jobs, and our businesses, and our family...   sometimes it can get overwhelming.  Unfortunately, this happens to be the time when people with home businesses give up on their business and their dreams.  Our business tends to take the back burner  because it's something we are choosing to do, not something we feel we have to do.   I was very close to this point a few weeks ago... I told my husband I needed to get away... no bills, no kids to feed, no dogs to feed, no samples to make, no phones to answer... (you get the picture).  One night was all I got, but it was enough to make me realize, that the trip we went on, first of all wouldn't have  happened if I didn't have the extra funds I had earned from this business, and then it really hit me when we were at dinner that night ... my IPHONE said I had an email... It was from Soylicious.com... I had another consultant sign up!  I was sitting by the ocean, eating a nice dinner and having a glass of wine with my husband and my team was still growing!  Ladies... I want to work that way everyday, and if it takes me years to get there, at least that's years closer than I would have been if I chose to let my business go!  

Till next time fellow Diva's!  Glow and Grow!  

Wednesday... Hump Day!

Well, its mid week guys!  I have my open house scheduled for Saturday.  Wasn't sure how many people were going to show... however, checked my RSVP list, and realized there were a lot of people coming!  OMG!  I'm really not ready!  So the next few nights I will be preparing.  Tonight I updated my Binder Party books, cut some soap samples, filled more scrub tubs (I will fill you in on this later), and now am getting online to send out reminder invitations!  Shew!  I told you all I was going to keep it simple!  I am a "A" type personality... simple isn't in my vocabulary ... what was I thinking??

After dinner was done, dishes were washed, and all my Soylicious tasks for the evening were complete... I ran a hot bath, lit my bathroom soylicious candle, poured a dirty martini and slipped away from the world for a while.  I started thinking about how in the world can I keep up this pace?  My daytime job is exhausting... I try to keep up with my Soylicous correspondence during that time too, and then I come home... exercise time, dinner, dishes, checking email... WOW!  It sure would be easy to just quit all this extra stress!  However a thought to ponder, my favorite saying once again comes to mind... "If you keep doing the same thing over and over and keep expecting the same result, that is insanity"!  If I went back to status quo... a little less stressful... where would I be a year from now?  The same place!  Not getting anywhere... like a hamster in a wheel!  Nope... not for me!  I want off the wheel!  I'll put out the extra effort now to get what I want later!  Think about it Diva's!!!

The Weekend!

Hello All...  WOW, I have had a busy weekend.  We had a lot of things to get done around here.  This coming weekend is my open house.  I will keep you posted on my set up and take pictures along way.  My plan is to keep it simple so I can show you all how easy it is to do.  You are your best hostess!  You won't ever turn yourself down for a party, or at least I hope you wouldn't!  I chose to go the open house route... instead of an actual party.  People are busy... I know I am... and I figured if I gave everyone a time frame that they could come in as they had time, I might get a better turn out.  I hear weeknights are better than weekends... I will let you know what I find out.  So... my task this week is to get out, pass out samples and hand out invitations.  I have already handed out some,  and those people I will be contacting to remind. 

Today I spent making more samples.  I made samples with next months scent of the month... Creamy Caramel!  Wow!  We had football on today, and creamy caramel melting on the stove... I would have thought it was fall, but I as quickly reminded how stinkin hot it is outside!  Yuck! 

So I am wishing everyone a very productive week.  Did everyone get their Soylicious.com newsletter this weekend?  We have new warmers to sell, and they look sharp!  I am tickled because the Napa warmer is back... I already ordered one for ME!  I can't wait to put it in our wine room! 

  Also, For the remainder of August you can purchase 36 tart chunks for the price of 30. A $142.20 value for only $118.50.  What a great way to stock up on tart chunks for samples... remember, we get our discount on top of that!  Yay! 

Have a great week everyone... stay tuned to watch my open house evolve this week!

Happy Wednesday Soylicious Divalicious Peeps!

It's the middle of the week today!  Hump day!  Reflecting on my week thus far... I realized that I have done nothing to go out and promote my business!  YIKES!  My goal this month was to increase retail sales, and I haven't been doing a very good job of it!  I am still stuck in the "I wanna recruit and train mode"... which don't get me wrong... recruiting is the back bone of our business for residual income,  however, retail sales get's us that 40% commission, and those happy customers that keep coming back for more!  For me, it's more than just the dough!  I want to step out of that comfort zone... I need this to show myself that I CAN do this... I CAN make this work!  In my email this morning I recieved another great little motivational piece from a fellow Diva... The Sales Diva... you can find her link on my favorite links to the left.  I highly recommend signing up for her newsletter too!  She is a hoot, and I get very motivated from her emails... this was from this morning...

 Sales Stuck on Spin Cycle??

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Within 20 seconds of coaching a brand new client, she said something that cracked me up.
Heavy sigh. "Kim - I desperately need your help. I feel like I'm stuck on the SPIN CYCLE!"
She was frustrated and for good reason.
She was...
Working long days (and well into the night sometimes)
Struggling with cash flow
Doing EVERYTHING by herself
Not charging enough
Frustrated with slow growth of her business
Yep. These are the oh-so-classic-and-sick-signs that you're STUCK on spin cycle!


Hmmm - Are Your Sales Stuck On Spin Cycle?


OK lady. If your washing machine was STUCK on spin cycle - endlessly wringing and spinning your best sweater...would you CONTINUE TO LET IT RUN for hours, days, weeks, months or years?


I didn't think so.


In fact, you'd....


Press the STOP button


Unplug the electrical cord


Shut off a breaker


Get a pro to come fix the darn thing


Your practical-common-sense self knows and understands this for your "Real Life" and yet you're REFUSING TO DO IT in your business!


What gives with that??


Because hey - you keep HOPING if you just keep doing what you're doing - the SPIN CYCLE ANGEL will come down, touch you with her magic eraser and you'll automatically become UNSTUCK. That the sales will magically flow in and all your questions will be answered.


Hint. She won't.


And you keep SPINNING and all you end up with is a tattered and wrung-out business and sales going down the drain.


On my computer, I have a note to myself to constantly remind me...


"STOP DOING WHAT ISN'T WORKING."


Its helped me move in new directions, release customers, suppliers and ideas that weren't the right fit and also to seek advice from people who HAVE WHAT I WANT.


It keeps me off the Spin Cycle.


So my Sales Diva Dare is for you to PRESS THE STOP BUTTON, pull the breaker and GET HELP on whatever aspect of your business you're not in control of.


Why?


Spinning sucks.


Love From Your Bossy Sales Diva,


Kim

She is right isn't she?  Are we stuck in the spin cycle?  We want something, but we never change the things we need to get it.  The definition of insanity according to Einstein = doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. That's so true... I do that!  How about you?  I've tried so many home businesses, and I didn't get where I wanted to ... why?  Because I was INSANE!    I kept doing the same things over and over... which was nothing!  You can't share our wonderful products with people until you actually share them right?  Ok... so today I am going to stop the spin cycle!  I made some sample bags... and I am going to hand out at least 10 on my lunch hour today... 10's not a lot... but it's more than 0!  I put some Hershey's kisses in a cello bag... put a coupon card inside with them that says they've been KISSED with a deal.  I'm offering a FREE flower pot votive if they spend $40 or more... and of course tied on the outside is my sample and business card.  I made some labels for my samples that say... These are for Heating ... Not Eating!  Just wanted to make sure noone pops a soy sample in their chompers!  Hee Hee! 

Here's what they look like... I'll be sure let you know how my adventure this afternoon pans out..!  Have a Diva Day! 

Samples, Samples, Samples!!!

Everyone keeps asking me about my samples... how I make them and what I've been doing with them, so I though I would make a post.  Since I seem to be You Tube challenged at the moment... blog with pictures should work.

Samples are truly very effective and cost us very little to make.  I tie these to business cards and wa-lah... what a great advertisement to leave everywhere you go.   I love to leave them in public bathrooms!  I put them on top of the TP dispensers in each stall wherever I go these days!  :)  Some of you will notice, that these are what you got in your mailers as samples when you requested information on Soylicious! 

I usually make samples every month.  I use the Scent of the Month bars that we get in our monthly shipment, and then if I need more, I can order them for an additional 10% off during the month that scent is featured.  It costs us $2.37 to buy a tart, and with the molds I use, I can usually make 24 samples with one tart.  I found candy molds online... the ones I use are stars... they look like this...

Our Soy tarts melt easily, so you have to melt them on the lowest setting on your stove, and watch them all the time.  I have a candle melter, but any old pan will do.  I use to use an old pan that I picked up at a thrift store.  In this picture you can also see that I double up my grates to make it a little less hot. 

Once melted.. the wax gets carefully poured into the molds...

I usually spray some spray grease, such as PAM before I pour the wax... It seems to help when I go to pop them out.  When I pop them out they look like this!

At Walmart I purchase these sample bags... I get a pack of 100 for less than $4.00.  (They're in the craft section)

I put the samples in the bag, punch a hole in the bag and one in my business card, tie together with some ribbon or raffia, and that's it!  You can smell those samples through the bag!  They're amazing.  Here is a few pictures of the final product. 

The Comfort Zone!

I received this inspirational poem in my email the other day from the Party Plan Coach!  I highly recommend signing up for Lynsey's email news and updates.  You will find the link under my favorite links.  This poem happens to fit our journey at the moment!  I'm going to print it and hang it on my bathroom mirror! 

The Comfort Zone

I used to have a comfort zone, where I knew I couldn’t fail;

The same four walls and busy work were really more like jail.

I longed so much to do the things I’d never done before,

But, I stayed inside my comfort zone and paced the same old floor.

I said it didn’t matter that I wasn’t doing much,

I said I didn’t care for diamonds, rings, and such.

I claimed to be so busy with the things inside the zone,

But deep inside I longed for something special all my own!

I couldn’t let my life go by just watching others win

I held my breath and stepped outside to let the change begin!!

I took a step and with new strength, I’d never felt before,

I kissed my comfort zone good-bye, and closed and locked the door!!

If you are in a comfort zone, afraid to venture out

Remember that all winners, at one time were filled with doubt!

A step or two and words of praise can make your dreams come true!

Greet your future with a smile and Success is there for you!!

~Author unknown

The place to dish about the Soy we "Soy" love!

I've been with my company for a little while now... I've been recruting... building a team, however, I still have yet to perform the fundamentals of this business... and how am I suppose to be a team leader when I can only teach someone how to do one aspect of this business! I CAN'T! I am going to take you on this journey with me... and maybe I can help someone along the way.Hey... at least it will hold me accountable for the goals I want to meet. And ... I welcome all the advice and input from all my Soy Divas! You are "Soy" important to me! Anyhoo... Soy Divas and all Divas alike... join in on the conversation and help your fellow direct marketers face their fears and accomplish their dreams!