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It’s hard to believe, but it’s almost Fall and “back-to-school” time.  Whether you have children or not, the school season always initiates the beginning of Fall – the season of change.  Perhaps you are interested in turning over a new leaf this coming season – learning a new skill, joining a fitness class, or even starting a new home-based business.

If starting a new business is on the horizon for you how will you choose the right one?

Here are some tips to start you in the right direction.

1. Identify your Passion – Are you a people person?  Do you like to help others?  Do you work best in a team environment or alone? Do you need something that allows you to use your creativity?  When your business is connected to your passion it really doesn’t seem like work.
2. Do Your Homework – when researching a company do your due diligence to make sure it is stable.  Are they growing?  Do they have a strong leadership team?  Doing your homework then being coachable and duplicating proven business strategies can factor into your success.
3. Determine your “WHY?” – do you want to bring an extra $500 or $1000 into the household every month?  Are you saving for a big vacation?  A new car?  Do you want the flexibility of working when your kids are in school? Having a home-based business can support your dreams and at the same time be a practical solution to lower taxes.
4. Plan & Use Your Time Wisely – once you know how many hours a week you can dedicate to your business you can plan how to best use those hours.  The home-based business model allows for as much flexibility as you need.

So take a moment to ask yourself – when Fall hits this year, will you be ready for a new beginning?

Whatever you choose, enjoy the last few weeks of summer and if you decide to  search for a home-based business may I suggest you take a look at mine… I love to work with women and help them realize their goals and dreams.

When Was The Last Time You Made Someone’s Day?

I was browsing in a bookstore recently and a sales clerk came up to offer assistance.  For a start, that impressed me,  as it doesn’t happen often these days.  We began a conversation about the book I was looking for, and he became immediately animated.  He seemed genuinely thrilled to be able to share his vast knowledge of all things literary.  His eyes lit up and his passion for literature shone through.  When I asked him how he had gained so much knowledge he told me that he has a literature degree.  I don’t know why he was working in a book store, whether it was by choice or necessity, but it seemed to me that he was a valuable resource to have working there.  He gave me his name and offered to help again if I returned to the store.  I so appreciated the positive customer service experience he had provided, and I really noticed it because it is so rare today — so I took a moment when I got home to send him a thank you card.
A few days later I received an email from him (Ryan) with the following comment:

“I received your thank you card, and I really appreciated it.  Working in retail means that much of the time I end up helping a lot of people who feel entitled to my efforts on their behalf or are outright rude.  Your card was a refreshing and uplifting way to start the day.”

For me there were two messages in that experience:

1. It is important to acknowledge good/exceptional customer service.

2. Taking the time to send a heartfelt card in this fast-paced world can make  a difference – and make  someone feel special.

When was the last time you made someone’s day?  I’d love to hear about your positive customer service experience and how you made a small, yet so important, difference to someone.

Janice

I am very excited to be  back writing my blog and to  focus on all the things I am passionate about: networking, connecting others, and customer service.  My new website is up and running and I feel extremely energized about all that is going on in my life.

Business networking is the greatest single asset for creating  growth and a sustainable business model in today’s market.  I love building relationships and teaching entrepreneurs how to create their own networks.  I am very grateful for all the amazing people I am meeting as I share my greeting card service on a weekly basis at my regular BNI meeting – who then work on my behalf to expand my prospect and client base. I also “pay it forward” by instructing people how to link with new clients and create opportunities as I connect these prospects with other great people in my network.  One of my favourite things to do is meet new people and learn about them and what they do.  Even as I’m talking to them I am thinking about how I can best support them.
There has never been a better time to start using valuable networking and communication skills to rise above your competition.   I heard this quote from someone I respect and it resonated with me:

” Appreciation wins over self-promotion every time.”

I think it is  a good mantra to remember when networking, and I hope you agree.  Let me know what you think and  please take a look at my new website and let me know how I can be of service to you.   Let’s get connected or reconnected!

It’s my birthday, and it’s the first time I didn’t shout it out to everyone, as I was thinking maybe I shouldn’t celebrate anymore. Perhaps I’m getting too old and such. Then I started to consider the alternatives, and realized that I should indeed be shouting it out and be proud of my age. I still don’t particularly like saying the dreaded number, because I tend to gravitate towards people who are younger than me in years, and don’t always want to be “labelled” as the “oldie” in the group. Of course, that’s all in my head too, so instead I think I’ll focus on how fortunate I am to have my health and be in pretty good shape.

This summer I did several 2 and 3 hour hikes up the local mountains, and ziptrekked at Whistler Mountain — things I probably would have been too “chicken” to do earlier in my life, if the truth be known.

I began to realize that I do, in fact, live in great times and age as a number doesn’t matter anymore, if we take care of ourselves and stay active mentally and physically.

Being at the lead end of the Baby Boomer generation I think I can say that I’m not getting older I’m getting better!
There are so many areas that we Baby Boomers influence . health & wellness, weight loss, anti-aging products, the environment — it’s pretty exciting to be part of this powerful group and influence the economy in such a huge way.

I realize that I can teach those younger than me and be a positive role model in so many ways. I’m excited about the quality products and companies out there that speak to those trends and I can share my preferences in all of them.
Oh, there is one more trend that is hooking all this together for me, and contributes to my thinking and that is social networking. Although this started out as a tool for the young, it is definitely emerging as a business tool for “oldies” like me, who want to stay hip and thrive on learning new things.

So as I reflect on my birthday and consider the alternatives, I think I’m very glad to be celebrating my ??? birthday!

My friend calls it the Perfect Storm – a great description used in an article written by economist Paul Zane Pilzer. http://www.paulzanepilzer.com/successhomedec05.htm in which he refers to the perfect opportunity in business today. I couldn’t agree more, as I am part of that bulge of society called the Baby Boomers. It seems We Rule! Whatever stage we are at in our lives, things happen. We are so powerful it’s almost scary. Well, what’s happening is we are getting older (I do shudder at the thought occasionally), and our needs and wants are changing yet again.

This storm brewing is US shaking things up as we start to retire, look for things to keep us healthy, youthful, fit, and wealthy.

What is also interesting is how people are learning about things today. We are starting to see an amazing awakening of Boomers to network marketing opportunities as people learn from people they know and trust. We see changes in our friends and neighbors and want to know how they are staying so fit, or looking so young. We are more prone to trying new things if someone we know has had success already.

With a network marketing opportunity anyone can become successful and according to Pilzer this industry will produce many, many millionaires in the next decade. There are many of us who still want to make money, save on taxes and save for the future. I know I do.

I am passionate about health & wellness, always intrigued about products that may help me look more youthful, and love sharing great products and opportunities with people I know.

I am on track for the storm to hit, are you?

I went on a very long hike recently as a guest of a weekly hiking group. I don’t think I had any idea what I was in for, which is probably why I agreed to go. My friend had faith in me and my hiking capabilities, as did my family when I posed the question to them before I went; “Do you think I can do it?”. I am not an experienced hiker, to say the least, and this turned out to be a 3 hour hike (not 2 hours as I had originally been told), mostly straight up the mountain. It was glorious weather, which helped, and I had my very experienced hiker friend guiding and encouraging me the entire way, which was extremely important to me. She helped me stay the course, and believe me there were a couple of times when I didn’t think I was going to make it. The last stretch was grueling and we even went through snow. On the way up I was telling myself “I think I can, I think I can” just like the LIttle Engine That Could – a favorite children’s book of mine that I read to my children many years ago. The message of believing in yourself rings out so clearly in that book and is something I need to remind myself of constantly. I felt so relieved when I completed the hike and so proud that I had actually made it!

As I reflected on the hike, while nursing my aching body, I began to think how my hiking experience compares to running my home based business. I didn’t know what I was in for really when I started my own network marketing business. I liked the business model but had no idea how to make it successful. I questioned whether I could do it, and looked for encouragement from others whom I respect and who had faith in me. I have aligned myself in my business with great people who train, encourage and support me and who want to see me succeed, as they have. I hear myself saying “I think I can, I think I can” often as I chug up the mountain to financial freedom. It’s so important to keep your eyes on the goal, surround yourself with people who support you, and believe you can do it. I know it can be done. The LIttle Engine did it, and I did it on my hike!