Work at Home Moms Articles – WAHM Articles

Direct Sales is a business model for those that work at home or want to supplement their income. One fact that is for sure and is found throughout the industry, is that most people that are in a Direct Sales business are in it for the money, and believe me, there is money to be made in Direct Sales, if it is done correctly.

That is not a profound statement, I know. Anyone in a small business is working it to make money. So why is it that so many Direct Sales business owners struggle to see a profit?

There are a few solid reasons that will kill a business pretty darn quick.
1) Failure to track expenses
2) Failure to track ad placement and where it is working
3) Giving away too much product or worse yet,
4) Giving away discounts or free shipping

The fastest and easiest way to increase and/or keep your profit in any business is to control your expenses. Your expenses are directly correlated to your bottom line. If you normally make 30-40% profit from the sale of an item, but you incur 10-15% in expenses, you have dropped your income substantially.

If you try and increase customer or hostess participation by discounting the price or by giving away free shipping and the like, you are really impacting your bottom line. This money comes right off of your profit and income. You have no way to recoup that money. Use demo items or free goods you earn from your company to encourage participation. These do not impact your bottom line as fast since you can control how much you give to a customer or hostess. And furthermore, these items can be a tax deduction at the end of the year.

To continue reading this article, click here.

If you are new to Direct Sales, you may hear a lot about Fundraising, but not find a lot of information as to what it really is. Well, I am here to clear up the mystique for you!

Fundraising is an event in which a charitable organization is identified to receive funds that are raised specifically for that charity, non profit group or select individual(s). In terms of Direct Sales, the donation to the charity usually comes out of the profit of the representative and the amount is identified ahead of time by way of either a percentage donation or a flat amount.

Many companies offer fundraising to help their reps but that does not mean the company kicks in money. Most of the time, the representative is the donor of his or her profit from the sale of goods through her business. There are some companies, however, that do have specific items to use for fundraising that are at a special price or they will have specific donation amounts.

If the group has a non profit status and a valid non profit number, most companies will withhold taxes from the fundraiser shipment so the customer does not have to pay State sales tax on the product. If your state does not have sales tax, this will not apply to you. Make sure to check with your company ahead of time on their procedures. They most likely will have special shipping procedures and instructions for fundraising sales so study them and ask questions!

To continue reading this article, click here.

When you first start your review site, it can be easy to get caught up in accepting any and all reviews that come your way. Sadly, many reviewers find that certain products just will not work for their site and they then find themselves in the uncomfortable position of not having a lot of entrants for the review and giveaway. There are a few things you can do to make sure that you are choosing the proper things for your site.

* Make sure you know who your followers are. One easy way you can do this would be setting up a Facebook business page for your review site. Within that, Facebook tracks your stats on your followers. You can get their ages and whether they have kids and other info. This will really help you in figuring out if something would work or not.

* Set up a Survey on your blog to see what type of products your followers are looking for. Just ask and they will tell you.

* Is the product something you personally would enter and use? If not, chances are that many of your followers would think the same thing.

* Is the product timely in the marketplace? Are you reviewing a gift item at the proper time for that item to be a gift? Halloween goods at Christmas won’t help you much.

* Is the product really different than what you normally offer your entrants? If you normally do baby strollers and you come in with tire cleaner, it might be a stretch.

To continue reading this article, click here.

Working from home has its blessings and its curses.  Many people think that working from home is easy.  You are just going to pump out so much work, it will be insane!  Then reality hits…  Your To Do list is growing instead of shrinking and you feel like a wild animal running in circles.  Most of us that work from home have had those days and can relate.  So, how do you keep your focus when you are working in your home based business?

Losing focus can come from many different things.  Distractions would be number one, I would think.  Kids need you, dog needs out, spouse needs something… whatever it is, your concentration just got broken.  One of the easiest ways to deal with distractions is to set office hours.  Sit down with your family and figure out when you will be working.  During that time frame that they helped you set, they cannot bother you unless there is blood. 

It is easy to lose focus when you forget a task or project and all of a sudden you have to handle it so you put aside what you have been working on, incomplete.  Get in the habit of using your calendar and set yourself auto reminders, if you have to.   Write everything down and make sure you are using your to do list.  You have to know what is coming up so you can schedule your time appropriately.

Some people find that setting blocks of time for certain tasks helps them keep their focus on the job at hand immensely.  If you have business calls to make, give yourself 15 minutes a day to complete those calls.  Maybe you have blog posts to write.  Again, set blocks of time for writing.  Whatever your job consists of, break it up and set a timer.  Learn to work within the time limits.  What people find is that if they know they have 1 hour to get their newsletter completed, then they work like heck to get it done within that time frame and maybe even start on the next one. The time blocking goes for social media and email too.  These are both big time and focus suckers.

Becoming more efficient at your job creates a lot less time spent jumping from this duty to that duty.  Once you start a job, make yourself complete it all the way through. Soon you will find you are spending less time actually working your home based business because your focus is laser sharp and more time with the family enjoying what you worked so hard to provide.

Copyright Chris Carroll ~ All Rights Reserved

Chris is a work at home mom that has made direct sales her business of choice and enjoys sharing information and tips with others. You can find her at her business site http://DirectSalesTalk.com. She is also a ghostwriter and has partnered with Shelly Hill at their site http://www.TwoClassyGhostwritingChics.com.

We all know that the reason so many of us work from home is to earn money, but it is critical to our business health that we keep our business finances in black and put some away for a rainy day as well.

We work hard and celebrate when our business makes money. It is important to pay ourselves with some of the proceeds on a weekly or bi weekly basis to validate your hard work. It is also just as important to save a portion of your income for other expenses, such as taxes, business expenses like hosting, graphics creation, and other issues such as returns, if you sell product. I think it is important to keep a slush fund as well for any unexpected expenses that can pop up.

One great thing about having our work at home business is that we can add to the family income and take over a specific bill or two just to alleviate the pressure. We also need to make sure that we are using part of our business income as savings for the family as well. Setting yourself a business budget can really make a difference in how you look at your business.

First, pay yourself and your family. If your income varies on a weekly or bi weekly basis, set a percentage rate that you should take for your payday. It can be 60-70% of your income. Next set aside at least 20% for your expenses and an additional 10-15% for taxes. Whatever is left over, leave it in your account to accrue. You never know when additional expenses will pop up and that 5-10% can really come in handy to cover some of that. After 6 months or when you have a nice slush fund built up, transfer it to a savings vehicle for your family and continue to save in your business account.

If you sell product, set a limit on how much you can spend on yourself. Yes, it’s nice to be able to save by getting your goods at a discount. But remember, if you spend it, then that is less that you are paying yourself in cash each week.

By following these suggestions, you will soon be seeing some money adding up in your account. It will feel nice to know that you are covered in case expenses come up and it will impress your spouse as well! Running your business in the black and debt free is a great feeling. Turn your business into a healthy savings machine today and reap the benefits tomorrow.

Copyright Chris Carroll ~ All Rights Reserved

Chris is a work at home mom that has made direct sales her business of choice and enjoys sharing information and tips with others. You can find her at her business site http://DirectSalesTalk.com. She is also a ghostwriter and has partnered with Shelly Hill at their site http://www.TwoClassyGhostwritingChics.com.

Starting a business is no easy task and while working at home can be a major plus, it is no easier to get a work at home business off the ground than a traditional brick and mortar one.   Hard work and dedication is called for in each type of business and it can be very frustrating when you don’t see continued progress some days.  But the question is, do you give up to easily?

I know there are some days I just want to scream with frustration when I have been diligently working away on the promotion of my business and yet it seems to come so slowly.   It is a trial and error for the most part.  What works best for one business may not work for your business.     Tracking your progress and setting reasonable goals will show you where you are going and where you have come from.  But it can be months and months for your traffic to steadily increase; sales and profits to grow.  And the temptation to give up can be huge. 

Don’t let that temptation overcome and take over!  If you are effectively talking about your business and promoting it correctly, it will happen!  Slowing down on your marketing and promotion of your business can hurt your progress very quickly.  You will see that you are right back where you started and that is even more frustrating.  Find new and creative ways to market yourself.  Study and learn about new methods and embrace them.  Giving up is giving in and you can do this!

Remember the old saying “Don’t Let the Turkey’s Get You Down?” Well, the same saying goes for developing your work at home business.  Success rarely happens overnight.  Ask any business owner.  It is hard work and you have to work it every day to see the long term effects. But it can be done and it can be done by you!  Don’t give up or give in!  If you want success bad enough, you will get there.

Copyright Chris Carroll All Rights Reserved
Chris Carroll is a sales professional that has made direct sales her business of choice and enjoys sharing with others. Blogger, product reviewer, article writer and ghostwriter round out her profession. DirectSalesTalk. You can also find her at her business site ShopOnYourSeat.

For many direct sales reps getting on the correct team is an important step, especially if you are new at direct selling. Starting your new business is thrilling but it can be scary too, so selecting a strong leader can be critical to your success in the long run. Here are some things you can do to ensure you and your leader are good matches.

One of the first things to do is to do some research. Ask other people that you know for a referral to a representative and also do some internet searches for leadership representatives in your selected company. You may already know a few people if you have been researching your prospective company for a while. Select two or three representatives that you can talk to and set up an appointment with each of them and talk with them. Let them all know up front that you are speaking to other leadership reps as well. If they are a good leader, they will respect you in that decision.

Prepare for your interviews by having a list of questions that contain important topics for your success regarding training, the company, the pay structure, the time necessary for success, or anything else you need to know. Make sure to talk about family, dreams and goals as well. Your goal is to know at the end of the conversation a few things.

• Who is your leader – personality
• How does she manage her team
• How well does she know her products and company
• How much time does she have for you
• When and how are you trained
• What does she have to offer you
• Do you like her
• Does she like what she does and is she motivated to work with you

Take notes of your conversations. You know you can get the feel for someone almost immediately. If you have further questions, make sure to ask before you sign on the dotted line. Any good leader will be there for you.

Not every person needs a strong leader. You may already be a strong leader by your own merit. But it can be nice to be on a team that has direction, focus and inspiration to help guide you on those days when you need a little pick me up. By selecting a strong team, it can help you along the way in your successful direct sales career.

Copyright Chris Carroll All Rights Reserved
Chris Carroll is a sales professional that has made direct sales her business of choice and enjoys sharing with others. Blogger, product reviewer, article writer and ghostwriter round out her profession. DirectSalesTalk. You can also find her at her business site ShopOnYourSeat.

Article marketing can be a huge help in your small work at home business should you decide to embrace it. I know there are those of you out there asking, “why should I use it when I only sell lipsticks and lotions or handcraft my goods”?

Here is my why. Article marketing is a powerful tool in driving traffic to your website. The more people you can get to your site, the better the chances of making a connection with folks which leads to making sales. You also have the opportunity to invite people to get on your mailing list which will enable you to direct information to them as well. Another opportunity to make a sale and a connection.

Making connections is huge in any online business, especially a small work at home business. We do not have the luxury of being a big box retailer. We have to forge our own way in the big, bad world of the web. Using articles that are written and directed at your niche will bring those people that are interested in you, in what you have to say and ultimately in your products, right to your front door by using a well written article and resource box.

To continue reading this article, click here.

When you first start your review site, it can be easy to get caught up in accepting any and all reviews that come your way. Sadly, many reviewers find that certain products just will not work for their site and they then find themselves in the uncomfortable position of not having a lot of entrants for the review and giveaway. There are a few things you can do to make sure that you are choosing the proper things for your site.

* Make sure you know who your followers are. One easy way you can do this would be setting up a Facebook business page for your review site. Within that, Facebook tracks your stats on your followers. You can get their ages and whether they have kids and other info. This will really help you in figuring out if something would work or not.

* Set up a Survey on your blog to see what type of products your followers are looking for. Just ask and they will tell you.

* Is the product something you personally would enter and use? If not, chances are that many of your followers would think the same thing.

* Is the product timely in the marketplace? Are you reviewing a gift item at the proper time for that item to be a gift? Halloween goods at Christmas won’t help you much.

Finish this article here.

When you make a purchase, more times than not you’re looking for a product someone else has told you about or you’ve read it online or in a magazine. You want to make sure the product you are considering will do what you want to do and you’ll want to make sure it will last as long as you want. This is why it’s a good idea to read product reviews on the product you’re considering.

As a Work at Home Mom, I trust other Work at Home Mom’s and I value their opinions. This is why I look for reviews from these fellow mom’s. I have found a site that is perfect for reviews of all sorts. That site is Two Classy Chics and it’s owned by Shelly Hill and Chris Carroll.

Not only will you see great product reviews, but you’ll also find giveaway’s as well. What better way to try a new item than to win that item in a drawing. Two Classy Chics gives you that awesome chance with a lot of their blog posts.

So if you’re looking for a way save money while learning about the best products around, you need to connect with These Two chicks and see what you can do. Click here to see a complete list of the products they might be giving away.

Blessings,