one. Being At The Lake

Summer time is almost here and earlier today I started planning my first trip to the lake for the season!  My twitter name is @BoatingBonnieC because I love being on my boat, at the lake, surrounded by people I care about with lots of fun on the tube, hanging out, teaching people to ski and viciously enjoying life. It’s my stress free zone, my happy place and the place where drama is not allowed.  The picture is from a very fun day with a group of some of my favorite people…this day turned out to be very special to us for a variety of reasons.  Making Happy Memories.

two. Disney World

I’m a huge Disney fan.  I believe anyone who knows me already knows this about me.  I was lucky enough to have a brother who worked at Disney for 15 years, giving me free access to the parks and a world of insight into the world of Disney.  And when I traveled for a living, I was in Orlando at least seven or eight times per year, staying “on property” at Disney as much as I could.  The photo at the top of this post is from Disney’s Boardwalk Resort and it’s my favorite place to be at night.  It’s simply beautiful!   I love the Magic.  I love being around happy people.  I love the mouse.

three.  The Gratitude Journal

Samantha, who blogs at Where The Love Was Found, introduced me to this gem about a month or so ago…and I absolutely love it!  It’s an iPhone APP that allows me to journal the things I’m grateful for each day.  Looking back through previous posts is so powerful and reminds me of all of the massive blessings I have in my life.  So much of being happy involves being aware of the goodness that is in our world, and the Gratitude Journal reminds me of the good things that are happening in my life and allows me to see sequences of good things constantly occurring.

four.  ethos

I’m part of a church called “ethos.”  It’s a pretty special place to me, as it took my life falling into near shambles before I ever found it.  When my life ended up in complete disarray, the people there surrounded me with all the love, support, encouragement, grace, forgiveness and understanding that churches often talk about but rarely ever extend.  It’s a cool place – we meet in a bar / music venue in downtown Nashville, give away most of the money we bring in to serve the people who need it and people who are broken, messed up, hurting, homeless, barely know who God is are all welcome to be there.  And there are a ton of people there who are on fire for God extending that welcome.  God is at work and showing up in some awesome ways…and that makes me happy to be a part of something so extraordinary.

five. My Family

I’ve been blessed with a really good family.  I’ve experienced unconditional love, support, kindness, friendship, loyalty and encouragement my entire life.  I have a sister, two brothers and a dad who I know would do anything for me at the drop of a hat.  They have all taught me how to give with cheer and to love unconditionally.  We all grew closer together from the death of my little brother and have grown even stronger through the death of my mom.  We’ve shared heartache, but we’ve had much more Joy in our lives than any one group of people deserve.  They make me happy.

six.  The Lion King

Yes, I’m talking the kid’s cartoon, the Broadway musical, the show at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.  It’s the story, it’s the music, it’s Africa, it’s the comedy, it’s our problem-free philosophy, Hakuna Matata. It’s everything Lion King.  Here’s a little Lion King “joke” for you… Simba was walking too slow, so I told him to Mufasa.  You’ll get it in a second.  How many times have I listened to the soundtrack to The Lion King??  Too many times to confess  here.  It all just makes me happy.

seven.  A Route 44 Water with Lemon from Sonic

Don’t ask me why, because I really can’t tell you.  I tell people all of the time that my “guilty pleasure” is a Route 44 water with lemon from Sonic.  I know that’s not really a guilty pleasure, but for some reason when I want to “treat” myself, I head to Sonic.  That’s almost a daily thing.

eight.  The Feeling After A Good Workout

You’ve seen my picture, you know I’m a big guy who struggles with his weight.  But honestly, I do love going to the gym.  I just love cheeseburgers a little bit more than the gym.  But that feeling after leaving the gym after a really good workout – it’s a rush.  It’s a sense of accomplishment. It makes me feel good because I know I’ve done something that has stretched myself.  It’s a happy feeling.

nine. Encouraging People

The saying, “People may not remember what you said to them, but they will remember how you made them feel” has a slightly selfish aspect for me.  I like to encourage people and make them feel special and I remember how it made them feel.  I like knowing that I’ve made someone’s day or put a pep in their step.  The opposite is magnified for me – when I know I have discouraged someone, let them disappointed or hurt them…that kills me.  I know my life is much better by being a blessing to other people.  Somehow I’ve managed to make it a career, a way of ministry, a way of living my life.

ten. Riding With The Top Down

I’m telling you, I live an incredibly blessed life.  I am lucky enough to own my dream car from my college days.  During my college days I wanted a 325i BMW Convertible more than I should have ever wanted anything.  Materialism plain and simple.  I’m not a big fan of it, but I do seem to struggle with it a little.  But I saved up my money and the price eventually came down…and I finally purchased my dream car from college.  The same make & model.  The same color.  The same year.  A 1991 BMW Convertible.  You may be thinking, that’s an old car!  Personally,  I like to consider it a classic.  So I am this big huge guy whose head sticks slightly over the top, but as I’m driving down the road with the top down…. I’m one happy camper.

Here is a Vine of me in the car…

I definitely do not want to sound harsh or brash, but if you are in a direct sales company or network marketing business and your business is not growing, it’s most likely what you are not doing.  In other words, are you doing what it takes for you to be successful?  It’s a question you have to ask of yourself and be completely honest about.   One of the beautiful things about growing a network marketing business and earning money with direct sales is that the business and growing your down-line or teams can be duplicated.  So if other people are succeeding, you can too.  That is the great news, if it is being done already, you can do it too!  I’ve found that most people who are not growing their network marketing business are either connected to the wrong company or they are not doing what needs to be done.

So here are some questions you may want to ask yourself in order to help you get out of  the rut you are in and also figure out if it’s you or the company you are associated with.  Be honest with yourself, your business is on the line.

What Is Your “Why?” And How Important Is It To You?

Remembering why you are in business is crucial.  Yes, of course we all want to make money, but isn’t there a deeper and more personal reason you want to be in business?  Keep your reason close to your heart and in front of you at all time.  Write it out so you see your why all over the place, have a dream board, share your “why” with people.  This should propel you to action and keep you focused on doing the right things to grow your business.

Are You Doing What It Takes To Succeed?

Be honest with yourself. Are you doing what it takes to succeed?  If you don’t know, training may just be the issue.  Get with your sponsor or a team member to familiarize yourself with your company’s best practices.  Network Marketing is duplicatable (I’m not sure that’s a word?) which means if you do what the other successful people are doing, and honing your skills to do it just as well, you too can succeed.  But if you know what it takes to succeed and are not doing it, that’s why your business is in a rut.  It takes activity to create momentum.

Do You Surround Yourself With Other Successful People?

Successful people spend time with other successful people. They don’t have to be in the same business or company as you, though that is a great idea, but make sure you surround yourself with other people you consider awesome and successful.  Their energy will be contagious!  If you hang out with positive people, you will become more positive.  If you hang out with people who encourage others, you will find yourself being more encouraging.  Success breeds success.

What Good Business / Motivational Book Have You Read Lately?

You’ve got to stay at the top of your game. If you’re reading this and you feel your business is in a rut, you may need some motivation or fresh ideas.  Reading stimulates your mind and allows you to discover new ideas and concepts.  Here is a list of seven of my favorite business related books just in case you need some suggestions.  I’ll add to that list a book titled START by Jon Acuff – it’s a great read!

How Do You Encourage Your Team?

If you have a down-line and you are not actively encouraging your team, what are they learning to duplicate?  They are learning the role of an inactive sponsor.  Your team’s success and the success of your down-line is vital to your success.  Find ways to motivate, encourage and activate your team / down-line.

Are You Investing Your Time In Your Power Partners?

Power partners are those members of our team /down-line who are the movers and shakers – those people who have teams that are growing and creating momentum for you.  Be sure to focus more of your energy on the strengths of your team.  Yes, you want to encourage all of them, but do not allow inactive and negative people drain your time and energy.

Are You Doing What You’ve Always Done?

We all have heard the infamous Anthony Robbins quote, “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.”  If your business is in a rut and you’re continue doing what you’re doing, it’s going to stay in a rut.  If your business is succeeding, keep duplicating  your actions and help your down-line to duplicate your actions.

What Did You Do Today That Will Grow Your Business?

I realize that so many of these come back to “action.”  The word could also come back to “hustle” or “work” or “activity” or “networking” or “sharing” or “inviting.”  It takes activity to grow your business, plain and simple.

Do You Believe In This Business Model?

For the life of me I can not figure out why certain people do not “get” this business model.  To me, it makes all of the sense in the world and is the ideal type of business to be in.  It has a low overhead. It’s scalable. It pays tremendous dividends.  It’s profitable.  It’s fun.  It’s proven.  It can be worked from anywhere. It allows you to help other people.  It has so much going for it…. but if you do not believe in the business model, you’re going to have a hard time sharing the business model with other people.

Alrighty, I’ve asked enough of questions for now.  This should give you some thoughts to ponder.

One of my favorite aspects of this business is helping people make money and helping them succeed in their business.  Seeing people go for their dreams and reach them is incredibly exciting to me!  I hope this will help you get your business back on track and help you find your success!

Here’s my attempt at answering that question.

I’ve discovered that most people do not like the job they have – that they would like to do something with a little more meaning or to to find a way to stay home with their kids, while still earning good money.  I’ve discovered that most people do not feel they are compensated as fairly as they would like.  I’ve discovered most people would like more free time, would like to actually have fun and enjoy what they do.  I’ve discovered that people who enjoy helping others seem to excel in life.  I’ve discovered that an individual can do impressive things, but a team of people can do what seems impossible.

I help people who are looking for a way to see their kids grow up and  who want to be a bigger part of their lives.  I help people be able to work from anywhere – their home office, the beach (thus the name of my blog), in their car and even at my favorite place, Disney World.  I help people look younger and have beautiful skin, which in turns gives them more confidence and a better self esteem.  I help people leverage the network, time, energy and strengths they have to create a residual income.  I help people earn extra money for dream vacations if that’s what they want and then transition that into full time money to live their dream life.  I help people who dream of having their own business turn that dream into reality.  I teach.  I lead. I empower.  I support.  I excite.  I motivate.  I develop.  I help turn my teams’ dreams of financial success into realities.

Now a question for you – what do you do?

I have a document of over 1,400 quotes I’ve collected over the past year or so…and a Pinterest Board full of them! 601 Inspirational and Ready To Tweet Quotes are actually available for free download on my blog.  But geez, I have to pick out just one??  Favorite quotes change with my mood, the weather, given circumstance and current soapbox.  Words are powerful and have a way of moving us from one place to another.

So let’s go with my favorite quote TODAY.

Let’s get started and narrow this down.  There are a several  themes that I seem to collect.  Forgiveness. Perseverance.  Hope. Taking Action. Success. Helping. Being your best. Not being average. Dang, this is tough!

Maybe my mind is just going in this direction because I started reading Jon Acuff’s new book, Start., earlier today (and loving it, by the way)… but every “theme” I mentioned requires that you simply make a decision, take action and start.  It’s the theme behind so much that I write about… Ok, so maybe a quote about “starting?”

Great… I just did a search of my quotes and the word “start” comes up over 50 times.  So let’s narrow this down…

And then I run across this quote that I kept coming back to. It speaks to my core. It inspires me to be the best I can be. It has historical depth and comes from a place that one can truly respect.  So I believe this is going to be it, I believe this is going to be my favorite quote that involves “starting.”

“How wonderful it is that nobody need to wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” ~Anne Frank

Starting is imperative to success.  Starting is imperative to finishing.  Starting is imperative to reaching goals.  Starting is imperative to getting off of the sidelines.  And starting is imperative to simply making a difference.

As a quick side note, I’m not going to post to my blog every day this month as the challenge suggest, but do plan to join the challenge multiple times this month.  This subject just seemed to work well for the purpose of my blog and the challenge stirred me to action.  Now, back to the subject at hand…

A to do list should be considered an external reminder of tasks that need to be completed, the proverbial “string around your finger.”  That is, a list outside of your head.  A LinkedIn survey said 63% of professionals keep a to do list.  I’m assuming that means the remaining 37% are either failing at their jobs, have incredible memories or just go about their day haphazardly.

In the electronic world we live in, a to do list could look much different than it did five years ago.  Or it could still look the same and be written on a yellow legal pad or on stickies. I actually use two to do list, and love them both!  I use Siri on my iPhone to set reminders for me.  As I’m driving down the road I constantly think of things I need to do, so Siri allows me to speak a quick note, set a deadline and makes it available on on my devices hands free.  I also use an iPhone App & website called “Teux Duex” that is simply fabulous!  It’s probably the most innovative app I’ve seen.

I’ve read that on average 41% of to do items never get completed.  Why is there such a large percentage of tasks that never get completed?  I can’t seem to sleep well until tasks get removed from my to do list!

If you’re looking to conquer your to do list, here are some suggestions that will help.

Do Not Have Too Many Items On Your List

It becomes overwhelming, it is impractical, it causes worry and stress and that in turn stifles productivity. A to do list with 100 items on it will simply never happen.  You’ll need more of a ticket system if you have that many items your constantly dealing with.  Keep your list to a reasonable amount and do not let the size of your list overwhelm you.  No matter the size, you have to knock each item out one at a time.

Give Yourself A Short Completion Time

The longer you give yourself to complete a task, the less likely it is to ever be done.  If you use your list as a procrastination list, that’s exactly what will happen.  Include items on your list that need to be completed soon and give yourself ample time to complete the task, but do not use it as a crutch to procrastinate.   The “Teux Deux” app I mentioned earlier has a great calendar feature that allows you to add items to your to do list in the future.  It gives you the opportunity to add “change A/C filters” to a specific day, say six months down the road, allowing you to keep your current to do list current.

Prioritize

It’s easier to focus on the 10 things that have to get done than it is to be overwhelmed by the 150 things on your list that have been sitting there for the past three months.  You constantly waste time if you are skimming 150 items to find the ones you must do.  So keep your list prioritized.  I also like to knock off the items that I do not enjoy early on, just to get them out of the way.

Feel Good About Completing Tasks

Allow yourself to have small victories and celebrations along the way.  In other words, reward yourself.  For me, I really do enjoy just the fact I’ve knocked something else off of the list.  Embarrassingly enough, I have been known to do a little victory dance for some tasks that are not so enjoyable.

Be Specific

Make specific, actionable plans.  For example, in writing this post, I wrote “write blog post about conquering to do list.”  From the moment it enters my to do list it prompts my brain to think about what steps I need to complete in order to complete the task.   As I mentioned earlier, the purpose of a to do list is to remind yourself in a physical way.  I know I always need to call customers and prospects.  But by saying “Make 10 customer calls” it breaks it down into a more specific action.  We relate better to specific terms than we do generics.

Use A Tool To Keep Your List Handy

It’s important to always have your to do list handy.  You can see what you need to do and you can check items off.  As I’ve mentioned, I use Siri and the reminder feature on my phone that automatically goes to my iPad and computer.  It’s the same with “Teux Deux” – it makes the details available on on devices…which I’m always around at least one of them.

Just Do It

If you’ve taken the time to write out a to do list, take action.  Things never happen until you simply take action.  As my dad used to say “The grass isn’t going to mow itself.”

And here it is, my life in 250 words…

Born the day before Valentines, I’ve always been close to love, but not quite there. Growing up in Nahunta I was surrounded by family, friends & great BBQ. Summer camp was my favorite and I started going at age 8. My little brother was hit by a car and died when I was 11. The beach, lake & pool started my love affair with water. I wanted to play the flute in 7th grade, but mom protected me from being a boy named Bonnie who played the flute. Positivity was empowered and rampant throughout my life. I left NC to go to college in TN because I wanted a clean slate but did not know how much I’d miss the ocean. Got engaged to Kathy, but the timing was not right.  The broken heart hurt deeply and the void sought to be filled. Kathy was killed in a head-on-collision on Valentines. I married my job and honeymooned with business trips. The corporate ladder was easy to climb and I went to the top. Gave up on finding Ms Right but longed to have kids. As a youth group volunteer the students became my passion and I considered them my own and brought balance to my work-a-holic lifestyle.  2010 flooded my life with a living hell – a game changer.  In 2012, after 24 years of being employed, it was time for a new adventure and I started two new businesses. God has been faithful each step of the way!

That’s EXACTLY 250 words!  It’s the most concise that I’ve ever been! Go me!

In order for social media to be effective in your business, you have to be social, friendly, a part of a conversation, bring value and be engaged in community.  If you want to fail miserably at social media, be a flashing neon billboard that always talks about yourself, your specials, your products….everything ME ME ME.  If you add to that misuse and bad practices you also become an embarrassment to your business and quite possibly, the industry you are a part of.

Without a doubt, the world of social media is changing and evolving every day.  There are some great standards and best practices to use and then there are some practices you  simply need to avoid.  This is my list of practices that you need to avoid, whether or not you are a network marketer. It’s definitely a list of social media practices I’ve seen network marketers do – and it’s making you look really bad…

Event Spam

This is when you are using a Facebook event for something that’s not actually an event.  I see this when people are trying to promote a special, a new product launch or even a giveaway.  Come on people, those are annoying! Do not invite people to something that is not a real event.  It’s my understanding that facebook is finally making some efforts to block this kind of abuse by limiting the number of people you can invite to an event at one time.  Yes, the abuse is causing the people who correctly utilize the events function to suffer.  Unless you are having a real event, do not use the event functionality.

Pushing & Begging

It’s the end of the month push… I typically see this toward the end of the month when people are trying to reach an end of the month goal.  It’s almost like they are begging people to buy in order to help them get to the next level and to me it comes across as desperate, unprofessional and self serving.  My take on this: Do your job throughout the month so you don’t have to beg at the end of the month.  A reminder: Social Media calls for you to offer value, resources and expertise – not beg.

Poaching

I’m not sure what term to use for this, but “poaching” seems to work.  This is when people are commenting on other companies post pushing their own products. For instance,  occasionally I write post like this one directed toward the network marketing community and inevitably someone will leave a comment promoting their own network marketing company and how great it is.  How rude! I liken this to an owner of an appliance store roaming the isles of Best Buy poaching Best Buy’s shoppers.  It’s just not cool, and it’s unethical.

What’s even worse, doing this for people in your own company.  Seriously, that’s just uncool.  It’s definitely OK to comment and be a part of the conversation, but to make your comments sales-like and even including a link to buy from your store. Come on, it’s just not the right thing to do.

Offending Others

If you’re in network marketing you are looking for customers to buy your products and also looking for people to sponsor and join you in business.  By whining, using profanity, making political post, complaining, giving TMI (too much information) about your personal life, talking bad about customers…you get the point… you are easily offending others.   Why would you offend the people you want to do business with?  I also think it’s fair to say that we attract the kind of people that we project ourselves to be.  So if you are whining, complaining and being offensive keep in mind that this is the kind of person you will attract to your business.

Over Posting

This is when you are constantly posting and promoting only your business.  Let’s go back to what social media is all about.  It’s a conversation, it’s offering value, it’s offering resources, it’s sharing, it’s being social…being real…  Go back to your facebook, twitter, pinterest and notice the content of your post.  Does it look like one huge billboard?  If so, learn to create some balance.  On facebook, one out of ten post should be about your business or directly promoting a product.  Each of the social media mediums have their own personality and what is acceptable.  Get to know the environment and community and be a part of it.  You would not walk into a networking event holding a billboard saying “25% off” and yelling it at everyone you meet.  That’s what you are doing by over posting.

I hope these suggestions have been helpful to you.  Do you see other mistakes that are being used in social media?  If so, share them below, I’d love to hear your feedback.

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When I first saw “The Life of Bon” I instantly knew I wanted be a sponsor on her blog.  The name alone did it for me!  With my name being Bonnie (and yes, I am a guy named Bonnie), I think it’s fun when I run across another Bonnie. It’s a rare thing!  I blog over at Beach Money CEO and tweet at @boatingbonniec and typically post business tips, work from home tips, motivational pieces, skin care tips and information about my Rodan + Fields business (and how you can have one too).  I tweet motivational quotes, happy thoughts, positivity and talk about food a lot… For this guest post, that the fabulous Bonnie Larson is allowing me to write, I want to share one of my experiences from a trip I had to Disney World.

My first blog was about my dining and restaurant experiences as I traveled around the country.  I was a guy constantly traveling on an expense account, so I enjoyed every night of travel I had to be away from home.   The blog was not restaurant reviews, but rather my experiences surrounding my dining experiences. So here is my goofy post:

A Goofy Good Time

I’ve never professed to know a whole lot about too many things.  I think I have decent intelligence, I think I have a good education, I believe I make wise choices for the most part, and I find myself always wanting to know more – at least on subjects I’m interested in.  I’m curious by nature and do like to discover new experiences.

One of the things I do pride myself on is the vast amount of Disney knowledge I have accumulated over the years….especially for one who is not employed by Disney.  I can thank my brother Justin for this.  He worked for Disney as the director of Fairy Tale Weddings for many years and he always answered all of my curiosity questions and gave me opportunities to visit Disney World (for free) more than any person could ever dream.  Now people come to me for help in planning their Disney trips, and I love to make suggestions about all things Disney.  I love Disney World. Matter of fact, I am at Disney as I type this.

One of the things I have done for the past five or six trips in order to keep things new and magical is to do something new during each stay.  This trip I’ve even beefed that up a little and I am trying something new every single day.  It’s still so easy to find new things to do!  For the particular experience that I’m writing about, I decided to eat at the steakhouse at the Contemporary Resort that has been suggested to me several times.  It fit with the theme of my blog, it was a steakhouse & I love steak and it was something new….it sounded like a perfect combination to me!

I had spent the early part of the day with my lazy butt on the lazy river (and a couple of water slides) at Typhoon Lagoon and then the mid afternoon and early evening at Magic Kingdom.  This steakhouse was at the Contemporary and I had plans to go to EPCOT for IllumiNations that evening.  So a quick Monorail ride over to the Contemporary had me walking up to the podium to ask for a table.

As a side note, I’d like to say this is typically not a wise thing to do…to just show up without reservations.  The Disney restaurants book up early and my suggestion is to always book your reservations well in advance.  But I’ve found with a party of one and a “pretty please” and kind smile the cast members will typically try to accommodate.  …but there I was at the podium and was told it would be about an hour and a half wait.  I pondered the wait for a second and thought “Let’s do it!”  So I grabbed my buzzer and went and visited the gift shop and then snuggled into a big soft chair in the lounge.

Time actually went by pretty fast, but it was every bit of an hour and a half.  I caught up on some phone calls, watched the Monorail zip through the concourse, got to watch the sunset and the full moon rise over Bay Lake all the while thinking about the exceptional steak I was about to sink my teeth into.  My mouth was watering.  Always observant of my surroundings, I noticed that there were a lot of kids at this steakhouse…but it is Disney World.  This place didn’t have the same class and dignity as Le Cellier over at EPCOT in Canada or as the Yachtsman’s Steakhouse at the Yacht and Beach Club.  But it is Disney and they theme things well, and it certainly looked like something one would find at the Contemporary Resort.  I was just getting hungrier by the minute.  I had steak on my mind.

My Buzzer finally lights up!!  So I go to the podium, turn it in and they take me for the grand tour.  I opted out of the “family picture” they were giving most families and the hostess showed me the buffet and then the dessert buffet.  Hmmmmm….something just doesn’t seem right.  A buffet at a steakhouse?  So I asked the hostess if this was the steakhouse.  She chuckled and said “we have some roast beef on the buffet, but the steakhouse is on the 15th floor.”  Instead of the Concourse Steakhouse….I got Chef Mickey’s (which is actually located on the concourse right next to the monorail track.)
What is “Chef Mickey’s” I asked.  It’s a Character Dining experience.  I had waited an hour and a half for a Character Dining Experience???  Not a steakhouse???

It was a new experience….so I just went with it!

I met MICKEY MOUSE!!!  And Donald!  And Minnie!  And Goofy!!  They all stopped by my table for a visit!  I totally loved it!  I felt like an idiot, and a bit Goofy sitting in a character dining experience….a grown man…sitting by himself…but I just went with it and enjoyed the moment.!  If you pay for it, you may as well enjoy it!

It was sheer joy to see the kids around me look at the characters with such joy and excitement.  It was truly sweet.   I even got to see some teens totally loose it when they saw Minnie.  Teen Boys…not faking it…they were loving seeing the Characters.  Disney truly gives people the freedom to be a kid again.

The food was good.  Very good.  The Carved Roast Beef was seasoned to perfection and the ham was Christmas Day worthy.  They had some stir fry veggies and some green beans….and a salad bar…..and some Turkey Pot Pie.  If it’s going to have Mickey’s name attached to it at Disney World, you know it’s going to be better than just good!  It may have actually been the healthiest meal I had eaten while here…. until the dessert.

They have a buffet full of all of these miniature cheesecakes and key lime pies and Chocolate Mousse Mickey’s and brownies that all tasted heavenly.  Disney knows how to do food, and especially sweets!  Oh yeah, did I mention a build your own Sundae bar??  Genius!!  This wasn’t a Golden Corral buffet – this was incredibly good food with an incredibly fun atmosphere.  Did I mention I met Mickey Mouse??

If you are going to Disney and you have kids (or don’t have kids) make it to one of the Character Dining Experiences.  And if you want fine dining and a great steak, get the name of the restaurant correct….

Below I’ve outlined 9 strategies that will help you grow your team, thus grow your business.

Have The Right Attitude

First and foremost, you have to have the right attitude to succeed in network marketing. Part of that attitude is being a person who likes to help others succeed.  Zig Ziglar once said “You can’t help someone row to the other side of the river without reaching the other shore yourself.”  When you help enough people succeed, you too will have success.  Being able to help others succeed is one of my favorite aspects of this business.

You also have to learn that hearing “no” is not going to destroy you and that there is nothing personal in someone not joining you in business. This business is not for everyone and everyone will not see the opportunity the way that you do.  It’s nothing personal.  You’re not a failure and don’t need to feel like it’s your fault they don’t “get it.”

Every person you speak to about your business has the potential to be a customer, a business partner or someone who can refer the right people to you.  You have to have an attitude that does not equate “no” with failure.

Show some enthusiasm.  If you’re not enthusiastic about your business, why would anyone want to join you?

Find A Reputable Company With Lots Of Promise

This may seem obvious, and to most it is.  Once you find a solid company commit to it.  Give it at least a year.  I’ve heard time and time again that failure does not occur in this business.  Quitting happens, but failure does not happen.  If you are working, talking to people, sharing your product, sharing your business opportunity you will grow.

If you believe in the business model and understand the value of leveraging your network, time and energy but you are not with a company that has the potential you are looking for, find a new company.  Several months back I wrote a post called “One Criteria When Considering a New Business Opportunity” that I feel may be a good resource for helping find a good company to work with.

Keep It Simple

I am convinced that some people just like to over-complicate things.  This business succeeds when you duplicate what works, teach your team how to duplicate those same strategies and teach them how to teach their team.  There are so many ways to complicate this business.  Stick with what works.

Look to the success stories, learn what they do and duplicate what they do.

Does that mean you can’t improve on what is being done.  I say ALWAYS look for ways to improve, but do not forsake the tried and tested ways as you test your ideas.

Target People Who Get Business

Network Marketing is serious business. Entrepreneurs who understand business and see the vision of how direct sales works are much more likely to join you and partner with you.  Look for people who influence and look for people who can be your “power partners.”  We all know people who are like magnets and who everyone wants to be associated with. Look for people who will naturally benefit from being in your business, that’s why mompreneurs have come on to the scene so strong in network marketing.  They benefit because they get to balance family and business on their own terms.   As you talk with others and are asking for referrals, let your conversation direct their thoughts to the kind of individuals who are ideal for your business and your team.

You want referrals that lead you to go-getters, magnets, influencers and people known to be helpful.  You want to spend your time with the movers and shakers, not the ones you have to convince to join you in business.  You want people who “get it” and are enthusiastic about it.

Talk To As Many People At One Time As You Can

The entire idea behind Network Marketing comes down to the word “leverage.”  How are you leveraging your network?  How are you leveraging your team?  How are you leveraging your time?  When it comes to how you spend your time, use your time wisely.

Talk to the masses.  Set up a toll free number with a recorded message or set up a webinar that people can view.  As your team grows, set up training calls where you are training multiple team members at once instead of one-on-on.  Time is valuable and if you can teach people how to leverage their time, everyone benefits.

As you are doing this, you are also training your team that the best use of their time is talking to as many people as possible.  You could realistically meet with five people during the day for coffee.  But what if, instead, you spoke to those five people at one time…or better yet, 20 people at once, or 100 people at once.

The way this plays out may look different for different people, but the idea is the same.  Leverage your time and talk to as many people at one time as possible.

Train, Train, Train

The power of network marketing is that you utilize the time of others to leverage your time and efforts.  The saying “I would rather have 1% effort from 100 different people than rely on 100% of my own” is so true to me. But those 100 people have to know what they are doing in order to help you succeed.  So train, train, train.

Training is also a great way to stay connected to your team, help keep them motivated, empower them to build their teams and demonstrate leadership and duplication.  Spend a greater percentage of your time with those team member who are displaying the most activity and are duplicating the steps to success.

Empower your team to duplicate what you do and encourage them to lead their teams.  This goes back to leveraging your time and energies.

Create Goals, Benchmarks and Take Decisive Action

Where do you want to be in 6 months?  Do you have a goal and a road map that will get you there?  Break the six months down into intervals that will allow you to measure your progress along the way.  Where do you want to be in 1 year, or 2 years?  Again, you have to have clearly defined bench marks and an action plan that will get you there.

Writing your goals down is huge.  Writing down the actions to get you there is vital.  But all of it is done in vain if you do not take action to make it all a reality.  You have to know where you are going in order to get there.

Stay On Top Of Your Game

Be the kind of leader who is always working to improve your skills.  Improve your presentations, improve your conversation skills, always find new ways to help and empower people.  Learn from the leaders in your company and leaders in the industry.

One of the great things about network marketing is that there is always room for more growth.  There’s always room for more business and there’s always room to improve your skills.  Staying on top of your game keeps you in a position to help more people.  Whether directly or indirectly, you are always going to be in contact with people so you want to make certain your people skills are at their best.

Know The MLM Industry

Knowing your business and the company you work with is vital.  You certainly want to know, understand, teach and promote the best practices from within your company.  But you also need to stay informed of the best practices and best technologies from within the entire Network Marketing Industry as well.  There are a lot of Direct Sales companies out there doing very well.  What are they teaching their distributors? Why are they successful?  Why are they growing?  What can you do that would benefit your customers and your team?

Have FUN!

Ok, so this is number 10.  Who said business can’t be fun?  Building a business, building a team, encouraging a team, working with people – it all makes out for a very fun business!  If you expect others to join you in your business you have to let them see that you’re having fun and that you enjoy what you do.  Sadly, it seems like most recruiters want to tell you how much money they make.  I believe more success will come when others see that you love what you are doing, enjoy the opportunity to help others and enjoy the way you are able to leverage your time.  Yes, everyone wants to make money, that’s why we are in business.  But I believe quality of life trumps most other benefits.

So here it is, the ABC’s of who I am.  27 completely random facts of who I am, arranged in alphabetical order.

A – Affable. I’m friendly, easy to approach and hopefully enjoyable to be around.  I’ll talk with anyone and will play 20 questions with them.

B – Biggest Loser.  Last June I decided to do a casting call for The Biggest Loser.  Well, they didn’t pick me but I did have fun waiting in line for five hours in the hot Atlanta sun.  Seriously, it was an incredible experience that I believe set me on a positive and much healthier path.

C – When I think of the letter “c” I think “average.”  I’m not average and don’t want to be average.  That’s boring and bland.  There is more to life than being average, so no “c” for me.

D – Disney.  I’m a Disney World fanatic.  I can not even count the number of times I’ve been.  I like to be happy, and they say it’s the happiest place on earth, so it seems natural I should be there.  At some point I plan to have a job at Disney driving the water taxis.  I don’t care if it is a minimum wage job or not, I going to do it one day.

E – ethos.  I go to a church called ethos.  We meet in a bar in downtown Nashville across from two homeless shelters.  I’m incredibly blessed to be a part of this group of people.  We’re a group of people simply trying to be Jesus to the world around us.

F – I made 3 F’s in college. They were all in the same class with the same professor. When I took it the fourth time with a different professor, I finally passed English Lit. with a B.  Even with the B, I never read a single assignment.

G – Glee – I’m a fan.  Love the music, laugh at their drama, roll my eyes at the way it tries so hard to be “edgy.”

H – Help. I love to help people.  That takes on many different shapes and manifests itself in many different ways, but I love helping people.

I – Part of the reason I don’t write many post about me is I have to use the word “I” way too often.  I’d much rather learn about someone else than to talk about me.

J – Jokester.  I’m a jokester, and a cheesy one at that.  The cheesier the better!  People take life way too seriously… And by the way, I know there are only 26 letter in the alphabet.  Saying “27″ above was a joke.  See what I did there?

K – My Klout score is currently 63.  I still don’t get how it can be so high, but I’m glad there are that many people out there in the Internet world who follows me, connects with me and interacts with me.  I’m incredibly grateful for it!

L – Lake – I spend much of my summer days at the lake.  I love being on the water out on my boat.  It’s the scenery, the people I’m there with, the sounds and the relaxed atmosphere.

M – Meat on the grill.  Cooking on the grill is a favorite of mine.  I have this incredible marinade for Rib Eye Steak that is spectacular!  My brother makes the best chicken wings on the grill that I’ve ever had, but I try to replicate it often. It never works for me.

N – I started to put Nutella, but thought 4 in a row about food would be too much because I also thought Oreos & Peanut Butter for the next two.  But we’ll go for “Nice”  – I’ve always been the “nice guy”  I still can’t figure out if that is a compliment or a curse…

O – I remember answering a question when I was a kid telling the teacher I wanted to be an Ontrypranear.  I knew what I meant, I just didn’t know how to spell Entrepreneur.  Growing up I had all kinds of dreams about the businesses that I wanted to own and operate.  Now it’s fun getting to help people with their businesses as part of mine.

P – Present – A few things about this word… I try to be present with people when they need a friend or someone to talk with.  I know what it’s like to feel all alone and that no one is there for you, so that empathy seems to lead me to be present with people.  I also like to live in the present and not dwell on the past or hurry on to the next event.  Today needs to be savored and enjoyed.

Q – Questions. I like to ask questions because I’m curious about what’s going on around me.  It’s always fun learning about the lives of people I meet.

R – Rodan + Fields.  It’s the product I sell, the business I’m in and the business I help others get into.  It’s great skin care products.  Skin, it’s a beautiful thing, wear it well!

S – Success.  I would say I’m a success, and if you can call yourself a success, I believe you’ve obtained it.  I live a high quality life, I get to help others, I have Joy & Peace, no debt (other than a mortgage), have traveled a ton, have made mistakes and learned from them, have great friends, a wonderful family and there is food in my fridge.  Life is good.

T – Technology.  I love technology… I like to use technology for my work and play. I had a Mac Plus way back in college, a Tivo when they were new, an iPhone the day they became available on Verizon.  It’s fun to see how Disney uses technology around the parks.  It’s just fun to see how creative people can be with technology.

U – Upbeat. I am an upbeat and positive person.  I seriously have no room for negative people in my life and always like to be surrounded by upbeat, positive, successful people who look for the good in life.  Life is too short to not see the sunny side!

V – Victorious.  The Nickelodeon TV Show… I think it’s funny.  Cheesy funny.

W – Water. I’ve only had water to drink since November 15, 2005.  That’s all I drink.  I find myself sitting at the bar a lot at restaurants… I know the bartenders hate that.  The last thing I drank before I started drinking water was a large sweet tea at a BBQ place.  The doctor told me that day if I didn’t loose weight I was going to die, so I decided I needed to cut out some unhealthy parts of of my life.  Sweet Tea and Coca-Cola were the hardest to give up for sure!

X – You get nothing for this one.  I even Googled “Words that begin with X” and didn’t know what any of them meant.  I then used Dictionary.com to look some of them up, but X on that – nothing seemed to work.  Strike one.

Y – Yes.  I have a problem with saying the word “yes” too often.  Actually, I suppose the real problem is not being able to say “no.”  I am a people pleaser and always want everyone happy.  I agree to do must things that I should never agree to do because I do not like to disappoint.  It is definitely a weakness and shortcoming of mine.

Z – I like Zoos.  Even though they advertise they are not a zoo, Disney’s Animal Kingdom has one of the best Zoological libraries in the country AND if I am ever asked what my favorite Zoo is I always say Animal Kingdom.  But most likely, it’s the food, rides and rides that’s there and not the animals….

Alrighty, that’s it! A nice personal post about me giving you 26 random facts about myself.  If you made it this far, please feel free to post a comment, picking a letter and leaving an interesting fact about yourself.