The case of the missing ice scraper

Yay! 2 hour delay which means I got to sleep in this morning right?? wrong. My brain decided to wake up at 6:45 and wonder why my alarm wasn't going off. I managed to doze in and out for the next two hours before it was time to get up. Had the kids dressed in warm clothes when Ally started whining that her outfit was "hot" so I told her she could change. I refuse to complain about what she decided to wear..... So off to the bus stop where we stood in the cold for 15 minutes while ice fell from the sky. No bus. Of course this doesn't mean that they can stay home because Allyson has perfect attendance and she won't let that happen. So I'm driving them. We walk home, get Haylie dressed and in shoes and head out to the car which is frozen shut. Yes, this has motivated me to organize the garage so my car fits in there again. Later. Now I can't find my ice scraper. I look everywhere! I live in Houston, so it's not like I use it every year, but it should still be in my car where it belongs. Whatever. It's gone. I blame my husband. So I get the heat pumping and the wipers on and we play the waiting game. A lovely rendition of "What does the fox say" blasts through the speakers. Eventually, the ice melts enough to where I can use my Larry the Cable guy Christmas CD cover to scrape the ice out of my way! If nothing else goes wrong, we'll make it to school without a tardy and her perfect attendance will be saved! I forgot to factor in the fact that there are like 70 other kids on their bus who also need to be driven to school today. So we waited as the drop off line inched up while the minutes ticked by. As soon as I got close enough i opened the door and shoved them out. 10:15 on the dot! run! There were at least 40 cars behind me so unless the office staff wants to get carpal tunnel writing out tardy slips, I think they're all getting a free pass for the day. I pull out of the line to find cars pulled up on the side of the school letting their kids out in the "walker" line. For real? Are you that lazy you can't wait in line for a few minutes and instead, you're letting your 6 year old out of the car in the middle of the street where he needs to cross without a crossing guard because you're late and the guard has already left? UGH. Some people. Man! I need a coffee. So Haylie and I head to Starbucks. I can'e even make a left turn into the place, the drive-thru is so packed. But I've already promised the kid a hot chocolate and I hadn't brushed my hair so we're sticking it out. 30 minutes later, coffee in hand, we head. home! I pull into the driveway, open the garage and there, on top of the single piece of furniture that is blocking me from being able to park in the garage.... is my ice scraper. ::sigh::

The direct sales debate

Several months ago I was sitting around debating whether to join a direct sales company. I knew I loved a particular product and thought about how much money the permanent discount would save me. But as a military family, money is a factor. I didn't want to spend over $100 on a kit to join a business and not succeed. We were pretty new to the area. We don't have a huge group of family and friends because we move around a lot. I didn't think I would have anyone to sell the stuff to. Plus, I didn't know people who would book a party. I figured there was no way I was going to get beyond the point where I made enough money to pay back my kit. But I decided I was fine with that.
I had a launch party and invited everyone I know in the area (which is not many but they're all pretty great). Everyone was really supportive and genuinely excited about the product. Everyone placed an order! Plus, I had gotten a few online orders from family members. I had gained enough sales to hit my first sales goal and made back the money that I spent on my kit! One of my awesome friends agreed to have a party! I was on my way!
My friends' party went well and I received another party booking, but it wasn't for a few months. But after that, it was dry. I thought I was done. I just missed my second month's goal. The third month, we went away several times and were busy basically every weekend so I didn't market my business at all. I did buy some of the new catalogs and scent samples and I had a few people from my launch party ask for more products but sales were slow. I thought maybe I was done with the business end and just gonna hang around for the discount.
Then I got a phone call. One of the girls from my launch party saw the hostess exclusive I posted on my facebook page and wanted to have a party. That same week I had a party for the friend of my friend that had a party. I had so much fun! These parties were exciting! I booked one party from the two parties. I needed to figure out how to book more.
I started looking for events in my area and booked several. I met some awesome vendors that I today call friends. Plus, I was generating interest in the product. I was getting party bookings from these events and had found my groove. Who needs a bunch of friends and family when you have an awesome product that everyone wants???
At this point, I was all-in. I wanted to succeed in this business. I saw a post on facebook about a girl thinking about joining the competing company and I told her my story. Just like that I had my first recruit! The very next day, another girl who had ordered off an online event a few weeks back, asked me about joining. In two days I now had a small team of three.
This encouraged me to start sharing the opportunity with EVERYONE. I may have been indecisive in the beginning, but Pink Zebra showed me that I CAN do it and it's EASY!
Since the I have learned so much about this business, about being a leader and about being successful. I've learned that succeeding in direct sales doesn't require you to have a ton of friends and family who will be buying off of you all of the time. No. You book parties from parties and end up expanding your customer base to complete strangers!
If you're considering direct sales here are a few tips: 1- Find a product you love. Your passion and excitement will help you tremendously! 2- don't join a company that has been around forever. Join one that's pretty new (those in their first 2 years are still at risk of failure) The main growth stage occurs between 2-4 years old and this is the fastest way to quickly build a strong team. 3- Don't join a company who has a competitor with superior products. For example: There are a bunch of those locket companies out there but South Hill Designs and Origami Owl are the clear leaders depending on what you're looking for. 4- Don't pick a business based  on the start-up cost. If it's free, it's probably free for a reason. 5- This might be the most important....make sure your product is consumable. This means if someone buys your  product, they have to come back to you to get more. Makeup is one of those products. I didn't know this when I got involved (I got lucky). Pink Zebra offers consumable products because once you own one of our awesome warmers, you'll need to give me a call to get more sprinkles! Which means my customers are always repeat customers :) If you sell one-time products, you're likely going to have one-time customers.
I have to say, it's been a fun couple of months. I look back at that launch party and, from the attendees, I have had 4 hostesses, 2 team members (and hoping to add a third soon, when she's ready) and several repeat customers! I've been able to meet some great new friends and now have an amazing vendor family. I now have a thriving team of 20! I promoted for the first time, and just 2 months later, I'm close to my second promotion. I'd love to be one of the first 200 to hit this level in the entire country! So, if you're considering Direct Sales, consider Pink Zebra. It's changing my life. Be sure to visit my website at www.sprinkleaddicts to sign up with ID# 73843 OR visit my facebook page and send me a message with any questions. Even if you don't choose Pink Zebra, I'd love to give you some tips to find the company that's right for you! www.facebook.com/sandiessprinkles