Scentsy scents may surprise you when warmed.

We all have our favorite candle scents. We tend to stick with similar scents that we know are safe bets such as spice, bakery, cologne, fruit, floral, etc.  If you’re like me, it’s difficult to break into a new category if you already know you tend to like a particular category.

I am one who enjoys scents like Hendrix (men’s cologne) or Oats and Honey (reminds me of oatmeal cookies), so when I come across one that is more clean or floral I’m not generally a fan. However, I will readily admit that I have been guilty of not giving scents a chance.  If I didn’t care for the smell of a particular candle bar at room temperature, it generally just sat on the shelf.

I’ll even go as far to admit that at times I have said to myself, “Well no one will buy this one, so I guess I’ll stick it in the warmer and save the good ones for the paying customers.” That was stinkin’ thinkin’! That self serving gesture proved to be a catalyst to change my opinions about some scents.  When I warmed them, I actually liked them, and not just a little bit to tolerate them, but actually found a new scent that I really liked to scent my home.

I’ve heard similar comments from my team members. In March 2012, Scentsy’s featured Scent of the Month is a scent called Sunlit Morning. A few consultants admitted it was not their cup of tea; but I reminded them that I’m sure it would be for their customers and encouraged them to give the scent a chance and warm it. Not surprisingly they did, and their minds were also changed when they smelled it warm vs. room temperature.

It’s no different than trying on clothes in a store. Stacey and Clinton, from the television show What Not to Wear, are constantly telling their makeover guests that they have to try on the outfits. They can’t make a fair evaluation of how it will look on them just from how it looks on the hanger.

The same in true for Scentsy wax. Don’t immediately discount it as something you don’t like simply because it’s different from what you normally like to try. Give scents a try. You may be pleasantly surprised to learn a great Scentsy scent is just waiting to be warmed.

About the Author: Laurie Ayers is a Michigan work from home mom and a Superstar Director with Scentsy Wickless Candles. She enjoys helping men and women start and maintain a home based business in the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, Germany, Ireland and the UK. To download a FREE Start Up Guide which provides more details about how to start a home business as well as to learn about our compensation plan go to http://www.thrivingcandlebusiness.com/how-to-start-a-candle-business/

In addition to topics on Scentsy scents, please browse this site to find more articles about how you can successfully work from home.

Celebrate End of Fall / Winter

with Discounted Pricing

Candle Warmers, Wax & Tiaras* On Sale

*So sorry we don’t actually have tiaras. But we recommend crafting one at home in your spare time. Pipe cleaners work splendidly.

They’re saying that the tiara is becoming popular among roller skaters, tax auditors and ex-mother-in-laws. I’m guessing tiaras will be as big in 2012 as fancy brooches and ferrets were back in ’89.

And, should the tiara become too popular, you can always just tell everyone that your tiara is really a mere coif adornment in condescending way that lets them know you’re better than they are.

Clearly there has never been a better time to be wearing a tiara… but so far the executives at Scentsy Wickless aren’t convinced.

So while Scentsy Corporate should be offering up to 20% off on Candle Warmers, Wax and Tiaras, sadly it only applies to Candle Warmers, Wax and companion home fragrance items.

So shop between now and Feb 29 to receive your discount on most all items (minus tiaras and a few other select items) securely here.

LAYER 1: Begin every morning with a spa experience! Lather up with Layers by Scentsy Shower Cream or Shower Gel.

LAYER 2: Soothe and moisturize your skin with milky Body Lotion, rich Body Butter, or silky Hand Cream.

LAYER 3: Mist yourself with a veil of Body Spray and caress your pulse points with Solid Perfume.

LAYER 4: Slip on clothes scented by Washer Whiffs and/or a Dryer Disk.

LAYER BY LAYER

Layers by Scentsy lets you build a new fragrance wardrobe, layer by layer, from your skin to your clothes. Now you can envelop every part of your life with Scentsy fragrances: transform your morning shower from a necessity to something sublime. Elevate the laundry from a chore to an experience. Let your personal fragrance leave a trace with every movement. Pick your signature scent, or mix and match to create your own unique fragrance. Either way, let Layers by Scentsy perfume your life.

Transform your morning shower from a necessity to something sublime.

Layers by Scentsy shower and bath products gently clean and moisturize your skin—and with six Incredible fragrances to choose from, you can change your scent to match your mood.

Shower Gel – This lightly foaming gel refreshes with amazing Scentsy fragrance and comforts with vitamin B5, known to promote healthy skin.

Shower Cream – Turn your daily shower into a pampering experience. Emollient soybean oil enriches this luscious (and lusciously scented) cream to smooth and moisturize your skin.

Soften your skin and leave a whispering trace with every movement.

Layers by Scentsy products are clinically proven to moisturize your skin. Choose from silky-smooth Body Lotion, extra rich Body Butter, and indulgent Hand Cream.

Body Butter – The perfect solution for extra-dry elbows and knees. Our super rich Body Butter contains moisturizing aloe vera and soothing shea butter for instant relief.

Body Lotion – Aloe vera and shea butter combine with other premium ingredients for a silky-smooth moisturizing experience that will wrap you in one of six enchanting Scentsy fragrances.

Hand Cream – Shea butter and aloe vera soothe rough hands that need extra care. Pack the convenient tube in your purse, and bring Scentsy fragrance and a touch of softness with you wherever you go.

Choose your favorite scent and envelop your life with fragrance.

Body Spray – Wrap yourself in a veil of fragrance with our Body Spray—a light mist adds a perfect touch of fragrance to your day.

Solid Perfume – Experience our most beautiful scents in fine-fragrance perfumes. Each Scentsy Solid Perfume adds the finishing touch to your Layers by Scentsy experience.

Shower Gel & Shower Cream, Body Butter, Body Lotion, & Hand Cream, Body Spray Fragrances:

Coconut Lemongrass: Creamy, tropical coconut and sunny, bright lemongrass.

Enchanted Mist: Romantic blend of juicy apples, enhanced and sweetened by rose petals and rich jasmine.

Love Story: Innocent pink jasmine and sensual amber embraced by luscious dark chocolate.

Luna: White florals—jasmine, sweet pea, and freesia—juicy berries, and sandalwood shimmer like moonlight.

Quiver: Innocent vanilla flower, warm sandalwood, and sultry tuberose in a seductive scent, meant to cause a shiver of delight.

Sugar Cookie: Warm, sweet blend of butter, sugar, and creamy vanilla.

Solid Perfume Fragrances:

Enchanted Mist: Romantic blend of juicy apples, enhanced and sweetened by rose petals and rich jasmine.

Linger: Pink grapefruit, sugared apple, lavish praline, and flirty marshmallow swirl create a fragrance that says “stay.”

Love Story: Innocent pink jasmine and sensual amber embraced by luscious dark chocolate.

Luna: White florals—jasmine, sweet pea, and freesia—juicy berries, and sandalwood shimmer like moonlight.

Midnight Fig: Earthy, ripened figs and golden berries tempered by musky woods will open your eyes and captivate your senses.

My Wish: A confection of earthy fig, sweet violet, and playful marshmallow will have you wishing for more.

Quiver: Innocent vanilla flower, warm sandalwood, and sultry tuberose in a seductive scent, meant to cause a shiver of delight.

RU N2 Me: The spirit of a millennial captured in warm pink pepper, deep woods, and bright cassis in a scent for everyone.

Satin Sheets: Sensual and earthy sandalwood, perfectly paired with rich, warm vanilla.

Simply Irresistible: Lavender with a strong, woody background of amber, moss, and musk.

Elevate the laundry from a chore to an experience.

Dryer Disk – Toss out your dryer sheets, toss in a Dryer Disk! Simply add one to your dryer—it will infuse your clothes with scent for up to 15 loads and fight static at the same time. Available in packs of two.

Washer Whiffs – It’s pure indulgence: fragrance for your clothes. Add a cap of Washer Whiffs with your everyday laundry detergent and enhance everything from your towels to your Sunday best with Scentsy fragrance. For best results, use with fragrance-free laundry detergent.

Washer Whiffs & Dryer Disk Fragrances:

Coconut Lemongrass: Creamy, tropical coconut and sunny, bright lemongrass.

Quiver: Innocent vanilla flower, warm sandalwood, and sultry tuberose in a seductive scent, meant to cause a shiver of delight.

COMBINE & SAVE. When ordering you must click through the Combine and Save links, these savings will not automatically generate if you just order items individually.

Shower Gel 3-Pack: 3 Shower Gels $1 savings

Shower Cream 3-Pack: 3 Shower Creams $1 savings

Hand Cream 3-Pack: 3 Hand Creams $1 savings

Body Lotion 3-Pack: 3 Body Lotions $1 savings

Body Butter 3-Pack: 3 Body Butters $1 savings

Body Spray 3-Pack: 3 Body Sprays $1 savings

Solid Perfume 3-Pack: 3 Solid Perfumes $1 savings

Washer Whiffs 3-Pack: 3 Washer Whiffs $1 savings

Dryer Disk 3-Pack: 3 Dryer Disks Packages containing 2 each $1 savings

Shower Gel 6-Pack: Buy 5 Shower Gels, get 1 FREE $9 savings

Shower Cream 6-Pack: Buy 5 Shower Creams, get 1 FREE $12 savings

Hand Cream 6-Pack: Buy 5 Hand Creams, get 1 FREE $6 savings

Body Lotion 6-Pack: Buy 5 Body Lotions, get 1 FREE $10 savings

Body Butter 6-Pack: Buy 5 Body Butters, get 1 FREE $12 savings

Body Spray 6-Pack: Buy 5 Body Sprays, get 1 FREE $8 savings

Solid Perfume 6-Pack: Buy 5 Solid Perfumes, get 1 FREE $18 savings

Washer Whiffs 6-Pack: Buy 5 Washer Whiffs, get 1 FREE $12 savings

Dryer Disk 6-Pack Buy 5 Dryer Disks Packs (each package contains 2 disks), get 1 FREE $7 savings

Layers by Scentsy FAQ

Does Layers by Scentsy include any allergens or toxins?
Layers by Scentsy contains no known toxins, parabens, phthalates, formaldehyde donors, diethanolamine, triethanolamine, or glycols. Layers by Scentsy products, however, do contain fragrance oils specifically designed for cosmetics, which have the potential to cause mild skin irritation for people with particular sensitivities or allergies. If you are worried about potential irritation, please test the product a small patch of skin for irritation before full use.

Is Layers by Scentsy tested on animals?
Layers by Scentsy is not tested on animals.

How long will the fragrance last?
The exact amount of time the fragrance lasts on your skin depends on your own body chemistry. Layers by Scentsy products contain the highest concentration and quality of fragrances possible, giving the wearer the longest lasting fragrance experience possible.

Why doesn’t my Layers by Scentsy product smell exactly like my Scentsy Bar with the same name?
Each Layers by Scentsy product was created with an existing Scentsy fragrance in mind, but each scent has been reformulated with fragrance oils designed to be worn on the body. The fragrance we use in Layers by Scentsy is designed to interact with your own skin and chemistry, resulting in a different—and deeply personal—fragrance on each wearer.

I used the Washer Whiffs and my clothes didn’t get clean. What happened?
Washer Whiffs don’t have any detergent properties; it isn’t meant to clean your clothes. Think of it as perfume for your laundry—it adds your favorite Scentsy fragrance to your clothes. You will still need to use laundry detergent.

I used the Dryer Disk for 15 loads and it still smells good. Can I keep using it?
The Dryer Disk fragrance and anti-static properties should last for up to 15 loads. If it is still fragrant after 15 loads, you can continue to use your Dryer Disk until the fragrance dissipates.

Why doesn’t the shower gel get really sudsy?
The cleansing agents in the shower gel are effective and gentle cleansers, maximizing cleansing with decreased suds.

Are these products safe to use on my children?
Yes, Layers for Scentsy is safe for use by children.

Can I use Layers by Scentsy products on my face?
Layers by Scentsy products are not designed to be used on the face. If your Layers by Scentsy product comes in contact with your eyes, flush the product out of your eyes with water.

What if I need to return my Layers by Scentsy product?
Scentsy does not accept returns or exchanges for items not in re-sellable condition unless you received a defective product. If a damaged Layers by Scentsy product was received, we will exchange it for the same product in the same scent. The item may not be returned simply because someone does not like the scent.

What is the difference between “fine” fragrance and “home” fragrance?
Fine fragrance is wearable and designed with your skin in mind; it’s cosmetic grade. Each individual has a unique experience wearing fine fragrance because your skin modifies the scent due to your skin pH interacting with the fragrance. Home fragrance, like the kind we use in our wax and room sprays, is not designed for your skin and is not approved for use in cosmetics.

What makes Layers by Scentsy special?
It’s the quality of the product. From the base material that holds the oils to the actual fragrance oils used, from packaging to duration, quality is our primary goal. Scentsy products have always been designed to deliver value in quality, price, product volume, and duration.

If your home based business recently switched to a new Spring/Summer catalog, you may be sitting on a stack of old Fall/Winter catalogs.  How do you get rid of the retired books?

Ideally you shouldn’t have any leftovers. Within a month or so prior to a catalog change would have been a good time to step up your marketing efforts to ensure you disbursed those catalogs while they were still current.  But alas, things don’t always work out that way.

I’ve heard a few suggestions on what you can do with them, and no surprise here, I do not agree with the masses.

The common suggestion:

Affix a sticker to the front of the catalog with a cutesy poem or little ditty that says something along the lines of  “This is a retired catalog, contact me for a current one and claim your free prize.”

Why I don’t agree with this suggestion:

It’s wasting time and money creating the labels or stickers without realizing a return on your investment. Also, if you represent a company that offers great products at a great value, you shouldn’t need to bribe, er a I mean, give them an incentive to call.  They’ll be interested in the products and want to order, or they won’t.  A token freebie isn’t going to sway their buying behavior, but it will cut into your profit margin.

A better idea:

Make sure your contact information is clearly displayed on the old catalogs and then just spread them around town.  Leave one in public restroom stalls, on the bleachers when you leave the football game, in the grocery cart at the grocery store, at the gas pump, on a park bench, near a pay phone, at the airport before you board – you get the idea.  No singsong poem, no special bribe, just the catalog.

If someone is interested they’ll contact you or go to your website.  If they go to your website they may already see that some of the items in the catalog are no longer available but may also see something else they didn’t know you had.  Or if they call you, then merely say “oh you must have an old catalog, let me get you a current one.”

No need to waste your valuable time, stickers, ink or profit trying to get rid of obsolete catalogs. The results will be the same.  Someone will contact you or it will end up in the round file.  None of us seem to have enough time as it is; work smarter, not harder.

About the Author: Laurie Ayers is a Michigan work from home mom and a Superstar Director with Scentsy Wickless Candles. She enjoys helping men and women start and maintain a home based business in the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, Germany, Ireland and the UK. To download a FREE Start Up Guide which provides more details about how to start a home business as well as to learn about our compensation plan go to http://www.thrivingcandlebusiness.com/how-to-start-a-candle-business/

In addition to topics on marketing your home business using old catalogs, please browse this site to find more articles about how you can successfully work from home.

The latest reports show the national unemployment rate of 8.3.  There are currently fourteen states that have an unemployment rate of 9% or higher. Those unfortunate states are Indiana, New Jersey, Kentucky, Michigan, South Carolina, Georgia, Illinois, Florida, North Carolina, District of Columbia, Mississippi, Rhode Island, California and Nevada.

According to a Global Entrepreneurship Monitor 2011 report released last week, about 12.3% of Americans are considered entrepreneurs by the GEM measure. “The boost in U.S. entrepreneurship is somewhat of a mixed indicator, signaling that while the economy is improving, some people are turning to entrepreneurship because it’s becoming evident that some jobs may never come back.”

This explains why more entrepreneurial spirits are working from home and starting a direct sales business; presently 15.8 million people in the U.S. are involved in direct selling.  Of those sellers, 85% report a good, very good or excellent experience with direct selling. With businesses closing their doors, employees  showing up for work only to learn their positions have been eliminated and hundreds of applicants vying for one open position, work from home representing a direct sales company makes perfect sense for both men and women.

If you’ve lost track of how many resumes you’ve submitted and yet still can’t land a stable job outside the home, perhaps it’s time to consider starting a your own home based business. It’s a good way to meet and socialize with people. You’ll have a flexible schedule, so you can still work around job hunting and interviews. You’ll earn extra income while you’re still looking to get rehired.

Additionally, representing a company as an independent consultant doesn’t require any specific levels of education, experience, financial resources or physical condition; it’s a good fit for almost anyone. Consultants of all ages, from all backgrounds have succeeded in direct selling.

In my own state of Michigan, our Governor – Rick Snyder is quietly making progress of his own in a state where change is very difficult to achieve. In his January 2012 State of the State address, the Governor highlighted several successful small businesses in the state and talked about the importance of entrepreneurship and creating a business friendly environment in Michigan.  He gets it. He understands the importance of entrepreneurship. Other state governments are also embracing it as well and are re-examining legislation that surrounds these small businesses.

So if you’re unemployed or underemployed, I encourage you to give starting your own home based business serious consideration. Want a recession proof job? Think direct sales.

About the Author: Laurie Ayers is a Michigan work from home mom and a Superstar Director with Scentsy Wickless Candles. She enjoys helping men and women start and maintain a home based business in the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, Germany, Ireland and the UK. To download a FREE Start Up Guide which provides more details about how to start a home business as well as to learn about our compensation plan go to http://www.thrivingcandlebusiness.com/how-to-start-a-candle-business/

In addition to topics on Finding Work From Home, please browse this site to find more articles about how you can successfully work from home.

To make room for our exciting new Scentsy Wickless Spring/Summer catalog items, we are having a sale on most items in our current Fall/Winter catalog. Most items are 10% off during the entire month of February (or sooner if they sell out). Our new catalog begins March 1, 2012, so if there is something in the current catalog that you need or want, don’t delay. Our larger candle bricks, as well as some warmers and scents are being discontinued at the conclusion of our current catalog.  You can shop securely from the comfort of your home and have UPS deliver it to your door.  Take a look now at http://www.IncomeWax.com

1.   Direct mailings with your company catalog. Pick a market or two, such as assisted living facilities; nail salons or real estate agencies to name a few.  Mail no more than ten catalogs to each market; there’s no sense waiting catalogs and postage without testing the waters first.  Be sure to include a sample and/or special offer.  Increase chances of having your catalog opened and read by placing a relevant sticker on the front.  Highlight what’s in it for them if they open it.
2.    Develop a Valentines Day marketing campaign and get it out to the masses NOW.  February 14th is right around the corner, so don’t delay. Your window of opportunity is tiny. Men will be particularly grateful for gift giving made simple.  Think where you can find a group of men – barber shops, auto sales, auto repair, gyms, pro-shops, etc.
3.    Create a special offer for Groundhogs Day, February 2. There’s one people don’t see everyday.
4.    Call all of your customers, leave voice mail if necessary and merely say, ‘I’m putting in an order and wondered if you were ready for more …”
5.    Hire a business coach or join a Mastermind group. Find the right one and your investment will pay off ten-fold.
6.    Commit to asking for referrals from three people each day.  Not covert dropping of cards and catalogs but actually speaking to strangers.  Go into the gas station to pay, instead of using pay at the pump.  Hand the cashier a catalog and a sample and say, “If you know of anyone who likes (candles, jewelry, makeup, etc.) could you please pass this along?”
7.    Hold an open house. Who cares if you’ve been in the business two years or nine months or anywhere in between?  Call it a mid-winter shindig.  Pick a theme – Superbowl, Chocolate Martini, After Holidays Rest and Relaxation or Chick Flick Movie Night.

Sometimes there’s no secret to getting out of a rut other than to go back to basics.  Remember when you first started your business.  You were excited; you were pumped and you definitely were not in a rut. Shake it up a bit; think outside of the bowl.  Remember if you keep doing what you’ve been doing, you’re going to keep getting what you’ve been getting!

About the Author: Laurie Ayers is a Michigan work from home mom and a Superstar Director with Scentsy Wickless Candles. She enjoys helping men and women start and maintain a home based business in the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, Germany, Ireland and the UK. To download a FREE Start Up Guide which provides more details about how to start a home business as well as to learn about our compensation plan go to http://www.thrivingcandlebusiness.com/how-to-start-a-candle-business/

In addition to topics on reinvigorating your home business, please browse this site to find more articles about how you can successfully work from home.

Internet Marketing (IM) isn’t something a direct sales sponsor can teach – at least not in the same way the sponsor can teach using a workstation or host coaching. It is a knowledge base that must be learned over a period of years.  There are Internet Marketing gurus who make teaching this subject their full time business.

I would be very leery of any sponsor who promises to teach you IM. The sponsor should be making him/herself available to training and mentoring the entire team on all aspects of their independent businesses, plus taking care of their own customers, while continually working with prospects. When would this person have time to teach a comprehensive skill set that takes years to learn and one that is dynamic and always changing?

I actually worked with a local lady a few years ago who was interested in joining Scentsy. After meeting with and communicating with her over a period of weeks she did eventually sign up to be a consultant. However, she signed up with someone else, who lived on the other side of the country. That fact didn’t bother me so much because I genuinely believe it’s important that you find a good fit with your sponsor before signing up. It was the reason she went with someone else. She said “because he’s an internet marketer!” That was amusing to me because I was one of the original Scentsy consultants to first start working my business online in 2006 and the person she went with was a new consultant with the company with no proven track record. But he promised to “teach her IM”.

Fast forward two plus years, and she was still in the very beginning ranks and eventually quit.  He promised her the moon about teaching internet marketing and didn’t deliver. I’d rather tell people up front that I absolutely will help them with their internet marketing; I will coach them; I will point them in the right direction; I will offer suggestions and share what is working for me – but teach them? No.

Just to make sure we’re clear on the difference between Helping with – and Teaching, consider this example:

My daughter is taking Spanish classes at school. She is in her second year. Her teacher, Mr. Enriquez is teaching her.  That is his full time job – to teach the students Spanish. They learn and practice every day of the week, semester after semester, year after year to become proficient.  The students haves a responsibility not only to show up for class, but to do the work and apply what they learn.

Before tests and quizzes I help my daughter study.  I go through her flash cards with her and I give her some word association ideas on how she can better remember phrases.  I am not teaching her Spanish. My full time job is to be a Scentsy Superstar Director and all that entails. I can’t possibly do that and be a Spanish teacher.  But I can help, mentor, coach and support.

See the difference?

It’s like if you came to me and said “I want to really promote my business to the Hispanic Community.”  I tell you that’s an excellent idea and frequently an underrepresented market. Then I ask you if you speak, read or write Spanish? If you don’t, how are you going to be able to be successful in this market segment?  I can certainly give you ideas on how you can work this niche, but knowing the language is going to be a prerequisite before you come to me for tips.

If you want to work your home based business using Internet Marketing techniques, you absolutely can and should – it’s a wonderful way to build your business. However if you don’t already possess some of the required knowledge, skills and abilities it’s going to be very difficult to build a business using IM. That is not to say you can’t learn, but you’ll have to be committed to learn over a period of time and simultaneously work your business using other methods such as home parties, basket parties, vendor events or fundraisers.

Learning IM is not for the faint at heart. Because it involves technology, it is frequently changing. What I learned in 2006 is now obsolete.  It involves staying ahead of the curve, or at least keeping up with it. It’s also something that requires constant monitoring, measuring and tweaking.

Not sure where to start? I would recommend you chumming up with my buddy, Mr. Google.  He’s a wealth of knowledge.  Take it one small area at a time and immerse yourself in becoming proficient in that topic. Try searching [Topic] then the words “for beginners.”  Your topics might be: blogging, internet marketing, social media, social networking, Facebook, Twitter, SEO, WordPress, Keyword Density, etc.

So the next time you are interviewing sponsors, before you sign up to be an independent consultant ask plenty of questions and be cautious of anyone who promises to teach you Internet Marketing.

Here’s to success!  See you at the top -

About the Author: Laurie Ayers is a Michigan work from home mom and a Superstar Director with Scentsy Wickless Candles. She enjoys helping men and women start and maintain a home based business in the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, Germany, Ireland and the UK. To download a FREE Start Up Guide which provides more details about how to start a home business as well as to learn about our compensation plan go to http://www.thrivingcandlebusiness.com/how-to-start-a-candle-business/

In addition to topics on Internet Marketing, please browse this site to find more articles about how you can successfully work from home.

1.    The Products – Know, love and stand behind the products you sell. If you know how they work, why they’re worth it and actually like and use them yourself, you’ll do a better job selling it to others. Know what similar products are all about as well. If your competitor sells a product like yours, be able to tell your customers why yours is better even if it costs more. Don’t bash the competition; just highlight your strengths.

2.    Network, Network, Network – It’s important to build a business network. Be yourself and take the time to build friendships and other contacts beyond just potential customers. Building rapports doesn’t happen over night and it takes time to simmer.  Keep spreading seeds and you’ll reap a great harvest.

3.    Online Presence – Create a professional website for your business. You are missing a huge opportunity if you’re not doing business via the Internet. One of the first places people go to find something they need is the Internet and your product is no different. Even if you sell a lot locally, broaden your horizons by going online too.  Note:  No website is better than a cheesy, poorly designed one.  If you don’t have the resources to have a professionally designed website, then hold off until you do.

4.    Take Your Business Seriously – Just because you work from home doesn’t give you permission to be any less professional. Your website, business cards, products, presentation and everything else you do in your business should exhibit that you’re serious about your business. Sometimes this will take a bit of money, like hiring a web designer to put your website together if you don’t know how (see #3 for the importance of this). However, most of your professionalism will show in you personally, so treat it like a real business and you’ll obtain the benefits of doing so. If you want to work from home, you still need to show up for work each day.

5.    Honesty is Key – When your customers feel they can trust you they will be back. Don’t be shady or pushy in order to make sales or gain team members. When you make a mistake, admit it, correct it, and move on. Hopefully you won’t forget to mail something or to make a phone call, but if you don’t admit it.  Most will admire your forth righteousness and over look it. “I’m sorry I dropped the ball. I will make it up to you by …”

6.    Accept Rejection – Your home based business job entails sales, whether it’s sales of a product, a service or of yourself; so the word No is one you’ll hear frequently. Don’t take it personally and realize it is a part of this business. Keep working hard and you’ll get positive replies and more sales too.  It is important to recognize that it takes time and many rejections to build up thick skin about this.  So when you feel like throwing in the towel, remember what you are experiencing is perfectly normal and it WILL get better.

7.    Attend Meetings – Take the time to attend meetings for your team. Not only will you learn about new products and sales techniques, but also you’ll receive some needed encouragement from others who’ve been where you are. Even better, you will be able to help some of the newbies on your team eventually.   On a long distance team?  No problem, attend telecons or participate in team forums.  You can get all the benefits of a local meeting… and don’t have to figure out what to wear!

8.    Set Goals – Goal setting is an overused term. Yet this tip is extremely important when it comes to the success of your home based business. Write your goals down or cut out photos of achievements desired. Setting goals and constantly working toward them will help to make your business more profitable. Set big goals and then break them down into smaller easier to achieve steps. As you work your way through your list you’ll feel like you’ve accomplished something and your ultimate goal won’t seem so out of reach. Be realistic with your goals, but don’t be afraid to set them high either.

9.    Be There for Others – You will someday remember what it was like when you first started out. The help you received from others was valuable and once you’ve worked your way up, be sure to lend a helping hand to others. If you weren’t helped by anyone, but felt you climbed all alone, the remember what that felt like and ensure others don’t have to go it alone. Being of assistance to others in all areas of life is very rewarding.

10.    Work Hard and Stick with It – There will be hard times and maybe even times you are ready to throw in the towel in your business. Remember, any business takes work – nothing happens overnight. Keep moving forward even through the rough patches.  Some resources have said that it take 2 years for a new business to take off.  If you throw in the towel after 6 months, are you even giving it a fair shake? If you built or rented a brick and mortar building to run your business, it’s unfathomable to think you’d quit after three months of initial struggles. Yet some people have unrealistic expectation when they work from home. Keep on keeping on.

Take these tips and apply them to your home based business and you’ll see success. There are many other things you’ll need to consider in order to have a profitable business but the 10 discussed here are important and should be your starting point. Here’s to your success!

About the Author: Laurie Ayers is a Michigan work from home mom and a Superstar Director with Scentsy Wickless Candles. She enjoys helping men and women start and maintain a home based business in the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, Germany, Ireland and the UK. To download a FREE Start Up Guide which provides more details about how to start a home business as well as to learn about our compensation plan go to http://www.thrivingcandlebusiness.com/how-to-start-a-candle-business/

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