I'm EXHAUSTED!  But it's BLISSFUL exhaustion!


WOW!  What a week I've had!  In the last 4 days I traveled from Anchorage, AK to Fairbanks, AK then from Fairbanks back to Anchorage then from Anchorage to Vegas and from Vegas back to Anchorage!  and....BOY ARE MY ARMS TIRED (buh-dum-dum)!

In Fairbanks I was able to see my son at the airport!  Passing like ships in the night!  He was coming in as I was headed out!  There is ALWAYS time for kiss, a hug and a SELFIE!  He works as a Firefighter and Medic at Kuparuk which is in the Prudhoe Bay Oilfields at the very tippy top of Alaska... GOOGLE IT!

I was also able to meet with one of my favorite people in the WORLD!  SueAnn! 

SueAnn was the second person to join my Younique adventure.  She is also a Founding Presenter and she is one of my First Generation Elites!  Its so nice to spend one on one time with other leaders in our company.  Its rare!  Mostly because we are all so busy managing our own books of business!

 

SueAnn is HILLARIOUS!  Here she is mimicking the cover photo from our Fall 2013 Catalog!  CRACKING US UP!  Love that woman!

I saw a few other team members while I was there as well.  BUSY 12 hours!  PHEW!

This weekend was my only free weekend in MONTHS and I needed to pop into our home in Vegas to take care of a few things so OFF I WENT!  While there, I was so fortunate to be able to interview with an amazing woman named Susan!  I'm so hopeful she chooses me as her sponsor.  Regardless, Younique will be lucky to have her!  So many beautiful women with so many amazing stories! 

I met with Katrina which was GREAT FUN and she gifted me this awesome 3D Keychain!  HOW SWEET IS SHE? 

Vegas is always GREAT but I made one HUGE, ROOKIE, Direct Sales mistake that I still can't stop thinking about!  Wanna hear what it was?  CLICK HERE FOR THE VIDEO RECAP OF  MY MISSADVENTURE!  Hindsight is always 20/20 right? 

BELIEVE YOU ME!  I more than made up for this on the plane ride home!  The poor guy next to me went home with a catalog and 4 business cards with a challenge to give them to 4 very specific types of women!  LOL!  Oddly, I don't think he thought I was nuts at all....  hmmmm....

I have had sleeping issues for years.  Before I even started working my Younique business, it was very rare that I would experience a full 4 hours+ of sleep!  I'm not sure why exactly.  I did all the right things.  I have a beautiful and relaxing environment, set to the ideal temperature, fine linens, a great mattress, perfect pillows... THE WORKS!  I've read every article, consulted my doctor, changed my eating habits, taken sleep aids...I've TRIED IT ALL I TELL YAH!  No dice!

Then I started my Younique business (Mar 2013) and for the first 6-8 months NEVER slept.  Literally didn't sleep more than a couple hours at a time.  But, the difference was, I had my business to work on instead of laying there in bed, frustrated that I was awake when I should have been sleeping!  I WORKED ALL THE TIME!  I loved it!  It really isn't work at all of course if you are doing something you are MADLY IN LOVE WITH right?  SO TRUE!

For about the last 3 months or so I haven't had any problem sleeping at all.  My brain is so exhausted each night, I just seem to collapse in the sack!  LIGHTS OUT the instant my head hits my pillow!  Sleeping every night with a huge smile on my face.  That has been a great improvement!

For the last couple of weeks I have been feeling exhausted though.  Like during the day.  I think I need to work on setting some office hours and finding a bit more balance.  I don't feel stress about it but I don't like feeling tired during the day either.  Im exhausted but it is BLISSFUL EXHAUSTION!

If you struggle with no sleep...I invite you to feel BLISSFULLY EXHAUSTED WITH ME!

I had to block a couple Presenters this month and it hurt my heart.....

I have a difficult time working with a blanket of negativity on a regular basis.  I don't see the value in moseying through life with a glass half empty attitude and a "woe is me" point of view.  I for sure struggle with vulgar and profane expressions and projections on innocent people.  It is amazing I suppose that with the sheer volume of people in my company that we don't get hit with more of this I suppose.  For that, I am certainly thankful!

This month, I had to remove some people from my group and from my friends list on FB.  I've never met these people in real life but it still stung a bit... yah know?

One time consuming and previously unconsidered issue with having a team so huge, is all the different personalities that come into your life.  The 'Human Resource' side of Network Marketing.  But, I am learning and growing and doing my best to influence positive and empowering feelings in my Company.  IM TRYING PEOPLE!

As of this morning, there are approximately 42,683 Presenters (GLOBALLY) with Younique.  We launched in Australia on May 1st and just launched in New Zealand on June 1st!  Of course we are already in the USA and Canada as well.

Of those 42k Presenters, 21,757 of them are in my Downline.  Clearly I don't have direct contact with all 22k of my team members.  Thankfully my leaders are LEADING!  But, I do have direct contact with several thousand and I LOVE THEM! Keep in mind, I am Founding Presenter #319 and launched my own business in Feb/2013.  Look how far we've come! Isn't this momentum INSANE?
 

Our Co-Founders recently announced that very shortly we will have confirmation that Younique is THE FASTEST GROWING DIRECT SALES COMPANY IN THE WORLD. 

EVER! 

IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD! 

If you are or even if you aren't familiar with MLM then you know this is significant!

You can see my timeline of achievements with Younique by clicking here.  I am struggling to achieve BLACK STATUS again.  I haven't hit it since January this year.  It's VERY DIFFICULT to see all the money left on the table month after month once you've had a taste of it!  I am confident that JUNE IS MY MONTH to see it again and I'm super excited! 

When I started with Younique we had NOTHING!  No training, no back office, only a few products, no tools.  Just us!  My team was growing so fast that I made a decision early on to focus on supporting them.  For me, this meant spending time developing training tools and groups and calls etc.  Since I also have a regular full time job, and there are only 24 hours in a day, I had some tough choices to make.  Build my business, or help them build theirs.  I chose to help them build theirs.  I knew at that time that it would pay off and it certainly has.  But now, Younique has provided these tools and my team is so huge, I'm struggling to refocus on my own book of business.  Although my team doesn't need my daily interaction any longer, they still come to me and I still focus on them.  I'm thinking I need to find a way to balance pulling back some and focusing on my own business for a bit.  Otherwise, I can see myself sitting at PURPLE STATUS for eternity!  Meanwhile, those that come in TODAY, have everything in place that they need to plow forward.  It is very exciting to see so many BLACK STATUS presenters below me.  Many have achieved the highest status very quickly and lives are changing!  I was the 11th Presenter in the history of YOUNIQUE to achieve BLACK STATUS.  Isn't that an amazing thing?  I believe there are about 26 total now. 

I have tipped my toe in the DS industry so I know only enough to be dangerous. I know there are some people making BIG money in many companies. It's a beautiful thing.  However, I have never heard of this many people making this kind of money in the SAME company! Certainly not this early on.  I could be wrong of course.  But, everyone can achieve at Younique. There are no elitists, no secret, unattainable wealth clubs limited to only a select few.  Here, everyone is equal.  It doesn't matter if you joined last year or if you join today.  Work it, commit to it and its YOURS. 

I love Younique for this. 

 

I invite everyone to listen in tonight on the opportunity call hosted by my friend, Melanie Huscroft.  I will happily answer any questions you may have!  When you are ready to start your own MLM business, I hope you will consider YOUNIQUE and join me at www.FierceLash.com

 

 

In my personal life, The Hubs and I continue to travel quite often.  For work and play.  You can see some of our activity by Following my travel board on Pinterest!  When we aren't running around, we are enjoying the beautiful days in Alaska!

 

We are closing on a rental property, hopefully next week!  We are working with our financial planner to develop a plan to have The Hubs retire within the year.  We have a lot of dreams and plans and goals. We need to narrow down and focus our list!  EXCITING STUFF!



If you are interested in my personal growth statistics with Younique, you can  Click here. 

AMAZING APRIL!

 

 

 

I love beach glass (sea glass).... I have spent hours upon HOURS walking the beaches of Alaska and Hawaii (mostly) on the hunt for these little treasures.  I have quite a collection as you can imagine.  When I find a shard I get SO EXCITED!  Some avid hunters only collect "jewelry grade" pieces (larger) but Im excited about EVERY piece!  Big and small!  

 

I feel the same way about my Younique business.  I am just as excited when a Presenter makes her very first sale as I am when someone in my Company receives their charm for selling $10k in PRS!  No sale or positive movement in this business is "too small".  Nothing is insignificant!  Every person that launches their own Ybiz and every single product we sell is just as important as the next! 

I LOVE EVERY BEAUTIFUL PIECE OF IT!

As our culture becomes more environmentally friendly, sea glass is becoming harder and harder to find.  Its one of those sad yet happy things right?  Thankfully, humans aren't using the ocean as their personal trash bin any longer, but that also means MUCH LESS GLASS is available on the beaches. Of course you can buy fake "sea glass" that has been produced to look like it has been tumbled for decades by the sea... but what fun is that?   

So, us glass lovers need to get creative sometimes.  Just like in our network marketing business.  My friend Cindy makes necklace pendants from sea glass and she made this necklace for me.  I love it.  She mostly tumbles her own glass now.  This particular piece (pictured above) is from a dish that belonged to her mother-in-law.  The dish was cracked so Cindy broke it into chunks and tumbled the pieces in her rock tumbler.  I think it is special just the way it is.  Even if it wasn't from the sea.

 

 

This week I am working from Maui.  I was fortunate enough to earn a trip here based on my performance at my corporate JOB.  Of course the beautiful thing about my YOB (Your Own Business) with Younique is that we are mobile baby!  I am literally typing this blog entry while sitting on the lanai, listening to the waves and watching the sunset.  It is a blessed life for sure!

 

I'm often asked when I plan to retire from my JOB.  I don't have an answer for that yet.  Clearly I've more than replaced both our incomes with my Younique income at this point but what is the magic number?!  How do I know when we will have enough to live the way we want to live? 

Im not ready to retire just yet!

If I can continue to find the balance between both worlds for as long as possible, it will give me more time to build the staircase to our dream board and will give us more options to do more good.

 

II

I will say it is tempting!  Just to think that BEACH MONEY for me is a reality!  It's tempting to jump the gun and leave the corporate world behind.  When I stop and give that some thought, it doesn't seem like the fiscally responsible thing to do right now!  Ill keep plugging away and enjoying these sunny moments while I can!

What Younique is doing for me though is giving me the ability to take some serious FURLOUGH from my JOB so that we can do some DOWN TIME DAMAGE this summer in Alaska!

 

April was crazy month for my Company.  Would you like to take a peak at my personal growth with Younique?  Its pretty FAN-FREAKIN'-TASTIC!  Click here to see the exciting month I had in April!  MY TEAM ROCKS!

This blog entry will be short and sweet because I want to get back to the beach and to spending time with THE HUBS!

 

But, let me leave you with this exciting news! 

*May 1st Younique is open for business in Australia! 

*June 1st we will be launching in New Zealand!

*Next up is the UK! 

BIG THINGS ARE HAPPENING! 

We will have confirmation this Fall but as of right now, Younique is on track to become THE fastest growing Direct Sales Company, in the history of the world... EVER!  That is pretty exciting!

Join the EXPLOSION today by visiting www.FierceLash.com .  Start your very own YOUNIQUE business by clicking BECOME A PRESENTER!

 ~MAHALO

Um....Yeah....WOW!  I think I'm seeing the momentum!  What do you think!? 

706 new Presenters in November alone!  As of right now, 12/5/13, we are at 1460 Presenters!  Amazing growth in November and so far, December is on track for DOUBLE! 

In November we had some VERY exciting things happen!  One of the most exciting was having my Sponsor, Nichole Smith (Presenter #36) be the second Presenter to reach BLACK STATUS with Younique!  But the VERY MOST EXCITING was having my girls Briana and Amy both hit BLACK AS WELL!  Since they hit in November, they each received a $10k bonus check PLUS a $1k FPP bonus!  AWESOME! Check out the first 6 Presenters that hit BLACK status by Clicking here

I made $9477 in November!  I'm not even in the top 5 earners this month!  It has been so inspiring to see the money that these women are making with YOUNIQUE and their NWM business.  GIRL POWER!  I was so hoping that I would also be one of the first 10 to hit BLACK.  I WILL get there one day.  ZERO question about that.  I am working hard to get there before the Race to 10k Presenters is over!  You must be one of the first 10 to qualify BEFORE we hit 10k Presenters in order to receive the $10 bonus check!  I predict we will hit 10k Presenters by early January.

There are lots of fun things happening that are connected to our RACE to 10K PRESENTERS!  My girls Shari and Whitney won iPad Mini's!  check them out! 

I would LOVE to build my team DEEP and WIDE so if you know anyone that is looking for a growth opportunity, I would LOVE your referrals! 

Check out how YOUNIQUE is ranking by clicking here!

I've always been open about my time management issues!  Somedays I feel like I am improving and then other days I feel like it is NEVER going to get better.  This is by far my sigle biggest issue that I struggle with.  Admittedly, my issues are self imposed for the most part. I am constantly striving to improve.  Since Younique is so new, they do not have a model developed yet that makes YOUNIQUE easily duplicable.  There is no training or single place you can go for info so we are CONSTANLTY training, answering the same Qs over and over.  It is exhausting.

As I'm blissfully drowning in my own success and treading water daily to keep up with the beautiful explosion of our business, I know for a fact I am not the only one! My amazing Sponsor Nichole and I often use each other as a sounding board in search of sanity when we have totally lost it and want to SCREAM when we see Presenters asking the very basic Qs over and over and over.  Trying to teach our DL to be great leaders is key.  We know this and we are trying!  Even when we do create documents/tools and put them in place, it seems that very few people take the time to educate themselves.  They search for the path of least resistance and that is usually us and we MUST CHANGE THIS MENTALITY!

Melanie posted some brilliant advice that I hope will ring as true with other NWM Presenters as it did with me.  I think if I can adapt this train of thought, quit trying to be all things to everyone, my life may get easier!

"As leaders, you’re NOT a ‘counselor’, but rather a ‘COACH.’ Stop and think about the difference between these two words. A coach works with those who are willing and show promise, and they don’t put up with crap or put up with whining and complaining. They are usually highly respected with firm expectations. They also set boundaries. I certainly can’t and don’t want to be a ‘counselor’ to 5000 women – that isn’t productive to the company. So my advice is to first realize -- You can’t “fix” their problems, nor should you try, but you can however, “coach” them by leading, which includes training the masses like Derek mentioned. You’ve all heard the phrase: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” If someone isn’t willing to learn how to fish, spend your time with others who are." ~Melanie Huscroft Co-Founder of Younique

Awesome problems! Join Younique today!
 

BUT LETTING GO IS SO HARD TO DO!

Major milestones being hit tonight with YOUNIQUE!

If you've read some of my other posts, you know that I am having huge issues with time management.  Although I do believe I am improving... I struggle with balancing the constant need to be available and connected with keeping my sanity! 

I saw this great post from NETWORK MARKETING PRO on FB tonight-

"One of the worst things that can happen to a person in Network Marketing is to have a super helpful upline.

Does that surprise you? It's true. Just ask any of your successful friends.

When you have a super helpful upline, they motivate you, they make calls for you, they do endless meetings for you, they train you...r people for you. All YOU have to do is bring prospects to them and they will do the rest. Ahhh that sounds so nice.

But what happens when you don't have all that upline support? You have to be self motivated, you make the necessary calls, you do endless meetings, you do the work and YOU become a leader.

Why do I tell people to say goodbye to their upline? Because an upline can hold you back in the development of your true potential.

Now, does that mean you shouldn't be helpful to your downline? No, BUT you should always be aware that your job is to help people in your group become independent from you as quickly as possible. That motivation should drive your every move.

Help them by pushing people to become independent. Help them by not encouraging weakness. Help them by leading by example.

That's the nicest thing you could possibly do"

 

Today my upline, Nichole hit the 1,000 mark for people in her downline.  11/1/13 is her 1 year anniversary with YOUNIQUE!  I am currently sitting at 499 and won't be able to sleep tonight until we hit 500!  So... we are learning the best way to balance and manage it all!

 

I am SO THANKFUL that I have strong leaders on my team.  Sue Ann has several amazing leaders under her and is managing a team of over 100 right now.  Briana is amazing and never did need little 'ole me much and is managing a team of well over 200 at this point!  Briana is a top recruiter in the entire company and she is MINE!  ALL MINE!!  Im so lucky!!

 

You might want to jump on board this CRAZY TRAIN while we are still at the infant stages!

 

Just a thought about mass recruiting campains-

I was talking with someone today who was sharing some frustrations she was having with some people in her downline (with a different MLM company... not YOUNIQUE). 

Mostly personality and personal choice (lifestyle) conflicts.  People on her team that aren't representing the brand or her team like she feels they should etc..

It made me think.... well no wonder!  You never speak to the people you sign up!  Her method (and many of others these days) is mass recruiting campaigns on FB and other social media sources.

You throw out posts in every group you possibly can and offer the opportunity to the masses.  No questions asked.  Anyone with $99 and a computer can join.  HELLO!  DUH! SHOCKER!

Its possible that in this day and age and with the economy being what it is, a Network Marketing biz may be the only thing some people are able to do.  Criminals with histories that keep them from getting a "mainstream" job, people with medical, social and emotional issues etc are certainly out there and in need/looking for a way to earn money.  Of course I have zero scientific evidence of what % MLM biz Consultants fall into these categories.  I certainly also do not want to imply that anyone with a criminal record or medical issue is a horrible person.  So....NO HATE MAIL NEEDED. 

It stands to reason that when this is your primary method of team building... you're gonna get what you get.  If you never even have a phone conversation with a person, you cannot confirm that they may even be someone you would choose to work with!  In fact, you've just dramatically increased the odds that you are recruiting people you would not otherwise choose to spend your time with. You're hiring without an interview!  Who does that!?  

Think about it.... If I owned a company and needed to hire 20 people to fill positions, I think we would all agree that it wouldn't be the smartest biz move for me to walk outside and hire the first 20 people I bumped into.  Right?  NO!  You recruit.  You interview.  You've vetted (sp) them.  You have a second interview.  You make sure they are a good fit for you and your vision for your business.  Then you have someone else in your company interview them! You make sure their skill set and personality is in line with what you think is good for your company!  Seems OBVIOUS right?  So why, in this social media age of MLM business do we think its OK to skip these steps?  Sign up anyone and everyone that is willing?  I can say this cause Ive done it.  Ive done it and THANKFULLY I learned pretty early on that it wasn't going to work for me.  

Of course you may strike gold (I certainly have, Briana on my team is a perfect example of blind brilliance) but you also may strike OUT (I also certainly have, no names needed)! 

One of the beautiful things about being your own boss and owning a Network Marketing biz is that you get to CHOOSE who you work with.  I am literally hand picking my 1st generation downline (for the most part)! Its a beautiful thing to be able to spend your time with women (and men) that you CHOOSE!  However, when you use social media and put mass campaigns out there, don't be surprised if you end up responsible for people perhaps you wouldn't have chosen otherwise. Don't come crying when you can't seem to get your message across.  Those people don't know you.  They weren't aware of your expectations.  Shame on YOU for not doing a better job up front.  Shame on THEM for not interviewing you either.  After all, they are relying on YOU to help them succeed.

If I walked outside my office downtown, onto the street and stopped the first 20 people I met, I wonder what the odds would be for long term success in my company.  I'm guessing not great.  Everyone has their own vision, goals, personality etc.

So I suggested to my friend that she might consider changing her recruiting methods.  Right now she has what she created and she owes it to herself and to those new team members to do her best to work with them.  She will and it will be fine.  Some will drop off.  Some will be amazing.  Some will hang on for a bit.  It will all come out in the wash.  But at the end of the convo I sensed that she is probably going to take an approach more similar to the one I have recently adapted and that is this...
Quality over quantity and to have a more "old school" approach to relationship building.  If its possible, meet with your potential team member in person.  At a MINIMUM call them up!

I have reached the highest level earned with Younique so far.  As of today I have 484 people in my DL and I just started at the end of February.  I am also a top earner within YOUNIQUE right now.  Many are SHOCKED to hear that of the 484 Presenters on my team, I only have 21 that I personally have signed up.  Of those 21, I will have 5 that drop off next month.  In any given month I have and average of 9-13 active Presenters.  So, you don't need a HUGE team to be successful.  But, you do need a great team.  I am BLESSED to have such an amazing group of wonderful women.  I think they are groovy.  I think they think I'm groovy too.  I LOVE THEM! It's a love fest up in my group!  Every single one of my 1st generation women are friends now and are on my Christmas list!  Many of my 2nd and 3rd generations are as well!  I am one blessed and lucky leader for sure.

So, if you are struggling in this area.  Maybe slow down and reevaluate your goals and make sure you are headed in the direction that is best and most profitable for YOU.  This may or may not apply at all.  I know of several ladies on our team that are loving major success with the mass marketing methods.  I also know several who are NOT loving it.  You'll find your stride but if you aren't happy with the fish you are catching... change bait!  There are plenty of fish in the sea!

Click here for more info about joining my team with YOUNIQUE.  But send me an email first so we can talk!  I would love the opportunity to interview as your upline! 

Your comfort zone may not be where the magic happens....

Last night The Hubs and I were talking and there was a special on TV about Paula Deen, playing in the back ground.  I'm not necessarily a big Paula Deen fan but we both stopped and listen to her story about her battle with Agoraphobia.  It was interesting.  I'm mean... WHO KNEW!?  Just look at her!  She is Paula FREAKIN' Deen for crying out loud!  SERIOUSLY? (google it) 

Flash forward to tonight.....On the drive home from dinner I received an email from one of the Presenters in my downline.  She was thanking me for supporting her and encouraging her to step outside her box and make physical connections with people.  It is something that has been very difficult for her.  She isn't Agoraphobic but "shy" and "scared" to talk with strangers.  There is a high anxiety level that comes with these types of contact.  It has been holding her back and she is working hard every day to say "SCREW THE BABY STEPS" and take HUGE LEAPS OF FAITH instead!  My husband thought that was nice and he brought up the Paula Deen special we saw last night.  He related the two and mentioned how he could see the opportunity that be a Presenter with Younique offers for people that may suffer with different levels of these fears (IKR!?  Isn't he the most amazing hubs EVER?!)....and the inspiration for tonights blog post was born!

The more I learn about Network Marketing and the more I am in contact with different people, the more I see what a significant issue this is for many women.  So often I see on my FB group, Presenters sharing their struggles with putting themselves out there in an effort to boost their business.  They feel it holds them back from being all they can and it becomes a horrible cycle of self doubt and disappointment for them.  I also see how excited and motivating it is for these women when they push the limits of their comfort zones and are rewarded for taking those personal risks.  It makes me so happy to see many of these women earning money to help support their families and they can do anything and be everywhere thanks to YOUNIQUE and how our company is set up.  Its amazing really.

This is probably one of the most beautiful things about Younique Products and the way our FOUNDERS have set up the business.  "Younique is THE FIRST NETWORK MARKETING COMPANY to market and sell almost exclusively through the use of social media. Our pioneered Younique Virtual Parties bridge the huge world of social media and the traditional home-party business model. A Younique Virtual Party has no limits to your reach or who you can invite. This makes it so the traditional home party is not even necessary unless you choose to do it. We provide the innovative and interactive tools and invite you to tap into your own resources and connections that you already have. You can run a successful business from the comfort of your own home without ever having to physically have people in your home and without ever having to leave your home if that is your choice.  It makes the traditional "home party" completely optional."

I was getting a pedicure today and I was working on my Younique business at the same time (posted a pic of my tootsies on my biz page at FB.com/YouniqueHaley. Obviously, not the same as having social anxiety issues.  However, I think it speaks volumes that this company would design a company with purpose.  What an amazing concept to create a company where women (and men) could succeed no matter how busy a life they have, no matter what medical issues or disabilities they may suffer from.  People who don't suffer from these issues can also be as successful as they choose to be as well.  BRILLIANT RIGHT?  EVERYONE can succeed.  The only limiting factor is dedication.  Thats it.

So tonight, I'm extra thankful that I can share the opportunity that Younique provides to people who, for whatever reason, find it difficult to leave their homes, find it difficult to meet with people, find it challenging to have their lack of ability to physically socialize, be reflected in their earning capabilities.  Im extra inspired tonight as well.

To my Presenter that sent the email.... You know who you are.  I'm happy for you and thank you so much for sending me that note tonight.  You are accomplishing amazing things.  I'm HONORED that you give me any credit at all.  It certainly isn't deserved.  YOU are doing it!  Just YOU!  GREAT JOB!

Who remembers these from grade school?!  Do they even have these old school merry-go-rounds anymore?  Someone probably decided they weren't safe and removed them all!

I attended training at our Younique convention earlier this month and one of the speakers was from another Direct Sales Company.  Her name was Joyce and I believe she was high up within Scentsy!  LOVELY LADY! 

Joyce made several points that even that really hit home with me.  One that stuck the most was her analogy about earning money with a direct sales company.  She compared it to an old fashion merry-go-round.  You get on, you kick and you kick and you kick, you don't get very much momentum going, it’s a lot of work for not a lot of result.  Its heavy, lopsided, the ground isn't level, you work SO hard and half the time you need someone else to even help you get it started.

Then a few of your friends get on... you all begin to push and kick and together, you gain more and more momentum.  Eventually everyone piles on the merry-go-round and all it takes to keep it going is the occasional push.  You've built the momentum needed to keep it going with very little effort. 

That is a great description of starting off with a DS company.  You start off working and calling and emailing.  You work many, MANY hours and you don't make much money in comparison to the effort you are put out. 

However, when you stay with it, eventually, you just need the occasional push and around and around you go!  The momentum and earnings of your downline keep your money coming in!

For example, today I have 135 in my DL, I only sold about $1k myself.  However, my entire downline has sold over $36k in Younique Products so, the majority of my earning will come from THEIR efforts!  From the momentum they are generating by working their business!  This is why I focus on building and supporting my team over my own personal business. 

So yeah....here is something I am learning, again, over and over....If you are dedicating yourself to your DS business, your spare time is limited.  I mentioned time management being something I have to improve and that still holds true.  During our Younique Convention, Derek talked about a method he used to help manage his time while he was building his business.  I believe he called it the 5-8-8-5-5-8.  He said he would get up early at 5am and from 5-8am he dedicated those hours to his business.  From 8-5p he was dedicated to his job that was paying the bills (at the time), then from 5-8p he dedicated this time to his family.  Often he would work after the kids went to bed but as a general guideline, this is a pretty good plan.  Its about making exchanges.  Exchanging what isn't important and helping you meet your goals for what is important. 

August has been a whirlwind on my team!  My sweet friend SueAnn made GREEN!  This is a huge milestone because it means she earned the reward trip!  This year the reward is a Cruise as well as a TIFFANY CHARM BRACELET!  How amazing right!?  But then, even better news, Tami from SueAnn's team also hit GREEN!  So there will be a few of us on this cruise in February!  Its all happening so fast and its so exciting!

Younique is coming out with a new and improved compensation plan in Sept!  They have a business target of putting 38-42% of the company profit back into the hands of the Presenters so they are also offering a FALL PROMOTION PERK!  Im very excited about this.  It will give Presenters at all levels the opportunity to make more money and to help their DL's advance!

As of this moment, I am only $1400 from ORANGE status!  Awesome right?

ARHGGG!!  First of all... when I joined Younique on 2/21/13, that day I said to myself... "self, you should totally start a blog."  Well, I didn't.  So now I'm MONTHS behind and so much exciting stuff has happened with my new DS business.  I'm wishing I would have gone with my gut and started to journal my experiences and growth.  Alas.... I didn't.... 
 
I was torn about trying to recreate my journey from start to current.  Instead, I plan to start fresh TODAY and pepper my posts with lessons learned. 

I joined in late Feb.  I discovered Younique through my friend Christie who was having a virtual party.  There was chatter on the party about these awesome new 3D Fiber Lashes.  They were only $29 and I wanted to support my friend and her party so I thought "why not?!"  I ordered.  about 3 days later my lashes came in the mail.  Now, since 3 days had passed, and other ladies were receiving their products and posting reviews and photos, I was pretty amped up by the time my stuff arrived!  I ripped open the package in the post office parking lot and put them on RIGHT THERE!  WOW!  They really were AMAZING!  Promise delivered! I HAD AWESOME LASHES!  I'm talking full on TARANTULA lashes here! 

So then.... of course, I wanted more Younique Products but I'm CHEAP so I wanted them for free.  I hosted a Virtual Party (VP).  "How easy is this" I thought.  All online.  Well, my party was huge, I think it was over $800!  So, I signed up.  The best way to get all the goodies at that time was to just go ahead and Join the company  !

And the rest, as they say, is history.
 
You don't have to get as GEEKY as I do sometimes with tracking my growth/numbers.  I'm anxious for the Younique website updates to launch in September so this analytical type info is more readily available.  For now, here is a snapshot of my team growth from late Feb when I started through the close of July.  Today is August 17 and I currently have 107 on my team-

Month    Team Members
February 2
March     7
April       16
May        24
June        63
July         77

Something I am certainly struggling with is my time management.  Once I decided I was going to give this biz a shot and give it the opportunity to earn some extra $$ for my family, things began to explode.  The need to manage it all has been a struggle for me.  While we were camping this weekend, I read BEACH MONEY by Jordan Adler.  Sitting there, watching wood burn, enjoying my family and the BEAUTIFUL Knob Lakes area off the Glenn Hwy near Eureka, Alaska....Pages 100-102 changed my entire perspective on this business and how I need to manage the growth. 
Jordan Adler says....
"If you are building or planning on building a big team, this is probably the most important party of this book.  Your job when sponsoring someone is to simply get them started.  It is not your job to manage them.  Each person who joins you is an independent business owner and is responsible for his or her own business.  If you plan on managing thousands of people, you will have a big problem.  There are not enough hours in the day.  the formula for burnout is a belief that you must manage your whole team."
It was totally my OPRAH AH-HA moment!  It all fell into place.  I'm totally honest when I say that a rush of calm came over me.  I was SO STRESSED out about not having Internet service out there because GOD FORBID someone had a need or question that couldn't wait 2 days....the need to hold every ones hand this entire time has been consuming me.  NO MORE SISTER!