An Old Classic, A Contrary Poem and a Valuable Lesson for your Successful Home Business

I love stories and so many times they harbor greater truths that can permeate more complex ventures like starting a profitable home business.

Most of us are familiar with the story The Little Engine that Could. It is a classic story that teaches the value of optimism and hard work. You may even say it is a metaphor of self-discovery…that if you believe hard enough in your dream you can achieve it.

In the story, a long train must be pulled over a high mountain. Various larger engines are asked to pull the train; but for various reasons they refuse. The request is sent to a small engine, who agrees to try. The engine succeeds in pulling the train over the mountain while repeating its motto: "I-think-I-can".

I think a short version of the story is worth repeating.

A happy little switch railroad engine was employed to pull a few cars on and off the switches…it was built small for that purpose. One morning it was waiting for the next call when a long train of freight-cars asked a large engine in the roundhouse to take it over the mountain. There were hungry children waiting for food and toys. "I can't; that is too much a pull for me," said the great engine built for hard work. Then the train asked another engine, and another, only to hear excuses and be refused. Each one had their own heart felt excuse…
I’m too grand… I’m too important… I’m too old… I’m too busy… I’m not smart enough
In desperation, the train asked the little switch engine to draw it up the steep mountainside and down the other side to help the waiting children.
"I think I can," puffed the little locomotive, and hitched itself in front of the great heavy train. As it went on, and the grade got steeper and steeper, the little engine kept bravely puffing faster and faster, "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can."
As it neared the top of the mountain, which had so discouraged the larger engines, it went more slowly. It was hard...the little engine was gasping for air. However, it still kept saying, "I--think--I--can, I---think---I---can, I----think----I----can.”
Finally, it reached the top with its last great lunge and unbroken bravery. “Yes, I can do it!” was the triumphant cry. Then down the mountain side it sped, congratulating itself by saying, "I thought I could, I thought I could. I thought I could."

MORAL: An unbreakable belief in YOU will rise to the occasion and save the day.

Now, here’s another look at the same situation by one of my favorite poets, Shel Silverstein (1932-1999). He has developed a repertoire of somewhat satirical but whimsical ways of looking at the ordinary things.

The Little Blue Engine

The little blue engine looked up at the hill.

His light was weak, his whistle was shrill.

He was tired and small, and the hill was tall

,And his face blushed red as he softly said,“I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.”

So he started up with a chug and a strain,

And he puffed and pulled with might and main.

And slowly he climbed, a foot at a time,

And his engine coughed as he whispered soft,“I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.”

With a squeak and a creak and a toot and a sigh,

With an extra hope and an extra try,

He would not stop — now he neared the top —

And strong and proud he cried out loud,“I think I can, I think I can, I think I can!”

He was almost there, when — CRASH! SMASH! BASH!

He slid down and mashed into engine hash

On the rocks below... which goes to show

If the track is tough and the hill is rough,THINKING you can just ain’t enough!

MORAL: Can’t think your way out of problems, you must TAKE ACTION that are different from the problem. In other words, you can’t solve problems with the same thinking that created them.

SO WHAT IS THE VALUABLE LESSON for a SUCCESSFUL HOME BUSINESS?

At least a couple:

First, about self-development and dreams…

There are limitless resources about self-development strategies or how to self-actualize your powers to be and overcome Life’s balancing acts.

Countless self-development “gurus” have created fortunes for themselves on the foundation that people are insufficient within themselves to realize their potential, and they need to be prodded, envisioned, molded like clay by masterful hands into someone special.

All kinds of self-empowerment tools can be found such as motivational toolkits, emotional bank-accounts, vibrational medicine, guilt-free relationship plans, ego joy mind-maps, psycho-spiritual integration, manifest destiny, divine guidance, and interpreting the secret behind the secret.

To some extent, these gurus are helpful to show there is far more to living well than advertisements, reality shows, money, or fame. It is pushing yourself beyond pre-set limitations and finding joy in small things like “the finding of heaven in a grain of sand” that makes all the difference.

Second, about actions and dreams…

The one valuable lesson I have gleaned from a few decades of life is the importance of TAKING ACTION with a SIMPLE PLAN.

..nothing moves until something moves (Robert Ringer…an entire book)

..the shortest distance between where you are and where you want to be is a straight l.ine of action (Mark Joyner… an entire psychology of daily steps)

Nothing develops self-esteem, motivation, goal-setting like SUCCESSFUL ACTIONS.

Nothing increases your odds for success than PRACTICE and SIMPLICITY.

Of course, you will be excited if your simple action plans are productive and make extra income from home. Of course, you will try even harder to get more positive results. The more you get, the more you’ll try…this is not rocket science or reams of psycho-therapy.

The only self-discovery, self-empowerment or self-motivation tool you need is YOU based on a simple ACTION PLAN THAT DELIVERS.

Just imagine you were making a 5-digit monthly income? I think you will find all kinds of ways to celebrate your new self-confidence and lessons in living well.

Always standing by to talk,

AnneMarie

There are a couple of other articles to check out that follow these thoughts more:
Which Comes First: Self-Motivation or Marketing Plan
Which Comes First: Self-Concept or Marketing Plan
The Little Red Car that Can Do It…a guaranteed different way of looking at a home business.
(All can be viewed on my website)

How Spicy GOULASH can teach a valuable lesson about a profitable home business

How Hot and Spicy GOULASH can teach you a valuable lesson
about a profitable home business.

This blog is for fun but it teaches a valuable lesson about realizing a profitable home business. You can take one word, one set of instructions and it can end up with multiple meanings and results to many different individuals.

Last weekend I made an early Christmas dinner party for friends and decided to make Hungarian goulash in honor of the native background of some of the guests. It had to be authentically traditional. So I searched about 40 recipes with various alternatives, regional derivatives, ingredients, recommendations and so on. I finally decided on an 1876 recipe brought from Hungary and passed down through generations. It was also the simplest to prepare.

It turned out marvelous with many compliments by people who had actually enjoyed real goulash in Hungary!

Now, let’s make this home business comparison… let’s relate a home business to a great goulash…(stay with me on this…stretch your thinking outside the box on this one)

First, we look for the right recipe or business plan…proven authenticity is the best.

Second, we follow the recipe or plan and carefully set it up for best results.

Third, we receive compliments on a successful endeavor and others may even request the recipe (or plan).

The point is everyone can start a home business and have good personal results. What’s absolutely fascinating is to see all the different viewpoints that one recipe (or plan) can produce. You will be amazed at the different comments at the end of this blog, many as different as night and day about the same goulash recipe!

The valuable lesson here is that every person will offer their experiences, emotions and abilities to any venture, including their vision of and application to a home business enterprise. One conclusion may even be that personal attributes play the key role in home business success. I would agree, how about you?

I would also conclude that the home business plan (or recipe) must be as simple as possible to follow for given results by the most people. It’s OK to have a variety of responses to accommodate various “tastes” but the same “ingredients” must be shared whether across the street or across the country.

The more complex the recipe, the less people will try it or achieve the results they want.

The more cooks there are, the more chances to spoil the broth.


As a teacher, I value creative thinking and enjoyed these different comments about the same goulash recipe! The point is that everyone can do this recipe just as everyone can do a simple 3-step home business plan. Everyone makes their own unique spin, and for home business success based on the network marketing model, the plan (or recipe) must be the same for everyone.


I gave this recipe (or rather my version of it) 5 stars - my husband and I loved it and will definitely be making this again soon. We are not eating red meat at this time so I subbed ground turkey for the beef, I also subbed parsnips for the potatoes which I think gave it a rich sweetness it wouldn't have otherwise had, and left out the caraway. I also used chicken stock and more than the recipe called for to make more of a stew. Try it, you'll like it!

First I have to say I didn't have any caraway seeds or marjoram. I thought I did when I started this recipe but found I didn't. Instead I added a hearty helping of Mrs. Dash. I cut the meat into bite size pieces and it cooked faster that way. I had to watch because I did need to add more water as it cooked. I have a family of 8. Some liked it just the way it was, some added a dallop of sour cream to theirs, and one, my youngest added sour cream and salsa and declared it a keeper! Strange child

…not bad recipe, though a little short in information and sorry, but I have to say, it's far away from authentic :) here in hungary we call this kind of meal "pörkölt" which means "made by stewing" and goulash or "gulyás" is a rich soup or stew with potatoes, different vegetables paprika, and beef.

This wasn't bad, but a bit bland for our tastes. I added a tomato and a hot chili pepper to give it a bit of kick.

It was awesome, I did tweak it based off what I had. I omitted the caraway seed, upped the heat to medium, added the potatoes sooner, and cooked it all in all nearly 2 hours. I used cheap meat too, but it still turned out great.

This recipe was good, nothing spectacular though. I prepared it almost exactly as the recipe called for except I added allspice corns and a little extra paprika and marjoram. I also served it with a dollop of sour cream (it's just not authentic without!). If I had more time I also would have prepared some Hungarian potato pancakes for a truly authentic dish. If you can bear, let it stand a day in the fridge, as with all stews, it is much better

I made a vegetarian version of this using a meat substitute, and my family enjoyed it very much. It has a mild (but not bland) flavor that appealed to all my picky eaters. I am glad I stumbled across this recipe; I'll certainly be making it again and again.
I had a real good recipe for Hungarian goulash but lost it. When I saw this recipe it was as close as I could remember. Instead of using water, I added a can of diced tomatoes, a Bayleaf and would have added a cup of wine, but not have any..

This is a delicious and quick recipe. The only thing I could suggest is to use more fresh ingredients. Perhaps red bell peppers. All in all however it's a bachelor's boon

Really not much to this. It takes entirely too long to cook for the results it gives.

It's pretty boring I couldn't eat this. But, my husband had three servings. I will leave it up to him to write his own 5 star review. I thought it had too much paprika and needed something more to make that balance. Since he liked it I would try it again with a better quality and less amount of paprika. I would also make it with a less expensive cut of meat. Stewing for close to three hours would justify a chuck or other stew meat.



If you would like a copy of this recipe (or plan) let me know and I’ll gladly share.
AnneMarie

A Home Based Business Can Be Like High School..HOW NOT TO FAIL.

A Home Based Business can be just like high school..how not to fail!

Remember your high school days. Would you live through them again, as a fresh-faced fifteen year old again? Personally I would say “ No Thanks” UNLESS I could bring the accumulated wisdom of 50 years as intellectual reinforcement.

I was thinking about the teaching/learning process and it struck me that creating a home business resembles high school in many ways…its ups and downs, insecurities, efforts, recognition, trials and tribulations, and the final goal of graduation.

Think back for a moment...You pass from elementary grades to enter high school ... with high anticipation and some trepidation. You think somehow just being there is going to change your life in so many positive ways. Then a few weeks into the routine, you realize it's just harder work, less help and a bunch of “upper classmen” who try to make the experience more difficult for you. You start to doubt that perhaps your previous skills aren’t strong enough to compare with so many other students. Others make better grades and more recognition while you get by with basic standards even with concentrated effort. You find all kinds of cliques or groups of like-minded people who huddle close together, leaving everyone else out in the cold. Peer pressure determines your social and self-perception levels.

Does this ring a bell?

I know people who have started a home business with great hopes and promises of wealth and success in their heads. “Make a million in your pajamas... Sleep all day and earn thousands... Quit your day job and get rich!” Some make it look easy but there are reasons that are not available to the average person. Does this ring a bell?

Entering high school is like starting a new home business.
At the start, our primary and intermediate schoolings provides us with good basic and people skills.
At the end, the triumph of graduation or a profitable home business can set new goals to make more income and more success.

But what happens in the first few months of starting can also determine potential for graduation and success. If the basic foundational skills are missing, then graduation is difficult or impossible.

Could this be the reason why the network marketing home business, with such amazing proven potential, has a failure rate of over 95%!

It should be the other way around where 95% should succeed!

For a teacher, this is inexcusable. It’s not the students who fail...it is the teacher or the methodology that fails. No curriculum starts at graduate levels with limited understanding, outside of hype and promises, and expects mastery. No student is expected to be a “magnetic” teacher in their own right to “lead” other inexperienced followers to victory.

It is time to smarten up this home based industry and give people a fair opportunity for success with proper teaching fundamentals.

Here's a beginning curriculum:

1. Start with a primer…basic vocabulary, concepts, comparisons, summary

2. Learn intermediate strategies…examples
…compare two kinds of home businesses
…old school marketing versus new school marketing
…self-improvement exercise for self-motivation, power of actions to control emotions,
practice makes perfect, long term mindset, relationship marketing, etc.

3. Now you’re ready to enter high school and graduate with honors and realize your dreams.

However, it is still not your obligation to teach others…let the professionals do that on your behalf. Go out and enjoy living.

Education must be simple, sequential, self-affirmative, congratulatory and joyful.

It is not about cliques or teams, popularity, competition, the athletic, the gifted, where the strongest survive and profit. It is an equal and democratic standard where everyone can learn, apply and thrive.

The network marketing home business model provides the essential structure for the right education, empowerment and change.

Let's see if your school and/or business experiences relate.

Sincerely,
AnneMarie

BLOG: Can you really find a Home Business in a Box or Hope in a Capsule or…

I came across a bold title that caught my attention immediately:
Gastric Surgery in a Bottle!
OK…so now I have a serious case of “cognitive dissonance” where pictures of reality just don’t fit within given frames.
Gastric surgery is pictured as an extreme open surgery, very expensive, recommended by a medical professional, surrounded by specialists, painful recuperative time and life-long severe diet restrictions. Can you visualize all that activity enclosed in a glass bottle
realistically. Of course, we know it is meant with imagination.

The gastric program consisted of swallowing one or two capsules 30 minutes before a meal with a lot of pre-measured water. Each tiny microbead inside the capsule absorbed the water and expanded 500 times in less than 2 minutes. This “stuff” filled the stomach at least 80% full which, of course, left little room for actual food and you ate less.
How does the body get rid of this “stuff”…apparently by safely flushing it out through the system. And soon, the slim body you always wanted is transformed in front of the mirror with minimal effort. Is anybody concerned about nutritional deficiencies?

Hope in a capsule? It is an imaginary picture that maybe works in advertisements full of happy people. But abstractions like hope or success must be based on real actions with tangible causes and effects. To reach any destination is a journey of a thousand steps. By managing the quality of individual steps, we can ultimately measure the quality of our journey’s destination. We realize our hopes and deserve our successes.

So is there such a thing as a “home business in a box?”….I’ve come across that heading also. Once again, any business, including home business, is a serious venture with multiple factors and daily permutations. Here is just a handful of step-by-step variables you need to manage: market research, inventory, production, personnel, accounts receivable and payable, customers, freight, technology, time commitments and the list goes on. Most importantly, is sales and marketing expertise to get your business into the competitive marketplace in order to make income and, potentially, profits. Can you visualize all this activity contained in a box in its own microcosm?

The good news is that home business factors have changed dramatically in our modern Information Economy. Technological advances have simplified and multiplied the process of “intellectual distribution” worldwide. Home business entrepreneurs can plug into huge successful companies and help to market their products to earn residual commissions. They can leverage their time and knowledge with information tools 24/7 and break the income cap set physically by a 40 hour week. However, most importantly, the key remains the expert marketing plan in order to attract customers and partners.
In checking out the possibilities of a home business, make sure the marketing plan is simplified in order to multiply your profits. Keep it low-cost and time-efficient.

Can I have a “home business in a box?” Yes, I CAN DO IT and YOU CAN, TOO.

Standing by to answer questions, discuss options, or learn more about what you hope to achieve with your profitable home business...
AnneMarie

I worked for wages this weekend but home business profits are better...WHY?

I worked for wages this weekend but home business profits are better…why

This weekend I made a few dollars as a food demonstrator for a marketing company introducing new products to a supermarket. It was interesting to meet all kinds of new people and talk about sprouted grain bread versus milled bread. Do you know the difference…most did not.
The difference between sprouting versus milling (or grinding to make flour) processes are huge to the nutritional benefits of breads that result. In the milling process there is substantial amount of heat generated which has adverse effects on the wheat grain. Almost all milling oxidizes the kernel, losing vital vitamins, enzymes and minerals. As well, most of the bran and germ (endosperm) is removed and resold. By taking out these ingredients, it allows most flours, including whole wheat, to have a shelf life for several months on the store shelf without going rancid.

For handing out taste samples and coupons I got paid $14 an hour. In one day of work I made $98 minus taxes. I will never get another cent from this day’s work. I will have to work again tomorrow to get another one-time wage, sufficient as it seems at first.

So how do wages compare to home business profits?

Let’s take a look at a small number potential using knowledge as leverage to go beyond one hour of work and earn multiple times.

Let’s say I was working comfortably from my home, setting my own hours by network marketing a high-demand nutritional product. I shared the information via website with ten people. Two people saw the value of the product for their health and ordered it and I received two commissions. These two new customers then each shared the important information with ten other people for a total of 20 new contacts, 4 of which also became customers.
I get 4 more commissions. Now these 4 new customers each share the healthy benefits with 10 people each for a total of 40 new contacts and a possible 8 people buying and using the product. Now I am eligible for 8 commissions…bringing the total to 14 commissions based on two personal customers.

As I continue to share my home business, I will continue to grow my profits over and over again based on short-term initial work and long-term residual income. Many networkers achieve a 5 or 6 digit monthly income with residual profits using this business model.

High quality nutritional products are forming a huge market trend as more people look for natural solutions to maintain their health proactively (before getting sick). However, as important as health products are to this networking business model; it is even more important to use a simple business plan to duplicate your profits over and over again, both with direct referrals and indirect.

I’d like to invite you to check out our 6 month income-generating, debt-reduction plan to get a clearer picture how residual income works.

Standing by to help,

AnneMarie

Do You Push, Pull or Just Educate and Empower about Home Business?

Do You Push, Pull or just Educate and Empower about Home Business?

Here is another article that underlines why so many home businesses in our industry end up in the brambles in the ditch with the unhappy entrepreneur crying “No More, This *……* just doesn’t work!
It is written by an internet marketing guru with a media empire and these “promotional pillars” are absolutely imperative for good marketing. The two main strategies are defined as:

A “push” promotional strategy makes use of a company's sales force and trade promotion activities to create consumer demand for a product.

A “pull” selling strategy is one that requires high spending on advertising and consumer promotion to build up consumer demand for a product.

A quick point by point summary of Low cost 'PUSH' Strategies include
…Affiliate Programs
…Follow Up Landing Pages By Phone
…Direct Mail with Phone and E-Mail Follow-Up
…Advertising…the frequency of your advertising determines how well the rest of the 'push' strategies work.

A quick point by point Low Cost 'PULL' Promotional Strategies include:
…Viral Promotional Products such as writing small re-printable reports for others to promote with your link or logo or sending out news releases
…Social Networking to plug your branding, links and logos
…Blogs to personalize your story and links
…Discussion Forums where you can respond to posts with helpful answers to discussion lists in your niche market
…Seminar Networking where you attend seminars and connect with others.

Now to make sure these are followed make sure you maintain a daily check list and do it.
Or find someone who can help you do the daily chores and outsource these tasks to others.

STOP! Give me a Break!
OK…I’ve been there, done that...and I ended up in the brambles in the ditch! WHAT A JOB! I want get away from working for a boss including myself! Not to mention the time commitment and endless expenses.

What I want, and what is available now, is a simple 3 step marketing plan that covers all the essential information with a professional inbuilt training component to save me time and money.

No PUSH…No PULL. I share a No Excuses Allowed Team philosophy and the rest is up to people to learn and decide. AND THIS HAS MADE ALL THE DIFFERENCE!

Your comments and questions are important. What kinds of marketing strategies have worked or not worked for you.

AnneMarie

Four Words Every Home Business Owner Must Say...Part 4

Four Words Every Home Business Owner Must Say...PART 4

I CAN DO IT

So far, in Part 1, we saw how self-concept determines your destination and both are relative to a successful marketing plan. In Part 2, we saw how a simple “song” or marketing plan is easier to deliver and fun. In Part 3 we saw how a simple formula can transform basic ideas into wonderful successful creations over and over again, even if you’re not a “guru”.
Part 4 is the last analogy that compares a concrete object we know a lot about to a
more abstract realization of one’s dream lifestyle with a home business.

These hopes and dreams will become a concrete reality with these simple words:
I CAN DO IT

We all have a can’t-live-without-them affair with CARS, sooner or later, as singular or plural experiences.
Who doesn’t remember their first car...the thrill of independence...the call of adventure.
Cars in their own rights have sported exotic imagination names like Mustang, Infinity, Explorer, Viper, Celebrity, Dynasty, LeBaron, and Phantom.

Besides these imaginary traits, cars are indispensable to our way of life. Here are some interesting facts:
Average car is driven 15,000 miles annually
The cost of driving is far more expensive than gas when you take into account sales tax, registration fees, maintenance and repairs.
Depreciation is the largest cost factor (2007 Consumer Reports) and can account for up to 48% of total ownership costs.
Fuel is the second highest cost factor per year soaking up 21% ownership cost.

So how does driving a car relate to building a profitable home business?

In a nutshell, it is the marketing plan that “drives” sales and income for business owners.
You may have the best “mousetrap” in the world but if no one hears about it, no one will beat a path to your door.

It is especially true if you have a network marketing home business that plugs you into a large company where you help market their products to earn multiple commissions.
Your income will reflect how well you can “drive” home the marketing plan.

Let’s do some creative thinking. What if marketing plans were cars?

Plan A is a simple basic car with standard features:
A phone number, a website and an overview with inbuilt industry component

Plan B is a more complicated car with extra features and specialties best managed by trained operators...there are company conference calls, upline 3 way calls, training sessions, presentations, follow-ups, more products and features and testimonials.
It follows logically that the more technicalities presented, the more objections and the less number of operators are willing or able to take on the driving challenge.

On the other hand with a simple basic car the personal comfort levels increase. Everybody can drive this car. Your manual is minimal…cuts back hugely on time and expenses. Your odds of finding other willing and able drivers dramatically increase.
This is true duplication of a business plan that can lead to fortunes being created in this industry especially with an inbuilt industry training component found in Plan A.
Duplicating the marketing plan is the essential factor directly related to your profits.

You can consider the “fuel” to drive your marketing plan as the Business Opportunity which is constantly perceived differently by people and therefore nearly impossible to control. But the marketing plan must be the same vehicle, same delivery, same results, same financial destination.

In designing the slide presentation in the Mini-Program for Maxi-Profits, I chose the symbol of a basic red car to represent the concept of a marketing plan.

It is meant to be the opposite of high-powered marketing plans used by guru drivers. They have the public persona, the skills to handle high tech, high performance features like 432 horsepower, radio data responders, telescopic steering, high maintenance, and higher cost premium gas. Their audiences may admire their skills and unbounded ambition and success. Some may even try and emulate their skill and “drive their complicated marketing plans,” and most times they drop out of the race. THEY CAN’T DO IT!

Of course, you will always find the super salespeople who will roar into high gear.
But how many others audience members will they attract to do the same? In my experience, one or two, because this network marketing business is not about sales but duplication of marketing plan. And the great news is VELOCITY IS DETERMINED by SIMPLICITY and YOU CAN DO IT!

If you learn nothing else from this short series of I CAN DO IT, make sure you understand this statement perfectly. It can mean the difference in your ability to live in poverty or in wealth.
After all, “ability is a poor man’s wealth”.
And the special network marketing home business, more than any other business model, offers the one chance to duplicate average ability to the democratic masses.

YOU CAN BE THE VERY BEST RACE CAR DRIVER IN THE WORLD BUT IF YOU’RE NOT IN A BASIC VEHICLE THAT IS SIMPLE TO DRIVE BY MANY OTHER DRIVERS, YOU’LL NEVER WIN THIS SPECIAL NETWORK MARKETING RACE

You can view these slides and other important principles about this unique home business model in our Mini-Program for Maxi-Profits slide presentation…the training component to this industry that is simple to share.
Your comments and questions are always valued.

Let's talk really soon about what you hope to accomplish,
AnneMarie

Four Words Every Home Business Owner Must Say...PART 3

I CAN DO IT

So far, in Part 1, we saw how self-concept determines your destination and both are relative to a successful marketing plan. In Part 2, we saw how a simple “song” or marketing plan is easier to deliver and fun.

Now, another analogy just hit me last night. It all began with a small cluster of unexpected events…my brother and family (5 members) dropped in from their Kelowna trip. And I offered to make supper, of course, and they gladly accepted, of course, and I didn’t have enough of anything prepared to do company’s justice. In my fridge, there was a small hamburger package (enough for two people) and mozzarella cheese. Sometimes in emergencies like this I draw out an old traditional family recipe. It’s simple 5-ingredient sour cream dough that is rolled out into thin 8 inch circles topped with a filling, braided shut, rolled thin and fried in olive oil. Serve with sour cream and salsa, green onions and carrot sticks. The surprise supper was great with what was described as a gourmet treat.

I love analogies because they can take a highly complex subject and compare it to something easier to understand. In this example I was successful in preparing a good supper for several people because I had a recipe to follow and could not fail.

A recipe made me think of any list of specific instructions with an end result in mind.
You take raw elements like egg, flour, salt, and create a composite wholly unlike to the elements. In the similar way, you can take a marketing plan to grow your home business and realize a dream lifestyle way beyond the words on a page.

A map is a pictorial overview of an actual landscape using labeled keys or code. You can see where you are now and where you want to be. With a business plan, you must be able to see the rules to win by, offensive driving and defensive driving.

A business plan is essential to starting a business, including home-based. You need check out market research, consultants, cash-flow projections, investment ratios, rental fees, shipping, competitors, production, sales and marketing…just to name a few.

A network marketing home business plan has the basic advantage of plugging into an established, successful company, help market their products and earn commissions multiple times. Get paid for monthly consumption of products you would buy anyway. This sounds great in theory.
Here are your ingredients:
BOTTOM LAYER (foundation): company, top management, manufacturing, valuable products, cutting edge advertising, shipping, accounting, service department and more.
MIDDLE LAYER (filling): personal sponsor, team training, support, marketing plan
TOP LAYER: success and financial freedom

But in reality this fails for 95% of people who try it! The top layer, the sweet, care-free, delicious topping is enjoyed by only a handful of people EVEN when the basic recipe is the same. Why? This question has bothered me for years. The company’s foundation is a prepackaged delivery. There is no need for changes here. The real variation in this recipe is the middle layer, the filling…and you can’t apply the topping if you have no filling.

So what’s wrong with the filling? It’s a $64,000 question. Here is where you find all kinds of cooks, or team leaders, using their own special flavors or strategies (sometimes tied into buying their own particular brands). Here is where you find the top “guru” chefs with experience, multi-tasking skills, and credibility in performing complicated procedures. I can’t pretend to cook like a Julia Child, Emile Lagasee or any Iron Chef. I can only marvel at their creations of Stuffed Snapper with Orange and Lime and Manhattan Cheesecake with Flaming Apricots.
Again, I have no desire to be the expert.
I may not even know how to fry an egg (I’m new to home business) but all of the sudden I need to be able to keep up with the expert marketers! Even worse, because of the nature of duplication in this business model, I also need to go out and teach this recipe to others and then they need to do the same! It doesn’t work. Average “cooks” can’t copy and promote complicated recipes. Nor should they need to spend countless hours training.

Show me a simple, straight forward marketing plan …a recipe with 3 or 4 ingredients for the filling:
1. Phone number for an overview. Are you interested? Yes or No
2. Company’s website for more information with a 1 page overview
3. 1 – 2 – 3 Step Marketing Plan to read-and-share that covers the basics: Trends, Marketing, Action…about 30 minutes to set
4. If people want a serving of Excuses…share more educational resources

I CAN DO IT!

More importantly, I can pass on this recipe to as many people as I wish and they can duplicate the steps. Most importantly, I can celebrate the fact that I may not be a “guru chef” with years of mastery, but I can plug into the same networking company, expand my time and knowledge by passing on a simple “recipe” and start earning multiple commissions over and over based on initial effort. My home business will show a great income stream!
Then I’d be able to treat my friends to a real gourmet lunch courtesy of these masters.

I’d love to hear your ideas or questions. If you wish to try the Everday Pyrahi recipe from above…send me a note.

Sincerely,
AnneMarie
amarie10@gmail.com

PS. As an interesting note...the comparison is often made that fast food franchise can be operated by a staff of teenagers because they follow a cookie cutter system. The food may not always be “the best” but you know Hamburger XYZ in California will be exactly the same Hamburger XYZ in Toronto, Canada.

Four Words Every Home Business Owner Must Say...Part 2

PART TWO

Four Words Every Home Business Owner must say

I CAN DO IT…
This is a more whimsical but still vivid look at how to plan to be successful with a home business.
In the last blog these words were tied to your self-concept or self-perception.
Your mind is the key to start the journey to the destination of your choice.
It’s not about speeches, products, hype, leaders, etc.
The point was also made that a simple marketing plan will be more successful than a complicated one. More success will naturally develop self-concept.


One top networker said the way to be successful is to “listen to the music one more time.”
His training involved six weeks of regular teleclasses. Learn the strategies, learn the script and practice, drill, rehearse. Tough for even the most motivated to maintain, much less pass the expectation to others.

So, the other afternoon I was returning from visiting my family. Feeling a little nostalgic in a beautiful hazy golden autumn afternoon driving through our mountains, I decided to listen to a CD by two “singing cowboys,” namely, Slim Whitman and Tex Ritter.
They sang old treasured songs…the words made simple statements, soulful and understandable. The single guitar notes rang clear as bells in uncomplicated melodies. I could recall vaguely hearing some of the songs as a child:

When I grow too old to dream
When my blue moon turns to gold again.
Beautiful Dreamer
Green Grow the Lilacs

The point here is I found myself automatically singing along, humming the tunes, quickly learning the choruses, repeating words and rhymes long forgotten. The words were simple, the tunes repetitive and it was easy to follow along. Being masterful was long gone.

Now I can’t sing. My high notes were raspy, I forgot words and my attempts at yodeling probably scared animals in the hills. Nor did I think for a moment that I had the talent or ever be in the same league of success as these singing cowboys. Nor did I desire to be a singing celebrity at any time. But I could duplicate the words, most of the melodies, I had fun, and I didn’t have to spend months or years training to be an expert that others could admire and follow.

So how does this scenario connect to a profitable home based business? In the network marketing industry, particularly, it is the duplication of the marketing plan that builds customers and cash-flow. It follows logically if the marketing plan is simple, easy to understand, easy to read that everyone can duplicate it. In other words, everyone can sing along at their levels of ability. You don’t have to be a good singer or a good salesperson as in this example. “You listen to the simple music one more time” and you share it and so on and so on.

I CAN DO IT

Keep the words and marketing plan simple for home business success. Enjoy the ride and the time freedom on your own terms, choosing to visit and travel through the peaceful autumn mountains listening nostalgically to sweet, simple words about life and what really matters.
Check out the 1 – 2 – 3 Step Marketing Plan and see how simple it is to “sing along.”

I here to help with questions and comments.

AnneMarie
amarie10@gmail.com
1 250 365 6916

Four Words Every Home Business Owner Must Say

FOUR WORDS every Home Business Owner Must Say...Part One

I CAN DO IT (ICDI)

I just had to share these words by Stephen Pierce. (Stephen Pierce International Inc.) They help to explain the purpose of keeping it simple ranging from
walking to planning a successful home business.

True leadership is the ability to take something
complex and simplify it.

If I told you to run east to see the sunset would
you be successful? Sure you would, if you were facing east.

Would you need to go to a seminar and hear the right speaker
before you could run east successfully?

Would you need specially designed sneakers?

Would Gatorade need to make a special drink for people
running east before you could be successful?

Of course not. You just need to be in the right
place...facing east. Then you'll see the sunset.

It's the same way with making more money online.

You don't need to buy the priciest product or hear the best speakers
before you can take your next step.

Look, I could give you all the resources in the world and all the latest strategies.
But there's one thing that will never change: the human factor.

It's impossible to change your business and start moving forward without
first focusing on you and your mindset and perspective. The possibilities
you see for yourself will depend on what you’re thinking..

When your car's gas tank is low, you go fill it up with gas, right?
You need to do the same for you, too. Here is the gas you need:

G - Gratitude is an attitude. Begin each day by
thinking about something you are grateful for,
even if your finances are lousy or your family
life is under severe strain. There's something
you can be grateful for.

A - Affirm who you are. Don't dwell on what you
think you "can't" do or how you've failed in the
past. Focus on what you "can" do. Use
constructive language, instead of destructive.

S - Strategies, systems and support. All three of
those go together.
Especially if you’re contemplating a home based business
in our network marketing industry.

Use the simple slide presentation to be the expert on how
to leverage Time and Knowledge and earn multiple commissions.
Read the keep-it-simple 1 – 2 – 3 Step Marketing Plan to show the big picture
and value of excellence in products, management, trends and timing.
Call me to help with questions or comments.

Remember, keep it simple, face the right direction, use your own G.A.S,
and reach the sunset of your dreams.
I CAN DO IT!

Standing by to help with your goals,
AnneMarie
amarie10@gmail.com


Warriors through the ages understood the
importance of the right terrain in winning
battles. It gives you a huge strategic advantage.

If you pick the wrong place as a marketer you'll
burn through all your resources. Today is the day
you pick the right place.

Another "amazing" home business opportunity with low success ratio...explain Why?

Another “amazing” home business opportunity with low success ratio...explain WHY?

Another breakthrough home business opportunity crossed my desk the other day. There are so many of these amazing “creatures” out there hoping to find a kind ear, a dazzled eye, a vision of life-long prosperity, an excited start-up with a keen home business owner.
I checked it out. It was a network marketing opportunity. The products were about wellness with good descriptions like unique, consumable, proprietary, patented, double-blind clinical studies. What was missing, in my opinion, were words like natural, whole foods, synergy. Nature cannot be patented. I was losing interest fast.
Then I read that a successful business represents 2% of this industry based on mentoring by professionals! Why would anyone consider doing this home business with such an“amazing” low odds of success?!? Unless, of course, you were already a professional network marketer. I consider myself in that league so continued reading the marketing plan. Marketing, after all, is the key to success in this business by sharing a duplication model through multiple levels.

The point here is not to try to explain the whole marketing process but some key words are: recorded calls 24/7, live corporate fly-ins, live opportunity calls, live weekly webinars, area and regional sessions and a turn-key online marketing system which consists of replicated website, company videos, multiple lead capture pages, flash overview tours, email messages, and seamless sign-ups. All of this is monitored by a full contact manager, lead management, website path tracking, integrated real-time leads, advertising co-op rotation, meta-tag control, and a full auto-responder system.

What do you think would be a main problem in the sharing of this duplication model through multiple levels?

I’ve actually worked with a similar system. It produced results for professional networkers who worked with other networkers but very few results for average home business owners. This is the main reason why we need to restructure the network marketing plan so that everyone truly has an equal level playing field from which to gain profits and prosperity.

I’d love to hear about your home business experience and what you hope to accomplish.
Standing by to help,
AnneMarie

Make Profits with a Home Business on a Table Napkin?

Make profits with a Home Business on a Table Napkin? Show me how.

I listened recently to a short video presentation about a young entrepreneur who has an absolutely unusual way of deciding which potential million dollar business to build based on a peculiar business model. Can his business plan be explained to future partners on a dinner napkin? And can his partners explain the same business plan on a dinner napkin to other prospects?

The key here is marketing with obvious simple duplication.

He continued to draw a regular sized napkin and divide it into quarters. Each quarter represented a special function.
First, start with a capture email page with a low ticket offer.
Next, proceed to a small ticket upsell where as many as 30% of customers begin to feel comfortable with the buying process. Then, everyone is dropped into an email follow-up system called a Continuity Program. Finally, the big ticket item is produced and supported with call centers, webinars, and email contacts and updates. At any time, potential customers can remove themselves from the marketing funnel.

This program started a personal evaluation. Can my small home business be explained on a single dinner napkin? I believe so, but even in a more simplified way.

First: Invite potential prospects to listen to an overview call about the home business opportunity.
Second: If interested in more information, follow-up with the company’s website and a one page Getting Started Right Business Plan
Third: Help with questions. Continue the education with a generic overview of the business model with a slideshow and e-book…an invaluable information tool that does the work for you called the Mini-Program for Maxi-Profits.
Fourth: Read and share the 1- 2 – 3 Step Marketing Plan that covers all the main facts,neutralizes common excuses, and brings in a new business partner.

Simple is a beautiful thing. A simple dinner napkin “business” can be duplicated. In our industry duplication of a simple marketing plan can lead to fortunes.

How Not to Let your Home Business Beat You Up

How Not to Let Your Home Business Beat You Up?

Yesterday I spent two hours on two different calls listening to expert marketing advice from top marketers.
There is always hope that something might rub off…better sales copy, better target marketing…join a program.
So what did I learn? No business can survive without an active marketing plan to draw in customers. But marketing is a multi-layered, complex business that even the gurus have spent years in mastering.

I have a network marketing home business with the advantage of having an inbuilt marketing plan and team support. But am I able to execute the recommended plan at the same level as these experts?
I listened to this one Lead System marketing company for networkers explain its enrollment process…TEN steps with attending videos to explain each step to open up and track multiple streams of income. So let’s say you manage to struggle through this one-time process, get your domain name and set up your marketing site(s). That’s actually the easy part…Now comes the real marketing efforts which are to advertise your advertising website! How long would it take you to learn how to do these tasks: Set up a MySpace account with categories (plus other social sites web 2 marketing), build a list, create ezine solo-ads, learn Forum Marketing, write content for article and blog marketing, and learn pay per click plus several more. Each one is an extensive learning curve to do properly and requires perpetual updates to keep relevant. This is the basic principle of attraction marketing where people will find you impressive enough to want an affiliation with.
Give me a break! This system will work for a small handful of entrepreneurs. I wonder how many of those ladies with beginning questions will actually succeed in meeting these professional standards.
I’m a networker and my profitable home business marketing plan must duplicate through multiple levels of average home business entrepreneurs. You can’t all be expected to be “attractively magnetizing experts.” But you can be expected to handle 3 main components time-effectively: First, pass on an educational ABC primer to explain the business model, generic, hype free, with professional slides to explain the basic concepts. Those who raise their hand for more information will receive the second step …a phone number and a simple Getting Start Right Action Plan with necessary links. Third, everyone can read-and-share a marketing overview with steps to action.

The next time I think about taking 2 hours listening to marketing gurus, I’d rather share a simple marketing plan with people looking for a real non-magnetic home business.

How many Home Business Hats Do You Wear?

Note: this is another refocused "insight" from the book E-Myths..

Every small home business owner wears several hats: you wear the hats of Entrepreneur, Manager and Technician.

At the beginning, the need to wear at least 3 hats becomes very apparent. Of course, I wanted to be the Entrepreneur, the visionary, working with a strong team to bring health and prosperity to the average family. I needed to be the Technician, the technical expert, who organized the correct emails, mailings, webinars, conference calls, company updates, training sessions, and so on. Then, of course, I was also the Manager who wore the pragmatic hat in terms of talking with people, prospects, new customers, sales and marketing questions, goal setting, solving problems and so forth. In order for any company to be successful, you’ll need to develop these 3 skills or hire somebody to play each of these roles.

However, as time and experience evolved, and the Information Economy and technology continued to expand, then more questions had to be addressed in long term management systems. I’m happy to note these questions have now been answered with the help of information tools and a simple 1- 2 - 3 step marketing system.

• How can I get my business to work, but without me?
• What’s the best way to delegate my responsibilities?
• What procedures should I implement to make the business run and grow itself?
• How can I spend my time doing the work I love to do rather than the work I have to do?

My advice for any person looking for a home business is to start with the basics: Become a student first. Learn the basic facts about the industry you’re interested in. Now you can set some entrepreneurial goals and long term vision. Plug into Information Technology to help with the technical details. For management goals, let information tools by top experts tell the story for you.
So what else is there for you to do?
How about answering the last question; mainly, spend more time doing the work you love.

Of course, we also wear a multitude of other "hats" as mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, sisters, brothers, relatives, neighbours, co-workers,employees, sports fans, hobbyists and so many more...all the more reason to use professional information tools.

Standing by to help with questions or comments,

AnneMarie

PS. Share some stories about the "hats" you wear.

refocus insight on small home business

I thought I’d share some information from a top business expert Michael Gerber and his famous book: E-Myth Revisited, Why Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It. I remember reading it a few years ago with some uncertainty. But I must say my current home business has helped to refocus my time and energy. Now I have different insights and thought they might help anyone contemplating a small home business.

First, the premise of the book is the belief that many businesses fail because the founders are technicians that were inspired to start a business without knowledge of how to run a successful business. A key component in that equation is how to market successfully...and that in itself, could involve years of training and practice.The assumption that many people make is that because they are experts regarding technical details of a product or service, they will also be an expert at running that sort of business. If you are a great cook with special ethnic dishes, you should be great at opening up a restaurant. If you are a excellent computer technician, you should be able to operate a computer service business. But as it turns out for many, this can be part mythology and a bad assumption.

Here are some of the lessons that I learned to apply to my profitable home business
1) Don’t only work in your business; make sure you also work on your business.
How many small business or home owners do you know who work 24/7 trying to handle every single technical detail day to day? At one time, I also worked hard “in my business”, often consumed by details.Now I invest some time developing a long term plan and vision; in other words, I work “on my business.”
You need to develop systems and business procedures to ensure the success of your company over a long term range. It's best to work with conscientious, like-minded people who engage in similar goals and support.In the earlier years of my business, I kept everything in my head. Later on, I learned that I would need to create formal systems and write out formal procedures. A critical component was a simple, formalized marketing plan.

This one strategy is essential to a growing, thriving business that people want to talk about.
Next time, more about refocusing on some home business "myths."

AnneMarie
amarie10@gmail.com
ps..drop me a note if you'd like to share some of your business "stories".
Posted by 3steps2rich at 11:05 AM

Simple Does as Simple Sees...marketing that works

Current economic times are turbulent, home businesses are booming, information is overwhelming..where do you begin to make an intelligent, comprehensive search?

In all sincerity, let's say you decide to look at one of the fastest growing trends; namely, a network marketing home business. You’re bright eyed and freshfaced and have a strong desire to do well. You want catch this train to a five or six digit income and not be left standing on the sidelines.
But how many times have I seen this happen with new people? All of a sudden you are flooded with information overload…company, product, sales training, marketing strategies, motivation, self-development! Plus…as a newbie you need to share this full load with others and get them motivated and excited! Yikes…stop the train! I’m just at the primary level at this time and how can I be expected to perform like a networking graduate? In time, with practice, I will master the important fundamentals. But don’t swamp me with high expectations when I’m just learning my first steps. Don't expect me to win the marathon without practice. Just give me the basic 1- 2- 3 steps that I can do and others can do as well.
Here’s an example. Every business needs a KEY MARKETING PLAN. Don’t even contemplate starting any home business until you have examined closely the features of how you will market the product(s)
Here's your choice. What kind of marketing plan would you like to plug into?
ONE...a 10 page outline with steps to follow for the next ten days. As a follow-up, your new customer will also have to follow this plan…I've been there…done that..and it doesn't work for many reasons…No wonder this industry based on duplication has so much attrition and low rates of success…TIME TO CHANGE!
TWO...OR would you like to get a 1- 2- 3 steps 30- minute plan to read and share…Everybody can read and share the critical points of information: the need to change, smart choices and steps to action.
Learn the basics…3 steps...30 minutes. Pass it on to others. Continue to repeat 3 steps... 30 minutes. Simple to do... simple to duplicate.
The KEY that opens up network marketing fortunes is in the duplication of simple basic business (marketing) systems
Your choice: a 10 day business follow up or a 1-2-3 step 30-minute plan
What duplicates: a 10 day business plan or a 1-2-3 step 30- minute read and share plan?
More simple marketing tips next.

Your comments and questions are always appreciated.
AnneMarie

A HOME BUSINESS? an overview

We are living in some exciting times in the middle of the Information Age, surrounded by countless possibilities…It's about automation, technology, sharing information where intellectual distribution is competing with physical distribution. It's about marketing information using a self-franchise system. All the tools you need are in your hands…a phone number, a website, a read and share marketing plan. You don’t need to spend endless hours studying, reading programs, taking ecourses, listening to webinars and conference calls (unless you want to)
So as an ex-teacher, here’s my cry , " I just can't take it any more!"
Let's get back to basics..the simple A B C's of how to understand any big concept, especially when looking at a home business opportunity. Let's learn a few basic facts. Let's apply a few strategies. Let's see the "total" big picture or "concept map " so we know what to pay attention to and what is essential for success. Let's review, make plans and set goals. Now you're ready to look seriously at a profitable home business.
The next few blogs will outline a basic vocabulary and structure to better understand some of the fastest growing home business trends.
FACT A
Most people live on salaries. If you work for the boss you live on a fixed income.Traditionally, there are 4 ways to earn an income and make a living:
1. Work for the boss.
2. Start a home business with something you' ve created or service you provide.
3. Plug into a huge company, help market their product and receive multiple commissions.
4. Earn accrued interest from your investments because you're already wealthy.
How do you make your income?
What are the positives and negatives of any of these ways?
How can we amalgamate more than one way?
Which is the fastest way to reach Number 4, if that is something you desire?
We'll look at FACT B next time.

AnneMarie

PS. Your questions and comments are always welcome.