According to USA Today, "Direct-sales businesses... are seeing their sales forces rapidly expand as the nation's unemployment rate soars to nearly 9% and those who lost jobs and nest eggs look for new ways to make money."

Niel Offen, president of the Direct Selling Association, confirms this. "We're recession-resistant in the sense that more people come to us during economic hard times for supplemental income or replacement of a lost job".

While industry totals for 2008 are not yet available, there are clear indications that recruiting among direct sales and network marketing companies is onthe rise. For instance, Avon saw its U.S. sales force grow to more than 680,000 through March, its largest ever. Silpada Designs says its sales force in the U.S. and Canada was up 11.8% on May 1 from a year earlier, while Isagenix saw a 30% increase in its sales force in March from a year before.

While recruitment is up, results are growing as well. It has been predicted that more millionaires will be created in network marketing than in any other industry over the next 10 years.

The other factor fueling the growth of network marketing, is the growing sophistication of marketing techniques being used by representatives. Old school techniques of chasing after friends and family and calling cold leads, are being enhanced by new school attraction marketing techniques. With attraction marketing, you can literally attract qualified people to you rather than chase after them. You do this by creating valuable information that your target market is seeking, most often on the Internet.

To learn more about how attraction marketing can help your business, whether it be network marketing or otherwise, contact Cindy Schulson for a complimentary consultation. You can reach her at 619 318 8688 or email cindy@homebusinesswins.com

In the meantime, take 3 minutes to view the video above to learn how you can recession proof your life. This video is by McKay Earl, creator of The 30 Day Marketer, a program that teaches you how to market online whether you are in network marketing or anything else. I think you will find it very insightful and well worth your 3 minutes.

I myself fell into network marketing five years ago. It was completely new to me. I think I was the only person in the world who had never been to a "home party". So when I became a mom and was looking for a way to reinvent myself I came across an opportunity to work from home with a network marketing company. I gave it a go for five years and had some good success. But it never felt quite right. I really didn't like chasing after friends and family, and I absolutely refused to approach people at the grocery store or gas station. That is just not me.

I turned to the Internet to see if I could find another way to work this business. You see, I knew the industry made good sense. It is very wise to get paid for the efforts of ther people (isn't that what all good businesses do?), and I love earning residual or passive income. Do something once and get paid over and over again. That's brilliant. I just wanted to find a smarter way to work the business. After some searching, I found the answers I was looking for. It begain with a book by Ann Sieg, called The 7 Great Lies of Network Marketing. Her book has truly revolutionized the network marketing industry. I would strongly encourage you to pick up a free copy and take another look at this industry.

If you would like to learn more or book a complimentary consultation to talk about your business or goals, please email me at cindy@homebusinesswins.com or call me at 619 318 8688.

I look forward to connecting with you and helping you reach your goals.

To your success!

Cindy

• 40% of all privately held U.S. firms are owned or controlled by women
• Women’s companies are creating jobs at twice the rate of all firms
• Women’s companies are responsible for more payroll than all the Fortune 500 companies combined
• Women’s companies are growing profits faster than all firms
• Every day, 420 new women-owned companies are formed in the U.S.

Women entrepreneurs are succeeding even though they have to take bigger financial risks to get started.

• Women’s companies only get 5% of all venture capital
• Women take on more personal debt to fund their businesses than men do

What is behind this growth? In part, it is that many companies aren’t meeting the needs of women (and mothers) as far as a flexible work schedule and the ability to work from home. It is also driven by the fact that many women get frustrated working for companies they feel don’t respect or listen to them. These factors are forcing women to find new solutions.

Margaret HeffernanA new book by Margaret Heffernan,”How She Does It”, explores what makes women-owned or controlled firms successful. Heffernan herself is a five-time CEO and a regular contributor to both Real Business and Fast Company According to Heffernan, “As long as women continue to slug it out in traditional companies that were build by men for men, much of their energy will go into fitting into those cultures. It is a big drain on resources. But once a woman runs her own company that drain evaporates. These phenomenal numbers how just how effective women can be when they work on their own terms. They also demonstrate just how much talent those traditional corporations lose when their women give up on them.”

Heffernan interviewed hundreds of women business owners,and found there were common patterns and themes that emerged. She found that women do work differently from men and that these differences can lead to great success. There is a striking congruence between the things women excel at and the demands of the new economy. Women have a tremendous need to achieve. Women don’t feel they have a safety net or can turn back. They are smart about markets and timing. They practice diversity. They place values at the heart of their business and take culture very seriously. And women work from a different concept of power than men. The result is a unique style of leadership in which “soft” skills are getting hard results."How She Does It" by Margaret Heffernan

Some of the common themes Heffernan finds among women-owned companies are as follows:

• Broad peripheral vision keeps you better informed than market research
• Intution and empathy are mission critical talents
• Business isn’t rational and companies are living organisms vs. machines
• A successful business is built on values and a sense of purpose
• Leadership is about orchestrating vs. commanding
• Besides having a market to sell to, culture is the most important thing in business
• Great cultures turn personal values into process
• Service is ennobling, not demeaning
• Mistakes are learning
• Be a good planner but a brilliant improviser
• Asking for help is a sign of strength
• Outside commitments (such as family) enhance managerial excellence
• To understand the market, you have to spend time in it
• Emotion is not a weakness
• Business doesn’t follow rules.

Heffernan challenges us to celebrate the differences and learn from them. If you’d like to learn more, I’d encourage you to pick up a copy of the book.

“I've long called the saga of American women-owned businesses our most under-reported business news story. Margaret Heffernan goes a long way to filling this empty canyon. HOW SHE DOES IT is a great piece of reporting, a great piece of writing--and, simply, one of the most important books, business or otherwise, to come along in many a year.” -- Tom Peters

”Illuminates the strengths of female-run companies. Will cause light bulbs to go off over the corporate world.” -- USA Today

There are several ways a home business can help you save money.

• Travel – When you commute to work, you have to pay for fuel, tolls, parking and vehicle maintenance. When you work at home, the only wear and tear is on your socks and carpet walking to your office.

• Clothes – When you work outside the home you have added expenses for clothing, accessories and dry cleaning. When you work at home, you can get away with fuzzy slippers and pajamas.

• Food – If you work at home, your snacks, beverages and lunches are already included in your grocery budget. When you work outside the home, you have to add on the price of restaurants, drinks and snacks. You’ll probably have less time to cook as well, so you’ll likely have more take-out and restaurant expenses.

• Daycare – Child care is a huge consideration. Many women find that a huge chunk of their pay check goes toward daycare costs, especially if they have more than one child. Even if your children are of school age, after care and/or before care at schools can be very expensive.

• Hired help - When you work outside the home, you have less time to take care of things like house cleaning, home repairs and lawn maintenance, in which case you will likely have to pay someone to do these things for you.

• Miscellaneous expenses - There are lots of miscellaneous expenses that come up when you work outside the home. Things like buying gifts for colleagues at Christmas time, and contributing to the office pool for gifts or donations can be really add up.

• Taxes - There are MANY tax benefits and deductions you get when you have a home business. For instance, you can deduct a portion of your rent or mortgage, home insurance, utilities, home repairs, phone bills, and internet service. You can also deduct things like office supplies, travel expenses, mileage and client entertainment. Ronald R. Mueller, author of the bestseller “It's How Much You KEEP, That Counts! Not how much you Make”, explains that if you run a Home-Based Business you can slash your taxes by $300 to $600 per month.

Let me be clear. This is not to say that it is better to be a stay at home mom versus a working mom. That is not what this is about. It’s also not to say that it is easy to be successful with a home business, because that is certainly not the case. Nor is working from home for everyone. But before you make any decisions, determine how much bottom-line cash a job will bring once you add up all the costs.

Use this online calculator to help you determine the costs of working outside the home. And if you’re considering working from home, then do your research to explore the types of opportunities available and whether or not it might be a good fit for you. The most important thing is to find a solution that works best for you and your family.

For advice and tips on having a successful home business, get a free copy of Home Business Wins

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Work at Home Success

I've been working at home with my own business for 5 years and have two boys, ages 7 and 4. So I understand the challenges of working my business around my family's schedule. While its inevitable that your child will come running the second you pick up the phone or sit down at the computer, there are some things you can do to make working at home a little easier.

1. Schedule your time carefully. Let's face it, moms are the best multitaskers around. I remember making a lasagna while holding my child and listening to a conference call, all at the same time! There are certain work-related activities you can do with your kids around. Other work activities require more focus. You might not have huge chunks of quite time, but there will be opportunities during your day. Treat these times like gold and dedicate them to such activities as client/prospect/partner communication. You can also get a lot done before the kids wake up or after they go to bed. This is the time to do things like marketing, send emails, write and admin work. Be flexible though. Things won't always go as planned, so try your best to take it in stride.

2. To Do List - Have a to-do-list of what you are going to accomplish each day and each week. Prioritize your list and incorporate deadlines. This helps you stay focused and it gives you a sense of achievement as you move forward in accomplishing your goals. There are some great contact management systems, such as Oprius, that help you stay on task as well.

3. Business Tools - You can do a lot of work while you're out and about if you have the right tools including a cell phone. If you're in California or another state that mandates hands-free cell phone while driving, invest in a Bluetooth (or do what a friend calls "BoobTube" where you put your cell phone on speaker and stick it in your bra strap - try it!). You need enough minutes on your cell phone (its really Tools for Successexpensive if you go over so have that buffer) and make sure you record a professional voice message.

You'll also want to invest in a lap top and a wireless card so you can connect to the Internet from just about anywhere. And there is some great technology, such as Foldershare, that allows you to connect all the files on your home computer to your laptop. There are some other time-saving tools you can tap into as well. Click here for some more ideas.

4. Mom networks - There are some great online communities for moms that allow you to share ideas, network, and gain support. Here are a few:

cafemom
workitmom
typeamom
themompreneur
mompreneurclub
momslikeme


5. Find support -- Running your own business can be a big challenge and its best if you don't have to do it all alone. There are support systems out there that you can tap into. Social networking sites are a great place to learn and connect with others. You can also seek the support and advice of a coach. There are all different kinds of mentors and coaches, from network marketing mentors to business coaches and life coaches.

6. Office space - You need a space for yourself to get your work done. If you have a separate room, then close the door and put a sign on the door handle with a picture of mom working. You can get your child to help you make the sign so they really understand what it means. If you don't have a dedicated office space, then find somewhere in your house that has the least amount of traffic and the fewest distractions. One friend who lived in a studio apartment in Manhattan with her husband and child literally used the bathroom as her office!

7. Get your kids involved - Explain what you do to your kids and why you do it. Chances are they'll be proud of you and over time, will understand why you need time to get your work done. Kids love to help so find small tasks such as taking the pages out of the printer or punching holes in your papers.

8. Take a break - To avoid burnout, set aside work-free time. A well-timed breather can give you the energy boost you need. Take care of your mental and physical health. It really is one of the best things you can do for yourself, your family and your business.

For advice and tips on having a successful home business, get a free copy of Home Business Wins

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I took the entire summer off and still received a check every month for doing nothing. That is the power of residual income. If you want the freedom to take time off from your work or business to be with your family (or travel or whatever you want to do), then you have to look at the type of income you're earning. The key is to earn both passive income AND multiple streams of income. Passive or residual income gives you an ongoing source of revenue, so you can take time off. And creating multiple streams of income allows you to leverage your efforts and turn on several income taps at the same time. By creating both residual income and multiple income streams, you will be able enjoy what too few people have – both time and money.

Cash Flow for your Business

Passive income is money received on a regular basis, with little effort required to maintain it. Multiple streams of income means that you have money coming in from various sources. And if you’re really smart you’ll create both. Let’s look at some examples of how you can do that.

There are lots of ways to earn passive income including property rentals, financial investments and pensions. But to be honest, those carry too much risk and investment for me.

Working with an MLM or network marketing company can be a great source of residual income. That means you get paid over and over again by having a customer buy your service or product from you on a repeated basis. Top financial gurus like Robert Kiyosaki hRobert Kiyosakiave identified network marketing as an excellent business opportunity. Watch this video by Robert Kiyosaki to understand exactly why that is.

There are a number of key things to look for when selecting a network marketing company, such as the products, compensation plan, company track record, training, retention rate, and systems of marketing and duplication. More and more people are using the Internet to build their network marketing business, using the principles of attraction marketing. Look for a mentor who understands what this is all about and will help teach you these methods.

The Internet has created a whole new realm of possibilities for how to earn passive income, including web hosting, software products, internet marketing services, and custom web design services.

One of the more popular ways is through advertising commissions. If you have a website, you can put a banner or link on your site and collect a monthly fee for doing so. You can also offer advertising space in your ezine or ebook. You can also put Google Ads on your website. When someone clicks on the ad, you get a commission. Of course, all these advertising methods depend on you getting people to your website in the first place.

Another method that has become increasingly popular and allows you to create both passive income and multiple streams of income is affiliate marketing. With affiliate marketing, you make money by promoting products and services for companies and by recruiting other affiliates. It’s a good idea to diversify and choose multiple services and products so you don’t put all your eggs in one basket and so that you create multiple income streams. When you’re choosing an affiliate program make sure that it meets your target market’s needs and provides value. And choose affiliates that match your own interests and knowledge base, so you’ll know how to promote them effectively. Also look at the amount of commission the affiliates pay and how long they track clients for you (ideally forever). And make sure they pay commissions on multiple tiers for sales, e.g. you also get paid when one of your affiliates makes a sale.

I think you’ll find that affiliate marketing is pretty easy to do. You don’t have to invest anything (most affiliate programs are free), and the companies do most of the work for you. They provide the products, track the sales and give you a commission for each sale. Many programs even give you training and marketing materials to help you along.

Another great way to use the web to create passive income is to sell an ebook. You can write an ebook about any subject on which you can add value, whether its how to build an online business, travel tips or raising healthy children. The point is to create content that is valuable for your target market. Ebooks are not expensive to produce and can generate ongoing income for years to come.

You can even add an affiliate program by getting other people to sell it for a commission. This is a great way to increase your passive income. I’d also recommend pre-selling by giving people a free e-book or other valuable content before selling them your ebook.

That’s what Ann Sieg has done with her free The 7 Great Lies of Network Marketing, followed by the The Renegade Network Marketer.Ann Sieg

In fact, let’s take a look at what Ann Sieg has done because it’s an excellent example of how to make passive income online as well as create multiple streams of income. Ann has created an enormously popular ebook called The 7 Great Lies of Network Marketing. That book is free and it offers tremendous insights into why most people fail at network marketing and how they can succeed. Once people read that, they want to get her ebook The Renegade Network Marketer because it goes into much more detail about solutions for overcoming the challenges faced by most network marketers. For instance, Ann shares what she calls the greatest sales secret of all time (here’s a hint – it has to do with attracting people to you vs. chasing after them).

Now here is where her system is extremely clever. Anyone who purchases The Renegade Network Marketer (it costs $67) becomes an affiliate and will earn $33.50 every time they sell a copy of the ebook. Not only that, but anyone who buys The Renegade Network Marketer gets access to an enormous back-end system with tons of training and marketing tools, plus they automatically get to become affiliates with around 40 products and services geared to online marketing. So not only does Ann create multiple streams of income for herself, she makes that available for everyone who buys her ebook. Brilliant.

Don’t get me wrong. You can’t sit down at your computer and start generating thousands overnight. Like anything else, creating income online takes effort and persistence. Education is essential and there are great resources to help you. But if you commit to educating yourself and sticking with it, you can have great success. And once you have cash flow coming in on a residual basis and from different sources, you will be able to take time off and achieve greater balance between work and family.

For advice and tips on having a successful home business, get a free copy of Home Business Wins

Set Expectations

First of all, make sure that everyone is on the same page as far as what’s expected, and not expected, of them.  This is so critical.

What do you want your spouse to do?  Do you need them to watch the kids? If so, figure out when and let them know well in advance. Get a calendar or whiteboard where you can post the times your spouse needs to be present and on kiddie patrol. 

Does your spouse have a particular skill that you’re lacking? Seek their advice or help. For instance, I’m lousy with finances so I had my husband put together a system to help me track my expenses (and tax deductions – he loves that part!). Do you want your spouse to help with referrals? Are they willing to do this? If so, make sure they know what kind of referral you’re looking for and coach them on a good elevator pitch that works for them.

What about your kids?  Your kids can help in little ways, such as punching holes in your papers, stuffing envelopes or decorating your office. They can also be your best spokespeople if they love your products (of course this can’t be rehearsed).

Also make sure your family members (parents, siblings, cousins, etc.) know what you don’t expect of them. For instance, you can ask a family member to listen to your sales pitch or presentation, but let them know you don’t expect them to buy your products or services.

Communicate

Secondly, communicate. By communicating upfront and at major decision points, you set the stage for mutual understanding.

Every relationship is different and you know the dynamics of how your marriage works better than anyone. That makes you the best judge of how and when to communicate with your spouse. Just make sure you do it.  The best way to get someone’s buy-in is to seek their advice. Run your business ideas by your spouse. Explain your goals and plans. You will not only gain their support, you can also generate some valuable feedback. 

Communicating is especially important at the outset of your business venture (before you invest major time and money) but it’s also important as you move forward. Things change and evolve. You want to communicate the major changes to your partner so they understand where you’re going.

Measure Your Results

Measure your progress in clear and objective terms. You’ll want to determine some major milestones you want to reach with your business as well as timelines for when you expect to reach those milestones. This helps you monitor your progress and it helps your family get on the same page as you.  Let’s face it. A home business requires sacrifice from everyone in the family, especially at the beginning as you get things going. By setting milestones and timelines, you help everyone see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Another important part of measurement is monitoring your expenses and return on investment. Any business requires investment, both up-front and ongoing. You and your spouse might feel like the money is going out faster than it’s coming in, and that will likely be the case in the beginning. Every family has a different financial system. You might have separate bank accounts or you might be the one who handles all the finances. It’s up to you, but it can be a good idea to keep your spouse posted on the financial aspects of your business.

Celebrate

Finally, don’t forget to celebrate with your family when you reach your milestones. When you get your first client, let everyone know and celebrate however your family likes best. A picnic, a dinner, a hike, whatever is fun for you. Mark major milestones with a family vacation, a camping trip or a new family toy. 

By setting expectations, communicating, measuring results and celebrating successes, you will go a long way toward gaining your family’s support for your home business. And when your family supports you in your efforts, it will make everyone’s lives, and your business, easier and more pleasant.