The blog since the blog

It was over a year ago when I wrote my first blog post. My neighbor was trying to get me to try a new product when I already used something else. Who would have thought that one year later this is where I would be? I tried that product. I loved that product. I stood behind that product. And that product has given me so many amazing gifts in return. Friends. This has been the best gift of all. As a military wife who moves a lot, it's hard to make new friends. Especially since my husband is AGR and we don't usually live on or near a military base with other women going through the same thing. I've got a great new tool to make friends. The rest is just a bonus in my opinion. But I'm getting ahead of myself. This weekend was AMAZING. To think, I had almost decided not to go. But I wanted to lead by example so I packed my bags and headed to Nashville, Tennessee for our 3rd Annual Pink Zebra Family Reunion (yes, third, we are 3 years old, ground floor, and quickly making a name for ourselves in this industry, come back here in 5 years and we'll chat about how awesome this is).

Friday: I was scared out of my mind on Friday when I showed up to register for this part of the weekend. Leadership meeting. As a brand new manager I would be surrounded by the top leaders in this company. Yes, they've kind of got celebrity status with us consultants and I got to have lunch in the same room with them. It was delicious. Then we got a private leadership training by one of the greats in this industry. If you haven't heard of Belinda Ellsworth, you're probably not in direct sales (yet. want to join my team?). She was awesome and gave me some great tips on leading that I'm already starting to implement! A quick change of clothes and we were off to the Grand Ole Opry! We got to go back stage for drinks and snacks. We cleaned them out of coconut rum. We all had floor seats for the show (which included Brad Paisley). It was such an amazing experience and I couldn't have picked better people to share it with than the leaders who helped me to succeed. That was just the first day! 

Saturday: Saturday was so exciting! I walked in the room and it was FILLED with zebras! I'm so impressed that so many came out to reunion, see the fall line, and learn some tips to boost their business! The morning brought recognition and I got to walk across the stage as a Manager! I received a pink rose and, of course, my manager necklace!! It's so cute. I think everyone should have one! We took a group picture and were treated to lunch. Then, another great seminar by Belinda Ellsworth! Then, it was workshop time! I was soooo honored to be one of only 4 managers asked to host a workshop. Partnered with another manager, we were able to deliver information to other consultants on what was working for us so we could help them succeed. I was TERRIFIED! But I did it. And it was FUN! Honestly I don't remember much because I was so nervous and kind of blacked out, but I've gotten great feedback. :) After workshops I got to spend some time with my family that came with me to Nashville. We got to have dinner together, then it was back for the reveal!!! I was soooo excited to see the new fall and winter products and smell the new scents. I definitely have a favorite, but I won't tell!! Dessert and Drinks were yummy and we were given lots of goodies to take home. I bought some more catalogs (who wants one?). I was sooooo tired when I got back to my room but my head was spinning with penguins and snowmen I could barely sleep! 

Sunday morning I was sooooo tired, but not ready to stop! The excitement of the morning was enough to get me going! We were told we were able to offer $25 off the starter kit this month. Woot woot. But the big announcement was our next incentive trip. We're going to Jamaica!! For FREE! All expenses paid! I was so close last year. This year I'm GOING! Who is coming with me? It's so easy to do if you work at it steadily. I've already got my plan! We had one final seminar from Belinda (she's so awesome, I love everything she has to say) and more workshops from our peers. Our founder even sang for us :) I learned so much from everyone. I just had to soak it all in. Then I headed back to my room to shower and change for our dinner cruise on the General Jackson. Great food. Great people. Great night. I watched some of the top performers receive much deserved awards. I even made one of the top 100 lists myself (omg top 100 in the company??? That's soooo awesome!!!). We also found out that our next reunion is going to be a little closer to home. San Antonio, here I come!!! 

The loot:

As a leader I was given a beautiful leather bag and clutch. A pink and white zebra striped scarf. I also got a commemorative back stage pass and one of our gorgeous shades from our fall line. Plus a reunion planner to take notes! Don't forget the real backstage pass and ticket to the Grand Ole Opry, lunch, dinner and drinks! On Saturday, consultants were given our new fall Sprinkle testers, a single catalog, one of our beautiful new shades, and if they attended our last rally, they got a bonus red warmer! Plus 2 empty jars to fill with a single scent or recipe of their choice! Plus, in our rooms, we were given a 2-dish simmer pot and 2 jars of an exclusive scent! I also got my necklace for promoting to manager! How awesome is that? On top of all of the information I retained which was priceless! I love my "job."  Why are you not doing this with me??? www.sprinkleaddicts.com <---- Go there and get started so you can come hang with me in Jamaica and San Antonio!!!

generic sunscreen

For your benefit I will not post a picture. I am having MAJOR skin-feels-like-it's-on-fire problems today. Laying in bed last night I was belting out the Alicia Keys tune trying to make light of my situation. I recently bought some store-brand spray on sunscreen. I was going to go for the good stuff as usual, but the store brand stuff was on sale. And I had a coupon for 20% off of store-brand merchandise. So I went the cheap route. Anyway, a friend and I packed our 5 kids ranging from 2-9 into the car yesterday and took them to the beach. Upon our arrival, I broke out the sunscreen and started spraying kids down. One of mine hates the lotion and prefers the spray. One of my hates the spray and prefers the lotion. I usually keep some water babies lotion in the car for her but we weren't in my car. So I proceeded to spray my hands with the stuff and wipe it all over her. I handed over the can to my friend to spray her 2 year old because I'm pretty clumsy and not interested in being responsible for spraying a kid in the eyes. When she's done with it, she chucks it in the sand. Let me put this into perspective for you. My hands were COVERED in the stuff as I was wiping my daughter down. Therefore the sunscreen was all over the can. My friend chucked it into the sand and there is now sand all over the can. It's my turn to get sunscreened. so I pick up the sand covered can and spray myself all over. now my hands are covered in sand. Whatever, I sprayed myself. I'm good, right? wrong. After 2-3 hours at the beach we jammed these tired kids back in the car and by the time we made it to sonic for half priced slushies, I was feeling like my shoulders were frying on a pancake griddle. I look down and I have STRIPES ON MY SKIN. Apparently the places where I sprayed directly were very well protected and the rest of me were a nice shade of boiled lobster. I should also mention that this FRIEND I went to the beach with is getting married next week and guess who is the made of honor? She's going to have a zebra striped maid of honor in her wedding pictures alllll because I couldn't rub the sunscreen in with my sandy hands. OK it's not entirely her fault. But it's much more fun to blame her than have her mad at me for looking like a bottle of ketchup in her wedding pictures.

Accomplishment

The sense of accomplishment is a strange one. When you work so hard for something for so long, it becomes a part of you. You find yourself strategizing about it at all times of the day whether it is just for a few seconds or for a few hours, you plan your direction on how to reach those goals. You tend to surround yourself with those associated with achieving the goal.When you get close, the adrenaline that is present is palpable. The sense of excitement is running high. Then, when you've finally accomplished what you've been working towards, it feels great! You breathe a sigh of relief and smile at your achievement. Then what? Sure, you're supposed to start thinking about the next goal. But, when something consumes you for so long and you're on that adrenaline rush of being so close, how do you calm down and focus on another long-term goal and be so far away yet again?
Today is one of these bittersweet days. I finally promoted into leadership with Pink Zebra. I've been working on becoming a Manager for a few months now. The sense of accomplishment when I open my back office and see that little M next to my name is amazing, but I also know that my next promotion will be even more difficult to achieve, and it's a long way off. I've set a realistic yet challenging timeline to achieve that goal and know exactly what it will take to get me there. And I'm very excited about helping my team to achieve their goals along the way! But I can't help but miss the adrenaline of being so close!

Disclaimer: If you are unaware of what Pink Zebra is, you must be living under a rock. I will take no fault at all if, even after reading all of my blog posts and bazillion posts on facebook, you still have not chosen to join my Pink Zebra team. We are accomplishing some amazing things. You really should just go join right now     ( www.sprinkleaddicts.com ) so you don't regret it several years from now. Unless, of course, you don't like money, or free vacations, or if you like your house to smell bad. :)

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

best gift ever

I'm about to give you the best gift ever. The gift of cash, a new career, a retirement plan, whatever you want it to be! I used to dream about winning the lottery so I can help all of my family and friends with all of their financial troubles. Who needs the lottery when I can build a team with these people and help them to eliminate those financial difficulties? And there is nothing wrong with a little hard work getting there right? Except it's not hard work. It's easy. And so much fun!!!

When I thought about getting into direct sales, I came up with every excuse as to why I would fail. I don't have a lot of friends and family close by. I don't have enough people who will buy from me to make it very far. I don't think my friends would want to host a party. However, I didn't realize that my friends and family didn't even need to be a factor.

I slid into the direct sales business backwards. I found a product I loved and wanted in my house. I was going to have a party, but why? I could buy a kit, have a launch party which would pay for my kit in commissions, I'd still earn the same hostess rewards and I would have a 25% discount for life! Plus, I got a bonus product credit for hitting my first goals with the company! Afterwards, I asked a friend of mine to host a party and I was off to a start. I thought maybe I could make a few extra dollars in the process and support my habit for free! But I didn't realize I had an important factor on my side: My products are consumable. Once people use them, they HAVE to come back for more. I soon found myself very busy and immersed in Sprinkles!!

I spent the summer months on vacation and not really thinking about selling anything to anyone. But once the kids were back in school, people started calling me to host a party. That is when I realized I was going to do this. I don't do anything half-assed. I'm going in strong!!! It was about 3 months after I bought my kit that I decided I was ready to set some goals and make it in this business! Since then, I've surpassed my first goal and am close to hitting my second WAY earlier than planned. This company is growing so fast and I can't wait until I'm sitting at the top with all of you. I was recently told that if I am not sharing this opportunity with those that I love that I'm being rude. I would be doing you a disservice to NOT ask you to join my team. Set a goal for where you would like to be and I can help you achieve it. Pink Zebra is going to multiply ten fold in the next 3 years. Don't miss the chance to get into the company now and work your way to the top. It's not a get rich quick scheme. You will have to work for it. But in the end it will be so worth it.

There are so many ways to earn cash, incentives, jewelry, trips, and free products. Plus you get free training and a team of people who love working together and helping one another. If you have a little motivation and big dreams, I need you on my team. Pink Zebra is the best thing that has happened for me and my family this year. Don't miss your chance to get involved on the ground floor and fast track to the top!

www.sprinkleaddicts.com and click JOIN NOW! It could be the best decision you've ever made!!!

Oh and if you want to know more, send me a message on facebook and I'll any questions you might have. www.facebook.com/sandiessprinkles

coats and boots

I'm checking out at the grocery store yesterday and the poor girl ringing up my groceries was just trying to make conversation not realizing she was about to ruin my day. She started talking about the cold front coming in and how it was going to be in the 30's tonight. Huh? Cold front? I really need to start watching the news. You see, this is Texas. I moved here to get away from these cold fronts and anything with the word cold in it. So I pulled up the weather on my phone and, sure enough, it was going to be FREEZING out tomorrow. I know the girls' winter jackets from last year weren't going to cut it. Because last year, I was in denial and refused to buy new winter jackets. I made them wear their L.L. Bean ones from the year before. These things are still in great shape. I probably could have passed the older two down and just buy a new jacket for my oldest and be done. But then I run the risk of "that's not fair" and "I HATE this color" and I wasn't in the mood for that. No time to order new ones from L.L. Bean so I now had to figure out where in Texas I can buy cold weather clothes! So there is this store called Burlington COAT factory and I decided to give it a try. WRONG! It should be called Burlington-entire-store-is-one-big-clearance-rack Factory. I don't have the time nor the energy to pick through racks and racks of coats to try to find one that fits my kid and isn't hideously ugly. Oh and did I mention that their coats at the COAT factory are conveniently located next to the toy section? So my kids were just NOT interested in the coat thing. I couldn't do it. I packed them back in the car and headed to the mall where I feel more comfortable. Here is where I learned that everyone in Texas is pretty much in denial when it comes to the cold weather. It was difficult to find a store that had coats that would keep my kids warm AND weren't made of PLEATHER from the 1980s. During our travels, my oldest finds these boots that she just HAS to have. I was quick with my response. "I'm sorry sweetie, I would totally have bought those boots for you, but we already got you some remember?" These boots were $60. Back in August before school started, we were walking around the PX at Fort Hood. In the 100 degree summer heat, I found these ADORABLE winter boots on the clearance rack for $5! I bought a half size up for each of the bigger girls. They didn't have anything that would fit the little one. I was good right? wrong. The oldest remembered this morning that I had told her about the boots and wanted to wear them with her new jacket. They don't fit. In less than 3 months, her foot has grown a full size and nothing I bought her at back to school time fits, including the $5 boots. Damn. She's a smart one too. Her immediate response was "Well at least now I can get the boots I saw at the mall!" CRAP. I should have thought up a better excuse. Anyway, my littlest found her coat within 5 minutes of walking in the first store. The other two, however, visited nearly every department store/kids store in the mall before finding their coats at Macy's. And they were cheaper than the ugly ones at Burlington Clearance Rack Factory. I didn't send my kids to school this morning freezing. I guess that's a win for Mom.