Monday, December 22, 2008

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)

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

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


Tuesday, December 16, 2008

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




Thursday, December 4, 2008

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




Tuesday, December 2, 2008

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