August Closes with Two Goals Completed

Well we have blinked and September is here.  August was a slow month for me with only 2 parties, but I completed two goals.  I qualified which means that I sold my first $1000.  And what I am more excited about, I met my Start Swell Goal and earned my Girl on the Go kit for FREE. 
 
I got to order my kit today and hope that it will be here in time for my first September party.  The two items that I am most excited about are the  double zip cosmetic bag which is one of the new hostess exclusive items and the new zipper skirt purse.  My personal purse will not have to be undressed for future parties.  I won't think, hum, I wonder how many rocks are in it this time as guests are looking at and through my purse.  Never sure what might have be hanging out in there this time.

Hope that everyone has a wonderful September and for those of us in Texas that we will be seeing some cooler temperatures soon.  ~Sylvia   

1st Real Party

On Saturday, I finally had my first real party.  I was more nervous than when I did my launch party mostly because the contents of my kit were new and I did not had as much time to practice.  I was also planning on trying some new games and was not sure how they were going to work.  One of the most important things to me is that all my guests have a good time, so I am trying to determine the best games and activities to have at my parties.

For my ice breaker, I had planned on doing a candy bar exchange.  I had the hostess call everyone and ask them to bring a candy bar to the party.  Only about 4 people actually brought candy bars, so it was good thing that I had plan B.  I had brought a package of Hersey Kisses just in case.  I passed around the kisses and let everyone enjoy chocolate and introduce themselves.

For my presentation and activity, I tried to do a white elephant exchange - did not work very well.  Important lesson learned, prepare the activity for the audience.  My audience's average age was over 60 and a nice game of Bingo would have worked well.  Second important lesson learned - have a back-up plan.  I did not have a game of bingo to pull out of my supplies.  I had brought my purse game outline, but only a few people had brought purses, so I did not think that would work well either.  I ended up doing the white elephant exchange and it overall it did not seem to flow very well.  I am going to re-think this game.

Overall the party was successful.  My hostess got all the items on her wishlist for $17 and got to buy 2 of the hostess exclusive items.  I am now only dollars away from earning my swell start kit and with one catalog party yet to close, I am hopeful I will achieve my target.  I also booked a new party for September.  That brings me to 4 home parties and 1 catalog party for September.  Yeah.  Hope everyone has a great week.  ~Sylvia

Featured Product: Flat Iron Case

The flat iron case offers both function and style for storing and traveling with your flat iron or curling iron.  It is available 6 different prints to match almost every style and is thermal lined, so you can insert your iron while it is still warm.

Store and Travel with Flat Iron or Curling Iron

What are some other uses for a flat iron case?  Use your flat iron case to store your lighter and cake server for a birthday party.  Keeps them both together and keeps them away from little fingers.  The circle spirals prints is great for parties.

Flat Iron Case Circle Spirals

Store Lighter and Cake Server

What about all those upcoming family gatherings, pot lucks and holiday parties.  Use your flat iron case to store your serving utensils.  Helps you stay organized and keep everything together.  You could also use it to store your serving knives, just be sure to wrap the blades so they do not poke holes in your thermal lining.

Flat Iron Case Circle Spirals

Store Serving Utensils

Who knew a flat iron could be so versatile?  Hope you got some great ideas.  ~Sylvia

A Paycheck and Challenge!!!!

Wow, today I got my first paycheck in over 4 years.  It is great feeling.  With my first party, I was able to make enough to pay for my enrollment kit and my add on kit.  I am super excited.  

On the down side, I will not get a check on the next pay day because I dont have any parties scheduled.  I knew that scheduling parties as I was starting up was going to be the hard part.  I just have to find a way to get it done.

I was listening to an audio call today by Belinda Elsworth.  She stressed that the most important thing a person could do when starting out was to book 6 parties in the first 2 weeks to build momentum.  She said that people who only booked one or two parties initially had a much lower chance as success.  I am taking notes and beginning to panic.  Oh no, I am already beyond 2 weeks and havent even managed to have a second party.  I have 3 booked, but as she was saying I have no momentum.  My parties arent close enough together to build off one another.  I have approached everyone I am comfortable approaching and nothing is happening.  How do I build that momentum?  She suggested to jump start your business try to have 3 parties in 3 days.  You can build confidence in yourself and will see improvement in your presentation and your excitement with you business.  All makes sense to me.

Ok that is it.  I challenge myself to find a way to host 3 parties in 3 days.  Wish me luck.  ~Sylvia   

Ruffled Mini Zipper Pouch

I thought I would start a feature to highlight some of my favorite products.  We have some many new items for fall that I can't wait to share.  First on my list is the new Ruffled Mini Zipper Pouch.  Look how cute and don't forget versatile. 

 

Use it in your purse to keep all the essentials in easy reach.  You won't be digging to the bottom of your purse for your lip stick and powder.  Going out and don't feel like taking your whole purse?  Attached a wristlet strap to the d-ring and you have a cute going out bag.  Enough room to tuck the essentials, a small wallet and your car keys.  It is available in sassy looking pink and glamorous black.  Have a wonderful week.  ~Sylvia     

Learning Something New

Someone once said you learn something new every day.  I went to a networking event recently and learned something I wished I had learned years ago especially before I got laid-off.  I was talking to a young lady who had recently finished her MBA, she said wanted to share with me the most important thing she had learned as a MBA student.


Her profound moment came when a professor was lecturing and made the statement the most important thing you can do to protect yourself financially is to have multiple streams of income.  She was a single mom raising a teenage daughter and the message really struck a chord with her.  She made a decision to start her own business.  Her primary focus was still her corporate career, but she was investing a little time each week in her own business.

I thought in awe, I wish someone had told me this years ago and I would have been smart enough to listen.  How much better would I be financially, if instead of focusing myself 110% in my corporate career, I had invested that extra 10% in my own business.

Fast forward a couple of weeks, I get a text message from a great friend -FYI I am seriously considering becoming a 31 consultant.  Follow up by are you surprised?  My answer - Yes and No.  No you love the product and I think you would be awesome.  Yes, you are so busy I am really surprised that you want to take on anything else.  I really want to know your why.

After having lunch and discussing the opportunity, it came down to being at least partially in control of her own financial destiny. The conversation from a few weeks earlier came back, the best way to protect yourself financially is to have multiple streams of income.


Wow, I am truly blessed to have an avenue that I can help her do just that for a minimal investment.  If she choose to pursue 31, she can work a few hours a week and do a party a month to build a customer base or she can invest a lot more.  It is hard to put in words the ability to be able to share with others the opportunity to start that extra stream of income for themselves.

From now on when I do parties, I am going to plant that recruiting seed to help others think about starting that second stream on income or maybe it is a primary - it is for me.  ~Sylvia   

 

Catalogs, C&C Meeting and Newsletter

Wow, it has been a busy couple of days.  This weekend I delivered a few more orders and yesterday was a great day - I got my catalogs, went to a C&C meeting and my first newsletter ran.  

I was excited to come home after my workout to find new catalogs waiting for me.  I spent a good part of the afternoon printing and attaching labels, organizing catalogs to mail, and making hostess packages.  It was great to be able to take catalogs to the mail today to send them to everyone who had made requests.  I hope they are as excited to get them as I was to mail them.  We have so many beautiful new things and great prints in the new catalog.  I am so excited to be able to share.

Last night was my first Celebrate and Connect (C&C) meeting as a consultant.  I have been to several meetings and I am getting to know people which is fun.  It was also nice to be recognized as a new consultant and to be able to say I had a successful party in the month of July.  By the next meeting, I hope to have more successful parties and can be recognized as a qualified consultant and maybe I can say I earned my Girl on the Go kit (I have my fingers crossed).  We went through a mock party, I picked up a few things that I can work into my presentation to strengthen it.  As an added bonus, we got a freebie for coming.  This is our new pinch top glasses case.  This was on my wish list, so I am glad I went to the meeting.  I already have it in my purse with my sunglasses.

Thoughts, Talks and Trends, our monthly newsletter, runs on the first of each month.  This is the first newsletter that has published since I joined 31.  It was awesome to see a newsletter with content that I had written.  After looking at several newsletter by other consultants, I really need to work on my content.  In addition to my thanks, I should be including information such as August party dates still available, hostesses can earn the new five pocket clutch for free, and some other information.  I am just learning, I am sure it will improve with time.  You can see my newsletter here,

Thoughts, Talk and Trends    

Thank you for taking the time to stop by and have a great week. ~Sylvia

Email Me Form

Nap time is a time of quiet at my house.  In days past, I would play games, read, clean or just chill out, but now I am devoting that time to working on my business.  Each day is a new project and a new learning experience.

I recently received an email from someone that said at the bottom click the link below to get more information.  I thought that is great idea, I need one of those.  So today's project was figuring out how to get one.

It is surprisingly easy.  I used a service called Email Me Form.  They offer a free basic service that sends the information right to your email.  Not a lot of bells and whistles, but for now it works great.  It was easy to set up and provides you the code to paste a link in your email or to embed in your web page.

So I got it added to the bottom of my email and guess where else I put it?  On my blog. 


Have a great weekend.  It is a big weekend for us, Christopher turns 3.  Next week, I can't wait to tell you about the kit I got in the mail today. ~Sylvia

My Launch Party Order Arrived

My launch party order arrived.  I am not sure who is more excited - me or my customers.  It was so much fun to open the box and see all the awesome products that were ordered.

Look at all the goodies in the box.  I could barely wait to take everything out for sorting and of course browsing on my part.  It is like shopping and building my wish list.   

 

Of course my favorites were the items that were personalized.  All I can say is that all my friends have great taste.  They picked colors and fonts that looked fabulous together.  My favorite was a Zip-Up Pencil Pouch in Pink Circle Spiral with lime green embroidery.  I just love it.      

Zip Up Pencil Pouch

Thermal Tote

Thermal Tote

Some of my other favorites.  Two thermal totes in wild zebra print.  One a beautiful hot pink monogram and the other says Yummy in new blue.

Organizing Utility Tote

Large Utility Tote

I am so excited I can't resist sharing a few more.  The Organizing Utility Tote in Floral Celebration with embroidery in lime green.  Also, the Large Utility Tote in Boho Patchwork Paisley with embroidery in brown. 

After having so much fun looking at everything, it was time to sort it and get it ready for delivery.  I decided that I wanted to bring Christmas a little early.  I wrapped everyone's items in tissue paper and added a "gift tag."

 

 Want to know what is even more exciting then sorting and packing?  Delivering.  How great it was to deliver a Thermal Tote to a young lady who got to pick her own style and personalization to use as her lunchbox.  She was super excited to get it and her face just lit up when she saw it.  She is looking forward to taking it to school.  I can't wait for my next party.  ~Sylvia  

Business Cards

Wow, who knew that printing business cards could be such a chore?  When I went to the office supply store, they only had large packages of do-it-yourself cards, except for a new style that had rounded edges.  New style should have been a big warning.  None of my graphics software programs have the proper template.  I do not own any of the software that have available templates on-line.  I tried to use the template software that is available on-line.  Very hard to work and the finished product does not come out very clean or professional looking.  Note to self, next time buy something that you know has a support template on your software.  Wasted time and effort counts for a lot.  Off to try to create my own template. ~Sylvia   

We are moving!!

We are moving on up.  Hum, I think that was part of the theme of a 70s sitcom.  After careful consideration, I am moving from Facebook to Blogger 


I jumped on the Facebook ban wagon because everyone else was doing it without really carefully considering whether or not it was the best platform for meeting my goals.

My goals are to share with you my experiences running my own business and share my products and potential use.  Facebook limits the number of characters I can post and doesn't allow me to group photos and videos useful ways which really does not help me meet my goals.

Thank you to everyone who has "liked" my Facebook page.  I really appreciate your support, it has truly be overwhelming.  If you are interested in continuing to follow me please follow my blog.  I will link my blog posts to Facebook for a week or so.  Thank you once again for your support and interest.  ~Sylvia     

Thank You

Thank you, thank you, thank you.  I just finished my launch party this weekend and it was an overwhelming success.  I am so thankful and blessed to have the support of my friends and family without them I couldn't possible hope to succeed.  I am also very thankful for support of everyone I have meet that is a part of 31, especially my sponsor Suzie.

The great news is that I meet my first sales goal and my new fall kit will be arriving soon.  I am so excited to see the new fall products and fabrics.  I am ready to book some parties and start sharing!