Today I want to share why I decided to start my business almost 5 years ago and how my WHY has evolved over the years.
When I started in fall of 2005 I decided to join because I was in LOVE with the products! I didn’t have that many serving pieces because DH and I semi-eloped and didn’t get many gifts.
Also at that time I worked a full-time plus corporate job and had at 18 month old so this gave me a guilt-free night out with girlfriends.
I faithfully held one party each month so that I could turn my profit back into products AND enjoy an evening out each month just for myself. It was the perfect gig!
In fall of 2006, however, things began to change. My precious BBC (doesn’t that little face make your heart melt) had a series of hiccups in daycare. DH and I decided it would be best for me to leave corporate life to stay home with him. It was both an exciting and scary change.
I embraced my at-home-mommy status for the first few months then I decided I wanted to pick up a few more parties to supplement the income we had lost.
Slowly I worked my way from one party each month to 6-8 parties each month. My perfect gig was now even more perfect because I could have it all – be at home with my child, personal development, additional income, etc.
I hit my stride in March 2009 when thinking outside the box to use social media to take my business from local and face-to-face to national and online paid off. In that month I promoted to Director and broke personal retail sales records within the company. Shortly after that I earned a FREE vacation for DH and me to Cancun!
In fall 2009 I slowed down my parties a bit to get used to having a big boy in school. I had big decisions to make – continue this business or go back to corporate life.
It has been a hard decision to work through, but with the sales of Southern Living at HOME and the focus fro the new owners on an online business model my decision became crystal clear.
So now I’m once again morphing and I’m thankful I have the option to continue in direct sales!
I engage BBC in the business now and use it as a teaching tool. He is being raised by an entrepreneurial mom. I am proud to say that!
It seems a time of change is again on the horizon.
Excited!
~Southern Fried Gal
June 9, 2010
I knew that Southern Living was changing its name but didn’t know what. Now I do! How great!
June 9, 2010
Oops I forgot. If you want to help promote your business I decided to open my blog to getting ads. My opening price is only $10 a month! Or you can sponsor a weeks worth of posts. Meaning you will be on the bottom of all my posts. It will be more exposure with the people who just read their reader and not actually get on the blogs. I get 17,000 hits and 30,000 page views a month. So you would get a lot of exposure.